Are we contenders?

[2006Coltsbestever]

Just now, Jules said:

 

We could if we got Marlon Brando.

Yeah or Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry.

[Bubbz]

On 2/14/2017 at 6:43 PM, NewColtsFan said:

 

We COULD be a contender....    but currently we are not.

 

Simply saying a good draft and a good free agency and we're back in business is just too simplistic.

 

Getting one of those right is hard enough and you're hoping for both.   

 

IF and I'm stressing the word IF,  we get both right,  then we could be good enough to win the division.    But making the playoffs is different than making a good run in the playoffs.      And we're more likely to be two years away from making a deep run in the playoffs.      

 

Our defense is terrible.    Making it good enough to go far in the playoffs will not likely get done in one off-season.

 

It COULD,   but it's not likely.

 

Patience is going to be key.    Both for the franchise and the fan base.     So far the fan base has not done a good job of being patient.     Will be interesting to see how they react in 2017.......

 

12-4 minimum or fire evryone

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, Bubbz said:

12-4 minimum or fire evryone

 

I'm glad you have a sense of humor.

 

I think we're all going to need it this year at one point or another!        

[braveheartcolt]

Geathers is going to stay fit and have a stellar season. Comeback player of the year.

The improving O-Line continues to improve in leaps and bounds.

The OC finally works out how to utilise Dorsett.

We get 3 good starters from this years draft.

Anderson comes back strong.

Vontae sorts himself out.

We get a few top notch FA defensive stars.

Allen remembers how to catch.

Gore gets another 1000 yard season.

Pagano learns how to game play.

Luck sparkles.

 

I have faith. I have changed my mind. We will be contenders. Eat dirt Belichick. Play with your soft balls, Brady. Kry like a baby, Kraft. 

 

We are going to the Super Bowl.

 

Sorry, watched Braveheart again last night. May have got carried away a little bit there.....

 

[Synthetic]

 

That answer is no. 

 

 

8-8 team who finished 3rd in their division. 

 

Defense is a completely wreck. Offense is good when playing horrible teams, not so much when they have to play a legitimate defense. 

 

Need lots of help all around. 

 

 

The real question should be, will Houston be contenders if they get their offense together? 

[Chucklez]

2 hours ago, Synthetic said:

 

That answer is no. 

 

 

8-8 team who finished 3rd in their division. 

 

Defense is a completely wreck. Offense is good when playing horrible teams, not so much when they have to play a legitimate defense. 

 

Need lots of help all around. 

 

 

The real question should be, will Houston be contenders if they get their offense together? 

Only we're allowed to trash ourselves around here, not you! 
(even if what you are saying is true...,)

It will take one hell of an off-season for this team to be contenders this year... one that would undoubtedly get Ballard GM of the year. But lets be real, we need AT LEAST two off-seasons to fix this defense and that would be with two amazing drafts and FA periods.

The offense will play better once the defense stops making them play so one dimensional as well (playing catch-up)... Even with that hindrance we were a top 10 outfit, we are set there... it's that D side of the ball and we all know it.

[Crunked]

If we can acquire enough talent on defense this year to improve to "average" or near average, we have the offense to be a playoff/wild card team. If (and I think this would take a few off-seasons) we could inch our way to/into the top 10 defensively then we become SB contenders (based on where our offense is currently)  .......Even if Ballard does such a good job this year that he is GM of the year, we will still have holes and needs in significant numbers that there will still be a lot of work to do.....He probably needs to have 3 good years of GM'ing to get us to the point where there is enough talent to have the opportunity to be a dynasty....and that might be optimistic.

[Chucklez]

14 hours ago, BR-549 said:

Is that why we almost lost to them both times?  Their roster is better than ours and somehow they still figured out how to lose.  I don't expect that to be the case this year..

We have been saying almost the exact same thing about the Jags for a long long time... At least the past 3 years.... They always play us hard because of the rivalry, but their best record since 2010 is 5 - 11..... 

In their 22 years of existence, the franchise has had 7 winning season records over .500....  4 of which came in their first 5 years of existence....

Forgive me if I am not worried about the Jags... Since 2012, Colts are 49 - 31 in the regular season... The Jags are 17 - 63.... I will believe they have finally turned it around when I see it actually happen....

[Yoshinator]

5 minutes ago, Chucklez said:

We have been saying almost the exact same thing about the Jags for a long long time... At least the past 3 years.... They always play us hard because of the rivalry, but their best record since 2010 is 5 - 11..... 

In their 22 years of existence, the franchise has had 7 winning season records over .500....  4 of which came in their first 5 years of existence....

Forgive me if I am not worried about the Jags... Since 2012, Colts are 49 - 31 in the regular season... The Jags are 17 - 63.... I will believe they have finally turned it around when I see it actually happen....

I don't think any of us are worried about the Jags winning the division, but they can beat us anytime we face them. That doesn't make them good, it just shows how incomplete of a team we are. The whole division is basically a crapshoot at this time until someone steps it up (The Texans get a QB, the Titans and Colts fill their holes, the Jags get a new QB and RB). At this point, anyone can beat anyone in the division, and it'll be a struggle to win the division and see who goes one and done for now.

[Smonroe]

1 hour ago, crunked said:

If we can acquire enough talent on defense this year to improve to "average" or near average, we have the offense to be a playoff/wild card team. If (and I think this would take a few off-seasons) we could inch our way to/into the top 10 defensively then we become SB contenders (based on where our offense is currently)  .......Even if Ballard does such a good job this year that he is GM of the year, we will still have holes and needs in significant numbers that there will still be a lot of work to do.....He probably needs to have 3 good years of GM'ing to get us to the point where there is enough talent to have the opportunity to be a dynasty....and that might be optimistic.

 

The Giants went from a bottom 3 defense in 15 to a top 2 in 16 (pts/game). 

 

Like you said, I don't think anyone expects that kind of turn around.  But a return to average would mean we're contenders IMO.

[Rackeen305]

12 hours ago, Lawrence Owen said:

20 points is respectable.  and against denver's defense...good.  Luck did not play pitt...and KC goes under 'any givin sunday'.  as in a team can beat anyonyone (or have a very bad game) any givin sunday.

The other side of the score board is what is needed looked at more so...34 by denver,..30 by KC, and 28 by pitt.  That is unacceptable.

Now watch this. Somewhere in your statement I got lost. I'm not sure if you are supporting your statement that colts can "Put up points on anybody" when in the same breathe you say 20 points is respectable. FYI when you play the Pats, Atl, Seahawks, KC, Cowboys, Pitts, even the Texans, 20 points isn't gonna amount to W's often. We don't have a shutdown defense so if you enter those playoff bound teams thinking all we need is 20 points to win, you will lose like the Falcons in the Superbowl. Now if we were in the 35 pt/game average, that is more ammo and hopefully, if we are in those situations we can run the clock out and preserve a victory. I don't wanna see Luck holding the side of his helmet in precious moments/situations because that usually means we just turned the ball over.

[Yoshinator]

1 hour ago, Smonroe said:

 

The Giants went from a bottom 3 defense in 15 to a top 2 in 16 (pts/game). 

 

Like you said, I don't think anyone expects that kind of turn around.  But a return to average would mean we're contenders IMO.

They went full out in FA to fix the defense and had guys like Landon Collins come through in their 2nd year. It'll take a combination of both to fix the defense this year, and we have no idea as of now, how involved Chris Ballard will get involved in FA. We could get lucky and get an instant impact from our draft class on defense, but it'd have to be huge in year 1 to make a lot of difference. Probably will be another year before we are improved at defense.

[BullsColtsFan1]

8 hours ago, Synthetic said:

 

That answer is no. 

 

 

8-8 team who finished 3rd in their division. 

 

Defense is a completely wreck. Offense is good when playing horrible teams, not so much when they have to play a legitimate defense. 

 

Need lots of help all around. 

 

 

The real question should be, will Houston be contenders if they get their offense together? 

Just like the Saints right?   I guess Minnesota wasn't a legit defense this year. 

[runthepost]

9 minutes ago, BullsColtsFan1 said:

Just like the Saints right?   I guess Minnesota wasn't a legit defense this year. 

To be fair their defense sucked when smith got hurt

[bananabucket]

On 2/14/2017 at 10:01 PM, riftastic28 said:

Are defense this year was terrible . Yet we finished 8-8 .500 . With the worse defense in the league . If the defense was some what decent I think we would of gone 10-6 easy . You can't argue you that . 

 

How old are you?  Your grammar is horrible. 

[BullsColtsFan1]

1 hour ago, runthepost said:

To be fair their defense sucked when smith got hurt

Maybe not as good but they finished 3rd for the year.  They obviously weren't garbage.

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/total/position/defense

[Jason_]

16 minutes ago, BullsColtsFan1 said:

Maybe not as good but they finished 3rd for the year.  They obviously weren't garbage.

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/total/position/defense

 

well, you've gotta understand....if a player or group isn't elite, then they're garbage.  Elite and garbage apparently are the only 2 adjectives some people know.

[BullsColtsFan1]

Just now, Jason_S said:

 

well, you've gotta understand....if a player or group isn't elite, then they're garbage.  Elite and garbage apparently are the only 2 adjectives some people know.

Right on!

[Andrew Luck fan club]

This will be a much better question once FA and the draft are done. I don't think it's too terribly unrealistic if we became contenders next year. Just would take a great offseason, and hoping Dorsett/Clark/Green/Anderson all improve and get healthy. 

[Chucklez]

5 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

I don't think any of us are worried about the Jags winning the division, but they can beat us anytime we face them. That doesn't make them good, it just shows how incomplete of a team we are. The whole division is basically a crapshoot at this time until someone steps it up (The Texans get a QB, the Titans and Colts fill their holes, the Jags get a new QB and RB). At this point, anyone can beat anyone in the division, and it'll be a struggle to win the division and see who goes one and done for now.

I agree whole heartedly, anyone can beat anyone inside of the AFC south. My point was merely that the Jags should not be considered a threat for divisional winners in the South. Did they even get a win outside of the AFC south last season...?

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, Chucklez said:

I agree whole heartedly, anyone can beat anyone inside of the AFC south. My point was merely that the Jags should not be considered a threat for divisional winners in the South. Did they even get a win outside of the AFC south last season...?

Yes, one. They beat us, Chicago and Tennessee. So one win outside the AFC South. Very embarrassing. The only thing that worries me about them is if they draft Fournette or Cook in the draft this year. That'd turn them into a Titans/Texans mix of a team that could go 6-10 and play spoiler on us next year. Really, the division is anyone's game. We just have to take risks in FA and hit on the draft. It'll take patience and a few years to be SB contenders though unless Brady retires in the next year.

[braveheartcolt]

10 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Yes, one. They beat us, Chicago and Tennessee. So one win outside the AFC South. Very embarrassing. The only thing that worries me about them is if they draft Fournette or Cook in the draft this year. That'd turn them into a Titans/Texans mix of a team that could go 6-10 and play spoiler on us next year. Really, the division is anyone's game. We just have to take risks in FA and hit on the draft. It'll take patience and a few years to be SB contenders though unless Brady retires in the next year.

At least NE have a much tougher looking schedule than last season.......so I dont think Brady will be able to rub his head and pat his tummy after every snap. He may have to work for his wins this year.....

[Yoshinator]

Just now, braveheartcolt said:

At least NE have a much tougher looking schedule than last season.......so I dont think Brady will be able to rub his head and pat his tummy after every snap. He may have to work for his wins this year.....

Very true. Just wish his division would put up more resistance against him than they do. Seems like they'll win the division. They are beatable outside of foxsboro though, so lets hope someone else gets the no1 seed.

[aaron11]

23 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

You're about the 10th or 20th person to have made this post to me over the 5 years that I've been here.

 

And the truth is,  I've known all of that BEFORE I ever found this website.    Remember, as a member of the media I followed the NFL closely for decades.     So, I know the Colts history.

 

the difference is you didnt care about the team when we sucked

 

we did

 

when luck is gone, we will be bad again and you wont care anymore.  there is no more time to be patient, its been 5 years already.  luck wont be here forever

[NewColtsFan]

19 minutes ago, aaron11 said:

the difference is you didnt care about the team when we sucked

 

we did

 

when luck is gone, we will be bad again and you wont care anymore.  there is no more time to be patient, its been 5 years already.  luck wont be here forever

 

You just said Peyton didn't want a playoff game until Year 6.     The Super Bowl didn't come until Year 9.

 

Luck's got probably 8-10 years left if he's fortunate enough not to get seriously hurt.

 

I'm not saying being patient is easy....    I understand that it's not.     But NOT being patient doesn't make things happen any faster.       These things take time.     Ballard can do all the right things and this will still take time.

 

Not being patient only makes things harder on you and doesn't help things move forward.      

 

Just some food for thought for your consideration....

 

[braveheartcolt]

11 minutes ago, aaron11 said:

the difference is you didnt care about the team when we sucked

 

we did

 

when luck is gone, we will be bad again and you wont care anymore.  there is no more time to be patient, its been 5 years already.  luck wont be here forever

Don't be so petulant. Anyway, after Luck goes, we go 1-15, get the first pick, and draft a young guy called Manning, and the cylce starts all over again.......

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, braveheartcolt said:

Don't be so petulant. Anyway, after Luck goes, we go 1-15, get the first pick, and draft a young guy called Manning, and the cylce starts all over again.......

LOL! You are getting my likes today. Will Peyton's son graduate from college by the time Luck retires? I think he has twins, so we get our pick of the litter!

[2006Coltsbestever]

7 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

LOL! You are getting my likes today. Will Peyton's son graduate from college by the time Luck retires? I think he has twins, so we get our pick of the litter!

Hey one thing we can do is Draft QB's from Unitas to Jones to Peyton to Luck, hell we even got Harbaugh for a bag of chips at 1 time and he damn near took us to the SB in 1995.

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Hey one thing we can do is Draft QB's from Unitas to Jones to Peyton to Luck, hell we even got Harbaugh for a bag of chips at 1 time and he damn near took us to the SB in 1995.

If I remember I think another team actually drafted Unitas and released him and then the Colts picked him up which was genius.

[aaron11]

1 hour ago, braveheartcolt said:

Don't be so petulant.

its the objective truth though

 

this team has been bad when we didnt have manning, luck or i guess one year of harbaugh

[runthepost]

16 hours ago, Jason_S said:

 

well, you've gotta understand....if a player or group isn't elite, then they're garbage.  Elite and garbage apparently are the only 2 adjectives some people know.

Wasn't saying that. They gave up 34 and 38 in back to back weeks. I was saying that defense had a bad 2 weeks

[runthepost]

15 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

LOL! You are getting my likes today. Will Peyton's son graduate from college by the time Luck retires? I think he has twins, so we get our pick of the litter!

We draft tom Brady son.. 

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, runthepost said:

We draft tom Brady son.. 

Could we get him in the 6th round?  

[Lawrence Owen]

On 2/16/2017 at 10:00 AM, Rackeen305 said:

Now watch this. Somewhere in your statement I got lost. I'm not sure if you are supporting your statement that colts can "Put up points on anybody" when in the same breathe you say 20 points is respectable. FYI when you play the Pats, Atl, Seahawks, KC, Cowboys, Pitts, even the Texans, 20 points isn't gonna amount to W's often. We don't have a shutdown defense so if you enter those playoff bound teams thinking all we need is 20 points to win, you will lose like the Falcons in the Superbowl. Now if we were in the 35 pt/game average, that is more ammo and hopefully, if we are in those situations we can run the clock out and preserve a victory. I don't wanna see Luck holding the side of his helmet in precious moments/situations because that usually means we just turned the ball over.

My point was 20 points is a respectable for a team with atleast an 'average' defense.  This is why my original post said "No, we were not contenders yet"  The Colts were 8th in the NFL is scoring /game last year at 25.7  PPG.  That is respectable. Having an average defense would have ment winning atleast 3 more games last year.  IMO.

[masterlock]

The short answer to the original question is no. I don't see the Colts, under Pagano, going far in the playoffs. I think it's going to take at least 2 years for them to be considered contenders.

[Andrew Luck fan club]

 

;)

[Rally5]

On 2/14/2017 at 9:43 PM, NewColtsFan said:

 

We COULD be a contender....    but currently we are not.

 

Simply saying a good draft and a good free agency and we're back in business is just too simplistic.

 

Getting one of those right is hard enough and you're hoping for both.   

 

IF and I'm stressing the word IF,  we get both right,  then we could be good enough to win the division.    But making the playoffs is different than making a good run in the playoffs.      And we're more likely to be two years away from making a deep run in the playoffs.      

 

Our defense is terrible.    Making it good enough to go far in the playoffs will not likely get done in one off-season.

 

It COULD,   but it's not likely.

 

Patience is going to be key.    Both for the franchise and the fan base.     So far the fan base has not done a good job of being patient.     Will be interesting to see how they react in 2017.......

 

 

Not quite so fast on this one, last years Falcons team was no better, honestly worse than this team.  The NFL has very, very thin margins of difference.  Two years ago the Panthers were 15-1 and this year not so much, how did the unstoppable Broncos look this year?  These are just a few examples of how the NFL can swing.  

 

This team has the offensive talent.  A second year under a rookie D coordinator, a second year of Chud's offense, a good draft, and perhaps an impact FA and this can flip in a hurry.  I saw signs of hope with the D towards the end of the season.  I agree 100% we COULD be a contender with some solid front office work. Frankly, I think it's very fair for the fan base to expect to win now and I'm optimistic (with a critical eye)! ;)

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, Rally5 said:

Not quite so fast on this one, last years Falcons team was no better, honestly worse than this team.  The NFL has very, very thin margins of difference.  Two years ago the Panthers were 15-1 and this year not so much, how did the unstoppable Broncos look this year?  These are just a few examples of how the NFL can swing.  

 

This team has the offensive talent.  A second year under a rookie D coordinator, a second year of Chud's offense, a good draft, and perhaps an impact FA and this can flip in a hurry.  I saw signs of hope with the D towards the end of the season.  I agree 100% we COULD be a contender with some solid front office work. Frankly, I think it's very fair for the fan base to expect to win now and I'm optimistic (with a critical eye)! ;)

 

All I'm saying is that we might get good enough to go 10-6 or 11-5 and win the division and then lose 1st round in the playoffs.

 

I think that's a good improvement,  but it's likely not what this fan base would be satisfied with.

 

I think we'll get better in 17,  then better again in 18 and 19.

 

I don't see this Colts team making a deep run in the playoffs in 17.     I'd love to be wrong,  I just don't see it happening.       And I think the 16 Colts defense was much worse than the 15 Falcons defense.   

 

[Rally5]

Well, I'll sign up for 11-5 right now....just get to the playoffs healthy and on a run... you never know!