Offensive line fixed!

[King Colt]

All this jargon about the OL being fixed makes me wonder why they let it break down in the first place and why it took so long to fix.

[WoolMagnet]

Hey, i get emotional about the Colts too.

but we don't need to EXPECT the OL to continue to be bad.

the rookies got ALOT of game experience last year, and greatly improved by years end.  Mewhort will be back, the line has been working together in the offseason, and we added a  couple players in FA and draft.  The pieces should be here. Now the players and coaches need to work to continue to grow and inprove.  I'm actually excited to see how they do. They are young and motivated.  Lets at least give them a chance.

hopefully andrew and chud can help too with playcalling and getting the ball out quicker.  The running game could also help.

[WoolMagnet]

7 minutes ago, King Colt said:

All this jargon about the OL being fixed makes me wonder why they let it break down in the first place and why it took so long to fix.

Especially since Grigs was an OLman himself.

[superrep1967]

18 hours ago, LuckyHooker24 said:

If Irsay actually thinks that our offensive line is fixed, perhaps he should put down the bottle and wake up. This unit still has a lot to prove!

I totally agree! What pills is Irsay popping now? They certainly got a lot to prove and we don't even know if they can prove it yet. 

[lester]

46 minutes ago, King Colt said:

All this jargon about the OL being fixed makes me wonder why they let it break down in the first place and why it took so long to fix.

 

I think you can chalk it up to a few 'Swing and a miss' moments by Grigson. He tried. He just wasn't good at it until he used nearly an entire draft's worth of draft capital to make sure he didn't miss. Too little, too late.

[crazycolt1]

19 hours ago, LuckyHooker24 said:

If Irsay actually thinks that our offensive line is fixed, perhaps he should put down the bottle and wake up. This unit still has a lot to prove!

While I agree with your comment about the O-line needing to prove itself was the comment about Irsay and him putting the bottle down necessary?

Or was that just you trying to be funny or cute?

[crazycolt1]

18 minutes ago, lester said:

 

I think you can chalk it up to a few 'Swing and a miss' moments by Grigson. He tried. He just wasn't good at it until he used nearly an entire draft's worth of draft capital to make sure he didn't miss. Too little, too late.

Exactly. I am also curious of how much the Grigson vs Pagano played in Grigson losing his job. It seemed some of the players even had some opinions or input on that. Being that type of stuff is normally kept in house we may never know.

[#12.]

4 hours ago, BOTT said:

I doubt he was looking at Lamp.  

Why would you think that?  

 

He made a point of saying that Hooker, going defense in the first was just the way the draft fell, and he was looking at a couple offensive players in the first.  I can't imagine Lamp wasn't one of the players he was looking at. If not Lamp who and what?  WR?  RB?

 

 

[WoolMagnet]

1 hour ago, superrep1967 said:

I totally agree! What pills is Irsay popping now? They certainly got a lot to prove and we don't even know if they can prove it yet. 

 

dont you have a dog to kick around or something?

Did u not watch the progression last year?

another perfect human beingwithout fault but who points out everyone else's  weaknesses.

big man.... feel better now?

 

[LockeDown]

2 hours ago, King Colt said:

All this jargon about the OL being fixed makes me wonder why they let it break down in the first place and why it took so long to fix.

I go back to when Tarik Glenn suddenly retired.  Manning and company tried to talk him out of it to no avail.  Polian tried that guy from Arkansas who failed and then spent a whole draft on linemen that fell through.  Hasn't been the same since until now.  Grigson made some  good choices in his last draft.

[BOTT]

2 hours ago, #12. said:

Why would you think that?  

 

He made a point of saying that Hooker, going defense in the first was just the way the draft fell, and he was looking at a couple offensive players in the first.  I can't imagine Lamp wasn't one of the players he was looking at. If not Lamp who and what?  WR?  RB?

 

 

i don't think he was seriously looking at any of the offensive players.

[Smonroe]

25 minutes ago, LockeDown said:

I go back to when Tarik Glenn suddenly retired.  Manning and company tried to talk him out of it to no avail.  Polian tried that guy from Arkansas who failed and then spent a whole draft on linemen that fell through.  Hasn't been the same since until now.  Grigson made some  good choices in his last draft.

 

Yep.  We have to give Grigson credit for that.  I think Kelly was a no brainer, but Haig and Clark were good picks.  

 

Doesnt NT make up for Dorsett, but that's another story.

[Yoshinator]

2 hours ago, #12. said:

Why would you think that?  

 

He made a point of saying that Hooker, going defense in the first was just the way the draft fell, and he was looking at a couple offensive players in the first.  I can't imagine Lamp wasn't one of the players he was looking at. If not Lamp who and what?  WR?  RB?

 

 

Lamp went in the 2nd round. Based on the consencus of what other GM's thought of him (being a 2nd rounder), I doubt Ballard would of taken him almost a full round of where he eventually went, even if Hooker went before 15.

[A8bil]

3 hours ago, King Colt said:

All this jargon about the OL being fixed makes me wonder why they let it break down in the first place and why it took so long to fix.

That has been the achilles heel of this team for two years...but at least they acknowledge what the problem is.  A LOT of problems go away with a great o-line.  QBs become more accurate, RBs get more yards, WRs catch more passes....what's the first step toward rehabilitation?  Acknowledging you have a problem...

[Lucky Colts Fan]

4 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

Wow, Irsay makes a comment and then gets bombarded with so much negativity it's crazy.

I do notice it's pretty much the same ones who troll the sight just to say sarcastic things. Very rarely do they have anything positive to say.

 

I hope I'm not in that group.  Crazycolt1, I know we've had our disagreements in the past, but I hope you see me as a positive force.  

 

I didn't try to be negative, I was just trying to "shoosh" Jim before he says anything too outlandish.  But who am I to shoosh the owner of my favorite team?  

[crazycolt1]

1 hour ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

I hope I'm not in that group.  Crazycolt1, I know we've had our disagreements in the past, but I hope you see me as a positive force.  

 

I didn't try to be negative, I was just trying to "shoosh" Jim before he says anything too outlandish.  But who am I to shoosh the owner of my favorite team?  

I don't have any negative vibes from you just because we have had a couple of disagreements at all. That's just a part of debating and having different opinions. It's never got personal at all.

[NewColtsFan]

2 hours ago, A8bil said:

That has been the achilles heel of this team for two years...but at least they acknowledge what the problem is.  A LOT of problems go away with a great o-line.  QBs become more accurate, RBs get more yards, WRs catch more passes....what's the first step toward rehabilitation?  Acknowledging you have a problem...

 

Two years?

 

I've been a Colts fan for 5 years...    since Luck arrived,  and it's been the achilies heel of the offense every single year.      So, I count five years,  not two.

 

And I thikn that's why Irsay was so publicly emphatic about the fix.     He's tired of the line holding the offense back.

 

Hopefully those days are long gone....

 

[ÅÐØNϧ 1]

Jim Irsay is not just a Owner he is a die Hard Colts Fans since Baltimore he has grown up with the Colts he's lived & breathed Colts Football he is a part of its history & he wants his team to be every bit as good as a Unitas or Manning led team he has seen defenses that could not stop the run he's seen offensive lines that offend us all . IMO the owner & fan is happy with what he see's , Me personally when the games actually count we will see how good Coach Philbin's squad has progressed . 

 

 

[WoolMagnet]

What is the green banner with the heart in it on my post?

is that from likes?

THATS a first for me, if so.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

13 minutes ago, WoolMagnet said:

What is the green banner with the heart in it on my post?

is that from likes?

THATS a first for me, if so.

 

Don't take green hearts lightly.  We Irish take that $#!+ seriously.

 

JK, we don't.  The Irish don't take anything that seriously.

 

But don't discount Lady Luck shining a blessing or two upon your pretty head.  You are pretty, right?

[Lucky Colts Fan]

3 hours ago, ÅÐØNϧ 1 said:

Jim Irsay is not just a Owner he is a die Hard Colts Fans since Baltimore he has grown up with the Colts he's lived & breathed Colts Football he is a part of its history & he wants his team to be every bit as good as a Unitas or Manning led team he has seen defenses that could not stop the run he's seen offensive lines that offend us all . IMO the owner & fan is happy with what he see's , Me personally when the games actually count we will see how good Coach Philbin's squad has progressed . 

 

Amen brother.  I don't know how many of us would be able to handle what he has to deal with on a daily basis.

 

I don't feel sorry for Jim.  He brings any criticism upon himself.  But I would be even worse if I were the owner of the Colts.

 

I am a happy fan.  Hopefully, Jim and I will be even happier in the near future.

[WoolMagnet]

4 hours ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

Don't take green hearts lightly.  We Irish take that $#!+ seriously.

 

JK, we don't.  The Irish don't take anything that seriously.

 

But don't discount Lady Luck shining a blessing or two upon your pretty head.  You are pretty, right?

I thought it was green clovers and blue stars my crazy leprachaun friend.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

6 hours ago, WoolMagnet said:

I thought it was green clovers and blue stars

 

I'll take green eyes and blue waters.  Or green grass and blue mountains (that's how I know the beer is cold).

 

 

6 hours ago, WoolMagnet said:

my crazy leprachaun friend.

 

You callin me short?  I know I'm crazy, but are you callin me short?

 

 

[WoolMagnet]

2 hours ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

I'll take green eyes and blue waters.  Or green grass and blue mountains (that's how I know the beer is cold).

 

 

 

You callin me short?  I know I'm crazy, but are you callin me short?

 

 

i thought i was responding to CrazyColtFan, not LuckyColtFan.

and no, not short, vertically challenged:

and i too have a soft spot for green eyes. And blue, and brown, and hazel.... well, you know.

[crazycolt1]

On ‎6‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 10:35 AM, bananabucket said:

 

"Youre gonna be another Eddie Reed for us"

 

Edit:  okay I'll elaborate.

 

Ballard has specifically preached competition, not comparing young guys to HOFers, and not making big claims about how good someone is before they can prove it on the field.

 

Pagano and Irsay have both said things that directly oppose that line of thinking.

The line of thinking is different between an owner, a coach and a GM. The GM is looking for players. The owner is keeping his eye on the fan base. The coach is keeping his eyes on the players he has.

Naturally the owner is going to pump up the fan base and ticket holders.

Naturally the coach is going to build up the players and not bring negativity into the limelight. Negative issues are going to be kept in house and attention given behind closed doors. Not to the media. (that includes me and you)

The GM has 90 players to pick and choose from and has to cut it down to 53 and a 10 man PS, Naturally he is going to take the mindset Ballard has shown.

For you to make an issue out of the obvious is a waist of time.

 

 

[CoachLite]

On 6/10/2017 at 2:27 AM, NewColtsFan said:

 

 

What in the world has Pagano said since Ballard was hired that would make Ballard even roll his eyes, much less bang his head against a wall?

 

And the only thing Irsay said that was too much and over the top is that he wants to win multi Lombardi trophies. Yes,  it's not great that he did that,   but there are worse things that an owner could do....    if ths is the worst thing that Irsay does,  Ballard will be a very happy GM...

 

 

Multiple Lombardi trophies? Seems I've heard that talk before ... about 4 years ago. THAT's the problem. It can't just be talk. There needs to be some achievement and performance. Is it possible to be hopeful and suspicious at the same time? That's the plight of a Colt's fan.

[crazycolt1]

38 minutes ago, CoachLite said:

 

Multiple Lombardi trophies? Seems I've heard that talk before ... about 4 years ago. THAT's the problem. It can't just be talk. There needs to be some achievement and performance. Is it possible to be hopeful and suspicious at the same time? That's the plight of a Colt's fan.

There can only be one champion each year so there are 31 other teams who have what you call a plight.

 

[Superman]

The only problem I have with Irsay's comment is that I think the biggest issue with the OL play is coaching, not personnel. So until the play calling improves and does more to take pressure off the line, rather than asking them to protect for the longest-developing passing offense in the league, Luck will continue to be under more pressure than any of us would like. 

 

I hope that Irsay's proclamation is partly based on knowledge that the play calling is going to change.

[Carlos Danger]

I've been excited about the 2017 O-Line since the day after the 2016 draft...

 

I think Clark makes a big jump. He's proven that he's coachable and he has special physical qualities. 

 

I have to agree with Superman about the play calling, but I think that the players are on the roster, for sure. Personnel-wise the O-Line is probably fixed, imo. 

[Coffeedrinker]

Sorry after countless reports and fans thru the mailbag say, "derrrr, what about the oline, derrr.  Are you looking to add any more oline, derrr."

 

Irsay says that Mudd said, in essense, the players on the roster are good enough to form a good starting NFL oline. And yet people want to act like he doesn't know what he's talking about or that he is undermining Ballard's competition mantra?

 

These are probably the same people that say things like AC is not a good LT or he should move to his more natural RT position (even though he has never played RT in college or the NFL).

[DougDew]

On 6/10/2017 at 4:42 PM, King Colt said:

All this jargon about the OL being fixed makes me wonder why they let it break down in the first place and why it took so long to fix.

Its what happens when you don't have unlimited resources and have to work within a budget.  Other priorities, salary cap, draft position, and the quality of the graduating class all impact decisions; which is why all teams have holes in their rosters each year.

 

KC had a good overall roster because they have a less than elite QB with terrible WRs.  Gotta make trade offs and hope you pick the right ones to get to the championship.  Fortunately for us, the Colts have gone farther than KC has in the past few years.

[NewColtsFan]

On 6/10/2017 at 1:42 PM, King Colt said:

All this jargon about the OL being fixed makes me wonder why they let it break down in the first place and why it took so long to fix.

 

They didn't let it break down...   the whole team got stripped down in 2011 and 2012.     

 

In 2012,  the Colts had an 80 Million dollar payroll,  when the rest of the NFL had a 120 Mill payroll.    We had $40 million in dead cap space that we couldn't spend.

 

in 2013,  Grigson tried to fix it immediately.     He brough two free agent lineman,  a tackle, in Gosder Cherilus, and a guard in Dave Thomas.       Both got hurt and never really panned out.

 

Also in 2013,  Grigson drafted a guard in the 3rd round,  Hugh Thornton and a center in the 4th round, in Kahlid Holmes and both never panned out for a variety of reasons.   

 

So,  Grigson tried to fix the line the first year he could,  2013,  and none of it worked.

 

In 2014 Grigson drafted Mewhort and that has worked when Mewhort has been healthy.    But the rest of the line was patchwork as Grigson tried to give Holmes and Thornton a chance to prove themselves...

 

Same with 2015....

 

IN 2016,  Grigson did a great job with Kelly and Clark and Haeg.     Let's call it his "going away present" to the team.     I think we'll be thanking him for those three guys in the years to come.

 

I suspect otehrs here might chime in with other thoughts,   but wanted to address your question....

 

[BOTT]

On 6/12/2017 at 3:49 PM, Superman said:

The only problem I have with Irsay's comment is that I think the biggest issue with the OL play is coaching, not personnel. So until the play calling improves and does more to take pressure off the line, rather than asking them to protect for the longest-developing passing offense in the league, Luck will continue to be under more pressure than any of us would like. 

 

I hope that Irsay's proclamation is partly based on knowledge that the play calling is going to change.

Amen

[Lawrence Owen]

I have been saying that I thought the o-line did a great job the last 5 games of the season as a whole.  And another off season with Philbin, and getting to know each other will do more for them than what they showed then.  The real issue i think for the o-line is the unspeakable truth that has hit Indy the last few years.  Injuries. Keep those at a minimum, and I think you'll see a top 1/2 of the league o-line.  ( a few more plays where the ball is out of Lucks hands faster wouldn't hurt keeping the defenses honest and not pinning their ears back on every play either.)

[King Colt]

I'll admit the Colts did make an effort to fix the OL but making an effort and succeeding is the difference between being a playoff team and playing sixteen games only to go home until next year. Anyone can try to do a good job, the unemployment lines are full of that kind of skill. 

[Coffeedrinker]

On 6/11/2017 at 1:45 AM, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

Don't take green hearts lightly.  We Irish take that $#!+ seriously.

 

JK, we don't.  The Irish don't take anything that seriously.

 

But don't discount Lady Luck shining a blessing or two upon your pretty head.  You are pretty, right?

Alcohol?

[Lucky Colts Fan]

38 minutes ago, Coffeedrinker said:

Alcohol?

 

[CoachLite]

On 6/10/2017 at 2:06 AM, Jared Cisneros said:

I agree halfway. Emotions are half of it. You can only sell a team so much though before people aren't naive anymore. It's actually about production, backing up your words with wins and progress, and with Andrew Luck as QB and a new GM, Irsay has to do just this. Fans aren't going to remain asleep forever, they are waking up to the fact that Luck is in year 6 and the team has regressed. In fact, most have already woken up.

 

As fans, we wanted to believe all the hype and optimism. As reasonable, thinking and intelligent people who follow NFL football (most all teams), we can analyze the comparative strengths and weaknesses of the Colts team - players, coaches and FO - along with how difficult it is to consistently win in the league. The problem, as I see it, is that any reasoned criticism put forward is personally attacked with vitriol. So I will expand - it's not just analysis of the Colts players, coaches and front office that is under the microscope, but also the nature of many of the fans as well that are tiresome. Some of us (potentially ex-fans) are not impressed with the product as much as we used to be. I hope things turn around. Hope, however, won't even buy a cup of coffee

[superrep1967]

On 6/9/2017 at 10:43 PM, dodsworth said:

This goes against what Ballard is preaching. The starting linemen are feeling pretty entitled about now. 

Yeah, especially when the guy who signs their paycheck is saying that. Yeah, whatever happened to the competition concept? 

[Shepman]

All injuries aside, when you proclaim the oline is fixed your starters should play like Dallas oline and your backups should play like our starters