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Thoughts on Ballard's vision


ColtStrong2013

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You don’t need stud wide receivers when you have a QB like Luck and a strong Oline.

 

And the Defense as a whole will play better with better line play. I still think we should have taken a corner early but I digress.

 

I trust Chris Ballard. Call it blind faith, but he has a vision and a plan for this team that has not changed since he stepped foot in the building. He’s assembled a strong scouting crew (based off everything we’ve heard), so I trust their talent evaluation. 

 

And I trust Frank Reich and his coaches to develop and coach these youngsters up. Especially the ones who were spurned by the [insert rude and vicous term here]. They’ve got something to prove.

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8 minutes ago, GusFring said:

I understand it. Grigson wasted pics on Fleener, Allen, and Dorsett when he should have put a legit line in front of Luck. 

 

I just wish he'd replace Costanzo. 

Great idea!!!! We had the worst line in the history of the nfl last year so we should replace the only consistently good and healthy player on it! I am nominating you for a Nobel prize!

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16 minutes ago, HectorRoberts said:

Great idea!!!! We had the worst line in the history of the nfl last year so we should replace the only consistently good and healthy player on it! I am nominating you for a Nobel prize!

He's overrated. I want a dominant LT. Move him to RT or trade him. Tear it down

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1 hour ago, NorthernBlue said:

You don’t need stud wide receivers when you have a QB like Luck and a strong Oline.

 

And the Defense as a whole will play better with better line play. I still think we should have taken a corner early but I digress.

 

I trust Chris Ballard. Call it blind faith, but he has a vision and a plan for this team that has not changed since he stepped foot in the building. He’s assembled a strong scouting crew (based off everything we’ve heard), so I trust their talent evaluation. 

 

And I trust Frank Reich and his coaches to develop and coach these youngsters up. Especially the ones who were spurned by the [insert rude and vicous term here]. They’ve got something to prove.

It isn't just Ballard... He brought in Ed Dodds which most casual fans and many forum posters probably don't even know who he is. VP of Personnel. 

 

Straight from his bio on the website.

 

"Dodds was part of a staff that was responsible for drafting franchise players in center Max Unger, safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, cornerback Richard Sherman, quarterback Russell Wilson and linebackers Bruce Irvin and Bobby Wagner." 

 

He had a big part in those drafts and knows what the heck he is doing...

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14 minutes ago, GusFring said:

He's overrated. I want a dominant LT. Move him to RT or trade him. Tear it down

That is highly unlikely and not necessary with what we just drafted. He was the best offensive lineman last year in production and stability. We need Castonzo now and going forward... Likely won't have a shot at bringing someone better in until it's time for him to retire.

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8 hours ago, JPFolks said:

I understand your (well, theirs really)  premise but depth only makes sense if you at least have solid (meaning average or better) starters at key positions.  If you have gaping holes at key positions, and the likely starters are coming from your inexperienced role players, it seems like a legit concern to raise.  Perhaps last year's picks will step up, but I think it still remains to be seen.  Our corners are weak, our linebackers are non existent (though the one we did pick up I liked) and our receiving corp is scary inexperienced and completely unproven at any level beyond Hilton.  Those are enormous holes to fill with a 4, 5 and 7.  I am still unsure of RT at this point as well and neither of these DEs are (or at least shouldn't be) starters this year.   For that matter we still need another back to go with Mack.  You can't fix all of this with a single draft which is why I didn't understand spending on a single difference maker at our biggest positions of need so that we at least had one less hole unfilled.  I guess we're saving Irsay a few bucks this year.   Let's hope they don't chase some camp reject or aging vet in desperation like Bryant.  

 

So the sky isn't falling... that fell during Grigson's years. I am less trusting until people prove something.  Hopefully the results will live up to or surpass our GM's reputation league wide.  I am optimistic but to suggest we're now on easy street after 5 picks in the first two rounds seems a little too optimistic.  Meanwhile Luck's years are ticking by with half of them so far already wasted.  

 

On a positive note, thank god they are FINALLY serious about fixing the O-Line.  

 

 Well let's hope we draft in the top 3 one more time to help us fill more holes next year.
And maybe we add a quality FA or two. Great Plan.

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3 hours ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

 Well let's hope we draft in the top 3 one more time to help us fill more holes next year.
And maybe we add a quality FA or two. Great Plan.

Not sure I understand your post.  The only plan I raised was to plug a hole or two with a quality FA since waiting for only the draft more likely means waiting 3 years to fill all the holes.   Is that what you prefer? I'd rather try NOT to finish with a terrible record outside the playoffs because every season with Luck is nearly priceless and he's not getting younger.  So your post is confusing.  I see we just dumped Anderson today as well, which seems like a strange move if we're really building rotations of fresh D-Line players to throw at opposing teams.  Is that part of the stated plan as well?  When healthy he was our best remaining D-Lineman and had lost weight so he could play anywhere on the line which gave us flexibility and with less playing time due to rotations may have helped  kept him healthy.  

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On 4/28/2018 at 12:17 AM, ColtStrong2013 said:

No doubt. Ballard said Smith was just behind Hernandez and Corbett. They felt good about him. Why wouldn't they feel good pairing an All-American with the nastiest and best guard prospect to ever come out of college in Quenton Nelson. Our offensive line could very well go from god-awful to dominant in the next few seasons. This season should feel much more comfortable on offense. 

As you can see I’m a big OL fan. Castonzo’s replacement needs to be drafted 2 years from now, maybe even next season. I wish smith was capable of being at right tackle with mewhort at right guard

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1 minute ago, needanoline63 said:

As you can see I’m a big OL fan. Castonzo’s replacement needs to be drafted 2 years from now, maybe even next season. I wish smith was capable of being at right tackle with mewhort at right guard

Smith is a right guard and will be a franchise right guard, in my opinion. Our tackles will have to be addressed very soon unless Good and Clark magically become franchise players. Good more realistically. 

 

I hope that Colts fans don't get their hopes up thinking this is the last draft for Ballard to take O/D lineman early in drafts... I think he will continue drafting in years to come on both sides in the first 3 rounds to continue ensuring we are top notch in the trenches. That is what wins in his mind, and it will continue being a priority. If he can find an upgrade, it means his depth is even greater. 

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On 4/27/2018 at 11:41 PM, ColtStrong2013 said:

I just finished watching Ballard and Frank's press conference... how many of you complaining watched it? 

 

They make a lot of interesting points and comments on this draft. First and foremost, Ballard is 100% confident that this league is won up front, especially in December and January when it matters most. That is so important to me as a Colts fan as it has been neglected time and time again. He commented that he "dreamt of the day when he drafted o-line and dline." He feels that strongly, and I tend to agree. They both talked about the division and how important the trenches are against our division opponents... Jacksonville damn near won a superbowl last year because of consistent focus on the fronts. And they have retooled for this season by snagging Norwell. These first two rounds are HUGE for the Indianapolis Colts and the health of this franchise going forward for that reason alone. We are facing 2 formidable defensive fronts in Houston with a healthy JJ Watt and Co. & Jacksonville with Campbell and Co. 4 games next year could put Andrew Luck into retirement if we fielded an o-line like we did last year. Ballard simply said we picked plauers off the street last year because of no depth and he refuses to do it again. KUDOS to you my friend. 

 

They talked about Leonard and how quickly he would have been picked up had they not taken him. He was #5 linebacker on their board and 4 were off, so they felt good. He's fast and they preached the importance of speed for this defense and team overall. 

 

Most important they talked in depth about the defensive line and its importance to this defense. They play on running 7 to 9 guys consistently and what he considers in "rotational waves" which lead to them placing high importance on Turay and Lewis. Ballard thinks highly of them both, especially Turay who is "long, explosive and has great bend." He mentioned Von Miller carefully and laughed as the media told them Turay's comment about Miller. They will be key pieces in this defense from the start, make no mistake. 

 

In other points, Reich talked about the wide receiver depth which was questioned multiple times by the media. He said the mini camp showed that we have plenty of talented receivers that are explosive off the ball, catch well and are understanding the new offense. New England has won many superbowls with underrated receivers that fit that mold... plenty of opportunities to find talent there in rounds 4, 5 and 7. 

 

Ballard said last year he was frustrated with the fronts getting beat so badly. There was little depth in the draft which is why they spent money in FA on the defensive line especially and focused on skilled players in the draft. 

 

I'm confident this team improved drastically the past two nights. 

I must admit I'm a really big fan of Ballard's and trust in his vision. I think he knows what he's doing and I personally love his approach. I think we're going to see big things from this team this season much more than most expect. 

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On 4/28/2018 at 12:01 AM, Jared Cisneros said:

This type of draft actually reminds me more of a Seahawk type team than an Eagles team. I love it in one sense, build the depth and some of the players should become great players with sheer numbers, and some will become dependable backups. The only problem i had is i didn't think they were worth the value. We'll see though if they break out. Right now, we have no pass rush, and this is a much better alternative than getting one guy a draft.

Not sure if anybody else caught this or discussed yet but throughout this draft I kept visualizing the Chiefs roster not too may yrs ago with all those fast playmakers, especially with our D picks.  Not sure if their picks at the time were considered “reaches” or “projects” by the media/fans but would be interesting to know.  They had a few lbs that wreaked havoc for yrs & rbs/wrs that could take it to the house on any given touch.  Interested to see if any others had same vision?

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On 4/28/2018 at 12:17 PM, ColtStrong2013 said:

It isn't just Ballard... He brought in Ed Dodds which most casual fans and many forum posters probably don't even know who he is. VP of Personnel. 

 

Straight from his bio on the website.

 

"Dodds was part of a staff that was responsible for drafting franchise players in center Max Unger, safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, cornerback Richard Sherman, quarterback Russell Wilson and linebackers Bruce Irvin and Bobby Wagner." 

 

He had a big part in those drafts and knows what the heck he is doing...

Follow only Colts, how many of above players were highly praised picks & drafted where projected?  Considered ALL Pro players before putting on a uniform?

 

What I am getting at is Colts fans aren’t use to this kind of vision where undervalued players turn out to be Superstars!  Let’s face it, it rarely happens in these necks & only seems to happen to teams with REAL Management!  I got a feeling WE are now ONE of those TEAMS!  CB’s respect throughout the League is for this very trait!  

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38 minutes ago, NDcolt said:

Not sure if anybody else caught this or discussed yet but throughout this draft I kept visualizing the Chiefs roster not too may yrs ago with all those fast playmakers, especially with our D picks.  Not sure if their picks at the time were considered “reaches” or “projects” by the media/fans but would be interesting to know.  They had a few lbs that wreaked havoc for yrs & rbs/wrs that could take it to the house on any given touch.  Interested to see if any others had same vision?

Sure! Especially offensively. Hines speed and return ability could remind a lot of us of Tyreek Hill. I think Ballard knows if he can put a roster together that resembles Kansas City, Andrew Luck will win a lot of games. Can you imagine a healthy Luck instead of Alex Smith the last few years in Kansas City?

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28 minutes ago, NDcolt said:

Follow only Colts, how many of above players were highly praised picks & drafted where projected?  Considered ALL Pro players before putting on a uniform?

 

What I am getting at is Colts fans aren’t use to this kind of vision where undervalued players turn out to be Superstars!  Let’s face it, it rarely happens in these necks & only seems to happen to teams with REAL Management!  I got a feeling WE are now ONE of those TEAMS!  CB’s respect throughout the League is for this very trait!  

http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?teamId=4600&type=team

 

Aside from Bruce Irvin, Earl Thomas (1st rounders), and Bobby Wagner (2nd rounder) the rest of the bulk of that great defense was 4th 5th 6th and even 7th round guys... This is always my frustration with people that focus hard on the first 3 rounds of the draft. You can develop a great defense with 4th-7th rounders...

 

What is also interesting is how many 4th through 7th round picks they acquired. 3 and 4 picks at times in consecutive drafts.

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6 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

Sure! Especially offensively. Hines speed and return ability could remind a lot of us of Tyreek Hill. I think Ballard knows if he can put a roster together that resembles Kansas City, Andrew Luck will win a lot of games. Can you imagine a healthy Luck instead of Alex Smith the last few years in Kansas City?

What about Tamba Hali or Justin Houston, both wreaked havoc.  Kemoko Turay or Darius Leonard, I see same vision.  

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5 minutes ago, NDcolt said:

What about Tamba Hali or Justin Houston, both wreaked havoc.  Kemoko Turay or Darius Leonard, I see same vision.  

While different defensive philosophies and positions, it's the same concept. Guys that can get into the backfield quickly and cause issues. Darius Leonard will blitz in Eberflus defense, but the idea is for him to fly around and make plays. Speed speed and speed on defense. 

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Ballard is very well on the right course, let's let him do his job. Someone made a point last night about no db's drafted,get a better pass rush and the db's we have now will look a lot better. I agree with that. If the front seven can't stop the run or get to the passer it doesn't matter who is in the secondary. That is basic football 101.

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15 minutes ago, Two_pound said:

Ballard is very well on the right course, let's let him do his job. Someone made a point last night about no db's drafted,get a better pass rush and the db's we have now will look a lot better. I agree with that. If the front seven can't stop the run or get to the passer it doesn't matter who is in the secondary. That is basic football 101.

The new scheme is going to make them look more capable. Less man and press coverage = less getting burnt on an island. 

 

Safeties play a big part in the pass defense over the top of cornerbacks zones. Obviously Hooker and his health play a big part in that. I'm hoping Tj Green ends up being solid depth with this season. He has the speed, just needs to step up. If not, we need to cut our loss and move on quickly. 

 

I will be tickled if this new defensive line rotation works even a little this year. We had pressure 25% of the qb dropbacks making us 3rd worst in the league. That needs to be close to 30% which would put us in the top half of the league and would cause a lot more turnovers naturally. 

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2 minutes ago, gacker65 said:

Only one little problem, this Defense is being built to play with a lead.  This not a true 4-3, but a hybrid, built to stop the pass but not the run.  We don't have Sanders and Bethea any more.  

And they intend on getting quick leads. Frank Reich wants to come out of the gate swinging and put pressure on defenses from the get-go. Even more so if we are playing a strong running team. No strong running team wants to play from behind from the start. 

 

Put Luck in a hurried offense and spread the defense out. Find mismatches with guys like Doyle/Ebron/Hines and pick them apart. Offensive line is going to be in place. Offense is going to be innovative under Reich. 

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Just now, ColtStrong2013 said:

And they intend on getting quick leads. Frank Reich wants to come out of the gate swinging and put pressure on defenses from the get-go. Even more so if we are playing a strong running team. No strong running team wants to play from behind from the start. 

 

Put Luck in a hurried offense and spread the defense out. Find mismatches with guys like Doyle/Ebron/Hines and pick them apart. Offensive line is going to be in place. Offense is going to be innovative under Reich. 

That's a big part of the vision. Spread teams out, run the ball well, and find mismatches. Put pressure on them by playing fast. Take calculated risks, something Pagano teams never did. 

 

There is a stat somewhere that said that in Pagano's 6 years in a 4th and 3 or less around the 50 yard line, he only went for it a few times. 2 or 3 times in 6 years... The Eagles went for it in that situation twice in the same game last year. 

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1 minute ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

And they intend on getting quick leads. Frank Reich wants to come out of the gate swinging and put pressure on defenses from the get-go. Even more so if we are playing a strong running team. No strong running team wants to play from behind from the start. 

 

Put Luck in a hurried offense and spread the defense out. Find mismatches with guys like Doyle/Ebron/Hines and pick them apart. Offensive line is going to be in place. Offense is going to be innovative under Reich. 

we saw this show with Peyton.  One Super Bowl in 14 years, due to a Defense that couldn't step up and stop the run.  Then whatever

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1 minute ago, gacker65 said:

we saw this show with Peyton.  One Super Bowl in 14 years, due to a Defense that couldn't step up and stop the run.  Then whatever

We saw a defense that was addressed with 25% of the capspace... and half of that was in the defensive ends.

 

It will hardly be the same situation. Similar in terms of the philosophy of offense. Not even remotely similar on defense. The idea behind the defensive line in this scheme is based on a strong defensive line that can penetrate and get in the backfield. Not just for passrushing purposes but to cause chaos in the run game as well. 

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4 minutes ago, gacker65 said:

we saw this show with Peyton.  One Super Bowl in 14 years, due to a Defense that couldn't step up and stop the run.  Then whatever

I think last years superbowl proved that you have to be able to rotate fresh defensive lineman all game and put up serious points in order to win in this generation of football. I think Peyton Manning's Colts would fare much better today in this innovative offensive era than they did then. They were built for today's game a tad too early, when a great deal of the league was still playing old school football. 

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1 minute ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

We saw a defense that was addressed with 25% of the capspace... and half of that was in the defensive ends.

 

It will hardly be the same situation. Similar in terms of the philosophy of offense. Not even remotely similar on defense. The idea behind the defensive line in this scheme is based on a strong defensive line that can penetrate and get in the backfield. Not just for passrushing purposes but to cause chaos in the run game as well. 

Exactly the same in Defense.  Pass rushers instead of DEs.  DEs can set the edge in the run, not only pass rush.  A little thing forgotten is that Titans and Jags can run the ball well.  Other teams in the league are starting to go that way. Again whatever

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And that's why you draft front 7 people in the first 2 rounds and db's in the later rounds. Something niether Polian or Grigson did. Even Ballard spent his first 2 picks last year on Hooker and Wilson. But those 2 will be big parts of this defense with a solid fast athletic front 7.

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2 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

I think last years superbowl proved that you have to be able to rotate fresh defensive lineman all game and put up serious points in order to win in this generation of football. I think Peyton Manning's Colts would fare much better today in this innovative offensive era than they did then. They were built for today's game a tad too early, when a great deal of the league was still playing old school football. 

The Eagles DEs could set the edge as well as pass rush.  You do not get pass rushers unless you are blowing off the run.  The Manning era defenses were built to play with a lead, not play catch up.  This was shown time and time again.  Teams could and did run against our defense and won.

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19 minutes ago, gacker65 said:

Exactly the same in Defense.  Pass rushers instead of DEs.  DEs can set the edge in the run, not only pass rush.  A little thing forgotten is that Titans and Jags can run the ball well.  Other teams in the league are starting to go that way. Again whatever

Go watch Turay's film and tell me he doesn't set the edge. I watched the entire Michigan game.. every single down he played. And he set the edge damn near every time. Get out of here with that garbage. Lewis was the best run stuffing defensive end in the big ten. 

 

"Whatever"... great talk

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16 minutes ago, gacker65 said:

The Eagles DEs could set the edge as well as pass rush.  You do not get pass rushers unless you are blowing off the run.  The Manning era defenses were built to play with a lead, not play catch up.  This was shown time and time again.  Teams could and did run against our defense and won.

Yeah and so can John Simon and Jabaal Sheard. Are they pass rushers that blow off the run? Just curious. 

 

Let's wait until a few games through the season to claim this is exactly the same defense... because I 100% guarantee you it isn't. 

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3 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

Let's wait until a few games through the season to claim this is exactly the same defense... because I 100% guarantee you it isn't. 

at least now we wont have to worry about our #1 corner getting hurt and not having anyone left that can play man coverage on the outside with the elite receivers in the league 

 

i know thats not what you were talking about, just something ive been thinking about 

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On 4/27/2018 at 8:59 PM, Southside Hoosier Fan said:

Last  time I checked you can only play 11 guys at once. You can't stack 11 defensive linemen.

Now you're being silly and argumentative...

 

You rush four fresh d-lineman in one series and four other on the next series...   fresh players when you need them...

 

Is this really hard to understand?

 

Drop the...  "you can't rush 11 lineman at one time" nonsense...

 

This isn't rocket science...  if you still don't understand it's because you don't want to...

 

 

 

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50 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Now you're being silly and argumentative...

 

You rush four fresh d-lineman in one series and four other on the next series...   fresh players when you need them...

 

Is this really hard to understand?

 

Drop the...  "you can't rush 11 lineman at one time" nonsense...

 

This isn't rocket science...  if you still don't understand it's because you don't want to...

 

 

 

You can even take it deeper than that. Some are better pass rushers, some are better situationally against the run. There are others who are 3rd down DE's, and maybe 1 or 2 who can stay on the field all three downs and do everything well. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and the more depth you build, the greater chance guys break out and eventually they will all have their own roles during the game where Coach Reich can mix and match them.

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Last season our D-line guys seemed to run out of puff as the game went on.  This year we will have the luxury of being able to rotate, thus maintaining fresh guys out on the field.  This way, we can maintain the level of havoc we cause for opposing O-line and QB.

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