Ballard is not impressing me.....

[basketballsteve]

54 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Great Scott 

Great Caesar's Ghost!

[Peterk2011]

6 minutes ago, Pacergeek said:

Although I do agree with the 50% hit number for draft picks, when you ignore free agency, this number needs to be much higher. Ballard put himself in in the corner with his "build through the draft" strategy. 

 

a) No, he didn't put himself in the corner. The team he inherited did not have a core to build on. You can't build such a core other than drafting it. It's not a choice, it is the only way to do it successfully. 

 

b) Draft success rates cannot expected to be much higher than cca 50%. The reason is simple: because it's unrealistic expectation. That's what history tells. Even the best GM's couldn't go higher than that. Sometimes you are lucky, and hit a bullseye in one year (like the Saints in 2017), but then you get back to earth, it will even out in long term.

 

 

[PrincetonTiger]

OK

[adubb84]

What kills my soul is when a nonsensical post is made that teters on the fence of trolling, or just doesn’t have much depth is met with actual logic. Then their rebuttal is met with more craziness that doesn’t hold water. Ugh.... color me not impressed with another negative thread BEFORE the season begins. Guess people like being miserable 

[DougDew]

7 hours ago, threeflight said:

I said this last winter and I will say it again after this draft.

 

IMO GM Ballard is not impressing me in the least.   I know he talks a good game, and comes across as someone who seems to know what he is doing, but his actions imo leave much to be desired.

 

FA signings have been mediocre at best.  And he has not used the plethora of money he has at his disposal to really get anyone of consequence.

 

Totally bungled the backup QB situation last year expecting to go into the season starting the worst Qb in the world.  Is that guy even still in the league?

 

Bungled the coaching search.

 

His drafts have been this.

 

Malik Hooker FSOhio State

Quincy Wilson CBFlorida

Tarell Basham OLBOhio

Zach Banner OTUSC

Marlon Mack RBSouth Florida

Grover Stewart DTAlbany State

Nate Hairston CBTemple

Anthony Walker Jr.ILBNorthwestern

 

Quenton Nelson Guard Notre Dame

Darius Leonard LinebackerSouth Carolina State

Braden Smith GuardAuburnFrom NY Jets

Kemoko Turay Defensive endRutgersFrom Baltimore via Philadelphia

Tyquan Lewis Defensive endOhio StateFrom Philadelphia via Cleveland

Nyheim Hines Running backNC State

Daurice Fountain Wide receiverNorthern IowaFrom Kansas City via Cleveland, New England, and Oakland

Jordan Wilkins Running backOle MissFrom Philadelphia

Deon Cain Wide receiverClemsonFrom Oakland

Matthew Adams LinebackerHouston

Zaire Franklin LinebackerSyracuse

For a guy who says he is wanting to build through the draft, and yes I realize it is early in the process, but besides a couple of guys...do we really see any standouts here?

 

Hooker, Nelson, Leonard and then???

 

Mack?  Maybe.

Hariston????

 

All those guys and so far we see just a few that look like they may amount to something more than just filler??

 

I mean cmon.  What is this guy doing?  I want to root for him more than anyone but so far, color me not impressed.

Its too early for me to have an opinion, but there are some problems I have had with the overall approach.  I know he knows more than me, but we all look at this stuff and play junior GM so here are my thoughts:

 

Overall, I don't have an issue with the players he drafted.  Not a whole lot different than Polian or Grigson.  Hits and misses.  Guys like Hairston make up for Wilson.  Wilkins for Hines, etc. and his misses may still be hits. 

 

What I don't like is picking a FS at #15 and a G at #6 because of positional value.  Also, if your desired strategy is to "build through the draft" IOW, rely upon improving your team from a relatively small pool of players, I would think you would want to expand that pool by accepting as many reasonable trade down offers you can, rather than deny them to pick a G or a FS. Not to mention, giving up a pick to trade up to pick an interior rusher like Lewis right after you signed Autry, and having to know that Ridgeway looks (always has) like a competent 3 tech.  I understand Turay, the edge guy, but not Lewis, nor the trade up.

 

As far a FA dollars not spent.  Finding a good young Olineman is possible in free agency.  There were two this year who the Colts were rumored to be pursuing, but came up short for whatever reason...still came up short.  Signing a Olineman to plug a hole and be part of the future of the team would have allowed us to go a different direction in the draft....IOW, build through the draft faster. 

 

I simply don't think its possible for Hooker or Nelson to have a big enough impact to offset what we could have gotten if different decisions were made.  Ballard thinks so, and he's probably right.

 

He whiffed on the HC.  Josh was a poor pick from the beginning.  And the only reason we got Reich is because he wasn't available until after Josh left.  IMO, CB got lucky.

[pgt_rob]

Hey man. Lets revisit this topic at the end of the season. I think we can evaluate these players better since they have some games under their belt.

[RollerColt]

Man... This forum has become the Sith Empire. Dark side thoughts and hate all over the place. 

 

[Surge89]

10 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Its too early for me to have an opinion, but there are some problems I have had with the overall approach.  I know he knows more than me, but we all look at this stuff and play junior GM so here are my thoughts:

 

Overall, I don't have an issue with the players he drafted.  Not a whole lot different than Polian or Grigson.  Hits and misses.  Guys like Hairston make up for Wilson.  Wilkins for Hines, etc. and his misses may still be hits. 

 

What I don't like is picking a FS at #15 and a G at #6 because of positional value.  Also, if your desired strategy is to "build through the draft" IOW, rely upon improving your team from a relatively small pool of players, I would think you would want to expand that pool by accepting as many reasonable trade down offers you can, rather than deny them to pick a G or a FS. Not to mention, giving up a pick to trade up to pick an interior rusher like Lewis right after you signed Autry, and having to know that Ridgeway looks (always has) like a competent 3 tech.  I understand Turay, the edge guy, but not Lewis, nor the trade up.

 

As far a FA dollars not spent.  Finding a good young Olineman is possible in free agency.  There were two this year who the Colts were rumored to be pursuing, but came up short for whatever reason...still came up short.  Signing a Olineman to plug a hole and be part of the future of the team would have allowed us to go a different direction in the draft....IOW, build through the draft faster. 

 

I simply don't think its possible for Hooker or Nelson to have a big enough impact to offset what we could have gotten if different decisions were made.  Ballard thinks so, and he's probably right.

 

He whiffed on the HC.  Josh was a poor pick from the beginning.  And the only reason we got Reich is because he wasn't available until after Josh left.  IMO, CB got lucky.

 

My sentiment as well. 

[TheMarine]

6 hours ago, Luck 4 president said:

Ya I agree with you. His drafts have been disappointing and his FA signings have been... meh... on top of that he cut one of our top 3 defenders from last year and let our best CB walk.

Uh.... The dude took less money than Ballard offered him to play in Oakland. Let him walk???

[WoolMagnet]

41 minutes ago, Scott Pennock said:

You were the same type of person who would have crapped all over Theo Epstein when he systematically tore down and rebuilt the Cubs into WS Champions. And yes, the type of person who still cheared when they won.....

 

You're the type that refused to believe in the process and wanted your dessert before the meal was even made....

 

Look at the body of work put together by Ballard (Bears, Chiefs), Hogan (Bears) and Dodds (Seahawks). Those Bears teams were very good defensively and lost to the Colts in SB41 with Rex FREAKING Grossman as thier starting QB - that is nothing short of a miracle in itself. 

 

The Legion of Boom just collapsed in Seattle but there should be little doubt in Dodds capabilities either as they were stout for a solid 5-7 year run.

 

Buckle your chin strap young man and enjoy the ride as it takes more than 1 year and 1 preseason for the "foundation" to be set. Plus, the difference in all of those teams, we actually have a STAR Quarterback when they had/have game mamagers.

Epstein was great on welcome back Kotter.

[Lawrence Owen]

WAAAY too early to eval this preseason.

Last year's crops still under evel. (and remember, defense was picked last year for different scheme)

Wait until the 1st Texans game to Eval our team.  By then the players have had time to adjust to the NFL, the scheme, and each other.

 

[Surge89]

5 hours ago, zibby43 said:

Malik Hooker FSOhio State - Very promising; potential stud

Quincy Wilson CBFlorida - Quality depth (at this point)

Tarell Basham OLBOhio - Inconclusive; must make roster this year

Zach Banner OTUSC - Whiff

Marlon Mack RBSouth Florida - Arguably most talented RB on roster; must stay healthy

Grover Stewart DTAlbany State - Whiff

Nate Hairston CBTemple - Started at Nickel; potential to be serviceable Nickel

Anthony Walker Jr.ILBNorthwestern - Ill fit for new scheme

 

Quenton Nelson Guard Notre Dame - Stud

Darius Leonard LinebackerSouth Carolina State - Young stud

Braden Smith GuardAuburnFrom NY Jets - Potential starter at G as Rookie

Kemoko Turay Defensive endRutgersFrom Baltimore via Philadelphia - Talented

Tyquan Lewis Defensive endOhio StateFrom Philadelphia via Cleveland - Injured

Nyheim Hines Running backNC State - Inconclusive but talented as RB; ball security

Daurice Fountain Wide receiverNorthern IowaFrom Kansas City via Cleveland, New England, and Oakland - Project if he survives roster cuts

Jordan Wilkins Running backOle MissFrom Philadelphia - Impressive value pick

Deon Cain Wide receiverClemsonFrom Oakland - On track to play 1st year until injury

Matthew Adams LinebackerHouston - Camp body

Zaire Franklin LinebackerSyracuse - Camp body

 

Hmmm despite the original topic these player evaluations are mind numbing. 

 

Out of 4 2nd round picks we have one starter?  That's worrying.

 

Also Braden is a potential starter because of how much trash is around him as far as depth is concerned. 

 

Grover Stewart is a whiff?

 

Anthony Walker is an ill fit? He transitioned at NW from Will to Mike no?

 

Turay is talented but he's raw and has some serious flaws that may or may not he worked out.  That doesn't sound like a 2nd round pick.

 

Lewis was an unnecessary pick and despite being injured brought little to no value to the team due to similar style players being drafted the year before.  Give those a chance to grow...

 

Not sure how Hines is talented as a RB he has no vision and for all that speed can't wiggle past a defender in space (see the few screen plays he got in the Seattle game where he just ran into a guy 40 pounds bigger than him)

 

Adams and Franklin are not camp bodies... What?

 

All in all my issue with Ballard is that he wastes high draft picks on unnecessary risks but finds gems in the late rounds.  Gems are nice but it's better to capitalize on your initial draft stock than hope you get 5th round to undrafted gems every year. Sounds a lot like Polian in the end. 

[csmopar]

8 hours ago, threeflight said:

I said this last winter and I will say it again after this draft.

 

IMO GM Ballard is not impressing me in the least.   I know he talks a good game, and comes across as someone who seems to know what he is doing, but his actions imo leave much to be desired.

 

FA signings have been mediocre at best.  And he has not used the plethora of money he has at his disposal to really get anyone of consequence.

 

Totally bungled the backup QB situation last year expecting to go into the season starting the worst Qb in the world.  Is that guy even still in the league?

 

Bungled the coaching search.

 

His drafts have been this.

 

Malik Hooker FSOhio State

Quincy Wilson CBFlorida

Tarell Basham OLBOhio

Zach Banner OTUSC

Marlon Mack RBSouth Florida

Grover Stewart DTAlbany State

Nate Hairston CBTemple

Anthony Walker Jr.ILBNorthwestern

 

Quenton Nelson Guard Notre Dame

Darius Leonard LinebackerSouth Carolina State

Braden Smith GuardAuburnFrom NY Jets

Kemoko Turay Defensive endRutgersFrom Baltimore via Philadelphia

Tyquan Lewis Defensive endOhio StateFrom Philadelphia via Cleveland

Nyheim Hines Running backNC State

Daurice Fountain Wide receiverNorthern IowaFrom Kansas City via Cleveland, New England, and Oakland

Jordan Wilkins Running backOle MissFrom Philadelphia

Deon Cain Wide receiverClemsonFrom Oakland

Matthew Adams LinebackerHouston

Zaire Franklin LinebackerSyracuse

For a guy who says he is wanting to build through the draft, and yes I realize it is early in the process, but besides a couple of guys...do we really see any standouts here?

 

Hooker, Nelson, Leonard and then???

 

Mack?  Maybe.

Hariston????

 

All those guys and so far we see just a few that look like they may amount to something more than just filler??

 

I mean cmon.  What is this guy doing?  I want to root for him more than anyone but so far, color me not impressed.

pacersgeek is that you with another troll account?

[Cynjin]

28 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Its too early for me to have an opinion, but there are some problems I have had with the overall approach.  I know he knows more than me, but we all look at this stuff and play junior GM so here are my thoughts:

 

Overall, I don't have an issue with the players he drafted.  Not a whole lot different than Polian or Grigson.  Hits and misses.  Guys like Hairston make up for Wilson.  Wilkins for Hines, etc. and his misses may still be hits. 

 

What I don't like is picking a FS at #15 and a G at #6 because of positional value.  Also, if your desired strategy is to "build through the draft" IOW, rely upon improving your team from a relatively small pool of players, I would think you would want to expand that pool by accepting as many reasonable trade down offers you can, rather than deny them to pick a G or a FS. Not to mention, giving up a pick to trade up to pick an interior rusher like Lewis right after you signed Autry, and having to know that Ridgeway looks (always has) like a competent 3 tech.  I understand Turay, the edge guy, but not Lewis, nor the trade up.

 

As far a FA dollars not spent.  Finding a good young Olineman is possible in free agency.  There were two this year who the Colts were rumored to be pursuing, but came up short for whatever reason...still came up short.  Signing a Olineman to plug a hole and be part of the future of the team would have allowed us to go a different direction in the draft....IOW, build through the draft faster. 

 

I simply don't think its possible for Hooker or Nelson to have a big enough impact to offset what we could have gotten if different decisions were made.  Ballard thinks so, and he's probably right.

 

He whiffed on the HC.  Josh was a poor pick from the beginning.  And the only reason we got Reich is because he wasn't available until after Josh left.  IMO, CB got lucky.

 

No, not all of us.

[csmopar]

9 minutes ago, Surge89 said:

 

Hmmm despite the original topic these player evaluations are mind numbing. 

 

Out of 4 2nd round picks we have one starter?  That's worrying.

 

Also Braden is a potential starter because of how much trash is around him as far as depth is concerned. 

 

Grover Stewart is a whiff?

 

Anthony Walker is an ill fit? He transitioned at NW from Will to Mike no?

 

Turay is talented but he's raw and has some serious flaws that may or may not he worked out.  That doesn't sound like a 2nd round pick.

 

Lewis was an unnecessary pick and despite being injured brought little to no value to the team due to similar style players being drafted the year before.  Give those a chance to grow...

 

Not sure how Hines is talented as a RB he has no vision and for all that speed can't wiggle past a defender in space (see the few screen plays he got in the Seattle game where he just ran into a guy 40 pounds bigger than him)

 

Adams and Franklin are not camp bodies... What?

 

All in all my issue with Ballard is that he wastes high draft picks on unnecessary risks but finds gems in the late rounds.  Gems are nice but it's better to capitalize on your initial draft stock than hope you get 5th round to undrafted gems every year. Sounds a lot like Polian in the end. 

look around the league, very few 2nd rounders become instant, day 1 starters.  Besides, we don't have a depth chart roster out yet.

[WarGhost21]

1 hour ago, Pacergeek said:

This is fake news. Just because a draft pick is starting does not automatically mean he is good. Antonio Morrison was team's leading tackler a year ago, and got himself traded. 

I didn’t say that if a player was starting they were automatically good, but would you say Hooker, Wilson, Mack, or Hairston are bad players?

[Lawrence Owen]

[dodsworth]

Boy, trying to build a steady foundation while Drafting linemen

and defense early isn't getting Ballard any love from the

"Instant gratification" crowd.

[Surge89]

9 minutes ago, csmopar said:

look around the league, very few 2nd rounders become instant, day 1 starters.  Besides, we don't have a depth chart roster out yet.

 

There's a problem with your assumption.  About half of the 2nd round picks in the NFL are starters though.  We have had more 2nd rounders in 2 years than someone like the Steelers have had in 4.  Yet we have little to show for it in comparison.  In fact let's look at those picks just for comparison sake.  The Steelers have nabbed Stephen Tuitt (a top 5 DE in the AFC), Leveon Bell (a top 3 RB in the NFL),  JuJu Smith-Schuster (a top tier WR2 borderline WR1, Sean Davis a top 10 safety in the AFC and Sanquez Golson who had one heck of a career ahead of him but was injured every year he tried to play.

 

That is what 2nd round picks look like on a team who truly builds through the draft.  And ours aren't even in the same zip code. 

[Jdubu]

8 hours ago, threeflight said:

I said this last winter and I will say it again after this draft.

 

IMO GM Ballard is not impressing me in the least.   I know he talks a good game, and comes across as someone who seems to know what he is doing, but his actions imo leave much to be desired.

 

FA signings have been mediocre at best.  And he has not used the plethora of money he has at his disposal to really get anyone of consequence.

 

Totally bungled the backup QB situation last year expecting to go into the season starting the worst Qb in the world.  Is that guy even still in the league?

 

Bungled the coaching search.

 

His drafts have been this.

 

Malik Hooker FSOhio State

Quincy Wilson CBFlorida

Tarell Basham OLBOhio

Zach Banner OTUSC

Marlon Mack RBSouth Florida

Grover Stewart DTAlbany State

Nate Hairston CBTemple

Anthony Walker Jr.ILBNorthwestern

 

Quenton Nelson Guard Notre Dame

Darius Leonard LinebackerSouth Carolina State

Braden Smith GuardAuburnFrom NY Jets

Kemoko Turay Defensive endRutgersFrom Baltimore via Philadelphia

Tyquan Lewis Defensive endOhio StateFrom Philadelphia via Cleveland

Nyheim Hines Running backNC State

Daurice Fountain Wide receiverNorthern IowaFrom Kansas City via Cleveland, New England, and Oakland

Jordan Wilkins Running backOle MissFrom Philadelphia

Deon Cain Wide receiverClemsonFrom Oakland

Matthew Adams LinebackerHouston

Zaire Franklin LinebackerSyracuse

For a guy who says he is wanting to build through the draft, and yes I realize it is early in the process, but besides a couple of guys...do we really see any standouts here?

 

Hooker, Nelson, Leonard and then???

 

Mack?  Maybe.

Hariston????

 

All those guys and so far we see just a few that look like they may amount to something more than just filler??

 

I mean cmon.  What is this guy doing?  I want to root for him more than anyone but so far, color me not impressed.

You do have to add in the factor that when hired, the caveat for him was he had to keep Pagano at least 1 more season and see if he could get him right. Well, Pagano isn't a head coach material guy in this league so that was a wasted year altogether. Did the draft 0f 2017 reflect an old 3-4 system as opposed to the new 4-3 system? 

 

As for the money part, I 100% agree with how he used it so far. Sprinkle in some mid level contributors and if they turn out to be super fits, all the better but until the team is really ready to compete with young talent from the draft and FA pick ups that were lower cost, no sense in breaking the bank. He has used this wisely and I have no doubt that next season, he will unleash the purse with some impact guys that fit our system perfectly because next year, we should be prepared for a run.

 

The QB situation, I give you credit for, that was a mess. The simple fact that he was able to get Brissett for a wr that has done nothing so far though at least makes that a wash imo. 

 

There was the fumble in handling the Josh McDaniels hiring and how that went down but again, he salvaged that with what appears to be a good hire in Frank Reich so it minimalizes the damage, although the appearance of egg on face still exists for Ballard. 

 

I think we were all spoiled by having Manning on this team and Polian running the show but winning made Polian look like an absolute genius. You could easily go abck and second guess many of Polian's picks and ask yourself wth was he thinking but the fact that Manning kept winning gave him passes on misses or average play by others at best. If you don't believe that winning is a big part, just remember what GM won GM of the year in 2012, Griggson. He won that award because Luck absolutely carried this team and won in spite of a crap team around him. After that season, everyone wanted him gone asap. 

 

CB has some learning on the job bumps but I think overall, for what mess he was given, I think has done an admirable job. Could he do better, yes but go count all the misses that the great messiah in NE has missed on and then ask yourself, what is the constant over there that gives him free passes on missing draft picks? Tom Brady is what gives him that pass and his knack for just winning with whoever they throw out on the field.

 

Give CB his 3rd season and then start to judge how his team plans have developed. Hopefully these injuries clear out of here as well as that has stunted the teams growth  also. Luck coming back and hopefully 100% healed in that shoulder and arm fixes a lot of issues on the offense and the very young kids on defense and the newly installed defense takes hold during the season sometime and we start to develop that side of the ball as well. There is tons of potential on this team to tap into, someone just has to figure out exactly how to tap into each and everyone of them to make the team strong and effective. New offense, new defense and new coaches will have its lumps, be patient and watch the season for what it is, a development.

 

[Rackeen305]

8 hours ago, WarGhost21 said:

Let’s just say that in the average NFL draft, if a GM hits on half of his picks, he’s considered to have had an amazing draft. To the outside, simple-minded observers, it’s upsetting that every single pick isn’t a superstar right away. Its not going to happen, but Ballard has only one draft that has actually played NFL regular season snaps, and I’d say 4 of the 8 picks will be starting this year (Hooker, Wilson, Mack, Hairston), and based on what I said above, having half of the draft starting in year 2 is a success. It’s all big picture stuff, don’t look to tightly at the first few years or you’ll miss everything important. 

Ok, so someone who has evidence to support their argument/view point. Agree or disagree this is respected.

[DougDew]

35 minutes ago, Cynjin said:

 

No, not all of us.

Well, you must.  You are interested in this thread. 

 

Or maybe you're interested in telling people on this thread they have no right to entertain themselves by putting themselves in a GMs shoes and discuss the topic among others who also like to do that.

[Horse Shoe Heaven]

I think Ballard has been good. Draft picks take time. I don't want him bringing in a bunch of over priced free agents that typically don't work out, the Colts are not close. We had a bad roster, its better now. The coaching search was well interesting, but I honestly think we ended with a better guy, and the right fit for the Colts! I think people who want IMMEDIATE RESULTS might be less than impressed. I have been a Colt fan for a long time, and have seen a lot of really bad years. We got spoiled with some really great years. I know Ballard has a plan, I am willing to see this thing out, and at this point be patient and believe in him an trust the plan.

[SilentHill]

[Cynjin]

21 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Well, you must.  You are interested in this thread. 

 

Or maybe you're interested in telling people on this thread they have no right to entertain themselves by putting themselves in a GMs shoes and discuss the topic among others who also like to do that.

 

Actually, no I don't.  It seems to me that many do, but only a select few act like they know better.

 

People have a right to play armchair GM if they want, it would just be nice if they had some type of educated information forming their opinions.  So far I have not seen any of that from you or others that are critical of Ballard.  Honestly, you should have stopped at "I know he knows more than me", that was the truest part of the post.  The only area you have a little bit of an argument in your post is regarding free agency, but even there you have zero idea of the conversations that Ballard had with those FAs and their agents.  The rest of your post was drivel, uninformed drivel.

[DougDew]

50 minutes ago, Jdubu said:

If you don't believe that winning is a big part, just remember what GM won GM of the year in 2012, Griggson. He won that award because Luck absolutely carried this team and won in spite of a crap team around him. After that season, everyone wanted him gone asap. 

 

 

Your post made a lot of sense until you got here.  The crap team in which RG won the award was the result of Polian's roster and cap constraints the previous few years.  We went 11-5 that year and that's why he won the award and nobody wanted him gone after that season.

 

To your point, winning and losing is all that matters.  Polian started losing, in part, because of wasted 1st round picks like Anthony Gonzalez, Tony Ugoh, Donald Brown, and Jerry Hughes (4 bad ones in a row); and RG because of Werner, TRich, and Dorsett. 

 

Ballard's 2 ist round players will probably be more successful, but he gave up a lot of value and other roster spots to get those sure things, IMO.

[DougDew]

4 minutes ago, Cynjin said:

 

Actually, no I don't.  It seems to me that many do, but only a select few act like they know better.

 

People have a right to play armchair GM if they want, it would just be nice if they had some type of educated information forming their opinions.  So far I have not seen any of that from you or others that are critical of Ballard.  Honestly, you should have stopped at "I know he knows more than me", that was the truest part of the post.  The only area you have a little bit of an argument in your post is regarding free agency, but even there you have zero idea of the conversations that Ballard had with those FAs and their agents.  The rest of your post was drivel, uninformed drivel.

So when I say "he knows more than me" and "he's probably right" , you read that as "I know more than him" and "he's probably wrong"? 

 

It must take a lot of effort to see things through a 180 degree prism just to validate hate.  But that's common these days.

 

The rest is called my opinion, clearly identified as such, and sharing those is what forums are for.

[Indyfan4life]

Some people really expect every draft pick to be a day one all pro. It’s ridiculous. 

[Old Colt]

8 hours ago, Luck 4 president said:

Ya I agree with you. His drafts have been disappointing and his FA signings have been... meh... on top of that he cut one of our top 3 defenders from last year and let our best CB walk.

It is his FA signings that really are discouraging.  OK, so he doesn't want to spend money on the names, at least ones he does bring in should be something more then bodies, which the bulk of them have been seemingly.  As far as the draft it is too early, but it all adds up to a very long season this year and maybe next.  Meanwhile the Luck career is ticking away.

[Cynjin]

2 minutes ago, DougDew said:

So when I say "he knows more than me" and "he's probably right" , you read that as "I know more than him" and "he's probably wrong"? 

 

It must take a lot of effort to see things through a 180 degree prism just to validate hate.  But that's common these days.

 

The rest is called my opinion, clearly identified as such, and sharing those is what forums are for.

 

Hilarious.

[Jeremy Waldon]

5 hours ago, Jaredfor3 said:

compare and contrast with Grigson and Ballard:

 

Grigson drafts WR Phillip Dorset in the first round. Ballard trades Dorset for a solid QB in Jacoby Brissett. Not only is JB a top 5 backup in the league, Ballard can possibility use him as trade bait, especially if Luck is back to his old self. 

 

Grigson brought in a a lot of older free agents and most of them did not pan out. Ballard believes in building through the draft. 

 

I will say that I think it was a mistake not retaining RB Frank Gore. 

 

 

 

I think if they even had a 1% chance of knowing something would keep Turbo out of the first 4 games. Frank would for sure still be here. Its all a risk, but i really beleive even if mack is out game 1. I really like wilkins and think he could be a stud once he settles in

[Yoshinator]

The 2 problems I have with Ballard to this point are 1.) Ballard isn't selecting BPA in the draft very much (if at all), and it's going to affect the long term quality of the roster, and possibly the difference between the amount of hits and busts we get because he's trying to fill certain positions first, and get scheme fits, rather than take what the draft gives him. 2.) Ballard should of used some of our cap we have to sign a handful of 1 year deals to players in their mid 20s. It'd upgrade the overall quality of the roster, and if you hit on some of these players, you can re-sign them to a 4-5 year deal next year, after the draftees have gotten some experience and we have a better chance of competing next year.

 

These are the only 2 mistakes I think Ballard has made to this point IMO, but we'll see if it hurts us in the long term. Long season ahead of us.

[Luck 4 president]

1 hour ago, TheMarine said:

Uh.... The dude took less money than Ballard offered him to play in Oakland. Let him walk???

How much did Ballard offer him then? I read that he matched the offer, but didn’t beat it. But still it’s partly on the GM for not making a compelling enough pitch

[csmopar]

1 hour ago, Surge89 said:

 

There's a problem with your assumption.  About half of the 2nd round picks in the NFL are starters though.  We have had more 2nd rounders in 2 years than someone like the Steelers have had in 4.  Yet we have little to show for it in comparison.  In fact let's look at those picks just for comparison sake.  The Steelers have nabbed Stephen Tuitt (a top 5 DE in the AFC), Leveon Bell (a top 3 RB in the NFL),  JuJu Smith-Schuster (a top tier WR2 borderline WR1, Sean Davis a top 10 safety in the AFC and Sanquez Golson who had one heck of a career ahead of him but was injured every year he tried to play.

 

That is what 2nd round picks look like on a team who truly builds through the draft.  And ours aren't even in the same zip code. 

No, you're way off.

 

Since 2014, there are 595 draft picks starting around the league.

Out of those 595, there are currently just 104 2nd round picks that are starting, or 17.4% of all picks since 2014.  1st round picks account for 29.9 percent. 3rd, 12.6 percent. 

 

Now, the below is the starting percent for each round since 2010...

 

Percentage of Total Games Started

(Since 2010...80 games max)

Groups  Games Started

 

1st              67.5%

2nd            33.8%

3rd            36.3%

4th              6.3%

5th             4.4%

6th             1.9%

7th             0.0%

 

 

Another thing that is interesting: 48.9 percent of all Pros since 2012 have been 1st rounders,

 

"2nd round picks were the next most likely to reach All-Pro status (14%)"

 

Source: Forbes and NFL.com

[Surge89]

1 minute ago, csmopar said:

No, you're way off.

 

Since 2014, there are 595 draft picks starting around the league.

Out of those 595, there are currently just 104 2nd round picks that are starting, or 17.4% of all picks since 2014.  1st round picks account for 29.9 percent. 3rd, 12.6 percent. 

 

Now, the below is the starting percent for each round since 2010...

 

Percentage of Total Games Started

(Since 2010...80 games max)

Groups  Games Started

 

1st              67.5%

2nd            33.8%

3rd            36.3%

4th              6.3%

5th             4.4%

6th             1.9%

7th             0.0%

 

 

Another thing that is interesting: 48.9 percent of all Pros since 2012 have been 1st rounders,

 

"2nd round picks were the next most likely to reach All-Pro status (14%)"

 

Source: Forbes and NFL.com

 

Wait what am I way off on? That I said about half? Lol k if you wanna nit pick that's ok point is still very valid.  In fact in your own statistics your proved my premise. "2nd round picks were the next most likely to reach all-pro status (14%)". 

 

Then on top of that I gave you a team who carries the exact same philosophy as Ballard with a high draft priority and showed their results...  and we are just not even close. 

[Coltsman1788]

I don’t think those who have been unimpressed by Ballard's draft picks thus far are crazy or trying to be trolls.  It is just too early to draw concrete conclusions right now.  As I peruse the picks relative to the draft capital that he had at his disposal I am left a bit wanting.  Just being honest.  However when I watch the preseason games and see how competitive and energetic our reserve candidates look in every game played it gives me some encouragement.  We don’t seem to have many emerging super stars but we look like we are slowly improving the quality of our depth.   Ballard’s philosophy is sound. The jury is still out on if he can execute it effectively and produce the desired results.  He at least deserves to see how this season goes before we start to form concrete conclusions one way or the other. 

[Yoshinator]

2 minutes ago, Coltsman1788 said:

I don’t think those who have been unimpressed by Ballard's draft picks thus far are crazy or trying to be trolls.  It is just too early to draw concrete conclusions right now.  As I peruse the picks relative to the draft capital that he had at his disposal I am left a bit wanting.  Just being honest.  However when I watch the preseason games and see how competitive and energetic our reserve candidates look in every game played it gives me some encouragement.  We don’t seem to have many emerging super stars but we look like we are slowly improving the quality of our depth.   Ballard’s philosophy is sound. The jury is still out on if he can execute it effectively and produce the desired results.  He at least deserves to see how this season goes before we start to form concrete conclusions one way or the other. 

Ballard is definitely better than Grigson. He is better mentally and emotionally for the job and has a better mindset and plan. However, the only thing I question is the execution as of now. Can he build our team through the draft his way instead of doing a BPA type strategy? This is the method SB winning teams have used throughout the years, and I'm worried we may miss a lot in the draft like Grigson did if we keep drafting like this. Loved Hooker, Nelson and Wilson. They were BPA picks. They are an example of the difference between BPA and filling a need.

[DougDew]

13 minutes ago, Cynjin said:

 

Hilarious.

So when you said, show "educated information", and "uninformed drivel" what exactly is that?  What would be the standard of data needed in order to have an informed opinion?

 

College draft write-ups, roster holes, cap space, known trade offers?  If that stuff is inappropriate, golly, we need to boycott NFL.com, ESPN, CBSSports, etc. during the spring. 

 

You should tell them they should be providing junior GMs access to the draft room, coaches meeting during training camp, or simply to Ballard's thoughts on personnel when he's sitting on the can. 

 

Everything else is uninformed I guess. 

 

 

 

[csmopar]

11 minutes ago, Surge89 said:

 

Wait what am I way off on? That I said about half? Lol k if you wanna nit pick that's ok point is still very valid.  In fact in your own statistics your proved my premise. "2nd round picks were the next most likely to reach all-pro status (14%)". 

 

Then on top of that I gave you a team who carries the exact same philosophy as Ballard with a high draft priority and showed their results...  and we are just not even close. 

14 Percent... that means pretty much 8 out of 10 are failing

[ColtsBlitz]

6 hours ago, braveheartcolt said:

Lying in bed and I was looking at the ceiling, thinking I really liked it. It's perhaps not my favourite part of the house, but it's up there.

 

Sorry, not sure what else to say about this thread.....

According to this guy, you should be looking at the floor