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Report: Leveon Bell eyeing Colts


RockThatBlue

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Ballard isn't going to caugh up the cheddar Bell wants with all

of the good players we have on the roster with contracts due.

 

Building a winning and sustainable program doesn't warrant

paying top dollar for any kind of RB regardless of pedigree.

 

Give him half of what he will be asking.....maybe.

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11 minutes ago, dodsworth said:

Ballard isn't going to caugh up the cheddar Bell wants with all

of the good players we have on the roster with contracts due.

 

Building a winning and sustainable program doesn't warrant

paying top dollar for any kind of RB regardless of pedigree.

 

Give him half of what he will be asking.....maybe.

Sorry we are two years away from anything major being due.  Half of what he's asking?  Absurd. 

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21 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

Sorry we are two years away from anything major being due.  Half of what he's asking?  Absurd. 

Bottom line is we won't need him for his high cash demands. Ballard has

all off-season to find a good RB to fit our system. Almost anyone can haul

the rock behind this line and scheme.

 

This season yes but not next year. If Ballard was going to sign him the

ink would be dry already.

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1 hour ago, Solon said:

Yeah, but when you're a premium player, you expect more in guarantees. The overall number may be 70, but you're only guaranteed 33 of that. 

 

 

I don't blame him. The Steelers are non-committal about him in the future. If he would've got hurt, they would've rescinded that contract offer immediately and let him walk in free agency. The chances of signing a major deal on another team would be unlikely if the aforementioned would've transpired. If the Steelers wanted him, they would've at least matched Todd Gurley's 45 million in guarantees. 

Gurley is younger and doesn't have suspension issues.   Bell will never recover the 13 million he refused to take

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1 hour ago, Four2itus said:

Nothing that our GM has said...or done, aligns with this statement. 

Of course that's true but after this years success I think that's going to change.  Nobody, Ballard included,  expected the success the team is having this year.  It changes everything.  He has some high picks and we will be the number one destination of every FA that hits the market not just Bell.   They are all eyeing our cap space like that is such terrible thing.  They see a SB coming and they want to be part of it.  Ballard will be able to get any FA he wants IMO.  He is not going to waste another year of Luck.  He's going to go for it.  Just my opinion of course. 

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Like this forum, I'm split on whether he would be a good overall signing for the money he would accept, ie value for money. It's all a chicken/egg kind of conundrum. If the O-line maintains its progress as a top unit, do we even need him vs how much would his presence actually inprove the O-line's effectiveness? Sure, he held out for a full year vs did he have a genuine reason for doing so? Us armchair experts need to stop pretending we knew why he did what he did. Was it really all about the bucks? He also appears to be getting a bashing regarding his ego/personality vs many have reported that he was a great team mate? 

 

Didn't our overall Mr nice guy Reggie hold out once, albeit for days/ weeks and without missing any games? A hold out is a hold out and we don't know all the facts on Bell.

 

It has been widely reported that Ballard wants to get the right vibe in place in the locker room before he brings in any big star expensive names, and if I'm honest, none of us really know if this is true, and when that time will be, if ever.

 

Apologies, one of the longest 'sitting on the fence' post in forum history. We will all just have to wait and let Ballard make the decision for us. I'm thinking he won't bite. Meanwhile the 'Speculation Express' continues to thunder on down the track. Woo woo......

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4 hours ago, richard pallo said:

Next year we will be in a win now mode.  You can still keep those three backs behind Bell if you want.  It's a long season.  They will get their touches.  None of their performances this year would dissuade me from signing Bell.  Night and Day difference.

I dont agree.  Lets say we sign him for between 15-17 million.  I would expect him to rush for say 1400 yards and catch between 60-80 catches.  That leaves little opportunity for the other 3 to touch the ball. Honestly, if u sign Bell, you minds well put 2 of the young guys on the trade block.  The three of them have unique skill sets and I really think one day Wilkins may get a lot more touches. I like his vision. These three young backs r showing signs of improving with each game. The more snaps they get the better they become.  Now u r want to pull the rug from under heath them.  On offence, I think our biggest need is WR by far. U heard rumours of Indy wanting Cooper.  I didn't hear the same rumours when Bell mayb could have been had in a trade. People forget be is one  positive test  away from a lengthy suspension. Our O line is becoming dominant.  I have cooled on the idea of signing Bell.

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1 hour ago, richard pallo said:

Of course that's true but after this years success I think that's going to change.  Nobody, Ballard included,  expected the success the team is having this year.  It changes everything.  He has some high picks and we will be the number one destination of every FA that hits the market not just Bell.   They are all eyeing our cap space like that is such terrible thing.  They see a SB coming and they want to be part of it.  Ballard will be able to get any FA he wants IMO.  He is not going to waste another year of Luck.  He's going to go for it.  Just my opinion of course. 

 

Agree completely.  Irsay, in particular, will not be fond of yet another rebuilding year. He's been patient to this point, is probably thrilled with Luck's recovery from injury and will want to get as much out of his QB's talents as possible while he's still in his prime. The Colts have had a couple of very good drafts and have enough cap space to upgrade where needed.  Next year begins the "win now" mindset.

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Hey everyone, first time poster... sorry if this is quite long.

 

I know this topic has been discussed quite thoroughly, with arguments for both sides.

 

I dont know too much about the cap and how it all works, but I know we have ALOT of money, and in some context, i thought that we are required to spend a good sized portion of it somewhat soon (within a certin period)...we also currently don't have many top-tier players on our roster that will need to be resigned for much more than they are currently making now (maybe 2-4, Ryan Kelly comes to mind).. the rookies/2nd year players who ballard drafted dont need to be paid 2-3yrs from now.

 

So again, we HAVE to spend this money...

 

I get that we also have alot of guys on our roster that will be either rfas or ufas, and we will have to pay SOME of them a bit more to retain their services, but given our cap this will still leave us with ALOT of money to spend (and yes also on top of the $ to pay our 2019 draft class). We could also even extend some guys with all the cap room, but even if we do the point is the same. 

 

This leaves us with free agency.. 

 

Yes, Ballard has stated his thoughts on FA..and i would suggest that although his track record shows a more conservatice approach in the past (needed to get the core young guys playing time and experience.. and yes they are still young), i believe given our high cap and already built chemistry, we must and will spend in Free Agency this year unlike in years past(and really because of years past precisely because we didn’t spend). 

 

Looking at the list of players available this year in FA, there are not alot of options in the WR department. Yes, we can and should also go after elite defensive players (Demarcus Lawrence, Jadeveon Clowney etc...btw that’s IF they make it to FA). 

 

Herein lies the real question we should be asking... is Bell an Elite Player deserving of top dollar or was he a product of the system? We probably wouldn’t even have to ask this question if Connor wasnt producing so well this year. 

 

For me, despite Connors success, Bell is definitely an elite player at his position. People gripe about him being selfish and a locker room problem, but to me all that is a bit overhyped and media skewed. First off, he is only trying to get what he is due given his production and status and an elite player. And I dont think he was a locker room problem before all the franchise tags. 

 

Even if we have good players at RB, Bell will be good for us. He wants to come here. Yes for the money, but I am sure he also wants to win (thinks he can do it here) and play with Luck. I think he would get along well with everyone and it really not be an issue. 

 

Yes the Money is another thing. But I think we can afford (and he is worth) a 4-5 year deal with garauntees in the first 3 years paying him 15.5-16 mil/year. This is more than what the steelers offered but less than what he has reportedly been seeking. By the time we need to pay the rookies his contract will have no garuantees and then we can re-access

 

I just see it happening given our need/ability to spend, our state of being in SB contention so soon, and the lack of WR talent combined with a player of Bells caliber available on the FA market. Even on top of Bells, contract we still would have lots to spend. no brainer. 

 

P.S. im still not exactly sure on the whole “what we need to spend and by when” so i may be totally wrong on everything i just said hahaha 

 

 

 

 

 

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6 hours ago, Lawrence Owen said:

According to NFL.com, the Steelers made one final offer to Bell on Monday, just hours before the NFL's 4 p.m. ET deadline for teams to negotiate a new contract with their franchise player. The offer from the Steelers was worth a total of $70 million over five years (or $14 million per season). Although the offer would have given Bell the largest multi-year contract of any running back in the NFL, he turned it down, and one reason he likely did that, is because it was nowhere near his asking price, which was reportedly in the neighborhood of $17 million per season.

 

Gee whizz, and i thought he turned it down because they only guaranteed the 1st year.

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48 minutes ago, il vecchio said:

 

Agree completely.  Irsay, in particular, will not be fond of yet another rebuilding year. He's been patient to this point, is probably thrilled with Luck's recovery from injury and will want to get as much out of his QB's talents as possible while he's still in his prime. The Colts have had a couple of very good drafts and have enough cap space to upgrade where needed.  Next year begins the "win now" mindset.

 

Mr. Irsay will keep quiet and pray Ballard builds a real contender.

He lives with the memory of his mentoring Grigson.

 Sounds Absurd to me to be in the illusional "win now mode" next season.

Do you do that with the youngest roster in the league?

There may be a time when Ballard goes big for a player or two to increase our chances by a few %. A wise man says much more likely in 2020.
More likely we keep building and grinding to see where it takes us.

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6 hours ago, Stephen said:

Not of bell's quality. Give me bell. Draft defense and a sure handed wr and then both offense and defense will be unstoppable 

 

I was being sarcastic. 

Get ready for all the after season mocks and threads that look down on quality rb's and wr's even though thats a major need. Lol.

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Bell would be the player who can elevate the colts from a good team to a great team.

 

If people dont want us to be great and use Luck in his prime, then they are down right stupid.

 

Sign Bell, and we are contenders right away.

 

Mack, Wilkins and Hines are okay RB's, but Bell is on another level.

By the way, people saying he's only having to or three years left, okay, I'll take Bell if he's only having that many years left, and pay him what he want.

 

We need to sign such a player, if we ever want to win with luck.

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1 hour ago, ThorstenDenmark said:

Bell would be the player who can elevate the colts from a good team to a great team.

 

If people dont want us to be great and use Luck in his prime, then they are down right stupid.

 

Sign Bell, and we are contenders right away.

 

Mack, Wilkins and Hines are okay RB's, but Bell is on another level.

By the way, people saying he's only having to or three years left, okay, I'll take Bell if he's only having that many years left, and pay him what he want.

 

We need to sign such a player, if we ever want to win with luck.

Calling your friendly and fellow Colts fans stupid for having a different opinion is stupid, but then again, stupid is as stupid does........and if Ballard doesn't think Bell is the right players for us, are you saying he is stupid and you are not stupid? Sorry, this post is stupid.

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I am 50/50 on whether or not to sign him. It does depend on the money he would want. His age doesn't bother me, he is only 26. I do question whether or not he can stay healthy for lets say 4 years if we sign him for that long. He is a great talent. He and Mack together could do great things and it would keep Mack fresh and healthy having Bell around. Bell's Receiving skills are priceless, that is where his real value would be IMO.

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13 hours ago, Maniac said:

I feel like he will want 4-5 years and Ballard won’t do it...

 

As he shouldn’t.

This is the biggest reason why it probably WONT happen

 

I wouldnt touch Bell with a 4-5 year guaranteed contract

 

RBs in almost all cases, start to slow down at the age of 30.

 

He will be 27 next year, which in my mind gives a 3 year window

 

We will all know if this is a bunch of hot air in 3 months

 

 

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8 hours ago, braveheartcolt said:

 

Apologies, one of the longest 'sitting on the fence' post in forum history. We will all just have to wait and let Ballard make the decision for us. I'm thinking he won't bite. Meanwhile the 'Speculation Express' continues to thunder on down the track. Woo woo......

It will all pan out

 

I personally would like THAT GUY, and see the potential and what his unique skillset would bring to this offense, and the fact that splitting carries with Mack has so many benefits for this team, but I feel this deal still has a very little chance of actually happening

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51 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I am 50/50 on whether or not to sign him. It does depend on the money he would want. His age doesn't bother me, he is only 26. I do question whether or not he can stay healthy for lets say 4 years if we sign him for that long. He is a great talent. He and Mack together could do great things and it would keep Mack fresh and healthy having Bell around. Bell's Receiving skills are priceless, that is where his real value would be IMO.

I agree. I’m in the same boat. 

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1 minute ago, Chrisaaron1023 said:

A RB who spent a whole year off... Hmmmm I don't know.

 

Bell is like the Hot cheerleader in highschool who has broken up with her BF several times. And is now eyeing you, and dropping hints about being with you... So enticing, but so much risk

Another way to look at that is, that a RB with a whole year off will be fresh/super healthy and not beaten up. I am ok either way we go on it, if we do not sign him we will still be fine, if we sign him it could make us an Elite team next season though. 

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As much as I like Bell and understand his potential and what he has done in the past, for the amount of money that he would sign, it is a risky gamble to think we can recreate the very particular running style he had with the Steelers. It took him time to build that there. 

 

I say no, let's spend that money elsewhere and actually I'm quite fond of our running backs already.

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At this point, with our O-Line the way it is, and knowing Kelly is the catalyst to our run game, I'd rather sign Tevin Coleman to a decent contract than Leveon Bell. Coleman is an excellent receiver, and can run the ball well also. He would be a great match with Mack, and we could use Hines still as well. No need to spend $17 million on Bell.

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4 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

At this point, with our O-Line the way it is, and knowing Kelly is the catalyst to our run game, I'd rather sign Tevin Coleman to a decent contract than Leveon Bell. Coleman is an excellent receiver, and can run the ball well also. He would be a great match with Mack, and we could use Hines still as well. No need to spend $17 million on Bell.

Great point, I didn't realize Coleman would be a Free Agent. He is only 25 as well.

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30 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

At this point, with our O-Line the way it is, and knowing Kelly is the catalyst to our run game, I'd rather sign Tevin Coleman to a decent contract than Leveon Bell. Coleman is an excellent receiver, and can run the ball well also. He would be a great match with Mack, and we could use Hines still as well. No need to spend $17 million on Bell.

Coleman would be MUCH cheaper, and have less miles on the tires than THAT GUY

 

Having two, somewhat interchangable RBs would be good for this offense

 

I just sort of expect that Mack will be nicked up at some point in the season 

 

Coleman isnt as established as a reciever as THAT GUY

 

and

 

We would still need a 225LB RB to get the tough yards, when needed

 

THAT GUY coming to Indy, seems like a less than 10% chance of happening

 

This locker-room is pulling together, its a tremendous reason why we are starting to win.

 

I have NO IDEA if THAT GUY, is a good team-mate or a bad team mate........  if the attitude isnt right, I wouldnt consider....... But..... I dont know that

 

 

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22 minutes ago, MikeCurtis said:

Coleman would be MUCH cheaper, and have less miles on the tires than THAT GUY

 

Having two, somewhat interchangable RBs would be good for this offense

 

I just sort of expect that Mack will be nicked up at some point in the season 

 

Coleman isnt as established as a reciever as THAT GUY

 

and

 

We would still need a 225LB RB to get the tough yards, when needed

 

THAT GUY coming to Indy, seems like a less than 10% chance of happening

 

This locker-room is pulling together, its a tremendous reason why we are starting to win.

 

I have NO IDEA if THAT GUY, is a good team-mate or a bad team mate........  if the attitude isnt right, I wouldnt consider....... But..... I dont know that

 

 

But Bell does all those things you mentioned well and his bettere than Coleman. Nobody talk locker room problems about but ppl on this site

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5 minutes ago, Mr.Debonair said:

But Bell does all those things you mentioned well and his bettere than Coleman. Nobody talk locker room problems about but ppl on this site

I suggested Coleman, and I'd want him because I'd also want to go after either DeMarcus Lawrence or Landon Collins. Coleman will probably cost half of bell, and allow us to go after one of the other two if Ballard so desires.

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26 minutes ago, Mr.Debonair said:

But Bell does all those things you mentioned well and his bettere than Coleman. Nobody talk locker room problems about but ppl on this site

You may be 100% right

 

But

 

Because this team is SO young, a single cancerous attitude from one of the stars can be fatal

 

THIS TEAM wont allow a good and maybe a much needed player on the field, if they dont practice at 100%........  Think about that for a second.

 

What if Bell brings it on game day, but slugs through the week......

 

THIS CURRENT COLTS ATTITUDE....... is a big reason why we are winning

 

Im not saying DONT bring THAT GUY in........  I am just saying that it should be PART of the consideration.....

 

THAT GUY may want a 4-5 year deal........ we shouldnt consider anything like that, especially if guarantees creep into the 4th year 

 

He APPEARS to want to come here...... it may be a mind game

 

Like I said..... much dialog (Myself included)..... for something that probably isnt going to happen

 

IF his head is on right

IF the deal isnt too onerous (We dont want to be in a bidding war)

IF he doesnt mind sharing carries (Mack is a good back that SHOULD get time on the field)

 

You would have to consider this ALL PRO talent...... but.... some BIG "IFS" in the way

 

Bringing in FA talent is always a risky move, vs growing your own

 

Not saying you dont do it........ you just have to look for the rare fits

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1 minute ago, MikeCurtis said:

You may be 100% right

 

But

 

Because this team is SO young, a single cancerous attitude from one of the stars can be fatal

 

Im not saying DONT bring THAT GUY in........  I am just saying that it should be PART of the consideration.....

 

THAT GUY may want a 4-5 year deal........ we shouldnt consider anything like, that especially if guarantees creep into the 4th year 

 

Like I said..... much dialog (Myself included)..... for something that probably isnt going to happen

 

IF his head is on right

IF the deal isnt too onerous

IF he doesnt mind sharing carries (Mack is a good back that SHOULD get time on the field)

 

You would have to consider this talent...... but.... some BIG "IFS" in the way

Yep. Everyone has to buy into the system that Reich presents, and Bell is a stat guy, first and foremost. He'll be selfish IMO, and complain if he doesn't get the ball regularly. I'd prefer Coleman as he's probably worth more value to the team in all aspects for a portion of the cost.

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6 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Yep. Everyone has to buy into the system that Reich presents, and Bell is a stat guy, first and foremost. He'll be selfish IMO, and complain if he doesn't get the ball regularly. I'd prefer Coleman as he's probably worth more value to the team in all aspects for a portion of the cost.

I think you may agree that if we bring in Coleman into the rotation, we will still need to get a big RB to fit certain circumstances

 

It would be a two RB choice

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8 minutes ago, MikeCurtis said:

I think you may agree that if we bring in Coleman into the rotation, we will still need to get a big RB to fit certain circumstances

 

It would be a two RB choice

We would need a power back, but we could draft a specialty power back late or even as an UDFA. I don't believe it would be much of a problem.

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I can't see Ballard paying the money because of our committee approach. Reich had a top ten rushing attack in Philly with Blount and Ajayi. Mack is close to 1000 now and he hasn't even played a whole season. What incentive do we have to over value that position knowing we purposefully want a committee? And it's not like Bells coming in here with that glut of money and giving us 2000 yards or something light years ahead of what we have now. I think Chris should continue placing premium value on the OL and DL and keep drafting young talent everywhere else.

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