Colts sign Devin Funchess (Merge)

[NewEra]

3 minutes ago, MikeCurtis said:

I think he may be waiting for the tier 2 WR market to start

 

The first round of mega money is nearing the end

 

The second round of medium money is just starting..........

 

I do hope we sign him.... he had a special chemistry with Luck that was developing

Yes I'd like to resign him as well. I just think it's hilarious readings fans comments. We don't see any vision or picture of what's going on behind the scenes. Yet since they did it in Madden they seem to think to know how to run a team lol

[lollygagger8]

11 hours ago, oldunclemark said:

WE had $100 mil in cap space and we spent $13 mil on a one-year deal for a guy whose only fault is: He hasn't lived up to his first round selection.

 

This is a shrewd deal.  If it fails, he's out in a year.

If he catches 63 passes for 840 yards (which he did 2 years ago) we win

 

We wanted a big WR for Andrew....Here he is. 6-foot-4, 225....And he's 25 years old.

Theres' no downside here

 

 

He was drafted in the 2nd round, but I agree with everything else. 

[Valpo2004]

5 minutes ago, lollygagger8 said:

 

He was drafted in the 2nd round, but I agree with everything else. 

 

Also we spent 10 on him and the 3 million is in incentives.  So we are only on the hook for that extra 3 million if he plays well.

 

And lets be honest if he plays well, are you going to care about that 3 million?

[lollygagger8]

I was optimistic on this signing until I just saw this 

 

 

Ugh........

 

Man I hope it was mostly because of Lame Newton. I already have fits of rage watching Ebron drop passes lol

[krunk]

As I've maintained the whole time I really like the signing.  It was clear to me why they would go after him.     

[krunk]

4 minutes ago, lollygagger8 said:

I was optimistic on this signing until I just saw this 

 

 

Ugh........

 

Man I hope it was mostly because of Lame Newton. I already have fits of rage watching Ebron drop passes lol

Why didn't they post the rate from the previous year when he was one of the best?  Because they like to play on peoples emotions with stats.

[Barry Sears]

Okay, just read through all 10 pages of posts and opinions are split, as expected.

 

To me, a 1 year deal for $10 mil with another $3 in incentives is a rather low risk deal.  If he makes $13 mil, then he met the incentives and had a great season.

 

I'm guessing a large portion of his drops were due to poor passes to him from Newton.  Cam throws high, behind and too hard at times.  NO receiver will catch every pass and NOT ALL receivers are Olympic sprinters.

 

The video I've watched of him shows me a lot of promise, especially if he has the right QB in the right system with an offensive minded head coach at the helm.

 

Indy and Carolina are completely different situations and atmospheres.

 

Now, this was just ONE MOVE of many more to come via FA and the draft...Ballard has taken ONE STEP and the journey has just begun.

 

Many have cried for a big WR here for years and now we have one!!  Let's be optimistic and give this guy a chance in our system with our QB before we pass judgement on this deal.

 

If he has a good or great year and loves playing in Indy, then there's no reason why he can't stay here beyond this season.

 

I think I'll wait and watch him play for the horseshoe before I applaud or boo this move by Ballard.

 

Ballard has forgotten more about football than the majority of us know about football.

 

We have no idea what went on behind the scenes yesterday as players started agreeing to deals, we don't know if we were in on any of those deals and they got too expensive.

 

Our view from the sidelines is very limited.

[Old Colt]

13 hours ago, The Oopty Oop said:

Sure is better than Ryan Grant. 1 year overpaid contract to fill a glaring need.

I would rather we resign Inman....AL seems to have been developing a good rhythm with him..and he doesn't drop the balls that Funchess has in the past.  

[Chucklez]

8 minutes ago, krunk said:

Why didn't they post the rate from the previous year when he was one of the best?  Because they like to play on peoples emotions with stats.

 

This... In 2017 he had 5 drops on 112 targets.

 

How is everyone forgetting that Cam Newton was not right last year and couldn't throw outside the hashes at all.... (which is Funchess' bread and butter).

 

I'm not saying he is going to come in and be an all pro, but let's stop with this farce that he is definitely going to drop everything.

[krunk]

I think Funchess will play well with Luck.  The way this signing is being treated by the fans is somewhat equivalent to when we signed Dwight Lowery.  The whole forum blew up and everybody started quoting this stat and that stat.  The guy turned out to be a pretty good player for us that year when it was all said and done.   Funchess can play everything from the #1 receiver down to whatever other receiver you want to put him at.  You take a guy with that body size and that type of versatility and put him with Reich and Sirriani who we know are really good at creating matchups that put defenders in a bind.  I see a lot of work for this guy over the middle of the field working on linebackers and safeties.  He can also work short as well as being a deep threat.   And if he somehow doesn't work out then we ain't on the hook for much.  I see more positive than I do negative.  I think it will make even more sense once we see who all is going to be a part of this 2019 receiving corps.

[akcolt]

6 hours ago, JPFolks said:

That is what is so weird.  There is 40 speed, and playing speed.  They aren't always the same thing, this is proof of that.  I don't recall seeing Funchess playing like he was as fast as Alshon plays.  Nor running away from coverage.  Sure, he has some like all Pro players do, but watch him play live, play after play asnd see if you seeI the same game speed. 

The 3 cone and short shuttle times help explain why the play speed looks different.  

[Horse Shoe Heaven]

13 hours ago, threeflight said:

He is a diva for sure.  But he has always been known as a great WR and will be one of the tp wr's of all time.  Well worth the risk considering the cap space we have.

 

 

Great player bad on the locker room, Ballard won’t sign players that are bad in the locker room, no matter how good they may be on the field! Also  Pittsburgh may not of wanted to trade into the Colts a potential rival!

[krunk]

Funchess plays about as fast as Plaxico Burress in my opinion.  To be honest he reminds me of Plaxico.  Plaxico was a good player for the Steelers and the Giants.   I think Funchess could be that type of guy.

[Superman]

4 hours ago, stitches said:

Thanks for the info, but unless there is a legitimate reason for the player to test this poorly(injury?) I always take the combine numbers. Especially in the clock measured tests there are so many weird things going on at pro-days that IMO it's almost always preferable to just disregard those if you already have numbers from the combine. 

 

His combine 40 was always shocking, though. No one expected him to run a 4.7, and it was assumed something was wrong when he did. It's fair to shave 5 hundredths off the pro day time for anyone, but a discrepancy of 2 tenths between the combine and the pro day is worthy of attention. 

[krunk]

Stampede Blue good Funchess break down.   The Good and Bad

 

https://www.stampedeblue.com/2019/3/12/18260983/film-room-what-does-new-colts-receiver-devin-funchess-bring-to-the-team

[chad72]

I do think that Humphries and Crowder signing their respective deals somewhat set the market for WRs and Ballard sensed that and sweetened the Funchess 1 year deal with incentives, IMO. 

 

I do want Inman back though.

[krunk]

He will probably get more production than most of these guys that signed bigger and better deals.

[Old Colt]

51 minutes ago, krunk said:

As I've maintained the whole time I really like the signing.  It was clear to me why they would go after him.     

He is making the same amount as T Y Hilton this year.  He leads all WR's in drops last year...  he may work out, but questionable at best.  I would take Inman for a whole lot less.  Yes we have money to spend but 13mm could have made a big difference on someone else.

[Superman]

8 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

We also don't know what was discussed between Ballard, Funchess and his agent either.

Maybe there was discussion of a future contract on a prove it contract. If he earns a future contract we cross that bridge when it's time.

 

Again, I promise you, I understand the future ramifications of a one year deal.

 

And again, if I don't like the player, and if I think we could have signed a better player/better fit for less, then my primary objection is **obviously not** that I think this deal is torpedoing the Colts future. It's that I don't think it's the best deal for our team, right now.

[krunk]

Just now, Old Colt said:

He is making the same amount as T Y Hilton this year.  He leads all WR's in drops last year...  he may work out, but questionable at best.  I would take Inman for a whole lot less.  Yes we have money to spend but 13mm could have made a big difference on someone else.

No he isn't.  His deal is about the same as Moncriefs deal with incentives.   He's making about 10 mil for 1 year with incentives.   

[Superman]

1 hour ago, Valpo2004 said:

And lets be honest if he plays well, are you going to care about that 3 million?

 

If he plays well, the contract isn't relevant. Ballard was right, and I was wrong.

 

The concern is that he'll play the same as he's always played.

[Chucklez]

1 minute ago, Superman said:

 

If he plays well, the contract isn't relevant. Ballard was right, and I was wrong.

 

The concern is that he'll play the same as he's always played.

 

In which case, eat the $10m that we had to spend on someone this year anyways and just let him go.

 

All things considered, a low risk move with potentially high rewards.

[lollygagger8]

58 minutes ago, krunk said:

Why didn't they post the rate from the previous year when he was one of the best?  Because they like to play on peoples emotions with stats.

 

Well, let's hope he returns to 2017 form 

[Superman]

4 minutes ago, Chucklez said:

 

In which case, eat the $10m that we had to spend on someone this year anyways and just let him go.

 

All things considered, a low risk move with potentially high rewards.

 

Again, the concern about the signing has little to do with risk.

[Myles]

1 minute ago, Chucklez said:

 

In which case, eat the $10m that we had to spend on someone this year anyways and just let him go.

 

All things considered, a low risk move with potentially high rewards.

Since we have the money it's an OK signing.   

 

Seems we are paying him too much.

I don't like 1 year deals.   I would have much preferred a 3 year deal.

I like his size and think it was needed.   

[Chucklez]

18 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Again, the concern about the signing has little to do with risk.

I get it, but I think he will actually come in and play pretty well. I don't think he is going to set the world on fire, but he is capable of decent WR2 play. Especially with the upgrade from a slightly broken Cam Newton to a healthy Andrew Luck with Reich calling the plays.

[ColtsAC]

I am starting to be ok with this signing. I do hope the Colts add a "gets seperation" wr in the draft like Isabella or Renfrow. I think it's a need. As much as I dislike Edelman and the Pats, he does add a lot to their offense.

[dodsworth]

13 mil for a guy that had 549 yards last year? I just don't understand 

this transaction at all.

[Superman]

2 minutes ago, Chucklez said:

I get it, but I think he will actually come in and play pretty well. I don't think he is going to set the world on fire, but he is capable of decent WR2 play. Especially with the upgrade from a slightly broken Cam Newton to a healthy Andrew Luck with Reich calling the plays.

 

And if that's the case, I'll obviously make my peace with the deal. But it doesn't fit what I think the team needs at receiver, and it really doesn't fit what Ballard has been stressing about price and fit.

 

It's like, we'll overpay for a questionable receiver, but we won't overpay for a less questionable pass rusher?

[Lucky Colts Fan]

13 hours ago, shastamasta said:

When the best argument is the "Colts were 10-6 last year so trust the binder"...maybe it's fair to have a different viewpoint.

 

When the best criticism of Ballards' method is "He could have spent more on better FAs", that seems kind of petty to me.

 

But to each their own.

 

12 hours ago, threeflight said:

Just crazy and imo Ballard has already blown this.  

 

AB gone.

 

 

Bell going to be gone.

 

 

Humphries gone.

 

Williams going to be gone.

 

Were these guys going to make the Colts go 19-0 in 2019?

 

Why don't you wait to see what the results are before being critical?

[Old Colt]

38 minutes ago, krunk said:

No he isn't.  His deal is about the same as Moncriefs deal with incentives.   He's making about 10 mil for 1 year with incentives.   

He can make 13mm and that is same as TY.... for a #3 reciever

[stitches]

5 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

His combine 40 was always shocking, though. No one expected him to run a 4.7, and it was assumed something was wrong when he did. It's fair to shave 5 hundredths off the pro day time for anyone, but a discrepancy of 2 tenths between the combine and the pro day is worthy of attention. 

It's also worth mentioning that he tested like an elite athlete in his explosion tests - 38.5" vertical and 122" broad jump. For his size this is pretty impressive. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

3 minutes ago, Old Colt said:

He can make 13mm and that is same as TY.... for a #3 reciever

Your forgetting Ty deal was multiple years.  

[Chucklez]

9 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

And if that's the case, I'll obviously make my peace with the deal. But it doesn't fit what I think the team needs at receiver, and it really doesn't fit what Ballard has been stressing about price and fit.

 

It's like, we'll overpay for a questionable receiver, but we won't overpay for a less questionable pass rusher?

This is definitely a fair criticism which I cannot argue with. We'll just wait and see what his plan is with pass rush, but if nothing of note happens between now and the 2019 season opener, it would certainly be a head-scratcher...

[stitches]

1 hour ago, krunk said:

Why didn't they post the rate from the previous year when he was one of the best?  Because they like to play on peoples emotions with stats.

He had 5 drops and was not one of the best. He was 40th in the league in drop % and this was his career year. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

I was watching a interview with him and Rich Eisen on youtube. He mentioned he had some injuries during the combine that slowed him down. He seems like a good kid.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Do people not understand the difference between a one year 13m contract and a six year 84 million contract with a ton of guaranteed money.

[Chucklez]

1 minute ago, stitches said:

He had 5 drops and was not one of the best. He was 40th in the league in drop % and this was his career year. 

40th but by what criteria? Does someone who only had 10 targets and caught 9/10 passes qualify for this statistic?

 

5 drops on 112 targets is pretty darned good....

[stitches]

45 minutes ago, Chucklez said:

 

In which case, eat the $10m that we had to spend on someone this year anyways and just let him go.

 

All things considered, a low risk move with potentially high rewards.

i don't get this. What is the high reward portion here? If he is good, he will be worth his paycheck. If he is what he has been he won't be worth it. If he's good, we won't have him signed and under control in order to reap the rewards of him getting good under our coaches' tutelage. Where is the high reward here?  

[stitches]

1 minute ago, Chucklez said:

40th but by what criteria? Does someone who only had 10 targets and caught 9/10 passes qualify for this statistic?

 

5 drops on 112 targets is pretty darned good....

In DROP %. 40th. 4.5% drop rate. This is not good. It's below average. We had about 4.5% drop rate this season as a team and we were the 3d worst team in the league.