Colts sign Devin Funchess (Merge)

[2006Coltsbestever]

8 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

Even if Funchess don't work out I just chalk it up as business a usual in the life of a GM.

We all know that he is not going to hit a home run every time at bat. It comes with the territory.

I will stay optimistic till I have reason not to.

ESPN gave the Titans a C- for signing Adam Humphries and a C- for the Jags signing Foles. Sounds like ESPN is a little hard on the Beaver  . How do you give those 2 signings a C-, they lose all credibility right there.

[NewColtsFan]

25 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

I really don't think you are telling us something we don't already know.

My point is he don't care or listen to the fan base when it comes to drafting, signing or even the firing of a coach.

Ballard is a fantastic speaker so yes he will explain what he did but that has no bearing on what he did. The opinions of the fans, ESPN or anyone else are not something he uses to decide who he picks or signs.

Personally I like his approach and he has done nothing for me to doubt he knows what he is doing.  Will he make mistakes?  Yes, but till they are proven mistakes don't assume they are.

 

I'm writing pretty much close to what you just wrote here in other posts in this thread.

 

I just responded to your comment that Ballard doesn't care about fan reaction.    That was my point.   Your position needed a little more fleshing out and nuance.   The truth is a little more than he don't care,  which was your original point.

 

[2006Coltsbestever]

3 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

I don't have to sell.       I'm not a fan of the signing.    I'm not a fan of Funchess.

 

I ***am*** a fan of Ballard's.     He's earned it and then some.     I don't think he has anything to apologize for.     He's not perfect,  and he owns his mistakes.    Which is more than most GM's do.

 

You Bill Belichick,  the defensive mastermind,  has a relatively low success rates on drafting defensive backs.    Plenty of quality picks of his have flamed out.    It's been written about.

 

Everyone makes mistakes in the personnel game.    It comes with the job.

 

When Ballard starts making bigger mistakes and not just little mistakes,  then we'll have something to talk about.     Otherwise,  this barely registers on my meter.

 

Again.    Not a fan of Funchess.    Not a fan of the signing.   But I admire Ballard and so should all of us and with good reasoning.

 

I CONCUR.

[JPFolks]

4 minutes ago, akcolt said:

Funchess 4.47 40 Alshon 4.48 

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 highlights like all Pro players do, but watch him play live, play after play and see if you see the same game speed. 

[crazycolt1]

12 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

I'm writing pretty much close to what you just wrote here in other posts in this thread.

 

I just responded to your comment that Ballard doesn't care about fan reaction.    That was my point.   Your position needed a little more fleshing out and nuance.   The truth is a little more than he don't care,  which was your original point.

 

No, that was not my original point at all and it was not my intent.

He deals with the fan reaction after the fact.

[NewColtsFan]

12 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

No, that was not my original point at all and it was not my intent.

He deals with the fan reaction after the fact.

 

For the love of God.     That was my point too.

 

And if we're saying the same G.D. thing,  then why are you responding to me as if I'm saying something wrong?

 

What the H is going on here?!?

 

What was the point of this whole ridiculous exchange?!?

 

 

[stitches]

4 hours ago, Superman said:

 

I think the price is way out of whack, but I don't mind the one year deal. Follow the Jeffery strategy if he fits and produces, and it's fine. And even if we let him walk and he gets a big deal, it's a future comp, for a team that otherwise has little in the way of valuable free agents. I actually like the strategy of signing promising FAs to one year deals, for that reason.

 

Maybe the more forward thinking way of doing it is to use the Revis model. Do a multi year contract with a Year 2 option, and if we decline the option he's still a qualifying player.

Yeah, the future comp pick is the only possible upside... but that's assuming we don't sign anyone else for similar money, which if we don't do this year, we will have to do next year. 

 

I guess having a player in a contract year is another upside to that strategy... You know he will give it his all because his next paycheck is on the line and... you know he's seen Ebron improve his production with us. BTW it's interesting that both of them were with QBs with questionable accuracy and questionable ability to place the ball with touch, rather than with power. Lets see what Andrew can do with him. 

[Freenyfan102]

Still need a WR in the draft

 

[crazycolt1]

22 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

For the love of God.     That was my point too.

 

And if we're saying the same G.D. thing,  then why are you responding to me as if I'm saying something wrong?

 

What the H is going on here?!?

 

What was the point of this whole ridiculous exchange?!?

 

 

Are you serious?  Your getting your panties all in a bunch over something as insignificant as this? 

[New Zealands #1 Colts Fan]

go to bed everyone. lets reassess after seeing how the next few days play out................

[ManningGM]

1 hour ago, JPFolks said:

Your whole post was good, but this observation made me sit bolt upright because man does it expose something interesting.  KC NEVER had a good WR corp until they took a flyer on Hill.  What was that one guys name, big dude that always underwhelmed but was presented like a star? Anyway, that team was always bereft of good WR's, I wonder if that has rubbed off.  We are TY Hilton away from not a single reliable receiver on the roster as of right now.  And that includes Ebron and Funchess, the new dropsy twins.  

 

Let's hope it is a short term coincidence... 

Were you referring to Dwayne Bowe?

[stitches]

3 hours ago, Superman said:

 

Because for the money that Chris "I'm not going to spend A+ money on B-level players" Ballard is giving Funchess, we could have had a more desirable player at the same position. 

 

Instead, it appears he's giving A+ money to a B-level player (at best). 

 

I promise you, people who don't like the deal are able to comprehend the dynamics of the one year deal and its future ramifications. 

IMO that's more like B+ money for a C level player... but yah.... point still stands. 

[stitches]

2 hours ago, akcolt said:

Funchess 4.47 40 Alshon 4.48 

Funchess was 4.7 guy at the combine. 

[DaveA1102]

Wow, log in this morning and the forum is in meltdown! That's not like us! 

 

I admit I woke up to see the flurry of activity and saw the news we had signed Funchess and it felt deflating.  However, a lot of posters on here, who know a lot more than me, have made me feel better about this with some valid points and a bit of perspective.  I don't think anyone will be rushing out to get their new Funchess jersey, but let's give the guy a chance.

 

Yes, it is a lot of money and, yes, it is not a "star name", but it looks as though this was someone that Ballard and Reich really wanted and we are not breaking any news that the Colts have the most cap space, and players' agents are more than aware of this too.  

 

Let's not forget, Free Agency still hasn't even officially started yet and we still have a ton of draft capital, whether that translates to picks or trades, we still do not know what the WR room will look like come training camp.

[DaveA1102]

30 minutes ago, stitches said:

Funchess was 4.7 guy at the combine. 

 

 

I didn't realise this, so sharing FYI.

[stitches]

12 minutes ago, DaveA1102 said:

 

 

I didn't realise this, so sharing FYI.

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. 

[JColts72]

Waste of millions. When will front office learn about these one year WR bust signings? Colts easily could got Brown for what Raiders gave. Ballard is like the Joker in Dark Knight movie by sitting on the millions (again) and saying money does not mean anything. Does he know it's ok to go after better players? Probably not.

21 minutes ago, BOTT said:

I better go to my safe space

Oh the sensitive pc world. What madness.

[esmort]

12 minutes 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. 

 

Alshon Jeffery didn't run at combine; his times are from his pro day... So Funchess pro-day 40 time should be an equally valid comparison. 

[PureLuck]

Funchess said in a recent interview with Rich Eisen that he was hurt at the combine and would run 4.4 to 4.42 now - take it for what it's worth, but after some research I do believe the 4.7 at the combine was more likely an exception than the norm... Funchess is by no means a speedster, but he isn't slow to a degree that it would be problematic

 

Here's the link to the interview, they talk about his 40 around 5:00:

 

[colts8718]

He dropped way to many passes but so did Ebron when he was with lion's. When I watched him he seemed very disengaged I guess  there hoping Cain develops. Trying to put a good spin on this at least its not long term

[PureLuck]

 

That's a lot of money for a linebacker 

[jcwcoltsfan]

Why does anyone care about $10 to $13 million for a one year contract when we had over $100 million to start?  We aren't going to spend all our cap space anyways and it won't hurt it in the future.

[stitches]

1 hour ago, PureLuck said:

Funchess said in a recent interview with Rich Eisen that he was hurt at the combine and would run 4.4 to 4.42 now - take it for what it's worth, but after some research I do believe the 4.7 at the combine was more likely an exception than the norm... Funchess is by no means a speedster, but he isn't slow to a degree that it would be problematic

 

Here's the link to the interview, they talk about his 40 around 5:00:

 

He either is lying now, or lied back then:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000479103/article/devin-funchess-frank-clark-shine-at-michigans-pro-day

 

Back then he said he was just tired from the meetings the previous day. 

 

Anyways... it doesn't really matter much. Jeffery doesn't win with speed nowadays either, but he does have exceptional hands and is master in contested catch situations, something Funchess has had trouble ever since college(20 drops in his 3 seasons in college, 16 drops over the last 2 seasons in the NFL).... 

 

I'm usually one that goes with the idea that drops are overrated as a negative stat, but as a team when we start collecting more and more players that cannot catch the ball it becomes an issue and it prevents the offense moving smoothly. 

[Myles]

52 minutes ago, jcwcoltsfan said:

Why does anyone care about $10 to $13 million for a one year contract when we had over $100 million to start?  We aren't going to spend all our cap space anyways and it won't hurt it in the future.

The 1 year deal bothers me a bit.  Is Ballard not sure about the guy?   In the NFL, I prefer 3 year deals.   

[John Waylon]

30 minutes ago, jcwcoltsfan said:

Why does anyone care about $10 to $13 million for a one year contract when we had over $100 million to start?  We aren't going to spend all our cap space anyways and it won't hurt it in the future.

 

Because we tendered Rodgers with a 2nd. We’ve got Inman who wants to come back, and we should be interested in bringing back. We’ve got Cain coming back. And don’t be surprised to see us draft a WR with one of our first 3 picks. With all the hoopla about d-line and safety in this draft don’t be surprised to see a run on them in the first round leaving some intriguing options on the board during those first 3 picks. 

 

In all of this Funchess seems like another shot in the dark at a temporary bandaid while we try to find a long term true #2. 

 

And how is Funchess going to respond to all of this? They obviously sold him on the deal as a one year “prove it deal” which is fine, we have the space for, but when he figures out there’s a lot of guys at the inn and his stay here isn’t going to be long-term how is he going to react? 

 

Yeah its not going to hurt us financially by any means, but the situation is a bit weird when you peel back some of its layers. 

[ColtStrong2013]

8 hours ago, Flash7 said:

My problem with these types of deals is that Ballard has recently shown this:

 

1. Rashaan Melvin was a player that developed with the Colts. He grew in his profession while he was a Colt. He earned a big contract and Ballard let him walk.

 

2. Desir was a journeyman until he got his chance with the Colts. He developed here, as a Colt and earned what will likely be a good payday for him. I don't think Ballard brings him back.

 

I guessing that if somehow Funchess plays well and earns a big contract next year, it won't be from Ballard.

 

 

 

I get it. But we don't know his plan. He might be looking to draft one early and give a year to Cain and the early draft pick to develop and this is a low risk holdover to do so. That would make sense to me based on Ballard's push to draft and develop players. 

 

With that said, so does bringing Justin Houston on a 1 or 2 year deal. Integrate him into the pass rushing rotation. Develop your young pass rushers another year under veteran leadership. I'm perfectly ok with that. If we are going to sign aging veterans, THAT is how it should be done. 

 

Obviously Funchess is still very young. So he might be willing to sign a longterm deal next offseason, i dont know.

[PureLuck]

16 minutes ago, stitches said:

He either is lying now, or lied back then:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000479103/article/devin-funchess-frank-clark-shine-at-michigans-pro-day

 

Back then he said he was just tired from the meetings the previous day. 

 

Anyways... it doesn't really matter much. Jeffery doesn't win with speed nowadays either, but he does have exceptional hands, something Funchess has had trouble ever since college(20 drops in his 3 seasons in college, 16 drops over the last 2 seasons).... 

 

I'm usually one that goes with the idea that drops are overrated as a negative stat, but as a team when we start collecting more and more players that cannot catch the ball it becomes an issue. 

 

Interesting, hadn't seen those comments from his pro day before - changing stories does not look good for him...

 

I agree with you on the drop issue and it does worry me to a degree that Ballard doesn't seem to value the capability of catching the football as much as a guy's athletic ability.

 

The Ebron signing turned out to be a great one however, despite the 9 drops he had last season. I'm willing to give Ballard the benefit of the doubt and hope for Funchess to tap into his potential. He's really good at securing contested catches, which could be valuable in the redzone. 

[stitches]

2 minutes ago, PureLuck said:

 

Interesting, hadn't seen those comments from his pro day before - changing stories does not look good for him...

 

I agree with you on the drop issue and it does worry me to a degree that Ballard doesn't seem to value the capability of catching the football as much as a guy's athletic ability.

 

The Ebron signing turned out to be a great one however, despite the 9 drops he had last season. I'm willing to give Ballard the benefit of the doubt and hope for Funchess to tap into his potential. He's really good at securing contested catches, which could be valuable in the redzone. 

Yeah, ultimately playmakers make plays... and occasional drop is an OK trade off for that. If Funchess turns into a playmaker for us similar to Ebron, noone would care if he drops a ball here or there. 

[throwing BBZ]

27 minutes ago, stitches said:

Yeah, ultimately playmakers make plays... and occasional drop is an OK trade off for that. If Funchess turns into a playmaker for us similar to Ebron, noone would care if he drops a ball here or there. 

 

 I slept just fine knowing we paid heavy for a drop artist.
And i watched Ebron get put on the sidelines a lot in critical 3rd down situations, where his drops mean giving up the ball. lol
 Now we have two of them. Doyle better come back 100%, and TY better stay healthy. This also makes Rogers value increase.
 

[mahagga73]

4 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

ESPN gave the Titans a C- for signing Adam Humphries and a C- for the Jags signing Foles. Sounds like ESPN is a little hard on the Beaver  . How do you give those 2 signings a C-, they lose all credibility right there.

Jags were already in cap hell. Lost Jackson already , going to lose more on that defense.  They have about a max 2 year window to be contending in the division.  Foles would have signed with anybody , he just wants to get paid.  

[Boss7894]

For those who aren't a fan of this signing... Which wide receiver would you have signed?  Exactly.  All the rest of the wide receiver free agents were too expensive and wide receiver is one of our needs.

[ColtJax]

9 hours ago, JPFolks said:

We overpaid for the guy with the most drops in the NFL! Moncrief is faster and more reliable and I doubt would have cost as much.  

 

The Jags paid him 10 million last year, and he was horrible. The market is once again insane, Humphreys, a slot receiver is going to make 10 million. For a 1 year deal you're always going to have to pay more, so this isn't a bad "show me" deal. There's a reason why the Giants let Collins walk, the Redskins do what they always do, they over spend in FA and end up picking in the top ten for it.. 

[MikeCurtis]

4 hours ago, Freenyfan102 said:

Still need a WR in the draft

 

 

The more I think about this pick......... this is a RENT pickup, or a HEDGE BET

 

A bet that you are willing to do, when you have a pile of chips in front of you.

 

If you lose the bet........ it is a short period of loss........ You zero out in 12 months

 

I think they had a taste for where the Williams bidding was going to, and decided to grab one of the top 10 FA WRs anyway.

(Im guessing that Williams may be in the 16-17M range, with a long term ask  :0)

 

If Funchess shines......... You can always reward the player with a real contract that players are seeking

 

If they thought that he was the future of the team as the big bodied WR needed, he would have a multiyear contract.

 

At a minimum, it would be 2-3 years.

 

We have Cain, at 6'2"  , Fountain at 6' 1", in waiting

 

With a one year deal.....  The Colts PROBABLY think one of these two may have potential to be that bigger outside WR

 

I believe that this gets the team through this year

 

I also believe that since we have the big WR now, we can go with a speed and separation guy, someone like Isabella in the 3rd, or even Campbell (2nd) to complete the WR corp

 

The fact is...... I dont LOVE the Funchess pickup

 

He isnt a game changer, but he DOES draw single coverage, 100% of the time, and has the size to grab 50/50 balls

 

But..... I didnt LOVE the Ebron pick last year

 

And it turned out OK

 

If Funchess takes snaps away from Ryan Grant, and is an improvement over Pascal.......  We got a BIT better overall

 

That BIT..... was 'spensive

 

 

 

 

[Bravo]

It’s another Ryan Grant situation. I’m not a huge fan of the signing but the Colts have the money and a need at the position I guess.

 

There are a lot of people comparing this to what happened to Ebron. We can’t expect every pass catcher that we get to do what he did. Becoming a stud after a scenery change doesn’t happen all of the time. I would say lower your expectations, a lot...

[Valpo2004]

10 minutes ago, MikeCurtis said:

 

The more I think about this pick......... this is a RENT pickup, or a HEDGE BET

 

A bet that you are willing to do, when you have a pile of chips in front of you.

 

If you lose the bet........ it is a short period of loss........ You zero out in 12 months

 

I think they had a taste for where the Williams bidding was going to, and decided to grab 

(Im guessing that Williams may be in the 16-17M range, with a long term ask  :0)

 

If Funchess shines......... You can always reward the player with a real contract that players are seeking

 

If they thought that he was the future of the team as the big bodied WR needed, he would have a multiyear contract.

 

At a minimum, it would be 2-3 years.

 

We have Cain, at 6'2" , Inman at 6'3" , Fountain at 6' 1", in waiting

 

I believe that this gets the team through this year

 

I also believe that since we have the big WR now, we can go with a speed and separation guy, someone like Isabella in the 3rd, or even Campbell (2nd) to complete the WR corp

 

Inman??  He's an FA unless we re-signed him and I wasn't aware of it.  

 

I have to say I like this signing.  I think he's a legit #2 and we only are risking a year on him.  

[MikeCurtis]

2 minutes ago, Valpo2004 said:

 

Inman??  He's an FA unless we re-signed him and I wasn't aware of it.  

 

I have to say I like this signing.  I think he's a legit #2 and we only are risking a year on him.  

You are right

I tried to edit it, without Inman in there, but you replied

 

I would still think we should be a high probabilty of maintaining Inman

[lollygagger8]

12 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

I'm done. Collins goes for $14 million and we sign a garbage receiver in Funchess for $13 million. F Ballard. Can't take this anymore.

 

[Valpo2004]

5 minutes ago, MikeCurtis said:

You are right

I tried to edit it, without Inman in there, but you replied

 

I would still think we should be a high probabilty of maintaining Inman

 

I think we should bring him back as well.  Although with Funchess in the mix the receiveing corps might get crowded.

[NewEra]

I wonder if this means Inman is asking to much and or not as likely to resign as we thought.

[MikeCurtis]

1 minute ago, NewEra said:

I wonder if this means Inman is asking to much and or not as likely to resign as we thought.

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