One question was answered this past week....

[NannyMcafee]

Last year is no indication of where the Colts stand. Every season has a new list of problems and struggles. 

 

Also, Ballard saying this approach wont work forever is absolutely right when you have to resign all your own talent. Do you think it will be cheap? No sir it wont be. The "big money FA signings" will be our very own stars and starters, with a few outside players sprinkled in as per usual. Does that mean we wont sign a major FA at all? No. But it doesn't mean hes going to go on a spending spree outside of our own roster. If his plan works out, there will be plenty of our own big name players to sign. And we will have to compete with other teams who are trying to sign our guys. Especially of our Oline continues to improve. 

 

It's not that hard to understand. 

[AZColt11]

To the OP, I have maintained this position all along, so this view does not surprise me.  What does surprise me is that Irsay seems to be on board with it.  I have said that 2020, NOT 2019, is the year the Colts "go for it".

[Rally5]

9 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

I’ve written the answer in another post, but I’m happy to write it again here....

 

On the day he made his big trade down with the Jets a year ago, Ballard gave an interview on camera where he said the conservative approach he’s taking while he rebuilds the roster won’t last. That he will eventually spend more in free agency, but not until he’s rebuilt the roster and the locker room.

 

I originally thought the three rebuilding years were 17, 18, and 19.  Turns out they’re 18, 19, and 20.   I take that to mean the purse strings won’t loosen until 21.

 

This thread is dedicated to all the posters here (and there are many) who have complained for the last two years that we’ve had tons of free agent money to spend and we didn’t spend it.   That Ballard is wasting Luck’s prime years.

 

Hope this clarifies...

Thanks.  I think we're living the new normal.  I think after three years Ballard is showing us very clearly how we plans to manage this franchise and I'm 100% ok with it to this point.  Obviously, things can change.  If he keeps drafting well, we'll need all the cap money for our own guys and then some.  I don't believe at all this is a re-build anymore, we're in this to win now, are we the most talented team on paper, no, does that always matter, no.  Let's go Colts!

[Four2itus]

12 hours ago, throwing BBZ said:

 With a number of positions we must get better at, and then needing to add quality prospects to develop to become good depth and future starters, we have a ways to go. 

 Experience playing together in a system has to happen too.

Irsay is sounding educated about our prospects and future.

I agree. 

2 hours ago, NannyMcafee said:

Last year is no indication of where the Colts stand. Every season has a new list of problems and struggles. 

 

Also, Ballard saying this approach wont work forever is absolutely right when you have to resign all your own talent. Do you think it will be cheap? No sir it wont be. The "big money FA signings" will be our very own stars and starters, with a few outside players sprinkled in as per usual. Does that mean we wont sign a major FA at all? No. But it doesn't mean hes going to go on a spending spree outside of our own roster. If his plan works out, there will be plenty of our own big name players to sign. And we will have to compete with other teams who are trying to sign our guys. Especially of our Oline continues to improve. 

 

It's not that hard to understand. 

I agree.

[Nadine]

 I know we've only known each other four weeks and three days, but to me it seems like nine weeks and five days

[shasta519]

On 3/31/2019 at 5:38 AM, pacolts56 said:

Sounds like Irsay is writing off 2017 as as a transitional season given that Pagano was still HC.... and under a one year assessment with Ballard as GM.

 

And then there was Andrew’s whole injury/rehab mystery which Irsay....by the way.... stoked in the wrong direction with his (paraphrased) “Andrew will start opening day” comments.

 

All in all, 2017 was just a weird season and thank God we’re past it.

 

And one could hardly lay its woes entirely at Ballard’s feet when Irsay likely directed him to retain Chuck (and his 3-4 defense) for the time being.... and we went from Irsay’s mistaken assurances about Luck to complete and absolute ambiguity.

 

So Irsay’s semantics.... or whatever you want to call his “rebuild” timeline comments.... do have merit given that Ballard’s hands were tied in a couple very key areas before the rebuild could truly begin.

 

Whichever way we look at it, Ballard’s approach.... and of course, Andrew’s comeback.... have combined to take the nightmare that 2017 was, and cast it smaller and smaller into the rear view mirror.

 

Irsay wrote off that season the moment he decided to keep Pagano. But ultimately I do think they wanted top picks to stack. I mean...they were going to enter the season with Scott Tolzien as the starting QB. 

[shasta519]

13 hours ago, AZColt11 said:

To the OP, I have maintained this position all along, so this view does not surprise me.  What does surprise me is that Irsay seems to be on board with it.  I have said that 2020, NOT 2019, is the year the Colts "go for it".

 

Irsay buys into his GM's philosophy. Let's not forget, despite wanting to rebuild with Luck when he was drafted, Irsay was on Twitter talking about briefcases full of money for FAs like one season later.

 

Ballard has been doing some great things...AND Irsay is getting to pocket a lot of money in the process. Of course he's onboard with the plan.

[Fluke_33]

6 hours ago, Nadine said:

 I know we've only known each other four weeks and three days, but to me it seems like nine weeks and five days

 

One of my faves!  The fifth day, well you were away so that just seemed like a day.  so good

 

[DerekDiggler]

On 3/30/2019 at 11:50 PM, NewColtsFan said:

 

.... and I'm not sure how I feel about it.    Not too sure how you'll feel about it either.

 

At the owners meeting,  Irsay gave an interview to Colts.com....   the story is on the website....    and the topic is right at the top....   the state of the franchise....   and at the start of his answer,   Irsay says LAST YEAR,  2018,  was Year One in Ballard's 3-year franchise rebuild.    I always thought that clock started when Ballard arrived.    So, I thought last year was Year two and this year,  2019,  was Year three.    Apparently,  I'm wrong.   (Not the first time,  won't be the last)    But here's the set-up and Irsay's answer.   

 

 

Fair question.   I apologize that this may have been answered this way.  But I haven’t read through the entire thread. 

 

My my guess is last yr was the start of Ballard’s 3 yr plan.   But no one had any idea he would nail the draft and FA like he did.  So while it may still be a 3 yr plan.  I believe all envolved will agree we are way ahead of schedule 

 

Obviously there is still work to be done and I will not expect the same results as last yr.  Anyone that thinks if Ballard can’t duplicate what he did last yr it’s a failure is a fool.  

 

With th the way he has been with FA this yr so far ( and I’m on board with his method) I believe the sky my be higher than they once anticipated 

 

Hell we could win the SB this yr and still not be where he wants this team 

 

just my 2 cents 

[CurBeatElite]

On 3/31/2019 at 12:39 PM, NewColtsFan said:

 

Thanks so much!   This is a great article, and I’ve never seen it before. 

 

And yet even in this this article about the rebuild and when it starts, the writer, Kevin Bowen,  uses some soft language implying even he is not 100 percent sure when the rebuild starts.  Ultimately, he accepts that it started in 2018 and ends after the 2020 season.

 

Interesting.   I hope you bookmark this so you can retrieve it next year when we’re still rebuilding and some posters are again wondering what Ballard is doing.

 

Really appreciate you finding and posting this.  Just what I hoped existed!

 

 

I don't know that a rebuild every truly ends in the NFL.

 

What I do know is that Ballard has been helping provide a good core of younger players that he wants to develop with the coaching staff (even Funchess is only 24 years old).  

 

It is pretty remarkable that in just 2 years, we have seen the amount of turnover on this team compared to the Grigs era and that we made the playoffs despite of that.  Ballard inherited a team that was pretty much garbage outside of a few key players, due to Grigs' handling of the team and the way he did things.

 

From the Grigs' era the only guys still on the team are Luck, TY, Vinatieri, Castonzo, Doyle, Rogers, L. Clark, Haeg, Ryan Kelly, and Mathias Farley.  Of them, Luck, TY, Vinny, Castonzo and Kelly have been central figures to our success.  Farley and Doyle are both coming of season-ending injuries and Rogers looks like he'll be our #3 WR at best (if he makes the team again).   The entire rest of the team has turned over in just 2 years.

 

Luck showed us last year that he's healthy again, and at age 29, I imagine he's got at least another 7 or more years in him. TY was plagued by injury last year, and as a smaller WR who relies mainly on speed and quickness, I cannot see him playing at an elite level for much more than a few more years (he'll be 32 after the 2020 season -- about the age where injuries keep piling on and speed and quickness may lose a step).  It won't be more than a year or 2 before we've gotta replace Vinny and we've got some other players whose age is creeping up on them (Justin Houston, Margus Hunt, Castonzo are all on the wrong side of 30).  

 

I like that Ballard is mostly filling this roster out with young guys who can be coached into good players.  However, in 2-3 years, we're going to be needing to start replacing some of our stalwarts.  Therefore, I don't really think the rebuilding process ever ends.  The nice thing is that Luck will still be in his prime and we've got enough cap space, etc. to keep surrounding him with talent.

 

On 3/31/2019 at 2:32 PM, Boiler_Colt said:

One of the biggest issues with the Grigson era was him thinking the team was closer to competing for a title than it actually was. That led to all the failed FA signings and more importantly the Richardson trade. I'm good with a GM actually sticking to a solid plan and his convictions. Build the roster the right way and build the depth.

 

Amen!  A big part of Grigs' downfall (IMO) is how good Luck was right out of the gate.  Luck had some struggles his rookie year, but he still lead us to 11 wins and masked a lot of our deficiencies along the way (I don't think playing in the AFC South, which was the cellar of the league then, did us any favors in exposing deficiencies, either).

 

One of many problems with Luck being so good so fast was that Grigs had the 'win-now' mentality with a rookie QB... and Grigs never really did much in the way of protecting Luck (he was a little too late with his Ryan Kelly pick in Round 1 -- otherwise, he surrounded Luck with late-round OL talent or old and underwhelming veterans).

 

On 3/31/2019 at 3:29 PM, crazycolt1 said:

What Grigson did is what some of the forum members want Ballard to do. Grigson let our record influence on how close he thought we were. He attempted to go for it but failed.

Personally I don't have a problem with Ballard's approach.

A draft and a 90 man roster is quickly coming up.

A lot to think about real soon.

 

Yes, Grigs tried to fill the roster with makeshift pieces because we won 11 games in Luck's first few years.  Ballard seems to be doing the opposite, by building organically through the draft and adding a few FA pieces here and there (Grigs went out on a crazy FA frenzy early on in Indy and very few of them panned out in our favor).

 

Ballard is also finally putting an emphasis on building our lines.  Grigs always talked about doing this and 'winning in the trenches', etc.... but he did little to actually show for it.  Ballard is clearly emphasizing this early and often during his tenure here  in Indy.

 

On 3/31/2019 at 4:19 PM, Chloe6124 said:

We are clearly ahead of schedule. We were two games away from the SB. With the few things we have done so far we should be in the running for the SB next season. The depth on this team is starting to look really good. With Luck there is no reason we can’t be a fav for the SB next season. We need at least the number 2 seed. If we can get that we will have gotten over the hump and to the next level.

 

I honestly consider us 'getting over the hump,' the day we can beat NE in the playoffs and make it to the SB.  Until then, I don't think we can settle for the #2 seed as our benchmark.

 

While the AFC has some good young QBs, several of the greats in the division are getting near the end (Brady, Roethlisberger, Rivers).  Hopefully Luck remains healthy until those guys are all gone (especially Brady).  I get the feeling Brady and Belichek will go out together -- which in itself may give us the boost we really need to take the leap to the SB.

[crazycolt1]

1 hour ago, CurBeatElite said:

I honestly consider us 'getting over the hump,' the day we can beat NE in the playoffs and make it to the SB.  Until then, I don't think we can settle for the #2 seed as our benchmark.

 

While the AFC has some good young QBs, several of the greats in the division are getting near the end (Brady, Roethlisberger, Rivers).  Hopefully Luck remains healthy until those guys are all gone (especially Brady).  I get the feeling Brady and Belichek will go out together -- which in itself may give us the boost we really need to take the leap to the SB.

Personally I don't like the mindset of waiting for any teams to get worse.

It's time for the Colts to take control no matter who the foe is.

Just saying.

[ojsglove]

Agree.  You gotta beat the best, to be the best.

[EastStreet]

Obviously you have to beat the best.. I'm just not sure who the best is anymore. 

Not sold on Goff or Trubisky. Brady and Breez are trying to outrun time, and Brady just lost his favorite safety blanket. Chiefs who already had issues with the run D, now have lost huge pieces of their pass D. And Seattle has a QB that might prefer bolting to NY. 

 

Anyway, add a pass rush and increased WR production to last year's team and we're just as good as any in the top 10. Houston will definitely help. A few more adds in the draft could put us right there regardless of year 2 in plan.

[crazycolt1]

7 minutes ago, Irish YJ said:

Obviously you have to beat the best.. I'm just not sure who the best is anymore. 

Not sold on Goff or Trubisky. Brady and Breez are trying to outrun time, and Brady just lost his favorite safety blanket. Chiefs who already had issues with the run D, now have lost huge pieces of their pass D. And Seattle has a QB that might prefer bolting to NY. 

 

Anyway, add a pass rush and increased WR production to last year's team and we're just as good as any in the top 10. Houston will definitely help. A few more adds in the draft could put us right there regardless of year 2 in plan.

[Two_pound]

Great topic, one thing I keep thinking about is-How good is Andrew Luck? For the second time in his career he took a team predicted my many "experts" to be the 32nd ranked team in the league into the playoffs. This past year he had the youngest roster in the league, new coach(again) new system, coming off a missed season due to injury, a second year and 2 rookie running backs, one established wr(TY), 2 rookie ol. So, if are still "rebuilding" what will this team and Luck be like when the rebuild is over? How has Andrew Luck been able to do so much with so little? I know my opinion differs greatly from the majority of posters on this forum, but watching Luck last year was incredible what he was able to do! Looking forward to this season for sure.

[aaron11]

31 minutes ago, Two_pound said:

Great topic, one thing I keep thinking about is-How good is Andrew Luck? For the second time in his career he took a team predicted my many "experts" to be the 32nd ranked team in the league into the playoffs. This past year he had the youngest roster in the league, new coach(again) new system, coming off a missed season due to injury, a second year and 2 rookie running backs, one established wr(TY), 2 rookie ol. So, if are still "rebuilding" what will this team and Luck be like when the rebuild is over? How has Andrew Luck been able to do so much with so little? I know my opinion differs greatly from the majority of posters on this forum, but watching Luck last year was incredible what he was able to do! Looking forward to this season for sure.

Luck was great but that 32nd ranking didnt account for how good our offseason was.  i dont think anyone really predicted a break out year by the maniac, but he changed the narrative about the defense pretty quickly 

 

this is probably a top 5-10 team right now

[chad72]

Semantics. We are always retooling to rebuild, there you go. 

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, aaron11 said:

Luck was great but that 32nd ranking didnt account for how good our offseason was.  i dont think anyone really predicted a break out year by the maniac, but he changed the narrative about the defense pretty quickly 

 

this is probably a top 5-10 team right now

 

We’re pretty much top-10 with everyone.    I’ve seen us as high as 5 and as low as 8...    so, yes, we’re top 10.

 

[ColtV]

On 3/31/2019 at 2:41 PM, DougDew said:

So the 2017 draft was for a different scheme then.

Which is why you should always clean sweep if you bring in a new GM. Not firing Pagano when Grigson was fired was a mistake, and I'm guessing this is as close as we'll get to Irsay admitting that was a mistake. 

[Superman]

On 3/31/2019 at 5:49 PM, Irish YJ said:

I'm guessing the 3 year plan is based on achieving a healthy roster balance of rookie contracts vs others. It's also likely assumes a certain draft success rate.

 

If 2018 was the start, I'd say we're ahead of plan on draft success rate, and thus a bit ahead on roster balance.

 

Two year, three year, four year, or whatever time frame...  etc.. it's all just a road map that any owner would expect of his GM. And, we never know how much the owner impacts the road map. Some owner may even provide the road map. I'm sure Irsay signed off on Grigson's game plan. Was it a bad game plan, or was it just not executed well? How much of that plan was Irsay's?

 

Regardless, we had a damn good year one. I don't think we'll ever see Ballard go gangbusters in FA ($ and term). Let's all hope for a stellar draft this year, and another big step forward in road map.

 

I'd also note that any good GM or owner, knows that sometime you need to deviate from plan from time to time based real time events/changes. 

 

 

Very well said. 

 

To me, the question is about how long it takes to go from having one of the worst rosters in the league to having one of the best rosters in the league. When you're building through the draft and not throwing around money in free agency, it's going to take multiple seasons. 

 

I think an ideal outcome is to get four players from each draft who can eventually be average to above average starters on a good roster. Between the lack of overall talent and the scheme changes, there was plenty of room for improvement, and because of the trade in 2018, we were able to come away with at least five players who look like solid NFL starters, or better (Nelson, Leonard, Smith, Turay, Lewis), plus another who is a nice sub-player (Hines), a wild card (Cain), and another couple who probably have a role in the NFL (Wilkins, Adams). Last year was a bonus.

 

Even though 2017 was a transitional year, scouted and drafted for/with a different coaching staff, we probably came away with three solid starters -- Hooker, Mack, Wilson, and one sub-level guy, Walker.

 

If we can continue to get 4-5 starter-level / sub-level players in each draft, then over the course of three seasons, we will have added around 15 players who are legit pieces of our core. That's a nice core of 20-ish guys from the draft alone, not counting established vets and UDFA/waiver guys. 

 

To me, the question of rebuilding is about re-stocking the roster primarily through the draft, which takes three years when you're starting from where the Colts were in 2017-18. And that's if you draft well every year, which Ballard has so far, from what we can tell. And you can't rush a player's development, so even if you nail the draft three years in a row, it will take 2-3 years even for first rounders to really hit their stride as pros.

 

It's NOT about how long it takes before we can compete. We were competitive last year; having Luck and a good coaching staff is all it takes to win 10 games every year. It's about how long it takes to build a solid foundation for a perennial contender. That foundation is well on its way, but it has not yet been laid to the degree that is necessary to be a top dog every season. 

 

And then, taking that big step from competitive to true SB contender is the hardest part. People think you can take that step by being aggressive in free agency, but more often than not, that doesn't work. It definitely isn't a substitute for laying the foundation with good drafting.

 

To that point, I don't think Ballard is ever going to be a big player for so-called A-level players in free agency. He's said several times, he thinks free agency is overpriced, he backs away when the money gets beyond what he wants to pay (I still don't get the Funchess value, but I believe Ballard when he says he has a number on every guy)... and I don't think that's going to change moving forward. Definitely not to the degree that anyone will consider him a big spender in free agency. He might pay a premium for one specific player from time to time, but he's shown an aversion to long term contracts with tons of guaranteed money, and I think that's philosophical, not situational. (His unwillingness to do four years, $52m for 26 year old Preston Smith is an example. The yearly average for Justin Houston at 30 years old isn't much lower, but the overall commitment and the reduced likelihood that Smith finishes his contract is something that Ballard finds off-putting, and he said as much at the owners' meetings.)

 

TL;DR -- I think "rebuilding" is about restocking the roster through the draft so the Colts have a foundation to be a perennial contender, not about how long it will be before Ballard feels comfortable spending big money in free agency.

[Peterk2011]

Irsay said the something similar last offseason. It was a local event in Indianapolis. Can't remember what was the name of the event, but it was in Indy. It was open for the public. Ballard, Reich, Irsay and a few players like Doyle, Simon were talking on a podium in front of a quite large crowd.

 

Anyway, I remember Irsay mentioned year 2021 there. It sounded like 2021 might be the year in their notebook, when the new roster will reach it's desired state, quality wise, but also having the optimal mix of self developed veterans with experience and young players.

 

I think it does not necessarily mean there will be no - or low - expectations until 2021. It might just happen to be the year when Ballards first draft class will become veterans, who he can sign back as veterans, kinda closing the "first circle".

[DougDew]

7 hours ago, ColtV said:

Which is why you should always clean sweep if you bring in a new GM. Not firing Pagano when Grigson was fired was a mistake, and I'm guessing this is as close as we'll get to Irsay admitting that was a mistake. 

Sure, but please note I didn't say that to second guess decisions.  I said that our draft in 2017 was done with the notion we wanted to supply our HC with the players he wants for his scheme, not necessarily BPAs.  Which is how I believe it always works.  I don't believe the GM commands the HC to take whomever gets drafted.  Its a collaborative effort now, and always has been for decades.

[EastStreet]

7 hours ago, Superman said:

 

Very well said. 

 

To me, the question is about how long it takes to go from having one of the worst rosters in the league to having one of the best rosters in the league. When you're building through the draft and not throwing around money in free agency, it's going to take multiple seasons. 

 

I think an ideal outcome is to get four players from each draft who can eventually be average to above average starters on a good roster. Between the lack of overall talent and the scheme changes, there was plenty of room for improvement, and because of the trade in 2018, we were able to come away with at least five players who look like solid NFL starters, or better (Nelson, Leonard, Smith, Turay, Lewis), plus another who is a nice sub-player (Hines), a wild card (Cain), and another couple who probably have a role in the NFL (Wilkins, Adams). Last year was a bonus.

 

Even though 2017 was a transitional year, scouted and drafted for/with a different coaching staff, we probably came away with three solid starters -- Hooker, Mack, Wilson, and one sub-level guy, Walker.

 

If we can continue to get 4-5 starter-level / sub-level players in each draft, then over the course of three seasons, we will have added around 15 players who are legit pieces of our core. That's a nice core of 20-ish guys from the draft alone, not counting established vets and UDFA/waiver guys. 

 

To me, the question of rebuilding is about re-stocking the roster primarily through the draft, which takes three years when you're starting from where the Colts were in 2017-18. And that's if you draft well every year, which Ballard has so far, from what we can tell. And you can't rush a player's development, so even if you nail the draft three years in a row, it will take 2-3 years even for first rounders to really hit their stride as pros.

 

It's NOT about how long it takes before we can compete. We were competitive last year; having Luck and a good coaching staff is all it takes to win 10 games every year. It's about how long it takes to build a solid foundation for a perennial contender. That foundation is well on its way, but it has not yet been laid to the degree that is necessary to be a top dog every season. 

 

And then, taking that big step from competitive to true SB contender is the hardest part. People think you can take that step by being aggressive in free agency, but more often than not, that doesn't work. It definitely isn't a substitute for laying the foundation with good drafting.

 

To that point, I don't think Ballard is ever going to be a big player for so-called A-level players in free agency. He's said several times, he thinks free agency is overpriced, he backs away when the money gets beyond what he wants to pay (I still don't get the Funchess value, but I believe Ballard when he says he has a number on every guy)... and I don't think that's going to change moving forward. Definitely not to the degree that anyone will consider him a big spender in free agency. He might pay a premium for one specific player from time to time, but he's shown an aversion to long term contracts with tons of guaranteed money, and I think that's philosophical, not situational. (His unwillingness to do four years, $52m for 26 year old Preston Smith is an example. The yearly average for Justin Houston at 30 years old isn't much lower, but the overall commitment and the reduced likelihood that Smith finishes his contract is something that Ballard finds off-putting, and he said as much at the owners' meetings.)

 

TL;DR -- I think "rebuilding" is about restocking the roster through the draft so the Colts have a foundation to be a perennial contender, not about how long it will be before Ballard feels comfortable spending big money in free agency.

Agree with all the above.

 

The next two drafts are critical and interesting. I do wonder how they look at the 33ish who have contracts expiring in 2020. That's a lot of potential turnover. I do think we will see more FA acquisitions next year, but not a bunch of big name or long term guys.

 

Guessing they'll pick from Ebron and Doyle next year, and will have a decision to make with AC. There are a few other 2020 questions that will be interesting, but I think those are the big ones. 

 

As far as competitive vs contender, I think we're very close to being a contender. IMO, we're an 800-1000 yard  X and an 8 sack iDL away now that we have Houston.

 

I'm never going to depend on other teams getting worse, but I think several will take a step back. If we make a few of the correct moves, I certainly would not be surprised at all to see us in the AFC championship, or even in the SB this season. I just don't see any world beaters out there right now in the AFC or NFC. We're 6th in Vegas odds to win the SB this year, and none of the teams ahead of us scare me.

 

I 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

If Doyle comes back and plays well they will keep both. Reich likes his TE. Luck also loves throwing to TE. Doyle won’t cost a huge amount being close to 30. Doyle Nd Ebron bring different things to the table.

[EastStreet]

1 hour ago, Chloe6124 said:

If Doyle comes back and plays well they will keep both. Reich likes his TE. Luck also loves throwing to TE. Doyle won’t cost a huge amount being close to 30. Doyle Nd Ebron bring different things to the table.

If he plays well, he won't be too cheap IMO. If he is, I agree.

TEs can be productive post 30, so wouldn't be surprised if he tried to maximize his value one last time. If he does, I just can't see the Colts signing both.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

10 hours ago, Irish YJ said:

If he plays well, he won't be too cheap IMO. If he is, I agree.

TEs can be productive post 30, so wouldn't be surprised if he tried to maximize his value one last time. If he does, I just can't see the Colts signing both.

Reich loves to use TE. I think they will both be here for a few more years. 

[NewColtsFan]

Within this thread,  there's lots of talk of adding badly needed talent to the roster.   And I'd agree with that.

 

Except one thing.

 

I'm confident Ballard also means to stock the locker room with high quality, high character people. So,  when he eventually brings in players who are clearly more talented,  but might also have some interesting personalities as well.  that locker room will be able to take care of a unique big personality.    Letting the player know that's not how things are done here.   Keeping those guys in check so things don't spin out of control. 

 

Every team has at least a handful of guys like that.   But not every team has a locker room to control such pesonalties.    Ballard is trying to build that right now.

 

I'd consider this aspect of building the locker room to be equally important to Ballard and his desire to add more pure talent.

 

[buccolts]

What's the point of determining what year we're in of a rebuild?

Is it so we can figure out when it's safe to complain profusely over not having won multiple SBs?

[EastStreet]

12 hours ago, Chloe6124 said:

Reich loves to use TE. I think they will both be here for a few more years. 

Agree if Doyle is reasonable. Ideally, would think Reich would want to draft a young TE next year to groom beside the younger Ebron. Having two TEs in the top 15 highest paid isn't really healthy for the roster. The Colts are ranked #1 in $ spent on the TE position. Probably not where we should be. Then factor in our second highest paid WR is really WR/TE combo or TE-lite, and you need to make some common sense choices. 

[VaAllDay757]

On 3/31/2019 at 1:04 PM, NewColtsFan said:

Perhaps....

 

But when he made the trade down last year with the NY Jets, Ballard gave an interview on camera where he said the conservative approach he’s taking in FA won’t always last.   That this current approach is more the exception and not the rule while he rebuilds the roster.

Well it's been said we tried to get CJ mosely and tyrell williams but they were too expensive and bell put it out there how much he wanted to get paid but if his price was lower I'm pretty sure ballard would've called him in for a visit atleast

[Coltsfan66]

On 3/31/2019 at 7:20 AM, LockeDown said:

Great 1st year then.  I’ll take it.

Me too!  Can't wait for next season!

[Superman]

On 4/4/2019 at 3:23 PM, NewColtsFan said:

I'd consider this aspect of building the locker room to be equally important to Ballard and his desire to add more pure talent.

 

 

Agreed. He's spoken to this also, this offseason.

 

It seems like a lot of people assumed that, once the team starts winning, it means the locker room is in great shape and they can add anyone they want. Ballard doesn't think so. I think Dakich asked him during or right after the combine if he thought the locker room was ready to take on a big personality, and Ballard said 'I don't think we're there yet, close, but not yet.' 

 

That was kind of a broad signal that the Colts weren't going to be in on players like Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, but it also made clear that the staff sees a difference between a winning team and a winning locker room. You can win games with a bad locker room, but eventually, the problems will start to affect the product on the field. Ballard wants to add good players, but he will continue to seek out high character individuals who will prioritize team over individual, who want to be coached, who are good teammates on and off the field, etc.

 

[aaron11]

On 4/4/2019 at 8:43 PM, buccolts said:

Is it so we can figure out when it's safe to complain profusely over not having won multiple SBs?

 

i think a big reason a lot of fans(including me) feel that way is because we had Peyton Manning and Andrew luck.  when you have a QB like Peyton you should be thinking Super Bowls imo.  

 

Luck way hyped as the best QB prospect since Elway.  he hasnt disappointed, but the team around him has.  i feel that building too slowly is taking him for granted.  

[Buck Showalter]

On 4/3/2019 at 8:47 AM, ColtV said:

Which is why you should always clean sweep if you bring in a new GM. Not firing Pagano when Grigson was fired was a mistake, and I'm guessing this is as close as we'll get to Irsay admitting that was a mistake. 

You make a point, however, had the Colts been in the HC market a year earlier Reich would likely be with a different team, & I personally think Reich's the right guy...

So, it seems things just sometimes work out for the best...