Dining on Crow and Humble Pie this Weekend....

[DougDew]

3 minutes ago, OffensivelyPC said:

In your defense, I seem to recall Ballard saying the pundits have it all wrong, talking about prospect rankings. He turned out to be right. There were a lot of surprises, seemed to me to be more than usual.

Yeah, a lot of Kiper's "Best Available" were on the board a long time.  WalterFootball is talking about a bunch of teams "reaching" for players.

 

The pundits and GMs seem to be misaligned this year quite a bit.  It's been a strange draft in that respect.

[DougDew]

6 minutes ago, krunk said:

If you are using "speed" to run around overmatched tackles as you call it means the speed is evident on tape and you wouldnt need a test to confirm that. The combine testing should only confirm that. I dont buy the notion the Colts jumped up and wanted him after they learned he ran a 4.5.

I meant that straight line speed is great, but it doesn't help a defender that much by itself because change of direction and engagement of the blocker is just as important.  My point if that BB was a 4th round projection until he tested well at the combine, so there must have been some questions about how he uses that athleticism on tape.

 

IDK.  I haven't watched.  Just putting together what I read.

[ColtsBlueFL]

2 hours ago, Rally5 said:

1. Are any of these guys starters?  I'm not so sure, I see some freakish athleticism but not sure we drafted a started today, maybe Ra-Sin.  Keep in mind we drafted two guys who are not scheme fits in Ra-Sin and Bangoku, can they learn, I'm sure. 

 

We got 2, at least.  Read these-

 

2 hours ago, Rally5 said:

2. Did we give up too much in trading back in round one?

 

I don't believe so

 

2 hours ago, Rally5 said:

3. We have some great athletes that will have to figure out how to play differently and we need to figure out how to use them which doesn't scream starter to me.

 

I think a few teams are responding with players with certain unique skills and using them in specific ( sub ) packages. Utilize their strengths, hide their weaknesses.  Bill Belichick is the best at it right now.

 

7 hours ago, Irish YJ said:

I think it's fair to say, you're not the only one that was wrong. All the experts were wrong. Most fans were wrong. 

 

I'll never be a guy who thinks a GM is omnipotent until he has a solid track record of 5+ years........, so I have no problem saying this draft was pretty meh. It had many chances to be much better. 

 

No question Ballard completely disagrees here.  They got who they wanted, and they have a blueprint/plans for them.

 

7 hours ago, Irish YJ said:

 

I'll just be happy with what I can be happy with, be optimistic that the picks that I like will do well, and hope the picks that I don't like will prove me wrong.

 

That is what the coaching plans o do. I wish them well.

 

3 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I can't wait to see Campbell on our carpet in Indy. He is lightning fast. Stick him in the slot along with TY and Funch and Ebron.

 

Not just the slot.  increase his route tree, increase his downfield production.  Guy has ability to be the next Jeremy Maclin type.

[shasta519]

I was wrong about S...maybe he gets one today. 

 

But I had a feeling he was going to zag toward other positions after DL was off the board. 

 

And he still has a shot at the WR double dip.

 

 

[krunk]

2 minutes ago, DougDew said:

I meant that straight line speed is great, but it doesn't help a defender that much because change of direction and engagement of the blocker is just as important.  My point if that BB was a 4th round projection until he tested well at the combine, so there must have been some questions about how he uses that athleticism on tape.

 

IDK.  I haven't watched.  Just putting together what I read.

Who made him a 4th round prospect? It wasnt the Colts whose opinion matters the most. The predraft rankings are really for fan engagement in my opinion. It helps us understand things better but its certainly not absolute.

[DougDew]

3 minutes ago, shastamasta said:

I was wrong about S...maybe he gets one today. 

 

But I had a feeling he was going to zag toward other positions after DL was off the board. 

 

And he still has a shot at the WR double dip.

 

 

I think we're done with WR, unless its clear BPA in round 5 or 6.  Campbell is the slot we added, with Funchess on the outside.  Going into the offseason, we needed 2 WRs who could start and we got them.

 

I think S will be drafted soon. 

 

Is Amani Hooker still undrafted? 

 

Maybe a trade up for a S.

[Stephen]

1 hour ago, dodsworth said:

I have read many posts before the draft that cornerback isn't

a high priority in the Colts defensive system and can get by 

with marginal talent.

 

Then Ballard goes and spends our first pick on a cornerback.

The guy would make one heckuva poker player for sure when 

almost everyone thought he would go trenches early.

That's because Ballard said it himself last year when he didn't  pick  a corner and then he goes and picks a corner lol As for today maybe a rb, oline, s,more d line, maybe another wr. Who knows  with ballard

[DougDew]

3 minutes ago, krunk said:

Who made him a 4th round prospect? It wasnt the Colts whose opinion matters the most. The predraft rankings are really for fan engagement in my opinion. It helps us understand things better but its certainly not absolute.

It was pre-combine ranking based upon his play-tape.  After he tested well, the pundits were then projecting round 2.  My point is that his tested athleticism didn't show up on the play tape.  Maybe Ballard saw it and had him round 2 all along and wasn't influenced by the combine.  We don't know.

[shasta519]

3 minutes ago, DougDew said:

I meant that straight line speed is great, but it doesn't help a defender that much by itself because change of direction and engagement of the blocker is just as important.  My point if that BB was a 4th round projection until he tested well at the combine, so there must have been some questions about how he uses that athleticism on tape.

 

IDK.  I haven't watched.  Just putting together what I read.

 

I am going to watch more tape on him as well. His slower change of direction and propensity to over commit seemed consistent with scouting profiles. 

 

Definitely seems like an attacking LB in the highlights I have seen. 

 

I just like like that they went after not one but two guys they like at LB...means they want to upgrade the group overall, either through talent or competitor...which was needed at MIKE and SAM.

[shasta519]

3 minutes ago, DougDew said:

I think we're done with WR, unless its clear BPA in round 5 or 6.  Campbell is the slot we added, with Funchess on the outside.  Going into the offseason, we needed 2 WRs who could start and we got them.

 

I think S will be drafted soon. 

 

Is Amani Hooker still undrafted? 

 

Maybe a trade up for a S.

 

I would have to look at the BPA boards...but I feel like there are a handful of interesting WR prospects left. Campbell is a pretty different WR than some of those other guys. 

[Shive]

I'm lukewarm with Rock, just because it remains to be seen how he'll adjust to our scheme and how he fits. No doubt a high character guy with solid tangibles. I'll trust Ballard on this one.

 

I was really dumbfounded (borderline *) with the Banogu pick last night, especially thinking of him as a pass rushing DE. After hearing Ballard explain where they see him fit in ar SAM and a pass rush chess piece, I'm WAY more excited. He'll have an adjustment, but I don't think it'll take as long as some may think.

 

I wasn't for Parris Campbell pre-draft, because I really wanted AJ Brown and didn't think Campbell brought what I thought we were missing at WR. Thinking more about it, I believe Funchess fills the role that I envisioned for AJ Brown and a guy like Campbell could really help on the short to intermediate routes. I'm excited to see what he can do. Imagine him, TY, Cain, and Hines on the field at the same time. That speed!!!

 

Okereke is an intriguing pick, but one that I think allows us to have another athletic LB, who I think may also be able to play some of what Geathers has been asked to do in certain sub-packages.

 

Given a night to sleep on day 2, I'm way more optimistic with the guys we drafted and think there's still a lot of talent left on the board going into the 4th round.

[ColtsBlueFL]

1 hour ago, Rally5 said:

He fits our culture, not our schemes.  If you watch Banogu for example, he plays as a 3-4 LB and a DE who at times goes inside to DT and we're going to play him as a 4-3 backer.  Do you see that as a natural fit, if you do then we have different definitions of the term. 

 

Maybe not in base, but we will be in sub/specialty packages 65-70% of the time.  Eberflus has plans for the guy, no question.  Maybe he is a rushing SAM backer from base D in case they go no huddle and spread offense. ??

 

Quote

Yasin, I have already explained.  He's a press cover corner and we play Cover 2 zone, so he has to learn to play zone and we may incorporate some press man into our defense. 

 

Sorry, I don't agree there.  I have a real scouting report (from an active paid scout/consultant, pre draft) that says he is better off coverage than at press man.  No question Eberflus will have more press man  packages this year, but not because Rock Ya Sin can't play zone, not at all.

 

Quote

So that's what I'm saying.  Both guys, accordingly to Ballard, are great culture fits who bring the athleticism we're looking for but they will have a lot of adjusting to do..a lot.  Try not to be offended by my opinion its grounded in fact and I'm not suggesting they were bad picks, so be cool.

 

I agree all of them have to be coached, developed and schemes adjusted to their strengths.  It's what the coaches are paid to do. The coaches wanted these guys, and want to coach them up.  I'm willing to wait and see what they do with them.

[2006Coltsbestever]

41 minutes ago, MFT5 said:

 

speed is what matters ppl that aren’t oblivious and old school put the puzzle together easily

Speed rules. We are going to have a fast defense that can create turnovers.

[MB-ColtsFan]

7 hours ago, stitches said:

@NewColtsFan good post. Noone here can be perfect with our assumptions when we don't have perfect information of what Ballard/the league is thinking. We can only strive to get better with our understanding of what Ballard is trying to do and every free agency period and every draft gives us more and more sample to form a coherent strategy. One of the reasons I thought CB early was an option is precisely because I didn't think the sample of 2 drafts is enough to conclude what he likes or doesn't like so I ended up prioritizing other information we have(his background, his hirings in personnel(Dodds), him drafting a prototypical single high safety, etc)

 

Anyways... I wanted to point out something about Okereke. Our system relies heavily on athleticism and on our LBs being extremely fast and flying all over the field. IMO weight is not very important for our system. Just an example - last year Leonard measured at 234 at the combine. LBs almost always bulk up for the combine, because they think more teams will consider them for their team if they have a more universal for the league size for the position. Last month Leonard shared with Indy media that he played last season at about 220 and that he wants to be in that 220-225 range for next season too and that the speed is more important for him in this system. My point is... even for MIKE and SAM IMO the premium is on speed, rather than on ability to fight the hog mollies in the run game. This is why I loved both him and Okereke for us. Just like Ballard said - they can play both WILL and MIKE and even SAM if for some reason we need them to. IMO Okereke will drop to the 220-225 range too and will not have a problem playing at that weight at MIKE and WILL. 

With regards to the bolded; weight and durability are key factors in our scheme IF we don't have the heavies up front to prevent OL from reaching the second level.  My concern with not taking a heavy that sucks up 2 OL is that the wear and tear on our LB crew will eventually shorten their effectiveness.  Hopefully they can continue to shed blockers to offset that, but a Dexter Lawrence type would have helped.

For the pass, I agree, speed and ability to tackle in space, is what it's all about.

[krunk]

11 minutes ago, DougDew said:

It was pre-combine ranking based upon his play-tape.  After he tested well, the pundits were then projecting round 2.  My point is that his tested athleticism didn't show up on the play tape.  Maybe Ballard saw it and had him round 2 all along and wasn't influenced by the combine.  We don't know.

Ballard aint listening to much other than his in house scouts and their resources along with his own opinion. And of course the coaches.

[SouthernIndianaNDFan]

8 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

In my 7 years here,  I don't recall being more wrong than I have today.     And I'm OK with it.   I never think I know more than Ballard.   I have complete trust in CB, and it would take a long string of failure for me to lose it.    And I don't see that happening.   As I've said before,  he just oozes competence and professionalism.     So glad he's our GM.

 

But to all my mistakes.    We can start at the beginning...   for roughly 6 months I've been convinced we'd pick a DL in the first round,  and for a fair amount of those months,  I thought we'd double up and take another DL at pick 34.      Wrong and Wrong!    And I certainly never saw our first overall pick of the draft being a cornerback?!    Cornerback?!?   Wrong again!   I guess Ballard's definition of "Premium position" is limited only to the first round.   Ballard has now had 3 drafts and take a corner in the 2nd round twice.   Can't be a coincidence.  I would've thought that a top-50 pick would be premium.   Wrong again!    So, for those posters who I have pounded on,  trust me,  it will STOP from here on out.   After R1,  I guess anything is possible.

 

At pick 49,  I didn't see Ben Benogu going that high.   And I posted here that I thought he'd play DE for us.   And then the Colts called him an OLB.   And Kevin Bowen said we talked to him about playing next to Darius Leonard.    At his presser,  Ballard said BB can play all 3 LB spots, plus DE and could even kick inside to DT.    Called him a "rusher".     They're very high on him.    Tested as a top athlete for his size. 

 

At pick 59,  I wasn't surprised we went WR.   But I had no feel for whether we'd go tall like Butler, or small like Isabella,  or someone in the middle?  No idea.    Ballard and Reich gushed over Parris.  

 

And, even as a Stanford fan,  I confess to being surprised at Bobby Okereke going at pick 89.   I posted in the last month or two, that I thought Bobby was a quality back-up,  but wasn't sure he was a starter,  especially for us since I think he'd play the same spot as Darius at WILL.  I thought he might be a R4 or R5 guy.   But tonight.  CB says Okereke can play all three spots, which surprised me.    Bobby has been mostly an under-achiever at Stanford.   Even this year, his best,  people were not wowed by him.   He was listed at 6'3" and 235,  and those close to the program chuckled all the time about that.   They claimed he was neither that tall, nor that heavy.    And then he showed up at the Combine and under 6'2", so he was shorter,  but weighed 239.   That shocked everyone.   I'd guess he put on 8-12 pounds of good lean muscle after the season.  That also surprised the Stanford community.    He tested surprisingly well at the combine and pro day.    And Ballard seems very high on him.

 

Ballard talked tonight about adding, speed and athleticism.   He and Frank seem very happy with their results.    They gave no hints for tomorrow.

 

I'm eating crow.   A little garlic salt helps!    Washing it down with water.   Topping it off with some Humble Pie!      Bon Appetite!

 

 

 

 

Man, it's near impossible to predict what's gonna happen throughout the draft. People may have came close with the positional breakdown, but I'm almost positive nobody guessed Rock, Parris, Ben, and Bobby. I too was on the DL hype train, and hey...it made sense man, so no shame. Appreciate you admitting you were wrong, cuz there's many around here that wouldn't. I admit that I acted preemptively yesterday during the draft, and ridiculed a few draft choices, I regret that. I'm a die hard Colts fan, and I believe in Ballard and Co, so I hope these guys are as successful, or at least in the same ballpark, as last years selections. I'm really excited about having a weapon like Parris Campbell for the offense!

[DougDew]

4 minutes ago, krunk said:

Ballard aint listening to much other than his in house scouts and their resources along with his own opinion. And of course the coaches.

Sure.  Why would any GM listen to anything else.  The issue is was CB influenced by tested combine results like the pundits were.  Who knows.  And it may not be a bad thing.

 

Right now, I'm putting BB into the Turay bucket and not the Leonard bucket.  We'll see.

 

Hopefully, they both won't eventually get tossed into the Basham waste-bucket.  LOL.

[Rally5]

8 minutes ago, ColtsBlueFL said:

 

Maybe not in base, but we will be in sub/specialty packages 65-70% of the time.  Eberflus has plans for the guy, no question.  Maybe he is a rushing SAM backer from base D in case they go no huddle and spread offense. ??

 

 

Sorry, I don't agree there.  I have a real scouting report (from an active paid scout/consultant, pre draft) that says he is better off coverage than at press man.  No question Eberflus will have more press man  packages this year, but not because Rock Ya Sin can't play zone, not at all.

 

 

I agree all of them have to be coached, developed and schemes adjusted to their strengths.  It's what the coaches are paid to do. The coaches wanted these guys, and want to coach them up.  I'm willing to wait and see what they do with them.

Good stuff man, go listen to Ballard's presser last night and he agrees me on Ya-Sin.  

[ColtsBlueFL]

6 minutes ago, krunk said:

Ballard aint listening to much other than his in house scouts and their resources along with his own opinion. And of course the coaches.

 

Because the staff actually have watched and graded these guys over 1 to 2 years, and have been taught how to evaluate and quantify .  The TV pundits are what Bill Polian called 'Noise'.

 

2 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Sure.  Why would any GM listen to anything else.  The issue is was CB influenced by tested combine results like the pundits were.  Who knows.  And it may not be a bad thing.

 

I'm sure this all came up during the positional rankings/tweaking.  If anything, it only makes them pull up the tape in the meeting room and hash it out further.

 

2 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Right now, I'm putting BB into the Turay bucket and not the Leonard bucket.  We'll see.

 

That's ok.  lets see what either of them are when they start their year 3,  That's when you really know what you got (hit or miss).

[Hoose]

13 minutes ago, MB-ColtsFan said:

With regards to the bolded; weight and durability are key factors in our scheme IF we don't have the heavies up front to prevent OL from reaching the second level.  My concern with not taking a heavy that sucks up 2 OL is that the wear and tear on our LB crew will eventually shorten their effectiveness.  Hopefully they can continue to shed blockers to offset that, but a Dexter Lawrence type would have helped.

For the pass, I agree, speed and ability to tackle in space, is what it's all about.

Dexter Lawrence may well have been their choice if he’d lasted to 26. In fact, he may be the reason they pulled the trigger on the Redskins trade. 

That said, There will be a DT taken today by the Colts. 

[Steamboat_Shaun]

8 hours ago, Irish YJ said:

I think it's fair to say, you're not the only one that was wrong. All the experts were wrong. Most fans were wrong. 

 

1 thing I’ve noticed after 3 Ballard drafts is that whoever’s mocked to the Colts the most is usually the least likely to be drafted by them. Back in January after seeing the first 500 or so mock drafts projecting either Wilkins or Tillery at 26, I felt 100% confident we wouldn’t draft either guy. I had no idea who we’d actually take, I just knew it wouldn’t be 1 of those 2.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

1 hour ago, MFT5 said:

hate the ppl on here that act like they know everything til they end up being hella wrong.

 

Your existence on this plane is too short to allow hate into your heart.

 

Expel the hate to make room for the love you so desperately need.

 

[DerekDiggler]

I was 100% wrong on taking a CB so high in the draft.   It just doesn't fit what I thought I knew of this defense.   Rock is a great talent and will be a very good player.  Never saw it coming, but after listening to Ballards presser . He suggested we could be playing more man.  So they have a plan.   Its funny that I was so against CB being taken when it is actually my favorite position on D.

 

I was pretty excited about the Bonagu pick.   He has skills at multiple positions didn't see him being drafted that high though.

 

Even at 59 I can see Campbell pick.  I am not sure what they saw or didnt see in Adderly or Rapp at safety, but then again Ballard said he likes where Geathers is right now and that this is the best he has ever seen him so far this yr.

 

I'm shocked they didn't go OLine early.

 

Not as shocked as many of you about dline.  Edge rush yes . but not interior Dline.   Just wasn't anyone there available.  I think he wanted Simmons at 26. When he wasn't there the trade talks were on.

 

I'm not going to bitcch about any of the picks because I was wrong on about everything I said.  So I am having my crow with Sriracha!

 

 

[Creekside]

9 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

In my 7 years here,  I don't recall being more wrong than I have today.    

 

 

 

 

Friend, you are taking yourself too seriously.

 

Chris Ballard is " The Balm" ....

 

....."Nobody knows what a balm is going to do!"

[MikeCurtis]

14 minutes ago, DerekDiggler said:

I was 100% wrong on taking a CB so high in the draft.   It just doesn't fit what I thought I knew of this defense.   Rock is a great talent and will be a very good player.  Never saw it coming, but after listening to Ballards presser . He suggested we could be playing more man.  So they have a plan.   Its funny that I was so against CB being taken when it is actually my favorite position on D.

 

I was pretty excited about the Bonagu pick.   He has skills at multiple positions didn't see him being drafted that high though.

 

Even at 59 I can see Campbell pick.  I am not sure what they saw or didnt see in Adderly or Rapp at safety, but then again Ballard said he likes where Geathers is right now and that this is the best he has ever seen him so far this yr.

 

I'm shocked they didn't go OLine early.

 

Not as shocked as many of you about dline.  Edge rush yes . but not interior Dline.   Just wasn't anyone there available.  I think he wanted Simmons at 26. When he wasn't there the trade talks were on.

 

I'm not going to bitcch about any of the picks because I was wrong on about everything I said.  So I am having my crow with Sriracha!

 

 

The reality is......... EVERYONE was wrong at SOME level...... on this board..... 

and from the "experts"

 

Some people were "right" about parts........  I didnt see a 100% "right" mock from anyone

 

Right position, wrong spot, wrong player (Or some combination)

 

Its all in fun.......  No real experts on this board......

 

 

 

[Dr. T]

8 hours ago, cbear said:

NCF, I thought Ya-Sin and Campbell were GREAT picks.  Ben and Bobby.....not so much.  But I'll gladly and happily  join you at the table a few months from now. 

 

Right now though, as hard as I'm trying to find game tapes from last year that might make me feel better about those two, well, I'm not sure the naysayers are wrong this time.  Banogu especially looks terrible as a #2 pick pass rusher (though I was a bit relieved to hear CB say he might be used in other ways).  We'll see.... 

 

I agree with NewColtsFan that I was also wrong about everything and that Ya-Sin and Campbell were great picks. I was really disappointed that we didn't get Burns, but now it seems that Ben has similar stats with a bigger body size. Of course I never heard of him. Still don't know about how Bobby fits in. I would not have predicted that we would need more linebackers. I'm kinda happy with the ones we have, but I guess we can always get better

[aaron11]

i had no idea what they would do, but i like where they went with this

 

not the safest picks, but Ya-sin and Campbell seem like gifted athletes that could be very good if they learn the game a little better.  the line backers will probably be used in rotation and as back ups, but we were short on depth there anyway

[ColtsBlueFL]

Folks, you don't have ten scouts with 2 years of reports, full medical reports from team physicians, characters evals, intelligence tests, etc...  along with a room full of scouts, coaches, GM, pro and college directors discussing, arguing, and watching tape to get the positions stacked with players they feel will make the team and make the team better. 

 

Ballard has final say, but all of the others have valued and heavy input.

 

I'm not upset folks got it wrong, it's like getting mad at people's NCAA brackets when they bust.  I'll give kudos to those that got some right though; whether skill or luck.

[CoachLite]

9 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

I'm eating crow.   A little garlic salt helps!    Washing it down with water.   Topping it off with some Humble Pie!      Bon Appetite!

 

A fan - even a knowledgeable fan - being wrong about draft picks shouldn't come as a surprise. It should be expected. The complexity of drafting potential professional football players in just way too complicated and complex. No one, not even excellent GMs, are in control of the process. They just have to adapt to the flow as best they can.

 

My suggestion: Try becoming a vegan during the draft and free agency period. Come to think of it, never mind.

[EastStreet]

3 hours ago, MikeCurtis said:

Yep......

 

I think that Simmons coming off the board early messed up MANY of our expectations

(As well as the "experts")

 

I expected a WR in rounds 2-3.

 

Surprised by a CB in round 2, I saw value in round 3-4

 

Expected at least 1 DL in rounds 1-2

 

Expected a SS in round 2

 

Oh well....... hit some.... missed some.......

 

Happy with the draft so far........ I hope one of the SS left on the board, slides to us

 

rarely works out that we're all in sync lol. i'm still pretty meh about the draft, but trying to let things grow on me. RYS is growing on me a bit. Not because I think he was the best pick, but because he will help specifically vs out 2019 schedule of improved passers.

 

hope we get decent SS too!

[NewColtsFan]

5 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

@NewColtsFan, I did not have us taking any of the guys we have taken either. I think most of us are surprised with the draft so far but Ballard is unpredictable. Having said that I like it so far, I had to go bed early last night so I just seen we took Campbell at 59 which is a good pick. We also now have LB depth and potentially a solid CB. We will just have to wait and see how these guys pan out but the potential is there with the guys we have taken.

 

Honestly...  I’ve never found Ballard unpredictable before.   Not intil yesterday.   Lesson learned the hard way by me. 

[EastStreet]

1 hour ago, ColtsBlueFL said:

No question Ballard completely disagrees here.  They got who they wanted, and they have a blueprint/plans for them.

 

That is what the coaching plans o do. I wish them well.

 

It's perfectly fine that he disagrees lol. I'm sure they have plans for all of them. Doesn't mean they are wrong, or we're wrong. Only time will tell. As Colts fans, they are ours now, and we'll all cheer for them to succeed. 

[EastStreet]

1 hour ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

1 thing I’ve noticed after 3 Ballard drafts is that whoever’s mocked to the Colts the most is usually the least likely to be drafted by them. Back in January after seeing the first 500 or so mock drafts projecting either Wilkins or Tillery at 26, I felt 100% confident we wouldn’t draft either guy. I had no idea who we’d actually take, I just knew it wouldn’t be 1 of those 2.

 

I like that Ballard does what he wants. Let's just hope that his bucking the consensus is successful again this year. 

[NewColtsFan]

5 hours ago, Rally5 said:

 

Ahh, no need for this, predictions are all for fun, nobody actually knows who or what will be drafted, at best you get lucky.  I was completely wrong on Oline and Dline, so allow me to dine with you!  I do assume you have some sort of income not related to predicting draft picks? 

 

That said, I'm a massive Ballard fan and I like these picks but I'm not sure I love them, it does raise some questions like: 

 

1. Are any of these guys starters?  I'm not so sure, I see some freakish athleticism but not sure we drafted a started today, maybe Ra-Sin.  Keep in mind we drafted two guys who are not scheme fits in Ra-Sin and Bangoku, can they learn, I'm sure. 

2. Did we give up too much in trading back in round one?

3. We have some great athletes that will have to figure out how to play differently and we need to figure out how to use them which doesn't scream starter to me.  I only mention that in the context of we usually think of the first two or three picks as bonafide starters and these guys may not be that.  Perhaps our roster is so good at the moment that we don't draft sure fire starters anymore. We could have a nickel corner that matches up with TE's, we could have a pass rush guy, a backup LB and a third-down slot receiver.  I watched a ton of tape on the LB from Stanford, there's a ton of his game tape on YouTube and like you, I wasn't impressed.  I don't see what they see in that guy, I'll be honest.  He had a ton of miss reads and got lost in space a lot, you can call me skeptical on that particular pick.

 

Again, I 'm not being overly critical, I don't know more than Ballard, I trust this team to choose wisely.  The fan in me woke up this morning with these thoughts rattling around in my vacuous head.  I do look forward to seeing them fly around the field this year, we definitely got faster and more athletic which is very good!!!!

 

As to the trade....   on the points value trade chart, we're getting more back than we gave up.   We made a good trade. 

[Fisticuffs111]

Yeah, I thought we'd draft Abrams at #26 and McLaurin in the 2nd (neither of which I liked too much, so I'm not mad at being wrong there). I was almost sure we'd come away with one of those guys, although we did get one OSU WR.

One I got right was Banogu in the 2nd. But that was from the help of some rumors that said we liked him/had a 2nd round grade on him, so that was one little nugget that got out from our FO somehow. I thought it'd be with pick 59 though.

[LockeDown]

all I know is if the new guy is fast like Leonard, has long arms like Leonard, same weight as Leonard, can play all LB positions like Leonard and nobody expected him like Leonard, then we should be doing cartwheels.  I can only assume he envisions him playing like Leonard. That’s crazy!!! ( Tracy Morgan voice).

[Rally5]

14 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

Honestly...  I’ve never found Ballard unpredictable before.   Not intil yesterday.   Lesson learned the hard way by me. 

Stop man, there's no lessons here, predicting the draft is mission impossible.  Just enjoy the days and the dialogue.  There's no pie to eat!

[JPFolks]

I am puzzled by all the concern about Rock Ya-Sin.  If our defense hopes to get over the top, we have to be able to incorporate Man coverage into our D.  We can't be exclusively Zone against QB's like Brady. I've head comments he's too much man/press and too little.  I am confident whatever he is, they already know how they are going to use him.  

 

I don't see forcing many/any of our draft picks to be something they are not.  Each has a specific skill that we have a specific need for in our intended strategies.  I wasn't surprised by any of the picks.  I also wasn't surprised by "reaches" because for every reach in a draft you have "drops" in a draft.  All that really means is the perceptions are not reality.  Just because a bunch of talking heads on TV and other media figures tell the drones out there that this person will be picked at this time has no basis in reality.  STOP listening to media if you want to be right.  Use your own logic and abilities to evaluate players and understand even if you think you're qualified (and you might be) you STILL may disagree with other qualified people making a decision.  Every successful business is made up of strong professionals with different opinions and there are always a variety of opinions to go different directions and in the end, one has to be chosen as the way forward and you mutually live with the results.  Some will be wrong, some will be right.  If you all recall, Ballard was honest about picking Leonard and saying he excelled far beyond what they thought he could be year one.  In fact, they thought the entire team played above expectations.  This is the result of having a solid plan versus letting small, individual opinions/decisions alter the success of a plan.  The look for people of great character with a specific strength that supports their vision and planned needs.  And if they don't pan out, they don't give up, they do not force square pegs into the wrong hole, they adjust the implementation of their plans so that the abilities of their players can best be utilized.  

 

If they REALLY don't pan out at all, then they quickly move on to a solution and in some cases move on from the bad decision quickly.  Grigson held on to his mistakes and FORCED them into place instead of admitting he was wrong and either adjusting his plan to fit the player or simply leaving the player behind.   Ballard is a better decision maker and leader.  And he admits mistakes along the way.  

 

Not all these players will work out.  Most will.  And when you have Luck, and he's protected, all we need is a fair chance to rock and roll.  

[Buck Showalter]

Lots of back & forth bickring has been removed... 

 

[Four2itus]

I said O-line or S...........nailed it!!!!!!