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I think the WR group is shaping up nicely for the next few years


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I think we could be seeing our WR group shaping up nicely the next few years. We really could see TY, Funchess, Campbell, and Cain for the next few years. If DF plays well to get a new contract he could be here the next few years. By the time Cain and Campbell are due new contacts TY could be ready to retire and and Funchess will be getting older. It actually works out really well for the salary cap. 

 

Don’t get me wrong it depends on how this year goes but imagine how good luck can be to have all four for his prime. 

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I agree with you....     but two areas to note....

 

One, it will be interesting to see how things move forward with TYH...   he has two years left on his contract.    We will extend early?    We will extend when his two years are up?    Lots of unknowns here...

 

Also....    Ballard has noted the 2020 draft class of WR's looks like one of the strengths of the next draft.      I could easily see him using a Day 2 pick on one of them.    

 

Just food for thought.    But adding Funchess and Campbell,  getting Cain back and hearing Ballard says he was very pleased with Pascal puffs up this group nicely.....

 

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5 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

I agree with you....     but two areas to note....

 

One, it will be interesting to see how things move forward with TYH...   he has two years left on his contract.    We will extend early?    We will extend when his two years are up?    Lots of unknowns here...

 

Also....    Ballard has noted the 2020 draft class of WR's looks like one of the strengths of the next draft.      I could easily see him using a Day 2 pick on one of them.    

 

Just food for thought.    But adding Funchess and Campbell,  getting Cain back and hearing Ballard says he was very pleased with Pascal puffs up this group nicely.....

 

Depending on how Cain and Campbell progress I could see him passing up another receiver next year. If Cain proves to be who we think he is and Campbell progresses he might feel we don’t need another WR. 

 

TY might end up getting maybe a extra two years. That would take him until he is 34. Then you could always do one year if he is still playing at a high level. He needs to retire a colt.

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21 minutes ago, Chloe6124 said:

Depending on how Cain and Campbell progress I could see him passing up another receiver next year. If Cain proves to be who we think he is and Campbell progresses he might feel we don’t need another WR. 

 

TY might end up getting maybe a extra two years. That would take him until he is 34. Then you could always do one year if he is still playing at a high level. He needs to retire a colt.

I expect one of Campbell, Cain, or Fountain won't hit this year. That'll leave 4 recievers with a 30 year-old Hilton as one of them. If WR is a strength in next years draft, I fully expect to take another one on day 2 like this year as a 5th receiver and eventual replacement for Hilton and/or Funchess down the road.

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2 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

I expect one of Campbell, Cain, or Fountain won't hit this year. That'll leave 4 recievers with a 30 year-old Hilton as one of them. If WR is a strength in next years draft, I fully expect to take another one on day 2 like this year as a 5th receiver and eventual replacement for Hilton and/or Funchess down the road.

Maybe Cain is TY replacement. A funchess replacement could make more sense. Fountain is going to really have to show something to stay.  If luck can have those four guys the next few years the chemistry is going to be off the charts.

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2 hours ago, Chloe6124 said:

Maybe Cain is TY replacement. A funchess replacement could make more sense. Fountain is going to really have to show something to stay.  If luck can have those four guys the next few years the chemistry is going to be off the charts.

 

I think TY has 2-3 more years before he starts losing speed. When he does lose a step, he'd make a great slot and could easily prolong his career.

 

I really don't see Cain as a Z. Especially with our needs for a prototypical X. I could see Campbell as a Z. Campbell could really play anywhere (X, slot, or Z) with his measureables assuming he can beat the press. I think given his speed and shiftiness, he'd be an ideal replacement for Z given it's the most "moving" WR position. 

 

Ideally, I want TY to stick at Z for 2-3 more years, Parris become the speed slot, Cain or Fountain to be the prototype X. In 3-4 years, hopefully Cain has locked down X, and Parris and TY can flip flop. 

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9 minutes ago, Irish YJ said:

 

I think TY has 2-3 more years before he starts losing speed. When he does lose a step, he'd make a great slot and could easily prolong his career.

 

I really don't see Cain as a Z. Especially with our needs for a prototypical X. I could see Campbell as a Z. Campbell could really play anywhere (X, slot, or Z) with his measureables assuming he can beat the press. I think given his speed and shiftiness, he'd be an ideal replacement for Z given it's the most "moving" WR position. 

 

Ideally, I want TY to stick at Z for 2-3 more years, Parris become the speed slot, Cain or Fountain to be the prototype X. In 3-4 years, hopefully Cain has locked down X, and Parris and TY can flip flop. 

Your probably right. If both of them have great seasons we may have our future receivers. It comes a point where we should feel we are set and not draft anyone. Luck needs some stability there for the next few years. 

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Just now, Chloe6124 said:

Your probably right. If both of them have great seasons we may have our future receivers. It comes a point where we should feel we are set and not draft anyone. Luck needs some stability there for the next few years. 

yup. but a lot of wild cards. we certainly have potential, just not a lot of guarantees beyond TY. I'm just super excited for the increased competition. The floors and ceilings of this group going into camp is higher than it's been in a long time.

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I am watching Ballard and Reich's interviews right now from first several days of camp. Here's the Ballard press-conference:

 

Go to 10:35 he talks about the competition at WR. He first mentions Zach Pascal and gives him a lot of props about the way he handles himself. But that's not the one I want you to listen to Ballard talk about... just watch the way he talks about Cain. He's giddy! He's trying hard to contain himself and not go with wild pronouncements. You can see him physically trying to stop himself from saying too much while smirking and almost laughing out loud when thinking about the prospects of what Cain can be... I think they are incredibly high on Cain. Of course he has to go out there... stay healthy and prove it on the field. But IMO it's safe to say the Colts and Ballard think he can be special. The most important thing with players that are incredibly gifted and talented is how hard they are going to work to perfect every single minute detail about their craft and there is nothing but high praise coming from Ballard about his work ethic and dedication to the process of getting back on the field and getting better. This cannot be understated. 

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8 minutes ago, braveheartcolt said:

Excluding TY, having such high expectations on these WR"s who have zero Colts snaps between them is the definition of wishful thinking. Squared. 

Well I did say we will see how it goes this year. I do see a actual path now with what’s we have that I didn’t see last year. I think we finally have some good building blocks.

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On 7/25/2019 at 6:20 PM, NewColtsFan said:

I agree with you....     but two areas to note....

 

One, it will be interesting to see how things move forward with TYH...   he has two years left on his contract.    We will extend early?    We will extend when his two years are up?    Lots of unknowns here...

 

Also....    Ballard has noted the 2020 draft class of WR's looks like one of the strengths of the next draft.      I could easily see him using a Day 2 pick on one of them.    

 

Just food for thought.    But adding Funchess and Campbell,  getting Cain back and hearing Ballard says he was very pleased with Pascal puffs up this group nicely.....

 

 

I do believe part of why Funchess got a 1 year deal is because of the WR class coming out of next year's draft... if Funchess works out for us, we can extend him before the season ends, if not we can let him walk and use one of our extra 2nd round picks for a new guy.  Ballard, unlike Grigson, seems to really think ahead when he makes roster moves.

 

 

On 7/25/2019 at 9:37 PM, Irish YJ said:

 

I think TY has 2-3 more years before he starts losing speed. When he does lose a step, he'd make a great slot and could easily prolong his career.

 

I really don't see Cain as a Z. Especially with our needs for a prototypical X. I could see Campbell as a Z. Campbell could really play anywhere (X, slot, or Z) with his measureables assuming he can beat the press. I think given his speed and shiftiness, he'd be an ideal replacement for Z given it's the most "moving" WR position. 

 

Ideally, I want TY to stick at Z for 2-3 more years, Parris become the speed slot, Cain or Fountain to be the prototype X. In 3-4 years, hopefully Cain has locked down X, and Parris and TY can flip flop. 

 

I thought it was very obvious against KC when TY was playing with a bum ankle that his production goes way down when his speed isn't full tilt.  The nice thing with him, though, is he is a very good route runner with dependable hands, so the transition to a slot guy shouldn't be too difficult, especially with the chemistry he and Andrew already have developed.

 

Sounds like (from camp reports and Reich's interview) they are already getting pretty clever with how they're using Campbell.  Also sounds like Reich thinks he is a lot more developed as a route runner than anyone gave him credit for leaving college.

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15 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

I thought it was very obvious against KC when TY was playing with a bum ankle that his production goes way down when his speed isn't full tilt.  The nice thing with him, though, is he is a very good route runner with dependable hands, so the transition to a slot guy shouldn't be too difficult, especially with the chemistry he and Andrew already have developed.

 

Sounds like (from camp reports and Reich's interview) they are already getting pretty clever with how they're using Campbell.  Also sounds like Reich thinks he is a lot more developed as a route runner than anyone gave him credit for leaving college.

 

I think everyone's production goes down with a bum ankle :-). He was doubled most of the game too. A healthy TY, even a bit slower would kill it in the slot. 

 

On Parris, yup yup, and yup. Excited about his potential. I just hope they don't try to do too much too fast. I'd prefer he focus on one or at most two things. Having him play slot, floating outside to X and or Z, taking handoffs, doing returns.... that's a lot. Not saying he can't do it all, but I would rather him be really good at one or two things, than good but perhaps slower to learn on all of them.

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2 minutes ago, Irish YJ said:

 

I think everyone's production goes down with a bum ankle :-). He was doubled most of the game too. A healthy TY, even a bit slower would kill it in the slot. 

 

On Parris, yup yup, and yup. Excited about his potential. I just hope they don't try to do too much too fast. I'd prefer he focus on one or at most two things. Having him play slot, floating outside to X and or Z, taking handoffs, doing returns.... that's a lot. Not saying he can't do it all, but I would rather him be really good at one or two things, than good but perhaps slower to learn on all of them.

 

Yes, playing on a bum ankle is tough and I give TY a lot of credit for doing it towards the end of the season and into the playoffs.  That said, I don't think KC would've taken him out of the game like that if he was at full speed.  

 

Also, at that point, TY was getting some help from Inman as a fellow WR, but it was really easy for D's to focus almost solely on taking TY out of the game.  Assuming Funchess, Campbell and Cain all work out like we hope, teams aren't going to have as easy a time focusing their game plan on cutting one player out of the equation (especially with Ebron and a healthy Jack Doyle in the mix).  

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39 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

Yes, playing on a bum ankle is tough and I give TY a lot of credit for doing it towards the end of the season and into the playoffs.  That said, I don't think KC would've taken him out of the game like that if he was at full speed.  

 

Also, at that point, TY was getting some help from Inman as a fellow WR, but it was really easy for D's to focus almost solely on taking TY out of the game.  Assuming Funchess, Campbell and Cain all work out like we hope, teams aren't going to have as easy a time focusing their game plan on cutting one player out of the equation (especially with Ebron and a healthy Jack Doyle in the mix).  

Our biggest problem last year IMO was simply not having a true, well rounded X with speed. Without that, we simply couldn't keep Ds honest. And I don't think play calling helped in several cases. Not that it (play calling) was all bad, it simply want's creative enough at times to keep the chains moving when TY was doubled and / or hobbled. I expected much more creativity vs KC, yet what we got was a lot of same over reliance on TY, too many short passes, etc.. It was way too predictable. We have a lot more tools in the bag this year, so if play calling isn't creative, that's purely on the coaches.

 

29 minutes ago, Chloe6124 said:

With DF and EE on the field together with guys like TY, Cain or Campbell this offense is going to be no joke. It’s going to be fun. 

 

With both legit speed and size options opposite TY, and in the slot, it's going to be real fun. we're all going to be so tired of winning!

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1 minute ago, Irish YJ said:

Our biggest problem last year IMO was simply not having a true, well rounded X with speed. Without that, we simply couldn't keep Ds honest. And I don't think play calling helped in several cases. Not that it (play calling) was all bad, it simply want's creative enough at times to keep the chains moving when TY was doubled and / or hobbled. I expected much more creativity vs KC, yet what we got was a lot of same over reliance on TY, too many short passes, etc.. It was way too predictable. We have a lot more tools in the bag this year, so if play calling isn't creative, that's purely on the coaches.

 

 

With both legit speed and size options opposite TY, and in the slot, it's going to be real fun. we're all going to be so tired of winning!

 

I know part of last year (the beginning anyway) was designed to keep Luck throwing short as he was still testing out his shoulder.  It seemed to open up some as the season went on.... but you're right, we have a lot more toys for the coaches to utilize this year.  I think Reich was a creative play caller in Philly and  given what he had, I think he did well last year, too.  It took several weeks for our OL to get solidified, which helped balance our O (along with the return of a healthy Mack).  We also dealt with injuries to our skill players all year (e.g., Mack was nicked up early, Doyle was out and we kind of bounced around TE's behind Ebron -- I think TE's are a big part of Reich's philosophy, so hopefully they stay healthy, our WR corps after TY was shaky at best, etc.).  I have also read that they've been running a lot of stretch plays with Mudd being back in Indy helping with the OL, which may add another wrinkle to our attack (and I've read Campbell has been being used all over the field... he and Hines on the field together at the same time could be very dangerous).  I'm hoping with the speed we've got (three 4.3 guys in Hines, Campbell and TY along with a 4.4 guy in Cain if healthy), this will be the year where we figure out how to execute screen passes to help open up the long ball.

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15 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

I know part of last year (the beginning anyway) was designed to keep Luck throwing short as he was still testing out his shoulder.  It seemed to open up some as the season went on.... but you're right, we have a lot more toys for the coaches to utilize this year.  I think Reich was a creative play caller in Philly and  given what he had, I think he did well last year, too.  It took several weeks for our OL to get solidified, which helped balance our O (along with the return of a healthy Mack).  We also dealt with injuries to our skill players all year (e.g., Mack was nicked up early, Doyle was out and we kind of bounced around TE's behind Ebron -- I think TE's are a big part of Reich's philosophy, so hopefully they stay healthy, our WR corps after TY was shaky at best, etc.).  I have also read that they've been running a lot of stretch plays with Mudd being back in Indy helping with the OL, which may add another wrinkle to our attack (and I've read Campbell has been being used all over the field... he and Hines on the field together at the same time could be very dangerous).  I'm hoping with the speed we've got (three 4.3 guys in Hines, Campbell and TY along with a 4.4 guy in Cain if healthy), this will be the year where we figure out how to execute screen passes to help open up the long ball.

with our RBs and TEs, and IF our top 4 WRs pan out, we'll be able to threaten every inch of the field and create match up problems regardless of down and distance. as far as the long ball is concerned, having TY, Cain, and Campbell on the field at the same time running verts blows the top off any D, and nullifies just about any type of zone.

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28 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

I know part of last year (the beginning anyway) was designed to keep Luck throwing short as he was still testing out his shoulder.  It seemed to open up some as the season went on.... but you're right, we have a lot more toys for the coaches to utilize this year.  I think Reich was a creative play caller in Philly and  given what he had, I think he did well last year, too.  It took several weeks for our OL to get solidified, which helped balance our O (along with the return of a healthy Mack).  We also dealt with injuries to our skill players all year (e.g., Mack was nicked up early, Doyle was out and we kind of bounced around TE's behind Ebron -- I think TE's are a big part of Reich's philosophy, so hopefully they stay healthy, our WR corps after TY was shaky at best, etc.).  I have also read that they've been running a lot of stretch plays with Mudd being back in Indy helping with the OL, which may add another wrinkle to our attack (and I've read Campbell has been being used all over the field... he and Hines on the field together at the same time could be very dangerous).  I'm hoping with the speed we've got (three 4.3 guys in Hines, Campbell and TY along with a 4.4 guy in Cain if healthy), this will be the year where we figure out how to execute screen passes to help open up the long ball.

This will be the best offense  Luck has had since  he was drafted 

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1 minute ago, Stephen said:

This will be the best offense  Luck has had since  he was drafted 

 

I tend to agree.  Let's just hope we stay healthy.  I think our OL is going to be the biggest thing for Luck's sake -- it was nice having Reggie and TY early in his career, though we didn't have a good enough line (or RBs) to develop much of a run game back then.  Until I see Campbell, Cain, and Funchess actually perform, I have a hard time saying our WR's are better than Luck's first 2 years with Reggie and TY... but, it's still an exciting group.

 

9 minutes ago, Irish YJ said:

with our RBs and TEs, and IF our top 4 WRs pan out, we'll be able to threaten every inch of the field and create match up problems regardless of down and distance. as far as the long ball is concerned, having TY, Cain, and Campbell on the field at the same time running verts blows the top off any D, and nullifies just about any type of zone.

 

Let's hope we stay healthy and the WRs pan out.  There was a point in time where we had similar speed with DHB, Moncrief and TY and they were bragging about an 'Indy 500' package with all their speed.... unfortunately, DHB couldn't catch and Moncrief wasn't very good at route running.  Hypothetically, though, if we've got Hines, Cain, Campbell, and TY all on the field at the same time, we'd have the fastest offense in football (just about KC).  If we can spread the field with that speed and have our size guys (Doyle, Funchess, Ebron) work the middle of the field, we should be very tough to stop consistently.

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7 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

I tend to agree.  Let's just hope we stay healthy.  I think our OL is going to be the biggest thing for Luck's sake -- it was nice having Reggie and TY early in his career, though we didn't have a good enough line (or RBs) to develop much of a run game back then.  Until I see Campbell, Cain, and Funchess actually perform, I have a hard time saying our WR's are better than Luck's first 2 years with Reggie and TY... but, it's still an exciting group.

 

 

Let's hope we stay healthy and the WRs pan out.  There was a point in time where we had similar speed with DHB, Moncrief and TY and they were bragging about an 'Indy 500' package with all their speed.... unfortunately, DHB couldn't catch and Moncrief wasn't very good at route running.  Hypothetically, though, if we've got Hines, Cain, Campbell, and TY all on the field at the same time, we'd have the fastest offense in football (just about KC).  If we can spread the field with that speed and have our size guys (Doyle, Funchess, Ebron) work the middle of the field, we should be very tough to stop consistently.

 

If everyone can catch, and I think they all can, we should be a QBs wet dream, and a D's nightmare. I remember Manning making it look so easy during his hey day. I think Luck could possibly start doing the same as the guys mature. I just hope play calling / game plans utilizes the entire field, and is not predictable. Spread it out early and throw on 1st down, and our RBs will benefit the rest of the game. Send TY, Cain, Campbell, and Hines straight down the field early and the underneath stuff will be easy pickings after. Keep'em guessing.

 

When a D uses 5 or 6 DBs, go jumbo with Ebron, Funch, Cain, and Doyle or run it down their throats. When they go 4 DBs kill them speed over the top and in the middle. Can't wait to see Reich's O grow in year 2.

 

 

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3 hours ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

I do believe part of why Funchess got a 1 year deal is because of the WR class coming out of next year's draft... if Funchess works out for us, we can extend him before the season ends, if not we can let him walk and use one of our extra 2nd round picks for a new guy.  Ballard, unlike Grigson, seems to really think ahead when he makes roster moves.

 

 

 

I thought it was very obvious against KC when TY was playing with a bum ankle that his production goes way down when his speed isn't full tilt.  The nice thing with him, though, is he is a very good route runner with dependable hands, so the transition to a slot guy shouldn't be too difficult, especially with the chemistry he and Andrew already have developed.

 

Sounds like (from camp reports and Reich's interview) they are already getting pretty clever with how they're using Campbell.  Also sounds like Reich thinks he is a lot more developed as a route runner than anyone gave him credit for leaving college.

 

The thing is.....

 

Ballard didn't want to sign Funchess to a 1-year deal.    He wanted to sign him to a 2 or 3 year deal.    Said so in an interview here.    But it was Funchess and his agent who wanted the 1-year deal.    Rather than risk losing him,  Ballard agreed to the shorter deal.   But that's not what he preferred.

 

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On 7/25/2019 at 8:28 PM, Chloe6124 said:

Depending on how Cain and Campbell progress I could see him passing up another receiver next year. If Cain proves to be who we think he is and Campbell progresses he might feel we don’t need another WR. 

 

TY might end up getting maybe a extra two years. That would take him until he is 34. Then you could always do one year if he is still playing at a high level. He needs to retire a colt.

I think he will draft another wr any way. Can never have enough 

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