What great things are being written about the Colts?

[Four2itus]

So, although I know someone will likely have to be contrarian, the point of this thread is for people to share what comments they find out there that are positive. Here is one I found today while reading an SI article about all 32 teams draft needs. It was in the discussion about the Packers needs...

 

"This season the Packers have seven games against teams that are capable of riding a smashmouth ground game: the Vikings (twice), Jaguars, Panthers, 49ers, Titans and Colts."

 

How long has it been since the Colts caused concern to other teams for their smashmouth ground game? 

[Four2itus]

From Ryan Stano on Fansided:

 

78.8

This is the grade from Pro Football Focus gives DeForest Buckner for his performance in 2019. That is a major upgrade from Margus Hunt, who the Colts released, who only has a 51.1 grade. Buckner is faster, stronger, and younger. In other words, he is just flat our better.

Buckner makes the defensive line much harder to push around in the run game. He can plug up the interior well and close holes quickly. He is also strong enough to get a pass rush from the interior, which the Colts desperately need from the defensive tackle position.

 

7th

This is where the Colts ranked in the running game, averaging 133.1 yards a game in 2019. They were really good most of the season and that’s what they built their offense on. They finished 7th in the league despite Marlon Mack missing two games because of a broken hand.

Mack should be even better in 2020. He ran for over 1,000 yards and should do so again this season. With an improved passer in front of him, teams can no longer key in on the running game and try to just stop Mack. The offensive line is one of the league’s best as well, and should continue to open up gaping holes.

[NewColtsFan]

Both NFL.com and ESPN give the Colts high marks for our biggest moves.

 

Both the Buckner trade and the Rivers signing have been very well received by their analysts.

 

I’ve seen no bad reviews by professional analysts,  only by fans... 

[EastStreet]

I'm just so excited to have upgrades at 3T and QB. The two things I wanted most, and got it before the draft. While we still need some other things, those were our biggest needs hands down. 

 

 

 

[Myles]

Good stuff.    I did a quick Google search, but didn't find anything very recent.

I'll give my own.  

 

The Colts have a great pass blocking and run blocking O-line.   That will help Rivers and the running backs thrive a bit over last season.  I expect Hines to benefit the most.   I think the offense is a top 12 offense in the league.  Probably 11-12.

The defensive additions are exciting.  Buckner could really change everything.  Some pressure up the middle will help everyone.  Houston should benefit as well as the rest of the line.

 

While the defense was already trending upward, it was still missing that one piece to truly take it to the next tier. General manager Chris Ballard accomplished that goal when he added DeForest Buckner to the interior defensive line.

 

3 things to know about Colts' new DT Sheldon Day

Now that they have their stud asset playing the three-technique, Ballard then added Buckner’s former teammate in Sheldon Day to work at the one-technique alongside Grover Stewart, who emerged as a solid run stopper in 2019.

Ballard’s self-proclaimed obsession with adding to the front lines will only make the entire defense better. The interior, which was a weakness in 2019, is now one of the strongest and deepest units on the roster—with room to add more in the draft.

Out of the team’s 41 sacks during the 2019 season, the interior defensive line was responsible for just 6.5. Breaking it down even further, only 3.5 of those sacks came from the three-technique position. Suffice it to say it, adding to the interior pass rush was a major need.

Buckner should be able to fit perfectly here. He has all of the tools to be an elite interior pass rusher. He wins with length, burst, power and finesse. His ability to take on second teams—and occasionally beat them—will open up the lanes for the entire front seven.

But even adding Buckner as the core piece of the defensive interior wasn’t enough. It’s great, but the Colts still had a move to make in the other spot.

While the aforementioned Stewart is coming off of his best season yet (3.0 sacks, 17 stops), the Colts still needed depth at the one-technique. They cut Margus Hunt after an unproductive season and while Stewart showed great growth in his third year, some talent needed to be added.

That is where the signing of Day comes in. Working as a rotational piece with the 49ers, the 25-year-old Day should fit in perfectly for the Colts. He’s a solid run defender with limited upside as a pass rusher. But they likely aren’t worried about the latter aspect of his game. They need him to compete with Stewart in the A-gap to stop the run.

With Buckner, Autry and Tyquan Lewis working at the three-technique and Stewart and Day rotating at nose tackle, the Colts now have a formidable interior defensive line.

 

https://coltswire.usatoday.com/2020/03/26/indianapolis-colts-interior-defensive-line-deforest-buckner-free-agency/

[NewColtsFan]

Here’s one more..,,

 

NFL.com is out with a new updated Power Ranking...,   Free Agency started the Colts tanked 20th...

 

Indy is now ranked 13th...  an impressive jump of 7 spots.   And the draft is where Ballard will do his best work. 
 

Nice..... 

 

[ColtStrong2013]

4 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

Here’s one more..,,

 

NFL.com is out with a new updated Power Ranking...,   Free Agency started the Colts tanked 20th...

 

Indy is now ranked 13th...  an impressive jump of 7 spots.   And the draft is where Ballard will do his best work. 
 

Nice..... 

 

top 10 preseason. Ballard will bring in at least two receivers this draft, and Kiper says there is 35 or more receivers with at least a 2nd or 3rd round grade. Perfect time to need upgrades at the position... 

[ThinBlueLineColts]

The only place I’ve seen people criticize the Rivers signing has been Get Up.  Other than that every thing bout he and Buckner been positive. 
 

The things I see all the time being talked or written about in good terms is the offensive line and Darius Leonard. 
 

 

[HOZER]

15 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

Both NFL.com and ESPN give the Colts high marks for our biggest moves.

 

Both the Buckner trade and the Rivers signing have been very well received by their analysts.

 

I’ve seen no bad reviews by professional analysts,  only by fans... 

Not these guys....

 

 

[NewColtsFan]

15 minutes ago, HOZER said:

Not these guys....

 

 

Those are not analysts.   Just media talking heads.  Opinion people.  
 

I’m talking about writers who cover the NFL on a daily basis using advanced stats.   People who are far more informed. 
 

 

[HOZER]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

Those are not analysts.   Just media talking heads.  Opinion people.  
 

I’m talking about writers who cover the NFL on a daily basis using advanced stats.   People who are far more informed. 
 

 

Daniel John Orlovsky (born August 18, 1983) is a former American football quarterback who played thirteen seasons in the National Football League(NFL) and a football analyst for ESPN.

 

Marcus Spears, you’re right, not an analyst.

 

 

[Myles]

2 hours ago, HOZER said:

Not these guys....

 

 

Those guys are *s.    Heck Orlovsky think Brissett is great because even Brissett's numbers dwarf anything Dan could do in the NFL.  

[Dogg63]

35 minutes ago, HOZER said:

Daniel John Orlovsky (born August 18, 1983) is a former American football quarterback who played thirteen seasons in the National Football League(NFL) and a football analyst for ESPN.

 

Marcus Spears, you’re right, not an analyst.

 

Spears was drafted in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys and played defensive end in the league for eight years. He retired from the NFL in 2014. He joined ESPN in April 2014, shortly after his retirement from the NFL.

[NewColtsFan]

55 minutes ago, HOZER said:

Daniel John Orlovsky (born August 18, 1983) is a former American football quarterback who played thirteen seasons in the National Football League(NFL) and a football analyst for ESPN.

 

Marcus Spears, you’re right, not an analyst.

 

 

Right.   Players.   They have opinions.   You can take em or leave em.   I don’t put much stock in them generally speaking and I like both Spears and Orlovsky.   I just prefer smart, sharp people who are more fact based in their viewpoints. 

[NewColtsFan]

Oh....   today ESPN is out with its new power rankings....

 

Before FA:  17

After FA:    14

 

Up 3 spots.   We’re going in the right direction. 

[HOZER]

1 minute ago, NewColtsFan said:

Right.   Players.   They have opinions.   You can take em or leave em.   I don’t out much stock in them generally speaking and I like both Spears and Orlovsky.   I just prefer smart, sharp people who are more fact based in their viewpoints. 

It literally says his job is analyst for ESPN. Is he a good one, probably not, probably a good backup analyst, but it’s his job.

 

21 minutes ago, Dogg63 said:

 

Spears was drafted in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys and played defensive end in the league for eight years. He retired from the NFL in 2014. He joined ESPN in April 2014, shortly after his retirement from the NFL.

I’d say 8 years is good enough to have an informed opinion, even if I don’t agree with it sometimes.

[BornHoosier]

17 hours ago, Myles said:

Good stuff.    I did a quick Google search, but didn't find anything very recent.

I'll give my own.  

 

The Colts have a great pass blocking and run blocking O-line.   That will help Rivers and the running backs thrive a bit over last season.  I expect Hines to benefit the most.   I think the offense is a top 12 offense in the league.  Probably 11-12.

The defensive additions are exciting.  Buckner could really change everything.  Some pressure up the middle will help everyone.  Houston should benefit as well as the rest of the line.

 

While the defense was already trending upward, it was still missing that one piece to truly take it to the next tier. General manager Chris Ballard accomplished that goal when he added DeForest Buckner to the interior defensive line.

 

3 things to know about Colts' new DT Sheldon Day

Now that they have their stud asset playing the three-technique, Ballard then added Buckner’s former teammate in Sheldon Day to work at the one-technique alongside Grover Stewart, who emerged as a solid run stopper in 2019.

Ballard’s self-proclaimed obsession with adding to the front lines will only make the entire defense better. The interior, which was a weakness in 2019, is now one of the strongest and deepest units on the roster—with room to add more in the draft.

Out of the team’s 41 sacks during the 2019 season, the interior defensive line was responsible for just 6.5. Breaking it down even further, only 3.5 of those sacks came from the three-technique position. Suffice it to say it, adding to the interior pass rush was a major need.

Buckner should be able to fit perfectly here. He has all of the tools to be an elite interior pass rusher. He wins with length, burst, power and finesse. His ability to take on second teams—and occasionally beat them—will open up the lanes for the entire front seven.

But even adding Buckner as the core piece of the defensive interior wasn’t enough. It’s great, but the Colts still had a move to make in the other spot.

While the aforementioned Stewart is coming off of his best season yet (3.0 sacks, 17 stops), the Colts still needed depth at the one-technique. They cut Margus Hunt after an unproductive season and while Stewart showed great growth in his third year, some talent needed to be added.

That is where the signing of Day comes in. Working as a rotational piece with the 49ers, the 25-year-old Day should fit in perfectly for the Colts. He’s a solid run defender with limited upside as a pass rusher. But they likely aren’t worried about the latter aspect of his game. They need him to compete with Stewart in the A-gap to stop the run.

With Buckner, Autry and Tyquan Lewis working at the three-technique and Stewart and Day rotating at nose tackle, the Colts now have a formidable interior defensive line.

 

https://coltswire.usatoday.com/2020/03/26/indianapolis-colts-interior-defensive-line-deforest-buckner-free-agency/

41 sacks w/ NO interior presence or threat, just imagine with an inside presence.  Our outside pass rush specialist's are about to feast with this new inside threat and I can't think of an all around better unit across the board in the history of the Indy Colts?  Freeney/Mathis were great but Polian devalued the DT position, NOMORE!!!

[HOZER]

14 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Right.   Players.   They have opinions.   You can take em or leave em.   I don’t put much stock in them generally speaking and I like both Spears and Orlovsky.   I just prefer smart, sharp people who are more fact based in their viewpoints. 

To add to this I would take a former player/analysts opinion any day over a non former player, unless he’s a completely  biased meathead(Heath Evans). That’s just me.

[Myles]

9 minutes ago, HOZER said:

To add to this I would take a former player/analysts opinion any day over a non former player, unless he’s a completely  biased meathead(Heath Evans). That’s just me.

To me it doesn't matter much.   Many times while playing, you can't really study how good other players are unless you are facing them head to head.   Others who didn't even play much in college could spend those years coaching and studying football instead of playing.   I think there could be advantages on either side.   Ballard was not an NFL player.   Grigson did play NFL ball.  

[HOZER]

10 minutes ago, Myles said:

To me it doesn't matter much.   Many times while playing, you can't really study how good other players are unless you are facing them head to head.   Others who didn't even play much in college could spend those years coaching and studying football instead of playing.   I think there could be advantages on either side.   Ballard was not an NFL player.   Grigson did play NFL ball.  

Great point. 

[sb2001]

That DeAndre Hopkins signed with AZ

!

[Fluke_33]

2 hours ago, HOZER said:

Daniel John Orlovsky (born August 18, 1983) is a former American football quarterback who played thirteen seasons in the National Football League(NFL) and a football analyst for ESPN.

 

and has a special place in my heart for saving us from a complete season of defeat.  

[Myles]

12 minutes ago, Fluke_33 said:

 

and has a special place in my heart for saving us from a complete season of defeat.  

That was his best year in the NFL.

He went 2-3.

 

[Fluke_33]

13 minutes ago, Myles said:

That was his best year in the NFL.

He went 2-3.

 

I have a friend who is a lions fan.  We have very disparate feelings regarding orlovsky.  Hahaha

[NewColtsFan]

3 hours ago, HOZER said:

It literally says his job is analyst for ESPN. Is he a good one, probably not, probably a good backup analyst, but it’s his job.

 

I’d say 8 years is good enough to have an informed opinion, even if I don’t agree with it sometimes.

ESPN can call them an analyst.   That’s fine.   I’m not saying they’re wrong.   I’ve already explained what I’m personally looking for.   You disagree.   That’s fine.

[NewColtsFan]

And now there’s this...   over on NFL.com The top story is three teams who could return to the playoffs...

 

Two of them are Pittsburgh and Tampa.  The third is Indy!

 

More and more are liking what they’re seeing from the Colts. 

[P'Son]

Face it, no 2020-2021 season.

[Yoshinator]

Good stuff here. I completely missed this thread with our mock draft on the site. Ballard has done a solid job in FA, the Buckner trade was fantastic, and we have the draft in less than a month where we can improve. We have an extra 2nd (pick 34), so we still have an extra high pick even after trading our 1st for Buckner, so we're not short of picks. Lots of WRs available on day 2 that can help us, and the defense is in great shape after FA.

 

I see a playoff berth and division win for the Colts this year. The AFC is hard, but a chip, a chair, and a chance. Make it in, and you never know! How can anyone not be excited with this offseason (football-wise)?

[Four2itus]

6 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

And now there’s this...   over on NFL.com The top story is three teams who could return to the playoffs...

 

Two of them are Pittsburgh and Tampa.  The third is Indy!

 

More and more are liking what they’re seeing from the Colts. 

...and from that same article.....

 

"Rivers gives off the vibe of a cast-off star driven to prove his former employer a fool for waving goodbye. I like his chances, with Reich operating as one of the finer offensive strategists league-wide."

[Four2itus]

BTW....thank you Colt brethren! I asked for a positive Colt thread, and so far, it has remained that way.

 

Much love and appreciation.

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, Four2itus said:

...and from that same article.....

 

"Rivers gives off the vibe of a cast-off star driven to prove his former employer a fool for waving goodbye. I like his chances, with Reich operating as one of the finer offensive strategists league-wide."

I agree with that view.  BbI think you agree with view.   I think most here agree with that view.    But not all and that’s where the company parts...

[crazycolt1]

6 hours ago, P'Son said:

Face it, no 2020-2021 season.

You just couldn't stand a thread that was positive could you. 

[Four2itus]

(Aaron) Schatz: 'The Colts signing Rivers. I think the upgrade from Jacoby Brissett to Rivers might be bigger than the upgrade from Jameis Winston to Brady.

[Four2itus]

From NFL.com QB value ranking article.....

 

"Frank Reich could be wrong. I could be wrong. But Rivers can still make all the throws if he's protected, which he should be in Indianapolis. Even considering Rivers' one-year, $25 million contract, I'd rather have a chance at catching lightning in a bottle than rolling with a younger, cheaper player who is less likely to be an asset.