Without a Franchise QB - The window is Closing for the Colts

ThorstenDenmark · January 10

With the first pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars select - Trevor Lawrence... we all know that, and what he's supposed to bring to that team.

We also know that Deshaun Watson will stay put in Houston, and that Tennessee is a well coached team, which bring us to our Colts.

Right now, as of today, we don't have any starting QB, as Rivers is a free agent and even if he returns for another year, we can't expect much better from him than what we got this season.

We also know he needs offseason surgery and that he will turn 40 in december.

Im not the biggest Rivers fan, but he's good enough to get us to the playoffs, but then it's game over like last night We had a fair chance, but we just fell short in so many ways, that its head scratching and you shout argh come on guys.

If we should have had a run with Rivers in the playoffs, THIS WAS THE YEAR.

The Colts have a lot of pieces in place, which we saw this season, but we are one or two players and plays away from being there, and now, instead of reaching the top of the mountain, I can see this team regress, if Ballard choose to bring back Rivers for one last dance.

This offseason might be the single most important since drafting Andrew Luck, as Ballard needs to choose our starting QB for the 2021 season with care.

I see three possible scenarios for us this offseason, that have very different outcome going forward for this team.

1.

They bring back Rivers, and due to a much tougher schedule next season compared to this year, we are stuck in the middle with a record in the range of 6-10 / 8-8 and no playoff.

Which give us a draft pick just outside the top 10 in 2022, based on this years record and draft order.

2.

We let Rivers walk and Ballard / Colts sign either Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz or Sam Darnold. All three QB´s with upside compared to Rivers as they are younger and in the right circumstances can be successful behind our O-line and take this team to the next level going forward. I know Dak might be franchised tagged once again by Dallas and Darnold have yet to show how good he can be, but behind our O-line and in Reichs system, I see him develop and become better. Wentz will likely cost some draft picks, but Reich know how to get the best out of him.

With one of these QB´s I see us having a much better chance next season and going forward, than by keeping Rivers, and though we next season might fall short of the playoffs, we could compete in the AFC South for years to come.

3.

We draft a young QB in the first round, possibly by trading up in the draft for Mac Jones, Kyle Trask or Trey Lance, and we are settled for the future and bring in some complementary pieces to help this young QB succeed.

We would have cap enough to sign big Q and Leonard come 2022, and still have room to sign free agents that could elevate this team and give us a fair chance for success going forward in a QB heavy AFC South.

So, this offseason is darn important for Ballard and he needs to get it right, as we are so close to getting there, but Rivers ain't the answer, at least I don't think he is the one that can take this team to the next level.

DoubleE Colt · January 10

I don't overly get this worry about our schedule next season yet....a lot can happen to all teams but even if we take things as equal for this season then the Jags are more away than Trevor Lawrence from competing, the Texans are a mess at the moment with loads of holes to fill and the Titans are the same level as us but have also to play the Steelers, the Chiefs and probably the Saints next season that we don't. As the NFC East shows you only have to beat 3 others teams by season end to reach the play offs. I understand getting to the play offs is a long way from competing for a Superbowl but look at it this way even if you believe Rivers is just average we've shown we can compete with the best with an average QB. Personally I'm not sold on Darnold and Wentz and Wentz will cost an arm and a leg unless something is worked out with his contract. Dax will just get tagged again I assume. The only QB I'd go all in for is Stafford if I'm honest, he could be awesome behind our online.

NewColtsFan · January 10

18 minutes ago, ThorstenDenmark said:

With the first pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars select - Trevor Lawrence... we all know that, and what he's supposed to bring to that team.

We also know that Deshaun Watson will stay put in Houston, and that Tennessee is a well coached team, which bring us to our Colts.

Right now, as of today, we don't have any starting QB, as Rivers is a free agent and even if he returns for another year, we can't expect much better from him than what we got this season.

We also know he needs offseason surgery and that he will turn 40 in december.

Im not the biggest Rivers fan, but he's good enough to get us to the playoffs, but then it's game over like last night We had a fair chance, but we just fell short in so many ways, that its head scratching and you shout argh come on guys.

If we should have had a run with Rivers in the playoffs, THIS WAS THE YEAR.

The Colts have a lot of pieces in place, which we saw this season, but we are one or two players and plays away from being there, and now, instead of reaching the top of the mountain, I can see this team regress, if Ballard choose to bring back Rivers for one last dance.

This offseason might be the single most important since drafting Andrew Luck, as Ballard needs to choose our starting QB for the 2021 season with care.

I see three possible scenarios for us this offseason, that have very different outcome going forward for this team.

1.

They bring back Rivers, and due to a much tougher schedule next season compared to this year, we are stuck in the middle with a record in the range of 6-10 / 8-8 and no playoff.

Which give us a draft pick just outside the top 10 in 2022, based on this years record and draft order.

2.

We let Rivers walk and Ballard / Colts sign either Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz or Sam Darnold. All three QB´s with upside compared to Rivers as they are younger and in the right circumstances can be successful behind our O-line and take this team to the next level going forward. I know Dak might be franchised tagged once again by Dallas and Darnold have yet to show how good he can be, but behind our O-line and in Reichs system, I see him develop and become better. Wentz will likely cost some draft picks, but Reich know how to get the best out of him.

With one of these QB´s I see us having a much better chance next season and going forward, than by keeping Rivers, and though we next season might fall short of the playoffs, we could compete in the AFC South for years to come.

3.

We draft a young QB in the first round, possibly by trading up in the draft for Mac Jones, Kyle Trask or Trey Lance, and we are settled for the future and bring in some complementary pieces to help this young QB succeed.

We would have cap enough to sign big Q and Leonard come 2022, and still have room to sign free agents that could elevate this team and give us a fair chance for success going forward in a QB heavy AFC South.

So, this offseason is darn important for Ballard and he needs to get it right, as we are so close to getting there, but Rivers ain't the answer, at least I don't think he is the one that can take this team to the next level.

Appreciate the long thoughtful post.

But there is a a big speed bump on your #2.

Wentz and Darnold are under contract to other teams, so we can’t just sign them. We’d have to trade for them. And Prescott can be hit with the franchise tag which Dallas is highly likely to do. Other QBs are signed as well. Jimmy G is still signed in SF, Matt Ryan is still signed in Atl, and Matt Stafford is signed with Detroit.

All of which limits our options at this moment.

The Colts may not decide what they want to do until March. Or... we might decide quickly to bring back Rivers for one more year and try to surround him with a better team.

boo2202 · January 10

Big offseason. The scary thing about the colts is that their missing the three hardest things to acquire. A franchise QB, game changing DE, and a lock down corner. Rivers exceeded my expectations but we’re never going to win a super bowl with him. There’s too many talented QB’s in the AFC for rivers to outduel. Mahomes, Allen, Lamar, Watson and lawerence shortly. Those passes Allen made outside the pocket today lost us the game. Too make a deep playoff run you need a QB that can make a couple wow plays. I’m intrigued with stafford/wentz. They both have strong arms and can push the ball down the field.

IanColts22 · January 10

We have to put in a Franchise QB next season. I’m not sure how many 1st round picks and 3 round picks we need to trade to get in position to get Justin Fields. I want us to have a duel threat QB. I don’t like Colts trying to bring Rivers back he can get us into playoff again and maybe even advance to 2 round of playoffs but that’s it. I’m not a big fan of Darnold, Stafford, Wentz etc.... I doubt this will happen but maybe Ballard reaches out to the Packers? Aaron Rodgers is still crazy elite good so he will still be playing for a lot longer then what people are speculating. So just maybe we get Jordan Love? But yeah this is a pipe dream but I wouldn’t mind getting Aaron Rodgers since he didn’t like the Packers for drafting Love and already looking for his replacement.

indykmj · January 10

11 minutes ago, boo2202 said:

Big offseason. The scary thing about the colts is that their missing the three hardest things to acquire. A franchise QB, game changing DE, and a lock down corner. Rivers exceeded my expectations but we’re never going to win a super bowl with him. There’s too many talented QB’s in the AFC for rivers to outduel. Mahomes, Allen, Lamar, Watson and lawerence shortly. Those passes Allen made outside the pocket today lost us the game. Too make a deep playoff run you need a QB that can make a couple wow plays. I’m intrigued with stafford/wentz. They both have strong arms and can push the ball down the field.

Yep. Ballard has done the easy part (upgrade where needed, slots 6 or so through 40

or so on the roster). Now comes the hard part (fill 3 of the top 5 slots- QB, Edge rusher

and L-OT- with guys who will man those spots if/when the Colts are a legit SB

contender).

As for the other 2 slots, for me, given the scheme they play, that's 3-tech DT and the

Will- LB. Those are covered.

rayski · January 10

We have one of the youngest rosters in the league and out of those younger rosters we might have the best one so I think we'll be just fine. No need to panic, we had a great season, rejoice.

CoachLite · January 10

In the world of possibilities there are a lot of options. Some folks deal with uncertainty better than others. I suspect Chris Ballard is pretty comfortable with that.

Patrick Miller · January 10

What is Jacob Eason? chopped liver? I wonder if this guy has a chance to start?

Jared Cisneros · January 10

23 minutes ago, Patrick Miller said:

What is Jacob Eason? chopped liver? I wonder if this guy has a chance to start?

He is chopped liver right now. He didn't play a single snap this year. As far as we know, Ballard might like him or think he's horrible or somewhere in between. Completely random right now. All we know is he's the only QB under contract for next year as of now.

Mr. Irrelevant · January 10

1 hour ago, boo2202 said:

Big offseason. The scary thing about the colts is that their missing the three hardest things to acquire. A franchise QB, game changing DE, and a lock down corner. Rivers exceeded my expectations but we’re never going to win a super bowl with him. There’s too many talented QB’s in the AFC for rivers to outduel. Mahomes, Allen, Lamar, Watson and lawerence shortly. Those passes Allen made outside the pocket today lost us the game. Too make a deep playoff run you need a QB that can make a couple wow plays. I’m intrigued with stafford/wentz. They both have strong arms and can push the ball down the field.

Fully agreed with the major concern regarding missing both a top (longer term) QB, edge rusher and CB. You can’t get all that in one offseason normally without paying through the nose with trades and money. It will be very interesting how Ballard handles this.

SR711 · January 10

As much I like Rivers and appreciate his play this year, the harsh truth is that he has some physical limitations which are not going to get better which ultimately puts a ceiling on our offense.

Hate to say it, but the best option to get a young cornerstone QB may be to have a well-timed down season in a deep QB draft.

coltfaninnewyork · January 10

Window is open except for quarterback position that’s why a veteran like Stafford makes sense to me ,I see that like tannahill in Tennessee.He’s 32 not 39

2006Coltsbestever · January 10

22 minutes ago, SR711 said:

As much I like Rivers and appreciate his play this year, the harsh truth is that he has some physical limitations which are not going to get better which ultimately puts a ceiling on our offense.

Hate to say it, but the best option to get a young cornerstone QB may be to have a well-timed down season in a deep QB draft.

To your last sentence, easier said than done. I don't want to judge Eason but I have my doubts he will be the guy, he may or may not, but didn't play a down this season. If we are smart we go after Watson and trade 3 first round picks (2021, 2022, and 2023 and I would even throw in Eason in reality - I still think Houston would bite because they need to rebuild and 3 first round picks is a great start. That gives us our young franchise QB and pretty much the same core players we have now. Otherwise I want Rivers back for 1 more year, Rivers had a good season statistically and got us 11 wins. Some don't like him because he isn't athletic, who cares, Peyton wasn't either.

luv_pony_express · January 10

2 hours ago, IanColts22 said:

We have to put in a Franchise QB next season. I’m not sure how many 1st round picks and 3 round picks we need to trade to get in position to get Justin Fields. I want us to have a duel threat QB. I don’t like Colts trying to bring Rivers back he can get us into playoff again and maybe even advance to 2 round of playoffs but that’s it. I’m not a big fan of Darnold, Stafford, Wentz etc.... I doubt this will happen but maybe Ballard reaches out to the Packers? Aaron Rodgers is still crazy elite good so he will still be playing for a lot longer then what people are speculating. So just maybe we get Jordan Love? But yeah this is a pipe dream but I wouldn’t mind getting Aaron Rodgers since he didn’t like the Packers for drafting Love and already looking for his replacement.

Man, we see a lot of pipedreamy posts, but this might well be the pipedreamiest of them all.

If only putting together an NFL roster — with a “franchise quarterback” — were that easy.

braveheartcolt · January 10

Rivers is not the future, but he did not cost us victory yesterday. Far from it. If Eason is not the guy, my preference would be Stafford, if we could get him. If we traded for Darnold, I would support the Jags.

braveheartcolt · January 10

3 minutes ago, luv_pony_express said:

Man, we see a lot of pipedreamy posts, but this might well be the pipedreamiest of them all.

If only putting together an NFL roster — with a “franchise quarterback” — were that easy.

Trademark ‘pipedreamy / pipedreamiest....

2006Coltsbestever · January 10

1 minute ago, luv_pony_express said:

Man, we see a lot of pipedreamy posts, but this might well be the pipedreamiest of them all.

If only putting together an NFL roster — with a “franchise quarterback” — were that easy.

I agree, we are aren't getting anyone like Lawrence or Fields, or Lance. Ballard isn't trading picks to try and do so, not his style. I brought up the Watson thing because he wants out of Houston. My deal on paper looks good to me. Give up 3 first round picks and give them a QB in Eason is a good deal IMO for both sides. Ballard would still have picks 2-7 every year so he could still get a couple of gems. I want no part of Wentz, Darnold, Dak, etc..

2006Coltsbestever · January 10

5 minutes ago, braveheartcolt said:

Rivers is not the future, but he did not cost us victory yesterday. Far from it. If Eason is not the guy, my preference would be Stafford, if we could get him. If we traded for Darnold, I would support the Jags.

I could live with Stafford, I do think he is good.

luv_pony_express · January 10

7 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

To your last sentence, easier said than done. I don't want to judge Eason but I have my doubts he will be the guy, he may or may not, but didn't play a down this season. If we are smart we go after Watson and trade 3 first round picks (2021, 2022, and 2023 and I would even throw in Eason in reality - I still think Houston would bite because they need to rebuild and 3 first round picks is a great start. That gives us our young franchise QB and pretty much the same core players we have now. Otherwise I want Rivers back for 1 more year, Rivers had a good season statistically and got us 11 wins. Some don't like him because he isn't athletic, who cares, Peyton wasn't either.

Deshaun Watson isn’t going to be a Colt. And I couldn’t imagine Ballard giving away 3 firsts for anybody regardless.

Let’s keep this with the realm of the possible.

2006Coltsbestever · January 10

1 minute ago, luv_pony_express said:

Deshaun Watson isn’t going to be a Colt. And I couldn’t imagine Ballard giving away 3 firsts for anybody regardless.

Let’s keep this with the realm of the possible.

I think he might, he gave a first round pick to get Buckner and he values picks 2-4 more than anything. It makes sense to me. Watson could probably win a SB here.

funktacious2 · January 10

Honestly I can live with any of the options. Roll with Rivers again? Sure, I think we can improve still with him as long as he plays as good next year as this year. Acquire a veteran? I have some concerns about some of then but I ultimately could be okay with all of the guys that come to mind. Draft a rookie? We yeah, that'd be awesome if they can become elite. There is no slam dunk I see tbh. Just gonna have to trust Ballard to make us better.

2006Coltsbestever · January 10

We are right there as long as the QB just plays good, doesn't have to be great. We played toe to toe with Buffalo who many think can beat KC and go to the SB.

stitches · January 10

I agree with a lot of your post @ThorstenDenmark. For a couple of years now(since Luck retired) I've been a firm advocate of the "go get your franchise QB in the draft strategy". This to me is the obvious and best path going forward and part of the reason is what you pointed out - this team is about to get expensive and we are about to start losing quality players. It's not just Q and Leonard. Do you think Braden Smith will command anything less than 15M a year? Hell no... so we will have to either pay him or lose him...

So lets say 17M for AC if we somehow convince him to stay for 2 more years(my personal preferred option), 15 for Braden, 12 for Kelly, 6 for Glowinski... how much would Q get? Currently Scherff is the highest paid guard in the league at about 15 a year and that's from several years ago. Q easily breaks that... Lets say he gets 18... So... 18+17+15+12+6.... this is 68M only for your starting OL. Cuts will have to be made somewhere... be it at OL or elsewhere.

Having a young QB on rookie contract, who is dirth cheap(compared to vet contract QBs), will give us some much needed wiggle room. This is not for the next year specifically... we can deal with next year, but going forward this will become increasingly important. In general I see the tiers of QB situations the following way:

Tier 1 - Elite/Great QB on rookie contract - you get the benefits both from the cheap contract(you can spend resources elsewhere to strengthen your team) and from the quality of play.

Tier 2 - Elite/Great QB on any contract - I personally think great QBs mask a ton of deficiencies of teams. QB is the position that has the biggest impact on the team success and if you have one of the best in the league, even if you have to pay him tons, it's worth it.

Tier 3 - Middling QB on rookie contract - you get a functioning offense with good but unspectacular execution, but you get it for very cheap... again - gives you the chance to go and spend the money you are not giving to a QB on other positions that will help your QB or your defense.

Tier 4 - Middling QB on non-rookie contract - this is the Kirk Cousins, Derek Carrs, current Philip RIvers', Goffs, Jimmy Garoppolos of the world. They will give you a functioning offense, but will be paid so close to the elites of the league that you will be getting benefits during the regular season but will suffer tha consequences in the playoffs to teams that have either elite or cheap QBs of similar strengths.

Tier 5 - Placeholder/Bad QBs/About to be replaced QBs.

Last two tiers are not where I want us to be and we should do everything possible to get out of them(I think we are in tier 4 now).

I think having a franchise QB is what gives you most margin for error and it's what builds perennial contenders simply because there is usually way too much player movement and in most cases the QB is the constant that keeps the team competitive over long period of time... and the easiest most realistic way to get such a franchise QB is through the draft since franchise QBs rarely if ever hit FA and when they do, it's usually because they have suffered drop in form or are getting old and toward the end of their careers, etc. I would rather us just skip that step. I want Ballard and Reich to scout those QBs in the draft, fall in love with some of them and go get him in the draft. The price almost doesn't matter if they are right and we hit on the QB.

What does that mean for Rivers? Not much really... I think next year we can still bring him back and he probably still gives us the best chance to compete in the immediate. BUT this is my opinion ONLY if this doesn't prevent us from drafting our QB of the future. I don't want having Rivers to be an excuse to neglect the long-term future of the position.

Dingus McGirt · January 10

15 minutes ago, braveheartcolt said:

Rivers is not the future, but he did not cost us victory yesterday. Far from it. If Eason is not the guy, my preference would be Stafford, if we could get him. If we traded for Darnold, I would support the Jags.

You would jump to another team over a quarterback?

Nickster · January 10

52 minutes ago, SR711 said:

As much I like Rivers and appreciate his play this year, the harsh truth is that he has some physical limitations which are not going to get better which ultimately puts a ceiling on our offense.

Hate to say it, but the best option to get a young cornerstone QB may be to have a well-timed down season in a deep QB draft.

We have too much talent to lose enough for that plan to work. This team won 7 games with Jacoby Brisset.

csmopar · January 10

24 minutes ago, braveheartcolt said:

Rivers is not the future, but he did not cost us victory yesterday. Far from it. If Eason is not the guy, my preference would be Stafford, if we could get him. If we traded for Darnold, I would support the Jags.

Or Wentz which would be dumber than trading for Darnold.

Id at least shoot the Texans an offer, see if we valued get a shot at Watson but other than that, none of the others intrigue me any

2006Coltsbestever · January 10

1 minute ago, csmopar said:

Or Wentz which would be dumber than trading for Darnold.

Id at least shoot the Texans an offer, see if we valued get a shot at Watson but other than that, none of the others intrigue me any

Watson is the guy and it is ripe for the taking, if not I could live with Stafford but hell no to Wentz, Darnold, or Dak :thmup:

AwesomeAustin · January 10

14 minutes ago, funktacious2 said:

Honestly I can live with any of the options. Roll with Rivers again? Sure, I think we can improve still with him as long as he plays as good next year as this year. Acquire a veteran? I have some concerns about some of then but I ultimately could be okay with all of the guys that come to mind. Draft a rookie? We yeah, that'd be awesome if they can become elite. There is no slam dunk I see tbh. Just gonna have to trust Ballard to make us better.

I love this!! I’m not going to * and moan either way. I will wait and see what Ballard does and accept it. We won’t know everything that brought the Colts to their decision. Trust the process and accept how they do their jobs.

coming on strong · January 10

3 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

Appreciate the long thoughtful post.

But there is a a big speed bump on your #2.

Wentz and Darnold are under contract to other teams, so we can’t just sign them. We’d have to trade for them. And Prescott can be hit with the franchise tag which Dallas is highly likely to do. Other QBs are signed as well. Jimmy G is still signed in SF, Matt Ryan is still signed in Atl, and Matt Stafford is signed with Detroit.

All of which limits our options at this moment.

The Colts may not decide what they want to do until March. Or... we might decide quickly to bring back Rivers for one more year and try to surround him with a better team.

darnold and wentz value is super low right now , colts could get either of them for a late pick

luv_pony_express · January 10

20 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I think he might, he gave a first round pick to get Buckner and he values picks 2-4 more than anything. It makes sense to me. Watson could probably win a SB here.

I agree that Ballard seems to like using 1st round picks as bargaining chips (that is: other teams overvalue them and he capitalizes on that).

With Buckner, he gave up one first for one proven, needed player. But three? How would he know who’s likely to be on the board (and now off the table) in the two future drafts?

Anyway, whether Ballard would do it or not isn’t the issue. Houston seems determined to do whatever it takes to keep DW there. They have all but given him a veto pen over the selection of their head coach. It’s harder to ask for a trade when you are playing for a hand-picked coach.

And if they do entertain offers for him, we’d have to outbid the other suitors by quite a bit...we’re a division rival.

2006Coltsbestever · January 10

1 minute ago, luv_pony_express said:

I agree that Ballard seems to like using 1st round picks as bargaining chips (that is: other teams overvalue them and he capitalizes on that).

With Buckner, he gave up one first for one proven, needed player. But three? How would he know who’s likely to be on the board (and now off the table) in the two future drafts?

Anyway, whether Ballard would do it or not isn’t the issue. Houston seems determined to do whatever it takes to keep DW there. They have all but given him a veto pen over the selection of their head coach. It’s harder to ask for a trade when you are playing for a hand-picked coach.

And if they do entertain offers for him, we’d have to outbid the other suitors by quite a bit...we’re a division rival.

I agree to a point but 3 first round picks is a lot + Eason. It may be a dream but I just think it is fair for both sides if the guy wants out. Houston is a mess and their best player is unhappy. We need a franchise QB to put us over the top. It probably will never happen but just a thought.

csmopar · January 10

3 minutes ago, luv_pony_express said:

I agree that Ballard seems to like using 1st round picks as bargaining chips (that is: other teams overvalue them and he capitalizes on that).

With Buckner, he gave up one first for one proven, needed player. But three? How would he know who’s likely to be on the board (and now off the table) in the two future drafts?

Anyway, whether Ballard would do it or not isn’t the issue. Houston seems determined to do whatever it takes to keep DW there. They have all but given him a veto pen over the selection of their head coach. It’s harder to ask for a trade when you are playing for a hand-picked coach.

And if they do entertain offers for him, we’d have to outbid the other suitors by quite a bit...we’re a division rival.

Actually, they broke that promise already. And if you’ve followed along over the weekend, Watson has said they didn’t do any of what they promised. He’s also been talking to teammates about possibly seeking a trade or a cut

luv_pony_express · January 10

3 minutes ago, coming on strong said:

darnold and wentz value is super low right now , colts could get either of them for a late pick

I agree that we should avoid Wentz at all costs. He hasn’t looked good for quite a while now and I can’t imagine what it took for Pederson to bench a $128M guy (who they cleared the decks for) in favor of a 2nd round rookie, who isn’t even a great passer, in Jalen Hurts.

And Wentz is actually still playing on his rookie contract. His 4 year extension kicks in after next season.

No way Jose.

I don’t think we should write Darnold off quite so easily, though.

pacolts56 · January 10

2 minutes ago, csmopar said:

Actually, they broke that promise already. And if you’ve followed along over the weekend, Watson has said they didn’t do any of what they promised. He’s also been talking to teammates about possibly seeking a trade or a cut

No question Watson is plenty fed up with the dysfunction in Houston.

But do you think Houston would even fathom a trade to the Colts.... or that Ballard would ever consider the price tag for such a deal?

Can and will a trade happen? It’s a distinct possibility for sure.... just not to the Colts.

Breeze · January 10

I certainly wouldn’t argue against a QB upgrade, but not by mortgaging the current and near future of this team. They are right there...even with a 39 year old QB who by all measures had an outstanding season in this system. We were in every game this year except the COVID cursed Tennessee game. We beat the NFC #1 seed and essentially dominated the AFC #2 seed. This is a well coached, very good roster which suffers from the occasional self inflicted in game head scratchers. Clean that up in the off season and a lot of your problems are solved. Admittedly I’m not as concerned with the QB situation as I think they have something in Eason. If a 39 year old with no mobility, limited arm strength, and diminishing pocket presence can thrive in this system, I believe Eason will do just fine.

LJpalmbeacher2 · January 10

4 hours ago, ThorstenDenmark said:

With the first pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars select - Trevor Lawrence... we all know that, and what he's supposed to bring to that team.

We also know that Deshaun Watson will stay put in Houston, and that Tennessee is a well coached team, which bring us to our Colts.

Right now, as of today, we don't have any starting QB, as Rivers is a free agent and even if he returns for another year, we can't expect much better from him than what we got this season.

We also know he needs offseason surgery and that he will turn 40 in december.

Im not the biggest Rivers fan, but he's good enough to get us to the playoffs, but then it's game over like last night We had a fair chance, but we just fell short in so many ways, that its head scratching and you shout argh come on guys.

If we should have had a run with Rivers in the playoffs, THIS WAS THE YEAR.

The Colts have a lot of pieces in place, which we saw this season, but we are one or two players and plays away from being there, and now, instead of reaching the top of the mountain, I can see this team regress, if Ballard choose to bring back Rivers for one last dance.

This offseason might be the single most important since drafting Andrew Luck, as Ballard needs to choose our starting QB for the 2021 season with care.

I see three possible scenarios for us this offseason, that have very different outcome going forward for this team.

1.

They bring back Rivers, and due to a much tougher schedule next season compared to this year, we are stuck in the middle with a record in the range of 6-10 / 8-8 and no playoff.

Which give us a draft pick just outside the top 10 in 2022, based on this years record and draft order.

2.

We let Rivers walk and Ballard / Colts sign either Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz or Sam Darnold. All three QB´s with upside compared to Rivers as they are younger and in the right circumstances can be successful behind our O-line and take this team to the next level going forward. I know Dak might be franchised tagged once again by Dallas and Darnold have yet to show how good he can be, but behind our O-line and in Reichs system, I see him develop and become better. Wentz will likely cost some draft picks, but Reich know how to get the best out of him.

With one of these QB´s I see us having a much better chance next season and going forward, than by keeping Rivers, and though we next season might fall short of the playoffs, we could compete in the AFC South for years to come.

3.

We draft a young QB in the first round, possibly by trading up in the draft for Mac Jones, Kyle Trask or Trey Lance, and we are settled for the future and bring in some complementary pieces to help this young QB succeed.

We would have cap enough to sign big Q and Leonard come 2022, and still have room to sign free agents that could elevate this team and give us a fair chance for success going forward in a QB heavy AFC South.

So, this offseason is darn important for Ballard and he needs to get it right, as we are so close to getting there, but Rivers ain't the answer, at least I don't think he is the one that can take this team to the next level.

I agree with much of your post.

Depending on how Ballard addresses the most important and most difficult position in sports to hit on, our 2020 season might have been the best season we'll see in a while.

As we seen yesterday, we were at a major disadvantage on the field when came to Rivers vs Allen. That's the way it will be going forward if we dont get a top QB.

The 2 most important people on the field are the QB and the HC. And going forward, we're lacking in both.

jszfunk · January 10

1 hour ago, luv_pony_express said:

Man, we see a lot of pipedreamy posts, but this might well be the pipedreamiest of them all.

If only putting together an NFL roster — with a “franchise quarterback” — were that easy.

I agree . I always get a chuckle when I read, " We need a franchise qb. " That pops up alot. Well ,yeah who doesn't?!?. A lot of teams do. Easy statement to make, but like it was mentioned, it ain't that easy. I think alot of folks got spolied with the back to back of Manning and Luck. Every team wishes and dreams for one....just a few have one.

Chrisaaron1023 · January 10

57 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

We are right there as long as the QB just plays good, doesn't have to be great. We played toe to toe with Buffalo who many think can beat KC and go to the SB.

I think that narrative is toned down now. The sports world saw the bills rip apart some horrible teams, thought they'd smash us and waltz into the bowl. It was kinda annoying lol. They won't be KC.

But honestly watching that game yesterday, I said multiple times that the QB position is changing so much. Rivers, Brady, Brees are so pre snap reading defenses and making the right throws. But Mahhomes, Allen, Watson, Rodgers(not as much anymore) can just run around and escape pressure and find a wide open dude. DB's can't cover forever. They seriously are playing backyard football, and it's freaking hard to stop. I said our Defense played one of their best games yesterday. And we lost to backyard football Allen. And now we'll be playing that type of QB 4 time just in our division..

Nesjan3 · January 10

id have to say we have one the most complete teams in the NFL as Irsay put it , i completely agree. Its a quarterback driven league though and the best teams are the teams with the best Quarterbacks and we just dont have that

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Without a Franchise QB - The window is Closing for the Colts

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