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Rhodes leaving Indy?


tweezy32

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1 minute ago, GoColts8818 said:

Could be but probably a little soon for that to be known.  A lot of players have temporary home in the city where they play during the season and their family lives else were.  He could be talking about that.  

Hopefully he’s just getting a bigger contract from us and wants a bigger house!!

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26 minutes ago, Colts1324 said:

It might not mean anything, but I don't see why he would say that. Many players use Twitter as a way to communicate to other teams they want out. It's a legal way to tell other teams he will be available & open for bidding

He is a free agent.   It isn't a secret

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Regardless if we re-sign him or not. Colts need a CB. The drop off after him is there. We’re stuck between a “Rock” and a hard place. He’s still on his rookie deal. Cheap to keep! He needs to get his head around to look for the ball a second sooner. He’s 50/50 in terms of what he gives us. There is still time for him to learn. We can hardly “Tell” what Marvell will give us. Don’t have enough of a sample. 

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1 hour ago, Colts1324 said:

It might not mean anything, but I don't see why he would say that. Many players use Twitter as a way to communicate to other teams they want out. It's a legal way to tell other teams he will be available & open for bidding

I get the feeling he doesn't want out of Indy. He has made multiple posts over this season talking about how much he enjoys the Colts. We're also very well-known around the league for the great atmosphere in our locker room, and Rhodes just had a career revival with us. If Rhodes moves on, I would almost bet money on it being Ballard that decides that, not Rhodes.

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The only thing I read out of of this, is he hates moving in general lol. And perhaps he wanted to hint that he likes Indy.

 

I'm sure he had a temp house, or apartment, so this isn't like a goodbye tweet.

 

He should absolutely be a priority to bring back. I really wish we could have signed him to a 2 year deal last year. 3 years in hindsight. 

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From the Colts.com front page (admittedly, I haven't had time to watch the full presser):  https://www.colts.com/news/chris-ballard-philip-rivers-ty-hilton-xavier-rhodes-2020-season-press-conference

 

Ballard on

 Cornerback Xavier Rhodes: "Xavier had a heck of a year; really bought into what we are doing. I give (cornerbacks coach) Jonathan Gannon a lot of credit for that. He had a relationship with Xavier from Minnesota. Xavier worked and bought into everything we're doing. I think we will wait and see how it works out here in free agency, but we like Xavier."

 

______________________________

Typical Ballard, not really saying too much (though, he did seem to acknowledge we may not bring back Anthony Walker or Mack, with more obvious statements on them).  

 

As we have decent cap space, a definite need at CB (even if Tell comes back and performs well), and multiple other positions to address (OL, DL, QB, WR, TE) this offseason (either retaining our own FAs, signing others or through the draft), my guess is that it'd make sense for Xavier Rhodes to be brought back on another short deal (1-2 years).  He knows the system, he played well in it, and if we lose him, we undoubtedly need to go for a CB earlier on in the draft or go after a higher end FA (or, face the reality of seriously struggling at that position next season).

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17 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

From the Colts.com front page (admittedly, I haven't had time to watch the full presser):  https://www.colts.com/news/chris-ballard-philip-rivers-ty-hilton-xavier-rhodes-2020-season-press-conference

 

Ballard on

 Cornerback Xavier Rhodes: "Xavier had a heck of a year; really bought into what we are doing. I give (cornerbacks coach) Jonathan Gannon a lot of credit for that. He had a relationship with Xavier from Minnesota. Xavier worked and bought into everything we're doing. I think we will wait and see how it works out here in free agency, but we like Xavier."

 

______________________________

Typical Ballard, not really saying too much (though, he did seem to acknowledge we may not bring back Anthony Walker or Mack, with more obvious statements on them).  

 

As we have decent cap space, a definite need at CB (even if Tell comes back and performs well), and multiple other positions to address (OL, DL, QB, WR, TE) this offseason (either retaining our own FAs, signing others or through the draft), my guess is that it'd make sense for Xavier Rhodes to be brought back on another short deal (1-2 years).  He knows the system, he played well in it, and if we lose him, we undoubtedly need to go for a CB earlier on in the draft or go after a higher end FA (or, face the reality of seriously struggling at that position next season).

If you listen to the presser he doesn’t seem to think WR and TE are as big of needs as some here do.

 

Honestly I think you can take his quote one if two ways.  1.  He’s going to wait and see what the market/Rhodes agent thinks is a fair contract and then make a decision or 2.  A lot of the vets decisions may depend on what they do at QB.  If they sign Rivers or acquire another vet they are more likely to keep the other vets on short term deals and take one more run at it.  If they go with a younger unproven QB they might let the vets walk and take a little step back but look to acquire other young guys to grow with the young QB.  

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3 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

If you listen to the presser he doesn’t seem to think WR and TE are as big of needs as some here do.

 

Honestly I think you can take his quote one if two ways.  1.  He’s going to wait and see what the market/Rhodes agent thinks is a fair contract and then make a decision or 2.  A lot of the vets decisions may depend on what they do at QB.  If they sign Rivers or acquire another vet they are more likely to keep the other vets on short term deals and take one more run at it.  If they go with a younger unproven QB they might let the vets walk and take a little step back but look to acquire other young guys to grow with the young QB.  

 

Yes, I'll have to give the presser an in depth listen.  

 

He never seems to think WR is a major position of concern.  I do think Pittman is a good player.  I think Campbell is a good player, though he has done absolutely nothing to show us as fans or Ballard and the coaching staff that he can stay healthy... Pascal's a solid 3-4 WR, IMO, but nothing more than that... D. Harris is definitely an intriguing guy (potentially as a slot WR or in a hybrid role, somewhat similar to Hines).. I like Dulin and think he can be OK as a 4-5 WR and he's also very solid on ST... I was not very impressed with Reece Fountain (time is sort of running out on him)... I don't doubt Patmon can be a solid WR, but haven't seen anything (I'll have to listen to see if Ballard specifically mentioned him at all)... and then from what I read Ballard says they like TY, valuable leader, will try to bring him back but he'll be in a diminished role.

 

In short -- a lot of IFs for me at WR... IF Pittman continues to develop and stays healthy (and reduces his penalties, he seemed to have 1 stupid penalty per game down the stretch)... IF Campbell comes back healthy and stays healthy over 16 games... IF Patmon develops to the point where he is activated on Sundays and plays to his potential.... IF Pascal stays where he is at or continues improving... IF Dulin  and Harris continue developing and improve on last year...... IF TY re-signs, and he's solid in a limited role..... then, MAYBE, we'll have a pretty good stable of WRs (especially IF we have a decent QB slinging the rock).

 

At TE.. Burton and MAC are FAs (granted MAC is an ERFA).  Burton made >$900k in 2020.  He played OK when he played.  Most of the time he impressed me, but it did seem like every time he got tackled or hit the ground he was banged up somehow (he did miss 3 full games and portions of others).  Burton had 28 receptions last year on 47 targets... not exactly mind blowing.  Doyle is making >$4.3 mil and missed 2 full games to injury last season and portions of others, and his 23 receptions on 33 targets really were not very impressive (he did a solid job as a blocker, but considering how Reich and RIvers have a history using TEs, I wasn't blown away by Doyle).  MAC only missed 1 full game, but he seemed to struggle being banged up a bit as well... to me, he was our most impressive TE and did pretty well as a blocker, and led our TEs in receiving with 31 receptions on 39 targets for 394 yards (Doyle had 251, Burton 250).  

 

All in all, I don't think we were awful at TE last year, but I certainly think there is room for improvement... also, MAC made >$535k in 2020, he'll demand more moving forward... Burton will want >$1mil more likely than not... Doyle is making ~$4.5 mil... 

 

We are going to have to sink more $ into the TE position in 2021 if we retain MAC and Burton (unless Doyle is released or restructures).  Again, not that we are 'bad' with Burton, MAC, Doyle... certainly not great there and other than a few games where MAC went off, and a few plays where Burton stretched the field out... our TE group wasn't really that dynamic in the receiving portion of the game.

 

In all, Hines had 63 receptions which led the team.  TY had 56... we had only 2 other WRs with 40+ receptions (Pascal with 44, Pittman with 40).  JT (36 receptions) and MAC (31) are the only other guys on the team with 30+ receptions... https://www.espn.com/nfl/team/stats/_/name/ind/season/2020/seasontype/2

 

Impressive that Rivers spread the ball out so much... but really, we had no actual serious receiving threat in 2020 who was consistent over the course of the season.  We had Marcus Johnson come in and get a few big grabs when teams weren't game planning for him and then he fell off the map.

 

So -- maybe I'm unjustified, but I have a bit of concern at WR and TE moving forward -- especially if we don't have a vet like Rivers who can distribute the ball around (it's pretty common for young guys to have a favorite WR and a few reliable guys that they may look at more than others).  

 

-----------

I understand and agree with you in terms of letting the market set itself and seeing what to do with Rhodes and his agent.  I'm a bit unsure about your second point, which I bolded, though.  Irsay seems to fully support Ballard/Reich.  That said, of course Irsay's not going to go public and bash either one of them (nor should he, as they've both done well at their jobs for the most part).... we have a team which has some studs going into the end of their rookie contracts (e.g., Leonard, Nelson, Smith, Hines) and other players who are young, but not that young (e.g., Buckner, Glow, Kelly, Stewart, MAC)... just with that core, we shouldn't be in a 'rebuild'.  We do have to figure out the long term QB situation.. but, we also shouldn't do that by 'tanking' or taking time to step back.  More likely than not the Jags will have Trevor L and they'll be improving, the Titans are solid, who knows what'll happen in Houston -- but look at JJ Watt telling DeShaun Watson walking off the field 'Sorry, we wasted a season of your career' -- I highly doubt guys like Leonard, Nelson, Smith, Hines, Buckner, Kelly, Glow, Stewart, etc.. are going to be cool with 'taking a step back' for a few years as they are entering their primes (maybe Glow is entering the tail end of his prime).  Guys like Nelson, Leonard, Smith (who aren't extended like Kelly, Buckner, Stewart are) will be able to demand top dollar at their positions and we'll only be able to franchise 1 of the 3 if we don't lock them up before their rookie contracts run out -- and if I were any of them, I want to go play for a contender during my prime, not be willing to 'take a step back' and let Ballard tell me he's looking into the long-term success of the franchise by just deciding to 'take a step back' and let some of the studs (e.g., X. Rhodes) leave when we should have a chance to be AFC South champs and maybe more.

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9 hours ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

Yes, I'll have to give the presser an in depth listen.  

 

He never seems to think WR is a major position of concern.  I do think Pittman is a good player.  I think Campbell is a good player, though he has done absolutely nothing to show us as fans or Ballard and the coaching staff that he can stay healthy... Pascal's a solid 3-4 WR, IMO, but nothing more than that... D. Harris is definitely an intriguing guy (potentially as a slot WR or in a hybrid role, somewhat similar to Hines).. I like Dulin and think he can be OK as a 4-5 WR and he's also very solid on ST... I was not very impressed with Reece Fountain (time is sort of running out on him)... I don't doubt Patmon can be a solid WR, but haven't seen anything (I'll have to listen to see if Ballard specifically mentioned him at all)... and then from what I read Ballard says they like TY, valuable leader, will try to bring him back but he'll be in a diminished role.

 

In short -- a lot of IFs for me at WR... IF Pittman continues to develop and stays healthy (and reduces his penalties, he seemed to have 1 stupid penalty per game down the stretch)... IF Campbell comes back healthy and stays healthy over 16 games... IF Patmon develops to the point where he is activated on Sundays and plays to his potential.... IF Pascal stays where he is at or continues improving... IF Dulin  and Harris continue developing and improve on last year...... IF TY re-signs, and he's solid in a limited role..... then, MAYBE, we'll have a pretty good stable of WRs (especially IF we have a decent QB slinging the rock).

 

At TE.. Burton and MAC are FAs (granted MAC is an ERFA).  Burton made >$900k in 2020.  He played OK when he played.  Most of the time he impressed me, but it did seem like every time he got tackled or hit the ground he was banged up somehow (he did miss 3 full games and portions of others).  Burton had 28 receptions last year on 47 targets... not exactly mind blowing.  Doyle is making >$4.3 mil and missed 2 full games to injury last season and portions of others, and his 23 receptions on 33 targets really were not very impressive (he did a solid job as a blocker, but considering how Reich and RIvers have a history using TEs, I wasn't blown away by Doyle).  MAC only missed 1 full game, but he seemed to struggle being banged up a bit as well... to me, he was our most impressive TE and did pretty well as a blocker, and led our TEs in receiving with 31 receptions on 39 targets for 394 yards (Doyle had 251, Burton 250).  

 

All in all, I don't think we were awful at TE last year, but I certainly think there is room for improvement... also, MAC made >$535k in 2020, he'll demand more moving forward... Burton will want >$1mil more likely than not... Doyle is making ~$4.5 mil... 

 

We are going to have to sink more $ into the TE position in 2021 if we retain MAC and Burton (unless Doyle is released or restructures).  Again, not that we are 'bad' with Burton, MAC, Doyle... certainly not great there and other than a few games where MAC went off, and a few plays where Burton stretched the field out... our TE group wasn't really that dynamic in the receiving portion of the game.

 

In all, Hines had 63 receptions which led the team.  TY had 56... we had only 2 other WRs with 40+ receptions (Pascal with 44, Pittman with 40).  JT (36 receptions) and MAC (31) are the only other guys on the team with 30+ receptions... https://www.espn.com/nfl/team/stats/_/name/ind/season/2020/seasontype/2

 

Impressive that Rivers spread the ball out so much... but really, we had no actual serious receiving threat in 2020 who was consistent over the course of the season.  We had Marcus Johnson come in and get a few big grabs when teams weren't game planning for him and then he fell off the map.

 

So -- maybe I'm unjustified, but I have a bit of concern at WR and TE moving forward -- especially if we don't have a vet like Rivers who can distribute the ball around (it's pretty common for young guys to have a favorite WR and a few reliable guys that they may look at more than others).  

 

-----------

I understand and agree with you in terms of letting the market set itself and seeing what to do with Rhodes and his agent.  I'm a bit unsure about your second point, which I bolded, though.  Irsay seems to fully support Ballard/Reich.  That said, of course Irsay's not going to go public and bash either one of them (nor should he, as they've both done well at their jobs for the most part).... we have a team which has some studs going into the end of their rookie contracts (e.g., Leonard, Nelson, Smith, Hines) and other players who are young, but not that young (e.g., Buckner, Glow, Kelly, Stewart, MAC)... just with that core, we shouldn't be in a 'rebuild'.  We do have to figure out the long term QB situation.. but, we also shouldn't do that by 'tanking' or taking time to step back.  More likely than not the Jags will have Trevor L and they'll be improving, the Titans are solid, who knows what'll happen in Houston -- but look at JJ Watt telling DeShaun Watson walking off the field 'Sorry, we wasted a season of your career' -- I highly doubt guys like Leonard, Nelson, Smith, Hines, Buckner, Kelly, Glow, Stewart, etc.. are going to be cool with 'taking a step back' for a few years as they are entering their primes (maybe Glow is entering the tail end of his prime).  Guys like Nelson, Leonard, Smith (who aren't extended like Kelly, Buckner, Stewart are) will be able to demand top dollar at their positions and we'll only be able to franchise 1 of the 3 if we don't lock them up before their rookie contracts run out -- and if I were any of them, I want to go play for a contender during my prime, not be willing to 'take a step back' and let Ballard tell me he's looking into the long-term success of the franchise by just deciding to 'take a step back' and let some of the studs (e.g., X. Rhodes) leave when we should have a chance to be AFC South champs and maybe more.

 

I think they need WR and TE big time. The Colts are a dome team...the offense should be full of weapons...not a bunch of "ifs."

 

Setting aside QB...which is the priority...the Colts pass catchers also don't really match up to the teams they have to beat to win a SB. 

 

I love the WR group in the draft...but I also think it's going to open up the FA and trade market as well. The Colts should be adding a proven vet WR this offseason.

 

At TE...the average age is ~29. Doyle is a TE2 at most at this point. I wouldn't be surprised if hung it up after this season (definitely next). MAC is an ERFA...and while I am sure they will tender him a contract...they didn't give him the opportunity to take the next step this year...so there's no way to go into next season with him as the top TE. Then there's Burton. I was happy to be wrong about him coming back...but he doesn't really offer anything they couldn't get elsewhere. He's basically

 

So basically...you have a pair of TE2s and no real dynamic threat. This offseason could see some younger TE options become available in FA/trade...and it's a pretty good draft group. So I hope they take advantage.

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Chris Ballard needs to find a way to keep Xavier Rhodes in Indianapolis for at least two more years. Kenny Moore is the only solid and reliable CB on the roster, but he plays the slot. Rock Ya-Sin is such a huge question mark, which makes keeping Rhodes a Colt that much more important. I'm all for bringing TJ Carrie back for depth. Marvell Tell missed out on a huge opportunity this past season when he decided to sit out the 2020 season.

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On 1/12/2021 at 8:39 PM, chickenMan said:

I get the feeling he doesn't want out of Indy. He has made multiple posts over this season talking about how much he enjoys the Colts. We're also very well-known around the league for the great atmosphere in our locker room, and Rhodes just had a career revival with us. If Rhodes moves on, I would almost bet money on it being Ballard that decides that, not Rhodes.

MONEY MONEY MONEY TALKS 

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6 hours ago, colts8718 said:

MONEY MONEY MONEY TALKS 

Sure, but so do championships. The Colts are poised to win for the next five or so years. I don't know if a guy like Rhodes, who doesn't have too many years left, would want to waste years of potential winning on a team like the Lions or the Jets just because they'll pay him a little more. Losing hurts, a lot. That's my thought, anyways.

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On 1/15/2021 at 12:33 AM, CurBeatElite said:

From the Colts.com front page (admittedly, I haven't had time to watch the full presser):  https://www.colts.com/news/chris-ballard-philip-rivers-ty-hilton-xavier-rhodes-2020-season-press-conference

 

Ballard on

 Cornerback Xavier Rhodes: "Xavier had a heck of a year; really bought into what we are doing. I give (cornerbacks coach) Jonathan Gannon a lot of credit for that. He had a relationship with Xavier from Minnesota. Xavier worked and bought into everything we're doing. I think we will wait and see how it works out here in free agency, but we like Xavier."

 

______________________________

Typical Ballard, not really saying too much (though, he did seem to acknowledge we may not bring back Anthony Walker or Mack, with more obvious statements on them).  

 

As we have decent cap space, a definite need at CB (even if Tell comes back and performs well), and multiple other positions to address (OL, DL, QB, WR, TE) this offseason (either retaining our own FAs, signing others or through the draft), my guess is that it'd make sense for Xavier Rhodes to be brought back on another short deal (1-2 years).  He knows the system, he played well in it, and if we lose him, we undoubtedly need to go for a CB earlier on in the draft or go after a higher end FA (or, face the reality of seriously struggling at that position next season).

it should depend on who is available in free agency . Rhodes is good but is turning 31 next year, if someone younger is available we should move on and get younger .  If the market isnt good then we should sign rhodes again .

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17 hours ago, chickenMan said:

Sure, but so do championships. The Colts are poised to win for the next five or so years. I don't know if a guy like Rhodes, who doesn't have too many years left, would want to waste years of potential winning on a team like the Lions or the Jets just because they'll pay him a little more. Losing hurts, a lot. That's my thought, anyways.

Good point after watching both Buffalo and Baltimore I still think were the better team

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On 1/16/2021 at 8:43 PM, coming on strong said:

it should depend on who is available in free agency . Rhodes is good but is turning 31 next year, if someone younger is available we should move on and get younger .  If the market isnt good then we should sign rhodes again .

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/all/cornerback/

 

I get what you're saying and tend to agree.  There may be some cuts so the list in the link above may not be 100% complete... but we have a pretty good idea of who is available in FA (another factor is if any of those guys get franchise tagged).  

 

On the list above Xavier Rhodes, most of the guys are 29 or older (the exceptions being Mike Hilton 27, Michael Davis 26 and Mackensie Alexander 28).  So, not exactly a lot of quality 'young' guys out there (as of now anyway).  Several of the guys above Rhodes who are 29 are older also missed time in 2020 to injury (Josh Norman, Richard Sherman, DJ Hayden, Hilton, Alexander, Kevin Johnson, Brian Poole).  Then, Patrick Peterson is same age as Xavier, but he made >$11 mil more than him last year.

 

Ballard definitely seems to prefer taller guys on the outside CB spots... Hilton at 5'9" doesn't really fit Ballard's prototype... Davis at 6'2" seems to, and Alexander at 5'10" is kind of border line.  Ronald Darby (27) right below Rhodes is 5'11" so another borderline guy.  

 

Obviously, Rhodes will have some ability to test the market... but I doubt he's going to be getting any offers which are significantly more than what we paid him last year.  

 

Rhodes has familiarity with our DB coach from prior to Indy.  He fits our scheme well.  He played well here in 2020 and we likely won't have to break the bank on him.  I don't know we'll find a better option in FA based on who is available now.

 

CB is definitely a position where we need help (especially if we lose Rhodes)... but we also need to do something to address the QB issue, the OT void left by AC's retirement, overall OL depth, and DL (especially with Houston and Autry both being FAs and both being on the wrong side of 30).  More likely than not, we need to do something to address the WR position and TE position (could be as easy as resigning MAC and Burton).  We only have so many draft picks, and my guess is we'll go OT early... plus, CB is one of the toughest positions to thrive at as a rookie.  

 

Ideally, we'd get younger across the board.. but we probably won't be able to do that... I could be wrong, but my guess it that we'll bring Rhodes back on another short term deal (maybe 2 years this time).  

 

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