Fisher Signing 1 Year Deal

[EastStreet]

14 minutes ago, BornHoosier said:

BINGO!  This staff realized our #1 deficiency and that is our lack of getting to the QB.  We can no longer wait for Turray to become that force and they went out and spent our 1st and 2nd rd picks of the 2021 draft on edge rushers.  If Turray gives us anything in 2021 it will be a bonus and actually give our 2nd rd pick time to recover from injury before he is counted on.  We may have finished 15th but it felt like 32nd with the lack of an aggressive blitz game plan and a true legit pass rusher.  I hope Irsay is correct in stating he has never in his life seen this type of edge rushing talent go back to back but I like the fact this team sees there biggest weakness and addresses it.  If only they saw the weakness at the wr position like I do but if you have a back like Taylor and a top 5 OL, who cares about the qb or wr position.

My point is, your earlier posts kind of suggest our D will be top notch this year. We didn't upgrade the DBs. We still have the same conservative zone and low blitzing scheme and coaches. Yes, we added a good DE, and one that might be good in the next 2-3 years, but DEs typically take a year or two anyway. Overall, I expect our D will be the same or maybe even take a step back this year. 

 

On the QB spot... I disagree on only needing a top 15 guy. A top 15 guy will get you into the playoffs with a solid team behind him. You still need a top 5 or 10 QB if you want to progress and win a SB. It's a rare blue moon to win with 15ish or lower QB.

1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

What if Denver lands Rodgers? That will be scary.

Yup. Would be a great landing spot for him. 

I still think he stays in GB, but I also think it's best if they part ways.

[Stephen]

27 minutes ago, BornHoosier said:

BINGO!  This staff realized our #1 deficiency and that is our lack of getting to the QB.  We can no longer wait for Turray to become that force and they went out and spent our 1st and 2nd rd picks of the 2021 draft on edge rushers.  If Turray gives us anything in 2021 it will be a bonus and actually give our 2nd rd pick time to recover from injury before he is counted on.  We may have finished 15th but it felt like 32nd with the lack of an aggressive blitz game plan and a true legit pass rusher.  I hope Irsay is correct in stating he has never in his life seen this type of edge rushing talent go back to back but I like the fact this team sees there biggest weakness and addresses it.  If only they saw the weakness at the wr position like I do but if you have a back like Taylor and a top 5 OL, who cares about the qb or wr position.

Banagou  to

[EastStreet]

5 minutes ago, BornHoosier said:

Do they have a top 10 running game, a top 10 OL or a top 10 Defense like we do?  Rodgers problem is his salary got in the way of fielding a championship team plus their draft strategy the last couple years.  Neglected giving arguably the best qb in the game viable weapons at the wr position much like our colts.  Does he make them contenders, why yes but I feel we are built in the trenches where they are not.

We do not have a top 10 D......

 

Broncos have a very good LT, drafted a great C, and will have their RT back this year. They also drafted the best RB in the draft, and still have Gordon. They had an off year defensively, but they drafted the best CB in the draft, and Miller will be back. Overall, Denver has had a good profile of D and running the ball through the years.

[BornHoosier]

1 minute ago, EastStreet said:

My point is, your earlier posts kind of suggest our D will be top notch this year. We didn't upgrade the DBs. We still have the same conservative zone and low blitzing scheme and coaches. Yes, we added a good DE, and one that might be good in the next 2-3 years, but DEs typically take a year or two anyway. Overall, I expect our D will be the same or maybe even take a step back this year. 

 

On the QB spot... I disagree on only needing a top 15 guy. A top 15 guy will get you into the playoffs with a solid team behind him. You still need a top 5 or 10 QB if you want to progress and win a SB. It's a rare blue moon to win with 15ish or lower QB.

Yup. Would be a great landing spot for him. 

I still think he stays in GB, but I also think it's best if they part ways.

This D is built on getting pressure from the front 4 and clearly we did not in 2020.  I don't think Ballard drafted Paye to be a star in yr 2 or 3 and if you watch their reaction they expect results in 2021.  We did bring back Rhodes which is huge and on the other side Sin and Carry should take the next step or could be another 2nd rd bust for Ballard.  I agree, the conservative zone and low blitzing scheme drove me crazy but with all that we still have two all pros in Leonard and Buckner leading the charge.  

 

When your 15th qb in the league is Baker Mayfield or Matt Ryan I disagree with your statement.  Yes top 10 would ideal but this team just needs consistency regardless of rankings.  If Wentz is top 5 there is no doubt this team is championship caliber but if all other pieces fall I can see us still being competitive regardless. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

5 minutes ago, BornHoosier said:

Do they have a top 10 running game, a top 10 OL or a top 10 Defense like we do?  Rodgers problem is his salary got in the way of fielding a championship team plus their draft strategy the last couple years.  Neglected giving arguably the best qb in the game viable weapons at the wr position much like our colts.  Does he make them contenders, why yes but I feel we are built in the trenches where they are not.

Their defense had an off year last season but Von Miller missed the whole season. If he comes back at full strength and the addition of Patrick Surtain, their D will be good again IMO. Rodgers would still make Denver very good, maybe great because he is a top 3 Qb in the league at worse.

[BornHoosier]

5 minutes ago, EastStreet said:

We do not have a top 10 D......

 

Broncos have a very good LT, drafted a great C, and will have their RT back this year. They also drafted the best RB in the draft, and still have Gordon. They had an off year defensively, but they drafted the best CB in the draft, and Miller will be back. Overall, Denver has had a good profile of D and running the ball through the years.

You forgot that we have great success vs the Broncos but can't never beat the Steelers, Chargers or Patriots.  Not even worried about the Broncos but the others give me nightmares.  

[BornHoosier]

3 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Their defense had an off year last season but Von Miller missed the whole season. If he comes back at full strength and the addition of Patrick Surtain, their D will be good again IMO. Rodgers would still make Denver very good, maybe great because he is a top 3 Qb in the league at worse.

An aging veteran coming off major injury where have I heard that before?  Our OL + plus Jonathon Taylor how do they stack up against that powerhouse?  I feel our D is well underrated and will be a factor in this when all said is done.

[BornHoosier]

13 minutes ago, EastStreet said:

We do not have a top 10 D......

With 2 ALL PROS in Buckner and Leonard, how in the heck do we not have a top 10 D?  I think I know the answer but curious what everybody else thinks.  Coaching, scheme, pass rush???

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, BornHoosier said:

An aging veteran coming off major injury where have I heard that before?  Our OL + plus Jonathon Taylor how do they stack up against that powerhouse?  I feel our D is well underrated and will be a factor in this when all said is done.

I just look at many teams as pretty even, when teams play each other now it is about executing better and taking care of the football to get the win. Most games can go either way when you play a team that is on your level. When we had Peyton, Reggie, Marvin, Freeney, Mathis, and Sanders we could make mistakes and still win most of our games. We were a powerhouse then. With the team we have now, yes we are good but to beat the good teams we have to play close to mistake free. 

[BornHoosier]

1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I just look at many teams as pretty even, when teams play each other now it is about executing better and taking care of the football to get the win. Most games can go either way when you play a team that is on your level. When we had Peyton, Reggie, Marvin, Freeney, Mathis, and Sanders we could make mistakes and still win most of our games. We were a powerhouse then. With the team we have now, yes we are good but to beat the good teams we have to play close to mistake free. 

It seems the last couple yrs came down to in game coaching decisions and missed kicks.  If I have to see another game lost to a missed extra point or an easy field goal I might just lose my crap.  The going for two in the playoff game was inexcusable as you never do it until the last 5 min of the game when it is on the line because you never know how things are going to work out.  Imagine if all we needed was a fg to beat the bills??  Stop beating ourselves.

[EastStreet]

6 minutes ago, BornHoosier said:

This D is built on getting pressure from the front 4 and clearly we did not in 2020.  I don't think Ballard drafted Paye to be a star in yr 2 or 3 and if you watch their reaction they expect results in 2021.  We did bring back Rhodes which is huge and on the other side Sin and Carry should take the next step or could be another 2nd rd bust for Ballard.  I agree, the conservative zone and low blitzing scheme drove me crazy but with all that we still have two all pros in Leonard and Buckner leading the charge.  

 

When your 15th qb in the league is Baker Mayfield or Matt Ryan I disagree with your statement.  Yes top 10 would ideal but this team just needs consistency regardless of rankings.  If Wentz is top 5 there is no doubt this team is championship caliber but if all other pieces fall I can see us still being competitive regardless. 

We lost our 2 starting DEs. Inserting a rook isn't going to vault us into all of sudden being great a pressuring the QB. I'll just be happy if he can be a 3 down guy by mid year. Even if he can play at the level of Houston or Autry this year, we're still starting another guy at the other DE spot (Lewis - that was a depth guy last year) or a guy like Turay who has yet to prove a lot. IMO, Turay is the guy we need to take a step forward if he can stay healthy.

 

As far as DBs are concerned, you can't assume steps forward. Rhodes is aging, so you could even make a case for a step back from him. Even LB could take a step back. Oke didn't play all that well in year 2, and will now likely be asked to play more vs the run (his weakness). 

 

In short, we were overrated last year, and will be lucky if we don't take a step back. If Paye emerges much quicker than rook DEs generally do, and if Turay plays lights out, then things might be different. The Vegas odds though wouldn't be great on that.

3 minutes ago, BornHoosier said:

You forgot that we have great success vs the Broncos but can't never beat the Steelers, Chargers or Patriots.  Not even worried about the Broncos but the others give me nightmares.  

We barely beat the Broncos two years ago at home, and they had awful QB play. We're 1-1 vs them the last 5 years. We don't play them this year anyway, so irrelevant. Point is, they'd be much improved if they had Rodgers and an instant competitor. 

[EastStreet]

13 minutes ago, BornHoosier said:

With 2 ALL PROS in Buckner and Leonard, how in the heck do we not have a top 10 D?  I think I know the answer but curious what everybody else thinks.  Coaching, scheme, pass rush???

 

We were 20th vs the pass. We were 15th-ish in general efficiency. We were great vs the run. 

 

My vote is scheme.

[2006Coltsbestever]

14 minutes ago, BornHoosier said:

It seems the last couple yrs came down to in game coaching decisions and missed kicks.  If I have to see another game lost to a missed extra point or an easy field goal I might just lose my crap.  The going for two in the playoff game was inexcusable as you never do it until the last 5 min of the game when it is on the line because you never know how things are going to work out.  Imagine if all we needed was a fg to beat the bills??  Stop beating ourselves.

That is what I mean by executing when it counts. We have a good team now but not like we had from 2003-2009 days. We make 2 or 3 mistakes now against a team that is good-great, it costs us dearly.

[CR91]

 

[stitches]

8 hours ago, Wentzszn said:

Pats source is clearly Ballard lol. He is right here though. It’s a long season.  It actually provides some insurance also if Tevi can’t cut it. 
 

 

He should have been like "...and my source said ... and I quote 'Look...'"  

[stitches]

6 hours ago, Wentzszn said:

Still not risky. It’s off the books anyway.

The risk is of opportunity cost, not of losing that money. The risk is that we have now made our bet with the LT position and we are missing on more safe options, so if he doesn't recover or recovers and is not the same, we are very likely left with sub-par performance at LT for the year... 

 

 

[Trace Pyott]

Man I really like this signing!  If he can come back 80% as good as he has played I would say we def upgraded our offensive line and that’s no knock on AC I just think this guy can be much better (if healthy). I would put our offensive line up against anyone else’s.  With that said Murphy’s law keeps coming into my mind because we have soo many ifs and question marks for this team that we can literally be 6-10 bad or super bowl bound. I can’t think of any colts team with this many “if” question marks.   If wentZ can prove last year was a fluke and go back to being one of the best up and coming qb in the game than we are sitting pretty. If he plays like he did last year things will be very very ugly. 
  Then you got this guy. If fisher can come back healthy we can have one of the best lines in football. If he doesn’t play or is diminished we have a huge hole at one of the most important positions.  
 

 I don’t know why but I just have this feeling with so many question marks on this team, that the season could go either way. I do fear that  some of These question marks  aren’t going to go our way and we will be hurting. Btw  Some of these other question marks Include , Will Mack be back to his old self?   Was last year a fluke for our new stud RB? Will ty  hilton plAy any better, or will he continue to decline? Was last year a fluke for Xavier Rhodes? Will Paris cambell stay healthy and actually contribute?  How will our rookie DEs play?  Then you have  the question mark that every team has  which is who will stay healthy?  

[Nickster]

7 hours ago, EastStreet said:

I'm predicting another FA.... Doubt the LT/OT class next year will be as good or better than this year's. And I don't see us picking early in the 2nd... 

 

Or if Fisher doesn't recover and work out, we'll likely be forced to slide Q out, and if Q works out, then... 

If he’s good enough I think it’s insane not to.  

[Nickster]

5 hours ago, EastStreet said:

 

We were 20th vs the pass. We were 15th-ish in general efficiency. We were great vs the run. 

 

My vote is scheme.

Personnel.  They’ve spent quite a bit of draft capital on secondary and Dends.  Thus far the results of that outlay of capital is mediocre at best.  With our weakness in coverage including our all pro Will, I think blitzing would be disastrous in the current scheme.

 

 

 

[Smonroe]

Someone should tell Colts.com they signed Fisher.  It’s kind of a big deal.  

[shasta519]

11 hours ago, Zoltan said:

 

You really can't use the RTP rate that way because of confounding variables that are within the population used, for example not all those players were starters or high draft picks, and how many of those players were already on the roster bubble.

In my research class we talk about the miss use of study results and how someone will grab one statistic and make wild claims from it (You see it alot in nutrition research and fad diets).

No doubt...and I referenced that was just the RTP rate based off that one study. 

 

It is directional (like most data) and we don’t know those variables. There are variables like roster expectations, age and position played...information we don’t have. 

 

But even still...as a large sample of NFL players it’s more valid than any anecdotal evidence of player A or player B returning...which I have seen people use (Brandon Brooks for example). 

 

Even if we could account for some of those variables, I would bet the RTP rate for having two players return is still likely going to be closer to 53% than 100%. So it’s definitely a gamble.

 

But this is just the RTP rate...we aren’t even accounting for post-operative performance. A percentage of players don’t get back to where they were. And the ones that do...take a really long time. 

[csmopar]

4 hours ago, CR91 said:

 

You know, this is starting to worry me. Seems that Reich pounded the table for more than a few guys this year. If this works, he’s a genius, but if it fails majorly, does this then reflect on his future tenure?

[DougDew]

7 minutes ago, csmopar said:

You know, this is starting to worry me. Seems that Reich pounded the table for more than a few guys this year. If this works, he’s a genius, but if it fails majorly, does this then reflect on his future tenure?

IMO, Leno's tape showed that he got overpowered a lot.  He's small for a LT.  His ratings improved when daBears moved Cody Whitehair to LG.  Perhaps Whitehair had to help out too much, causing daBears to want to release Leno in favor of a more stout Tevin Jenkins (whom everybody thought would be RT on daBears).  Maybe Frank saw that and wanted Nelson free-er to do other things.

 

No great loss in not signing Leno, IMO.

 

I'd like to see Davenport develop as a capable true LT.  He languished as a RT in HOU.

[shasta519]

7 hours ago, BornHoosier said:

With 2 ALL PROS in Buckner and Leonard, how in the heck do we not have a top 10 D?  I think I know the answer but curious what everybody else thinks.  Coaching, scheme, pass rush???

 

Some combo of scheme and overall talent?

 

DeFo and Leonard are great players. DeFo is a monster and makes the defense better, but he's not Aaron Donald. And Leonard is a playmaker and tackle machine, but also regressed in pass coverage last season. 

 

But SEA (Adams and Wagner) and KC (Jones and Mathieu) also had (2) All-Pros on their defenses...and they finished #16 and #22 respectively (DVOA). Two players can't do it alone together (or something like that).

 

I think another part is the pass rush. The DL (DeFo included) got their production in bunches in a handful of games against bad OLs. So the overall pass rush numbers were better than what the Colts were actually fielding from week to week.

 

Also, and it seems like no one talks about this, but the defense overall basically fell off a cliff in the 2nd half of the season. The difference in numbers are pretty eye-opening.

[Shive]

One of my biggest concerns about Fisher returning to form is that one of his biggest assets as a LT is his athleticism. If he's beat at any point, he's usually able to use his athleticism to recover, but with an injury like this, will he still have that same athletic ability? If not, does that mean we'll see him get beat by a lot guys that historically he would have been able to handle?

 

I know we keep talking about whether he'll be 80%, 90% or even 100% when he steps into the line-up, but I think the piece we fail to think about is what areas of his game could potentially be hindered and whether that could have much more of a cascading affect. If historically he didn't get beat on 70% of his reps, got beat but was able to recover and win the rep on 20% of his reps, and was just beat on 10% of his reps, does that mean that he's no longer able to win that 20% he was able to previously recover from?

 

I know it's all hypothetical talk, but just something I felt was worth bearing in mind.

[shasta519]

15 minutes ago, csmopar said:

You know, this is starting to worry me. Seems that Reich pounded the table for more than a few guys this year. If this works, he’s a genius, but if it fails majorly, does this then reflect on his future tenure?

 

Not to be pessimistic...but if worst comes to worst...then I think Reich would be the sacrificial lamb. 

 

Ballard doesn't make autocratic decisions...he values and uses input from his staff and his coaches (especially his HC). If the GM trusts a few recommendations from the HC and they backfire...trust is lost. And at that point, I think Ballard/Irsay would look to bring in a new voice.

 

However, I don't think that is going to happen. But the Wentz call might loom large enough on its own.

[Smonroe]

If things go sideways, Reich isn't going to take all the blame.  Ballard didn't shore up the O-Line last year.  He admits that was a mistake.  He didn't hit on edge rushers in the draft (yet) so he had to go for it again this year.  Which meant he didn't go for an OT in round one.

 

Yes, Frank pounds the table for his guys.  Sometimes things just don't work out because of injuries, etc.

 

I think they have at least three years of goodwill and I really believe they're both doing a great job.

[shasta519]

Just now, Shive said:

One of my biggest concerns about Fisher returning to form is that one of his biggest assets as a LT is his athleticism. If he's beat at any point, he's usually able to use his athleticism to recover, but with an injury like this, will he still have that same athletic ability? If not, does that mean we'll see him get beat by a lot guys that historically he would have been able to handle?

 

I know we keep talking about whether he'll be 80%, 90% or even 100% when he steps into the line-up, but I think the piece we fail to think about is what areas of his game could potentially be hindered and whether that could have much more of a cascading affect. If historically he didn't get beat on 70% of his reps, got beat but was able to recover and win the rep on 20% of his reps, and was just beat on 10% of his reps, does that mean that he's no longer able to win that 20% he was able to previously recover from?

 

I know it's all hypothetical talk, but just something I felt was worth bearing in mind.

 

That's a good point. Horizontal athleticism seems to impacted less than vertical athleticism...which is why it's a really bad injury for NBA players. 

 

However, vertical athleticism helps burst. Losing your initial burst for an OL player would not be good...but I think it would be much worse for a DL player (or a RB).

[hoosierhawk]

23 minutes ago, csmopar said:

You know, this is starting to worry me. Seems that Reich pounded the table for more than a few guys this year. If this works, he’s a genius, but if it fails majorly, does this then reflect on his future tenure?

Agree. Would rather see Reich honing his play calling skills  and let CB and staff and Medical team work the personnel department. OK that Reich gives an opinion but sounds like he was quite vocal in wanting Fisher. Like the Fisher move however and hope he's and anchor at LT for the next few years.

[Jackie Daytona]

4 hours ago, Trace Pyott said:

Man I really like this signing!  If he can come back 80% as good as he has played I would say we def upgraded our offensive line and that’s no knock on AC I just think this guy can be much better (if healthy). I would put our offensive line up against anyone else’s.  With that said Murphy’s law keeps coming into my mind because we have soo many ifs and question marks for this team that we can literally be 6-10 bad or super bowl bound. I can’t think of any colts team with this many “if” question marks.   If wentZ can prove last year was a fluke and go back to being one of the best up and coming qb in the game than we are sitting pretty. If he plays like he did last year things will be very very ugly. 
  Then you got this guy. If fisher can come back healthy we can have one of the best lines in football. If he doesn’t play or is diminished we have a huge hole at one of the most important positions.  
 

 I don’t know why but I just have this feeling with so many question marks on this team, that the season could go either way. I do fear that  some of These question marks  aren’t going to go our way and we will be hurting. Btw  Some of these other question marks Include , Will Mack be back to his old self?   Was last year a fluke for our new stud RB? Will ty  hilton plAy any better, or will he continue to decline? Was last year a fluke for Xavier Rhodes? Will Paris cambell stay healthy and actually contribute?  How will our rookie DEs play?  Then you have  the question mark that every team has  which is who will stay healthy?  

So in fewer words, you are saying this "The Indianapolis colts are an NFL team just like every other in 2021"

 

 

 

 

[Trace Pyott]

7 minutes ago, Shafty138 said:

So in fewer words, you are saying this "The Indianapolis colts are an NFL team just like every other in 2021"

 

 

 

 

Ehhh I guess so except most teams don’t have a new Qb who’s short career has literally been jeckyl/Hyde.   I mean in most peoples minds Qb, LT, DE are top 5 most important positions if not top3 and we have question marks on every single one of Them. In pAst years we had one or more of Those checked off as a for sure. This year not so much. 

[RudyB4u]

Why not put Fisher at LG and Big Q at LT?

[Zoltan]

56 minutes ago, shasta519 said:

No doubt...and I referenced that was just the RTP rate based off that one study. 

 

It is directional (like most data) and we don’t know those variables. There are variables like roster expectations, age and position played...information we don’t have. 

 

But even still...as a large sample of NFL players it’s more valid than any anecdotal evidence of player A or player B returning...which I have seen people use (Brandon Brooks for example). 

 

Even if we could account for some of those variables, I would bet the RTP rate for having two players return is still likely going to be closer to 53% than 100%. So it’s definitely a gamble.

 

But this is just the RTP rate...we aren’t even accounting for post-operative performance. A percentage of players don’t get back to where they were. And the ones that do...take a really long time. 

 

After reading up I would say it is closer to 90% than 50% for NFL Caliber players to return, so I'm not worried about that. But you are right about how will his performance will be affected we have no idea, I think we will see him return to practice at the end of August but won't see him cleared to play till end of September/early October. 

[shasta519]

7 hours ago, EastStreet said:

 

We were 20th vs the pass. We were 15th-ish in general efficiency. We were great vs the run. 

 

My vote is scheme.

 

Scheme...and stubbornness to stick with it. I don't have an axe to grind with the coaching staff, but this is my observation:

 

I think the current defensive scheme works extremely well against bad teams with bad OLs and QBs. The Colts are able to get pressure with their front 4 and can sit back in zone and make plays on the ball. And then they get a good lead and are able to do this even more. These games lift the overall stats for the season...and it's what many people tend to remember. But it's an incomplete view of the defense.

 

Because as the schedule gets tougher, teams also start to adjust...and then you have a precipitous drop-off in performance over the course of the season. You also see this in-game as well later in the season (with slow starts and then the Colts roaring back to somehow win). 

 

So which defense are the Colts? 

 

1st 8 games (2020)

- 63% completion

- 206 passing yds/game

- 10 TD/11 INT

- 76 passer rating

- 3.3 yds/carry

- 6 rushing TDs

 

Last 8 games (2020)

- 68% completion

- 277 passing yds/game

- 14 TD/4 INT

- 98 passer rating

- 4.1 yds/carry

- 10 rushing TDs

 

It's a fair question to ask. Because there wasn't any high-profile injuries (other than Hooker at the beginning). The defense over the back half of the season wasn't anywhere near a top 10 defense.

 

Interestingly, a very similar thing happened to the offense in 2019 with JB at QB. Obviously they didn't have the same expectations, but they were really good earlier in the season (against bad pass defenses)...but then fell off tremendously as the schedule got tougher and teams adjusted to the offense.

 

So you have different sides of the ball in different seasons...with similar levels of regression.

 

Talent is part of it...but it would also seem to me like some combo of scheme and stubborn coaching mindset is the big culprit here. 

 

[chad72]

15 minutes ago, shasta519 said:

 

Scheme...and stubbornness to stick with it. I don't have an axe to grind with the coaching staff, but this is my observation:

 

I think the current defensive scheme works extremely well against bad teams with bad OLs and QBs. The Colts are able to get pressure with their front 4 and can sit back in zone and make plays on the ball. And then they get a good lead and are able to do this even more. These games lift the overall stats for the season...and it's what many people tend to remember. But it's an incomplete view of the defense.

 

Because as the schedule gets tougher, teams also start to adjust...and then you have a precipitous drop-off in performance over the course of the season. You also see this in-game as well later in the season (with slow starts and then the Colts roaring back to somehow win). 

 

So which defense are the Colts? 

 

1st 8 games (2020)

- 63% completion

- 206 passing yds/game

- 10 TD/11 INT

- 76 passer rating

- 3.3 yds/carry

- 6 rushing TDs

 

Last 8 games (2020)

- 68% completion

- 277 passing yds/game

- 14 TD/4 INT

- 98 passer rating

- 4.1 yds/carry

- 10 rushing TDs

 

It's a fair question to ask. Because there wasn't any high-profile injuries (other than Hooker at the beginning). The defense over the back half of the season wasn't anywhere near a top 10 defense.

 

Interestingly, a very similar thing happened to the offense in 2019 with JB at QB. Obviously they didn't have the same expectations, but they were really good earlier in the season (against bad pass defenses)...but then fell off tremendously as the schedule got tougher and teams adjusted to the offense.

 

So you have different sides of the ball in different seasons...with similar levels of regression.

 

Talent is part of it...but it would also seem to me like some combo of scheme and stubborn coaching mindset is the big culprit here. 

 

 

Defenses wear out and teams get scrappier as the season gets closer to the playoffs, so the sense of urgency is also multiplied more from the opposition in general as we get to November and December. So, based on our own history, it just means that our clock control on offense needs to get better to a point to maintain the fresh legs of the D more in November and December. When JB and the offense stalled, we got a tired defense as the game went on and the season went on in 2019. The last 2 losses last season - vs Titans and vs Steelers, Rivers completed 54.5% and 61.8% of passes, pretty average, IMO, and another loss vs Baltimore where he completed 56.8% of passes (he did complete 63+ % vs Browns but that pick six was a dagger). So, I agree with you that against the better teams, our offense needs to help out the D more in order to maintain a good level of efficiency. 

 

Needless to say, a lot is riding on Wentz and the offense against the better teams we will face because the better teams typically are ones that will put up points on the scoreboard. 

[shasta519]

7 minutes ago, Zoltan said:

 

After reading up I would say it is closer to 90% than 50% for NFL Caliber players to return, so I'm not worried about that. But you are right about how will his performance will be affected we have no idea, I think we will see him return to practice at the end of August but won't see him cleared to play till end of September/early October. 

 

Yeah...I am not really concerned about them RTP...I was just basing it off that study that CBFL posted.

 

The post-operative performance and rehab time is much more important to me.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

 

[DiogoSales]

It's funny when we complain in the past because we were too conservative and then we take risks (Fischer/Dayo) with really great upside and we're complaining again.

 

Love this sign, absolutely love it! It will work out? nobody knows, but we get him here, looked at his recovery and we think that he can play Set/Oct probably.

I would've hated Leno, average starter lacking true power for LT, type of so-so player that makes nobody better.

 

Lets goooo!

 

 

[JackOLantin]

Best of a bad situation, high upside!

 

if the colts are who we think they are it’s totally worth it come December!

 

Go Colts

[shasta519]

3 minutes ago, chad72 said:

 

Defenses wear out and teams get scrappier as the season gets closer to the playoffs, so the sense of urgency is also multiplied more from the opposition in general as we get to November and December. So, based on our own history, it just means that our clock control on offense needs to get better to a point to maintain the fresh legs of the D more in November and December. When JB and the offense stalled, we got a tired defense as the game went on and the season went on in 2019. The last 2 losses last season - vs Titans and vs Steelers, Rivers completed 54.5% and 61.8% of passes, pretty pedestrian, IMO, and another loss vs Baltimore where he completed 56.8% of passes (he did complete 63+ % vs Browns but that pick six was a dagger). So, I agree with you that against the better teams, our offense needs to help out the D more in order to maintain a good level of efficiency. 

 

Needless to say, a lot is riding on Wentz and the offense against the better teams we will face because the better teams typically are ones that will put up points on the scoreboard. 

 

Yeah...this is just the defense we are talking about. The offense has to be much better by default if they want to play late in January.