Why did we let Chester Rogers or Justin Houston go? Free Agents the Colts should pick up.

[Frenchy789]

Watching Rogers be a reliable wide-out with the Titans is infuriating. Is it because all of our breakout star rookies are going to need tons of cap money to sign deals? 

 

An alternative to having a sub-par secondary is to have a ballin' offense that wins by 3-4 scores against much weaker opponents. 

 

Why is Trey Burton still a FA? He was great last year and he's a very solid vet we desperately need, especially with how hard the injury bug is, Mo or Doyle goes down and we're screeeewed?

 

We let Sammy Watkins slide, Justin Houston as well. We have all this cash and yet still lack depth. 

 

Do some players not want to come play and live in Indianapolis for more than a few seasons? What the hell is going on?!?

 

Thank goodness people like Nyheim Hines, Jack Doyle and T.Y Hilton exist and a lot of the O-line, spectacular players who also showcase their strong emotional connection to the team. 

[teganslaw]

Could say the same for Denico Autry; why the Colts let him go. 

[lollygagger8]

9 minutes ago, Frenchy789 said:

Watching Rogers be a reliable wide-out with the Titans is infuriating. Is it because all of our breakout star rookies are going to need tons of cap money to sign deals? 

 

An alternative to having a sub-par secondary is to have a ballin' offense that wins by 3-4 scores against much weaker opponents. 

 

Why is Trey Burton still a FA? He was great last year and he's a very solid vet we desperately need, especially with how hard the injury bug is, Mo or Doyle goes down and we're screeeewed?

 

We let Sammy Watkins slide, Justin Houston as well. We have all this cash and yet still lack depth. 

 

Do some players not want to come play and live in Indianapolis for more than a few seasons? What the hell is going on?!?

 

Thank goodness people like Nyheim Hines, Jack Doyle and T.Y Hilton exist and a lot of the O-line, spectacular players who also showcase their strong emotional connection to the team. 

 

 

All this cash? 

 

[Frenchy789]

Oh and Parris Campbell is out for a long time. Again. 

 

We can still get some talent in Free Agency. Lets go! 

5 minutes ago, teganslaw said:

Could say the same for Denico Autry; why the Colts let him go. 

Exactly, "wow what a great year, you helped make our defense one of the best in the league and terrorized QB's! We're going to send you to our #1 rival for almost nothing!" 

 

Front office plays 4-D chess with themselves and ignore common sense sometimes and then other times do the complete opposite. It's baffling. We let our O.C go, (Sirriani) to the Eagles and brought in a guy from the CFL? 

 

Again, what. Why? 

[DougDew]

Some players are simply not good enough to be considered long term core players.  These players play well, but they bounce around the league filling roles.  They can be replaced by other players.  And each team lets them go when they finally find a player who they feel will be a long term upgrade. 

 

Rogers was replaced at the time by guys that had a higher ceiling, PC and also Pitt.  Pascal is the same kind of player Rogers is, and filled Rogers "reliable wide out" role.  Pascal may not be here next season.

 

Houston and Autry are at the stage where they are rotational players....one season at a time.   Paye and Dayo are their long term replacements.  And specifically with H and A not being resigned is the extra component that Ballard wants to give all the PT he can to see if Lewis Turay and Ben can handle the NFL roster.

[Nesjan3]

I dont know about Houston and Rogers but Autry was our best pass rusher and Ballard certainly looks a bit foolish letting him go to a division rival over a couple mil. 

[Jason_]

41 minutes ago, Frenchy789 said:

We have all this cash and yet still lack depth. 

 

 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Chester Rogers? Lmao

[twfish]

I was never huge on Rogers and he has had his fair share of miscues for the Titans so hes not exactly Mr. Reliable. It does help he's got Julio and A.J leaving him singled up..

[chad72]

40 minutes ago, Nesjan3 said:

I dont know about Houston and Rogers but Autry was our best pass rusher and Ballard certainly looks a bit foolish letting him go to a division rival over a couple mil. 

 

Plus the fact they invested in Dupree in free agency and had Simmons and Landry through the draft, it is all coming together now on the DL for them, IMO.

 

[GoColts8818]

$$$$. The Colts don’t have all this cash.  They are having to restructure deals to be under the cap so they can make in season roster adjustments.

[Nickster]

I think the FO thought as I did that the club would not be seriously competing this year with a new QB, broken LT replacing a solid vet, disappointing performances from draftees in key positions like edge, secondary, and receiver (PC).

 

I think they hope the DEs they drafted would turn the DL into the menace we need it to be within the nExt couple years and then new picks could fill in at places of need.  I think they really thought they had the QB they needed, and so far I agree with that though I’d like to see a little more Manning fetal position rather than Luck hold on until you get nailed.  
 

I am critical of some of the picks last few years, but what they’ve had to dEAL with revolving door QBs and that can’t be denied.  I also don’t think you can run your way to a title even though I grew up on running football and prefer watching a great ground game over a dynamic passing game and it was fun to watch Taylor see the cut back lanes last night.  
 

so I think these FAs would have helped this team this year but understand that maybe we weren’t ready yet, and long term it wouldn’t have been enough this year especially with the big contracts coming due.

 

So I am dubious that it’s going to wrk out, but I see the logic in seeing what we have and trying to tweak the club next couple of years.

 

 The thing is I think I, and possibly the FO, was wrong about the strength of the AFC this year.  KC is far from the force they have been, BALT is flawed, the Bills are far from unbeatable.  Cin and SD have really bright futures though.

 

That’s why it’s really hard to build a championship level football team. Lol.

 

[Nesjan3]

4 minutes ago, chad72 said:

 

Plus the fact they invested in Dupree in free agency and had Simmons and Landry through the draft, it is all coming together now on the DL for them, IMO.

 

I know hindsight is 20/20 but our pass rush is now bottom of the league and id say the majority of us seen this coming. Autry is playing well in Ten, all their fans are saying he is their best FA pickup and they are roasting Ballard.

[krunk]

1 hour ago, Frenchy789 said:

Watching Rogers be a reliable wide-out with the Titans is infuriating. Is it because all of our breakout star rookies are going to need tons of cap money to sign deals? 

 

An alternative to having a sub-par secondary is to have a ballin' offense that wins by 3-4 scores against much weaker opponents. 

 

Why is Trey Burton still a FA? He was great last year and he's a very solid vet we desperately need, especially with how hard the injury bug is, Mo or Doyle goes down and we're screeeewed?

 

We let Sammy Watkins slide, Justin Houston as well. We have all this cash and yet still lack depth. 

 

Do some players not want to come play and live in Indianapolis for more than a few seasons? What the hell is going on?!?

 

Thank goodness people like Nyheim Hines, Jack Doyle and T.Y Hilton exist and a lot of the O-line, spectacular players who also showcase their strong emotional connection to the team. 

You act like our offense isnt scoring points. They are getting better and better so no need to be envying other peoples players. I did kind of feel like we should have kept Houston. He and Quitty Paye would be a good tandem along with the other guys we have. Oh Well.

[Colts Fan In L.A.]

If Rogers and Autry played for Jax or Detroit,  would they be killing it like they are in Tennessee? The team around you and coaching has so much contribution to player success

[John Waylon]

Rogers has 14 catches for 186 yards and a TD through 7 games. Sounds like he’s the same player he’s always been, so forgive me if I withhold my fury.  
 

Trey Burton? Wat?

 

Burton had 28 catches for 250 yards and 3 TDs all last season. Through just 7 games this season Mo has 13 catches for 177 yards and 4 TDs. 
 

I dunno where Burton went, I just hope he stays there. 
 

“We let Sammy Watkins slide”? Should have been intentional, but if you wanna press the issue we’ll call it a happy accident and move on. 
 

You can argue on Houston if you want. That’s a real subjective move. We’ve spent lots of our own draft capital at the DE position (even BEFORE we picked two up in rounds 1 and 2 this year) so we had spent enough that we need to start getting returns on some of those. Or at least find out once and for all “we drafted these guys, they’re no good, and now we gotta figure something else out.”

 

Autry… he’s not making a ton playing for the Titans. And he’s still playing well for them, the same way we came to expect of him here so if you really wanna argue one that’s gotta be the one. 

[Btown_Colt]

1 hour ago, Frenchy789 said:

Oh and Parris Campbell is out for a long time. Again. 

 

We can still get some talent in Free Agency. Lets go! 

Exactly, "wow what a great year, you helped make our defense one of the best in the league and terrorized QB's! We're going to send you to our #1 rival for almost nothing!" 

 

Front office plays 4-D chess with themselves and ignore common sense sometimes and then other times do the complete opposite. It's baffling. We let our O.C go, (Sirriani) to the Eagles and brought in a guy from the CFL? 

 

Again, what. Why? 

Let Sirriani go? He was offered a head coach position.

 

Are you just complaining to complain?

[CoachLite]

"Things are the way they are because they got that way" (Kenneth Boulding's Backward Basis). Nobody, even the people involved, know all the reasons.

[GoColts8818]

56 minutes ago, Btown_Colt said:

Let Sirriani go? He was offered a head coach position.

 

Are you just complaining to complain?

Yes or they don’t understand how things work.

[Jackie Daytona]

2 hours ago, Frenchy789 said:

Watching Rogers be a reliable wide-out with the Titans is infuriating. Is it because all of our breakout star rookies are going to need tons of cap money to sign deals? 

 

An alternative to having a sub-par secondary is to have a ballin' offense that wins by 3-4 scores against much weaker opponents. 

 

Why is Trey Burton still a FA? He was great last year and he's a very solid vet we desperately need, especially with how hard the injury bug is, Mo or Doyle goes down and we're screeeewed?

 

We let Sammy Watkins slide, Justin Houston as well. We have all this cash and yet still lack depth. 

 

Do some players not want to come play and live in Indianapolis for more than a few seasons? What the hell is going on?!?

 

Thank goodness people like Nyheim Hines, Jack Doyle and T.Y Hilton exist and a lot of the O-line, spectacular players who also showcase their strong emotional connection to the team. 

Really?

[Jackie Daytona]

1 hour ago, Nesjan3 said:

I know hindsight is 20/20 but our pass rush is now bottom of the league and id say the majority of us seen this coming. Autry is playing well in Ten, all their fans are saying he is their best FA pickup and they are roasting Ballard.

Who cares?  Losing Autry was probably a mistake, but at some point you have to see what guys like Lewis et al can do before you decide on them long term.  Autry is in a good situation in TN.  Here he'd be in maybe as good a situation, maybe not.... He isn't anywhere near a guy who can be focused on in TN.  Here, he'd be the second guy possibly double teamed.

[Superman]

57 minutes ago, John Waylon said:

You can argue on Houston if you want. That’s a real subjective move. We’ve spent lots of our own draft capital at the DE position (even BEFORE we picked two up in rounds 1 and 2 this year) so we had spent enough that we need to start getting returns on some of those. Or at least find out once and for all “we drafted these guys, they’re no good, and now we gotta figure something else out.”

 

Autry… he’s not making a ton playing for the Titans. And he’s still playing well for them, the same way we came to expect of him here so if you really wanna argue one that’s gotta be the one.

 

Houston apparently did not want to play for the Colts anymore, based on his comments a couple weeks ago. He said in his mind, he was not coming back to the Colts. He also said he wanted to play in a 3-4 defense. So that was done.

 

The Titans offered Autry a bit more money (I think more guaranteed in Year 2?) and he took it. And honestly, while he's playing better than our edge guys right now, he's not lighting the world on fire. The issue is that our young guys aren't playing well, not that we let some star player get away.

[Nesjan3]

4 minutes ago, SchlicterSZN said:

Who cares?  Losing Autry was probably a mistake, but at some point you have to see what guys like Lewis et al can do before you decide on them long term.  Autry is in a good situation in TN.  Here he'd be in maybe as good a situation, maybe not.... He isn't anywhere near a guy who can be focused on in TN.  Here, he'd be the second guy possibly double teamed.

I think thats an issue with Ballard. He let a guy in his prime go who was our best pass rusher in favor of a few draft picks that have shown very little since being drafted. Thats a problem.

[NewColtsFan]

3 hours ago, Frenchy789 said:

Watching Rogers be a reliable wide-out with the Titans is infuriating. Is it because all of our breakout star rookies are going to need tons of cap money to sign deals? 

 

An alternative to having a sub-par secondary is to have a ballin' offense that wins by 3-4 scores against much weaker opponents. 

 

Why is Trey Burton still a FA? He was great last year and he's a very solid vet we desperately need, especially with how hard the injury bug is, Mo or Doyle goes down and we're screeeewed?

 

We let Sammy Watkins slide, Justin Houston as well. We have all this cash and yet still lack depth. 

 

Do some players not want to come play and live in Indianapolis for more than a few seasons? What the hell is going on?!?

 

Thank goodness people like Nyheim Hines, Jack Doyle and T.Y Hilton exist and a lot of the O-line, spectacular players who also showcase their strong emotional connection to the team. 

Boy thank God we won last night!   I’d hate to see your rant today if we had lost. 
 

To answer your question, the answer is money.   There’s a salary cap.   You just can’t spend because you want to.   Have you not noticed we’ve restructured several deals already to pay top players, and to have enough money fir roster moves over the course of the season.   Every time we bring up someone from the PS to the 53,  that player makes more money. 
 

Right now, we have among the least amount of money in the NFL, and the money we do have us because we re-structured TYH’s contract.  
 

No NFL team can keep all the players it wants.    There is a salary cap.   Teams make tough choices.   It’ll happen again next season too.  

[NewColtsFan]

8 minutes ago, Nesjan3 said:

I think thats an issue with Ballard. He let a guy in his prime go who was our best pass rusher in favor of a few draft picks that have shown very little since being drafted. Thats a problem.

You think Autry was in his Prime?   Wowza…

[Nesjan3]

1 minute ago, NewColtsFan said:

You think Autry was in his Prime?   Wowza…

He had his best seasons with the Colts and his having a good start to this season is that not the definition of Prime?

[GoColts8818]

13 minutes ago, Nesjan3 said:

I think thats an issue with Ballard. He let a guy in his prime go who was our best pass rusher in favor of a few draft picks that have shown very little since being drafted. Thats a problem.

What player are you giving up to keep Autry?  They don’t have spare money at the moment which is why they are reworking deals to make in season moves.  Also it’s not going to be as simple as cut some rookie to make Autry’s contract work.  It’s going to have to be someone they spent money on and then how do you replace them.

 

Also Ballard drafted not one but two ends this year so it’s pretty clear by doing that he’s acknowledging that the guys he’s drafted in the past aren’t working so I don’t think he thought I can let Autry go because I have these other awesome players like your statement makes it sound.

[JediXMan]

Chester Rodgers?

 

Autry?

 

[shasta519]

3 hours ago, Frenchy789 said:

Watching Rogers be a reliable wide-out with the Titans is infuriating. Is it because all of our breakout star rookies are going to need tons of cap money to sign deals? 

 

An alternative to having a sub-par secondary is to have a ballin' offense that wins by 3-4 scores against much weaker opponents. 

 

Why is Trey Burton still a FA? He was great last year and he's a very solid vet we desperately need, especially with how hard the injury bug is, Mo or Doyle goes down and we're screeeewed?

 

We let Sammy Watkins slide, Justin Houston as well. We have all this cash and yet still lack depth. 

 

Do some players not want to come play and live in Indianapolis for more than a few seasons? What the hell is going on?!?

 

Thank goodness people like Nyheim Hines, Jack Doyle and T.Y Hilton exist and a lot of the O-line, spectacular players who also showcase their strong emotional connection to the team. 

 

Burton and Rogers would not move the needle on this team. They are still a couple of investments on offense away from having the right arsenal of talent.

[NewColtsFan]

15 minutes ago, Nesjan3 said:

He had his best seasons with the Colts and his having a good start to this season is that not the definition of Prime?

Do you know we wanted him to stay?   We made an offer.   Tenn offer was a little bit better in Y2.    Teams can’t keep all the good players they want.   The salary cap bites all teams.  
 

As for the his Prime, I believe Autry is 31.  He signed a new 3-year deal.   Let’s see how he does in Y2 and Y3?   
 

Before we re-did TYHs deal, the Colts were said to be dead last in available salary cap.   We re-did his deal so we can make roster moves for the rest of the season.   We have spent a fortune this year. 

[LJpalmbeacher2]

Rogers is no big loss, we have other average receivers. We would be a better team if we kept Autry, mainly because our younger, cheaper defensemen are not playing well. 

[Nickster]

37 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

What player are you giving up to keep Autry?  They don’t have spare money at the moment which is why they are reworking deals to make in season moves.  Also it’s not going to be as simple as cut some rookie to make Autry’s contract work.  It’s going to have to be someone they spent money on and then how do you replace them.

 

Also Ballard drafted not one but two ends this year so it’s pretty clear by doing that he’s acknowledging that the guys he’s drafted in the past aren’t working so I don’t think he thought I can let Autry go because I have these other awesome players like your statement makes it sound.

I think there is an easy answer to this question.

 

banogu

[Zoltan]

I already went over the Autry stuff yesterday, and I'll restate it.

 

1. We didn't have the cap space to match the Tennessee Deal and resign core guys, at Best if we cut Banogu it would have saved us 1 million and still wouldn't have the space.

2. Lewis and Autry play the same role and Lewis has been playing good with those reps and from some metrics playing significantly better than Autry.

3. According to ESPN our Team pass-rush win rate is the exact same as last year (Links below), funny enough the Titans are only 2% better although it hasn't been updated for this week so their's will probably go up.

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29939464/2020-nfl-pass-rushing-run-stopping-blocking-leaderboard-win-rate-rankings#prwrteam

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32176833/2021-nfl-pass-rushing-run-stopping-blocking-leaderboard-win-rate-rankings#prwrteam 

[Frenchy789]

5 hours ago, Wentzszn said:

Chester Rogers? Lmao

 

He's better than a practice squad scrub we'll be chucking to the wolves in week 12 because everyone is injured. Parris is already injured, T.Y is iffy. I mean come on the Titans are dominating teams for a reason yet half of this forum seems to think everything is just alllllright. 

[Goatface Killah]

4 hours ago, GoColts8818 said:

$$$$. The Colts don’t have all this cash.  They are having to restructure deals to be under the cap so they can make in season roster adjustments.

Right we are right up against the cap as is.

 

We let them go so we could have a little cap space to bring in Eric Fisher, resign TY Hilton and sign young guys to some extensions. 

 

 

[Superman]

4 minutes ago, Frenchy789 said:

I mean come on the Titans are dominating teams for a reason

 

And that reason is obviously Chester Rogers.

[Goatface Killah]

3 minutes ago, Frenchy789 said:

 

He's better than a practice squad scrub we'll be chucking to the wolves in week 12 because everyone is injured. Parris is already injured, T.Y is iffy. I mean come on the Titans are dominating teams for a reason yet half of this forum seems to think everything is just alllllright. 

Chester Rogers has 14 catches and 1 TD.

 

You think they are dominating because of Chester Rogers?

[Frenchy789]

Autry's stats ignore the whole picture.

 

Just like Aaron Donald has said, its not all about the TFL's and the sacks. Just disrupting the O-line and being part of a strong front 4 with healthy rotation, veteran experience etc. 

 

Why would you let that walk? And to the Titans? Of 31 potential teams?! 

 

To everyone dunking on Trey Burton, TE's are so valuable these days and we have 2 above-average TE's, last year we had 3. Let's say Mo-Alie Cox gets injured, well then we'll once again be scrambling. 

 

Some of y'all seem to have accepted mediocrity, we're not the Lions or the Bears, we have a long history of being considered a upper-tier team and thats slipping away. 

 

Hopefully Went at QB will finally put that to rest after the Luck era and things will be less chaotic but people should think about how we're playing. 

 

The Colts could end up in Austin or Toronto in the next decade or 2 if we continue to miss the playoffs. 

 

Look at our division and it's history for Christs sake! 

 

Does anyone think we could beat KC? Let alone by multiple scores? Look at @Ravens, we gave up 16 points in 2 drives. 

 

Where is the alarm?!?

[Frenchy789]

 

8 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

And that reason is obviously Chester Rogers.

 

Obviously not.. Julio/Green attract DE and either make plays or open up space for lesser talent and TE's. 

 

The point is he's a reliable wide-out that can actually play for more than 3 games before missing 5. 

 

Why did all the players we let leave go to teams that are far more successful than us at the moment? Autry/Rogers to the Titans, Houston to Baltimore, etc. 

 

Are we just OK being a B tier, stumble into the playoffs once every 3 years then lose? I remember the AFC Championship games and how the city felt when our team was on fire. 

 

Now its like "Ballard knows what he's doing" no matter what as we sit here with 3 wins. 

[Goatface Killah]

5 minutes ago, Frenchy789 said:

Autry's stats ignore the whole picture.

 

Just like Aaron Donald has said, its not all about the TFL's and the sacks. Just disrupting the O-line and being part of a strong front 4 with healthy rotation, veteran experience etc. 

 

Why would you let that walk? And to the Titans? Of 31 potential teams?! 

 

To everyone dunking on Trey Burton, TE's are so valuable these days and we have 2 above-average TE's, last year we had 3. Let's say Mo-Alie Cox gets injured, well then we'll once again be scrambling. 

 

Some of y'all seem to have accepted mediocrity, we're not the Lions or the Bears, we have a long history of being considered a upper-tier team and thats slipping away. 

 

Hopefully Went at QB will finally put that to rest after the Luck era and things will be less chaotic but people should think about how we're playing. 

 

The Colts could end up in Austin or Toronto in the next decade or 2 if we continue to miss the playoffs. 

 

Look at our division and it's history for Christs sake! 

 

Does anyone think we could beat KC? Let alone by multiple scores? Look at @Ravens, we gave up 16 points in 2 drives. 

 

Where is the alarm?!?

Sooo the team is gonna move now?

 

You need some medication.

 

We have won 9 AFC South Division Titles.

 

The other 3 teams in the division have won a combined 10.

 

Relax.