Ballard FA Grievances Thread (Merge)

[runthepost]

59 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:

If by all in you mean sending a ton of draft picks and tons of cash to guys that aren't worth it,  no.    Would you like to wager the Colts have a better record than the Dolphins?

Better example would be Denver vs Indy

[Monimeeez]

If Matt plays the way he's capable of, they certainly won't look at him as a band-aid. I mean he's getting up there in age, and a replacement will be in order before too long, but he's got a lot of ball left.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

It’s going  to be fun to see what this roster looks like after the draft in a month. 
 

Colts gave away their 3rd rounder for Ryan so actually have moved up in the second and third rounds. This roster is going to look a lot different after the draft is over and we finish FA.

[Patrick Miller]

I agree!

[chad72]

Baseline is Philip Rivers, the ceiling is determined by the ride we Colts fans take, that’s called the season. Let’s see how the season goes with Matt Ryan given the fact we are on QB 6 in 6 years now. We should know we can’t take any QB for granted, one season at a time.

[jimmy g]

4 hours ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

If Matt wanted to just ride out his career until Atlanta found their future QB..he could of.

He came here to try and win something he doesn't have...a Super Bowl. He's all in.

Unfortunately, it looks like Ballard is looking at Matt as a bandaid . He is not all in.

 

 

Actually, he does have a Super Bowl appearance and won the first half. If I recall correctly, he was up 28 or so to 3, when Brady took over and did what Brady does.   I’d call Ballard getting him this year a Colts Win.

[Indyfan4life]

I just want a true #1 receiver and a ballhawk safety. CB play doesn’t need to all-pro if the Dline is getting constant pressure and sacks, but I’d feel better if we upgraded a little more. 

[TheNextGM]

Couple points..

 

1 - It’s March 23. Let’s not compare this team to last seasons until week 1.

 

2 - It takes two to tango. We’ll actually never know how active Ballard is because he can want to sign a guy all he wants, that guy needs to accept and come to Indy. Worst thing you can do is miss on a guy and then overpay for somebody who you’re not high on. 

[boo2202]

Get that man a WR. 

[New Zealands #1 Colts Fan]

36 minutes ago, TheNextGM said:

Couple points..

 

1 - It’s March 23. Let’s not compare this team to last seasons until week 1.

 

2 - It takes two to tango. We’ll actually never know how active Ballard is because he can want to sign a guy all he wants, that guy needs to accept and come to Indy. Worst thing you can do is miss on a guy and then overpay for somebody who you’re not high on. 

[Jackie Daytona]

5 hours ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

Makes sense..why bother following the Tampa and LA blueprint.

Because you don't win in the league "following" a blueprint.  Winners innovate.

[Jackie Daytona]

On 3/22/2022 at 4:31 PM, Solid84 said:

We have made clear upgrades at the top positions on offense (QB) and defense (DE), no doubt

 

Neither Willis or Blackmon are true FS, though, and we need that. 
 

Losing Glow, Fisher and Rock and starting Pinter, Pryor and Rodgers also means we have lost quality depth at the oline and CB on top of at best matching the quality at RG and CB while maybe upgrading a little at LT. 
 

We got sweeped by the Titans and even lost without them having Henry. 
The Jags once again beat us at home and outplayed us for 3 quarters at our place. 
 

I’m just not conviced we’re more than a 9-11 win team and a fringe playoff team. 
 

This is before the draft of course, but Ballard, in my opinion, has a bad habit of drafting projects rather than difference makers, meaning they won’t contribute much if anything this year anyway. 

One.... No one knows if any of Rodgers, Pinter, or Pryor will be starting day one.  Probably at least one, And maybe two will.  I doubt all three, but we'll see.  

 

Two.... Never in history have "we got sweeped" by anyone.

[Yoshinator]

So Ballard opens up cap space yesterday and signs no one again. Two days after signing Matt Ryan and we sign no one around him. Will this be 3 days? Don't see what the point of trading for him is if we're going to have a worse team than last year around him. No 1st round pick either this year. Just watching all the FAs go and go and go. 

 

People bash Carson Wentz for how he did last year. I'm starting to have some sympathy for him, and my expectations for Matt Ryan are going to be down a bit quickly if we have a worse team around him than we do around Wentz. 

 

Most teams in the AFC are making moves to try and compete. We have a QB upgrade that will be 37 in May, and an EDGE upgrade in Yannick in return for trading away Rock. At least we moved up in the 2nd and 3rd round of the draft a bit, and gained a 3rd or 2nd in 2023, but we lost our 1st round pick this year. 

 

We can't fix this whole team through the draft through the draft with the picks we have. We also aren't signing FAs. I don't get the direction we are moving in. Are we tanking without admitting we are tanking? Is Ballard delusional enough to believe this team is good enough to compete and win the division? Is he just trying to save his job with the Matt Ryan signing at this point? I don't know.

 

All I know is, this is a mediocre team, and Ballard refuses to improve it in any way right now. 

[Solid84]

7 hours ago, Jackie Daytona said:

One.... No one knows if any of Rodgers, Pinter, or Pryor will be starting day one.  Probably at least one, And maybe two will.  I doubt all three, but we'll see.  

 

Two.... Never in history have "we got sweeped" by anyone.

Sorry, language barrier. Think you got my point, though, just had to be "that guy"...

[BProland85]

Right now I think we all can agree he only has 1 comfortable option to depend on in the passing game, and that’s MPJ. I guess you could include Hines but he’s more of a gadget guy. 
 

I truly hope Ballard isn’t looking only to the draft for pass catchers at both WR and TE. And we still need help at LT, CB, and S as well so can’t fill everything through the draft. There are some affordable guys out there like Landry, OBJ, and MVS. At TE I think Ballard missed the boat with not signing Hayden Hurst to a cheap 1 year deal. 

[IrsaysArmy]

That’s what the late rounds are for

[Patrick Miller]

I think we're going to rely on the draft. Seems to me we would have already picked up a free agent wide receiver if we were going to. Maybe he's looking to trade for one?

[Yoshinator]

8 minutes ago, BProland85 said:

Right now I think we all can agree he only has 1 comfortable option to depend on in the passing game, and that’s MPJ. I guess you could include Hines but he’s more of a gadget guy. 
 

I truly hope Ballard isn’t looking only to the draft for pass catchers at both WR and TE. And we still need help at LT, CB, and S as well so can’t fill everything through the draft. There are some affordable guys out there like Landry, OBJ, and MVS. At TE I think Ballard missed the boat with not signing Hayden Hurst to a cheap 1 year deal. 

We'll probably draft a WR in the 3rd round and a TE in the 4th IMO. Maybe sign a veteran like Julio Jones who has chemistry with Matt Ryan as well. That's about all we can do at this point.

[Jason_]

https://forums.colts.com/topic/72905-pass-catching-te-and-wr-is-now-the-top-priority/

[Smonroe]

2 minutes ago, BProland85 said:

Right now I think we all can agree he only has 1 comfortable option to depend on in the passing game, and that’s MPJ. I guess you could include Hines but he’s more of a gadget guy. 
 

I truly hope Ballard isn’t looking only to the draft for pass catchers at both WR and TE. And we still need help at LT, CB, and S as well so can’t fill everything through the draft. There are some affordable guys out there like Landry, OBJ, and MVS. At TE I think Ballard missed the boat with not signing Hayden Hurst to a cheap 1 year deal. 

 

Definitely missed the boat at TE.  I don't think there are any FA's besides Gronk who could help the team.  I was hoping for OJ Howard, who was signed pretty cheaply.  Tons of potential.  

 

I can't see Ballard bringing in OBJ. MVS would be my choice.  Then again, I can't see Ballard signing any FA, lol.

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, Patrick Miller said:

I think we're going to rely on the draft. Seems to me we would have already picked up a free agent wide receiver if we were going to. Maybe he's looking to trade for one?

We could trade for DeVante Parker, but it would be a bit frustrating if of all the WRs in FA and the draft, our choice to get a WR is to trade a mid-round pick for a 29 year-old Devante Parker. That's the only guy who is probably for trade that is obvious at this moment.

[BProland85]

4 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

 

Definitely missed the boat at TE.  I don't think there are any FA's besides Gronk who could help the team.  I was hoping for OJ Howard, who was signed pretty cheaply.  Tons of potential.  

 

I can't see Ballard bringing in OBJ. MVS would be my choice.  Then again, I can't see Ballard signing any FA, lol.

What sucks is Ballard could have easily entered the 2022 season with no holes on the roster with all the cap space he had. Now we’ll likely still have holes at multiple spots come training camp time. Unless you have ample 1st-3rd round picks you can’t address all your holes at starting positions. 

[csmopar]

24 minutes ago, BProland85 said:

What sucks is Ballard could have easily entered the 2022 season with no holes on the roster with all the cap space he had. Now we’ll likely still have holes at multiple spots come training camp time. Unless you have ample 1st-3rd round picks you can’t address all your holes at starting positions. 

Do explain how that would be possible 

[buccolts]

You're right. 

We should have just signed Mariota early on, opening up the opportunity to sign all the WRs and TEs we needed.

[Goatface Killah]

The Colts had little trouble scoring enough points last year. They were 9th in ppg with Wentz at QB. Less than a half a point behind the mighty Rams, with all those "weapons".

 

The Colts are fine. This is all way overblown by a small group of overly dramatic fans. None of their beliefs hold up to scrutiny.

 

 

[BProland85]

9 minutes ago, csmopar said:

Do explain how that would be possible 

What are you referring to? Addressing the Colts holes at starter positions before the start of the season. 

[BProland85]

10 minutes ago, buccolts said:

You're right. 

We should have just signed Mariota early on, opening up the opportunity to sign all the WRs and TEs we needed.

You do realize they could have still easily signed a starting WR and TE even after trading for Ryan right? It’s as easy as restructuring deals with guys like Buckner and Leonard. And even without doing that they still had 17 mil or so under the cap from last I heard after getting Ryan. 

[BlackTiger]

We should sign all the best players every year

[OLD FAN MAN]

15 hours ago, TheBlueAndWhite said:

Maybe he doesn't want to build a roster like that, he has stated such in the past my friend, and continues to keep his word, he isn't lying to you, some fans just need to come back to the reality of this teams culture, and it's the Ballard and Reich way, they won't overpay for star players....

 

They will however, build the trenches, put an aggressive defense on the field, paired with a bruising run game with a quarterback who can manage a game and is consistent from game to game Ala matt Ryan. 

and not make the playoffs

[Shive]

2 minutes ago, buccolts said:

You're right. 

We should have just signed Mariota early on, opening up the opportunity to sign all the WRs and TEs we needed.

You're assuming that signing Mariota early would have magically made a bunch of FA WRs & TEs want to come sign with us. The WR market was insane and sub-par talent got ridiculous contracts. The TE market was very minimal as the top TEs were franchise tagged.

[buccolts]

1 minute ago, Shive said:

You're assuming that signing Mariota early would have magically made a bunch of FA WRs & TEs want to come sign with us. The WR market was insane and sub-par talent got ridiculous contracts. The TE market was very minimal as the top TEs were franchise tagged.

I was being highly sarcastic playing on the pre-Ryan thoughts of some that we should have just signed Mariota because we're missing out on all these FAs that won't come her since we don't have a QB.

So, thank you for your support.

[Mackrel829]

5 minutes ago, buccolts said:

I was being highly sarcastic playing on the pre-Ryan thoughts of some that we should have just signed Mariota because we're missing out on all these FAs that won't come her since we don't have a QB.

So, thank you for your support.

 

I thought this was obvious but apparently it went over heads lol. 

 

I do wish we would have been a little more aggressive last year and again this year. I wanted Lawson last year and I think Amari Cooper might be a miss this year. It's impossible to know how high the Browns would have gone to get him but if we could have beaten their offer by a little I would have loved the move.

[buccolts]

7 minutes ago, Mackrel829 said:

 

I thought this was obvious but apparently it went over heads lol. 

 

I do wish we would have been a little more aggressive last year and again this year. I wanted Lawson last year and I think Amari Cooper might be a miss this year. It's impossible to know how high the Browns would have gone to get him but if we could have beaten their offer by a little I would have loved the move.

Thanks. 

Yeah, I tried to make it obvious, but I also understand that, due to it's nature, it's easily overlooked unless you flag it as such, or the other party knows you.

 

Anyway, yep, I think many of us wished we'd spent a bit more in FA the past couple of years, but we know little. I'm sure there's many behind the scenes stories we'll never know, but we get to paint it as 'Ballard isn't doing anything'. 

 

I'm not a Cooper enthusiast, though. I think his window of being an excellent WR was very short, and now he's just a good 3rd option with the arrow pointing down. BUT, what do I know. Careers have started, or revived themselves, later before.

 

Fun being a fan!   

 

[Myles]

Hines, Cox, Granson, Pittman, Campbell, Dulin, Patmon, Coutee and Strachan and maybe Hilton.

I agree that it is missing something and I hope they fill the void.  

[Pelt]

58 minutes ago, buccolts said:

You're right. 

We should have just signed Mariota early on, opening up the opportunity to sign all the WRs and TEs we needed.

This is some of the best sarcasm I've seen here. Well played, sir!

[MacDee1975]

Who's he gonna throw to? 

 

Pittman, a guy who's had 3 season ending injuries, and a bunch of late round picks.

[Hoose]

You know, to assume that Ballard isn’t working hard to address an obvious need at WR is silly. He’s admitted the team needs more firepower at receiver. He’s also admitted that without a QB in place it was next to impossible to attract a top talent. Now that Ryan is here, I have no doubt they are working the phones trying to improve the position. Let’s wait to see what happens.

 

There are potential trades out there; a few decent FAs who can help assuming the price is right. Patience is a virtue in short supply during the FA period in the NFL. But patience is required right now. I suggest a few posters on here give it a try. 

[#12.]

1 hour ago, Goatface Killah said:

The Colts had little trouble scoring enough points last year. They were 9th in ppg with Wentz at QB. Less than a half a point behind the mighty Rams, with all those "weapons".

 

 

 

During the heart of the season when they were rolling, they were top 5.  

 

This formula - riding Taylor - will work with a better, smarter and more efficient QB.  Think of all the easy money with Hines and Taylor that was left on the field.  Remember the wide open receivers that were missed.

 

I'm guessing it will be TY and a draft pick.  Maybe they sign Julio, because of the familiarity.  To me, his film from the past two years still looks better than Devante Parker's, for example.

[csmopar]

1 hour ago, BProland85 said:

What are you referring to? Addressing the Colts holes at starter positions before the start of the season. 

You said Ballard could have used all the capspace and we’d have zero holes to fill. I’m curious how you think that’d be possible and with whom

[Four2itus]

Wow....can't believe it's taken this long for someone to complain about the lack of WR's on the roster. 

 

 

Thankfully, they have now been alerted. 

 

 

Seriously though....doesn't this thread belong in the Ballard complaint thread?