Colts sign another safety: Rodney McLeod

[LiveAndLetAddai]

1 hour ago, Crush22 said:

Haven't you heard?

68% of the posters are closet GMs. They know EVERYTHING!

 

[Tsarquise]

6 hours ago, Indyfan4life said:

May not even be ready for the start of the season with that ACL tear.

Oh, it's one of those signings..... 

[Smonroe]

He is definitely a Ballard type of player.  Strong leader, great community guy, etc.  Eagles fans loved him.   Good veteran acquisition. 

 

The question is his age.  Players don’t get faster as they get into their 30s.  
 

We still need a true FS.  

[AKB]

2 hours ago, Dark Superman said:

Still trying to figure out why Chris Ballard allowed George Odum to walk.

because he is a special teamer who wanted to get payed like a starter.  Not gonna happen in indy. 

[Dark Superman]

15 minutes ago, AustinnKaine said:

because he is a special teamer who wanted to get payed like a starter.  Not gonna happen in indy. 

George Odum signed a three year contract for roughly $10 million with the 49ers. George Odum provided quality depth behind Blackmon and Willis, and started a handful of games in which he played well while continuing to be one of the Colts best players on special teams. Gus Bradley loves to have three safeties on the field together in his scheme which would give Odum the chance to play a lot more on defense as the third Safety. How is he not worth roughly $3 million a year?

[GoColts8818]

Chappell says not so fast

[PrincetonTiger]

13 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Chappell says not so fast

Old tweet from MC

[GoColts8818]

4 minutes ago, PrincetonTiger said:

Old tweet from MC

Newer than the tweet that’s saying he’s signing here.  Look Rapport is probably right but one thing I’ve learned is no one in the local market is more plugged into what the Colts are doing than Chappell.  With that said Chappell tends to make sure he’s got it locked down to a point it can’t be wrong before reporting something.  So that could be going on here.

[PrincetonTiger]

12 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Newer than the tweet that’s saying he’s signing here.  Look Rapport is probably right but one thing I’ve learned is no one in the local market is more plugged into what the Colts are doing than Chappell.  With that said Chappell tends to make sure he’s got it locked down to a point it can’t be wrong before reporting something.  So that could be going on here.

The tweet came out within an hour of the Rap report

[Indyfan4life]

1 hour ago, Tsarquise said:

Oh, it's one of those signings..... 

No, it’s a good signing. I got his injury dates confused thinking it was last year and not in 2020. 

[GoColts8818]

14 minutes ago, PrincetonTiger said:

The tweet came out within an hour of the Rap report

Yes and nothing since by either to say Rap or Chappell is right which is why I posted it.  Everything is going off the Rap report which is fine.  Like I said he’s probably right but if Chappell is saying it’s not a done deal it’s worth paying attention too.

[LJpalmbeacher2]

2 hours ago, Dark Superman said:

George Odum signed a three year contract for roughly $10 million with the 49ers. George Odum provided quality depth behind Blackmon and Willis, and started a handful of games in which he played well while continuing to be one of the Colts best players on special teams. Gus Bradley loves to have three safeties on the field together in his scheme which would give Odum the chance to play a lot more on defense as the third Safety. How is he not worth roughly $3 million a year?

 

The colts don't look at it as one 3 million per year contract.  They look at it like getting a rookie to play at rookie minimum to replace him or get a journeyman vet to play around a $1,500,00-2,000,000 and save a million or two....do that at few other positions/players and their savings is SUBSTANTIAL TO THEM.

Example Pascal, nothing to cry about losing him but having him as a #4 or even better a #5  wouldn't have been a bad thing for the peanuts he's  getting elsewhere.  But the colts are replacing him with unproven players making minimal money on rookie deals. Save a million here, 2 million there and that adds up to more money for guitars and the bank account.....the overall quality and roster depth suffer but the ledger doesn't.  

And all that is fine if that's the way they want to do business, but the fans shouldn't be told that they will win multiple  super bowls and that they are ALL IN.

[Dark Superman]

1 hour ago, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

 

The colts don't look at it as one 3 million per year contract.  They look at it like getting a rookie to play at rookie minimum to replace him or get a journeyman vet to play around a $1,500,00-2,000,000 and save a million or two....do that at few other positions/players and their savings is SUBSTANTIAL TO THEM.

Example Pascal, nothing to cry about losing him but having him as a #4 or even better a #5  wouldn't have been a bad thing for the peanuts he's  getting elsewhere.  But the colts are replacing him with unproven players making minimal money on rookie deals. Save a million here, 2 million there and that adds up to more money for guitars and the bank account.....the overall quality and roster depth suffer but the ledger doesn't.  

And all that is fine if that's the way they want to do business, but the fans shouldn't be told that they will win multiple  super bowls and that they are ALL IN.

[Dark Superman]

Chris Ballard and Jim Irsay are the complete opposites when it comes to spending money on players you want on your team. Jim Irsay is the type of guy who would pay a player what it takes to get him here if he feels that guy makes the Colts a better team. There's a clear urgency to win now when it comes to Jim Irsay, but Chris Ballard seems to think he can continue to sign guys he can low ball and bring in on short cheap details while relying on a couple of draft picks to fill in as many holes as possible and expects a lot of those guys to come in week one and produce while having them on a rookie wage scale for the next four years. The fact he continues to put all his eggs in one basket with the draft instead of being more aggressive in FA and signing a few proven guys you know can come in and help your team win now while still having your draft picks to sprinkle into the fold to allow them the chance to come in and grow without having an immense amount of pressure being plugged into a role and expected to deliver because CB was too cheap to sign someone to come in and help groom your rookies. If the Colts fail to make the playoffs in 2022, I better witness Jim Irsay take action and actually make the decision to fire Ballard or force him to make make immediate changes to the coaching staff because something needs to be done.

[CoachLite]

14 hours ago, Dark Superman said:

Chris Ballard and Jim Irsay are the complete opposites when it comes to spending money on players you want on your team. Jim Irsay is the type of guy who would pay a player what it takes to get him here if he feels that guy makes the Colts a better team. There's a clear urgency to win now when it comes to Jim Irsay, but Chris Ballard seems to think he can continue to sign guys he can low ball and bring in on short cheap details while relying on a couple of draft picks to fill in as many holes as possible and expects a lot of those guys to come in week one and produce while having them on a rookie wage scale for the next four years. The fact he continues to put all his eggs in one basket with the draft instead of being more aggressive in FA and signing a few proven guys you know can come in and help your team win now while still having your draft picks to sprinkle into the fold to allow them the chance to come in and grow without having an immense amount of pressure being plugged into a role and expected to deliver because CB was too cheap to sign someone to come in and help groom your rookies. If the Colts fail to make the playoffs in 2022, I better witness Jim Irsay take action and actually make the decision to fire Ballard or force him to make make immediate changes to the coaching staff because something needs to be done.

It would be beneficial if a coherent strategy would emerge from these two perspectives. It helps in discovering an 'economic' market value.

[cdgacoltsfan]

This must be that difference making defensive guy Irsay said we would get! This move pretty much locks up Super Bowl #1 of the many Irsay told us we'd win. 2022 SB in the bag....Onward to 2023!!!!!

[Smonroe]

4 hours ago, CoachLite said:

It would be beneficial if a coherent strategy would emerge from these two perspectives. It helps in discovering an 'economic' market value.

Coming into this seasons Free agency (after releasing Wentz) the biggest needs were QB, LT, Edge,  FS, TE,WR.   Ballard economically took care of the first three, although I don’t agree he solved LT.

 

So he smartly has the most cap space in the league.   Which baffles me as to why he couldn’t address at least one of the other needs with a proven impact player.  There are not enough draft picks to get it done.  
 

This belongs in the ‘Ballard Complaints’ thread.   I am happy with this signing though.  

[2006Coltsbestever]

Is this a done deal? I haven't read where it is. If so it is a good pickup, nothing great but it will help.

[krunk]

51 minutes ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

This must be that difference making defensive guy Irsay said we would get! This move pretty much locks up Super Bowl #1 of the many Irsay told us we'd win. 2022 SB in the bag....Onward to 2023!!!!!

Stop being a baby.  You know this isnt what he was talking about

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, krunk said:

Stop being a baby.  You know this isnt what he was talking about

Here are some in here 

[GoColts8818]

47 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Is this a done deal? I haven't read where it is. If so it is a good pickup, nothing great but it will help.

If you believe Chappell no.  If you believe Rap yes.  Two conflicting reports put out about the same time so like most things I feel Rap is probably right but I’ll wait and see.  Like I said before if Chappell is saying it’s not done that’s worth paying attention too.

[Hoose]

6 hours ago, CoachLite said:

It would be beneficial if a coherent strategy would emerge from these two perspectives. It helps in discovering an 'economic' market value.

If Jim Irsay didn’t support his GM’s methods, Ballard wouldn’t be working for him. 

[shasta519]

12 hours ago, AustinnKaine said:

because he is a special teamer who wanted to get payed like a starter.  Not gonna happen in indy. 

So was Franklin. I think just liked him better, with him being a captain.

[NewColtsFan]

15 hours ago, Dark Superman said:

Still trying to figure out why Chris Ballard allowed George Odum to walk.

I think Odom received a bigger contract from the 49ers than expected.   We may get a comp pick for that signing.  

[GoColts8818]

37 minutes ago, Hoose said:

If Jim Irsay didn’t support his GM’s methods, Ballard wouldn’t be working for him. 

Not to mention Irsay went on the record just a couple of weeks ago saying he supports Ballard’s approach to free agency.

[NewColtsFan]

9 hours ago, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

 

The colts don't look at it as one 3 million per year contract.  They look at it like getting a rookie to play at rookie minimum to replace him or get a journeyman vet to play around a $1,500,00-2,000,000 and save a million or two....do that at few other positions/players and their savings is SUBSTANTIAL TO THEM.

Example Pascal, nothing to cry about losing him but having him as a #4 or even better a #5  wouldn't have been a bad thing for the peanuts he's  getting elsewhere.  But the colts are replacing him with unproven players making minimal money on rookie deals. Save a million here, 2 million there and that adds up to more money for guitars and the bank account.....the overall quality and roster depth suffer but the ledger doesn't.  

And all that is fine if that's the way they want to do business, but the fans shouldn't be told that they will win multiple  super bowls and that they are ALL IN.

You were doing fine right up until the line about the money saved going for more guitars and bank account.  
 

We were right up against the cap last year.  We had to restructure two contracts to (A) re-sign Hines and Leonard and Smith and (B) make cap space so we could make weekly transactions.    I think we were among the top-6 teams last year in money spent.   I’d be surprised if we’re not this year as well.   
 

I think our days of not spending close to the cap are likely over.   Neither Ballard nor Irsay would be able to justify it. 

 

Note:   The restructured deals were Kelly and Hilton. 

 

[Pat Curtis]

17 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

You were doing fine right up until the line about the money saved going for more guitars and bank account.  
 

We were right up against the cap last year.  We had to restructure two contracts to (A) re-sign Hines and Leonard and Smith and (B) make cap space so we could make weekly transactions.    I think we were among the top-6 teams last year in money spent.   I’d be surprised if we’re not this year as well.   
 

I think our days of not spending close to the cap are likely over.   Neither Ballard nor Irsay would be able to justify it. 

 

Note:   The restructured deals were Kelly and Hilton. 

 

 

Correct.  It's not that the team doesn't spend money.  They choose to reward their own, as opposed to mega FA contracts.  This keeps the fan favorites and most of the team leaders together.  

 

This is the catch-22 of hitting on multiple draft picks and not capitalizing with deep playoff runs during their rookie contracts.  This could have been an absolutely stacked team had Luck not retired.  Yes, I know people are sick of hearing about Luck.  Ballard hit on a ton of picks that would have loaded this team with an elite QB with a roster loaded with rookie deals and cap space to add a FA stud or two.  We're now past those rookie contracts and decided to pay these guys to stay.

[Smonroe]

1 minute ago, Pat Curtis said:

 

Correct.  It's not that the team doesn't spend money.  They choose to reward their own, as opposed to mega FA contracts.  This keeps the fan favorites and most of the team leaders together.  

 

This is the catch-22 of hitting on multiple draft picks and not capitalizing with deep playoff runs during their rookie contracts.  This could have been an absolutely stacked team had Luck not retired.  Yes, I know people are sick of hearing about Luck.  Ballard hit on a ton of picks that would have loaded this team with an elite QB with a roster loaded with rookie deals and cap space to add a FA stud or two.  We're now past those rookie contracts and decided to pay these guys to stay.

Its kind of a two edged sword.  He did hit on draft picks, and we do have players who deserve to be paid.  Unfortunately, they’re not in the prime spots.  
 

High paid guard, RT, outside LB, slot corner.  All great players (include Kelly).   But he didn’t hit on Edge (though Kwity looks very good) QB, or LT, which are more important positions.  
 

No team is perfect.  Ballard is a good GM, although frustrating at times.  

[Pat Curtis]

4 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

Its kind of a two edged sword.  He did hit on draft picks, and we do have players who deserve to be paid.  Unfortunately, they’re not in the prime spots.  
 

High paid guard, RT, outside LB, slot corner.  All great players (include Kelly).   But he didn’t hit on Edge (though Kwity looks very good) QB, or LT, which are more important positions.  
 

No team is perfect.  Ballard is a good GM, although frustrating at times.  

 

Exactly.  Ballard hit on star players in non-prime spots.  Had we still had an elite QB with such loaded talent on rookie deals in those other positions, we could have patched together a stud CB and WR for a few years to contend for Super Bowls.

 

Unfortunately that formula is gone.  Now we have a very solid team that is highly paid at Guard, RT, OLB, and Slot CB...and that still lacks the talent in the prime spots (QB, LT, WR).  Ballard will have to be creative and lucky to make this work.

[Citizencolt]

Nice signing! Sounds like he has been as good as other, more expensive, players at his position. Fans will have to see the Colts defense this year to see how everyone fits the scheme the new D.C. will install.

[jbaron04]

23 hours ago, DaColts85 said:

Good signing. Veteran depth and he has played both safety spots. 

Hmm this might put Willis where he needs to be 3rd safety bench 

[DeepseaColt]

This is a great signing. I was interested in Terrell Edmunds as well but love Rodney's skill set. I believe he and Falcyson will be productive signings barring injury.

[jonjon]

Solid move. See Ballard, signing FAs can be fun! Do it again! 

[holeymoley99]

We have not signed anyone I shook my head and said no a bad signing and we have not traded for anyone where I thought we lost the trade. All of us want better players but the cost and in trade situations what we give up has to be right.........I look at the current roster as it stands and count 44 players who are definitely making the squad........I expect 6 draft picks to stick we have 3 open spots for free agents now, immediately post draft or cut down to 53 day.....

[Scott Pennock]

On 4/8/2022 at 10:09 PM, Dark Superman said:

George Odum signed a three year contract for roughly $10 million with the 49ers. George Odum provided quality depth behind Blackmon and Willis, and started a handful of games in which he played well while continuing to be one of the Colts best players on special teams. Gus Bradley loves to have three safeties on the field together in his scheme which would give Odum the chance to play a lot more on defense as the third Safety. How is he not worth roughly $3 million a year?

Gus Bradley analyzed the roster and the players he wanted for his scheme were re-rigned by Ballard. How is this even still a question fir some of you?

[Four2itus]

10 hours ago, Scott Pennock said:

Gus Bradley analyzed the roster and the players he wanted for his scheme were re-rigned by Ballard. How is this even still a question fir some of you?

Here is the difference in fans vs a real G.M....

 

Ballard is walking a tightrope over a 2000 ft chasm....without a safety lanyard.......balancing a roster, coaches, players, owners and fans while trying to stay alive in the wind and rain.

 

Fans are at home, with a cup of hot chocolate, or a beer, play the tightrope video game from their couch. 

[Yoshinator]

8 minutes ago, Four2itus said:

Here is the difference in fans vs a real G.M....

 

Ballard is walking a tightrope over a 2000 ft chasm....without a safety lanyard.......balancing a roster, coaches, players, owners and fans while trying to stay alive in the wind and rain.

 

Fans are at home, with a cup of hot chocolate, or a beer, play the tightrope video game from their couch. 

You and a few other posters are living or dying by that "Armchair GM" argument to defend Ballard, aren't you? I've said this numerous times: it isn't Ballard Vs the fans of the team, it is Ballard Vs 31 other GMs. Those are the 31 men he has to outsmart to win a SB, not you or I or anyone else that's an NFL fan. Also, fans generally don't think they are smarter than the GMs (at least myself anyway). We do provide examples of what other GMs that are more successful have done, however, and apply those situation to what Ballard should similarly do to adapt to the modern NFL.

 

Taking shots at the fans is in poor taste. What we should be doing is ranking Ballard among his peers as a GM. Right now he is 41-40 in the regular season, and 1-2 in the playoffs in 5 years. That's basically a .500 GM. He has also never won what is probably the easiest division in football since being the GM in 2017. Don't forget 5 QBs in 5 years now as well, and the 5th QB in Matt Ryan we have will be 37 in May. 

 

You want to say he is better than the fans, that's fine. Even Ryan Grigson is better than the fans. That's a low bar to set. IMO, we need to compare him to 31 other GMs that think and operate like him to get a fair comparision, and in that respect, Ballard is a middle-of-the-road, conservative .500 GM, that is a one-trick-pony, that relies on the draft to build a team.

[Shive]

34 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

You and a few other posters are living or dying by that "Armchair GM" argument to defend Ballard, aren't you? I've said this numerous times: it isn't Ballard Vs the fans of the team, it is Ballard Vs 31 other GMs. Those are the 31 men he has to outsmart to win a SB, not you or I or anyone else that's an NFL fan. Also, fans generally don't think they are smarter than the GMs (at least myself anyway). We do provide examples of what other GMs that are more successful have done, however, and apply those situation to what Ballard should similarly do to adapt to the modern NFL.

 

Taking shots at the fans is in poor taste. What we should be doing is ranking Ballard among his peers as a GM. Right now he is 41-40 in the regular season, and 1-2 in the playoffs in 5 years. That's basically a .500 GM. He has also never won what is probably the easiest division in football since being the GM in 2017. Don't forget 5 QBs in 5 years now as well, and the 5th QB in Matt Ryan we have will be 37 in May. 

 

You want to say he is better than the fans, that's fine. Even Ryan Grigson is better than the fans. That's a low bar to set. IMO, we need to compare him to 31 other GMs that think and operate like him to get a fair comparision, and in that respect, Ballard is a middle-of-the-road, conservative .500 GM, that is a one-trick-pony, that relies on the draft to build a team.

I get your point, but I don't think your argument is an accurate counterpoint to the point he's making. He's not saying that Ballard only needs to be better than fans. I think what he's saying is that it's easy for us fans to have our strong opinions and objections to what Ballard is doing or not doing when we have no skin in the game. His entire career depends on the decisions he makes and we get to spout our nonsense takes about what we should or should not have done without any repercussions.

 

While your position isn't necessarily incorrect, I just don't think it's relevant to the point in the post you quoted. We all know Ballard is competing against the other 31 GMs, but that doesn't negate the point that we as fans enjoy the ability to complain from the comfort of our couches and computer chairs without having any consequences for the things we say Ballard should do or should have done. Also, I don't think ranking Ballard squarely on a wins/losses basis is necessarily indicative of his ability relative to his peers. Why isn't number of pro-bowlers or all-pros a relevant stat? It probably throws off your entire premise that Ballard is a middle of the pack GM, despite his reputation around the league as being regarded as one of the best.

[Four2itus]

47 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

You and a few other posters are living or dying by that "Armchair GM" argument to defend Ballard, aren't you? I've said this numerous times: it isn't Ballard Vs the fans of the team, it is Ballard Vs 31 other GMs. Those are the 31 men he has to outsmart to win a SB, not you or I or anyone else that's an NFL fan. Also, fans generally don't think they are smarter than the GMs (at least myself anyway). We do provide examples of what other GMs that are more successful have done, however, and apply those situation to what Ballard should similarly do to adapt to the modern NFL.

 

Taking shots at the fans is in poor taste. What we should be doing is ranking Ballard among his peers as a GM. Right now he is 41-40 in the regular season, and 1-2 in the playoffs in 5 years. That's basically a .500 GM. He has also never won what is probably the easiest division in football since being the GM in 2017. Don't forget 5 QBs in 5 years now as well, and the 5th QB in Matt Ryan we have will be 37 in May. 

 

You want to say he is better than the fans, that's fine. Even Ryan Grigson is better than the fans. That's a low bar to set. IMO, we need to compare him to 31 other GMs that think and operate like him to get a fair comparision, and in that respect, Ballard is a middle-of-the-road, conservative .500 GM, that is a one-trick-pony, that relies on the draft to build a team.

You missed my point entirely. Thanks to @Shive for the eloquent response. He responded as well as I could have, if not better.

 

 

Tell me, if you could view a poll by the G.M.s in the league right now....and they voted Ballard to be in the top ten, would you change your view or would you maintain your status quo?

[Yoshinator]

3 minutes ago, Shive said:

I get your point, but I don't think your argument is an accurate counterpoint to the point he's making. He's not saying that Ballard only needs to be better than fans. I think what he's saying is that it's easy for us fans to have our strong opinions and objections to what Ballard is doing or not doing when we have no skin in the game. His entire career depends on the decisions he makes and we get to spout our nonsense takes about what we should or should not have done without any repercussions.

 

While your position isn't necessarily incorrect, I just don't think it's relevant to the point in the post you quoted. We all know Ballard is competing against the other 31 GMs, but that doesn't negate the point that we as fans enjoy the ability to complain from the comfort of our couches and computer chairs without having any consequences for the things we say Ballard should do or should have done. Also, I don't think ranking Ballard squarely on a wins/losses basis is necessarily indicative of his ability relative to his peers. Why isn't number of pro-bowlers or all-pros a relevant stat? It probably throws off your entire premise that Ballard is a middle of the pack GM, despite his reputation around the league as being regarded as one of the best.

We do have strong opinions because this forum is probably full of some of the most knowledgeable Colts fans in the world. We aren't GM smart, but we know the Colts well at a minimum, and a good number of us (myself included) know a lot about the other players in the league. Also, with the internet and google available to us, it's easy to form an intelligent opinion that the previous generations may not of been able to have on the fly. Don't forget Ballard has a whole team of scouts and coaches around him, so that combination of minds will be much smarter than any individual poster. 

 

As far as ranking Ballard, I gave numerous ways, his win/loss record, playoff record, not ever winning the division, and the 5 QBs in 5 years. Pro Bowlers are fine. The fact is though is that we had 7 pro Bowlers and won 9 games. When they are at non premium positions, it doesn't matter if you don't have the positions that matter. The thing that has sunk Ballard is band-aids at QB, not being active in FA, not hitting on premium positions, and solely depending on the draft to build this team. Sure, we trade a couple times a year, but you don't win every trade, and you have to give something to get something in a trade, you don't have too in FA.