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Soooo much to process


bluephantom87

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As this train wreck has unfolded I wonder what Irsay REALLY thinks about the direction his team is headed to. In a nfl landscape loaded with young gun qbs and explosive offenses (take the afc alone) the Colts are NO closer to being a true SB contender than they were 6 years ago. In fact the gap has widened as other teams have come up. The Colts haven't even won the division (a weak afc south) at all in that time frame. I don't care who you want to blame on how this team got here but this is the REALITY as of now....

 

A) You have another aging ( possibly washed)

      non mobile qb behind a regressing o-line

      that's MINUS a top flight LT to protect said

      qb's blindside. YIKES!!!

B) You have a room full of big non explosive 

      type of wrs who lack separation ability in

      a league FULL of them. Pitt is a dawg but 

      is more methodical than explosive. Don't 

      give me Campbell because I'm STILL 

      waiting to see something.

C) The te room is meh and also lacks a

     dynamic one. Granson? Nuff said.

D) The offense is one dimensional and lacks 

     the CREATIVITY to get its best player in 

     space as teams key on JT to stop the run. 

     The "mirage" comes from JT still amassing       yds but getting a bulk of them on about 3         or 4 big runs per game now as teams wait

     on the predictable runs up the gut by

     stacking the box and meeting at the qb too.

 

All this and that's not even addressing the PASSIVE defense along with it's passive scheme from the "new" (retread) dc who refuses to blitz to generate SOME kind of pressure. Geez!!! A passive hc who's also the offensive playcaller for a non imaginative old school offense.

 

Ballard's "guys" are now starting to get paid on extensions at high price tags with only a few justifying the money. This team is built in the trenches yet both sides are suspect.

 

No long term qb, a lack of playmaking receivers, no LT or stud de, no shutdown corner (Gilmore looked old), we have a journeyman k and a team as ESPN put it has to be the MOST disappointing one so far early into the season. What has this SLOW rebuild with the first time gm (who by the way has NO hardware) proven? Nothing beside the fact that HIS way might have worked in the 80's but in this league you STILL need PLAYMAKERS at the premium positions and you need a hc that can DEVELOP underwhelming players or scheme others to showcase their talents by creating mismatches. Some saw this coming while others continue to drink Ballard's kool aid and defend his every move with a bunch of excuses. Bottom line this team looks awful and Irsay is watching.

      

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You hit the nail on the head with the "passive defense with the passive scheme from the new coordinator". FIFTY years of this nonsense defense that we have played, never had an attacking defense. When we had Quinton Coryatt he could dominate a game from the outside but after a couple of years the genius defensive coordinator moved him inside and he was never the same, he looked lost. Oh well, that's the way it goes in Colt land. Soft d, soft d, and yet more soft d.

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While it's clear that our WR situation is a problem, to me it pales in comparison to our problems on BOTH front lines.

 

At least the WR room can say that WR1 and WR2 didn't play.  The OL and DL rooms have no such excuse.  And we got absolutely owned up front yesterday, on both sides of the ball.

 

We continue to get very, very little pressure on opposing QBs.  They have all day, almost every snap.  Run stop was better, mostly because Grover played well.  But where the hell are these edge rushers we've invested so much in?  In the stands watching?

 

And don't even get me started on pass protection.  Matt Ryan has been hit something like 19 times in the first two games.  When you have a 37YO pocket passer, you absolutely must give him a reliable pocket.  I'm not angry at him -- because there isn't a QB past or present who could play well in these circumstances.

 

I realize no FO ever listens to fans.  I get it.  But it doesn't take some football genius to recognize that we've had issues on OL mounting for the past few seasons....and the FO has been negligent in dealing with it.  It seems like it's been a secondary concern, at best.

 

You cannot win football games if you aren't winning, or at least competitive, in the trenches.  We have been getting exposed and abused up front.

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10 minutes ago, Blueblood23 said:

I wish Jim would turn it over to his daughter. He may be more of a problem than most believe. 

 

I really don't think that's the problem.

 

If you have some kind of fact-based rationale for why you think it's a problem with ownership, I'd be interested in hearing what it is.

 

I've long been a Ballard fan.  And I've hoped that what he was right in saying that he had all the bases covered.  It seems evident right now that he was not right.  We did not have all the bases covered.

 

As it stands....we can't protect our QB and we can't get to opposing QBs.  When you combine those two things, nothing else matters.  We could have the best QB and receiving corps in the league.  We could have the best defensive backfield in the league.  Neither would matter.  Because, in a pass-heavy league, if you can't protect your QB and get to opposing QBs, you're sunk.  What happens away from the line-of-scrimmage is of little consequence.

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16 minutes ago, luv_pony_express said:

While it's clear that our WR situation is a problem, to me it pales in comparison to our problems on BOTH front lines.

 

At least the WR room can say that WR1 and WR2 didn't play.  The OL and DL rooms have no such excuse.  And we got absolutely owned up front yesterday, on both sides of the ball.

 

We continue to get very, very little pressure on opposing QBs.  They have all day, almost every snap.  Run stop was better, mostly because Grover played well.  But where the hell are these edge rushers we've invested so much in?  In the stands watching?

 

And don't even get me started on pass protection.  Matt Ryan has been hit something like 19 times in the first two games.  When you have a 37YO pocket passer, you absolutely must give him a reliable pocket.  I'm not angry at him -- because there isn't a QB past or present who could play well in these circumstances.

 

I realize no FO ever listens to fans.  I get it.  But it doesn't take some football genius to recognize that we've had issues on OL mounting for the past few seasons....and the FO has been negligent in dealing with it.  It seems like it's been a secondary concern, at best.

 

You cannot win football games if you aren't winning, or at least competitive, in the trenches.  We have been getting exposed and abused up front.

 

Ballard is running the show like he is inventing the wheel but as time has moved forward the repeated issues that has kept this team from taking the next step is GLARING now and at some point the buck will fall at his doorstep.

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Something has to change! The last four games have been a disaster and it looks like Frank has lost the locker room! They are playing with no emotion and look so disorganized. Buckner, Moore, Kelly pro bowlers way under performing as is the whole team. The left tackle position is another disaster that Ballard said before the season was fixed and they have lost the chemistry of the offensive line which is allowing defenses do whatever they want to get to Ryan! Wide Receivers and tight ends outside of Pittman are non existent! The pass rush that was supposed to be fixed with the 2021 draft and free agents is playing patty cake with offensive lineman allowing quarterbacks to get to their third progression! Four bad losses in a row is a terrible trend and the only fix is change from the GM down!

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7 minutes ago, coming on strong said:

Hopefully not until next year I want that number one draft pick . Give me one bad year and 15 good years . I much rather have a young draft Qb over the corpse of Matt Ryan or rivers . No more band aids 


I just looked at the standings. The only team I can say we are better than is the Jets. IMO it’s not a good year for QBs. 2023 draft wise.

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52 minutes ago, luv_pony_express said:

 

I really don't think that's the problem.

 

If you have some kind of fact-based rationale for why you think it's a problem with ownership, I'd be interested in hearing what it is.

 

I've long been a Ballard fan.  And I've hoped that what he was right in saying that he had all the bases covered.  It seems evident right now that he was not right.  We did not have all the bases covered.

 

As it stands....we can't protect our QB and we can't get to opposing QBs.  When you combine those two things, nothing else matters.  We could have the best QB and receiving corps in the league.  We could have the best defensive backfield in the league.  Neither would matter.  Because, in a pass-heavy league, if you can't protect your QB and get to opposing QBs, you're sunk.  What happens away from the line-of-scrimmage is of little consequence.

We just have to disagree on this. I have no inside information just what seems wrong to me. 
 

Hard to understand why the line play is so poor. Ballard wants to build the trenches and he’s certainly tried. Now that these guys got paid, they are not motivated it appears. It has to be extremely disappointing to management for this to be playing out. 

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6 minutes ago, Blueblood23 said:

We just have to disagree on this. I have no inside information just what seems wrong to me. 
 

Hard to understand why the line play is so poor. Ballard wants to build the trenches and he’s certainly tried. Now that these guys got paid, they are not motivated it appears. It has to be extremely disappointing to management for this to be playing out. 

 

I agree with the last part.  Our OL and DL have played dreadfully of late.  And the attempts to build them appear to have failed.  If Braden Smith wasn't sitting on a $32M guaranteed extension, I think they'd be discussing cutting him or something.  He's probably even looked worse than Pryor - who has looked bad enough.

 

As for Irsay, I really don't think he's the problem.  I do think that he let the Grigson/Pagano debacle go on one season too long -- especially after it became evident that we had a generational quarterback that we couldn't protect and keep healthy.  There we were in desperate need of OL help, and we draft Dorsett in the 1st round?  

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14 minutes ago, MPStack said:


I just looked at the standings. The only team I can say we are better than is the Jets. IMO it’s not a good year for QBs. 2023 draft wise.

 

Let that sink in. This is what the "all world" Ballard has built in 6 yrs!! This team is being exposed for what it is. A marginal one whose best players are NOT at the premium DIFFERENCE making positions. To compound matters I don't think the Gus Bradley hire as dc was the right choice either for a defense that generates no pressure from the front four. He runs a passive scheme that rarely blitzs to help generate pressure. Bad match like Frank is for the outdated offense.

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38 minutes ago, bluephantom87 said:

 

Let that sink in. This is what the "all world" Ballard has built in 6 yrs!! This team is being exposed for what it is. A marginal one whose best players are NOT at the premium DIFFERENCE making positions. To compound matters I don't think the Gus Bradley hire as dc was the right choice either for a defense that generates no pressure from the front four. He runs a passive scheme that rarely blitzs to help generate pressure. Bad match like Frank is for the outdated offense.

Lots of blame to go around for certain.  personally, I put the most on Reich.  He doesn't motivate his players.  He does not call the plays well.  He does not scheme to the talents of the players on his team.  He is the head coach, so he is ultimately also responsible for the defense.  

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1 hour ago, Myles said:

Lots of blame to go around for certain.  personally, I put the most on Reich.  He doesn't motivate his players.  He does not call the plays well.  He does not scheme to the talents of the players on his team.  He is the head coach, so he is ultimately also responsible for the defense.  

In the NFL, it is true that small changes can reap big rewards. Inversely, small mistakes can reap big defeats. I do think there is talent. SB talent? No. Playoffs talent? Yes. However, I think the truth lies in the overwhelming amount of folks who are watching the offence and predicting what the play call is. If amateurs can read it a good percent of the time, then,.....well....

 

I have seen enough of Frank the leader and motivator, and I like him. I have seen enough of Frank the play caller, and I have lost my support for him remaining as the OC. I believe that a dynamic surge to this offense through unpredictable play calling that plays to the strength of the players at hand, will completely change the feel and look of this team. 

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2 minutes ago, Four2itus said:

In the NFL, it is true that small changes can reap big rewards. Inversely, small mistakes can reap big defeats. I do think there is talent. SB talent? No. Playoffs talent? Yes. However, I think the truth lies in the overwhelming amount of folks who are watching the offence and predicting what the play call is. If amateurs can read it a good percent of the time, then,.....well....

 

I have seen enough of Frank the leader and motivator, and I like him. I have seen enough of Frank the play caller, and I have lost my support for him remaining as the OC. I believe that a dynamic surge to this offense through unpredictable play calling that plays to the strength of the players at hand, will completely change the feel and look of this team. 

 

I totally agree on the play calling. Time to go get a young innovative mind off one of these high powered offensive staffs. Look at what Miami's new hc / play caller Mike McDaniel has done with Tua already. The offense is now wide open and loaded with dynamic playmakers. Tua looks like a new man and that offense will be a problem moving forward for opposing defenses.

 

Where I'm torn at is Frank as hc. My stance before was keep him as hc but I'm starting to see a lifeless team in this 4 game losing stretch dating back to last season in which the Colts were favored in all of them. Three of those games were against bad teams. Not liking the OVERALL gameplans in said games either. I get no sense of urgency from this uninspired team full of mistakes and turnovers. Guys are dropping balls and getting manhandled on BOTH sides of the ball. Is he holding players accountable? I don't know that answer but I'm quite sure Irsay is watching very closely.

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