The reason Ballard is being kept

[IrsaysArmy]

1 hour ago, shasta519 said:

 

People actually think Ryan will be back? He's been benched twice in the same season. And he's owed $17M more if they keep him.

 

There is just no way. As soon as the season's ends, they will just unceremoniously release him and then he will either sign a one-day contract with ATL or just retire (like Rivers). Though who knows maybe his heart grows like the Grinch and he retires before they have to cut him. I wouldn't expect anybody to do that though.

There’s a better chance of Andrew Luck being on the roster than Matt Ryan in 2023

[Shive]

On 12/27/2022 at 11:08 AM, bluephantom87 said:

Those types of defenses don't give up HISTORICAL type of scoring numbers.

Hard to maintain a lead when your offense can't convert first downs.

 

On 12/27/2022 at 11:08 AM, bluephantom87 said:

no franchise qb

Problem #1, which if solved I think is a big boost for us, along with a good playcaller.

 

On 12/27/2022 at 11:08 AM, bluephantom87 said:

no explosive receivers

Campbell and Pierce are both very explosive WRs, but both have been often misused.

 

On 12/27/2022 at 11:08 AM, bluephantom87 said:

cornerstone LT

Raimann has been getting better and better and the season has gone on. He still struggles with anchoring, which was a knock we knew about him, as he needs to get stronger. He's also been a top rated T since week 12, which shows that he's really developed nicely and is most likely our starting LT moving forward.

 

On 12/27/2022 at 11:08 AM, bluephantom87 said:

no elite DE

Paye has been very good when healthy this season and Dayo has really come on strong in recent weeks. Neither are elite, but not every team has one elite DE. They're hard to find...

 

On 12/27/2022 at 11:08 AM, bluephantom87 said:

young shutdown corner

Rodgers has been one of the top rated CBs in the league all season and has been playing lights out.

 

On 12/27/2022 at 11:21 AM, chad72 said:

Similarly, if you trust Ballard, give him full control over all his coaching selections and let him rise and fall on the fruits of his labor that are entirely his, you know what I mean. That is truly the only way it would work, like it did for the most part with Bill Polian.

I think this is how it needs to go. The McDaniels fiasco left Ballard with a very small pool of candidates, of which, Reich was the best remaining (the decision also rumored to be largely influenced by Irsay). It didn't work with Reich, mainly his scheme and playcalling.

 

Overall, Ballard has done a very solid job drafting talented players and I think Irsay should take his hands off the wheel, let Ballard pick his HC and staff, and let him sink or swim by that decision.

 

Changing GMs and coaches often is a terrible way to run a franchise. If you look at a team like the Eagles, fans wanted Roseman gone, but he got a 2nd chance with a new HC and they're an absolute powerhouse this year. There's nothing wrong with retaining a GM and bringing in a new HC. You don't always have to blow the whole thing up every time things go awry, although that seems to be the prevailing thought amongst a lot of folks here...

[Superman]

2 minutes ago, Shive said:

Campbell and Pierce are both very explosive WRs, but both have been often misused.

 

 

Seriously.

 

Watch good offenses play, like the Chiefs, Bills, Vikings, Rams, etc. They run high percentage plays to their fastest receivers, often behind the line of scrimmage. You know, end-arounds, sweeps, they know how to execute a simple screen pass, etc. These plays take pressure off of the QB and the OL, they get the ball in the hands of the playmakers in space, and pick up yardage consistently. 

 

The Colts have an underperforming OL (been better the past month-plus, but still can't hold up against a serious pass rush), and don't have a playmaker at QB. We have some WRs with speed and toughness, and we have Campbell who was a YAC monster in college, but none of them are excellent route runners. These quick concepts should be a staple of our offense. Yet, we almost never see them.

 

Reich seemed to want to use Campbell this way in 2020, but of course he got hurt. Then we showed some of these plays early in the Washington game this year, but they disappeared by the second half. We ran screens really well in 2020, which makes me think the QB is the biggest piece to the puzzle, because Rivers shows up and immediately our screen game works. But how hard is it to run a bubble screen, really? 

 

Bottom line, this team is not well coached on offense. These little things make it obvious to me. And that's not meant as a knock on Reich or anyone else, just stating what seems clear. And it could just be a small attention to detail thing that maybe Sirianni or someone else formerly on the staff gave attention to, and now we're lacking there (we also lost Mike Groh, Tom Rathman, and Jason Michael over the last couple years). It could be due to the roster turnover, or any other unknown combination of factors. But it's a big problem, IMO.

[Superman]

As for Ballard, I think he can identify and acquire good players across the roster. (Related to coaching, I don't think we always do a good job developing and deploying those players.) And I think he's a good operational manager, who can put together a staff that will be cohesive and work together well. 

 

I have two problems with him. First, acquiring good players at the most important positions. Not gonna focus on QB, because there are some unique factors there, and if we just turn our attention to the draft we can address this position properly. But LT and Edge are big issues on this roster. I don't like how he executed his LT strategy after 2020 when AC was contemplating retirement, and I don't like how he evaluated Fisher, Leno, Darrisaw, Te'vi, or Davenport. And he's spent a lot of good draft picks on Edge players who didn't work out. Banogu is a second round pick, in his fourth year, and he's done nothing; he doesn't even have 100 defensive snaps this season. Other people focus on the veteran departures, but it shouldn't be hard to replace Autry and Houston when you have 4-5 young DEs on the roster, all drafted with top 60-ish picks. The bigger problem is none of those young DEs worked out (Paye and Dayo are looking good, to be fair, but Turay, Lewis, and Banogu were disappointing when we needed them in 2021). I think Ballard and his staff definitely have a blind spot at Edge, and it's possible they have a similar issue at LT. 

 

Second problem, his cap strategy. I think the strategy overall is sound, traditionally. But the new reality of NFL cap management is that there will always be a handful of teams that get aggressive to try to capitalize within a short window. Those teams push the envelope for player salaries, they use premium draft picks for established veterans (he did this with Buckner and Wentz, to be fair), and they backload cap hits with the understanding that they will have to revisit their cap situation within a couple years. Meanwhile, Ballard sets his value on FAs and doesn't budge, and he sticks to his stable cap management structures. This means two things: 1) The Colts will never have serious cap issues; and 2) The Colts will always be outbid by other teams for premium-level players. 

 

I think, if Ballard won't adjust in these areas -- don't know what it takes to fix LT and Edge if his staff doesn't see them properly, and I don't know if he'll ever move away from his rigid cap management -- then I don't think he can put together a real contender. It's possible he gets lucky and strikes gold in the draft, plus has some FAs play way over their heads for us. But we're always going to be competing with a couple teams that are using the Rams' team building model.

 

So I don't share a lot of the prevalent opinions of Ballard. I don't think he's overly arrogant, I don't think he's bad at drafting, I don't think he has an aversion to drafting a young QB. He's patient, disciplined, measured, and a consensus builder, and I think those are valuable traits. But in a zero sum game like the NFL, I think a GM has to be ready to take his shot when things start to line up his way, and I don't know if Ballard will ever do that.

 

So I don't think 'he built a pretty good defense in 2022' is good enough reason to keep him. It's a positive, but my concerns are more fundamental than that. He can put together a decent roster, but lots of GMs can do that. Can he put together a title contender? That's what separates good GMs from great, and I think today's NFL requires taking more risks than Ballard has shown a willingness to take. 

[Boondoggle]

Colts are upper half of the league in terms of roster quality.  If they had a QB they would be well into that top half too.  So I think Ballard is a good GM at stacking the roster.  He knows what he is doing and if/when Irsay fires him he won't be on the street long.

 

That said no GM is perfect.  His mistakes/weaknesses in his tenure here caught up to him this season.  So he may be fired due to these things, depending on whether the Colts can attract a coach of the quality that can dictate his own GM.  I am doubtful of that, so I think whether he is kept this offseason is still very much in the air.

 

Where he has erred:

 

1. QB.  We could discuss this over a hundred pages and have plenty to talk about but the bottom line is the quality was not there at QB this year and we lost due to it.  There was an owner involved, clearly, so I don't know that it was 100% Ballard's fault.  But when your plan year to year is signing castoffs from other teams and acting like you know better than them you're gonna get burned time to time.  And we did.

 

2. LT.  Raimann is settling in but I have not been happy with their approach at LT during Ballard's tenure.  LT is a position that greatly affects your QB's confidence.  Nobody is capable of keeping their eyes off the rush when it's coming from your blind spot.  So for this reason LT is one of the four cornerstone positions (others being blindside rusher, QB, and corner) and the position has exacerbated the QB lack of quality.

 

3. Coaching.  I always say that a GM's biggest decision is his head coach hire.  Get that wrong and the return on every draft pick you make thereafter is lower than it should be.  Get it right and you're a genius even if you're missing on draft picks, because misses happen with everyone's draft picks.  Frank was a better-than-average hire.  Problem is he's a guy you have to give a QB to fully realize his value.  If you want to play QB lottery you'd better have a defensive head coach who can give you quality year in and out on defense.  In the end I think Frank was too nice of a guy.  Feel terrible about his firing still to be honest.  But there was probably a limit to what you can do with him running the show.  As an OC he is fine.  But the head coach must set the tone and that was where Frank was deficient or perhaps marginal is a better word.

 

So.  Going forward if Ballard is kept around he must get the head coach hire right.  And he must draft a QB who can hold the position down for this organization.  In all of this the big unknown is Irsay too.  Will he be impatient and decide whatever QB you draft isn't good enough even though he's developing and patience must be shown?  I don't know.  It worries me for sure.  But for purposes of the Ballard conversation get the coach hire right, just hit on that, and things should fall into place because the team should be positioned to find the signal caller in this draft.

[BeanDiasucci]

In addition to the list above, I would argue that Ballard has erred at receiver as well. Maybe erred is too strong a word, but he hasn't done well enough there to build a championship team. This seems like a pretty good list to me that ranks the top receivers in the league. It has Pittman at No. 31.   https://www.profootballnetwork.com/the-top-wide-receivers-in-the-nfl-2022/

 

People reminisce a lot about the Peyton days, but Marvin and Reggie were important to the success of those teams. In my book, Ballard needs to land a dynamic wide receiver of the caliber of the top 10 or so on this list. 

 

Who’s the Best Wide Receiver in the NFL?

1) Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

2) Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

3) Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

4) A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

5) Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders

6) Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

7) Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

8) DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

9) Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

10) Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

 

[crazycolt1]

8 minutes ago, BeanDiasucci said:

In addition to the list above, I would argue that Ballard has erred at receiver as well. Maybe erred is too strong a word, but he hasn't done well enough there to build a championship team. This seems like a pretty good list to me that ranks the top receivers in the league. It has Pittman at No. 31.   https://www.profootballnetwork.com/the-top-wide-receivers-in-the-nfl-2022/

 

People reminisce a lot about the Peyton days, but Marvin and Reggie were important to the success of those teams. In my book, Ballard needs to land a dynamic wide receiver of the caliber of the top 10 or so on this list. 

 

Who’s the Best Wide Receiver in the NFL?

1) Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

2) Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

3) Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

4) A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

5) Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders

6) Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

7) Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

8) DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

9) Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

10) Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

 

One thing all these receivers have in common is their teams have good to great QBs. Can you honestly judge the Colts receivers with the QB play we had this season?

[Superman]

17 minutes ago, BeanDiasucci said:

In addition to the list above, I would argue that Ballard has erred at receiver as well. Maybe erred is too strong a word, but he hasn't done well enough there to build a championship team. This seems like a pretty good list to me that ranks the top receivers in the league. It has Pittman at No. 31.   https://www.profootballnetwork.com/the-top-wide-receivers-in-the-nfl-2022/

 

People reminisce a lot about the Peyton days, but Marvin and Reggie were important to the success of those teams. In my book, Ballard needs to land a dynamic wide receiver of the caliber of the top 10 or so on this list. 

 

Who’s the Best Wide Receiver in the NFL?

1) Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

2) Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

3) Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

4) A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

5) Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders

6) Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

7) Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

8) DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

9) Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

10) Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

 

 

I think it would be nice to have one of those game breaker guys at WR, but with questionable coaching and QBing it wouldn't make a difference. I think our WRs have plenty of upside as it is, but we're now in a situation where Pittman is heading into a contract year, and we still might not have our QB situation settled. 

[John Waylon]

So does this mean we finally built the monster?

 

[BeanDiasucci]

2 hours ago, Superman said:

 

I think it would be nice to have one of those game breaker guys at WR, but with questionable coaching and QBing it wouldn't make a difference. I think our WRs have plenty of upside as it is, but we're now in a situation where Pittman is heading into a contract year, and we still might not have our QB situation settled. 

Why would we talk about still having questionable coaching and QBing in describing what Ballard needs to have done/needs to do to build a team that competes for titles?

[DougDew]

Well, its nice to see the group observe Ballard's lack of success with the QB, EDGE, LT and Flanker positions.   I've been singling out those important positions for over a year, maybe longer.  A few thoughts:

 

WR:

• The coaching has not had a healthy/effective game breaking WR since about 2019, when TY Hilton was still healthy.   JB couldn't pull the trigger then, and I think the Rivers year was the year TY was out of the line up frequently.  When the looking at the threat that a healthy TY posed, like a Marvin Harrison or the list of top 10 receivers above,  our WR group simply does not have that threat.  A team needs that threat to be a serious playoff team.  TEN loses AJ Brown and they change from a very good offense to a below average offense.  Philly transforms itself from a poor passing team that ran a lot in 2021, to a passing threat with the addition of AJ Brown and Davonta Smith developing another year in 2022.
• Pittman ranked #31?  Well, despite our QB issues not helping our WRs, the Top 10 list above are clearly better than Pittman,  And note that probably 7 out of the 10 are 1st round draft picks, not surprising.  Two of them that were drafted near the same slot as Pitt...Deebo and Locket, were more dynamic receivers day 1.  Kupp is a unicorn.  The top 10 WRs are a product of their teams realizing the importance of their talents and using proper capital to get it. 

QB:   

• The band-aid QB strategy is not a bad strategy.  But Ballard never followed up with a proper investment in a young QB to sit behind the band-aids.  Instead, Ballard drafts Eason and Ehlinger, two QBs that were thought to not have an NFL starter quality ceiling.   He did not invest the proper capital in a QB with a high enough ceiling, cementing the idea that he really did rely on these old QBs to play at a high level more than one year...or even two.  If Frank advised him that they could, its irrelevant.  Investing in QB is a strategic decision....and that's the domain of the GM.
• Relying on these old QBs for multiple seasons looks like a win-now strategy.  A win-now strategy is a result of Ballard overvaluing his roster, because it was not just a QB away...never has been under his tenure.  It says that he thought the LTs and WRs were in fact good enough, which questions if he really does value those positions as much as he should. 

LT and EDGE: 

• Ballard didn't address the LT issue with enough urgency, and we have talked about the failures of the 2nd round pass rusher picks.  As far as LT, Polian addressed the future Tarik Glenn retirement by giving up future first to draft Tony Ugoh in the second round of the current year.   Spent a future first on a LT when he still had a Pro Bowl LT under contract for at least the following season.  Ugoh was the wrong player, but that's how you address important positions when you know that your starter is a short timer.  Ballard may not have had that opportunity, I get it, but its also clear that he wasn't bold about it either. 

 

 

[Superman]

1 hour ago, BeanDiasucci said:

Why would we talk about still having questionable coaching and QBing in describing what Ballard needs to have done/needs to do to build a team that competes for titles?

 

Because with better coaching and QBing, I think our WR group is good enough.

[BeanDiasucci]

12 hours ago, Superman said:

 

Because with better coaching and QBing, I think our WR group is good enough.

Maybe. They can be solid, if not spectacular, which describes many of the players Ballard drafts with the exceptions of Leonard and Taylor.

[stitches]

16 hours ago, Superman said:

 

Because with better coaching and QBing, I think our WR group is good enough.

I think I disagree about our WR group. IMO even with better QB and coaching it's still bottom 10 WR group in the league. We shouldn't be relying on the QB to elevate the WRs. We should be hoping that the WR and QB will enhance eachother's impact. Yes, Luck can elevate TY+a bunch of mediocre guys into a efficient offensive unit. But this should not be the goal. The goal should be explosive fearsome offense with multiple dynamic threats, where you present bad dillemas to your opponent and whatever they choose to defend and take away, you hit them on the other side and still win. 

[Superman]

1 minute ago, stitches said:

I think I disagree about our WR group. IMO even with better QB and coaching it's still bottom 10 WR group in the league. We shouldn't be relying on the QB to elevate the WRs. We should be hoping that the WR and QB will enhance eachother's impact. Yes, Luck can elevate TY+a bunch of mediocre guys into a efficient offensive unit. But this should not be the goal. The goal should be explosive fearsome offense with multiple dynamic threats, where you present bad dillemas to your opponent and whatever they choose to defend and take away, you hit them on the other side and still win. 

 

That's a fair disagreement, specific to the quality of our group. What I'm saying is that I think we have players who can perform in a well run offense with a capable QB, and they're all young guys who have not come close to hitting their perceived potential. (That includes all the pass catchers, btw.) Problem is we don't have a well run offense, or a capable QB.

 

I don't think guys like Pierce or Woods have even scratched the surface of what they can be in the NFL. Even Kylen Granson can be a nice option, and he's had some solid games this season as an afterthought, in an offense with no identity. And Pittman deserves some recognition for what he does weekly. If you want to bring in a top ten guy after we have a QB, I have no problem with that. What I'm saying is I don't think the pass catchers are deficient right now. 

 

Philosophically, we agree, except for the bolded. A good QB definitely elevates your receivers. But big picture, yes, you need pass catchers who can get open and make big plays, not JAGs who need a QB to throw perfect passes into tight windows all game long.

[Boondoggle]

23 hours ago, BeanDiasucci said:

In addition to the list above, I would argue that Ballard has erred at receiver as well. Maybe erred is too strong a word, but he hasn't done well enough there to build a championship team. This seems like a pretty good list to me that ranks the top receivers in the league. It has Pittman at No. 31.   https://www.profootballnetwork.com/the-top-wide-receivers-in-the-nfl-2022/

Yeah I kicked wideout around quite a bit and didn't include it because it pertained mostly to this season though I really like the Pierce addition.

 

I think it is accurate to say our WR group overall lacks big time threats.  It's a possession type group.  So adding another wideout to this room should be a priority in this draft, and whoever it is should bring speed to the equation.

[Shive]

50 minutes ago, Boondoggle said:

I think it is accurate to say our WR group overall lacks big time threats.  It's a possession type group.  So adding another wideout to this room should be a priority in this draft, and whoever it is should bring speed to the equation.

I'm not convinced that it is missing big time threats, just that those big time threats are being misused as possession receivers. I don't disagree with bringing in a WR with some deep speed. I'm just hoping our next coaching staff uses the talent we have more effectively and caters the offense to that talent instead of having an explosive WR like Campbell run possession routes.

 

That said, I'm very excited to see what Pierce and Woods (and Olgetree) will be able to do with a full NFL offseason and a new offensive scheme. Woods looked unstoppable at moments this season.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

If you guys get a chance listen to George Bremers podcast here. His partner Ryan Hickey made a great point about maybe why it’s best to keep Ballard. Essentially saying a new GM might not feel pressure to draft a QB right away. 
 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-blue-horseshoe/id1639201044?i=1000591628144

[Nickster]

On 12/29/2022 at 1:39 PM, Superman said:

 

That's a fair disagreement, specific to the quality of our group. What I'm saying is that I think we have players who can perform in a well run offense with a capable QB, and they're all young guys who have not come close to hitting their perceived potential. (That includes all the pass catchers, btw.) Problem is we don't have a well run offense, or a capable QB.

 

I don't think guys like Pierce or Woods have even scratched the surface of what they can be in the NFL. Even Kylen Granson can be a nice option, and he's had some solid games this season as an afterthought, in an offense with no identity. And Pittman deserves some recognition for what he does weekly. If you want to bring in a top ten guy after we have a QB, I have no problem with that. What I'm saying is I don't think the pass catchers are deficient right now. 

 

Philosophically, we agree, except for the bolded. A good QB definitely elevates your receivers. But big picture, yes, you need pass catchers who can get open and make big plays, not JAGs who need a QB to throw perfect passes into tight windows all game long.

From what I’ve seen, Pierce really struggles to get open.  That was the knock on him, route running.  Maybe that will change but as of yet , there doesn’t seem to be much movement.

 

He looks great catching in traffic though.  He might be better suited as an X type who can get over the top on occasion.

[Nickster]

31 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

If you guys get a chance listen to George Bremers podcast here. His partner Ryan Hickey made a great point about maybe why it’s best to keep Ballard. Essentially saying a new GM might not feel pressure to draft a QB right away. 
 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-blue-horseshoe/id1639201044?i=1000591628144

I’d guess they’d take one of the top 3 if available.  Saw a mock of them selecting Richardson at 5.  His RAS will be off the charts, lol.

[Nickster]

22 hours ago, Shive said:

I'm not convinced that it is missing big time threats, just that those big time threats are being misused as possession receivers. I don't disagree with bringing in a WR with some deep speed. I'm just hoping our next coaching staff uses the talent we have more effectively and caters the offense to that talent instead of having an explosive WR like Campbell run possession routes.

 

That said, I'm very excited to see what Pierce and Woods (and Olgetree) will be able to do with a full NFL offseason and a new offensive scheme. Woods looked unstoppable at moments this season.

I keep hearing that parris is explosive yet I don’t recall him exploding in any game like ever.  He doesn’t look,explosive to me .  By default I think it’s be obvious at least once.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

4 minutes ago, Nickster said:

I’d guess they’d take one of the top 3 if available.  Saw a mock of them selecting Richardson at 5.  His RAS will be off the charts, lol.

His point was a new GM might feel he needs a year to evaluate the roster first. Might even stick with Ryan to evaluate him. Ballard has pressure to take a QB there. A new GM might not feel he needs to do that because he had a longer leash. This is kind of why a new GM scares me and I am leaning towards Ballard staying. Of course what the new HC thinks is going to go s long way whether Ballard stays. If Harbaugh says yeah I will come but I want my own GM Ballard would be gone.

[Nickster]

1 minute ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

His point was a new GM might feel he needs a year to evaluate the roster first. Might even stick with Ryan to evaluate him. Ballard has pressure to take a QB there. A new GM might not feel he needs to do that because he had a longer leash. This is kind of why a new GM scares me and I am leaning towards Ballard staying. Of course what the new HC thinks is going to go s long way whether Ballard stays. If Harbaugh says yeah I will come but I want my own GM Ballard would be gone.

Oh I see the point.  Jim could mandate it.  That seems his MO lately.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

6 minutes ago, Nickster said:

I keep hearing that parris is explosive yet I don’t recall him exploding in any game like ever.  He doesn’t look,explosive to me .  By default I think it’s be obvious at least once.

If you go back to 2020 the first couple games parrid played with rivers is how he should be used. For some reason we stopped. We turned him into a possession receiver. Now he was finally healthy and we used him incorrectly. I truly believe if we had a QB with good anticipation skills we would see him being really explosive. He should be used like lamb or deebo, he has the same skill set.

[Nickster]

5 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

If you go back to 2020 the first couple games parrid played with rivers is how he should be used. For some reason we stopped. We turned him into a possession receiver. Now he was finally healthy and we used him incorrectly. I truly believe if we had a QB with good anticipation skills we would see him being really explosive. He should be used like lamb or deebo, he has the same skill set.

He ran shallow crossers with Rivers in the few games he played.  I don’t see it at all.  At some point I think there would be film that makes you go wow.  Never once seen it.  
 Correction in the game and a half he played.  He looked good catching crossers that one half 3 seasons and many injuries ago.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

1 minute ago, Nickster said:

Oh I see the point.  Jim could mandate it.  That seems his MO lately.

I am sure that would be part of the interview process. Which QB do you like? How would you see them in your offense. Any GM that said I am not taking a QB should be off their list. I wonder  if DODDS or Brown would be a candidate. Guess it depends on coach. We may not see Ballard let go right away. Only two more weeks and we will start seeing the direction they might go. We should hear about candidates quickly. I am sure they already have some on their radar.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

1 minute ago, Nickster said:

He ran shallow crossers with Rivers in the few games he played.  I don’t see it at all.  At some point I think there would be film that makes you go wow.  Never once seen it.  
 

It was more jet sweeps and things that got him in space. We even used him as a running back in those couple games in 2020.  He needs to be put in space to take advantage of his speed. We did see it once this year but that’s been it.

[crazycolt1]

13 minutes ago, Nickster said:

I keep hearing that parris is explosive yet I don’t recall him exploding in any game like ever.  He doesn’t look,explosive to me .  By default I think it’s be obvious at least once.

He had a very explosive play against the Raiders.

Maybe all of our receivers would have better numbers if we had a QB that could actually throw the ball down field?

[Nickster]

3 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

It was more jet sweeps and things that got him in space. We even used him as a running back in those couple games in 2020.  He needs to be put in space to take advantage of his speed. We did see it once this year but that’s been it.

With Rivers, PC caught 6 balls for 71 yds and ran twice for 16.

3 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

He had a very explosive play against the Raiders.

Maybe all of our receivers would have better numbers if we had a QB that could actually throw the ball down field?

Did he, I don’t remember it but I’ll take your word for it.

 

but he reminds me of that dude we traded to get Jacoby.  Meh 

 

dorsett

[crazycolt1]

3 minutes ago, Nickster said:

With Rivers, PC caught 6 balls for 71 yds and ran twice for 16.

Did he, I don’t remember it but I’ll take your word for it.

 

but he reminds me of that dude we traded to get Jacoby.  Meh 

 

dorsett

Really? Parris's lack of numbers has been due to injuries.  

That can't be said of Dorsett. 

The problems you are digging up are due to poor QB play. 

[Nickster]

5 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

Really? Parris's lack of numbers has been due to injuries.  

That can't be said of Dorsett. 

The problems you are digging up are due to poor QB play. 

That was a nice TD v LV.  But I’m not thinking explosion.  LV has the worst secondary in the game too.  He had 6 catches and a drop before that and didn’t break a single tackle or get by any DB..  His injury history very well might have effected his explosive potential.

 

and I’m not talking numbers.

[crazycolt1]

17 minutes ago, Nickster said:

That was a nice TD v LV.  But I’m not thinking explosion.  LV has the worst secondary in the game too.  He had 6 catches and a drop before that and didn’t break a single tackle or get by any DB..  His injury history very well might have effected his explosive potential.

 

and I’m not talking numbers.

His speed is his explosion.  He hasn't been able to show his speed when he doesn't have a QB that can hit him in stride. He has also been hampered by being used as a possession receiver.  

 

[Superman]

5 hours ago, Nickster said:

From what I’ve seen, Pierce really struggles to get open.  That was the knock on him, route running.  Maybe that will change but as of yet , there doesn’t seem to be much movement.

 

He looks great catching in traffic though.  He might be better suited as an X type who can get over the top on occasion.

 

I don't think we've seen what Pierce can or can't do. I wouldn't say route running is a strength at this point, but he's a rookie with a first year possession coach, and bad/ineffective play calling and game planning. And I spent some time watching some All 22 earlier this season, and saw predominantly short and shallow routes from all of our receivers. However, once in a while, I saw Pierce beat defenders downfield, and not get a look. 

 

5 hours ago, Nickster said:

I keep hearing that parris is explosive yet I don’t recall him exploding in any game like ever.  He doesn’t look,explosive to me .  By default I think it’s be obvious at least once.

 

I'm not counting Campbell among our assets for next year. He's a FA, and this is his first season playing extensively. I assume he'll be with a different team next season. Because of his injuries, it's possible the explosiveness he used to have isn't there anymore. But we haven't really given him a chance to show it. When we run our ugly, ineffective bubble screens, we usually throw to Pittman, which is weird because he's probably our least dynamic pass catcher, and probably our best blocking receiver; it would seem like we'd throw to Campbell, Dulin, or Coutee (or Hines when he was here), with Pittman out front. Alas...

[OLD FAN MAN]

On 12/28/2022 at 1:44 PM, Superman said:

 

Seriously.

 

Watch good offenses play, like the Chiefs, Bills, Vikings, Rams, etc. They run high percentage plays to their fastest receivers, often behind the line of scrimmage. You know, end-arounds, sweeps, they know how to execute a simple screen pass, etc. These plays take pressure off of the QB and the OL, they get the ball in the hands of the playmakers in space, and pick up yardage consistently. 

 

The Colts have an underperforming OL (been better the past month-plus, but still can't hold up against a serious pass rush), and don't have a playmaker at QB. We have some WRs with speed and toughness, and we have Campbell who was a YAC monster in college, but none of them are excellent route runners. These quick concepts should be a staple of our offense. Yet, we almost never see them.

 

Reich seemed to want to use Campbell this way in 2020, but of course he got hurt. Then we showed some of these plays early in the Washington game this year, but they disappeared by the second half. We ran screens really well in 2020, which makes me think the QB is the biggest piece to the puzzle, because Rivers shows up and immediately our screen game works. But how hard is it to run a bubble screen, really? 

 

Bottom line, this team is not well coached on offense. These little things make it obvious to me. And that's not meant as a knock on Reich or anyone else, just stating what seems clear. And it could just be a small attention to detail thing that maybe Sirianni or someone else formerly on the staff gave attention to, and now we're lacking there (we also lost Mike Groh, Tom Rathman, and Jason Michael over the last couple years). It could be due to the roster turnover, or any other unknown combination of factors. But it's a big problem, IMO.

our receivers cant change direction in running routes therefore no separation

[Hawkeyecolt]

On 12/27/2022 at 1:17 PM, indyagent17 said:

in my opinion I think the following offensive players will be released after the season. (I am very proud of the defense having to pull this team every week)

 

Ryan Kelly, He has dropped of tremendously and has become a liability. Free agent or 3-4th round (I don't like Pinter here)

Parris Campbell: He has great speed but has a problem in separation and is too frail 

Ashton Dulin: Shows the occasional flash but never quite materialized. 

Matt Ryan before March 17th to save 17 million.

 

We can build around Pittman and Pierce with free agency and or a draft pick we need to change the chemistry in the WR room

The tight ends have disappeared as a group the last several weeks. We get Ogletree back and Woods is solid, Granson does not impress me so I would not be surprised if we bring in another tight end 

 

Ballard needs to repair this line and quit bringing in players that are truly terrible.

 

I'm willing see how Raimann pans out but we need a new RG and Center and some quality depth. this is the biggest challenge for Ballard and if can fix this along with a solid QB I would call that a reason to keep him around 

 

 

 

I would add MAC to your list.  He’s not a #1 TE.  The Colts need to have a blocking TE to go with the Woods, Granson, and Ogletree. 
 

Ryan Kelly is a huge liability.   People need to stop making excuses for him. He’s graded below average to down right bad for three years now. 
 

I agree about Raimann too. He’s getting better each game.  C and RG need to be fixed or C and RT if they move Smith to RG.  
 

While we’re talking about moving  on from players, Kenny Moore needs to be discussed.  I’m good with Gilly, Flowers, and Rodgers.  Moore has done nothing to show me is soft holdout was warranted.   
 

 

[Solid84]

Wish we somehow could land a guy like Zay Flowers in the draft. That guy is amazing to watch. 

[throwing BBZ]

On 12/29/2022 at 5:14 PM, Boondoggle said:

Yeah I kicked wideout around quite a bit and didn't include it because it pertained mostly to this season though I really like the Pierce addition.

 

I think it is accurate to say our WR group overall lacks big time threats.  It's a possession type group.  So adding another wideout to this room should be a priority in this draft, and whoever it is should bring speed to the equation.

 

 Please move Pittman for a smaller, quicker, faster Marvin like receiver.

 There are loads of them on other teams that are doing great jobs, most of which are under our radar. But i see them every game i watch.

[throwing BBZ]

33 minutes ago, Solid84 said:

Wish we somehow could land a guy like Zay Flowers in the draft. That guy is amazing to watch. 

 

  I just watched a few highlights of Zay. Of course many here will immediately whine he is too skinny. But absolutely we need one of these super athletic, change of direction receivers that are very difficult to keep up with.

 And that IS NOT Paris. lol 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

1 hour ago, Solid84 said:

Wish we somehow could land a guy like Zay Flowers in the draft. That guy is amazing to watch. 

I could see us taking another wide receiver with  that second pick if we don’t bring Paris back. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

7 hours ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

our receivers cant change direction in running routes therefore no separation

The separation thing is a fan myth. Parris has been in the top ten in separation. Saw a stat the other day Pittman has been pretty good too. Until we have a QB who can hit players in stride with zip on the ball that gets there on time we won’t see their full potential.