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Don’t be surprised…


Rolltide_gocolts

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27 minutes ago, Moosejawcolt said:

And here is my big issue with this D and why I flet it has gone the way of the Do Do. Name me another team that would consider its D tackle and  WLL as the cornerstone of building a defence? That folks  is why this defence is flawed.

 


Well Chicago just hired Eberflus to run that defense.  
 

It’s not some fringe view that pressure up the middle is more important than pressure from the edge.   Now more teams may prefer edge pressure, but some like pressure up the middle.   And plenty of quarterbacks will tell you the same thing.  That otrsdure up the middle is harder for them to deal with. 

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7 minutes ago, VikingsFanInChennai said:

 

I don't know how that works... 

 

As Ballard interviews Coaches now, does he tell them that in this team 3T is the most important position, and WILL is the second most important position, so on....? 

 

Do they agree to work on what Ballard builds as his Dream Team? Or do they want to build the way they know their offense or defense would work better in their system? 

 

Is it correct to say most important positions in Colts team are 3T, WILL,....? 


 I have no idea how it’s going to work going forward.   I’m only sharing what Ballard was saying from 2017 to 2022.  
 

But after a year like we had, all bets are off.  Maybe they blow it up and start over from scratch.   Maybe they find an offensive coach for HC that doesn’t care about the defense the Colts run?   Then perhaps Bradley returns and runs the same system. 
 

But if they hire a defensive minded HC then I don’t know what happens to the scheme and the players.  I’d guess a major rebuild on that side of the ball with a new vision. 

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2 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:


 I have no idea how it’s going to work going forward.   I’m only sharing what Ballard was saying from 2017 to 2022.  
 

But after a year like we had, all bets are off.  Maybe they blow it up and start over from scratch.   Maybe they find an offensive coach for HC that doesn’t care about the defense the Colts run?   But if they hire a defensive minded HC then I don’t know what happens to the scheme and the players.  I’d guess a major rebuild on that side of the ball with a new vision. 

Yeah, i guess it'd be open to change with coaching changes. 

 

And accordingly would expect personnel changes to happen. 

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23 minutes ago, Two_pound said:

Tampas defense with Brooks at will and Sapp  and McFarland at dt. Those were the  cornerstones of that defense and they were good for a lot of years. Maybe the fact that Leonard couldn't play this year was the biggest reason the defense was not as good??

Our defense ranked 7th overall (PFF) in ‘21 because of turnovers. We still allowed a total of 42 TDs (32 passing, 10 rushing). This season we ranked 18th and allowed a total of 45 TDs (25 passing and 20 rushing). 
 

Leonard was a big part of that, no doubt, but maybe we should let him prove he can keep it up instead of instantly crowning him like some. Same thing with JT really. 

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1 minute ago, Solid84 said:

Our defense ranked 7th overall (PFF) in ‘21 because of turnovers. We still allowed a total of 42 TDs (32 passing, 10 rushing). This season we ranked 18th and allowed a total of 45 TDs (25 passing and 20 rushing). 
 

Leonard was a big part of that, no doubt, but maybe we should let him prove he can keep it up instead of instantly crowning him like some. Same thing with JT really. 


I can’t predict Leonard’s health going forward.   All I can say is his first four years (18-21) are without equal in the history of the NFL.   That’s been posted on this website by the Colts multiple times.   It’s not a secret or an opinion. 
 

 

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2 hours ago, Solid84 said:

They are non-premium to every GM in the league, claiming different is being obtuse. The most valuable positions get paid the most that's indisputable.

 

Sure, you need to be able to win without a QB, but no team is going to the Super Bowl (or far in the playoffs) without a great+ QB. It's just way the league is. Ballard claiming we have to be able to win without a QB is either him trying to obfuscate his intentions in the draft or a legitimate reason to fire him - you don't win without a QB.

 

$5-10 million more is easily another good player on the team. How's that not good for the team? It could also mean being able to offer another $5-10 million more than we would otherwise be able to to land a significant difference maker. $5-10 million more isn't nothing.

 

I'm not saying we shouldn't pay them. Just not top-dollar. They're never going to be worth it. Look at our defense this year. No Leonard almost all year. Ended as per usual with being decidedly average.


32 teams are not playing the same defense.   Just as 32 teams are not playing the same offense.   I’m not saying Ballard doesn’t value the premium positions.  
 

But in the defense he wanted to run, the two key positions were the 3-Tech and the WILL.   I suspect RDE would be 3rd. 
 

Some teams value man corners and will take corners in the first 3 rounds.  Some teams run zone and will take corners on day 3 of the draft.  
 

Wouldn’t  it be crazy to believe in a defense and not staff it properly at the key positions?   That’s what Ballard did. 
 

There are different ways to win.   
 

When the coaching search is over hopefully we will all know if CB is staying with his Defense or changing it? 

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8 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:


I can’t predict Leonard’s health going forward.   All I can say is his first four years (18-21) are without equal in the history of the NFL.   That’s been posted on this website by the Colts multiple times.   It’s not a secret or an opinion. 
 

 

Like I said, I have never said he isn’t great, I just don’t feel he’s worth the money. He has clear limitations - last year, arguably his best, he had a coverage grade of 64.5. In a passing league, that’s not a guy you pay top-dollar in my opinion. 

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20 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:


I can’t predict Leonard’s health going forward.   All I can say is his first four years (18-21) are without equal in the history of the NFL.   That’s been posted on this website by the Colts multiple times.   It’s not a secret or an opinion. 
 

 

What was done that was historical?  His grades weren’t lol.

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9 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:


32 teams are not playing the same defense.   Just as 32 teams are not playing the same offense.   I’m not saying Ballard doesn’t value the premium positions.  
 

But in the defense he wanted to run, the two key positions were the 3-Tech and the WILL.   I suspect RDE would be 3rd. 
 

Some teams value man corners and will take corners in the first 3 rounds.  Some teams run zone and will take corners on day 3 of the draft.  
 

Wouldn’t  it be crazy to believe in a defense and not staff it properly at the key positions?   That’s what Ballard did. 
 

There are different ways to win.   
 

When the coaching search is over hopefully we will all know if CB is staying with his Defense or changing it? 

And flus D and Bradley D are very different.n only thing similar is few blitzes.

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7 minutes ago, Solid84 said:

Like I said, I have never said he isn’t great, I just don’t feel he’s worth the money. He has clear limitations - last year, arguably his best, he had a coverage grade of 64.5. In a passing league, that’s not a guy you pay top-dollar in my opinion. 


And he was clearly playing at well below normal health.   His first 3 years his coverage grades were 80, 70, and 70. 
 

When healthy, Leonard is a premium player at a key position in the defense we ran.  
 

But if the Colts hire a defensive HC, who knows what happens then…. 

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16 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:


32 teams are not playing the same defense.   Just as 32 teams are not playing the same offense.   I’m not saying Ballard doesn’t value the premium positions.  
 

But in the defense he wanted to run, the two key positions were the 3-Tech and the WILL.   I suspect RDE would be 3rd. 
 

Some teams value man corners and will take corners in the first 3 rounds.  Some teams run zone and will take corners on day 3 of the draft.  
 

Wouldn’t  it be crazy to believe in a defense and not staff it properly at the key positions?   That’s what Ballard did. 
 

There are different ways to win.   
 

When the coaching search is over hopefully we will all know if CB is staying with his Defense or changing it? 

I don’t know what game Ballard is playing, but it hasn’t really panned out this far. You go with the winning formula. 
 

Our defense went to crap when we let Autry and Houston go. Ballard can claim 3-tech and WILL all he wants, but a good DE is way more important. Look at Franklin this year. He’s done good at a fraction of Leonard’s cost. And Gilmore is the best corner we’ve had all of Ballard’s tenure and it’s shown. 
 

Are there different ways to win though? Every competitor this year has good DEs. No team with average DEs and great 3-techs are winning. 
 

I’m really excited about the HC search and curious to see what the result will be. I’m not a big fan of our 3-headed leadership, though. I wish Irsay would stick to signing the checks, let Ballard decide the direction of the team and find suitable talent with input from the HC. 

 

For the record, I’m not trying to pin anything on you or chase you around. I’m perfectly fine with us having different opinions, and hope you are too. Go Colts!

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2 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:


And he was clearly playing at well below normal health.   His first 3 years his coverage grades were 80, 70, and 70. 
 

When healthy, Leonard is a premium player at a key position in the defense we ran.  
 

But if the Colts hire a defensive HC, who knows what happens then…. 

Yeah I forgot about his ankle, my bad. 
 

A lot could change with the new HC (and DC?). We’ll see. 

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39 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:


Well Chicago just hired Eberflus to run that defense.  
 

It’s not some fringe view that pressure up the middle is more important than pressure from the edge.   Now more teams may prefer edge pressure, but some like pressure up the middle.   And plenty of quarterbacks will tell you the same thing.  That otrsdure up the middle is harder for them to deal with. 

Yes, I get the DT but a linebacker?

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20 minutes ago, Solid84 said:

I don’t know what game Ballard is playing, but it hasn’t really panned out this far. You go with the winning formula. 
 

Our defense went to crap when we let Autry and Houston go. Ballard can claim 3-tech and WILL all he wants, but a good DE is way more important. Look at Franklin this year. He’s done good at a fraction of Leonard’s cost. And Gilmore is the best corner we’ve had all of Ballard’s tenure and it’s shown. 
 

Are there different ways to win though? Every competitor this year has good DEs. No team with average DEs and great 3-techs are winning. 
 

I’m really excited about the HC search and curious to see what the result will be. I’m not a big fan of our 3-headed leadership, though. I wish Irsay would stick to signing the checks, let Ballard decide the direction of the team and find suitable talent with input from the HC. 

 

For the record, I’m not trying to pin anything on you or chase you around. I’m perfectly fine with us having different opinions, and hope you are too. Go Colts!

Leonard gets way more turnovers than franklin so they arent comparable

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1 hour ago, Solid84 said:

Yeah I forgot about his ankle, my bad. 
 

A lot could change with the new HC (and DC?). We’ll see. 

Ankle, back, nose, concussion, there were even talk of him having sustained long term injury, not sure if it was credible but the organization didn't disclose enough information to give hope about his return to health next season. It could be exaggeration from fans but he could never return fully healthy all year and had to be shut down. 

 

He's been very good in forcing turnovers but a defense relying on one player to cause turnovers much consistently isn't going to work. Turnovers aren't a consistent production to rely on from one player every year. His intelligence, ability to read the snap and plays, sense and knack in forcing fumbles or making interceptions does help him play at very high level when healthy. 

 

Assuming he'd be healthy to begin next season, Colts need to get help in pass rush and cornerback. 

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3 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:


Ballard has repeatedly said it’s a passing league.   The only person here who doesn’t know that is….   Take a guess. 

A GM who knows and believes it’s a passing league but who totally blew the LT spot with an incompetent strategy, when even the average fan knew his plan was a mistake. Who has acquired Wentz and Ryan. Who will overpay JT. Who has acquired no No. 1 WRs in six years. I care what CB does not what he says. 

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4 minutes ago, ShuteAt168 said:

A GM who knows and believes it’s a passing league but who totally blew the LT spot with an incompetent strategy, when even the average fan knew his plan was a mistake. Who has acquired Wentz and Ryan. Who will overpay JT. Who has acquired no No. 1 WRs in six years. I care what CB does not what he says. 

I can’t wait until they let JT walk and then we try to replace him with a 7th round RB so everyone who’s already going on about overpaying him will flip out when we have zero running game. 

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1 hour ago, ShuteAt168 said:

A GM who knows and believes it’s a passing league but who totally blew the LT spot with an incompetent strategy, when even the average fan knew his plan was a mistake. Who has acquired Wentz and Ryan. Who will overpay JT. Who has acquired no No. 1 WRs in six years. I care what CB does not what he says. 


Sorry, but I’ve never been impressed with the fan (any fan) who says that the fan knew better than the GM.   That’s not a shot at you.  It’s always been my position since I’ve been a member here.   They are comments made with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. 

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On 1/21/2023 at 5:45 PM, ShuteAt168 said:

Yes, you have outlined for the board many times why you are the king at Colts analysis. 
 

I count 2017 because he was GM that season. I’m embarrassed for you that you think you can cherry pick records. We probably shouldn’t count the record during Saturday’s time as HC either, since perhaps CB wasn’t on board. You should dig in and figure “Chris Ballard’s Real Record As General Manager When Every Circumstance Fell In His Favor.” Then elucidate the rest of the hoi polloi on the board. 
 

One playoff win in six years isn’t enough for me as a fan. It is for you. I have higher expectations. 


I haven’t Cherry picked anything.  I’ve put 2022 at the feet of Chris Ballard.  I’ve repeatedly said he could get fired for this year.  

The only year I’ve called into question is 2017.    And I’ve done this based on what the owner has said and done and what Ballard himself has said and done.  As recently as early September, right before the start of the season, Irsay called Ballard “The best GM in football, and if he’s not the best is among the best.”    And he extended Ballard out to a six year contract before he had to.   I file that under the heading if actions speaking louder than words.   
 

I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but I’ve written a long post explaining how 2017 was a tank year.   All the moves that Ballard made that said tank.  I’ve written this before.  Your call if you choose to accept it or not, but I don’t know how you refute all the facts that point to a tank year?  

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3 hours ago, Indyfan4life said:

I can’t wait until they let JT walk and then we try to replace him with a 7th round RB so everyone who’s already going on about overpaying him will flip out when we have zero running game. 

You’re right — that definitely could happen! 

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2 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:


Sorry, but I’ve never been impressed with the fan (any fan) who says that the fan knew better than the GM.   That’s not a shot at you.  It’s always been my position since I’ve been a member here.   They are comments made with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. 

I think that’s generally a fair point. Usually it is hindsight. In the case of LT, though, a large percentage of fans were critical before the season. You’re on this board enough to know that. But yeah, hindsight is 20-20 but it’s what fans do! 

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5 minutes ago, ShuteAt168 said:

I think that’s generally a fair point. Usually it is hindsight. In the case of LT, though, a large percentage of fans were critical before the season. You’re on this board enough to know that. But yeah, hindsight is 20-20 but it’s what fans do! 

The LT position did improve as the season went on, so that was…good. Is good the right word? Either way, if Raimann keeps improving and it wasn’t just a fluke, then we have our LT for quite sometime. 

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On 1/22/2023 at 2:44 PM, NewColtsFan said:

You say now he hasn’t lived up to it.   It’s one year.   One year!   Give the guy a chance.   Everyone didn’t live up to their potential this year. 

Well he does have a back issue and that has me worried about him going forward.

 

2021 wasn't up to the same standard as his first few years and his play fell further this year.  Thats two years trending down.  Hes not going anywhere and knows we need better from him, I just hope he can still do it.

 

 

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13 minutes ago, BlackTiger said:

Well he does have a back issue and that has me worried about him going forward.

 

2021 wasn't up to the same standard as his first few years and his play fell further this year.  Thats two years trending down.  Hes not going anywhere and knows we need better from him, I just hope he can still do it.

 

 


2021 Nelson suffered a broken foot in camp and missed all if camp.  Rushed himself back to make the start of the season.   Then suffered a high ankle sprain.    There are legit reasons for 2021, even if few here are willing to acknowledge them.    As for 2022, the entire line fell off.  As Ballard said,  the three veterans were badly impacted by the two young players. 

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