Colts pecking order in the AFC

[csmopar]

I have zero expectations. Just too many question marks across the board. As long as we actually play with some fire, I’ll be happy. I wouldn’t be surprised with a sub 500 or even a 0-17 season

[Stephen]

On 5/8/2023 at 3:36 PM, BeanDiasucci said:

He MAY have the best potential in the draft but he's certainly not currently the best QB of the bunch. AR5 finished 10th in the SEC in QB rating last season as his team went 6-7. He rushed for 654 yards, second among SEC QBs, but didn't dominate games on the ground. I don't know how you expect him to immediately lift an NFL team.

His college team didnt scheme things up nicely for him and he could have run for more. The play designs were terrible with practically no check downs

[crazycolt1]

7 minutes ago, csmopar said:

I have zero expectations. Just too many question marks across the board. As long as we actually play with some fire, I’ll be happy. I wouldn’t be surprised with a sub 500 or even a 0-17 season

I don't see us going 0-17. With all the new coaches and players I expect it will take a bit to get rolling. Once they get rolling they will be competitive.  

[crazycolt1]

On 5/8/2023 at 3:36 PM, BeanDiasucci said:

He MAY have the best potential in the draft but he's certainly not currently the best QB of the bunch. AR5 finished 10th in the SEC in QB rating last season as his team went 6-7. He rushed for 654 yards, second among SEC QBs, but didn't dominate games on the ground. I don't know how you expect him to immediately lift an NFL team.

I have watched all the film of him I  could find and he had very little protection. He has the talent and imo will grow into a very good QB. 

[indyagent17]

I know we have a new quarterback, but this team is hard to trust. The last two seasons were picked to win double digit games but of course that’s not been the truth. I’m going with seven wins for the season. We have too many holes to fill

[BProland85]

55 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

I don't see us going 0-17. With all the new coaches and players I expect it will take a bit to get rolling. Once they get rolling they will be competitive.  

I agree. The team towards the end of the season should look quite different from the team that starts the season. 

[Moosejawcolt]

3 hours ago, csmopar said:

I have zero expectations. Just too many question marks across the board. As long as we actually play with some fire, I’ll be happy. I wouldn’t be surprised with a sub 500 or even a 0-17 season

If we go 0-17, we have some serious issues with this roster.  Remember people pointed  to Frank as the problem and that Ballard had constructed a lot of talent. Frank and the lack of a franchise qb were the problem.  I do expect Richardson to struggle, but if we go 0-17 with him at the helm then the talent is crap and he is not the answer. I expect some early struggles but i do expect us to get better. The Oline is what makes this team tick or not based on the amount of money Ballard has invested in it. If it plays like last year, Richardson will falter and it could really affect his development (think Carr), Taylor will be  a useless asset  and the defense will be on the field all day.

[csmopar]

3 hours ago, Moosejawcolt said:

If we go 0-17, we have some serious issues with this roster.  Remember people pointed  to Frank as the problem and that Ballard had constructed a lot of talent. Frank and the lack of a franchise qb were the problem.  I do expect Richardson to struggle, but if we go 0-17 with him at the helm then the talent is crap and he is not the answer. I expect some early struggles but i do expect us to get better. The Oline is what makes this team tick or not based on the amount of money Ballard has invested in it. If it plays like last year, Richardson will falter and it could really affect his development (think Carr), Taylor will be  a useless asset  and the defense will be on the field all day.

I’m not saying we will. I’m just saying it wouldn’t shock me is all

[Moosejawcolt]

22 minutes ago, csmopar said:

I’m not saying we will. I’m just saying it wouldn’t shock me is all

Never said you did but it would shock me. If this team went 0 and 17 that would tell me that there is no talent, Richardson was a mistake, Ballard is a bad GM (he's average up until this year), Steichen was the wrong choice and this org needs a gutting from top to bottom.

[bluephantom87]

21 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

I have watched all the film of him I  could find and he had very little protection. He has the talent and imo will grow into a very good QB. 

 

Our o-line will be key. Steichen's scheme in Philly operated behind an upper tier line that MOVED bodies inside the trenches. Hopefully the Colts o-line can return to being one of the more dominant units of the league. IF that happens I believe Richardson can have some early success running a simplified offense that gradually increases in difficulty as the season progresses and it all starts in the offseason. I think the new offense will also maximize the talents of the other offensive weapons.

[jvan1973]

17 hours ago, Moosejawcolt said:

Never said you did but it would shock me. If this team went 0 and 17 that would tell me that there is no talent, Richardson was a mistake, Ballard is a bad GM (he's average up until this year), Steichen was the wrong choice and this org needs a gutting from top to bottom.

Jerry Jones and Troy Aikman went 1-15 their first year in Dallas

[chrisfarley]

I don't know about the AFC South, but in the entire NFL, we'll be in the last quartile of the lower quartile

 

[teganslaw]

Cynthia Frelund used advanced analytics to predict that the Colts will win the fewest games in the AFC this season.  I guess she doesn't trust the team much. 

 

Maybe they won't be great, but IMO Frelund can stuff the analytics right now. Maybe they'll work better when the season starts, but it's too early to predict this. 

[bluephantom87]

2 hours ago, teganslaw said:

Cynthia Frelund used advanced analytics to predict that the Colts will win the fewest games in the AFC this season.  I guess she doesn't trust the team much. 

 

Maybe they won't be great, but IMO Frelund can stuff the analytics right now. Maybe they'll work better when the season starts, but it's too early to predict this. 

 

I think a lot of the national media had gotten off the Colts bandwagon anyway after recent years of unfulfilled promise and letdown seasons. That was even BEFORE the hiring of a new first time hc and most likely a very green rookie qb to lead the charge. The gap had already been widening as we stayed the course of the 10 yr plan under Ballard BUT I believe that we are FINALLY on the right path to success. Go Colts.

[Stephen]

On 5/13/2023 at 8:55 AM, jvan1973 said:

Jerry Jones and Troy Aikman went 1-15 their first year in Dallas

Statistically troy was never super good. The team around him eventually got super good

[Crunked]

In the pecking order: We are NOT on the bottom, but we can see it from here.....

I think targeting 5-6 wins would be the expected 7+ a phenomenal year....and obviously less than that a disappointment. 

[DougDew]

Bottom half of AFC South.  Bottom 10 in the AFC.

[bluephantom87]

20 hours ago, DougDew said:

Bottom half of AFC South.  Bottom 10 in the AFC.

 

Do you think our win total will exceed last season? 

[DougDew]

1 minute ago, bluephantom87 said:

 

Do you think our win total will exceed last season? 

Probably.  The schedule seems to be easier.  Last year the negative attitude got in the way.  Optimism alone will probably provide enough energy for one or two more wins.  

[NewColtsFan]

41 minutes ago, bluephantom87 said:

 

Do you think our win total will exceed last season? 

Exceed 4?    Yes.    Without question.   If the Colts don’t,  a series of things has gone very wrong, IMO.    

[jaxjag]

On 5/12/2023 at 8:02 AM, Stephen said:

Just based off the schedule we shouldnt lose many games. We havent had a schedule this easy in a while. Peyton would go 15-2 with this schedule. If Richardson can be an average starter his first year no reason we shouldnt win atleast 9 games.

That would be a huge leap for AR. I watched every single game he played for the Gator's and he was not even an average college quarterback IMO. 

[Nickster]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

Exceed 4?    Yes.    Without question.   If the Colts don’t,  a series of things has gone very wrong, IMO.    

 

Well that's already happened.

 

For me, I think the probability is strong that we will exceed 4 wins simply because not very many teams end up with 4 wins or less.  I don't think the team is going to be "better" than last years' team necessarily.   CB is going to be rough.  I think AR will struggle mightily in 2023.  If he starts right away, I'd probably lean closer to four or less wins.  I think Minshew will give us a better chance to win a few games this season.

 

Our OLINE is a huge question mark, almost to a man, for varying reasons.  They could rise to the level of mediocrity which would be exponentially better than last year, but they could also be godawful again.  I don't see much of a possibility of them being a top half OLINE this year though.  If Nelson plays somewhere close to 18, 18, 20 level and and Raimann turns into a stud, then maybe; but it looks really ugly to me right now: aging, overpaid, oft injured, and under performing. 

 

The DLINE has so far not matched it's investment.  It's a decent DLINE but is filled with salary and high draft picks and there is still not a very disruptive pass rush that has been produced by the unit.  There are guys that could improve, but they might also just be what they have been. Solid but unspectacular, lacking a consistent rush.  This is unit I was hopeful would start to become worth the investment last season, but they like saltine crackers.  Pretty good, but not that good.  

[wrusselld]

So much talk about the following year.  We don't have that kind of time with Nelson and Kelly.  The drop off from 21 to 22 was alarming.  I love the age range of the skill players but they need some support up front.  Buckner and Stewart are 2 of the best DL in the league.  Another good year from Franklin and get Leonard back to where he was and the D can be very good.  AR being semi-ready is still better than what Minshew can do.  Let him have the reins and let's do this!

[bluephantom87]

On 5/16/2023 at 10:10 AM, Nickster said:

 

Well that's already happened.

 

For me, I think the probability is strong that we will exceed 4 wins simply because not very many teams end up with 4 wins or less.  I don't think the team is going to be "better" than last years' team necessarily.   CB is going to be rough.  I think AR will struggle mightily in 2023.  If he starts right away, I'd probably lean closer to four or less wins.  I think Minshew will give us a better chance to win a few games this season.

 

Our OLINE is a huge question mark, almost to a man, for varying reasons.  They could rise to the level of mediocrity which would be exponentially better than last year, but they could also be godawful again.  I don't see much of a possibility of them being a top half OLINE this year though.  If Nelson plays somewhere close to 18, 18, 20 level and and Raimann turns into a stud, then maybe; but it looks really ugly to me right now: aging, overpaid, oft injured, and under performing. 

 

The DLINE has so far not matched it's investment.  It's a decent DLINE but is filled with salary and high draft picks and there is still not a very disruptive pass rush that has been produced by the unit.  There are guys that could improve, but they might also just be what they have been. Solid but unspectacular, lacking a consistent rush.  This is unit I was hopeful would start to become worth the investment last season, but they like saltine crackers.  Pretty good, but not that good.  

 

If the o-line is BAD again I think Ballard will take some serious heat regardless of what AR does because many feel that unit hasn't been addressed properly (upper tier wise) so far in the offseason including the draft. Maybe a FA move is in the works but things can derail very quickly IF that line is subpar. Steichen has already stressed how IMPORTANT that talented o-line was to the success of his offense that he ran in Philly. The line was a key factor and Shane doesn't strike me as one that's trying to win to just sit back and be content with a meh type o-line. Season one will be evaluation for some but season two will be the reckoning for all.

[tfunky14]

Let me get this straight from all the negativity.      The Colts will finish last because of a first year head coach, first year QB, un stellar offensive line and very little talent on the roster.   

 

Hmm, 

Tennessee- just drafted a QB as well, original starter is on the hot seat and very well could stat the season as a back up

and their best RB had an injury plagues season a year ago

 

Jacksonville - good defense yes but still medium QB play and un consistent offense

 

Houston - umm, see my first 2 lines, it reads the same in regards to the Texans

 

The AFC south is a week division and it's up for grabs for all teams but the Colts will win 7 games, more than that will be determined by how fast Richardson progresses.