The optimism (delusion) thread.

[07dleigh]

Let's be delusional  what if we look "good" this year?

 

We have a cake walk of a schedule. What if Steichen is exactly who we think he is? What if AR's learning curve is successfully masked by a great running game + vertical capability and our usual (when Shaq is healthy) opportunistic defensive play? I think we give the Jags a run for their money, I don't think they sweep us.

 

What if instead of a mere 3 or 4 win season that's being predicted by many, which is completely valid and understandable btw, this team under Shane and our rookie knocks off 9+ wins and scrapes into the playoffs? We obviously won't win it all this year, but I think the experience of playing in even a losing playoff game goes a long way in terms of experience and confidence.

 

Exciting times. I'll admit that I wanted us to go the Lamar route given that I do believe we have a team that can compete now, but I'm happy that we drafted Anthony! I'm okay with swinging for the fences and missing, I think ONLY a swing is going to get you past the gauntlet that is the AFC QB landscape. Our guy GENUINELY seems intent on growing and reaching his full potential.. he seems so down to earth and self aware.. I know a sponge when I see one. He seems ready to soak up everything and quickly. He is BIG and strong and vibrant and easy to like, and I'm ready to see him earn the "face of the franchise" title.

 

What if we don't suck this year? What if AR5 goes 23/13 + 8 rushing TDs and this team shows that we picked the right HC/QB combo?

[Smonroe]

All those 'what ifs' could happen.  Probably won't but we thought 2012 was a building year too.

 

I'll go on record that I was super optimistic last season.  I bought into Ryan being an adequate QB.  I believed our GM and coaches when they put Pryor and Pinter in those spots without much competition.  I thought Leonard put his pain behind him.  And I told everyone I know to draft Hines on their fantasy team.

 

But I really don't think we were as bad as our record last season.  If we end up with 9 wins, I won't be surprised.  But if we have a losing record and AR5 shows progress every week, I'll still be happy.

 

Get out the sunglasses, the future is bright.

[Boondoggle]

If they hit on Richardson all we have to do is get through this first season.  He should ascend from there.

 

If not it's gonna be ugly but they can take another QB this time next year if they aren't happy with him for any reason.

 

I'm not gonna profess to know either way if he's going to work out long term which is what matters for the Colts.  And highly drafted QBs bust like crazy.  But I do think if they push him out there too early it's gonna be ugly and it might hurt his chances.  What's "too early" depends largely on him, but just going off his film he needs time to chill and learn the playbook.

 

My hope is Irsay stays out of this and lets the coach make the call on these things.  If that happens we should be in good hands.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

It’s best to be realistic and just a bonus if we do better then expected.

[Superman]

I don't see 3-4 wins, I see 6-7 wins. That's based on a handful of assumptions.

 

Long story short, I think a lot of things went wrong for the Colts last year. We basically bottomed out. Having a new HC, upgraded offensive staff, new QBing, more experience for some young playmakers, hopefully better health for guys like Nelson, Kelly, JT, possibly Leonard, etc., should raise our floor a little bit. Not having a totally inexperienced outsider at HC for half the season should also be a positive.

 

I won't necessarily be judging the success of this season on the basis of how many games we can win. But I would be disappointed if we can't do better than 3-4 wins.

[cjwhiskers]

2 hours ago, Smonroe said:

All those 'what ifs' could happen.  Probably won't but we thought 2012 was a building year too.

 

I'll go on record that I was super optimistic last season.  I bought into Ryan being an adequate QB.  I believed our GM and coaches when they put Pryor and Pinter in those spots without much competition.  I thought Leonard put his pain behind him.  And I told everyone I know to draft Hines on their fantasy team.

 

But I really don't think we were as bad as our record last season.  If we end up with 9 wins, I won't be surprised.  But if we have a losing record and AR5 shows progress every week, I'll still be happy.

 

Get out the sunglasses, the future is bright.

Exciting times! 
 

I think this roster is better than 2012s roster. Just need AR to show us a little magic and we can be .500 at least. 

[Smonroe]

46 minutes ago, cjrulli said:

Exciting times! 
 

I think this roster is better than 2012s roster. Just need AR to show us a little magic and we can be .500 at least. 

The roster is definitely better than 2012.  Except for the most important position.  

[IinD]

Nothing wrong with being positive about your sports team. 

 

Tom Brady kind of ruined the joy of sports for many fans because so many out there and definitely on this board only consider ring seasons successful ones.

 

There's no NFL film on Richardson, we could absolutely pull off a few good/great wins this year.

 

I'm so excited because AR is the type of QB that never seems to land in Indy (dual threat).

 

Go Colts as always.

[cjwhiskers]

17 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

The roster is definitely better than 2012.  Except for the most important position.  

No doubt, Luck was truly something else.
 

I don’t want AR to try and be anything but himself though. He has skills Luck didn’t have and vice versa. As Ballard has said, he doesn’t need to be superman for us. I think we can win games with him and it’ll be far more fun than what we watched last year. 
 

I definitely don’t think 11 wins is realistic but show me .500. Show me at least 3-3 in the division. LFG

[coming on strong]

5 hours ago, Smonroe said:

All those 'what ifs' could happen.  Probably won't but we thought 2012 was a building year too.

 

I'll go on record that I was super optimistic last season.  I bought into Ryan being an adequate QB.  I believed our GM and coaches when they put Pryor and Pinter in those spots without much competition.  I thought Leonard put his pain behind him.  And I told everyone I know to draft Hines on their fantasy team.

 

But I really don't think we were as bad as our record last season.  If we end up with 9 wins, I won't be surprised.  But if we have a losing record and AR5 shows progress every week, I'll still be happy.

 

Get out the sunglasses, the future is bright.

i think 2012 is different because luck was one of the most pro ready QBS in history coming out of college .  i can see taylor having a career year because when  you mix up elite runners and mobile QBs it helps a lot .     maybe having over 2000 yards rushing and a top ten defense would equal 9 wins  but i doubt richardson is gonna throw at a elite level his rookie year .   the 2024 season is where the colts will end up shinning

[CheezyColt]

2 hours ago, IinD said:

Nothing wrong with being positive about your sports team. 

 

Tom Brady kind of ruined the joy of sports for many fans because so many out there and definitely on this board only consider ring seasons successful ones.

 

There's no NFL film on Richardson, we could absolutely pull off a few good/great wins this year.

 

I'm so excited because AR is the type of QB that never seems to land in Indy (dual threat).

 

Go Colts as always.

This is kind of what I'm pinning any hopes I have on. We see it all the time. There's no blueprint for how to defend a QB with this level of athleticism can do so I'm cautiously optimistic that that'll help pull a couple games out for us. I really does hinge on how much his short area accuracy and consistency can be built up though.

[crazycolt1]

I think our roster top to bottom is more talented than most of the teams that picked in the top ten. If our offensive line can protect whatever QB we start we will be pretty competitive and win more than some think. 

[CR91]

I'm just hoping for fun football. Last year was so boring. Run, run. Incomplete or sack. Train wreck

[rockywoj]

By week 6, Colts could have a stranglehold on the division by winning …

 

wk 1. vs Jaguars,

wk 2, vs Texans

wk 5, vs Titans

& wk 6 vs Jaguars.

 

throw in wk. 4 vs Rams, colts could potentially be 4-2 & strongly in control of the wild wild AFC south, only 6 games in. .  Hi 

 

[Behle]

I think the defense will need to be really good for us to have a good record. The offense will be behind the defense early in the season since it will be new to everybody. The advantage for the offense will be that it will also be new to the opposing teams no matter how much Eagles film they study. 

[esmort]

8 hours ago, rockywoj said:

By week 6, Colts could have a stranglehold on the division by winning …

 

wk 1. vs Jaguars,

wk 2, vs Texans

wk 5, vs Titans

& wk 6 vs Jaguars.

 

throw in wk. 4 vs Rams, colts could potentially be 4-2 & strongly in control of the wild wild AFC south, only 6 games in. .  Hi 

 

 

We aren't going to sweep the Jags. We will be lucky if we split.

[chrisfarley]

To win more games, Steichen could employ a Quarterback by Committee mindset.  Easing AR into the mix and the more pro-style RPO-Set. It surely would be more of a confidence builder to win & learn than suffer through the school-of-hard-knocks.  I don't think going over .500 is far-fetched. <<OR>> Of course, start him right away if he's ready to hit the ground "running" >>

Consider the following AR-5 positives:

1) Highly sought-after private QB coach Will Hewlett had this to say, "He wanted to do the best at everything we worked on" and "It didn't matter what he was doing, he was going to be the best at it".  "He truly cared, loves to compete" 

2) Pre-Draft guys would see him installing plays at Florida and thought he was a coach, they mistook him for one until they figured out it was him.

3) "He's already great at pocket movement, manipulates people (cornerbacks, linebackers, etc) in the pocket, then hits targets" "He's not raw, he's inexperienced" TheFootballGuys (Matt Waldman)

4) People who charted AR said the only person they charted with more drops was Dan Marino , and the only guy who avoided more sacks was Phillip Rivers (in their databases).....

5) Will Hewlett on Richardson outside of Ted Wynn's taped interview "Richardson is an elite learner, I haven't worked with anyone who translates the film and the whiteboard to the field as well as he did."......  per Matt Waldman

 

 

[sb41champs]

I don't feel delusional in saying that we have the POTENTIAL of a 10 win season if the following occurs:

 

1.  Limited injuries in 2023 - especially starters.

2.  Steichen works his magic with AR5 - and - he has a learning curve that shows progress each week.

3.  Our quality defense no longer has to attempt to "carry" our offense to win games

4.  Weekly progress from the entire team.

5.  Winning more AFC South games than we lose.

[Matabix]

21 hours ago, Smonroe said:

All those 'what ifs' could happen.  Probably won't but we thought 2012 was a building year too.

 

I'll go on record that I was super optimistic last season.  I bought into Ryan being an adequate QB.  I believed our GM and coaches when they put Pryor and Pinter in those spots without much competition.  I thought Leonard put his pain behind him.  And I told everyone I know to draft Hines on their fantasy team.

 

But I really don't think we were as bad as our record last season.  If we end up with 9 wins, I won't be surprised.  But if we have a losing record and AR5 shows progress every week, I'll still be happy.

 

Get out the sunglasses, the future is bright.

Well said, I was amazed about how much Ryan sucked last year as well. Been great most of his career just to come here and suck. If defense can do the same as last year and offense improve just slightly 9 wins is achievable. I forgot about the rebuild of 2012, thanks for reminding me.

[2006Coltsbestever]

I don't think it is delusional if someone picks us to win 9 games, even 10 for that matter. There have been a lot teams in NFL history that had poor seasons and bounced back to have good one's. The NFL is one sport where it is possible. We had a lot of injuries last season and lost 2 games by 1 point where we just blew those games + lost a game in OT. Not to mention missing a chip shot FG at Houston that should have been a win. Not having Taylor for most of the season and Leonard only playing 1 game was devastating in reality. Father time also caught Matt Ryan, now we have moved on at QB.

[Smonroe]

1 hour ago, Matabix said:

Well said, I was amazed about how much Ryan sucked last year as well. Been great most of his career just to come here and suck. If defense can do the same as last year and offense improve just slightly 9 wins is achievable. I forgot about the rebuild of 2012, thanks for reminding me.

 

Of course, in 2012 we had arguably the best rookie QB to ever play in the NFL.  

 

You probably heard the story of how Arians, who was the OC, came out dressed all in black after the second mini camp practice.  The second practice!  The Defensive players asked why he was dressed in black, he said he was going to a funeral.  They asked for who?  He said yours - because Andrew killed you yesterday.

 

The kid was special.  I'm glad we had him for his short time in the league.

 

AR5 can be special too.  But it may take a bit longer.  I think our support system for him is light years beyond what they did for AL.

[LJpalmbeacher2]

22 hours ago, 07dleigh said:

Let's be delusional  what if we look "good" this year?

 

We have a cake walk of a schedule. What if Steichen is exactly who we think he is? What if AR's learning curve is successfully masked by a great running game + vertical capability and our usual (when Shaq is healthy) opportunistic defensive play? I think we give the Jags a run for their money, I don't think they sweep us.

 

What if instead of a mere 3 or 4 win season that's being predicted by many, which is completely valid and understandable btw, this team under Shane and our rookie knocks off 9+ wins and scrapes into the playoffs? We obviously won't win it all this year, but I think the experience of playing in even a losing playoff game goes a long way in terms of experience and confidence.

 

Exciting times. I'll admit that I wanted us to go the Lamar route given that I do believe we have a team that can compete now, but I'm happy that we drafted Anthony! I'm okay with swinging for the fences and missing, I think ONLY a swing is going to get you past the gauntlet that is the AFC QB landscape. Our guy GENUINELY seems intent on growing and reaching his full potential.. he seems so down to earth and self aware.. I know a sponge when I see one. He seems ready to soak up everything and quickly. He is BIG and strong and vibrant and easy to like, and I'm ready to see him earn the "face of the franchise" title.

 

What if we don't suck this year? What if AR5 goes 23/13 + 8 rushing TDs and this team shows that we picked the right HC/QB combo?

 

If it happens, and it certainly can, ENJOY IT!

The thought process that it takes years of progression to be good may sound logical, but isn't always the case. The Colts and Texans may be good in year '23 or '24 or both and then be worse in '25.

What I'm saying the NFL isn't linear. 

[mirobi48]

we go 3-13 get number 1 pick and trade for a gold mine

[coltsfeva]

 I’m in for a 9+ season. Look what Ballard has done so far:

Upgraded the coaching staff (although special teams is a ??)

Drafted a potential star at QB

Added depth for DL in FA and draft

Added athleticism in secondary 

Added a dynamic slot receiver 

Added OL depth (I think people are overlooking the acquisition of the guard from Alabama)

 

These things plus the (hopefully) return of the Maniac, second year for Pierce, Cross, Thomas, Woods), and the return of Ogletree and a “softer” schedule, give me hope for this year.

[azcolt]

We now have a coach better than Vince  Lombardi and a quarterback better than PM. The future is so bright that I need sunglasses.

[rock8591]

We will trade Jonathan Taylor for Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

[Boondoggle]

On 5/13/2023 at 7:52 AM, Behle said:

I think the defense will need to be really good for us to have a good record. The offense will be behind the defense early in the season since it will be new to everybody. The advantage for the offense will be that it will also be new to the opposing teams no matter how much Eagles film they study. 

The offense is not new.  This is the same offense.  Frank comes from the same branch of the WCO tree as Steichen.

 

Also the WCO is not going to sneak up on anyone.  It's the most prevalent scheme in the league.

[throwing BBZ]

4 hours ago, azcolt said:

We now have a coach better than Vince  Lombardi and a quarterback better than PM. The future is so bright that I need sunglasses.

 

 A better HC than Belichek is now and a QB with a better upside than former MVP Cam Newton. 

[stitches]

On 5/13/2023 at 2:26 AM, Superman said:

I don't see 3-4 wins, I see 6-7 wins. That's based on a handful of assumptions.

 

Long story short, I think a lot of things went wrong for the Colts last year. We basically bottomed out. Having a new HC, upgraded offensive staff, new QBing, more experience for some young playmakers, hopefully better health for guys like Nelson, Kelly, JT, possibly Leonard, etc., should raise our floor a little bit. Not having a totally inexperienced outsider at HC for half the season should also be a positive.

 

I won't necessarily be judging the success of this season on the basis of how many games we can win. But I would be disappointed if we can't do better than 3-4 wins.

I was thinking the same thing... 7 wins or thereabout. And then I started filling the game by game W/L predictions and I got us to 11-6  I thought it's kind of delusional so I didn't post it but... yeah. If Richardson is functional in the passing game... who knows... 

[Boondoggle]

On 5/13/2023 at 12:11 AM, rockywoj said:

By week 6, Colts could have a stranglehold on the division by winning …

 

wk 1. vs Jaguars,

wk 2, vs Texans

wk 5, vs Titans

& wk 6 vs Jaguars.

 

throw in wk. 4 vs Rams, colts could potentially be 4-2 & strongly in control of the wild wild AFC south, only 6 games in. .  Hi 

 

By week 6 I could win the lottery.  Doesn't mean it's likely to happen.

 

Two of the teams in this division have better QBs than the Colts, which is to say guys who have full grasp of the offense they run and the talent to execute it.  The other, the Texans, has a QB who should translate quicker than the long term project that is Richardson.

 

Hate to say it but our hopes of being a good team this season rest largely on two things.  First being the ability of Steichen to get Richardson ready quickly.  Second being Richardson's ability to learn and translate things far better than he did in college.  Neither is particularly likely.  Though of course anything can happen.

 

It's going to be hard for this fan base and the media at large to keep their eyes on what is important, which is not so much this year's results but rather the long term investment in the QB with the highest upside.  And in that equation there is a point where it does become a concern if he is not translating into consistent play at the position, but that won't be year one.  Well, it shouldn't be year one but today's media is gonna today's media.

[richard pallo]

So much is going to depend on first year HC Steichen.  The optimism is off the charts for him.  We really haven’t had much luck with first year head coaches in the past.  Jim Caldwell comes to mind but he inherited a pretty good team from Dungy.  So we are just going to hope he turns out to be the exception and not the rule.

[cdgacoltsfan]

2 hours ago, richard pallo said:

So much is going to depend on first year HC Steichen.  The optimism is off the charts for him.  We really haven’t had much luck with first year head coaches in the past.  Jim Caldwell comes to mind but he inherited a pretty good team from Dungy.  So we are just going to hope he turns out to be the exception and not the rule.

Huh??? Frank won AFC coach of the year and won a playoff game his first year.(2018)

[NewColtsFan]

2 hours ago, richard pallo said:

So much is going to depend on first year HC Steichen.  The optimism is off the charts for him.  We really haven’t had much luck with first year head coaches in the past.  Jim Caldwell comes to mind but he inherited a pretty good team from Dungy.  So we are just going to hope he turns out to be the exception and not the rule.

Chuck Pagano and Bruce Arians say hello!   11-5 
 

Frank Reich says hello!    10-6

 

 

[Stephen]

On 5/13/2023 at 9:14 AM, esmort said:

 

We aren't going to sweep the Jags. We will be lucky if we split.

We need to beat the jags week 1 titans texans and rams.i got the ravens and jags away as losses. We may upset bengals later in year as we are good for at least one upset against a good team

[07dleigh]

This is about as excited as I've been with our skill positions since... a long time. All of a sudden, I think we have a very exciting group. This team + staff feels different. We may finally be getting with the times LOL. 

 

Side note: I wonder what our TE depth chart looks like.

 

[lollygagger8]

I just want to see improvement throughout the year. 

 

Be better than the game before. 

[tfunky14]

19 hours ago, Boondoggle said:

By week 6 I could win the lottery.  Doesn't mean it's likely to happen.

 

Two of the teams in this division have better QBs than the Colts, which is to say guys who have full grasp of the offense they run and the talent to execute it.  The other, the Texans, has a QB who should translate quicker than the long term project that is Richardson.

 

Hate to say it but our hopes of being a good team this season rest largely on two things.  First being the ability of Steichen to get Richardson ready quickly.  Second being Richardson's ability to learn and translate things far better than he did in college.  Neither is particularly likely.  Though of course anything can happen.

 

It's going to be hard for this fan base and the media at large to keep their eyes on what is important, which is not so much this year's results but rather the long term investment in the QB with the highest upside.  And in that equation there is a point where it does become a concern if he is not translating into consistent play at the position, but that won't be year one.  Well, it shouldn't be year one but today's media is gonna today's media.

WHO? Really? 

Tannehill just had his replacement drafted, Lawrence wins with his defense, not his play most games and didn't Houston just draft a QB to?

[richard pallo]

3 hours ago, 07dleigh said:

This is about as excited as I've been with our skill positions since... a long time. All of a sudden, I think we have a very exciting group. This team + staff feels different. We may finally be getting with the times LOL. 

 

Side note: I wonder what our TE depth chart looks like.

 

I will be shocked if Cox is not traded or cut by final roster cutdowns.

[Chrisaaron1023]

I LOVE this tread..

 

First off, I'm very confused as to why everyone thinks we are bottom feeders? We had injuries to our best defense and offensive players last year.. it's not like we had Soo many wholes. We just didn't have anything at QB. At least, if Ant can't throw he can run unless who we brought out last year.

 

I'm not saying we'll be world beaters but come on we aren't going to get scraped all season long.. I'm not even ruling out beating the media darling Jags week 1!

 

Let's go Indy!!

[#12.]

If the O-line rebounds, they could play somewhat like they did in 2021.  Richardson's current limitations as a passer allow Ballard to grind it out a few more years.

 

With 7 playoff teams and a 9-8 record being a playoff target, you’re never that far away.  If you’re 6-8 and you win the final three, you might be in.