What are the Colts "waiting" for?

[Matabix]

6 minutes ago, Scott Pennock said:

Still incorrect……

Ok, how?

[Jackie Daytona]

On 5/13/2023 at 6:38 AM, IndyD4U said:

Meh. We may have drafted our new RT. Move Smith to RG and call it good. Always time to pickup a vet this summer. 

That's not happening lol

[ChuggaBeer]

On 5/13/2023 at 6:33 AM, nyyankeechris said:

Is it just me, or do others share their own concern as to why on earth we haven't signed a free agent veteran guard yet?

I really feel that protecting our new franchise QB should be plan 1 and 1A

 

Who is still left out there that could really help that void?

Who is out there that you would have them consider?

[Scott Pennock]

5 hours ago, Matabix said:

Ok, how?

https://coltswire.usatoday.com/lists/indianapolis-colts-denver-broncos-pff-grades-nfl-week-5/

[jimmy g]

1 hour ago, Scott Pennock said:

https://coltswire.usatoday.com/lists/indianapolis-colts-denver-broncos-pff-grades-nfl-week-5/

Smith was rated the 2nd Best College Guard when he was drafted. 2nd only to Nelson. 
 

Ironicly, Will Fries was drafted as a Tackle. He started 35 games for Penn State at Tackle, and only 9 at Guard.

[NewColtsFan]

On 5/13/2023 at 2:38 PM, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Braden was actually one of the bright spots on the line last year. Colts issues were at center and RG mostly. 

And LT.    That spot was a disaster for the first half of the season. 

[Hawkeyecolt]

If Ekiyor had been picked where he was projected we wouldn’t be asking why hasn’t Ballard done anything about RG. 
 

The Colts like Fries. He plays with a nasty streak.  The Colts will settle on the best 5.  Let’s just hope it doesn’t take half the season again to figure out who those best five players are. With a new coaching staff I’m confident that shouldn’t happen again. 
 

Fries, Ekiyor, Pinter, and LaChance will battle it out for roster spots and the starting spot at RG.  Going into free agency there were three or four Guards that I liked and Risner wasn’t one of them.  He was a so-so player on a bad line. He also played LG.  I can see his asking price not matching potentially being a marginal upgrade at best. I also feel like at this point the Colts will take a look at how things look at mini-camp then decide if they need to bring in a vet. 

[AwesomeAustin]

The biggest issue is there aren’t 160 starting caliber OL in the league. Available FAs may work for us but it would just be a temporary band aid.  Best bet is to develop our own and fill the position that way. We have viable options in the building worth exploring first while also considering bringing someone else in. 

[Scott Pennock]

7 hours ago, jimmy g said:

Smith was rated the 2nd Best College Guard when he was drafted. 2nd only to Nelson. 
 

Ironicly, Will Fries was drafted as a Tackle. He started 35 games for Penn State at Tackle, and only 9 at Guard.

Yes and sometimes one’s skill set is better off at a different spot on the oline.

 

Having said that the real truth is this, had the Colts drafted a highly decorated offensive guard prospect in the 3rd-5th rounds out of Alabama (like everyone mocked to us) this thread likely wouldn’t have started….. but they didn’t, they got the SAME GUY as an UDFA and all of a sudden the Colts did nothing……

 

 

[lollygagger8]

I'm not worried about RG as much as I am worried about Kelly playing well at Center. 

 

He most definitely didn't play like the highest paid Center in the league last year. 

[Defjamz26]

On 5/13/2023 at 7:22 AM, pkbrux said:

 

Posters on this board are obsessed with the idea of moving Smith to RG, I see it mentioned all the time. The Colts have given no indication that its something they are considering, and to move a good RT to guard for an unknown at RT would be a stupid risk to take. 

Also didn’t they try that for a few games last season? I think they had Smith at RG and Pryor at RT. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

9 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

And LT.    That spot was a disaster for the first half of the season. 

It was better once he got experience. In my opinion you can help a LT.  It’s almost impossible to help a center and RG. Having a clean pocket in the middle is much more important then having just one weakness and LT.  Especially with a statue at QB.

[shasta519]

On 5/14/2023 at 4:07 AM, Nickster said:

The line hasn’t been good since the Covid year.  Godawful terrible last year and not very good at all particularly in pass pro the previous year.

 

 

The cracks began showing in 2021 and it collapsed last year. Not being terrible down their 1-7 stretch to end last season doesn't really inspire confidence for a bounceback. Here's the line right now:

 

Braden Smith is probably the only non-question mark on this OL at this point.

 

It's hard to imagine a R4 OT and an UDFA are supposed to fix what was arguably the worst OL in the NFL last year.

 

I am a bit surprised that there wasn't a FA move or two to bolster competition and depth, especially with this draft clearly focused on the secondary and skill positions.

[Solid84]

4 hours ago, shasta519 said:

 

The cracks began showing in 2021 and it collapsed last year. Not being terrible down their 1-7 stretch to end last season doesn't really inspire confidence for a bounceback. Here's the line right now:

 

Braden Smith is probably the only non-question mark on this OL at this point.

 

It's hard to imagine a R4 OT and an UDFA are supposed to fix what was arguably the worst OL in the NFL last year.

 

I am a bit surprised that there wasn't a FA move or two to bolster competition and depth, especially with this draft clearly focused on the secondary and skill positions.

At his end of season presser Ballard talked about how he expected the veterans (Nelson, Kelly and Smith) to raise the level of play from Pryor and Pinter. That failed miserably. Then he talked about how he undervalued the need for consistency for the Oline - they aren’t just five guys, they are a unit. 
 

Maybe it works. I certainly hope it does. Raimann did improve a lot over the season, but Fries wasn’t particularly impressive to me.

 

The Oline was as terrible during the season as they were during the preseason. People were talking about us only using “basic blocking schemes” during the preseason. “Non-basic blocking schemes” didn’t change squat during the season - they sucked.

 

If our Oline don’t look improved during this years preseason, I expect another disaster during the season. 

[NewColtsFan]

9 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

I'm not worried about RG as much as I am worried about Kelly playing well at Center. 

 

He most definitely didn't play like the highest paid Center in the league last year. 

For whatever it’s worth…. 

 

Kelly hasn’t been the highest paid center for a few years.   He was in 2020 when he signed his new deal.   But he’s been passed by four other players.   So he’s now fifth.   
 

The problem is Kelly has not even playing like the 5th best.  Not even close.   This will likely be his last year unless he has a terrific bounce back year by staying healthy.   The dead cap and savings change dramatically next year.  So cutting him because much easier.   This is a make or break year for him. 

[IndyColtsFan411]

On 5/15/2023 at 8:47 AM, Defjamz26 said:

Also didn’t they try that for a few games last season? I think they had Smith at RG and Pryor at RT. 

The bolded part was the major problem with that configuration.

[Matabix]

On 5/14/2023 at 9:44 PM, Scott Pennock said:

https://coltswire.usatoday.com/lists/indianapolis-colts-denver-broncos-pff-grades-nfl-week-5/

This link does nothing. I told you they tried Smith at RG 2 days in last training camp. You show me a week 5 game against the Broncos that was after training camp. Not sure what your point is unless you think 1 game decides someone's career?

[coltsfan1965]

OL is definitely an entity unto itself. The "weakest link" plays a big role in defining how they perform. Their overall cohesion is also incredibly important. The most important position is held by Tony Sparano Jr. Do they need an upgrade at RG? That would help. Can Raimann step up and learn LT better? That's a coaching thing as well. Can they learn where AR is and where to move people so he has openings to move and throw? I certainly hope so. I hope they have more than one season to do that. 

[Scott Pennock]

On 5/17/2023 at 7:52 AM, Matabix said:

This link does nothing. I told you they tried Smith at RG 2 days in last training camp. You show me a week 5 game against the Broncos that was after training camp. Not sure what your point is unless you think 1 game decides someone's career?

Seriously? Your position was that they WOULD NOT NOR HAVE NEVER THOUGHT about sliding Smith back into RG and I literally just showed you that they did, in fact, slide him back into RG last year to see if it was a better alignment. 

[Matabix]

On 5/20/2023 at 3:42 PM, Scott Pennock said:

Seriously? Your position was that they WOULD NOT NOR HAVE NEVER THOUGHT about sliding Smith back into RG and I literally just showed you that they did, in fact, slide him back into RG last year to see if it was a better alignment. 

Not sure what your arguing about, I'm saying the samething.