Playoffs? Why Not?

[Smonroe]

Okay, I understand that the less imaginative people are going to put up the Mora meme.  It’s easy and requires no real thoughts on this subject, so go right ahead if it makes you feel “special” (like Gronkd).

 

But for those who want to have a real discussion, here’s my logic:

 

Last season a large portion of the media, and a bunch of fans here, picked the Colts to win the division, right?

 

So what’s changed?  What position group is worse?  The only player we lost of some significance is Gilmore.  I’d say every other position group is at least as good if not better.

 

So if a lot of people thought we were in the hunt last season, why not this season?   
 

Is the play calling going to be worse?  Are the QBs on this year’s roster worse?  Oline?  WR/TE/RB?  Is the D going to drop off?
 

I would not be surprised if we’re in the hunt, just like many of you predicted we would be last year.  Tell me why I’m wrong.  

[KB]

This season is wide open to what could happen. We can speculate all we want but nobody knows until it happens. I still say that we can get into the playoffs. Most likely as a wild card, but the Jags could turn right back into the Jags and we somehow win the division. If we reach the playoffs I'd say the season was a success. If we win a playoff game, we'll that's just gravy on the tatters.

I'd say it all comes down to:

1. O line play. If the o line dosnt improve from its play last season then the season is done before it begins. With little being done to the line this off-season, I'll admit that I'm worried about this.

2. Defense playing well. I'm of the group who thinks the defense played well last year and crumbled at the end because it really didn't matter anymore. If they can play like the first half of the Vikings game and not the second half were good.

3. ARs play. All he has to do is not totally suck and we could have a good season. There's gonna be a mixed bag of results, alot of bad picks/ boneheaded throws, but flashes of greatness will do enough to get us to the playoffs.

[chad72]

In the NFL, margins of winning can be very close. So, we could end up winning a bunch of close games and winning 9 games or end up losing a bunch of close ones and win just 6 games. The odds of our secondary holding up with some inexperience in the back end which will matter in close games, and the odds of a run oriented offense being able to come back against better teams by passing the ball both work against us in games where our D and O cannot control tempo. 2 games vs the Raiders and Broncos, we had Stephon Gilmore close out, that experience will be missed, IMO. Plus Darius Leonard is a question mark as to whether he will be able to play at the same high level we know he can. Plus, typically 2nd year chemistry with pass catchers is better than 1st year chemistry.

 

These are all valid question marks I laid out, that cause me to lean more towards the 6 win side than the 9 win side. Plus, not to mention, when teams had to step on the gas vs Gus Bradley's D, they typically did. We are playing with house money, anything can happen and I will enjoy every small victory within a game that shows progress and good football even if does not lead to a W, I will leave it at that.

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, Smonroe said:

Okay, I understand that the less imaginative people are going to put up the Mora meme.  It’s easy and requires no real thoughts on this subject, so go right ahead if it makes you feel “special” (like Gronkd).

 

But for those who want to have a real discussion, here’s my logic:

 

Last season a large portion of the media, and a bunch of fans here, picked the Colts to win the division, right?

 

So what’s changed?  What position group is worse?  The only player we lost of some significance is Gilmore.  I’d say every other position group is at least as good if not better.

 

So if a lot of people thought we were in the hunt last season, why not this season?   
 

Is the play calling going to be worse?  Are the QBs on this year’s roster worse?  Oline?  WR/TE/RB?  Is the D going to drop off?
 

I would not be surprised if we’re in the hunt, just like many of you predicted we would be last year.  Tell me why I’m wrong.  

OK….   I understand that the less imaginative people are going to respond with the Dumb and Dumber meme “So you’re telling me there’s a chance…”    
 

It’s easy and requires no real thought on the subject.  So go right ahead if it makes you feel “special”.  
 

Goodness gracious…..       

[Smonroe]

54 minutes ago, chad72 said:

In the NFL, margins of winning can be very close. So, we could end up winning a bunch of close games and winning 9 games or end up losing a bunch of close ones and win just 6 games. The odds of our secondary holding up with some inexperience in the back end which will matter in close games, and the odds of a run oriented offense being able to come back against better teams by passing the ball both work against us in games where our D and O cannot control tempo. 2 games vs the Raiders and Broncos, we had Stephon Gilmore close out, that experience will be missed, IMO. Plus Darius Leonard is a question mark as to whether he will be able to play at the same high level we know he can. Plus, typically 2nd year chemistry with pass catchers is better than 1st year chemistry.

 

These are all valid question marks I laid out, that cause me to lean more towards the 6 win side than the 9 win side. Plus, not to mention, when teams had to step on the gas vs Gus Bradley's D, they typically did. We are playing with house money, anything can happen and I will enjoy every small victory within a game that shows progress and good football even if does not lead to a W, I will leave it at that.

Sure, all true.  But my theme was that a lot of us here (and especially the national media) had expectations of winning the division last season.  We all know the reasons it went south.  We all could have said similar things that you pointed out - Oline uncertainty, QB arm/age, etc., but most were confident.  
 

Oline improved, QB room improved, play calling possibilities, etc..  Yet people now think 6 wins would be a successful season.  
 

We were so optimistic last year, why are the expectations so low this season?  It’s mostly the same  team, with improvements.

[gspdx]

5 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

Sure, all true.  But my theme was that a lot of us here (and especially the national media) had expectations of winning the division last season.  We all know the reasons it went south.  We all could have said similar things that you pointed out - Oline uncertainty, QB arm/age, etc., but most were confident.  
 

Oline improved, QB room improved, play calling possibilities, etc..  Yet people now think 6 wins would be a successful season.  
 

We were so optimistic last year, why are the expectations so low this season?  It’s mostly the same  team, with improvements.

 

Personally I think the biggest unknown is QB play.  We thought with Ryan, who has a history of being a pretty good NFL QB, might have a couple of good years left.  That turned out to be wrong.

 

If we start Richardson there are going to be growing pains.  He has a lot to learn.  And if we start Minshew, well, we will get Minshew. He hasn't shown me he has what it takes to lead this team to the playoffs.

 

So with so much of a team's success depending on high level QB play I am not expecting a playoff appearance.  But I would be thrilled if it happened.  

[DaColts85]

I will say that last year the media and fans expected a decent Matt Ryan to help with the offensive game. Our o-line plus poor play from Ryan really hurt. We have not addressed the o-line so it’s hard to say that it’s improved just yet. Also having a young QB could still create play similar to Ryan. Killing drives and having INT’s because he is learning. The D hopefully stays solid. With this I will always hope for a playoff team but I could still see maybe 6-8 wins. 

[csmopar]

2 hours ago, Smonroe said:

Okay, I understand that the less imaginative people are going to put up the Mora meme.  It’s easy and requires no real thoughts on this subject, so go right ahead if it makes you feel “special” (like Gronkd).

 

But for those who want to have a real discussion, here’s my logic:

 

Last season a large portion of the media, and a bunch of fans here, picked the Colts to win the division, right?

 

So what’s changed?  What position group is worse?  The only player we lost of some significance is Gilmore.  I’d say every other position group is at least as good if not better.

 

So if a lot of people thought we were in the hunt last season, why not this season?   
 

Is the play calling going to be worse?  Are the QBs on this year’s roster worse?  Oline?  WR/TE/RB?  Is the D going to drop off?
 

I would not be surprised if we’re in the hunt, just like many of you predicted we would be last year.  Tell me why I’m wrong.  

A lot do people had a lot of faith in Matt Ryan and bought into the “like Manning” training camp quotes we were getting.

 

this season is entirely open. We could go 0-17 very easily, we could also go 12-5 and make the playoffs just as easily. Gonna be a wild ride

[csmopar]

21 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

Sure, all true.  But my theme was that a lot of us here (and especially the national media) had expectations of winning the division last season.  We all know the reasons it went south.  We all could have said similar things that you pointed out - Oline uncertainty, QB arm/age, etc., but most were confident.  
 

Oline improved, QB room improved, play calling possibilities, etc..  Yet people now think 6 wins would be a successful season.  
 

We were so optimistic last year, why are the expectations so low this season?  It’s mostly the same  team, with improvements.

 Because the “improvement” you mention are only on paper. At least at this point with no games played yet. It’s kind of the once bitten twice shy rule

[SOMDColtsfan]

I understand what you're saying. Nobody knows though.  Its hard to say with last years horrific QB and Oline play. And awful coaching. AR could come out of nowhere and take the league by storm. Or play like un unpolished rookie. Won't know til we see it happen.  

[chad72]

32 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

Sure, all true.  But my theme was that a lot of us here (and especially the national media) had expectations of winning the division last season.  We all know the reasons it went south.  We all could have said similar things that you pointed out - Oline uncertainty, QB arm/age, etc., but most were confident.  
 

Oline improved, QB room improved, play calling possibilities, etc..  Yet people now think 6 wins would be a successful season.  
 

We were so optimistic last year, why are the expectations so low this season?  It’s mostly the same  team, with improvements.

 

I don't think folks think 6 wins would be a successful season but if we see improvement from AR as the season goes along, and things are heading in the right direction with the first and second year players, that would be a successful season where we go in with little expectations.

 

Optimism last year was because of what was expected of Matt Ryan but needless to say, it was a perfect storm with OL regressing and Matt Ryan out there being a sitting duck at the end of it, not to mention his noodle arm not helping. This year, we expect AR to make mistakes that may cost us games or won't win games, and it won't be the first time a rookie would be doing that, so we set ourselves a lower bar with the jump to the NFL from college being a big one for so many rookies. 

 

However, Steichen and his coaching can change all of that. Most of us are a little gun shy with outlandish predictions at this point in the season, and it is understandable with so many question marks and a rookie QB. I would rather expect 6 wins and get 10 wins than the other way, to be honest.  

[Smonroe]

Just now, csmopar said:

 Because the “improvement” you mention are only on paper. At least at this point with no games played yet. It’s kind of the once bitten twice shy rule

That is very true.  And I think that’s the answer to my question.    
 

Last season most of us believed that Ryan was an improvement at QB, some of us believed that Pryor and Pinter could play because…why else would they start them with basically no competition.   
 

Now we’re wise enough to say Show Me before I buy it.  

Yet, I’m very optimistic this year.  I think ON PAPER the team IS better, except for losing Gilmore.  But you’re right, let’s see it.  

 

[BProland85]

I think the Colts could definitely surprise a lot of people this year. If Steichen can put Richardson in positions to be successful and utilize his strengths, they have the talent elsewhere to compete for the division. Also having this team prepared for a change especially at the start of the season will go a long ways as well. Reich never had that ability and Steichen seems to emphasize it. 

[Yoshinator]

It's an easy schedule for us, and it seems on paper we added some really solid players in the draft (and obviously Richardson). You would think the team will be healthier, and if Richardson isn't completely raw, he can do some damage to some other teams purely because of his athleticism. 

 

I think we are a 9-8 team this year, so right on the edge of the playoffs, or possibly a wildcard. However, this is the most excited I've been since 2018 when I thought Luck was finally healthy, we had a solid GM in Chris Ballard (at that point we were just figuring it out), and it seemed we had fixed the O-Line and D-Line. Right now there are some concerns (CB and interior O-Line), but I think the future is bright and the playoffs are possible. Maybe we go 4-13, but maybe we go 10-7.

 

Richardson is an all-or-nothing type QB, and I'd rather have that than a pocket passer who can't run the ball. We are in the 21st century of QB play with a coach who made the SB last year with a similar QB. I think we finally have a real chance to compete after 5 years.

[John Hammonds]

What do we have going for us?  The 3rd easiest schedule in the league.  No west coast games.  And there is talent on this team.  Not overwhelming talent.  But it is there.

 

I think the difference between a 4 win season and a 9 win season can be as simple as two injuries.  Or three turnovers.  A little luck here.  A bounce of a ball there.  And it's either a top 5 pick or the playoffs.

[Hark]

Why not us? I agree completely.

[compuls1v3]

I think playoffs is a bit of a stretch.  Richardson has a lot to prove IMHO.  The comparisons that he is similar to Hurts is wishful thinking.  Hurts won awards in college for passing, and even won a Championship game.  I'm not going to fool myself into thinking we make the playoffs this year.  However, I'd be ecstatic if we did!

[crazycolt1]

There is nothing wrong with being optimistic before the season starts.  Fandom plays a huge part in a team's fan base. 

[csmopar]

59 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

There is nothing wrong with being optimistic before the season starts.  Fandom plays a huge part in a team's fan base. 

No there’s not. 
 

as long as it’s grounded in reality. 
 

id love to make the playoffs this year. I just don’t feel like it’s all that likely. But that said, I did bet 60 bucks on the colts to win the superbowl, if they do, I’ll take in north of 1,000,000. But you don’t even wanna know those odds(the playoff making bet line isn’t much better either)

[NewColtsFan]

6 hours ago, Smonroe said:

That is very true.  And I think that’s the answer to my question.    
 

Last season most of us believed that Ryan was an improvement at QB, some of us believed that Pryor and Pinter could play because…why else would they start them with basically no competition.   
 

Now we’re wise enough to say Show Me before I buy it.  

Yet, I’m very optimistic this year.  I think ON PAPER the team IS better, except for losing Gilmore.  But you’re right, let’s see it.  

 

I think this post by you is far,  FAR more reasonable than your original post.   
 

The bottom line is the Colts have a lot of big question marks,  a lot of unknowns.  
 

There are question marks all across the coaching staff.   How good are any of them?    There are question marks all across the roster.    There are question marks on the Colts top players who have been injured.   Nelson, Leonard, Taylor,  Kelly.    And there are question marks with all our draft picks and free agents.  
 

Way, way, WAY too many questions.   And with so many questions, some of the answers are not going to go the Colts way.   
 

Im on record as seeing 7 wins.   Could the Colts win more?   Yes,  but I think it’s unlikely.   Could the Colts make the playoffs?    I think it would take a near miracle even with an easy schedule.   I think all 4 teams in the AFC East are better.   I think all 4 teams in the AFC North are better.   And I think 3 teams in the AFC West Are better.   And I think JVille is the big favorite in the South.   That’s 12 AFC teams that I think are better.   So I think a path to the Wild Card is as small as possible.   Perhaps not impossible, but a real long shot. 
 

All that said, I think the Colts long term prospects are really good.  I like our future and I think AR is the kind of talent whose talent could make the Colts leapfrog over many of the teams in front of the Colts this year.   Richardson could eventually be the Colts Mahomes, or Burrow, or Herbert, or Hurts.    And if that happens — good times ahead!    

[ColtsGermany]

 

Just wanted to post it, because I think it just belongs to this thread... 

(wondering nobody did it already) 

 

Anyway.... Goal should always be to compete and at least go to the playoffs. 

[Smonroe]

4 minutes ago, ColtsGermany said:

 

Just wanted to post it, because I think it just belongs to this thread... 

(wondering nobody did it already) 

 

Anyway.... Goal should always be to compete and at least go to the playoffs. 

Probably because they read my opening post, lol!   
 

It’s all good.   And BTW, I’m not the only one asking Why Not Us?
 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2023-afc-south-race-will-jaguars-or-colts-win-division-crown-reasons-why-each-could-prevail/

[ColtsGermany]

3 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

Probably because they read my opening post, lol!   
 

It’s all good.   And BTW, I’m not the only one asking Why Not Us?
 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2023-afc-south-race-will-jaguars-or-colts-win-division-crown-reasons-why-each-could-prevail/

I'm on your side. Think we have a chance to make the playoffs. 

You never know what happens.... Add an injury here or there at certain positions at the other afc south teams for example... Everything is possible! 

[teganslaw]

We could  if everything goes well. I'm optimistic abut Richardson, but am not thinking playoffs this early. The season hasn't started and there is no way to tell what will happen. I've been let down when people were hyping Wentz and Ryan, so I'm trying not to get overly excited regarding playoffs. 

[1959Colts]

Playoffs? Maybe. But can we block?

[MB-ColtsFan]

8 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

I think this post by you is far,  FAR more reasonable than your original post.   
 

The bottom line is the Colts have a lot of big question marks,  a lot of unknowns.  
 

There are question marks all across the coaching staff.   How good are any of them?    There are question marks all across the roster.    There are question marks on the Colts top players who have been injured.   Nelson, Leonard, Taylor,  Kelly.    And there are question marks with all our draft picks and free agents.  
 

Way, way, WAY too many questions.   And with so many questions, some of the answers are not going to go the Colts way.   
 

Im on record as seeing 7 wins.   Could the Colts win more?   Yes,  but I think it’s unlikely.   Could the Colts make the playoffs?    I think it would take a near miracle even with an easy schedule.   I think all 4 teams in the AFC East are better.   I think all 4 teams in the AFC North are better.   And I think 3 teams in the AFC West Are better.   And I think JVille is the big favorite in the South.   That’s 12 AFC teams that I think are better.   So I think a path to the Wild Card is as small as possible.   Perhaps not impossible, but a real long shot. 
 

All that said, I think the Colts long term prospects are really good.  I like our future and I think AR is the kind of talent whose talent could make the Colts leapfrog over many of the teams in front of the Colts this year.   Richardson could eventually be the Colts Mahomes, or Burrow, or Herbert, or Hurts.    And if that happens — good times ahead!    

I think the bolded is my biggest concern, with Steichen at the top of the list.  A rookie HC that wants to call his own offensive plays.  Hmm...seen that movie before and didn't like it.  I'm hoping the same result doesn't play out again.

 

He also has a rookie QB that he's going to want to talk to after some series during the game.  I'm hoping he'll lean heavy on Cam & Cooter during the games and not call his own plays.

 

I would love to see us make the playoffs this year. It would give the whole team and organization a huge boost.  Not seeing it this year because key elements are too young and inexperienced, but I'm not saying it's impossible.

[throwing BBZ]

19 hours ago, Smonroe said:

Okay, I understand that the less imaginative people are going to put up the Mora meme.  It’s easy and requires no real thoughts on this subject, so go right ahead if it makes you feel “special” (like Gronkd).

 

But for those who want to have a real discussion, here’s my logic:

 

Last season a large portion of the media, and a bunch of fans here, picked the Colts to win the division, right?

 

So what’s changed?  What position group is worse?  The only player we lost of some significance is Gilmore.  I’d say every other position group is at least as good if not better.

 

So if a lot of people thought we were in the hunt last season, why not this season?   
 

Is the play calling going to be worse?  Are the QBs on this year’s roster worse?  Oline?  WR/TE/RB?  Is the D going to drop off?
 

I would not be surprised if we’re in the hunt, just like many of you predicted we would be last year.  Tell me why I’m wrong.  

 

 We are minus a top ten corner.

 Leonard can't be counted on at all till he proves he has his speed back. A Huge difference going in.

 Okereke is a significant loss. Franklin has coverage issues and has a high % of missed tackles because of a lack of speed.

 McCloud played well and is gone. Cross was a no show, Blackmon missed 15% of his tackles.

 Taylor has ankle issues. Can he be as good and stay healthy for a season, ever again?

 We had real issues with blocking from the TE position. 

  Can our big three OLmen play near their past level for a season??

[Myles]

20 hours ago, Smonroe said:

Okay, I understand that the less imaginative people are going to put up the Mora meme.  It’s easy and requires no real thoughts on this subject, so go right ahead if it makes you feel “special” (like Gronkd).

 

But for those who want to have a real discussion, here’s my logic:

 

Last season a large portion of the media, and a bunch of fans here, picked the Colts to win the division, right?

 

So what’s changed?  What position group is worse?  The only player we lost of some significance is Gilmore.  I’d say every other position group is at least as good if not better.

 

So if a lot of people thought we were in the hunt last season, why not this season?   
 

Is the play calling going to be worse?  Are the QBs on this year’s roster worse?  Oline?  WR/TE/RB?  Is the D going to drop off?
 

I would not be surprised if we’re in the hunt, just like many of you predicted we would be last year.  Tell me why I’m wrong.  

Rookie QB's typically do not do well.  If Minshew plays very well, it is possible to make the playoffs.  

[Myles]

1 hour ago, MB-ColtsFan said:

I think the bolded is my biggest concern, with Steichen at the top of the list.  A rookie HC that wants to call his own offensive plays.  Hmm...seen that movie before and didn't like it.  I'm hoping the same result doesn't play out again.

 

 

That scares the heck out of me too.

[Superman]

20 hours ago, Smonroe said:

Last season a large portion of the media, and a bunch of fans here, picked the Colts to win the division, right?

 

So what’s changed?  What position group is worse?

 

I think an important thought here is that people were picking the Colts to be good based on three main assumptions: 1) We had a good OL and running game; 2) We had a capable, veteran QB who would benefit from the good OL and running game; and 3) We had a coaching staff that would maximize these anticipated strengths.

 

Those assumptions didn't hold true. A month into the season, it was obvious that the OL wasn't good, the running game wasn't effective, the QB couldn't perform, and the coaching staff wasn't in a good place. So I'd say that our presumed starting point from last season is totally irrelevant, because that starting point was basically a myth. It would be a mistake to assumed that our OL is good, our running game will return to 2021 status, our QB can perform, or our coaching staff is ready to maximize our strengths. In fact, we can't be sure what strengths we have, especially on offense.

 

On the other hand, if you want to project that the OL will be better, that the running game will benefit from JT being healthy and maybe from Richardson taking the snaps, and that the coaching staff will likely weaponize whatever options we have on the field, I won't object. That's my hope as well, but it's unrealized so far. My real objection is with using the preseason projections from last year as a basis for preseason projections this year. 

[Smonroe]

28 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I think an important thought here is that people were picking the Colts to be good based on three main assumptions: 1) We had a good OL and running game; 2) We had a capable, veteran QB who would benefit from the good OL and running game; and 3) We had a coaching staff that would maximize these anticipated strengths.

 

Those assumptions didn't hold true. A month into the season, it was obvious that the OL wasn't good, the running game wasn't effective, the QB couldn't perform, and the coaching staff wasn't in a good place. So I'd say that our presumed starting point from last season is totally irrelevant, because that starting point was basically a myth. It would be a mistake to assumed that our OL is good, our running game will return to 2021 status, our QB can perform, or our coaching staff is ready to maximize our strengths. In fact, we can't be sure what strengths we have, especially on offense.

 

On the other hand, if you want to project that the OL will be better, that the running game will benefit from JT being healthy and maybe from Richardson taking the snaps, and that the coaching staff will likely weaponize whatever options we have on the field, I won't object. That's my hope as well, but it's unrealized so far. My real objection is with using the preseason projections from last year as a basis for preseason projections this year. 

As the Rainman got better and they settled on Fries at RG, the line was better at the end of the season.  Let’s assume they’re no worse than that this season.  That’s not much of a stretch, right?
 

 Add a mobile QB, which gives the Oline even more leeway.  Running game improves on those factors alone since they can’t key on the RBs. The offense should be decent and should improve along with AR. 
 

Defense takes a hit losing Gilmore, but if Leonard is back that kind of evens things.

 

All that is why I think we should be as optimistic as we were this time last year.  Just MHO.

[iuswingman]

Anything is possible, especially if Richardson turns out better than expected his first season.

[KB]

1 hour ago, Smonroe said:

As the Rainman got better and they settled on Fries at RG, the line was better at the end of the season.  Let’s assume they’re no worse than that this season.  That’s not much of a stretch, right?
 

I really don't remember the line being that much better at the end of the season. Foles got destroyed against the chargers and giants.Foles was a statue for the most part, but he was constantly getting hit. Ehlinger was also running around alot against the Texans.

[stitches]

2 hours ago, Smonroe said:

As the Rainman got better and they settled on Fries at RG, the line was better at the end of the season.  Let’s assume they’re no worse than that this season.  That’s not much of a stretch, right?

 

I think the OL will likely be better than last year and my reasoning for this is - I expect positive regression. The whole interior of the line had pretty bad seasons last year, and especially for Nelson and Kelly this season was much worse than the baseline they had established in the past. I expect both of them to have better season. I'm not sure we can expect the same from the RG spot since we didn't make any changes really... but we are starting at such a low spot there that it would be really hard for it to be any worse than last year. Braden has been model of consistency throughout his career at RT so far so I don't expect huge swing either way from him. Raimann continuously improved throughout the season so I kind of expect us to have better overall season at LT than we had last year.

2 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

 Add a mobile QB, which gives the Oline even more leeway.  Running game improves on those factors alone since they can’t key on the RBs. The offense should be decent and should improve along with AR. 
 

Mobile QB doesn't necessarily help the OL... depends on the QB really... some mobile QBs invite pressure and make the life of their OL harder by moving away from the pocket when it's not needed or expected by the pass protection. The good thing is... Richardson actually was not exhibiting a lot of those problems in college and he had really low pressure to sack ratio, even though he was holding the ball for a long time. To me it will be really interesting to see what Steichen will require from Richardson!? Will he try to speed up his processing and introduce tons of short throws... or will he try to give him full field progression reads targetting the deep field... Richardson's time to throw in college was 3.2 seconds. This will NOT fly in the NFL... defenders are way too athletic and they will get to him if the offense is not significantly sped up compared to what he was running in Florida. 

 

2 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

Defense takes a hit losing Gilmore, but if Leonard is back that kind of evens things.

 

All that is why I think we should be as optimistic as we were this time last year.  Just MHO.

Yeah... a lot depends on Leonard... he's been the heart and soul of this defense since he got drafted. His playmaking almost  singlehandedly makes our defense one of the premier defenses when it comes to turning the ball over. I don't really know what to expect when it comes to eventual return of Leonard... I don't think even the Colts are certain...

 

With all that said... when thinking about this team, my feeling is that we would be about 7-8 win team... but then I did the exercise where I give W/L predictions on the schedule... and I got us to 11 wins so... who knows... our schedule is not all that hard. 

[Superman]

1 hour ago, stitches said:

Richardson's time to throw in college was 3.2 seconds. This will NOT fly in the NFL...

 

Isn't every QB's TTT higher in college? 

[IrsaysArmy]

Why not? We can start with Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow and we can end with Trevor Lawerence, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, and Aaron a Rodgers lol.

 

im just hoping AR can play a bit 

[Nesjan3]

Im optimistic for the future but maybe not this year. Everyone picked us to win the division off the basis that our players were going to play good. They didn't. Thats why we won 4 games.

 

I think you would need to see a huge bounce back from a lot of players, Mainly the offense. Also AR the guy who has only ever played 13 games would have to come in a light it up.

 

I think there is a much higher chance we are drafting top 10 next year than making the playoffs. However with that said I think the future is bright if AR can develop. 

[BeanDiasucci]

18 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

 Fandom plays a huge part in a team's fan base. 

Is this from Confucius or Yogi Berra?

[stitches]

5 hours ago, Superman said:

 

Isn't every QB's TTT higher in college? 

Most of them. Levis' was really low 2.59 or something of the sort. That would be a good mark even for the NBA.

[GRUMPY OLD MAN]

trolling!!!!!!!