Richardson update

[Solid84]

2 hours ago, Superman said:

 

It comes down to how much you value having a veteran backup who can potentially save your season.

 

I think the Minshew discourse needs to be tempered. He's obviously limited, and the Colts have played a soft schedule this year. I don't think a bunch of teams will be beating down his door to make him a starter in 2024. But I do think he can maintain a functional offense for 3-4 weeks if your starter is down, and until Richardson shows he can stay healthy for an entire season, that's valuable for the Colts. Especially after watching so much dreadful backup QB play around the league this year.

 

I don't think Ehlinger meets the backup criteria, even though it's possible that Steichen can get more out of him than what we saw in 2022.

I think a big reason Minshew is here is because he already knew Steichen's system and could help other players get acquainted with it. I don't think we're tied to Minshew next season with the team having a full season of experience now. 

 

In my opinion he hasn't shown anything this season that tells me we NEED to re-sign him.

[Superman]

2 hours ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

It’s not unpopular to me. I think it would make a lot of sense to find someone in the draft that is a similar style player so that Steichen’s offense isn’t disrupted by someone limited like Minshew is. Veteran or not, it would make sense to me. The money is a whole different element. 

 

This is a fair point. The Colts went from an offense that featured plenty of designed QB run, to one that includes zero designed QB run. Plus all the option action and other things that come with it. It's possible that they would target a more scheme compatible backup moving forward.

[ColtStrong2013]

12 minutes ago, Solid84 said:

I think a big reason Minshew is here is because he already knew Steichen's system and could help other players get acquainted with it. I don't think we're tied to Minshew next season with the team having a full season of experience now. 

 

In my opinion he hasn't shown anything this season that tells me we NEED to re-sign him.

Yes. He was brought here to help develop Richardson in an offense he was familiar with. I don’t think we are tied to him at all, unless his value is a lot less than we all expect it to be. Ballard and Steichen might want him here for a while if the price is right, who knows. I just don’t think the price is going to be right. 

 

11 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

This is a fair point. The Colts went from an offense that featured plenty of designed QB run, to one that includes zero designed QB run. Plus all the option action and other things that come with it. It's possible that they would target a more scheme compatible backup moving forward.

Yeah. He does a fine job running certain rpo concepts, but without the qb threat which isn’t how they are designed generally. So we are essentially tweaking his role because of his limitations with his legs. Steichen’s playbook is dramatically reduced with Minshew. I think I would prefer to see the front office spend a higher draft pick on a compatible fit backup, or at least compete with Sam for backup, and spend the money saved elsewhere. It makes sense to me as a series of moves that would complement Richardson, both in the qb room and an upgrade elsewhere on the roster. Versus just throwing money at a guy whose value increased due to a wild year at the qb position, that has limitations in your offense. I’m betting more on Steichen and Richardson than on Minshew. Simply put. 

[NewColtsFan]

You and I are missing each other badly.   I’m not sure how much is deliberate? 
 

Im sure Sam can be QB3 for some team, including the Colts.   What I’m not sure about is whether he can be any team’s QB2?    I’ve already explained the reasons why, and your response seems to be ignore my words.  
 

What confused me is a poster as smart as you think it’s a smart idea to spend a Day 2 draft pick on a QB that would be no better than QB2 as a rookie, and likely QB3.   Why would anyone want to do that?   
 

Think of all the discussion threads we’ve had for the past 3 months talking about all the different positions fans here want the Colts to draft…..   DL, OL, WR, CB,  LB, and RB if the Colts lose Moss to FA.   
 

Now, to all of that you want to use a premium Day 2 draft pick on a position that the Colts hope doesn’t play much, if at all next year.   To you, this makes complete sense.   And for the life of me, I have no idea why?    Your Joe Biden cheap shot?   Again, unhelpful.   

[Superman]

1 hour ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

Yeah. He does a fine job running certain rpo concepts, but without the qb threat which isn’t how they are designed generally. So we are essentially tweaking his role because of his limitations with his legs. Steichen’s playbook is dramatically reduced with Minshew. I think I would prefer to see the front office spend a higher draft pick on a compatible fit backup, or at least compete with Sam for backup, and spend the money saved elsewhere. It makes sense to me as a series of moves that would complement Richardson, both in the qb room and an upgrade elsewhere on the roster. Versus just throwing money at a guy whose value increased due to a wild year at the qb position, that has limitations in your offense. I’m betting more on Steichen and Richardson than on Minshew. Simply put. 

 

We agree on Minshew's role and value, and in valuing Steichen's offense over Minshew's contributions. But I don't agree with the idea of using Ehlinger and a rookie as the backup next year. I prefer a veteran backup, especially since Richardson still needs to prove he can stay healthy. And I think paying a reasonable premium for a veteran backup is worth it for this team at this point. I think having someone that has proven they can maintain an offense for a few short weeks is important. 

 

If you think our offense is limited with Minshew, imagine it with Ehlinger and a completely green rookie...

[ColtStrong2013]

14 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

You and I are missing each other badly.   I’m not sure how much is deliberate? 
 

Im sure Sam can be QB3 for some team, including the Colts.   What I’m not sure about is whether he can be any team’s QB2?    I’ve already explained the reasons why, and your response seems to be ignore my words.  
 

What confused me is a poster as smart as you think it’s a smart idea to spend a Day 2 draft pick on a QB that would be no better than QB2 as a rookie, and likely QB3.   Why would anyone want to do that?   
 

Think of all the discussion threads we’ve had for the past 3 months talking about all the different positions fans here want the Colts to draft…..   DL, OL, WR, CB,  LB, and RB if the Colts lose Moss to FA.   
 

Now, to all of that you want to use a premium Day 2 draft pick on a position that the Colts hope doesn’t play much, if at all next year.   To you, this makes complete sense.   And for the life of me, I have no idea why?    Your Joe Biden cheap shot?   Again, unhelpful.   

I didn’t ignore your response on Sam. I understand it, and don’t necessarily disagree. I just don’t think we can use two games from a joke of a season with a coach on his way out as the reasoning. If Shane Steichen thinks he’s a suitable backup and deserving of it, I won’t be disappointed like you will be. 
 

why would any team invest in the draft on a qb? #1- good qbs fall to day 2 of the draft. If the right guy was there, specifically one that fit your scheme and complements your young starting qb, it would be worth pulling the trigger on and spending the savings on a veteran elsewhere versus overpaying for a veteran that doesn’t fit your scheme. #2, you would think hard as a gm about investing in the qb room after your #4 pick missed a promising rookie season and now has injury concerns… That’s just my $0.02. Not taking it seriously could cost Ballard his job and put this franchise back another 3-5 years or more. 
 

We will lose Moss to FA. And running back is now the last of my concerns with what we have and what we lost to injury this season. I’m pretty confident Steichen’s not concerned about the runningback room right now. 

day 2 are not premium picks. We won’t have a single “premium pick” this season, as we are projected around 22 range. It’s more likely that we trade back out of the first round and add more 2nd round opportunities, like has been in the past. We have had plenty (as everyone has) of day two picks that never touched the field consistently or performed. I’m not sure what point you are trying to make with that argument. 
 

joe Biden wasn’t a cheap shot. Everytime you get in an argument with someone on this forum, you put the confused response on seemingly every post they make. It was just a joke. 

[ColtStrong2013]

19 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

We agree on Minshew's role and value, and in valuing Steichen's offense over Minshew's contributions. But I don't agree with the idea of using Ehlinger and a rookie as the backup next year. I prefer a veteran backup, especially since Richardson still needs to prove he can stay healthy. And I think paying a reasonable premium for a veteran backup is worth it for this team at this point. I think having someone that has proven they can maintain an offense for a few short weeks is important. 

 

If you think our offense is limited with Minshew, imagine it with Ehlinger and a completely green rookie...

A vet qb like Nick Foles? lol. I think it’s been proven that a young qb can perform in this league at a high level. Some vet qb’s cannot. It’s not an exact science. My point is exactly that. If we cannot afford to keep Minshew, are we guaranteed to find a vet that will save much more than figuring a way to keep him? And are they more capable than Sam that is under contract, already in the system and has shown some capability to play football to this team? It’s easy to say for colts fans that we’ve already seen him, but the only ones that have seen any of his work ethic and true capability under Shane’s leadership are those that will make that determination. 
 

I honestly can’t imagine it being more limited with Sam. He can move a heck of a lot better than Minshew. He’s obviously not better, but that’s the whole conversation. There isn’t a single available vet that’s better for the savings. 
 

If AR were to go down in week 3 next season, this forum and every colts fan will say he’s a bust and we’re in trouble… except for if we invested in a day 2 pick that steps in and balls out… and maybe not even a day 2 pick. The front runner for mvp was Mr irrelevant. 

[ColtStrong2013]

If Sam isn’t it… then I pray that Ballard is looking closely at the qb’s coming out of college the next two drafts in the event #5 is in fact injury prone. Gardner Minshew is not the future of this team. And if AR turns out not to be either, wouldn’t you be trying to find somebody with athleticism and a high ceiling that can fill that role? 

[Superman]

18 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

A vet qb like Nick Foles? lol. I think it’s been proven that a young qb can perform in this league at a high level. Some vet qb’s cannot. It’s not an exact science. My point is exactly that. If we cannot afford to keep Minshew, are we guaranteed to find a vet that will save much more than figuring a way to keep him? And are they more capable than Sam that is under contract, already in the system and has shown some capability to play football to this team? It’s easy to say for colts fans that we’ve already seen him, but the only ones that have seen any of his work ethic and true capability under Shane’s leadership are those that will make that determination. 
 

I honestly can’t imagine it being more limited with Sam. He can move a heck of a lot better than Minshew. He’s obviously not better, but that’s the whole conversation. There isn’t a single available vet that’s better for the savings. 
 

If AR were to go down in week 3 next season, this forum and every colts fan will say he’s a bust and we’re in trouble… except for if we invested in a day 2 pick that steps in and balls out. 

 

I think the only reason anyone would suggest that Ehlinger be the backup next year is the convenient fact that he's already on the roster. If you could choose from a pile of potential backups, there's no way you're purposely targeting Ehlinger. And that probably just hinges on how much I disagree with the bolded; Ehlinger was objectively bad in his limited time last year.

 

And no, we're not guaranteed to find a functional veteran backup. We could wind up with someone like Foles (although I think we got the hollowed out husk of Nick Foles who never expected to have to play, and probably only wound up with the Colts because Reich begged for him). Or we could wind up with someone who actually has the talent and ability to run the offense for a short period of time. I don't think Josh Dobbs is very good, or worthy of the hype he was getting earlier this year, but he fits the bill much more than Ehlinger does. It's not an exact science, but you don't just default to the guy you already have, when he hasn't shown anything.

 

Ultimately, the staff would decide how they feel about Ehlinger, and unless we see him play meaningful snaps this year (hopefully not), us fans have very limited info on which to base an opinion. I believe young players can get better, but I wouldn't want us to go into next year with Ehlinger as the primary backup without us seeing him prove he can handle the responsibility. Based on what we've seen, I think it's more likely that he cannot handle it.

 

In general, if your starting QB is lost for most of the season, it's probably a lost season for the team. But if we have a QB who we're unsure can play a full season without missing at least a couple games here and there, then I want a guy who can reasonably be counted on to keep the offense running for a short period of time. IMO, that's more important for the Colts at this stage than having a young guy they can develop. By the way, I'd be more than okay with having a talented young guy as the #3, and if that's Ehlinger again, I guess that's fine... But I think we should do better than Ehlinger as the primary backup.

[ColtStrong2013]

7 minutes ago, Superman said:

In general, if your starting QB is lost for most of the season, it's probably a lost season for the team. But if we have a QB who we're unsure can play a full season without missing at least a couple games here and there, then I want a guy who can reasonably be counted on to keep the offense running for a short period of time. IMO, that's more important for the Colts at this stage than having a young guy they can develop. By the way, I'd be more than okay with having a talented young guy as the #3, and if that's Ehlinger again, no problem. But I think we should do better than Ehlinger as the primary backup.

I don’t disagree. And I don’t think they go Ehlinger/rookie. I do hope they can sign Minshew to at least 2 years, on a reasonable deal, and then go to the draft in ‘25 to replace Ehlinger, with a longterm outlook to replace Minshew. That’s the most sensible. But it all comes down to money, and how much value they place on #2 and the big picture.

 

and at the end of the day, what I want most is to never see #2 out there for a single snap (aside from handing the ball off in a blowout win) in 2024.

…qb2, not Carson Wentz. 

[Superman]

1 minute ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

I don’t disagree. And I don’t think they go Ehlinger/rookie. I do hope they can sign Minshew to at least 2 years, on a reasonable deal, and then go to the draft in ‘25 to replace Ehlinger, with a longterm outlook to replace Minshew. That’s the most sensible. But it all comes down to money, and how much value they place on #2 and the big picture.

 

and at the end of the day, what I want most is to never see #2 out there for a single snap (aside from handing the ball off in a blowout win) in 2024. 

 

I was with you on the bolded, but your point about Minshew's limitations caused me to adjust my thinking. I'd rather have a more scheme friendly veteran backup. Minshew would be my second preference.

[ColtStrong2013]

3 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I was with you on the bolded, but your point about Minshew's limitations caused me to adjust my thinking. I'd rather have a more scheme friendly veteran backup. Minshew would be my second preference.

… Now you have me circling back. 
 

I agree- if there is one that is available and the cost difference made sense. I don’t see Ballard and Shane going for someone else, especially if he leads us to the playoffs. That would be Ballard altering his philosophy of rewarding players that perform for the franchise. 

[Solid84]

14 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I was with you on the bolded, but your point about Minshew's limitations caused me to adjust my thinking. I'd rather have a more scheme friendly veteran backup. Minshew would be my second preference.

 

9 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

… Now you have me circling back. 
 

I agree- if there is one that is available and the cost difference made sense. I don’t see Ballard and Shane going for someone else, especially if he leads us to the playoffs. That would be Ballard altering his philosophy of rewarding players that perform for the franchise. 

I think Mariota is a free agent this off season.

[ColtStrong2013]

10 minutes ago, Solid84 said:

 

I think Mariota is a free agent this off season.

Mariota could fit. Although I wasn’t a fan of how he handled the Falcons situation/Netflix show. 

[Superman]

22 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

… Now you have me circling back. 
 

I agree- if there is one that is available and the cost difference made sense. I don’t see Ballard and Shane going for someone else, especially if he leads us to the playoffs. That would be Ballard altering his philosophy of rewarding players that perform for the franchise. 

 

It might not be up to Ballard, though. Minshew might want a situation where he has a legitimate opportunity to compete for the starting job, or he might be able to get more money than the Colts are willing to offer, or both. I don't doubt that the Colts will try to keep him, but only up to a certain price point.

[Superman]

15 minutes ago, Solid84 said:

 

I think Mariota is a free agent this off season.

 

He is. I would have taken him in 2022, I'm not super excited about him in 2024 though.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

13 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

It might not be up to Ballard, though. Minshew might want a situation where he has a legitimate opportunity to compete for the starting job, or he might be able to get more money than the Colts are willing to offer, or both. I don't doubt that the Colts will try to keep him, but only up to a certain price point.

I could see him doing what Jacoby has done. Going to a team where QB is in question. Jacoby has jumped around to those kind of situations.  The big question is there a team would actually sign him to be the flat out starter? Not really sure. He will probably cost colts about 8-10 million. Especially if he takes them to the playoffs.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

I would be curious to know what Steichen thinks of Sam. I wouldn’t put to much stock in last year. All our QB were bad. Everyone gave up. It would be fun to see what Steichen could do with him. 

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

I didn’t ignore your response on Sam. I understand it, and don’t necessarily disagree. I just don’t think we can use two games from a joke of a season with a coach on his way out as the reasoning. If Shane Steichen thinks he’s a suitable backup and deserving of it, I won’t be disappointed like you will be. 
 

why would any team invest in the draft on a qb? #1- good qbs fall to day 2 of the draft. If the right guy was there, specifically one that fit your scheme and complements your young starting qb, it would be worth pulling the trigger on and spending the savings on a veteran elsewhere versus overpaying for a veteran that doesn’t fit your scheme. #2, you would think hard as a gm about investing in the qb room after your #4 pick missed a promising rookie season and now has injury concerns… That’s just my $0.02. Not taking it seriously could cost Ballard his job and put this franchise back another 3-5 years or more. 
 

We will lose Moss to FA. And running back is now the last of my concerns with what we have and what we lost to injury this season. I’m pretty confident Steichen’s not concerned about the runningback room right now. 

day 2 are not premium picks. We won’t have a single “premium pick” this season, as we are projected around 22 range. It’s more likely that we trade back out of the first round and add more 2nd round opportunities, like has been in the past. We have had plenty (as everyone has) of day two picks that never touched the field consistently or performed. I’m not sure what point you are trying to make with that argument. 
 

joe Biden wasn’t a cheap shot. Everytime you get in an argument with someone on this forum, you put the confused response on seemingly every post they make. It was just a joke. 

Day 2 are not premium picks?    That’s breaking news.   In 12 plus years, you might be the first poster to say that.  Certainly the first smart poster and you’re very smart.   I doubt Ballard would agree with that view.   IMO, the top-50/60 picks are premium.  
 

And just because the Colts are projected to pick around 22 in the first doesn’t mean they’ll come away with the 22nd ranked pick on their board.   It rarely works that way.   When the Colts picked Kwity at 21,  I believe the Colts thought he was 10th on their board.    
 

There are 32 teams and no two big boards look alike.  They are entirely different.   When the Colts picked Leonard 36th and Smith 37th in 2018, that wasn’t their ranking.   They were top 32 picks for the Colts.   Same with Pittman at 33rd and Taylor 41st.   They were both top 32 picks on the Colts board.  
 

Could Ballard trade down out of the first? Possibly.   But I’m not sure of that.  I’ve been predicting he’ll trade down for months.   What I don’t know is how far he trades down and in how many moves?  
 

Im a Steichen fan and supporter.   If he says Sam is ready to be QB2, then I’ll support it completely.   He knows much better than I do.  My hunch is he won’t make that decision.   From the outside looking in, there’s nothing that should give any fan the confidence that Sam can be ready to be QB2 in 2024.  Almost by definition, QB3’s just don’t get enough work in to improve from one year to the next.  But if Steichen supports doing that, I will too. 
 

As to the confused emoji, I don’t use it as often as you think.  I use the laughing emoji and sad emoji far more often.  I’m known far more for them.   I use the confused emoji when a good smart poster like you makes a post that I simply don’t understand.  You make arguments that don’t add up for me.   That’s when I use confused.   But again, much less than sad or laughing.  
 

I want to be clear here.   I think you’re a top-10 poster.   I rarely disagree with you.  Certainly not to this extent.  So to the  extent I’m engaging with you, I hope you’ll consider this a sign of respect.  If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t engage so much.    

[ColtStrong2013]

4 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Day 2 are not premium picks?    That’s breaking news.   In 12 plus years, you might be the first poster to say that.  Certainly the first smart poster and you’re very smart.   I doubt Ballard would agree with that view.   IMO, the top-50/60 picks are premium.  

Ballard’s description of premium, and what they would provide is much like we’d expect it to be as he revealed them to be “A guy that we think makes an impact and a difference for our team on game day. Makes game-winning plays for us. Guys that on Monday and Tuesday, the other team is game planning.” 

 

straight from the big guy’s mouth. I wouldn’t forget his definition of premium picks after he summed up how there is 8 or so premium players in every draft. He views it as such, and everyone between roughly 10-12 (factoring qb picks and reaches that are not premium players) and upwards of 90 as 2nd tier picks… and his idea is well known, the more darts for the dart board, the better odds of hitting a bullseye. I buy it. Qb’s (and other players)  that fall out of the 1st round, should be viewed as good odds to acquire a premium position asset that can be valuable down the road whether for you or as a trade. I’m not sure why more teams aren’t more aggressive to improve their qb rooms, quite frankly. 

9 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

are entirely different.   When the Colts picked Leonard 36th and Smith 37th in 2018, that wasn’t their ranking.   They were top 32 picks for the Colts.   Same with Pittman at 33rd and Taylor 41st.   They were both top 32 picks on the Colts board.  
 

Could Ballard trade down out of the first? Possibly.   But I’m not sure of that.  I’ve been predicting he’ll trade down for months.   What I don’t know is how far he trades down and in how many moves?  
 

Of course. Different eyes and philosophies/schemes are going to see different things. The colts have been known to have a pretty small board under Ballard because they throw so many in the trash. They value senior bowl participants, high measurables, captain grade and smart collegiate athletes.

 

Trading down depends on the players left on your board. If there are plenty in the same grouping, you can bet he’s trading down. Hell, we might not have the pick at all if he goes the deforest Buckner route and trades it away during the Super Bowl. 

 

13 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

I want to be clear here.   I think you’re a top-10 poster.   I rarely disagree with you.  Certainly not to this extent.  So to the  extent I’m engaging with you, I hope you’ll consider this a sign of respect.  If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t engage so much.    

likewise. 🤠 

[ColtStrong2013]

37 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

It might not be up to Ballard, though. Minshew might want a situation where he has a legitimate opportunity to compete for the starting job, or he might be able to get more money than the Colts are willing to offer, or both. I don't doubt that the Colts will try to keep him, but only up to a certain price point.

Precedent says they will put a price pre-free agency and tell him to take his time (while they work through plan b, c, and d) and then Ballard will tell him he needs to take a good opportunity when it comes, which it undoubtedly will. 
 

im just not confident he’s back next year. It would take them putting a multi-year investment into him when they know he’s going to be their backup. Maybe they value it higher than we can imagine. But i see Ballard being more of a gambler with Richardson and using every inch of resource he can to build around him. It’s what Irsay is going to want, and I think it’s what Ballard’s going to do. We’ve not seen Chris Ballard go hard in an offseason yet. I think 2024 offseason is going to be full of moves. Some players we expect back to walk, some free agents that we wouldn’t expect to be worked hard. Trades, etc. I think they will go all but all-in on building up the roster to the vision around what he and Steichen want surrounding AR, and minshew isn’t going to be in that picture. 
 

And then again, I might totally wrong. 

[jvan1973]

2 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

Precedent says they will put a price pre-free agency and tell him to take his time (while they work through plan b, c, and d) and then Ballard will tell him he needs to take a good opportunity when it comes, which it undoubtedly will. 
 

im just not confident he’s back next year. It would take them putting a multi-year investment into him when they know he’s going to be their backup. Maybe they value it higher than we can imagine. But i see Ballard being more of a gambler with Richardson and using every inch of resource he can to build around him. It’s what Irsay is going to want, and I think it’s what Ballard’s going to do. We’ve not seen Chris Ballard go hard in an offseason yet. I think 2024 offseason is going to be full of moves. Some players we expect back to walk, some free agents that we wouldn’t expect to be worked hard. Trades, etc. I think they will go all but all-in on building up the roster to the vision around what he and Steichen want surrounding AR, and minshew isn’t going to be in that picture. 
 

And then again, I might totally wrong. 

With ARs Injury history,  backup qb is going to be a big need.   Ballard will not go into next year with Sam as the QB 2.  I'm guessing they would love to have GM back.   Will they offer him enough is the question 

[ColtStrong2013]

1 hour ago, jvan1973 said:

With ARs Injury history,  backup qb is going to be a big need.   Ballard will not go into next year with Sam as the QB 2.  I'm guessing they would love to have GM back.   Will they offer him enough is the question 

As someone earlier said- it all depends on what Minshew wants. Maybe he doesn’t want to leave. Who knows. He’s the first domino in the offseason, imo. If the backup qb market is hot, he is likely gone and it’s hard to say what route they’ll go. Could alter a great deal of what they look to accomplish in free agency/draft. 

[RollerColt]

37 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

As someone earlier said- it all depends on what Minshew wants. Maybe he doesn’t want to leave. Who knows. He’s the first domino in the offseason, imo. If the backup qb market is hot, he is likely gone and it’s hard to say what route they’ll go. Could alter a great deal of what they look to accomplish in free agency/draft. 

I think a lot could depend on these final 3 games. Miss out of the playoffs due to a late season collapse due to QB play again and who knows what will happen…

[ColtStrong2013]

44 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

I think a lot could depend on these final 3 games. Miss out of the playoffs due to a late season collapse due to QB play again and who knows what will happen…

This. If he plays well and win the division or make the playoffs as a wild card, he is going to be rewarded for that, and it will be by the colts unless he gets an offer that they just can’t justify. 
 

If he plays like Carson Wentz and the team collapses, they could really change up things in the offseason.
 

Regardless, they are going to put full weight behind #5 going into the offseason, and everything else is going to be based around him. Ballard hasn’t had that opportunity but once or twice with Andrew Luck early on. It has been figure the qb situation out first and then let the dominos fall, which is hard to make a good offseason plan for. FA and the draft should complement one another, and that’s hard to plan for when you are piecing the most important positions together every year. 
 

I’m excited for Richardson. I really enjoyed watching what little we got to see of him. I think his potential is sky high and that we are fortunate to have a 21 year old that is mature beyond his years, and just an overall good dude. His injury could be a bad sign, but it also could be a positive for him to study and understand what Steichen’s vision is for him.
 

I’ve watched enough film of this offense to picture 5 and 28 in the backfield together and how it would alter defenses, when they are already getting beat up and torched at times this season with backups out there. 

[LJpalmbeacher2]

21 hours ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

It’s not unpopular to me. I think it would make a lot of sense to find someone in the draft that is a similar style player so that Steichen’s offense isn’t disrupted by someone limited like Minshew is. Veteran or not, it would make sense to me. The money is a whole different element. 

 

I said the same thing weeks ago about having a backup with similar skills.

Mond is a similar style player but has already failed with couple other teams. There's probably a decent chance he never makes it but if the colts dropped out of contention I would have liked to seen him.