Shaq Leonard blasts the colts

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

This is a little ridiculous. Colts did not do this. Take some accountability.  Maybe he wasn’t the leader we thought and more of the problem.

 

 

[Colts.sb41]

I’m not one to talk bad on current or former Colt players but I watched him quite a bit yesterday and I honestly think he’s barely a P.S. player at this point. He just always looks slow and a couple seconds behind the play. I think it’s really unfortunate because he used to be so good and I hope he gets back to his former self but I have my doubts.

[Yoshinator]

14 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

This is a little ridiculous. Colts did not do this. Take some accountability.  Maybe he wasn’t the leader we thought and more of the problem.

 

 

All I'll say is Leonard may be still salty about being released, or he may be telling the truth. Grigson and Reich had some issues with us (different issues). So, it's not out of the realm of possibility that there could have been things said by Ballard and Steichen to cause a rift in the relationship between the Colts and Leonard. Obviously, Leonard's play sharply declined though. 

[1959Colts]

No regrets from me. I was not really interested in last nights Eagles game, but I had it on,..

Leonard did make that one play early, when he came unblocked, and took down the runner in the backfield. But then, looked as he usually did with us. Thought I may have even heard the announcer call him out, on one down, when he missplayed something or other?

I have little doubt, now with Philadelphia, he will continue to be the same player we seen for the past two years.

[Yoshinator]

Just now, 1959Colts said:

No regrets from me. I was not really interested in last nights Eagles game, but I had it on,..

Leonard did make that one play last night, when he came unblocked, and took down the runner in the backfield. But then, looked as he usually did with us. Thought I may have even heard the announcer call him out, on one down, when he missplayed something or other?

I have little doubt, now with Philadelphia, he will continue to be the same player we seen for the past two years.

I completely agree with this. Here's the issue though. The Eagles are paying him almost nothing to play for them while we're paying him around 20 million a year to play for the Eagles. Even at his current level, they are still getting a good value. Howie Roseman capitalized on Ballards mistake and got him in FA for nothing.

[richard pallo]

2 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

I completely agree with this. Here's the issue though. The Eagles are paying him almost nothing to play for them while we're paying him around 20 million a year to play for the Eagles. Even at his current level, they are still getting a good value. Howie Roseman capitalized on Ballards mistake and got him in FA for nothing.

I didn’t watch the game but I thought I read where he led the team with 7 tackles and had a sack.  Pretty good I would say for just recently joining the team.  Eagles have to be pretty happy he chose them over the Cowboys.

[lester]

7 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

I completely agree with this. Here's the issue though. The Eagles are paying him almost nothing to play for them while we're paying him around 20 million a year to play for the Eagles. Even at his current level, they are still getting a good value. Howie Roseman capitalized on Ballards mistake and got him in FA for nothing.

What mistake did Ballard make?

[1959Colts]

9 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

I completely agree with this. Here's the issue though. The Eagles are paying him almost nothing to play for them while we're paying him around 20 million a year to play for the Eagles. Even at his current level, they are still getting a good value. Howie Roseman capitalized on Ballards mistake and got him in FA for nothing.

Think I may have read that he was playing because their normal LB was injured?

 

I guess you are saying Ballard made a mistake by signing Leonard to the big contract?

Or are you saying Ballard's mistake was cutting Leonard? Personally, I believe they made the right move when they released him.

 

Time will tell if he's a good value?

But I wont be surprised, if they continue to play him, that Leonard may eventually screw something up for the Eagles during their playoff run?

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, lester said:

What mistake did Ballard make?

Extending Leonard when he was hurt and not letting him hit FA where we would have got a 3rd round compensatory pick and not had that terrible contract.

[Yoshinator]

2 minutes ago, 1959Colts said:

Think I may have read that he was playing because their normal LB was injured?

 

I guess you are saying Ballard made a mistake by signing Leonard to the big contract?

Or are you saying Ballard's mistake was cutting Leonard? Personally, I believe they made the right move when they released him.

 

Time will tell if he's a good value?

But I wont be surprised, if they continue to play him, that Leonard may eventually something up for the Eagles during their playoff run?

The former. Ballard made a mistake signing him to that big contract. We could have probably got a 3rd round comp pick for him, and we wouldn't be on the books for that horrible contract. He was hurt, and Ballard gets paid the big bucks to make those decisions. He made the wrong one here.

[indyagent17]

35 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

This is a little ridiculous. Colts did not do this. Take some accountability.  Maybe he wasn’t the leader we thought and more of the problem.

 

 

Way to burn bridges and tick off the fan base 

[OLD FAN MAN]

9 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

I completely agree with this. Here's the issue though. The Eagles are paying him almost nothing to play for them while we're paying him around 20 million a year to play for the Eagles. Even at his current level, they are still getting a good value. Howie Roseman capitalized on Ballards mistake and got him in FA for nothing.

howie roseman and nick caserio are 2 top notch gms and seldom miss a chance to better their teams. i hope howie told ballard thanks

[GoColts8818]

He’s doing what he’s done all his career taking motivation from those that didn’t believe in him.  Also, he’s right the Colts did write him off, yes you can say they were justified to do so but they did.  That’s life in the NFL and frankly most players that feel their old team gave up on them use that as fuel at their next stop.  Nothing to see here IMO.

[OLD FAN MAN]

7 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

I didn’t watch the game but I thought I read where he led the team with 7 tackles and had a sack.  Pretty good I would say for just recently joining the team.  Eagles have to be pretty happy he chose them over the Cowboys.

and 2 tackles for loss, great night!!

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

and 2 tackles for loss, great night!!

Yeah, we'll see if he keeps it up, but even half as good as he was here in his prime is still a solid backup for the Eagles.

[1959Colts]

Just now, Jared Cisneros said:

The former. Ballard made a mistake signing him to that big contract. We could have probably got a 3rd round comp pick for him, and we wouldn't be on the books for that horrible contract. He was hurt, and Ballard gets paid the big bucks to make those decisions. He made the wrong one here.

Right. One of the contract mistakes Ballard has made. He had the injuries, and once Leonard got that big payout, he never was the same. Maybe it was the injuries? Or dare I say, the money? or both? I was then disappointed, when the decision was made to allow Bobby Okereke to leave in FA, in favor of keeping Leonard. Which now, looks like an even bigger mistake.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

27 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

All I'll say is Leonard may be still salty about being released, or he may be telling the truth. Grigson and Reich had some issues with us (different issues). So, it's not out of the realm of possibility that there could have been things said by Ballard and Steichen to cause a rift in the relationship between the Colts and Leonard. Obviously, Leonard's play sharply declined though. 

The colts litterly had a tribute for him with him in the building. Take some responsibility for your play.

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, 1959Colts said:

Right. One of the contract mistakes Ballard has made. He had the injuries, and once Leonard got that big payout, he never was the same. Maybe it was the injuries? Or dare I say, the money? or both? I was then disappointed, when the decision was made to allow Bobby Okereke to leave in FA, in favor of keeping Leonard. Which now, looks like an even bigger mistake.

Yep. Okereke looks great right now on the Giants. He was the guy to keep. Keeping Leonard over Okereke just makes the decision look that much worse. 

[holeymoley99]

I think as he continue to get healthy will be the Leonard of old, now is big money for a LB the way to go in today's NFL ? Likely no, need big money at Edge spot and shut down corner instead. Its been said many times our team has / had big money at position not as vital. Leonard gone helps that in future BUT sure hope big money isnt pumped into Franklin's contract that would put us back in the same boat.

[1959Colts]

Just now, Jared Cisneros said:

Yep. Okereke looks great right now on the Giants. He was the guy to keep. Keeping Leonard over Okereke just makes the decision look that much worse. 

And it was obvious last year, who the better player was. But I guess, being hamstrung with Leonards' heavy contract, Ballard chose to keep Leonard, in hopes he would finally return to his former level. Then cutting Shaq midseason, the team had to eat the contract anyway. So yes, it does look like another wrong personnel decision

[Lancer1]

24 minutes ago, 1959Colts said:

And it was obvious last year, who the better player was. But I guess, being hamstrung with Leonards' heavy contract, Ballard chose to keep Leonard, in hopes he would finally return to his former level. Then cutting Shaq midseason, the team had to eat the contract anyway. So yes, it does look like another wrong personnel decision

As mentioned in another thread, Shaq looked good last night but he was making plays mostly while unblocked and against a subpar Giants team so I'm not ready to say that he's back to being the "Maniac" of old just yet.

 

The Colts gave him every opportunity to demonstrate that he could still contribute at a high level and when they saw that he could not, I think they did him a favor by cutting him loose early enough for him to catch on with another playoff contenter this season where he wouldn't be asked to do as much as he was here, and showed that he no longer could. With our injuries piling up, I know we needed his roster spot for players who would produce for us but I maintain that we really hooked him up by not onl;y extending his contract while he was hurt, but then letting him go and hook up with the contender of his choosing and I would think he'd be a little more appreciative of us for that. 

 

We'll see if he's still running his gums when he gets exposed by a team that actually prepares for him, and illustrates why we had to let him go in the first place.

[Tsarquise]

 Nothingg wrong with this. He speaks the truth. Action speaks volumes; they did write him off. He is out to make the Colts move of cutting him a bad move. Good for him. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

3 minutes ago, Tsarquise said:

 Nothingg wrong with this. He speaks the truth. Action speaks volumes; they did write him off. He is out make the move a bad move. Good for him. 

 No one talked down his name like he said.

[Indianapolis-Colts-Fan]

[1959Colts]

9 minutes ago, Lancer1 said:

As mentioned in another thread, Shaq looked good last night but he was making plays mostly while unblocked and against a subpar Giants team so I'm not ready to say that he's back to being the "Maniac" of old just yet.

 

The Colts gave him every opportunity to demonstrate that he could still contribute at a high level and when they saw that he could not, I think they did him a favor by cutting him loose early enough for him to catch on with another playoff contenter this season where he wouldn't be asked to do as much as he was here, and showed that he no longer could. With our injuries piling up, I know we needed his roster spot for players who would produce for us but I maintain that we really hooked him up by not onl;y extending his contract while he was hurt, but then letting him go and hook up with the contender of his choosing and I would think he'd be a little more appreciative of us for that. 

 

We'll see if he's still running his gums when he gets exposed by a team that actually prepares for him, and illustrates why we had to let him go in the first place.

Right. I didn't want to over critique his game last night, as I mentioned, I wasn't paying close attention, but rather, just had it on in the background., but that was the sense I was getting. He played a good game, but wasn't dominating the field or anything.

I believe, I've seen enough of Shaq, to know what to expect going forward. Perhaps he will prove me wrong? But imo, the Colts are better off without.

[Tsarquise]

18 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

 No one talked down his name like he said.

You don't know what was said behind closed doors. You don't cut a player in their prime without saying or thinking some negative things about them. 

[Lancer1]

Just now, Tsarquise said:

You don't know what was said behind closed doors. You don't cut a player in their prime without saying or thinking some negative things about them. 

Unless you want to give said player the opportunity to catch on with another team for a playoff run...

[jskinnz]

1 hour ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Extending Leonard when he was hurt and not letting him hit FA where we would have got a 3rd round compensatory pick and not had that terrible contract.

Monday morning quarterbacking is a wonderful thing. Leonard signed his deal in August of 2021. He played 14 games in 2020 and was a turnover creating machine in 21 when he more than earned the deal. Signing him to a deal in 21 made complete sense at the time. 
 

The nature and severity of his injuries really came to be late in the 21 season. 
 

But sure - it’s all Ballard’s fault. 

[GoColts8818]

2 minutes ago, jskinnz said:

Monday morning quarterbacking is a wonderful thing. Leonard signed his deal in August of 2021. He played 14 games in 2020 and was a turnover creating machine in 21 when he more than earned the deal. Signing him to a deal in 21 made complete sense at the time. 
 

The nature and severity of his injuries really came to be late in the 21 season. 
 

But sure - it’s all Ballard’s fault. 

I sure bet Ballard wishes he had the ability to see the future like some fans demand of him.

[Boondoggle]

Talked down on his name.  You'd think a vet like him is aware his name is the film he puts up every week.

[IinD]

Watched the whole game and totally forgot he was on their team... Lol

[Lancer1]

1 minute ago, Boondoggle said:

Talked down on his name.  You'd think a vet like him is aware his name is the film he puts up every week.

It's not like we could've traded him after October, and if we were able to weeks ago, it's unlikely that any contending team would've offered us anything of real value for him.

[TrueBlue4ever]

2 hours ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

This is a little ridiculous. Colts did not do this. Take some accountability.  Maybe he wasn’t the leader we thought and more of the problem.

 

 

Most of us were blasting his play this season. He’s still half the player he was and we did the right thing sending him on to greener pastures. He runs around play after play, eventually a blind squirrel will find a nut. Adios Maniac!

[Lancer1]

9 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Most of us were blasting his play this season. He’s still half the player he was and we did the right thing sending him on to greener pastures. He runs around play after play, eventually a blind squirrel will find a nut. Adios Maniac!

Fans critiqued his play, the organization never did with the exception of reducing his snaps during games but as @Boondoggle stated, his name is what he put on film week after week.

[chad72]

1 hour ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Yeah, we'll see if he keeps it up, but even half as good as he was here in his prime is still a solid backup for the Eagles.

Yeah he’s got ways to go before anyone commits anything close to even $2.5 million for him, about a tenth of what we paid. If he’s able to get good numbers, good for him. He’s not a Colt anymore, not my concern anymore.

[TrueBlue4ever]

11 minutes ago, Lancer1 said:

Fans critiqued his play, the organization never did with the exception of reducing his snaps during games but as @Boondoggle stated, his name is what he put on film week after week.

They benched him for his play?!?! I disagree with your statement the organization did not assess his substandard play. They were going to deactivate him!

[husker61]

Just watched the game highlights, I think most of the plays. His sack was a blitz where he was blocked, the qb scrambled and he tackled him a couple yards short of the line of scrimage. He made one good tackle behind the line when he shot a gap and made the tackle for a loss. That it for good plays he made. All the other tackles were part of a group of players, one where he was being pancaked by a lineman and Barkley ran right into them and the all went down. He couldn’t beat the qb to the sideline on a scramble that was running towards him. He made two plays from what I saw, nothing close to a great game like before his injury.

[Indyfan4life]

I missed the game, but saw the one or two things he did. Love Shaq and always will. Dude probably thought he was going to retire a Colt, had zero thought he’d be released and had the time to (in his mind) get back to what he thinks he can and should be. 
 

I’m sure at one point or another, everyone here has said something bad about a previous employer of theirs. So let’s not cast stones here and act holier than thou because he still thinks there is improvements he can make and return to his previous form. 
 

If anyone here says they’ve never badmouthed a previous employer or boss, then you’re full of %. 

[bluebombers87]

Just now, Indyfan4life said:

I missed the game, but saw the one or two things he did. Love Shaq and always will. Dude probably thought he was going to retire a Colt and had the time to (in his mind) get back to what he thinks he can and should be. 
 

I’m sure at one point or another, everyone here has said something bad about a previous employer of theirs. So let’s not cast stones here and act holier than thou because he still thinks there is improvements he can make and return to his previous form. 
 

If anyone here says they’ve never badmouthed a previous employer or boss, then you’re full of %. 

I can honestly say I’ve never bad mouthed a previous employee to the press.

[bluebombers87]

I’m chalking this up to him trying to get some attention on his name. He likely won’t be back as a starter with the eagles unless something drastically changes.

 

Therefore, he spouts off some nonsense about being disrespected and proving himself to magnify his name out in the media. Then even if he’s a fraction of his former self, he can parlay all of that to a new job somewhere next season. This is all contingent on him being able to play at that level. He’s 14 games “on the road to recovery” so we’ll see how that goes.