Exciting times ahead. Key dates to know for Colts fans (MERGE)

[NewColtsFan]

8 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

Yeah, I understand. I more meant don't be afraid to have a minority opinion on players, predictions, signings, draft picks, stuff like that. However, if someone makes you feel uncomfortable, make sure to say something as well, even if that person is a popular member of the forum. Sometimes only you can speak up for yourself. 

 

I feel I get a bad rap on the forum a bit because of the way the team has been playing. Being bipolar, I have extreme ups and downs, and when the team is losing, I overreact probably in a negative way. However, when the team wins, I overreact in a positive way, and a lot of people here have really never seen me be really positive, and that's how I prefer to be. So much more fun when we win. 

 

I'm guessing people don't like my views on Ballard right now for the most part, but that's where I'm in the minority. I felt Reich wasn't a top 20 coach on the Colts, and I feel Ballard should already be fired. I'm the guy who is a year early on things, will get bashed for it, and then a year later I'll end up being right more often then not. My honesty doesn't make me many friends in life lol.

You have my complete admiration for talking publicly about your own condition.   Not easy to do.   I doubt most would be as brave.  
 

100 percent respect!    

[PRnum1]

2 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

And of course you’ve already forgotten drafting 101.   You don’t know the quality of the class for three years.   NFL.com does it to feed the fans with instant analysis.   You want to buy in to it, fine.   Not me.   

You're contradicting yourself

[NewColtsFan]

16 minutes ago, PRnum1 said:

You're contradicting yourself

How?    I stated smart football people don’t rank draft classes for 3 years.   
 

NFL.com knows this, but they do this now to feed the masses for instant analysis.  They know this is bogus, but they do it anyway simply for the clicks.   So I don’t buy into it.  
 

How is that contradictory? 

[PRnum1]

16 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

How?    I stated smart football people don’t rank draft classes for 3 years.   
 

NFL.com knows this, but they do this now to feed the masses for instant analysis.  They know this is bogus, but they do it anyway simply for the clicks.   So I don’t buy into it.  
 

How is that contradictory? 

You said Ballard had one of his best drafts last year.

 

How would you know that if you have to wait 3 years ?

 

Hmmmmmm....... ????

[Yoshinator]

53 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

You have my complete admiration for talking publicly about your own condition.   Not easy to do.   I doubt most would be as brave.  
 

100 percent respect!    

Thanks, I appreciate that. I feel that people should know why 1.) I'm so negative when the team loses and 2.) That I'm not just some crazy person lol. I feel the same way about Alex Anthopulous (the Braves GM in baseball) as you do about Chris Ballard for the Colts. I have full faith in him and have the exact opposite personality when I currently watch baseball. Honestly, I just want to get into the playoffs every year and give ourselves a chance to win a championship. I don't expect to be the best every year. Give me the sweat of being in the playoffs. I got that with the Braves and got a WS win, got it with the Nuggets and Avalanche and they won their championships. 

 

I make a joke with my friends that I sold my chance to win a SB down the toilet to win a championship in baseball, basketball, and hockey. Football is my favorite sport, so it's like that sacrifice "you can win in everything else but the sport you truly love" lol. 

 

I know I'm a bit overbearing at times, but I'm a great person to be around when the team is winning. I truly want to win more than most, and I just want what's best for the team. Making the playoffs would make me happy most years as it's a major step forward and I guess it set me off last year when I raised my expectations at the end of the year based on how the year went. 

[NewColtsFan]

19 minutes ago, PRnum1 said:

You said Ballard had one of his best drafts last year.

 

How would you know that if you have to wait 3 years ?

 

Hmmmmmm....... ????

Ballard started with 7 draft picks and ended with 12.   At the time, instant analysis, his draft was called the third best.  Everyone grades a draft right after it happens.  

Theres a difference between grading a draft in the days right after the draft, which everyone does, and a grade done a year later for click bait. 

 

I take those with a grain of salt because none of us knows until after three years.  But Jared accepted this years analysis of last years draft as informative when it’s not.   He accepted it because he’s not in the Ballard camp so anything he can use to build a case against CB he does.  

[GoColts8818]

Let’s be real last years draft class is going to come down to how Richardson does.  You can’t give any kind of realistic grade when the guy who the whole draft class is going to be judged on only played five games and only finished one of them.  The Colts draft class last year grade is incomplete until we know more about Richardson.

[Yoshinator]

43 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Ballard started with 7 draft picks and ended with 12.   At the time, instant analysis, his draft was called the third best.  Everyone grades a draft right after it happens.  

Theres a difference between grading a draft in the days right after the draft, which everyone does, and a grade done a year later for click bait. 

 

I take those with a grain of salt because none of us knows until after three years.  But Jared accepted this years analysis of last years draft as informative when it’s not.   He accepted it because he’s not in the Ballard camp so anything he can use to build a case against CB he does.  

I accept this analysis as an upgrade to instant analysis that was a few days after the draft. There's a year of information to go off of now, and it's the first major step to knowing who is more or less likely to be a hit or a bust in the NFL. I acknowledged that a lot of our 2023 draft class had injury issues. However, that doesn't mean you can say they would be a hit if they weren't injured, it just means you don't know and their development is pushed down the line. For some, it could mean they hit next year, for others, it could mean Ballard drafts competition to battle them for their spot on the team. 

 

Right now, it's a below average draft class with 1 year of sample size. That can change. It does depend a lot on how Richardson does. However, I will stick with what I said earlier that our draft classes seem to get injured more than any other team. It could be due to bad luck or the number of players we draft every year, or it could be due to Ballard avoiding injury concerns when drafting players. It seems to be a pattern.

[w87r]

23 minutes ago, csmopar said:

Yep exactly. Everyone wants to whine but no one can point to a realistic candidate to replace him

I thought this thread was supposed to be about excitement for the impending off-season about to kick off...?

 

 

Ballard bashers never stop, they even have their own thread to complain in, nah, let's keep spewing it in every thread.

 

 

Haven't checked the drunkenness thread, I imagine Ballard needs fired for that, over there as well...

 

BAC levels stay at an all time high.

 

"Been Attacking Chris"

 

Actually naming potential replacements, what a joke.

[Yoshinator]

Just now, ChuggaBeer said:

Yep   I think safety is a big concern 

I'd rather we get one in FA than the draft. Draft doesn't have any I'd take in the top 50 picks. McKinney is an option, but he could get tagged. Maybe we re-sign Blackmon. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

From the time I started watching Football which was the 1977 season, I have always said it is a QBs league. I was watching when it was Bradshaw vs Staubach as a 6 year old kid, I was thinking these 2 guys are great! Without at least a very good QB you aren't winning a SB, almost need a great one, especially now days. The Pope could be the GM of any team but if he doesn't have a top 5 QB in the league he isn't winning the SB. When we had Peyton and then Luck, that is what gave us hope every year, they were top 5 every year when healthy. I am hoping AR can be around top 5ish eventually. Top 5 today are Mahomes, Burrow, Lamar, Allen, and probably Purdy. That is why going into every season, Chiefs, Bengals, Ravens, Bills, and 49ers fans know they can win the SB if things go their way.

[Yoshinator]

4 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

From the time I started watching Football which was the 1977 season, I have always said it is a QBs league. I was watching when it was Bradshaw vs Staubach as a 6 year old kid, I was thinking these 2 guys are great! Without at least a very good QB you aren't winning a SB, almost need a great one, especially now days. The Pope could be the GM of any team but if he doesn't have a top 5 QB in the league he isn't winning the SB. When we had Peyton and then Luck, that is what gave us hope every year, they were top 5 every year when healthy. I am hoping AR can be around top 5ish eventually. Top 5 today are Mahomes, Burrow, Lamar, Allen, and probably Purdy. That is why going into every season, Chiefs, Bengals, Ravens, Bills, and 49ers fans know they can win the SB if things go their way.

I have Hurts in the top 5 instead of Purdy, but I agree with this post. In theory, we have a chance to compete with a high upside QB. Richardson has a low floor, but he's the exact type of QB we should have for the modern era and with the coach we have in Shane Steichen. 

 

I just want to capitalize on the opportunity we have now. We can't be timid. We have to build this team like we are contenders. If we do, we have a chance at making the playoffs most years and winning the SB.

[NewColtsFan]

6 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

From the time I started watching Football which was the 1977 season, I have always said it is a QBs league. I was watching when it was Bradshaw vs Staubach as a 6 year old kid, I was thinking these 2 guys are great! Without at least a very good QB you aren't winning a SB, almost need a great one, especially now days. The Pope could be the GM of any team but if he doesn't have a top 5 QB in the league he isn't winning the SB. When we had Peyton and then Luck, that is what gave us hope every year, they were top 5 every year when healthy. I am hoping AR can be around top 5ish eventually. Top 5 today are Mahomes, Burrow, Lamar, Allen, and probably Purdy. That is why going into every season, Chiefs, Bengals, Ravens, Bills, and 49ers fans know they can win the SB if things go their way.

Good post.  
 

But FWIW, I’m not even sure Purdy is top-10 yet, much less top-5.   He might be someday, I just don’t think that day is today.   And I say all that as someone who likes Purdy a lot.  

[2006Coltsbestever]

2 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

I have Hurts in the top 5 instead of Purdy, but I agree with this post. In theory, we have a chance to compete with a high upside QB. Richardson has a low floor, but he's the exact type of QB we should have for the modern era and with the coach we have in Shane Steichen. 

 

I just want to capitalize on the opportunity we have now. We can't be timid. We have to build this team like we are contenders. If we do, we have a chance at making the playoffs most years and winning the SB.

I typed in Hurts but deleted it and put Purdy in  . We agree though on my concept. We need AR to get into that top 5ish because the QBs in the AFC are very good to great. Herbert may be great now with Harbaugh there? Stroud is Top 10.

[2006Coltsbestever]

3 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Good post.  
 

But FWIW, I’m not even sure Purdy is top-10 yet, much less top-5.   He might be someday, I just don’t think that day is today.   And I say all that as someone who likes Purdy a lot.  

Yeah I actually had Hurts at #5 but put Purdy there based on he came a hair away from winning a SB. 49ers IMO have the best roster in football though, that helps him much like it helped Foles when he played for Philly. Philly was loaded with talent on their Lines.

[2006Coltsbestever]

See my above Post, it helps Hurts too, Philly is a well ran organization. KC and SF might be the only 2 that are ran better. I think the Colts are well ran, we just haven't had our Very Good or Great QB since Luck retired. Rivers was on the good level when we got him but old unfortunately. He gave us a punchers chance, 2020 season was fun. Minshew is above average = he far from stinks and plays good at times. He can even get a team to the playoffs (proved a lot to me this season) but we are not winning a SB with him and everyone knows it.

[ColtStrong2013]

1 hour ago, Yoshinator said:

Were the Chiefs winning SBs before 2017 when Ballard was there? I don't think so. 

 

We also have no idea if we have a QB yet. We are all hoping we do, but that's to be determined. 

 

Keep spewing your nonsense though.

were they winning before Pat Mahomes arrived?  That’s what you mean right? 
 

You do realize Chris Ballard was the director of operations when they were scouting Mahomes right? Brett Veach was the one to push it, and Ballard’s mentor John Dorsey was the gm that was ultimately responsible. Ballard was one that agreed with Veach on mahomes prior to his accepting the position here. So yes, Ballard was part of an organization that was setting up the future of Chiefs Super Bowl runs. Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Marcus Peters, Chris Jones… all drafted with Ballard heavily involved. 

We do know we have a qb. Anthony Richardson is better for this offense than any qb (lord knows we tried plenty) in the last three seasons. His and the colts success depends on his health and continued growth. 

[csmopar]

5 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

Here's the problem with this. Hypothetically, if the Chiefs would have had Chris Ballard as the GM instead of Veach, the Chiefs probably don't get Mahomes. They had to do a big trade up to move up for Mahomes. Veach did that trade up. All of Ballards history as the Colts GM suggests he wouldn't have traded up for Mahomes. He has never traded up in the 1st round. He has never traded up for a QB. He rarely trades up at all in the draft. Even when Ballard had Anthony Richardson as the no1 player in the draft, he didn't trade up. He risked that he would fall to 4 and that no one would trade up to 3 (the Texans did trade up to 3 and Ballard was scared when he heard there was a trade up until it was specified it was the Texans specifically and he celebrated). 

 

Richardson has a 5 game sample size where he showed flashes. Steichen is a nice coach that will probably use AR to his strengths. It looks like he'll get better. We'll see though. His accuracy still sucks and he's injury-prone right now. Lot to overcome.

 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Wow Colts will have almost 100 million in cap space now.

 

 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

You can bet guys like Pittman are going to be asking for more now. 

[ColtStrong2013]

13 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Wow Colts will have almost 100 million in cap space now.

 

 

Get the check book out and go shopping…

[ColtStrong2013]

15 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

You can bet guys like Pittman are going to be asking for more now. 

Market will still dictate it. If anything, it takes the sting out of paying him 20 plus… 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

3 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

Market will still dictate it. If anything, it takes the sting out of paying him 20 plus… 

Whenever the cap goes up so do salaries so it will be interesting. Especially for premium positions.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Colts now have a cap to work with to get players extended before the march free agency period.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Payes fifth year option is almost 14 million. Will be I tresting if they pick it up. It would give them a extra year to evaluate him and doesn’t lock you in.

 

 

[w87r]

9 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Payes fifth year option is almost 14 million. Will be I tresting if they pick it up. It would give them a extra year to evaluate him and doesn’t lock you in.

 

 

$13.387 million, isn't almost $14m.

 

 

Anyway, May 2nd date is nice, it allows Colts to go through FA and draft and evaluate where they are. I don't imagine they won't be picking it up, but have some time to make the decision.

 

 

Rise in cap is nice, was expecting $250m so extra $5m+ is a nice bonus.

[w87r]

1 hour ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Wow Colts will have almost 100 million in cap space now.

 

They have a little over $72m.

 

[chad72]

1 hour ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

In the context that it was written, it meant “if” they have many stacked together, “then” they are fighting for people to attend games. 
 

it was in response to the fan base being “understanding” which they are not. We are spoiled and expect competitive games at a minimum. If we aren’t competitive and only winning 2-4 games for a string of, say, three seasons, I would venture to say there wouldn’t be many in the stands. 
 

…and that is clearly not the case. Yes, there have been a couple 4 win seasons, and everyone bashing CB loves to highlight them as if if they weren’t sandwiched by either playoff appearances, or a win away from the playoffs/division title. This team sells out year after year. My point is that it’s a big factor in how close games have been and that we are still relatively competitive (which cannot be disputed- 1 play away from division title this season). It would not be the case if we were becoming accustomed to those 4 and below win seasons. 

 

Even with Curtis Painter, Freeney and Mathis and the gang played with pride. I remember a SNF game where we had a defensive TD vs the Steelers though we never could close out games. But we gouth.

 

I think you underestimate Colts' fandom and knowledge, that is where you and I disagree. We are spoiled w.r.t our expectations, I agree, but not spoiled to the extent that a sudden 4 game season like the Matt Ryan season would just have folks bolting to the exits.

 

If The Pacers were rocking and IU and Purdue football was rocking, I could see alternatives for Colts fans to put their money elsewhere. Right now, I think the time is ripe for Colts football.  

[ColtStrong2013]

2 hours ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Whenever the cap goes up so do salaries so it will be interesting. Especially for premium positions.

 

I'm well versed in economics. I understand supply and demand. But like anything, the market will lag a bit. These teams have already factored in the increase (or supposed increase) into what they are willing to pay. And the big factor with Pittman is that the franchise tag numbers were already set. So again, if anything, it takes the sting out of using the tag and paying him $22mil this season while they work through the remaining processes. 

[ColtStrong2013]

1 hour ago, chad72 said:

 

Even with Curtis Painter, Freeney and Mathis and the gang played with pride. I remember a SNF game where we had a defensive TD vs the Steelers though we never could close out games. But we gouth.

 

I think you underestimate Colts' fandom and knowledge, that is where you and I disagree. We are spoiled w.r.t our expectations, I agree, but not spoiled to the extent that a sudden 4 game season like the Matt Ryan season would just have folks bolting to the exits.

 

If The Pacers were rocking and IU and Purdue football was rocking, I could see alternatives for Colts fans to put their money elsewhere. Right now, I think the time is ripe for Colts football.  

 

The difference being that Peyton Manning was still on the sidelines and on the field was multiple hall of famers just two years removed from a superbowl appearance...

 

I'm not underestimating. It is an assumption, but one that isn't unwarranted. I didn't say a sudden 4 win season, i said multiple 4 or under win strung in consecutive seasons, and specifically three or more. I think you are overestimating that Colts fans would spend hundreds of dollars to spend their Sunday's at Lucas Oil for those results. Season ticket sales would drop significantly. Tickets would be on the marketplace for much less than they have been, and those looking to unload their tickets would be left holding the bag or at large losses. I've played the ticket game, the demand is everything. Look around at the league at small market stadiums when the teams are consistently bad. It just doesn't happen. We are no exception. We've been blessed. And the entire point I'm making is that the Irsay's know this, and have more data than any of us to know what results do to ticket sales. Under Ballard, they are right where they want them, at least at a minimum. There's major risk of change. Local tv blackouts would be a thing with any decent drop in attendance. It's a large reason why he's in his 8th year and not going anywhere, imo. 

 

Newsflash, the Pacers ARE rocking. They have two all-stars on roster, and arguably the best point guard in the league. Also, if Caitlyn Clark declares for the draft, she will be playing with a Fever jersey on. What do you think is going to happen to those ticket sales? Indianapolis will be the envy of ticket sales. Everything ticket related is a product of money pumped into the economy, which can alter basically overnight if a hard recession would hit. People only have so much disposable income. 

[Dingus McGirt]

On 2/23/2024 at 10:52 AM, shasta519 said:

 

That's the thing. They haven't been good, so what exactly is being risked?

 

All of this talk of "who is going to replace him" seems to contradict the sentiment around the QB position the past few years, when people (myself included) were clamoring for better QB play every offseason. Hardly anybody was saying "well, who exactly are they going to replace Wentz with?"

 

And when AR was drafted, it was widely justified as a necessary swing for the fences move that also had potential downside if it failed. I don't see it much differently at GM. It could fail, but it could also help lift this team to a new level.

 

 

Apples and Oranges.  But, nice try.

[csmopar]

On 2/23/2024 at 2:11 PM, w87r said:

$13.387 million, isn't almost $14m.

 

 

Anyway, May 2nd date is nice, it allows Colts to go through FA and draft and evaluate where they are. I don't imagine they won't be picking it up, but have some time to make the decision.

 

 

Rise in cap is nice, was expecting $250m so extra $5m+ is a nice bonus.

I’m a huge Paye fan but I’m not sure I’m picking up that option at this juncture 

[w87r]

1 minute ago, csmopar said:

I’m a huge Paye fan but I’m not sure I’m picking up that option at this juncture 

I'm ok with picking it up, the good thing right now though, is no decision needs to be made till after the draft. So if we add any new Edge(s), either through FA or the draft, we could opt to not exercise the option. $13.3m next year(2025) isn't a bad cap hit though, especially after the cap will go up by another big margin, in all likelihood.

 

Top Edge will be $30-$35m, so $13m really isn't anything.

 

 

I think Paye played some good ball last year, especially after he came back from his 1 game he missed. Took a game to get back going then his performance improved pretty much the rest of the season.(PFF grade wise)

 

Would like to see what our new DL can do with him, and all of our DL for that matter.

[csmopar]

2 minutes ago, w87r said:

I'm ok with picking it up, the good thing right now though, is no decision needs to be made till after the draft. So if we add any new Edge(s), either through FA or the draft, we could opt to not exercise the option. $13.3m next year(2025) isn't a bad cap hit though, especially after the cap will go up by another big margin, in all likelihood.

 

Top Edge will be $30-$35m, so $13m really isn't anything.

 

 

I think Paye played some good ball last year, especially after he came back from his 1 game he missed. Took a game to get back going then his performance improved pretty much the rest of the season.(PFF grade wise)

 

Would like to see what our new DL can do with him, and all of our DL for that matter.

That’s true. With that, I can get onboard with it 

[w87r]

Here is Paye's week by week grades.

 

 

Paye - 74.1(27/106), 75.8(29/107), 69.8(43/112), 65.9(53/111), 65.9(51/114), 62.5(66/111), 63.2(63/109), 66.8(52/113), 67.4(51/107), 67.6(52/106), 68(48/106), 71.7(43/109), 73.1(38/108), 75.3(37/111), 75.6(38/113), 74.3(37/114), 74.3(37/114)

 

 

Started a little slow, but after missing week 5, he dropped to his lowest ranking  in week 6, but pretty much improved every week till week 17, when he had small drop off.

 

 

#37 is a pretty solid grade. High #2 DE grade. Ekubam was clearly our #1.(14/112)

[ColtStrong2013]

41 minutes ago, w87r said:

Here is Paye's week by week grades.

 

 

Paye - 74.1(27/106), 75.8(29/107), 69.8(43/112), 65.9(53/111), 65.9(51/114), 62.5(66/111), 63.2(63/109), 66.8(52/113), 67.4(51/107), 67.6(52/106), 68(48/106), 71.7(43/109), 73.1(38/108), 75.3(37/111), 75.6(38/113), 74.3(37/114), 74.3(37/114)

 

 

Started a little slow, but after missing week 5, he dropped to his lowest ranking  in week 6, but pretty much improved every week till week 17, when he had small drop off.

 

 

#37 is a pretty solid grade. High #2 DE grade. Ekubam was clearly our #1.(14/112)

correct me if I’m wrong, but the issue is that Paye plays like our second best end, when he’s in the most important position of Gus Bradley’s defense, the Leo position. 
 

I think that’s the reason for the hesitation. They might be very well looking for an upgrade (maybe a massive one 🤷‍♂️). 

[w87r]

10 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

correct me if I’m wrong, but the issue is that Paye plays like our second best end, when he’s in the most important position of Gus Bradley’s defense, the Leo position. 
 

I think that’s the reason for the hesitation. They might be very well looking for an upgrade (maybe a massive one 🤷‍♂️). 

I haven't heard of any hesitations on the Colts end, just from posters here. That doesn't mean they don't have any, just not something I've heard.

 

I'm not convinced we bring any kind of substantial upgrade at Edge. Will we bring in a body? More than likely, but I'm not seeing a big move there, as we sit here today. Definitely don't see a big FA signing there, if anything it would be a 1st round edge in the draft.(have #15 going CB/WR/DE right now), or a mid tier signing like Ekubam was.(that one turned out great)

 

Paye has improved every year so far, his arrow is pointing up. He isn't just a 1 trick pony either. He can get to the QB and set the edge.

 

2021 - 15 games, 32 tackles, 4 sacks, 639 snaps

2022 - 12 games, 45 tackles, 6 sacks, 546 snaps 

2023 - 16 games, 52 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 700 snaps 

 

Some might argue 2022 was better than 2023 production wise, considering he missed 4 more games, but he has clearly been improving since he got here. 

 

$4.3m cap hit this year and $13.4m next year if we pick up option. Pretty cheap to see if he can maximize his talents even more.

 

Can't see Ballard trying to replace him at this juncture, especially when he has been producing. I can see him bringing in another compliment there, but again, it's a little early. Things can change very fluidly in the next few weeks.

 

The new DL coach just needs to further unlock the potential.

[ColtStrong2013]

17 minutes ago, w87r said:

I haven't heard of any hesitations on the Colts end, just from posters here. That doesn't mean they don't have any, just not something I've heard.

 

I'm not convinced we bring any kind of substantial upgrade at Edge. Will we bring in a body? More than likely, but I'm not seeing a big move there, as we sit here today. Definitely don't see a big FA signing there, if anything it would be a 1st round edge in the draft.(have #15 going CB/WR/DE right now), or a mid tier signing like Ekubam was.(that one turned out great)

 

Paye has improved every year so far, his arrow is pointing up. He isn't just a 1 trick pony either. He can get to the QB and set the edge.

 

2021 - 15 games, 32 tackles, 4 sacks, 639 snaps

2022 - 12 games, 45 tackles, 6 sacks, 546 snaps 

2023 - 16 games, 52 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 700 snaps 

 

Some might argue 2022 was better than 2023 production wise, considering he missed 4 more games, but he has clearly been improving since he got here. 

 

$4.3m cap hit this year and $13.4m next year if we pick up option. Pretty cheap to see if he can maximize his talents even more.

 

Can't see Ballard trying to replace him at this juncture, especially when he has been producing. I can see him bringing in another compliment there, but again, it's a little early. Things can change very fluidly in the next few weeks.

 

The new DL coach just needs to further unlock the potential.

im not really sure why I thought Ballard hesitated to answer that. I went back and watched and he did not. They asked him what he thought Kwity Paye, and he said that he was better. He was very good against the run. Has things to continue to work on, rushing the passer being one. But that he thought the defensive front played really well in ‘23. Then he was asked if he was picking up his 5th year option and immediately said “oh come on, you know I’m not answering that.” And laughed. 
 

So I would say he unequivocally will pick it up. Because it would seem ludicrous not to. Can you imagine not picking it up at a discount on the position, and he goes out and turns into a superstar year 5 and 6? That’s a first round pick for us that has played well. 
 

I like Paye, I still have high hopes for him. I’m really hopeful that the unit takes another jump next year, especially with a new position coach. Sometimes a tweak or two, different set of eyes/experience can unlock untapped potential. 

[NewColtsFan]

16 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

im not really sure why I thought Ballard hesitated to answer that. I went back and watched and he did not. They asked him what he thought Kwity Paye, and he said that he was better. He was very good against the run. Has things to continue to work on, rushing the passer being one. But that he thought the defensive front played really well in ‘23. Then he was asked if he was picking up his 5th year option and immediately said “oh come on, you know I’m not answering that.” And laughed. 
 

So I would say he unequivocally will pick it up. Because it would seem ludicrous not to. Can you imagine not picking it up at a discount on the position, and he goes out and turns into a superstar year 5 and 6? That’s a first round pick for us that has played well. 
 

I like Paye, I still have high hopes for him. I’m really hopeful that the unit takes another jump next year, especially with a new position coach. Sometimes a tweak or two, different set of eyes/experience can unlock untapped potential. 

 

@Superman    @w87r

 

Don't the Colts (all teams really) have a year to pick up the 5th year option?  
 

So if the Colts don’t do it in Feb or Mar can’t they still do it in the summer or before the start of the season or even during the season?    Thats my understanding.  
 

Just thought I’d try to confirm…

 

[ColtStrong2013]

30 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

@Superman    @w87r

 

Don't the Colts (all teams really) have a year to pick up the 5th year option?  
 

So if the Colts don’t do it in Feb or Mar can’t they still do it in the summer or before the start of the season or even during the season?    Thats my understanding.  
 

Just thought I’d try to confirm…

 

May 2nd deadline.