Colts NFLPA Report card (Not great) (MERGE)

[runthepost]

https://nflpa.com/indianapolis-colts-report-card-2024
 

[csmopar]

2 minutes ago, runthepost said:

https://nflpa.com/indianapolis-colts-report-card-2024
 

Really… millionaires whining about the team not providing them free daycare and a spa?! For real? Very few employers provide that and these guys make PLENTY to cover daycare on game days. 
 

yeah, the culture of entitlement is upon the colts locker room. At this point, cut or trade  everyone not taken in last years draft and start over.

 

”lack of daycare of game days” what a joke

[New Zealands #1 Colts Fan]

[Tsarquise]

4 minutes ago, csmopar said:

Really… millionaires whining about the team not providing them free daycare and a spa?! For real? Very few employers provide that and these guys make PLENTY to cover daycare on game days. 
 

yeah, the culture of entitlement is upon the colts locker room. At this point, cut or trade  everyone not taken in last years draft and start over.

 

”lack of daycare of game days” what a joke

Yeah, same thoughts I had about day care. They're so rich, I'm sure they can afford it. 

[csmopar]

4 minutes ago, Tsarquise said:

Yeah, same thoughts I had about day care. They're so rich, I'm sure they can afford it. 

Even low end practice squad players are making 6 figures. The average daycare cost is 250-300 in the Indy zip code, per week. 
 

i can understand the strength and conditioning issue, I think that might explain the injury rash, but daycare come on. 

[Superman]

1 hour ago, csmopar said:

Even low end practice squad players are making 6 figures. The average daycare cost is 250-300 in the Indy zip code, per week. 
 

i can understand the strength and conditioning issue, I think that might explain the injury rash, but daycare come on. 

 

Do you really think the issue is with the cost of day care?

[csmopar]

2 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Do you really think the issue is with the cost of day care?

Article says it is… granted not the only issue, but clearly it is given the D they gave the colts on it

[ShuteAt168]

Yeah, this goes beyond daycare. 
“The players responded that the training room is understaffed, making it difficult to get the best possible treatment to play and recover. The survey also highlighted issues with the weight room, which respondents believe lacks necessary equipment, and also with the strength coaches, pointing out that they are not getting the best possible individualized plans to maximize their performance.” 

 

[stitches]

It's very interesting that the grades by the players have gone down compared to last year. And some of those are on things that I doubt have gotten worse... IMO they probably just expected improvements on some of those after last year and they didn't get those improvements. I remember one of the things in their report card last year was that the players believed the owner wouldn't hesitate to spend in order to improve the conditions... well... seems like the owner didn't take note and both his grade and the grades of a lot of those low-hanging fruit type of accomodations have gone down. 

 

Not to excuse the Colts for some of those but the team that's dead last in those report cards is... the Chiefs who have terrible grades throughout the whole card, except for HC, who they grade as the best in the league(A+)

[Superman]

2 minutes ago, csmopar said:

Article says it is… granted not the only issue, but clearly it is given the D they gave the colts on it

 

But it's not necessarily about cost...

 

From the survey:

Quote

 

They provide a family room at the stadium 

They are one of seven teams that do not provide daycare support for players’ children on gameday

Regarding family treatment, the players’ top request is for the team to offer daycare on gameday like most other teams do across the League

 

 

I don't know if I've seen anything that says they're asking for free daycare support. Maybe they are. I think more detail would be nice.

[csmopar]

1 minute ago, Superman said:

 

But it's not necessarily about cost...

 

From the survey:

 

I don't know if I've seen anything that says they're asking for free daycare support. Maybe they are. I think more detail would be nice.

Support when referenced in such cases, 9/10 usually means they want it free. 

[Superman]

10 minutes ago, stitches said:

It's very interesting that the grades by the players have gone down compared to last year. And some of those are on things that I doubt have gotten worse... IMO they probably just expected improvements on some of those after last year and they didn't get those improvements. I remember one of the things in their report card last year was that the players believed the owner wouldn't hesitate to spend in order to improve the conditions... well... seems like the owner didn't take note and both his grade and the grades of a lot of those low-hanging fruit type of accomodations have gone down. 

 

Not to excuse the Colts for some of those but the team that's dead last in those report cards is... the Chiefs who have terrible grades throughout the whole card, except for HC, who they grade as the best in the league(A+)

 

One of the grades for the Chiefs got dinged because the team was planning to do upgrade the locker rooms at the practice facility, but they only added new chairs. Then they told the players that they were unable to make additional upgrades because the team went too deep into the playoffs last year. 

 

So, to your point, nothing got worse, but "expectations" were not met. Even though I don't agree with csmopar's take -- and it's certainly not just the Colts -- some of this does seem like a sense of entitlement.

 

This could be a very valuable resource for players and teams. I fear it's being weaponized in a way, and its value will be undermined because of the sensationalism. 

[Superman]

1 minute ago, csmopar said:

Support when referenced in such cases, 9/10 usually means they want it free. 

 

Probably right. This is from the Chargers report card, who got an F in this category:

Quote

 

They provide a family room at the stadium

They provide daycare but not onsite and players have to pay 

The team charges $75 for the first child and $50 for each additional child per family 

A major complaint from players is that the daycare is not convenient for the families to use and that the team charges players, unlike most of the teams in the NFL

 

 

But it seems like most teams provide daycare at no charge.

 

How do the Rams have onsite daycare, but the Chargers don't? 

[AwesomeAustin]

The players want to bring their families to the stadium. All but 7 teams provide this. I get the complaint. First world problem for sure but I get the complaint. I would say it would be quite difficult to allocate and remodel a space plus staff the right help for I’m guessing 50-100 children. 

[Superman]

1 minute ago, AwesomeAustin said:

The players want to bring their families to the stadium. All but 7 teams provide this. I get the complaint. First world problem for sure but I get the complaint. I would say it would be quite difficult to allocate and remodel a space plus staff the right help for I’m guessing 50-100 children. 

 

Agreed.

 

And it would be one thing if players were striking because there's no onsite daycare. What it seems like is they're being surveyed about this, and asked for their opinion, which they are willing to give. 'It would be nice if we had daycare support on game day, that way my family can be at the stadium together, and we don't have to try to get private care on Sunday afternoon.'

 

I don't even think it's a big factor for free agents. But if you ask a current player if there's anything they would change, and they say 'I wish we had daycare on gameday,' I get it. 

[Superman]

Colts

Food / Cafeteria

C

22ND

They rank 20th overall in food taste 

They rank 24th overall in food freshness 

 

LOL

[stitches]

The daycare thing seems like something that shouldn't be that hard to give to the players. It's like... 2 days in a month... between August and January. Lets say 6 months, 2 home games per month. That's like... daycare for 12 days of the year. Come on! Teams should be able to give that to players. I bet there are areas of the stadium that don't get used on a game day... make a plan, make those area a multi-purpose facility... maybe daycare for those gamedays, easily transformable into something else for the rest of the time. 

[ColtStrong2013]

Seems like we are a small market team with an owner that cares about money. Surprise… why is anyone shocked? It’s the same concept I’ve been arguing about for some time. We’ll bash Ballard for not hitting free agency hard, but as he said- it’s a two way street. We can offer money, but they can turn it down. Damnit- if we only brought a daycare and fresher food in, we’d be able to get those second tier players making the big bucks! 

[Lifetime Colt]

While the daycare and food seem to be getting the most attention, I would hope the training staff, weight room equipment would be quickly addressed. Where is the plane that was going to be remodeled to carry the whale across country? maybe add it to the fleet.

[csmopar]

20 minutes ago, stitches said:

The daycare thing seems like something that shouldn't be that hard to give to the players. It's like... 2 days in a month... between August and January. Lets say 6 months, 2 home games per month. That's like... daycare for 12 days of the year. Come on! Teams should be able to give that to players. I bet there are areas of the stadium that don't get used on a game day... make a plan, make those area a multi-purpose facility... maybe daycare for those gamedays, easily transformable into something else for the rest of the time. 

Or they can be responsible like the rest of us who have kids and arrange their own daycare…

40 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Probably right. This is from the Chargers report card, who got an F in this category:

 

But it seems like most teams provide daycare at no charge.

 

How do the Rams have onsite daycare, but the Chargers don't? 

That’s cheap for daycare. They’re really whining about that when they make millions. 

[G8R]

I think very soon the facilities war that has been going on the last 10 or so years in college will work its way to the pros. Colleges are spending hundreds of millions on these things (those that can afford it).

[Superman]

32 minutes ago, csmopar said:

Or they can be responsible like the rest of us who have kids and arrange their own daycare…

That’s cheap for daycare. They’re really whining about that when they make millions. 

 

Define "whining." 

[throwing BBZ]

3 hours ago, csmopar said:

Really… millionaires whining about the team not providing them free daycare and a spa?! For real? Very few employers provide that and these guys make PLENTY to cover daycare on game days. 
 

yeah, the culture of entitlement is upon the colts locker room. At this point, cut or trade  everyone not taken in last years draft and start over.

 

”lack of daycare of game days” what a joke

 

 Did I not just read that 25 teams do offer the daycare? 

[Shepman]

I find the facility thing very interesting as it was only a few years ago when they redid everything and bought new equipment if I recall correctly.  

[ArmchairQB]

4 hours ago, csmopar said:

Really… millionaires whining about the team not providing them free daycare and a spa?! For real? Very few employers provide that and these guys make PLENTY to cover daycare on game days. 
 

yeah, the culture of entitlement is upon the colts locker room. At this point, cut or trade  everyone not taken in last years draft and start over.

 

”lack of daycare of game days” what a joke

To be fair their standard is not our standard.  They are grading based on the other 31 organizations facilities and staff.  Not on how good their life is compared to the average Joe. 

[NewColtsFan]

5 hours ago, csmopar said:

Really… millionaires whining about the team not providing them free daycare and a spa?! For real? Very few employers provide that and these guys make PLENTY to cover daycare on game days. 
 

yeah, the culture of entitlement is upon the colts locker room. At this point, cut or trade  everyone not taken in last years draft and start over.

 

”lack of daycare of game days” what a joke

No.  Sorry, you didn’t read the full report.  
 

The Colts are one of only seven teams that don’t provide day care.   That means the other 25 teams DO PROVIDE the service.   This is a very damning report all around for the Colts.  
 

Ballard got Irsay to sign off on a big facility upgrade when he got the job in 2017.   What this report says is they didn’t do a good enough job when it was done.  And it says decisions they’ve made since then are really foolish and anger the players.   Like when the team flies the front office sits in bigger wider seats while the players sit in smaller seats.  Like poor quality food at the facility.  

This is very disappointing to me.   

[NewColtsFan]

2 hours ago, G8R said:

I think very soon the facilities war that has been going on the last 10 or so years in college will work its way to the pros. Colleges are spending hundreds of millions on these things (those that can afford it).

This isn’t something that is just now working its way to the pros.  The NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL have been dealing with this for decades.   Literally 35-40 years.   It’s a huge issue at the pro level. 

[Blueblood23]

Colts players don’t give a ringing endorsement to ownership.

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-report-card-rankings-for-all-32-teams-213054888.html

[jvan1973]

I'm sure they will be fine

[GoColts8818]

8 hours ago, csmopar said:

Really… millionaires whining about the team not providing them free daycare and a spa?! For real? Very few employers provide that and these guys make PLENTY to cover daycare on game days. 
 

yeah, the culture of entitlement is upon the colts locker room. At this point, cut or trade  everyone not taken in last years draft and start over.

 

”lack of daycare of game days” what a joke

Here’s the thing you are comparing their work place to everyday work places.  That’s not the world they live in.  They live in a world where most of the other professional teams they can play for offer it so if you don’t you are going to stick out not in a good way.  
 

Yeah it’s entitlement and yes it’s not fair but it’s also true of the world they live in rather we can relate to it or not.  

[Superman]

4 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

No.  Sorry, you didn’t read the full report.  
 

The Colts are one of only seven teams that don’t provide day care.   That means the other 25 teams DO PROVIDE the service.   This is a very damning report all around for the Colts.  
 

Ballard got Irsay to sign off on a big facility upgrade when he got the job in 2017.   What this report says is they didn’t do a good enough job when it was done.  And it says decisions they’ve made since then are really foolish and anger the players.   Like when the team flies the front office sits in bigger wider seats while the players sit in smaller seats.  Like poor quality food at the facility.  

This is very disappointing to me.   

 

I think your reaction is potentially over the top. I say that because there's simply not enough information being shared to really know. And I don't say this just as a fan of the Colts, I'm trying to maintain some perspective with the reports for all the teams.

 

I mentioned an example earlier with the Chiefs. They were expecting to upgrade the locker room at the practice facility. The upgrades weren't made, they only added new seats. So the Chiefs grade for practice facilities went down from last year, even though we could probably say the facilities were improved, just not as much as the players hoped they would be.

 

The grade for the Colts food offerings is funny to me. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the freshness of the food, and it probably tastes fine also. 

 

If they can't figure out the plane seating thing, though, that's a problem. Two years in a row. However, they say players don't have to share rooms anymore. 

 

And the weight room, last year some players wanted more modern equipment, but the grade was a B. This year, the grade went down to a C. I doubt the equipment got worse.

 

Just seems like a lot of this is sensationalized.

[GoColts8818]

1 minute ago, Superman said:

 

I think your reaction is potentially over the top. I say that because there's simply not enough information being shared to really know. And I don't say this just as a fan of the Colts, I'm trying to maintain some perspective with the reports for all the teams.

 

I mentioned an example earlier with the Chiefs. They were expecting to upgrade the locker room at the practice facility. The upgrades weren't made, they only added new seats. So the Chiefs grade for practice facilities went down from last year, even though we could probably say the facilities were improved, just not as much as the players hoped they would be.

 

The grade for the Colts food offerings is funny to me. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the freshness of the food, and it probably tastes fine also. 

 

If they can't figure out the plane seating thing, though, that's a problem. Two years in a row. However, they say players don't have to share rooms anymore. 

 

And the weight room, last year some players wanted more modern equipment, but the grade was a B. This year, the grade went down to a C. I doubt the equipment got worse.

 

Just seems like a lot of this is sensationalized.

Seems like food would be one of the easier things to fix.  Find out what your guys like and make it for them.

[Zoltan]

The new hire Mike Mannis will probably affect a couple of these measures going into next year

[Superman]

12 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Seems like food would be one of the easier things to fix.  Find out what your guys like and make it for them.

 

All 65-75 of them... I bet the food is fine. Not five star Michelin, but does it need to be? 

[Zoltan]

Another way to look at it is the chiefs were ranked 31st of all 32 teams with 4 Fs and 3 Ds. So having the players love  all these measures doesn't mean success.

[NewColtsFan]

13 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I think your reaction is potentially over the top. I say that because there's simply not enough information being shared to really know. And I don't say this just as a fan of the Colts, I'm trying to maintain some perspective with the reports for all the teams.

 

I mentioned an example earlier with the Chiefs. They were expecting to upgrade the locker room at the practice facility. The upgrades weren't made, they only added new seats. So the Chiefs grade for practice facilities went down from last year, even though we could probably say the facilities were improved, just not as much as the players hoped they would be.

 

The grade for the Colts food offerings is funny to me. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the freshness of the food, and it probably tastes fine also. 

 

If they can't figure out the plane seating thing, though, that's a problem. Two years in a row. However, they say players don't have to share rooms anymore. 

 

And the weight room, last year some players wanted more modern equipment, but the grade was a B. This year, the grade went down to a C. I doubt the equipment got worse.

 

Just seems like a lot of this is sensationalized.

 

Hmmm…

Sorry, but I don’t see how your viewpoint is fair and reasonable while mine is somehow over the top?  
 

Ballard was asked about this today.  He gave one very strong answer.  That it’s his experience that that the vast majority of players who have been Colts want to be Colts.   Good answer.   Then he said they’d go through the report to see where they might get better.   
 

As to the differences from one year to another, it’s a different team.  Likely younger.  The Colts lost vets like Gilmore and Ingoukwe.   So the newer, younger players might have a different view.  
 

Ballard said he talks to the players all the time.  Might’ve said there’s a players council he talks to.  All well and good.  But from my perspective I think it’s important not to downplay this or dismiss it in any way.   The Colts are competing against the other 31 teams.   They have to make the facility as good as they can,  it’s something they can control.  If the Colts have a poorly rated facility, that’s something they can control and it’s also something that can be used against them by other franchises.  
 

I think the Colts need to make better decisions.  By not spending money to help themselves, this can lead to something that can hurt them.   Cut down on unforced errors.  
 

Sorry we couldn’t find common ground here. 

[NewColtsFan]

9 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

All 65-75 of them... I bet the food is fine. Not five star Michelin, but does it need to be? 

It needs to be good enough.    Because when the Colts bring in veterans from other teams there view might just be that what the Colts serve isn’t very good and what their previous team served is much better.  

[Superman]

6 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

Hmmm…

Sorry, but I don’t see how your viewpoint is fair and reasonable while mine is somehow over the top?  
 

Ballard was asked about this today.  He gave one very strong answer.  That it’s his experience that that the vast majority of players who have been Colts want to be Colts.   Good answer.   Then he said they’d go through the report to see where they might get better.   
 

As to the differences from one year to another, it’s a different team.  Likely younger.  The Colts lost vets like Gilmore and Ingoukwe.   So the newer, younger players might have a different view.  
 

Ballard said he talks to the players all the time.  Might’ve said there’s a players council he talks to.  All well and good.  But from my perspective I think it’s important not to downplay this or dismiss it in any way.   The Colts are competing against the other 31 teams.   They have to make the facility as good as they can,  it’s something they can control.  If the Colts have a poorly rated facility, that’s something they can control and it’s also something that can be used against them by other franchises.  
 

I think the Colts need to make better decisions.  By not spending money to help themselves, this can lead to something that can hurt them.   Cut down on unforced errors.  
 

Sorry we couldn’t find common ground here. 

 

Do you think we have a sufficient amount of information about these surveys and the responses? And do you think it makes sense for the Chiefs facilities to have been slightly improved, but their grade to be worse?

 

The bolded speaks to how subjective this entire process is. 

 

I'm not trying to downplay it. Like you and Ballard said, find ways to continue to improve the facilities and experience where possible. But there's a lot of reaction to this stuff, and not a lot of detailed info. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

Interesting topic. I would feel much better if we were in at least the top half of the league when it comes to medical staff for treatment, workout facility/training room, and the food these players get. Top half meaning 16th or so on average. This report is disappointing.

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, Superman said:

 

Do you think we have a sufficient amount of information about these surveys and the responses? And do you think it makes sense for the Chiefs facilities to have been slightly improved, but their grade to be worse?

 

The bolded speaks to how subjective this entire process is. 

 

I'm not trying to downplay it. Like you and Ballard said, find ways to continue to improve the facilities and experience where possible. But there's a lot of reaction to this stuff, and not a lot of detailed info. 

Sure I’d like more information.  I don’t recall if the report stated what the Colts were last year or not?   It’s late and I may have to the-read the report looking for that detail.   But operating off some sleep deprived memory, I’d guess the Colts weren’t great last year.   
 

I always say to people who are skeptical about PFF grades, that they’re not perfect by any means but that if they’re off, they’re likely off by one level.  So maybe a player isn’t good, but he’s at least above average.  My point is if this report is imperfect, it’s at least in the ball park.  We might be in the bottom third two years in a row?   Bottom half two years in a row?    So I always want to be better. 
 

I think the Colts have a fair amount of disadvantages of being a small market team, so I want to control what we can control much better.    Hope I’ve clarified a bit more….