Colts offseason discussion / Ballard Grievances (merge)

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

I would seriously if Ballard was trying to get fired if he drafted trenches at 15.

[ColtStrong2013]

4 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

There is no room for more dline. Ballard is paying bucks for that dline and we have too many players. right now.  No dline or oline  right now is going to improve this roster right now. This would be a terrible pick and Ballard should be canned on the spot. We are good on both lines right now. Seriously should not be here if thst is the pick and he is a very unserious GM. No ssg would be went out and paid Grover and Davis yo draft for trenches. That is not a good use of money 

Ballard is always going to reinvest in the trenches, so regardless of how we perceive our lines or the amount of money in them, that is a certainty. It might not be the 15th pick this year, but it’s not going to be surprising for many who put weight into what Ballard repeatedly says. He believes at any given time, there is room for improvement and always room for additional talent on the lines. They believe that you need 7-8 quality lineman on offense and as many as you can stack on the defensive line, as they work in waves. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

I am just talking with pick 15. Taking a dline at 15 is a waste of a pick.

[richard pallo]

If we were to open today Cross and Thomas are our starters at safety.  That’s a recipe for disaster.  Neither one has proven they are full time NFL caliber starters.  The cornerbacks are a hope and a prayer right now as well.  Hopefully the 1st pick goes to the secondary where an immediate starter can be found found and is needed.

[Yoshinator]

I took a break from the forum for a couple days. Went to the casino with my dad on back-to-back days. We had some fun playing blackjack. Ended up winning $182.50 profit between the two sessions. Seems like things are mostly the same here. Was hoping for a secondary signing lol. 

 

May watch Ballard and Steichen comment on the owners meetings, it's just another thing where I'd yell at them through the computer screen lol. Don't know who I'm more mad at, Ballard, or the media for enabling him by asking softball questions and feeding his ego.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Just now, richard pallo said:

If we were to open today Cross and Thomas are our starters at safety.  That’s a recipe for disaster.  Neither one has proven they are full time NFL caliber starters.  The cornerbacks are a hope and a prayer right now as well.  Hopefully the 1st pick goes to the secondary where an immediate starter can be found found and is needed.

Plus there is no one behind them lol.

Just now, Yoshinator said:

I took a break from the forum for a couple days. Went to the casino with my dad on back-to-back days. We had some fun playing blackjack. Ended up winning $182.50 profit between the two sessions. Seems like things are mostly the same here. Was hoping for a secondary signing lol. 

 

May watch Ballard and Steichen comment on the owners meetings, it's just another thing where I'd yell at them through the computer screen lol. Don't know who I'm more mad at, Ballard, or the media for enabling him by asking softball questions and feeding his ego.

Ballard is having his presser right now.

[Patrick Miller]

Well, after seeing Sneads huge contract I can’t really blame ballard for passing.

[Superman]

36 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

There is no room for more dline. Ballard is paying bucks for that dline and we have too many players. right now.  No dline or oline  right now is going to improve this roster right now. This would be a terrible pick and Ballard should be canned on the spot. We are good on both lines right now. Seriously should not be here if thst is the pick and he is a very unserious GM. No ssg would be went out and paid Grover and Davis yo draft for trenches. That is not a good use of money 

 

Strong disagree.

 

DT: Buckner, Stewart, Davis

DE: Paye, Dayo, Lewis, Ebukam

 

Those seven are the only DL that I would say are definitely going to be on the roster on opening day. Paye and Dayo are going into their contract year. If you don't see how there's room for more DL -- particularly a potential game wrecking pass rusher -- then I don't know what to tell you.

[stitches]

52 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Bingo.

 

I could see Quinyon Mitchell being an option, given his vertical and speed, and especially his film. He's a great fit for our scheme. 

 

But I think the Colts value strategy is pretty obvious. I think a corner prospect would have to check all of Ballard's boxes, and be a standout on film, to get drafted by the Colts at #15. And even then, we'd probably have to see that guy as the clear best prospect on the board, and that's not likely this year. There are too many good OL/DL prospects that will get pushed down 3-4 spots because of how top heavy it looks at QB and WR.

 

By the way, I think the same logic applies at WR, which is why I've said I don't think we'll draft a WR at #15. But I think that's more likely than a corner.

I think I'm team "trade down and pick AD Mitchell". For me Mitchell and Brian Thomas are very close and if you can have Mitchell at 25-28 or thereabout and add another 2nd rounder or a couple of thirds... I'd be very tempted to do something like this. Then use the extra pick to address the holes in our defense... McKinstry or Tampa with one of the seconds... Edgerrin Cooper with another day 2 pick... Kneeland 3d day 2 pick... 

[Superman]

4 minutes ago, Patrick Miller said:

Well, after seeing Sneads huge contract I can’t really blame ballard for passing.

 

What did you expect his contract to look like?

[Superman]

Just now, stitches said:

I think I'm team "trade down and pick AD Mitchell". For me Mitchell and Brian Thomas are very close and if you can have Mitchell at 25-28 or thereabout and add another 2nd rounder or a couple of thirds... I'd be very tempted to do something like this. 

 

I'm Thomas over Mitchell. His breakaway speed is mesmerizing, and Mitchell's habit of body catching is a slight downgrade for me (not huge, Mitchell's hands are fine, and he uses his catch radius often). But I wouldn't complain about a trade back that yields Mitchell later in the first.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Ballard goes dline and then at end of season wonders why they could g get pressure. Well you didn’t fix the secondary.

[stitches]

Just now, Superman said:

 

I'm Thomas over Mitchell. His breakaway speed is mesmerizing, and Mitchell's habit of body catching is a slight downgrade for me (not huge, Mitchell's hands are fine, and he uses his catch radius often). But I wouldn't complain about a trade back that yields Mitchell later in the first.

I think I like Mitchell as a potential X receiver more. And I like Thomas as a downfield threat more... I think Mitchell has higher upside honestly. I saw some body catches too and was worried initially.. but then the more I watched the more impressive catches outside of his frame and on jump balls I saw. I don't think I worry about his ball skills at all. 

[stitches]

BTW Mitchell has only 1.8% drop rate. That's the lowest out of any of the receivers projected to go high in the draft. 

[Superman]

2 minutes ago, stitches said:

I think I like Mitchell as a potential X receiver more. And I like Thomas as a downfield threat more... I think Mitchell has higher upside honestly. I saw some body catches too and was worried initially.. but then the more I watched the more impressive catches outside of his frame and on jump balls I saw. I don't think I worry about his ball skills at all. 

 

Mitchell is more AJ Brown, Thomas is more CeeDee Lamb. I like them both.

 

Not worried about Mitchell's ball skills on a fundamental level, but I do wonder why he developed that habit in the first place. It's not just in traffic over the middle, he does it when it's not necessary, like it's instinctive, and I don't like that. But he has the obvious ability to catch with his hands.

[stitches]

2 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Mitchell is more AJ Brown, Thomas is more CeeDee Lamb. I like them both.

 

Not worried about Mitchell's ball skills on a fundamental level, but I do wonder why he developed that habit in the first place. It's not just in traffic over the middle, he does it when it's not necessary, like it's instinctive, and I don't like that. But he has the obvious ability to catch with his hands.

I posted above... whatever the reason it's not really impeding him in catching the ball. He has the lowest drop rate of this class - only 1.8%... 

 

BTW just to give context about just how good that is... here are the drop rates of other top receivers in the draft: 

 

Keon Coleman: 7.2%

Marvin Harrison Jr: 6.9%

Ladd McConkey: 6.3%

Xavier Worthy: 5.4%

Malik Nabers: 4.9%

Xavier Legette: 4.8%

Rome Odunze: 4.8%

Ja’Lynn Polk: 4.8%

Brian Thomas Jr: 3.8%

[Superman]

3 minutes ago, stitches said:

I posted above... whatever the reason it's not really impeding him in catching the ball. He has the lowest drop rate of this class - only 1.8%... 

 

BTW just to give context about just how good that is... here are the drop rates of other top receivers in the draft: 

 

Keon Coleman: 7.2%

Marvin Harrison Jr: 6.9%

Ladd McConkey: 6.3%

Xavier Worthy: 5.4%

Malik Nabers: 4.9%

Xavier Legette: 4.8%

Rome Odunze: 4.8%

Ja’Lynn Polk: 4.8%

Brian Thomas Jr: 3.8%

 

Thanks for posting. 

 

One of the first names I think about when thinking of ball skills is Keon Coleman, probably just from a couple of highlights, and he's the worst on this list. I feel like he's a third round guy.

[stitches]

3 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Thanks for posting. 

 

One of the first names I think about when thinking of ball skills is Keon Coleman, probably just from a couple of highlights, and he's the worst on this list. I feel like he's a third round guy.

Not 100% certain about this, but from what I remember he was another of the PFF GAS stars. Even though he didn't test like a top speed athlete, he was clocked the fastest on the gauntlet drill and he looked really good on that. Maybe there is more to him than meets the eye, but overall I wasn't super impressed with his ability to create separation and get open. A lot of his best work is in contested catch situations. 

[Superman]

1 minute ago, stitches said:

Not 100% certain about this, but from what I remember he was another of the PFF GAS stars. Even though he didn't test like a top speed athlete, he was clocked the fastest on the gauntlet drill and he looked really good on that. Maybe there is more to him than meets the eye, but overall I wasn't super impressed with his ability to create separation and get open. A lot of his best work is in contested catch situations. 

 

N'Keal Harry 2.0.

 

15 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Ballard goes dline and then at end of season wonders why they could g get pressure. Well you didn’t fix the secondary.

 

Wild talk.

[stitches]

3 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

N'Keal Harry 2.0.

 

Want another wild stat... 

 

 

 

So he's like... contested catch receiver who doesn't catch the ball? 

[chad72]

4 minutes ago, stitches said:

Not 100% certain about this, but from what I remember he was another of the PFF GAS stars. Even though he didn't test like a top speed athlete, he was clocked the fastest on the gauntlet drill and he looked really good on that. Maybe there is more to him than meets the eye, but overall I wasn't super impressed with his ability to create separation and get open. A lot of his best work is in contested catch situations. 

 

If you are getting someone for those high pointing while having the burst to create separation with height, Adonai Mitchell is your guy. Just get your draft position locked in before the Bills, Ravens and Chiefs if you are going to trade back because he is a top target for all those 3 teams, IMO. Brian Thomas Jr., hands down The Bengals will swallow him up to pair with JaMarr Chase eventually, force Higgins to play on the tag and let him go for a possible compensatory pick (unfortunate side of business) after the 2025 season. So, if you want BT Jr., stay put at No.15 and get him.

[Superman]

3 minutes ago, stitches said:

Want another wild stat... 

 

 

 

So he's like... contested catch receiver who doesn't catch the ball? 

 

Looks like it.

[chad72]

4 minutes ago, stitches said:

So he's like... contested catch receiver who doesn't catch the ball? 

 

If that is what Keon Coleman is, and if the Colts wait till Mid Round 2 to get their WR, I would gladly take the promise I see in Xavier Legette at that point, unless someone better drops to that point.

[stitches]

Seems like owners voted to approve new kickoff rule. 

 

 

The value of kick returners might have jumped a bit after this rule... It will look something like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GoColts8818]

20 hours ago, shasta519 said:

Agree. Not just a lesson for Destin, but for fans.
 

But it was a crazy couple days on Twitter. And he was mostly fueling it. Would have been cool if he got it right though. 

Some fans.  Some fans were skeptical from the start and attacked for it.

[Dobbinblitz]

53 minutes ago, stitches said:

I think I'm team "trade down and pick AD Mitchell". For me Mitchell and Brian Thomas are very close and if you can have Mitchell at 25-28 or thereabout and add another 2nd rounder or a couple of thirds... I'd be very tempted to do something like this. Then use the extra pick to address the holes in our defense... McKinstry or Tampa with one of the seconds... Edgerrin Cooper with another day 2 pick... Kneeland 3d day 2 pick... 

Solid Picks - that would be a good day 1/2 draft!

[Dobbinblitz]

Diggs, Witherspoon, and Simmons are still out there.  Hoping... . Simmons would be a good add to a very young secondary.  Hoping...Ballard does something here.

[BeanDiasucci]

53 minutes ago, chad72 said:

 

If that is what Keon Coleman is, and if the Colts wait till Mid Round 2 to get their WR, I would gladly take the promise I see in Xavier Legette at that point, unless someone better drops to that point.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves and put too much weight on technicalities like the receivers' drop rates and college production. We need to wait for the more critical data, their RAS scores. 😜

[JediXMan]

Julian Blackmon might as well.

 

[VikingsFanInChennai]

2 hours ago, Yoshinator said:

I took a break from the forum for a couple days. Went to the casino with my dad on back-to-back days. We had some fun playing blackjack. Ended up winning $182.50 profit between the two sessions. Seems like things are mostly the same here. Was hoping for a secondary signing lol. 

 

May watch Ballard and Steichen comment on the owners meetings, it's just another thing where I'd yell at them through the computer screen lol. Don't know who I'm more mad at, Ballard, or the media for enabling him by asking softball questions and feeding his ego.

Get soon your reaction video of yelling at the screen, I'll pay for your Patreon. 

[throwing BBZ]

1 hour ago, chad72 said:

 

If you are getting someone for those high pointing while having the burst to create separation with height, Adonai Mitchell is your guy. Just get your draft position locked in before the Bills, Ravens and Chiefs if you are going to trade back because he is a top target for all those 3 teams, IMO. Brian Thomas Jr., hands down The Bengals will swallow him up to pair with JaMarr Chase eventually, force Higgins to play on the tag and let him go for a possible compensatory pick (unfortunate side of business) after the 2025 season. So, if you want BT Jr., stay put at No.15 and get him.

 

 For a guy that size, Thomas has it all, lightning strait line speed, i was shocked with how fast he could stop on a dime, he has smooth moves and great hands. I would rather get our Deon Sanders shut down corner  Q Mitchell, but Thomas would be a grand slam Colt too. 

[Patrick Miller]

2 hours ago, Superman said:

 

What did you expect his contract to look like?

Well I knew it would be big but good grief that’s a lot of money for a close to 30 cb. 

[chad72]

22 minutes ago, Patrick Miller said:

Well I knew it would be big but good grief that’s a lot of money for a close to 30 cb. 

 

27 is closer to 30 than 20 but is not close enough to 30 for me. If we can pay Kenny Moore for 3 years (age 28) getting into 31 by the time his contract is up, Sneed being 27 years old is just a lousy excuse. Moore missed the final five games of 2022 due to an ankle injury, for what it is worth. CB is a demanding position.

 

Either Sneed wasn't considered or Sneed didn't want to play here in Indy or Ballard didn't want to pony up the extra guaranteed money. Age wasn't a factor at all, IMO. Most likely it is one of the other 3 reasons, with me leaning towards Ballard not wanting to take a risk and pony up that kind of guaranteed money, given Sneed's knee issues flaring up though managed well by him and the Chiefs. Only time will tell if the Titans made a good choice.

 

No one will ever know if Ballard HAD a choice. I wish someone would ask him instead of throwing out softball questions.

[richard pallo]

8 minutes ago, chad72 said:

 

27 is closer to 30 than 20 but is not close enough to 30 for me. If we can pay Kenny Moore for 3 years (age 28) getting into 31 by the time his contract is up, Sneed being 27 years old is just a lousy excuse.

 

Either Sneed wasn't considered or Sneed didn't want to play here in Indy or Ballard didn't want to pony up the extra guaranteed money. Age wasn't a factor at all, IMO. Most likely it is one of the other 3 reasons, with me leaning towards Ballard not wanting to take a risk and pony up that kind of guaranteed money, given Sneed's knee issues flaring up though managed well by him and the Chiefs. Only time will tell if the Titans made a good choice.

 

No one will ever know if Ballard HAD a choice. I wish someone would ask him instead of throwing out softball questions.

Ballard has said they decided to go young at corner last year and he probably wasn’t discouraged by what he saw.  That said I think he was open to upgrading the group at a reasonable price.  I always thought it was about the guaranteed money.  That coupled with a strong rookie class of corners and Sneed’s big guaranteed windfall stopped our pursuit in its tracks.  I think he’s still open to adding a veteran in the group but one with a more reasonable price similar to his strategy with Gilmore two years ago.  It’s always about the money.  I think that’s what slowed down the safety pursuit.  Ballard is very patient.  He will wait out his target and if he loses it he will move to plan B.  He always has a plan B.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Ballard said today they have started talking to Blackmon again. It’s moving in a positive direction. Holder thinks they will sign a FS too. He said he doesn’t think colts liked the FA market at CB.

[coach kline]

3 hours ago, Superman said:

 

I'm Thomas over Mitchell. His breakaway speed is mesmerizing, and Mitchell's habit of body catching is a slight downgrade for me (not huge, Mitchell's hands are fine, and he uses his catch radius often). But I wouldn't complain about a trade back that yields Mitchell later in the first.

I'm so over trading down. It hasn't really got us anywhere except mediocrity. 

[JediXMan]

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

1 minute ago, JediXMan said:

He also said they have work to do in the secondary. 

[JediXMan]

20 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

He also said they have work to do in the secondary. 

Like everything in life actions > words.

[w87r]

6 hours ago, Superman said:

 

Strong disagree.

 

DT: Buckner, Stewart, Davis

DE: Paye, Dayo, Lewis, Ebukam

 

Those seven are the only DL that I would say are definitely going to be on the roster on opening day. Paye and Dayo are going into their contract year. If you don't see how there's room for more DL -- particularly a potential game wrecking pass rusher -- then I don't know what to tell you.

Glad you mentioned this. I've been wanting to really look and see how many roster spots are locked in(pending injuries) and how many actual top 53 spots are available for draft picks and remaining FA signings.

 

Locks 

 

2024 Roster:(under contract)(75)

Offense:(37)

QB:(3) Anthony Richardson, Joe Flacco, Sam Ehlinger

RB:(5) Johnathan Taylor, Evan Hull, Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson, Zavier Scott

WR:(9) Michael Pittman, Alex Pierce, Josh Downs, Ashton Dulin, DJ Montgomery, Juwann Winfree, Tyrie Cleveland, Ethan Fernea, Terrell Bynum

TE:(7) Mo Alie-Cox, Andrew Ogletree, Jelani Woods, Kylen Granson, Will Mallory, Jordan Murray, Eric Tomlinson

OT:(4) Bernard Raimann, Braden Smith, Blake Freeland, Jake Witt

OG:(5) Quentin Nelson, Will Fries, Josh Sills, Arlington Hambright, Lewis Kidd

OC:(4) Ryan Kelly, Danny Pinter, Wesley French, Jack Anderson 

 

Defense:(35)

DE:(7) Samson Ebukam, Kwity Paye, Dayo Odeyingbo, Tyquan Lewis, Titus Leo, Isaiah Land, Genard Avery 

DT:(6) Deforest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Raekwon Davis, Adetomiwa Adebawore, Taven Bryan, Eric Johnson

LB:(8) EJ Speed, Zaire Franklin, Ronnie Harrison, Grant Stuard, Cameron McGrone, Segun Olubi, Liam Anderson, Austin Ajiake

CB:(7) Dallis Flowers, JuJu Brents, Kenny Moore, Jaylon Jones, Ameer Speed, Chris Lammons, Darrell Baker Jr

S:(7) Rodney Thomas, Nick Cross, Daniel Scott, Trevor Denbow, Marcel Dabo, Kendell Brooks, Michael Tutsie

 

SPT:(3)

K: Matt Gay

P: Rigoberto Sanchez 

LS: Luke Rhodes 

 

 

 

 

So I have (42) locks there.

 

Leaves 11 spots for draft picks/remaining FAs and for the other 33 players currently on the roster.

 

Maybe not that confident with Stuard lock.

 

 

What does everyone's locks look like?