Colts offseason discussion / Ballard Grievances (merge)

[MikeCurtis]

2 hours ago, jvan1973 said:

The Colts weren't close to bottom five in any category last year. 

Respectfully

28th in points allowed is bottom 5

 

 

[GoColts8818]

You know people keep saying Ballard keeps doing the same thing that never works.  I had a thought.  Last year people were screaming the same things except it was about the oline and how Ballard needed to move on from Kelly, re-signing Nelson was a mistake, they couldn’t afford to gamble on Raimann, and they needed a new right guard.

 

Well Ballard didn’t do any of that.  He ran back the same oline and they were much better which means what he did worked.  Maybe he’s feeling the same about the defense this year, especially the secondary that they needed tweaks and not an overhaul?  Who knows maybe it will work again.  I think it’s pretty clear there is going to be a new safety back there which could make a difference.  I also think he’s counting on the young guys to take a step forward in their progression and I think that was the plan all along dating back to last year when he said how do young guys become vets?  They play.  I do think he will add a corner at 15 so it won’t be the exact same group but I think he wants a young core back there to grow together.

 

Again, no promise it will work.  Just pointing out a lot of the stuff being said about Ballard and secondary now was said about Ballard and the line last year and that did work.  
 

my personal thought is I am a Colts’ fan.  I want whoever is running the team plan to work because I want the Colts to do well.  With that said I also understand that even if I don’t agree with their approach I have no control over it.  All I can do is pull for it to work and if it doesn’t be disappointed after the fact.  I am not saying everyone has to be like me, people can be fans however they want.  I am just explaining how I approach things and why I don’t get upset even if I don’t agree with all the decisions.  

[csmopar]

11 minutes ago, 1959Colts said:

 

Looks slow

[MikeCurtis]

2 hours ago, Zoltan said:

 

Hopefully no matter what the DC doesn't survive because Bradley is a bad play caller that rarely adjusts his defense to the talent on the roster.

 

I am in the category that HOPES Ballard and our DC get aggressive this year

 

Not sure if they tried for FAs DEs 

 

but this team could greatly improve with a vet FS and prudent drafting

 

Fingers crossed

[1959Colts]

Wow did Profootballtalk goof up this piece...

 

C Danny Pinter will return to Colts on one-year deal

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/c-danny-pinter-will-return-to-colts-on-one-year-deal

[NewColtsFan]

25 minutes ago, smittywerb said:

in a cover 2 or any variation of it, the safeties are probably the second most important position group.  With the MLB and DEs probably being the most important.  If you can’t defend deep in the cover 2, then it pretty much defeats the point of playing the cover 2 

Appreciate that….

 

But in the defense that Ballard wants to play, the 3-tech was the most important position, and the Will was the 2nd most.   Hence Buckner and Leonard. 
 

And Ballard said he hired Bradley because his defense was the most like the defense that Flus ran.   So there’s that. 
 

I thought the defense the Colts ran the most was Cover 3.   Is that not true?   I’m sure someone here knows. 
 

[IndyD4U]

4 minutes ago, 1959Colts said:

Wow did Profootballtalk goof up this piece...

 

C Danny Pinter will return to Colts on one-year deal

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/c-danny-pinter-will-return-to-colts-on-one-year-deal

that’s what happens when AI writes articles. 🤔

[Dingus McGirt]

16 minutes ago, csmopar said:

Looks slow

He’s a monster

[CR91]

Very polian-like free agency 

[ChuggaBeer]

@Restinpeacesweetchloe     You can come back   Everyone is grouchy with everyone.  So don't take it too personal 

[ChuggaBeer]

21 minutes ago, csmopar said:

Looks slow

I am actually very excited to see what he can do 

[ChuggaBeer]

17 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Appreciate that….

 

But in the defense that Ballard wants to play, the 3-tech was the most important position, and the Will was the 2nd most.   Hence Buckner and Leonard. 
 

And Ballard said he hired Bradley because his defense was the most like the defense that Flus ran.   So there’s that. 
 

I thought the defense the Colts ran the most was Cover 3.   Is that not true?   I’m sure someone here knows. 
 

You are correct.   I had WIL typed out when I posted and was trying to remember the Tampa Players and also who we had at LB when we were here.  I said MLB but you are correct it is WIL 

 

SS. Bob Sanders

3Tech.  Booger 

DE's.    No words need.  2 of the greats 

[smittywerb]

21 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Appreciate that….

 

But in the defense that Ballard wants to play, the 3-tech was the most important position, and the Will was the 2nd most.   Hence Buckner and Leonard. 
 

And Ballard said he hired Bradley because his defense was the most like the defense that Flus ran.   So there’s that. 
 

I thought the defense the Colts ran the most was Cover 3.   Is that not true?   I’m sure someone here knows. 
 

 

no you’re right, Gus scheme is a cover 3.  Just my personal opinion, we play it like it’s a cover 2.  We have the safety in the box like a cover 3 but idk, I feel like we run a cover 3 but run it like a cover 2.

 

sorry about the earlier post causing confusion.  Meant mention Gus scheme is a cover 3.  I’m doing a lot right now lol

[Mikemccoy84]

I would like to see Cross move to ss and sign a vet at fs. I think with the experience gained last year Brents, Jones and Flowers will be fine. Most corners will look pretty bad in this system until we get elite pass rush.

[AKB]

4 hours ago, Superman said:

 

It's not ridges and humps. There was a completely different strategic focus in 2018 and 2019, compared to 2020 and beyond. We had homegrown talent that started off very well, and needed to continue to develop together. They supplemented the roster with specific veterans that produced nicely -- Ebron, Autry, Houston, etc. Even Funchess, who got hurt right away, was specifically targeted to match up with what Luck did well in 2018.

 

Everything they did after 2019 was an attempt to salvage a window of contention that they had been building toward, specifically by spending a ton of money on veteran QBs that didn't stick. They went from trying to support Luck, to trying to replace Luck. And they did a poor job of it, so this is not meant as a defense, simply an acknowledgment of what they were doing and why.

 

I also think the way people have latched onto Ballard's comments about drafting a QB is disingenuous, and a blatant misrepresentation of his point. And I don't know what you mean by 'taking his sweet time signing QBs,' when the Colts moved quickly on Rivers and Wentz. 

 

At this point, we probably agree that Ballard needs to do more, and use different methods to build the roster. But looking back and saying 'no division titles in 7 years, Ballard is doing the same old thing' is lacking context, IMO.

but are we gonna argue that outlier years define the sum? Houston-aged veteran, Ebron was not at his peak value and fizzled out of the league after he left us. Autry again, another budget, mid-player, who outperformed his contract, and thus why ballard let him walk.

 

I guess I'm just not seeing enough here to change my mind on Ballard and his routine. 

 

I also think the way people have latched onto Ballard's comments about drafting a QB is disingenuous,

 

--> Can you expand on this? he stated over multiple years, that taking a QB and missing, gets you axed... and he took his sweet time drafting one.. you don't think those two are correlated at all? you don't think he cherry-picked when to fire certain people, or when to finally pull the trigger on taking a QB (which felt inevitable given the circumstances)

 

actually, everything you've said here, IMO reinforced my point. He only took AR due to circumstance, he felt forced. Most of his picks are like that, gap fillers. Let the rook play. Can I pull up a ref from Google Scholar to prove it? no. but a lot of fans see it that way, and we have reason to. 

[ColtStrong2013]

1 hour ago, 1959Colts said:

Wow did Profootballtalk goof up this piece...

 

C Danny Pinter will return to Colts on one-year deal

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/c-danny-pinter-will-return-to-colts-on-one-year-deal

Danny Erikson apparently played all 17 games, starting 3 last season… 😅 

[1959Colts]

4 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

Danny Erikson apparently played all 17 games, starting 3 last season… 😅 

He played good last year... I'm hoping to buy a Danny Erikson jersey

[Happy2BeHere]

1 hour ago, ChuggaBeer said:

@Restinpeacesweetchloe     You can come back   Everyone is grouchy with everyone.  So don't take it too personal 

Not me! I am Happy2BeHere!  

[runthepost]

Looks like the Titans was the team the Chiefs agreed in a trade for Sneed with. Trade got declined because Sneed wanted more than 4 years 80M that was offered by the Titans

[Hawkeyecolt]

7 hours ago, Dr. T said:

I think that Ballard's biggest recent mistake (a few yers ago) was singing Matt freaking Ryan with his expensive contract instead of picking up Baker Mayfield who wanted to come here for much cheaper. But if the bonehead Ryan decision did not happen, we may still have Reich as coach and not have had the opportunity to draft Richardson.

I guess my point is that whoever evaluated Ryan vs Baker at the time could not have been more wrong and Ballard as GM signed off on it. 

At least after Ryan they could finally re-set the QB position.  With Baker they would be stuck in mediocrity.   AR gives them a chance for more than that. 

[AKB]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

Appreciate that….

 

But in the defense that Ballard wants to play, the 3-tech was the most important position, and the Will was the 2nd most.   Hence Buckner and Leonard. 
 

And Ballard said he hired Bradley because his defense was the most like the defense that Flus ran.   So there’s that. 
 

I thought the defense the Colts ran the most was Cover 3.   Is that not true?   I’m sure someone here knows. 
 

we were primarily in single high looks

[compuls1v3]

14 hours ago, 07dleigh said:

 Man, I am realllly starting to get frustrated...

I've always liked Ballard.. a lot. I'm typically all for what he stands for: methodical vs rapid, effective vs flashy, sticking to your guns regardless of pressure.. I liked his rare "build the trenches and play physical" philosophy in contrast to today's game, heck, I just like the guy.. I like his swagger and confidence.

 

But wth are we doing, man? WHY is he so okay with having NONE of the top ANYTHING in the game? Year after year.. in a division that's so winnable? Is he trying to win an award for best cap management or is he trying to get over a hump? THESE ONE YEAR DEALS AREN'T GOING TO GET IT DONE.

 

This isn't about Sneed.. frankly I'm not even sure how I'd feel about paying a 28 year old corner so much. I wouldn't mind but that's not what I'm on about. I feel like this was a great FA (and trade candidate) class in positions we could use, and we did NOTHING... while letting our division rivals open a gap. If there was a year to do something that ACTUALLY made a difference, I thought it'd be this year given we actually have the QB.

 

Sorry, had to rant with my morning coffee before I took it out on my coworkers 😆. Go Colts, nonetheless.

Is FA over?  I wasn't aware.

[twfish]

Jeez you would have thought we weren’t cheated out of the playoffs twice (the Browns game) and then a dropped pass on 4th and 2 all while a back up QB played nearly the entire season. Just imagine if Richardson would have been healthy…. 

[John Waylon]

4 minutes ago, compuls1v3 said:

Is FA over?  I wasn't aware.

No. But we’ve let the market of players who could come in and make an impact dwindle to nil. Now it’s down to bargains and bandaids. 
 

This is exactly how the Eric Fisher debacle started. 

[Superman]

32 minutes ago, AKB said:

but are we gonna argue that outlier years define the sum? Houston-aged veteran, Ebron was not at his peak value and fizzled out of the league after he left us. Autry again, another budget, mid-player, who outperformed his contract, and thus why ballard let him walk.

 

I guess I'm just not seeing enough here to change my mind on Ballard and his routine. 

 

I also think the way people have latched onto Ballard's comments about drafting a QB is disingenuous,

 

--> Can you expand on this? he stated over multiple years, that taking a QB and missing, gets you axed... and he took his sweet time drafting one.. you don't think those two are correlated at all? you don't think he cherry-picked when to fire certain people, or when to finally pull the triggering a QB (which felt inevitable given the circumstances)

 

actually, everything you've said here, IMO reinforced my point. He only took AR due to circumstance, he felt forced. Can I pull up a ref from Google Scholar to prove it? no. but a lot of fans see it that way, and we have reason to. 

 

I'll try to hit a couple points,, and then I want to move on, because I don't want to keep doing the Ballard thing in this thread. I really don't want to keep doing the Ballard thing at all... 

 

Regarding the free agents, it's frustrating to me to discuss these signings, because it seems like the standard for judging free agent signings changes depending on the focus of the conversation. Ballard targets specific free agents who would play significant roles at a specific point during the roster build. They mostly performed well. Why does it matter that Houston was a little older, if he played well? Who cares that Ebron was not at peak value, when he had 14 TDs? Autry outplayed his contract -- sounds like a really good signing for us. It seems like you're downgrading them, despite their value to the Colts at the time, because they weren't premier enough?

 

And elsewhere in this thread, someone else is saying 'it's not that we want him to sign premier free agents...' It feels like the target constantly moves.

 

I think those signings were made to fill gaps, when both the makeup of the roster and the team's goals were different than they were last year and this year. And that's why I said there was a different strategic focus. That's how I see it.

 

Regarding Ballard's comments on drafting a QB, I think yours is either an overly literal interpretation of comments that Ballard made, or an overly cynical view of his approach over the years. I think when Ballard said he wasn't going to draft a QB just to please everyone because if the QB isn't good everyone will be calling for him to be fired, he was saying it doesn't matter if you don't get it right. I don't think he was saying he was afraid of being judged for his QB pick.

 

And in 2020 and 2021 especially, I think it's pretty obvious that the veteran QB choices were heavily influenced by Reich, with Irsay's blessing. It's no small coincidence that Reich was fired, and Ballard was retained, despite the team's underwhelming record since Ballard was hired. (And if your response is that Ballard is the GM, so it's on him, fine. I see it differently.)

 

I don't know what you mean when you say he cherry picked when to fire people. The only firings that come to my mind have been coaches, and those decisions were Reich's to make. Unless you think Ballard was trying to save himself by having Marcus Brady fired...? And then there's Reich himself, and Irsay was obviously the person behind that decision. 

 

It seems like you view Ballard as a man behind the curtain, pulling strings to cover his own butt. And that's pretty cynical, IMO, and it's not how I see Ballard, or the circumstances since he became GM.

 

Ultimately, I think most people view Ballard as on the clock at this point. I'm not a huge fan of how he's handled this offseason so far, but all I want is for the Colts to be good, even if it's not with my preferred strategies. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

16 minutes ago, twfish said:

Jeez you would have thought we weren’t cheated out of the playoffs twice (the Browns game) and then a dropped pass on 4th and 2 all while a back up QB played nearly the entire season. Just imagine if Richardson would have been healthy…. 

Richardson healthy would not of helped the defense being 30th in points scored. What Ballard is doing right now is malpractice. Thomas and cross our  the safeties right now. The draft is not good at safety. One of our corners can’t stay healthy. The other is coming off an Achilles and might not even be ready by camp. Adding more rookies to the secondary  is not the answer.

 

Plus now colts are going to have to pass on an elite pass catcher at 15 because they failed to fill a need. FA should br used to fix holes so when you get to draft you can take best player instead of need.

 

The. Add we aren’t playing scrubs at QB this year like last year.30th in points  scored against scrub QB

 

[GoColts8818]

I am not a mod so this might not mean squat but it seems like we’ve moved from discussing Colts free agents and into airing Ballard grievances.  Maybe those posts should be moved to that thread and let this one get back to focusing on free agent signings.  I know threads evolve and take on lives of their own but this one is 101 pages and has really gotten off track the past couple of days.  Just a suggestion.  @Superman @NFLfan @Shive @w87r @Nadine

[Yoshinator]

5 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Richardson healthy would not of helped the defense being 30th in points scored. What Ballard is doing right now is malpractice. Thomas and cross our  the safeties right now. The draft is not good at safety. One of our corners can’t stay healthy. The other is coming off an Achilles and might not even be ready by camp. Adding more rookies to the secondary  is not the answer.

 

Plus now colts are going to have to pass on an elite pass catcher at 15 because they failed to fill a need. FA should br used to fix holes so when you get to draft you can take best player instead of need.

 

The. Add we aren’t playing scrubs at QB this year like last year.30th in points  scored against scrub QB

 

Agreed. Not too mention Richardson came out of college raw with poor accuracy and he probably doesn't win as many games as Minshew in his rookie year. The defense would have forced him to score a lot of points, and I don't think he could have gotten 10 wins to make the playoffs. 

 

We can still add a S to the team before the draft, but CB is probably going to have to be filled in the 1st round, and we'll have to take a WR on day 2. After that, it'll be some form of BPA. We'll have to add a S if we don't add one in FA, maybe an RB, a LBer, and another EDGE since Dayo and Kwity are hitting FA next year if we don't extend them. 

 

We would need at least 3 starters out of these positions, and that's if we are lucky enough to get players to fall at our draft positions. We may have to reach at points in the draft and that would be a disaster if the BPA isn't at a position of need at our picks.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

2 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

Agreed. Not too mention Richardson came out of college raw with poor accuracy and he probably doesn't win as many games as Minshew in his rookie year. The defense would have forced him to score a lot of points, and I don't think he could have gotten 10 wins to make the playoffs. 

 

We can still add a S to the team before the draft, but CB is probably going to have to be filled in the 1st round, and we'll have to take a WR on day 2. After that, it'll be some form of BPA. We'll have to add a S if we don't add one in FA, maybe an RB, a LBer, and another EDGE since Dayo and Kwity are hitting FA next year if we don't extend them. 

 

We would need at least 3 starters out of these positions, and that's if we are lucky enough to get players to fall at our draft positions. We may have to reach at points in the draft and that would be a disaster if the BPA isn't at a position of need at our picks.

There is also going to be a huge run on WR so there is no guarantee one worth taking will even be there at 46. We had a real good chance to finally get a 1st round elite pass catcher and Ballard has failed. This after taking 3 corners last season. Some of these top corners don’t even fit Ballards profile.

 

I saw this earlier from a dline coach. It backups what I have thought. They won’t be looking at a pass rusher.

 

 

[ShuteAt168]

14 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I'll try to hit a couple points,, and then I want to move on, because I don't want to keep doing the Ballard thing in this thread. I really don't want to keep doing the Ballard thing at all... 

 

Regarding the free agents, it's frustrating to me to discuss these signings, because it seems like the standard for judging free agent signings changes depending on the focus of the conversation. Ballard targets specific free agents who would play significant roles at a specific point during the roster build. They mostly performed well. Why does it matter that Houston was a little older, if he played well? Who cares that Ebron was not at peak value, when he had 14 TDs? Autry outplayed his contract -- sounds like a really good signing for us. It seems like you're downgrading them, despite their value to the Colts at the time, because they weren't premier enough?

 

And elsewhere in this thread, someone else is saying 'it's not that we want him to sign premier free agents...' It feels like the target constantly moves.

 

I think those signings were made to fill gaps, when both the makeup of the roster and the team's goals were different than they were last year and this year. And that's why I said there was a different strategic focus. That's how I see it.

 

Regarding Ballard's comments on drafting a QB, I think yours is either an overly literal interpretation of comments that Ballard made, or an overly cynical view of his approach over the years. I think when Ballard said he wasn't going to draft a QB just to please everyone because if the QB isn't good everyone will be calling for him to be fired, he was saying it doesn't matter if you don't get it right. I don't think he was saying he was afraid of being judged for his QB pick.

 

And in 2020 and 2021 especially, I think it's pretty obvious that the veteran QB choices were heavily influenced by Reich, with Irsay's blessing. It's no small coincidence that Reich was fired, and Ballard was retained, despite the team's underwhelming record since Ballard was hired. (And if your response is that Ballard is the GM, so it's on him, fine. I see it differently.)

 

I don't know what you mean when you say he cherry picked when to fire people. The only firings that come to my mind have been coaches, and those decisions were Reich's to make. Unless you think Ballard was trying to save himself by having Marcus Brady fired...? And then there's Reich himself, and Irsay was obviously the person behind that decision. 

 

It seems like you view Ballard as a man behind the curtain, pulling strings to cover his own butt. And that's pretty cynical, IMO, and it's not how I see Ballard, or the circumstances since he became GM.

 

Ultimately, I think most people view Ballard as on the clock at this point. I'm not a huge fan of how he's handled this offseason so far, but all I want is for the Colts to be good, even if it's not with my preferred strategies. 

This is well said. I agree, however, with the previous poster about Ballard and his QB comments. So many times he said a variation of “Y’all want me to take a quarterback but when I do and he bombs I’m the first one gonna be run out of the building.” It was such a poor look for a leader — why did he have to assume the QB would bomb? Why not say, “Look, ya’all just wait til I draft a QB. He’s gonna ball and we’re gonna be hanging banners.” Ballard also seems to assume free agents won’t play up to the money. I don’t know, maybe he’s a closet pessimist and that informs his decisions. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

I am just done with Ballard and it’s hard to even get excited about this team. He goes it’s my fault we were young in the recovery but now wants to double down on the Youth in the draft. Makes no sense. Buckner said Bradley couldn’t do what he wanted because of the secondary was young so how does adding more youth fix it. At least adding a vet safety and CB you aren’t forced to take a CB at 15.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

1 minute ago, ShuteAt168 said:

This is well said. I agree, however, with the previous poster about Ballard and his QB comments. So many times he said a variation of “Y’all want me to take a quarterback but when I do and he bombs I’m the first one gonna be run out of the building.” It was such a poor look for a leader — why did he have to assume the QB would bomb? Why not say, “Look, ya’all just wait til I draft a QB. He’s gonna ball and we’re gonna be hanging banners.” Ballard also seems to assume free agents won’t play up to the money. I don’t know, maybe he’s a closet pessimist and that informs his decisions. 

What’s crazy is when he has gone out and got FA they have usually been pretty good. 

[Yoshinator]

4 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

There is also going to be a huge run on WR so there is no guarantee one worth taking will even be there at 46. We had a real good chance to finally get a 1st round elite pass catcher and Ballard has failed. This after taking 3 corners last season. Some of these top corners don’t even fit Ballards profile.

 

I saw this earlier from a dline coach. It backups what I have thought. They won’t be looking at a pass rusher.

 

 

I think there will be a few WRs available at 46 we want, but you are right, there will be a huge run of them. We might just trade down, pick up a 3rd rounder or something, and take a WR in the 20s. It's going to take some luck to get a starting WR, CB, and S in the draft with our first 3 picks. That's what we're getting close to having to do though.

 

I agree we won't go EDGE most likely. Maybe a day 3 pick. We certainly aren't going DT. 

 

Seems we are drafting WR and CB every year. Wanted Sneed so bad. I heard last the Vikings are talking a trade with the Chiefs for him now.

[Shive]

10 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

I am not a mod so this might not mean squat but it seems like we’ve moved from discussing Colts free agents and into airing Ballard grievances.  Maybe those posts should be moved to that thread and let this one get back to focusing on free agent signings.  I know threads evolve and take on lives of their own but this one is 101 pages and has really gotten off track the past couple of days.  Just a suggestion.  @Superman @NFLfan @Shive @w87r @Nadine

The Colts FA thread typically becomes that once we don't sign who people want. Is what it is and to be honest, it's just way too hard to keep moving the Ballard criticisms out if this thread.

 

14 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Richardson healthy would not of helped the defense being 30th in points scored.

I disagree. At times last season, our offense couldn't move the ball at all and it was 3 and out after 3 and out. That cripples a defense.

 

14 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

What Ballard is doing right now is malpractice. Thomas and cross our  the safeties right now. The draft is not good at safety. One of our corners can’t stay healthy. The other is coming off an Achilles and might not even be ready by camp. Adding more rookies to the secondary  is not the answer.

There's still a handful of good FA safeties out there and some ok CBs.

 

14 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Plus now colts are going to have to pass on an elite pass catcher at 15 because they failed to fill a need. FA should br used to fix holes so when you get to draft you can take best player instead of need.

We're 1 week into FA. This is typically when Ballard starts making more moves, so I'm confident we'll see more soon. It won't be Sneed, but at this point I've come to realize that I wouldn't want to pay top CB money for a guy that isn't even the best CB on his team, let alone a top 5 (maybe top 10) CB with a questionable knee.

 

I also think we see Pierce taking another step with AR back to take advantage of him constantly getting open deep. Personally, if we don't go pass catcher in the 1st or 2nd, I'd love Malik Washington to give us a YAC beast.

 

Point being, there's a lot of paths available at this point, so no need to stress just yet. If this is the roster we go into TC with, I'll be concerned.

[Yoshinator]

4 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

I am just done with Ballard and it’s hard to even get excited about this team. He goes it’s my fault we were young in the recovery but now wants to double down on the Youth in the draft. Makes no sense. Buckner said Bradley couldn’t do what he wanted because of the secondary sad young so how does adding more youth fix it. At least adding a vet safety and CB you aren’t forced to take a CB at 15.

Yeah, Ballard is playing a dangerous game where if the top 3 CBs are gone by 15, we're in a rough spot. I guess we could go Thomas or Bowers if they are there, but it would be a rough spot. Not high on Kool-Aid, Cooper Desean, and the others after them.

 

We need some sort of veteran presence. CBs take a year or two to learn normally (if they hit). 

 

Get Diggs or Simmons on a one-year deal, and that by itself would help a decent amount.

[GoColts8818]

6 minutes ago, Shive said:

The Colts FA thread typically becomes that once we don't sign who people want. Is what it is and to be honest, it's just way too hard to keep moving the Ballard criticisms out if this thread.

Fair enough I can understand that.

[Scott Pennock]

All you folks psycho-babbling about free agency and the front office not making splashes……please remember that it takes two to tango!

 

Polian didn’t sign high priced big name free agents…..

 

Grigson didn’t either…..

 

And neither has Ballard…..

 

Two potential take aways, maybe those high priced big names players just didn’t want to play in Naptown? Maybe the Owner doesn’t want to overpay those guys….

 

But hey, if you want to raise your blood pressure over Ballard not signing a guy you think he should then go right ahead!

 

[Shive]

16 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

There is also going to be a huge run on WR so there is no guarantee one worth taking will even be there at 46. We had a real good chance to finally get a 1st round elite pass catcher and Ballard has failed. This after taking 3 corners last season. Some of these top corners don’t even fit Ballards profile.

I think there's some CBs that'll be available in day 2 that fit Ballards mold, but I definitely can agree that we need a veteran presence in the secondary. Going pass catcher at 15 won't proclude us from getting a solid CB later.

 

16 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

I saw this earlier from a dline coach. It backups what I have thought. They won’t be looking at a pass rusher.

 

 

I'm almost positive that's the coach Dayo trains with in the offseason.

[NewColtsFan]

12 minutes ago, ShuteAt168 said:

This is well said. I agree, however, with the previous poster about Ballard and his QB comments. So many times he said a variation of “Y’all want me to take a quarterback but when I do and he bombs I’m the first one gonna be run out of the building.” It was such a poor look for a leader — why did he have to assume the QB would bomb? Why not say, “Look, ya’all just wait til I draft a QB. He’s gonna ball and we’re gonna be hanging banners.” Ballard also seems to assume free agents won’t play up to the money. I don’t know, maybe he’s a closet pessimist and that informs his decisions. 

 

Two points….    Ballard was saying to the fan base that he’s not going to take a QB just because the fan base is demanding it.  That he’s only going to take one when there’s one he believes in.  
 

The other is that Ballard has said for years that their data shows that vast majority of the big FA signings don’t pan out.  Players getting 4 and 5 year contracts don’t last, don’t play up to the contract.  
 

The Colts are an analytics driven team.  That’s why they have requirements like they want corners with arms 32 inches or longer and OT’s with arms nearly 34 inches or longer.  The Colts have the data to support that.  Things like that.   

[OhioColt]

Shocked to see the Colts resign Taven Bryan given his lackluster performances when Stewart was out of the lineup.  Much rather had NT Josh Tupou (Bengals).  Still looking to backup Buckner we could target James Lynch (Vikings) who showed promise in 2022 before going on IR this year.  Even DT Abdullah Anderson (Commanders) would be an upgrade on our roster. 

 

For OL some good names with production but when a player gets around 10 penalties a season those are drive killers.  Could target RT Kendall Lamm who is an old vet can play at a high level and has been fairly penalty free throughout his career.  RG Halapoulivaati Vaitai is another FA whom I like previously and still has a low history of penalties and good PFF grades on very limited snap counts.