Colts offseason discussion / Ballard Grievances (merge)

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

We are a team right now like chasing the Kenyon's in a race/ chasinga great runner in general = Chiefs, Ravens, Cincy with Burrow, and probably Houston who can a race in an hour and 5 minutes to an hour 45 minutes lol. We run it in 2 hours. When I did run that, I wanted to run it even faster but my goal was 2 hours, I was the Colts I guess . There were many that were the Panthers, Commanders, and Cards of that run. Some couldn't even finish and others were timed in nearly 4 hours. The guy that won it ran it like in an hour and 5 minutes, I met him and asked him how the hell do you run like that? He couldn't even speak English . 

When I won the Pokemon State Championship in 2007, I was the 8 seed in the playoffs. Top 8 made the playoffs. I had to run the gauntlet and beat the top 3 seeds in succession. I did it with a bunch of help from a card called pokemon reversal that lets you switch out your opponents active pokemon for a bench pokemon if you flip a heads on a coin. People were notorious for developing their bench and leaving an active pokemon to do nothing to absorb damage, and I countered that by developing my active pokemon and bringing out the bench pokemon they were trying to develop and OHKO them.

 

Point I'm trying to make is, getting lucky happens, but you take it when you can get it. Moments like that may only happen once. So enjoy them when they do. If the Colts were the 7 seed and won the SB, I'd be ecstatic. It happened with the Braves as the worst playoff team in 2021 when Acuna got hurt, and I was ecstatic there too.

[VikingsFanInChennai]

Just now, 2006Coltsbestever said:

- I would be the stinker of the group, can't deny it. Those guys rule. 

You've done all right... They're just from different planet    I'd have been one of those who took a car to go near he finish line.

 

I visited a native American Village in the hills in NM, and the houses were at the top of the hill, and we went in bus to the very street. A mile away before reaching that hill, I saw a native American girl running towards there in barefoot in hot summer on midday, and she ran all the way up and reached their village not many minutes since we arrived.. now imagine doing the same? 

[2006Coltsbestever]

4 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

When I won the Pokemon State Championship in 2007, I was the 8 seed in the playoffs. Top 8 made the playoffs. I had to run the gauntlet and beat the top 3 seeds in succession. I did it with a bunch of help from a card called pokemon reversal that lets you switch out your opponents active pokemon for a bench pokemon if you flip a heads on a coin. People were notorious for developing their bench and leaving an active pokemon to do nothing to absorb damage, and I countered that by developing my active pokemon and bringing out the bench pokemon they were trying to develop and OHKO them.

 

Point I'm trying to make is, getting lucky happens, but you take it when you can get it. Moments like that may only happen once. So enjoy them when they do. If the Colts were the 7 seed and won the SB, I'd be ecstatic. It happened with the Braves as the worst playoff team in 2021 when Acuna got hurt, and I was ecstatic there too.

Sometimes it is better to be lucky than great but to win anything you at least have to be good and know what you're doing. So, enjoy it man and good job.

[2006Coltsbestever]

7 minutes ago, VikingsFanInChennai said:

You've done all right... They're just from different planet    I'd have been one of those who took a car to go near he finish line.

 

I visited a native American Village in the hills in NM, and the houses were at the top of the hill, and we went in bus to the very street. A mile away before reaching that hill, I saw a native American girl running towards there in barefoot in hot summer on midday, and she ran all the way up and reached their village not many minutes since we arrived.. now imagine doing the same? 

Yeah, there were like a couple of thousand American males and a small amount of American women that had a better time than me but the Kenyon's and there were only maybe 50 or so that ran it blew everyone away. Those guys are incredible. I have done some studies on some of the winners of the Boston Marathons and Kenyon's from the age of 5 ran and ate a perfect diet their whole lives.

[ColtStrong2013]

2 hours ago, DougDew said:

 

I laid out why it wasn't enjoyable.  It was boring.  One of the worst seasons ever.  I'm sure most on the national level thought the team was boring as well.

I’m sure you’re right Doug… 

[ColtStrong2013]

2 hours ago, DougDew said:

Ever play golf?  The winner isn't all that happy when they were 15 over par and the rest were 17

ever watch the Masters Doug? Remember when Zach Johnson shot +1 all weekend and won a green jacket. He looked pretty happy to me… 

[GoColts8818]

2 hours ago, DougDew said:

That's you opinion of about how other fans think.  Suspect. 

 

Personally, I would have been MUCH happier had the Colts won the SB in the 2004 and 2005 seasons., rather than when we won it with Rex Grossman as the opponent and CHI's stud 3T Tommie Harris injured.  Those teams prior to 2006 were much better, and a much better representation of the Colts process and what they were trying to be, IMO. 

yes clearly it’s my opinion, again that’s now message boards work.  
 

You are literally the only Colts fan I have ever heard complain about winning Super Bowl XLI.

 

i was also in a stadium full of fans celebrating that Super Bowl win the day after and saw a lot more lining the parade route.  You know what I didn’t see?  Fans complaining that it was a “fluke win” so yeah I stand by my statement.

 

With that said you are entitled to your opinion no matter how head scratching it might be.

[stitches]

5 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

Last year was an exception to the rule type of season.   They force fed the rookies.  Let them learn the hard way.  The goal was to let them take their lumps so they’d be better this year.   
 

Thats not going to happen this year.  The goal is to be much more competitive.  In part because the kids should make the second year jump and also because the view is AR is going to exceed expectations. 
 

This year should be very different than last year.  Doesn’t mean the Colts will have a great year, only that the goal is to be much more competitive than last.  

What are your expectations for next year? What does "much more competitive than last year" mean? And what should be the repercussions/changes for not hitting that goal? 

[NewColtsFan]

5 minutes ago, stitches said:

What are your expectations for next year? What does "much more competitive than last year" mean? And what should be the repercussions/changes for not hitting that goal? 

I’m on record as saying 9-8 again.
 

 I accept we’ve got a much harder schedule this year and that AR will basically be playing his rookie season.  He has to learn.  He’ll make silly rookie mistakes.  The only way to learn is playing.  No shortcut to experience. 
 

As for repercussions,  I have nothing in mind specifically.  Unless the season becomes a disaster like 2022, then I don’t expect any big changes to be made, perhaps beyond the anticipated change at DC.    If the season somehow implodes, then all bets are off.  Irsay could do something unpredictable, but I’m not anticipating that.  

[Yoshinator]

10 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

I’m on record as saying 9-8 again.
 

 I accept we’ve got a much harder schedule this year and that AR will basically be playing his rookie season.  He has to learn.  He’ll make silly rookie mistakes.  The only way to learn is playing.  No shortcut to experience. 
 

As for repercussions,  I have nothing in mind specifically.  Unless the season becomes a disaster like 2022, then I don’t expect any big changes to be made, perhaps beyond the anticipated change at DC.    If the season somehow implodes, then all bets are off.  Irsay could do something unpredictable, but I’m not anticipating that.  

What if like last year, 9-8 not only doesn't win the division, but causes us to miss the playoffs by one game again. Do you agree Ballard should be fired? That would be 3 times in 4 years we'd miss the playoffs by one game, with a bottom 5 finish sandwiched in between.

[Yoshinator]

5 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

What if like last year, 9-8 not only doesn't win the division, but causes us to miss the playoffs by one game again. Do you agree Ballard should be fired? That would be 3 times in 4 years we'd miss the playoffs by one game, with a bottom 5 finish sandwiched in between.

Rewriting this without the errors. It's late.

[NewColtsFan]

17 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

What if like last year, 9-8 not only doesn't win the division, but causes us to miss the playoffs by one game again. Do you agree Ballard should be fired? That would be 3 times in 4 years we'd miss the playoffs by one game, with a bottom 5 finish sandwiched in between.

No.  Not at all.  Fired with a winning record (in 24) and an inexperienced QB?   Who does that?   Growing pains should be expected.   If not, great.  But if they happen, no one should be surprised.  
 

Most here believe Ballard and AR are connected.   So I think they’ll be together in 24, 25, and maybe even 26.   I know that won’t be popular with you and others, but that’s my viewpoint.  

[stitches]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

I’m on record as saying 9-8 again.
 

 I accept we’ve got a much harder schedule this year and that AR will basically be playing his rookie season.  He has to learn.  He’ll make silly rookie mistakes.  The only way to learn is playing.  No shortcut to experience. 
 

As for repercussions,  I have nothing in mind specifically.  Unless the season becomes a disaster like 2022, then I don’t expect any big changes to be made, perhaps beyond the anticipated change at DC.    If the season somehow implodes, then all bets are off.  Irsay could do something unpredictable, but I’m not anticipating that.  

Is that much more competitive than last year though? And just how much harder is our schedule? By winning % we are tied with a few teams for the 10th easiest schedule. By Mike Clay's projections we are with the 8th easiest schedule. Haven't seen it by Vegas odds but I assume we will again be in that range. 

[NewColtsFan]

38 minutes ago, stitches said:

Is that much more competitive than last year though? And just how much harder is our schedule? By winning % we are tied with a few teams for the 10th easiest schedule. By Mike Clay's projections we are with the 8th easiest schedule. Haven't seen it by Vegas odds but I assume we will again be in that range. 

I’m just going by what I’ve read here.  That our 24 schedule is much harder than our 23 schedule.  
 

Comparatively our SOS is always going to be weak as long as the league has been one good to very good team, one slightly above average team, one poor team and one that is among the five worst.   It’s built in until the AFC South flips the script.  I think we are now a little better.  The AFC South I believe is now the 7th best division behind the NFC South.   They’re now the lowest ranked.   That’s what I’ve read at least.  

[Two_pound]

This offseason has been one of the most enjoyable for me in my 20 years on this forum. This "Ballard grievance" thread is hilarious. "he has a losing record" the most common opinion of complaint among the bashers. Let's see, he was 4-12 his first season with Brissett at qb because Luck didn't play. And he was 4-12-1 in 2022 with a team that put no effort into anything so they could finish with a top 5 pick and not have to give up massive draft capital to move up and select the qb they had been targeting for a year. Within that spectacular season of 2022 was setting an nfl record for largest blown halftime lead, making Daniel Jones look like a hall of famer, and to ice the cake giving up 2 4th and 20's on THE SAME DRIVE to cap off a 1 point loss to the Texans in week 17. Does anyone not realize the same guys that went 4-12-1 in 2022 went 9-8 in 2023 with better coaching and more effort?(better quarterbacking from a career backup and a few tweaks of the roster here and there also, moves that were made by Ballard, hmm, imagine that) The talent is here, and Ballard kept it this offseason(excellent move!). If we can only get our defensive coordinator to stop giving 10 yard cushions on every 3rd and 3 we will look even better. But that super soft defensive % has been going on for 50 years now so I don't expect it to stop any time soon.

[BlackTiger]

9 hours ago, DougDew said:

Then you hoist the blue ribbon with some crappy first place time, kind of gloating because you won.....but everybody else is snickering.  LOL

I would take that as a win and not worry about what happened to the other guy..  Stuff like that happens in sports where the best teams get hurt or knocked out early.  It would be boring and kind of pointless to watch if you knew the best roster would always win

[cdgacoltsfan]

9 hours ago, Yoshinator said:

I feel more anger after barely not cashing in daily fantasy football in a tourney or someone scoring a td and knocking me down the leaderboard than I do if the Colts lose now. Losing Richardson upset me last year, but it took something like that to get a response out of me. Just like it took not signing Sneed to get a response out of me. I feel like I have a good idea of what to expect from the Colts and Ballard now, and I've become apathetic towards the team.

You've become so apathetic towards the Colts that you choose to be on a Colts fan forum to discuss the Colts. Got it.

[RollerColt]

18 hours ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

I hope you are right and he gets ar some better weapons and game changers

I can understand your frustrations. It’s been years… years since winning the division, years since winning an opening season game. Years since beating Jacksonville in their place. It does get old and tiresome. 

[DougDew]

22 minutes ago, BlackTiger said:

I would take that as a win and not worry about what happened to the other guy..  Stuff like that happens in sports where the best teams get hurt or knocked out early.  It would be boring and kind of pointless to watch if you knew the best roster would always win

Well, we're talking several guys, not just one.  For me, I think that posting a lousy race time would almost require an asterisk next to the win, IMO, especially if it was my only championship.  In all of sports, the whole point of practicing is to perform at your best when it matters.  Of course, in a team sports, there is strategy and preparation for a single opponent next game, so that plan needs to come together, or adjusted during the game.

 

I think that if we went to the SB under Minshew or Flacco it would be a pretty hollow championship for me.  Not nearly the same as 1995? when Harbaugh (Captain Comeback) led the Colts in a playoff run despite entering the playoffs with a 9-7 record. 

 

Harbaugh was playing well enough to actually have been named the starter during the season, after a few games of where he was obviously outplaying Erickson.  It was a sign that we'd be coming back the next season with the same team to challenge for several seasons, after seeing Tobin put together a roster that was getting better each season.  Not the same with a Minshew or Flacco led team.  

 

Even if we win with Flacco or won with Minshew, the intent would be to not have the same QB the next year.  Sort of a one-year one-off team that doesn't reflect the true Colts.  Just less satisfying for me.

[DougDew]

22 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

I can understand your frustrations. It’s been years… years since winning the division, years since winning an opening season game. Years since beating Jacksonville in their place. It does get old and tiresome. 

The Ballard era has certainly tempered my enthusiasm as a Colts fan.  But I've been doubting the process for several years now, where more folks are starting to get that way. 

 

And I'm not that enthused about needing a QB to play like Michael Jordan to compete with the other MJ in KC...not my idea of entertaining team sports.  So even if we win with AR playing like how people seem to expect him to play, its going to be with a brand of football that's different than the brand I prefer.  We'll see.   Its why I'm becoming drawn to SF, DET, and I thought JAX.  Call me a bad fan I guess, but I only have unconditional love for my family.  Football fandom needs to be earned and maintained, JMO.

[RollerColt]

1 minute ago, DougDew said:

The Ballard era has certainly tempered my enthusiasm as a Colts fan.  But I've been doubting the process for several years now, where more folks are starting to get that way. 

 

And I'm not that enthused about needing a QB to play like Michael Jordan to compete with the other MJ in KC...not my idea of entertaining team sports.  So even if we win with AR playing like how people seem to expect him to play, its going to be with a brand of football that's different than the brand I prefer.  We'll see.   Its why I'm more drawn to SF, DET, and I thought JAX.  Call me a bad fan I guess, but I only have unconditional love for my family.  Football fandom needs to be earned and maintained, JMO.

So you’re not a fan of the Chiefs version of football?

[DougDew]

1 minute ago, RollerColt said:

So you’re not a fan of the Chiefs version of football?

No.  They are becoming just as hateful to me like Pittsburgh, NE, and the Chargers were when we had Manning (but for different reasons).  I watch KC in hopes of seeing Mahomes getting creamed on one of his silly ad lib out of structure non team oriented plays.  I don't like watching "ball hogs" take over a game, and hope it never becomes the key to winning a team sports championship.

[RollerColt]

1 minute ago, DougDew said:

No.  They are becoming just as hateful to me like Pittsburgh, NE, and the Chargers were when we had Manning (but for different reasons).  I watch KC in hopes of seeing Mahomes getting creamed on one of his silly ad lib out of structure non team oriented plays.  I don't like watching "ball hogs" take over a game, and hope it never becomes the key to winning a team sports championship.

That’s interesting. You definitely stick to your style, so respect for that. Seems like a lot of fans this day and age like that kind of “backyard football” style play. I hope Chicago fans are prepping themselves for it, because that’s what Williams will be bringing. 

[ColtStrong2013]

Pat Mahomes throws for 5k yards.

 

“What a ball hog.” - Doug

[DougDew]

1 minute ago, RollerColt said:

That’s interesting. You definitely stick to your style, so respect for that. Seems like a lot of fans this day and age like that kind of “backyard football” style play. I hope Chicago fans are prepping themselves for it, because that’s what Williams will be bringing. 

Its probably what they expected with Fields.  I think that style requires a team to have an MJ, or they have no chance.  He's the only guy that makes plays, so you either get one on your team or you are destined to have a boring season with little chance.  

 

I like scrambling, but the idea that winning comes almost exclusively because the MJ style QB has to take matters into his own hands gets real boring real fast to me.   

[DougDew]

2 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

Pat Mahomes throws for 5k yards.

 

“What a ball hog.” - Doug

Stats, why are they relevant?   KC is definitely planned and sold as a team being about "one guy".

[RollerColt]

Just now, DougDew said:

Its probably what they expected with Fields.  I think that style requires a team to have an MJ, or they have no chance.  He's the only guy that makes plays, so you either get one on your team or you are destined to have a boring season with little chance.  

 

I like scrambling, but the idea that winning comes almost exclusively because the MJ style QB has to take matters into his own hands gets real boring real fast to me.   

So is that because you enjoy more of watching various strategies on the field? Like seeing certain matchups play out during the game? I can see those things disintegrating during off script plays. 

[DougDew]

14 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

So is that because you enjoy more of watching various strategies on the field? Like seeing certain matchups play out during the game? I can see those things disintegrating during off script plays. 

Its a balance, but I favor execution of designed plan with a little improv at times.  If the plan fails, make the plan better, don't just toss it out and turn it over to the athlete.

 

The same out of balance problem happened with basketball a long time ago, and baseball during the steriods era where home runs were the entire focus.  It wasn't so much the cheating, it was what they were trying to cheat at as well...making the splash play even more important by making the athleticism (or strength) greater.  Now with football, its about that one guy's ability to improvise.  All three sports kind of embrace the ego-centric, look at me, Diva-ish? type of way of approaching a team sport.  

 

I suppose back in the day, baseball was dominated by babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, etc., but it seemed the heroism had to be more dispersed back then in order for a team to win.

 

I was never a big fan of the Favre GB teams either.  I never really rooted for them.

[RollerColt]

1 minute ago, DougDew said:

Its a balance, but I favor execution of designed plan with a little improv at times.  If the plan fails, make the plan better, don't just chuck it and turn it over to the athlete.

 

The same out of balance problem happened with basketball a long time ago, and baseball during the steriods era where home runs were the entire focus.  It wasn't so much the cheating, it was what they were trying to cheat at as well...making the splash play even more important by making the athleticism (or strength) greater.  Now with football, its about that one guy's ability to improvise.  All three sports kind of embrace the ego-centric, look at me, Diva-ish? type of way of approaching a team sport.  

 

I suppose back in the day, baseball was dominated by babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, etc., but it seemed the heroism had to be more dispersed back then in order for a team to win.

 

I was never a big fan of the Favre GB teams either.  I never really rooted for them.

I would take it you’re not a fan of the new pitching clock rule. I’m not a fan either but my family comes from a line of pitchers. Maybe I’m weird but I never minded the low scoring games of baseball. Each inning felt very meaningful and the strategies were much different. 

[Yoshinator]

2 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

I would take it you’re not a fan of the new pitching clock rule. I’m not a fan either but my family comes from a line of pitchers. Maybe I’m weird but I never minded the low scoring games of baseball. Each inning felt very meaningful and the strategies were much different. 

As a fantasy baseball player, I love the pitch clock rule as games get done much quicker and there's less time between pitches. I get a lot more action in a lesser amount of time. It's especially fun if I have to watch a game on gametracker, and pitch updates happen in half the time they used too.

[DougDew]

9 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

I would take it you’re not a fan of the new pitching clock rule. I’m not a fan either but my family comes from a line of pitchers. Maybe I’m weird but I never minded the low scoring games of baseball. Each inning felt very meaningful and the strategies were much different. 

I haven't followed baseball in 20 years.  I used to watch the Cubs and Braves religiously on WGN and TNT, back in the day.   Every ball and strike became exciting, because it meant a possible base runner, and then another, and then a scoring opportunity.  Each pitch mattered, and the Balls/strike count was interesting.

 

I suppose that's too boring for the more impulsive nature of our world today.  To me, that strategy being wiped out or not even engaged because you're waiting for a pumped up dude to simply hit it out of the park, is a yawner for me.

 

But, I think there are pitchers that play the stall game too.  Just fiddle around on the mound and make the batter stand there with anticipation.  In the process, the pitcher wastes a lot of fans time because they are also waiting with anticipation.  I suppose MLB is trying to get the game to move along.

[RollerColt]

1 minute ago, Yoshinator said:

As a fantasy baseball player, I love the pitch clock rule as games get done much quicker and there's less time between pitches. I get a lot more action in a lesser amount of time. It's especially fun if I have to watch a game on gametracker, and pitch updates happen in half the time they used too.

Understandable and I think the game has been changed to adapt to that. I just think for actually physically going to the game, I already made a commitment of my time to watch the game, so I never really minded or noticed the game feeling “long” per se. Then again for my family going to the games was already about the experience, enjoying each others company, laughing and chatting with other fans, and yes drinking some overpriced  beers lol…

[Yoshinator]

Just now, DougDew said:

I haven't followed baseball in 20 years.  I used to watch the Cubs and Braves religiously on WGN and TNT, back in the day.   Every ball and strike became exciting, because it meant a possible base runner, and then another, and then a scoring opportunity.  Each pitch mattered, and the Balls/strike count was interesting.

 

I suppose that's too boring for the more impulsive nature of our world today.  To me, that strategy being wiped out or not even engaged because you're waiting for a pumped up dude to simply hit it out of the park, is a yawner for me.

 

But, I think there are pitchers that play the stall game too.  Just sit there and make the batter stand there with anticipation.  In the process, the pitcher wastes a lot of fans time because they are also waiting with anticipation.  I suppose MLB is trying to get the game to move along.

Small Ball doesn't win baseball anymore. That premise is outdated. The reason the Braves have had the most wins in MLB the last two years is because they hit HRs. HRs always score points, whether it's 1-4. Points win game. Small ball is a tedious exercise that generally takes two or three hits in an inning to accomplish a run. You can try and steal a base, but if you get caught, it's an out and that runner is off base. The Mets tried small ball, and the Braves destroyed them. Look where they are at now. Steve Cohen is apprehensive to spend money in FA now.

 

 

[DougDew]

5 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

Small Ball doesn't win baseball anymore. That premise is outdated. The reason the Braves have had the most wins in MLB the last two years is because they hit HRs. HRs always score points, whether it's 1-4. Points win game. Small ball is a tedious exercise that generally takes two or three hits in an inning to accomplish a run. You can try and steal a base, but if you get caught, it's an out and that runner is off base. The Mets tried small ball, and the Braves destroyed them. Look where they are at now. Steve Cohen is apprehensive to spend money in FA now.

 

 

When they redid the stadiums, I think they brought the fences in from where they were in the 70's through the early 90's.  Small ball can win if MLB wanted it to prevail.

 

I guess one person's boring tedium is another person's interest.

[Yoshinator]

2 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

Understandable and I think the game has been changed to adapt to that. I just think for actually physically going to the game, I already made a commitment of my time to watch the game, so I never really minded or noticed the game feeling “long” per se. Then again for my family going to the games was already about the experience, enjoying each others company, laughing and chatting with other fans, and yes drinking some overpriced  beers lol…

I'm a single game specialist on draftkings and fanduel for baseball. Which means I only play one game slates and try to exploit any advantages I can gain. I enjoy making $10 worth of fantasy lineups on one game and watching it, whether it's on TV or on gametracker. That's my version of excitement for baseball besides the Braves.

 

I understand the family dynamic and real life factor of games. Some like them longer, some don't. I like the pitch clock for my own benefit as the quickened games make it a lot more enjoyable for me. I like to watch a whole football game, I didn't enjoy 3 1/2 hour baseball games unless it was the Braves. Even with players on my fantasy teams it was tedious for me.

[RollerColt]

1 minute ago, Yoshinator said:

I'm a single game specialist on draftkings and fanduel for baseball. Which means I only play one game slates and try to exploit any advantages I can gain. I enjoy making $10 worth of fantasy lineups on one game and watching it, whether it's on TV or on gametracker. That's my version of excitement for baseball besides the Braves.

 

I understand the family dynamic and real life factor of games. Some like them longer, some don't. I like the pitch clock for my own benefit as the quickened games make it a lot more enjoyable for me. I like to watch a whole football game, I didn't enjoy 3 1/2 hour baseball games unless it was the Braves. Even with players on my fantasy teams it was tedious for me.

Makes sense honestly. I would imagine you would also have moments with a lead in fantasy only to realize there was plenty of time for the opponent to catch up. 
 

I’ve never dabbled any further than football for fantasy stuff personally. 

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, DougDew said:

When they redid the stadiums, I think they brought the fences in too from where they were in the 70's through the early 90's.  Small ball can win if MLB wanted it to prevail.

A small ball team wouldn't be able to compete IMO. You could try it with a team like the Mariners where they have a big pitchers park and solid pitchers that could back up a small ball team, but things would have to go perfect for the small ball to have a chance. Last team like that I remember winning the WS was the 2015 Royals. 

[ColtStrong2013]

35 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Stats, why are they relevant?   KC is definitely planned and sold as a team being about "one guy".

Because it takes 2 and an offensive line to complete a pass let alone 5k yards worth… I imagine people realized that when Kadarius Toney was dropping passes this season. Ball hog Mahomes couldn’t catch it for him.

[Yoshinator]

Just now, RollerColt said:

Makes sense honestly. I would imagine you would also have moments with a lead in fantasy only to realize there was plenty of time for the opponent to catch up. 
 

I’ve never dabbled any further than football for fantasy stuff personally. 

It can be very frustrating. One HR can ruin a slate for me. You have to spread ownership in a strategic way so you don't get ruined by a bad outcome, but also so your players still make you a profit. I'll always fade a few players that I think are poor choices and are useless in a game for one reason or another, and that can burn me. I'll also make a stand on 4 or 5 players spread among my 10 teams 5-6 times usually each in unique lineups and hope they hit. Then I'll have some 1 and 2 offs of the remaining players most times. 

 

It's my daily fun every day during baseball season. Up $7 on draftkings and $15 on fanduel since the start of the season so far.

[shasta519]

6 hours ago, stitches said:

Is that much more competitive than last year though? And just how much harder is our schedule? By winning % we are tied with a few teams for the 10th easiest schedule. By Mike Clay's projections we are with the 8th easiest schedule. Haven't seen it by Vegas odds but I assume we will again be in that range. 

 

On paper, I think you would find that last year's schedule and this upcoming season (which is based on last season) are in a similar range, depending on who or what measures it. But teams change over the offseason.

 

As will the QB play. Last year's schedule included (7) games against backup QBs (PIT, NE, ATL, CIN, LV, TEN, CLE) and (4) games against rookie QBs (CAR, HOU, TEN). That made up nearly 2/3 of the schedule and they went 7-4 in that stretch...2-4 against the rest (BAL, JAC x2. LAR, TB, NO).

 

The SOS on defense actually ended bottom 5 too. But when you factor in the QBs they actually faced (like Trubisky vs. Pickett or PJ Walker vs. Joe Flacco), it's should actually skew more towards bottom 3. And even with that SOS, last year's defense was not very good (28th in ppg allowed; #20 in EPA). This has been my biggest concern about running it back. Hard to trust much from last year. I felt like they needed to build in some insurance in case that SOS got harder. If it does (and it should), this defense could be just bad.

 

The upcoming schedule will feature only one of those same QBs (Levis), on what should be an improved TEN team. You also have HOU improving as well. And JAC swept the Colts last year. So the AFCS will be a much tougher route to the playoffs.

 

And in addition to two games against TEN, there are likely only (5) games against potential backup/rookie/bad QBs (NYG, DEN, NE, MIN, CHI).

 

So likely 10 games (vs. 6 last year) against decent-great QBs. For a 9-8 team, switching 4 games from bad QBs to good QBs is a pretty noteworthy difference. And what if Williams (CHI) and Daniels/Maye (NE) are good right away? Or what if MIN trades up to take McCarthy and he's capable on a fairly loaded roster? Then it's possibly 12-13 games.

 

I think Vegas has the O/U on wins at 8.5, but the sharp money has been going to the Under. Clay has them favored by win % in 7 games and tied in 1 games. So seems like he's right in step with Vegas.

 

I actually think a 9-8 season would be fairly successful, assuming there aren't a few huge injuries at QB.