Colts Select Tanor Bortolini C

[NewColtsFan]

6 hours ago, Two_pound said:

Bortolini was very good at the Senior Bowl. Technically sound and quick. I would not be surprised at all if either him or Concalves starts right guard this year, and I like Fries, I'm one of the few on here who doesn't think he sucks. We may be so good running the ball this year Richardson won't have to throw much(20-25 times a game?) This offense is going to be fun to watch and we should win a lot of games as long as we aren't playing cb's 10 yards off the line and dropping linebackers 12 yards deep on 3rd and 3. Go Colts!

The first video I came across on Bortolini showed him pulling.   And even at 303 he runs like a guy who weighs 50 pounds lighter.   
 

So given Steichen worked with Jason Kelcie who played at 290-295,  I think it’s possible, perhaps even probable, that Steichen might prefer a smaller more mobile OC that might work better in the offense he would like to run.  I’m very much in the camp that Bertolini is Kelly’s future replacement.

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44 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I don't disagree with any of this.

 

But I do think there are good drafters, and bad drafters. And I think they become obvious with the benefit of time, especially if you have some issues at QB or you have to change the coaching staff. What might be more important is whether a GM can be good enough at drafting to offset other limitations in his approach (that's the big question with Ballard; maybe the Cowboys are a better example), or if a GM's poor drafting can be compensated for by other things he does in team building (Jason Licht?) Howie Roseman is one of the best GMs in the league; he runs hot and cold in the draft, but he's relentless in using every possible avenue to improve his roster.

yeah, Ballard definitely needs to compensate inactivity in other fronts with excellent drafting. And not just excellend drafting but rather - overall good draft philosophy. The trade backs IMO are key feature here. Because he doesn't rely on FA, he needs more shots in the draft. If he has 2-3 more picks in the draft every year, that's one or two more cheap hits every year that contribute to your team that other teams don't have. At least that's the idea I would presume. And I think Ballard has done relatively good job with the draft. Every year I feel better about the team right after the draft. 

 

44 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

And then there are some GMs that are doomed by one, really dumb decision along the way. Which highlights again that it's just about overall hit rate in the draft. It's hard to recover from drafting Tim Tebow or Johnny Manziel in the first round. 

Yeah... unfortunately the QB position is key deciding factor not just on the field but about GM's work in general too. You don't get to make too many QB mistakes as a GM. 

44 minutes ago, Superman said:

Back to Brugler, I did some reading on him. Apparently he's had offers from teams, probably to be a scout, and he's not interested. I don't blame him, that's a tough gig. Based on what he does, he might be suited for a director of college scouting role. I like that he shows his work and stands by it. And I think he also displays a level of humility that people like Ben Solak are lacking; the depth of his work probably helps him appreciate that, as much as he learns, there's still a lot that he doesn't know. 

Yeah, from what I remember he had offers to be a scout for teams a few years ago but he had a young family so he decided to stay home with them and instead continue his work in media. That's why I was wondering before - just how high of a position would it take for him to actually take a job in the NFL. He definitely won't take a scouting job it seems. He's probably getting paid more by the Athletic and his other media work than he would make as a scout and he wouldn't be travelling all the time for work. So where is the threshold you think? For example, would he take a FO job with path to being a GM in the future? Would you give him VP of player personnel or director of college scouting or something of the sort? Would he take that? 

 

On a side note - what is your opinion of Solak? I feel like he does good job and generally knows what he's talking about too. But he's definitely more talking head-y and is less measured and humble than the Cosells and Bruglers of the world, but in general... I kind of don't mind it too much... I view it more as a question of style and I listen to his podcasts and read his articles too because I feel like he too does the work and I don't mind having his perspective even if a lot of his takes are not as disapassionate as Brugler's for example. 

44 minutes ago, Superman said:

Daniel Jeremiah spent a decade as a scout. Nate Tice worked as a scout. Cosell is as connected as anyone. These aren't random bloggers and Youtubers. Dane has taken an interesting path, but he's also not just a random guy who hopped on a microphone one day. 

 

Anyway, way off topic. Lots of respect for Dane, for sure. The Beast is unparalleled. 

Absolutely agreed

[Yoshinator]

34 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

The first video I came across on Bortolini showed him pulling.   And even at 303 he runs like a guy who weighs 50 pounds lighter.   
 

So given Steichen worked with Jason Kelcie who played at 290-295,  I think it’s possible, perhaps even probable, that Steichen might prefer a smaller more mobile OC that might work better in the offense he would like to run.  I’m very much in the camp that Bertolini is Kelly’s future replacement.

Yeah. Bortolini is a C. He could be Kellys replacement as soon as next year. Goncalves can play both T and G spots and Bortolini covers the C spot. Ballard covered all his bases on the O-Line in the draft with 2 picks. As he said in his presser, unless you are a starter, having versatility at multiple positions is what lets you dress up on game day. 

[NewColtsFan]

14 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

Yeah. Bortolini is a C. He could be Kellys replacement as soon as next year. Goncalves can play both T and G spots and Bortolini covers the C spot. Ballard covered all his bases on the O-Line in the draft with 2 picks. As he said in his presser, unless you are a starter, having versatility at multiple positions is what lets you dress up on game day. 

And FWIW:   I just double checked….  This is the last year of Kelly’s current contract.  He is a free agent next year.   Doesn’t mean we couldn’t extend him a little if we wanted, lower his cap hit,  though I doubt it.  We could even tag him for a year if we wanted, though I’d doubt that too.  
 

All sorts of possibilities for the Colts.  

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3 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

And FWIW:   I just double checked….  This is the last year of Kelly’s current contract.  He is a free agent next year.   Doesn’t mean we couldn’t extend him a little if we wanted, lower his cap hit,  though I doubt it.  We could even tag him for a year if we wanted, though I’d doubt that too.  
 

All sorts of possibilities for the Colts.  

Kelly was asked about his contract about a week before the draft. He said they haven't really had talks about extension. And he said he wants to keep playing(so retirement doesn't seem to be on the table at this point). Kind of weird, maybe Ballard wanted to see what happens with the draft before he initiates new contract talks? Or maybe he's decided we cannot afford Kelly going forward with Raimann soon to be paid ? I guess we will see/hear about it soon enough... 

[Superman]

1 hour ago, stitches said:

yeah, Ballard definitely needs to compensate inactivity in other fronts with excellent drafting. And not just excellend drafting but rather - overall good draft philosophy. The trade backs IMO are key feature here. Because he doesn't rely on FA, he needs more shots in the draft. If he has 2-3 more picks in the draft every year, that's one or two more cheap hits every year that contribute to your team that other teams don't have. At least that's the idea I would presume. And I think Ballard has done relatively good job with the draft. Every year I feel better about the team right after the draft. 

 

Ballard's draft strategy is sound, IMO. It's his unwillingness to be more aggressive in other areas that I think holds him back. To build the kind of team he wants with as little outside help as he acquires, he'd have to be seriously outperforming everyone in the draft every year for several years in a row, and that's not going to happen.

 

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Yeah, from what I remember he had offers to be a scout for teams a few years ago but he had a young family so he decided to stay home with them and instead continue his work in media. That's why I was wondering before - just how high of a position would it take for him to actually take a job in the NFL. He definitely won't take a scouting job it seems. He's probably getting paid more by the Athletic and his other media work than he would make as a scout and he wouldn't be travelling all the time for work. So where is the threshold you think? For example, would he take a FO job with path to being a GM in the future? Would you give him VP of player personnel or director of college scouting or something of the sort? Would he take that? 

 

Yeah it would be director of scouting or something similar, where he can work from a home base but still do his thing. It's really remarkable that he can compile this information without being on the road all year, but that probably means he has a network feeding him info, which is basically what a director would be doing. I have no idea about the compensation though.

 

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On a side note - what is your opinion of Solak? I feel like he does good job and generally knows what he's talking about too. But he's definitely more talking head-y and is less measured and humble than the Cosells and Bruglers of the world, but in general... I kind of don't mind it too much... I view it more as a question of style and I listen to his podcasts and read his articles too because I feel like he too does the work and I don't mind having his perspective even if a lot of his takes are not as disapassionate as Brugler's for example. 

 

Solak is not my cup of tea. I agree with his opinions often enough, but his presentation is grating. And he comes across as overly opinionated and downright contemptuous of anyone who disagrees with his strong opinions.

 

An example is last year, how he mocked the idea that any team would like Levis as a top level QB. For him, it had to be because NFL teams just like the guy who looks and talks like a franchise QB, no one could actually like Levis for his traits and his game. So the Colts were the team that was definitely going to fall in love with him, because he looks and talks the way Jim Irsay prefers, and therefore the Colts were going to stupidly draft him at #4. Again, not because they like his game. Anyone who disagreed with his analysis of Levis had to have a flawed and prejudiced process from top to bottom. He was loud and somewhat abrasive about it... and he was very wrong. 

 

I think he does the work. I think he also gets ahead of himself in certain ways, and presents things as if he's absolutely certain, even when he's off on the details. In some ways, he seems more suited for sports debate shows than player analysis, and I don't like sports debate shows.

[AustexColt]

I see Bertolini and Pinter as backup to Ryan Kelly. There is no excuse to let Kelly sit if he is not 100%. These two backups should have alot of plays during the offseason and preseason.