Colts vs Bengals pre-season finale postgame reaction

[Yoshinator]

13 minutes ago, King Colt said:

It was on the NFL Network this morning and may be repeated later this week

It was on at 3 AM my time and I saw it. Was very happy to see it again.

[Indianapolis-Colts-Fan]

Ballard will most likely finish out his contract here. Anthony isn’t a franchise level QB yet. This season is majorly going to be his rookie season, and I don’t expect much in the way of wins. There will be a lot of close games I’m sure and some not so close. In the end I see a middle of the pack record again. I just want to see growth and a healthy AR through the year. The guy has very little experience playing QB, and is very young. If he stays healthy, he can learn to be great. But that’s going to take patience from fans and owner alike. 
 

also, the Colts looked like dog crap vs the bengals last year and that was with burrow out. It’s just not a good matchup for us.  

[shasta519]

3 hours ago, BeanDiasucci said:

58-60% used to be a decent completion percentage in the NFL but it isn't anymore. Anthony was at 59.5% last year in his short season and that needs to improve because it's at the bottom of the league among starters. The top 25 QBs last year were all above 62.5% and the top 16 were all over 65%. Working with Steichen, he'll get more accurate. The question is how much.  https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/nfl-completion-percentage-leaders-2023

A good chunk of last season’s comp % was Steichen limiting the playbook to short throws (like last night). When AR opened it up against LAR, it was like 11/25. But at least they scored in that comeback. 
 

I have mixed feelings. I know they scored on that first drive against CIN, but it was mostly dump offs and first-read slants/crossers. That can work, but CIN’s reserves took one drive to shut that down. 
 

My concern is that an offense that is supposed to be dynamic and unpredictable will become predictable. Teams will just sit back and wait for a mistake. 

[richard pallo]

5 hours ago, MFT5 said:

 

good coordinators build schemes around what they have … yu don’t force square pegs en round holes 

The plan is to acquire round pegs for round holes which Ballard has been doing since Gus has been here.  No one bats 1000.  Some players learn faster than others.  We’re close hopefully.

[cdgacoltsfan]

6 hours ago, richard pallo said:

Ju Ju Jones is going to be an all pro someday.

[chad72]

1 hour ago, shasta519 said:

A good chunk of last season’s comp % was Steichen limiting the playbook to short throws (like last night). When AR opened it up against LAR, it was like 11/25. But at least they scored in that comeback. 
 

I have mixed feelings. I know they scored on that first drive against CIN, but it was mostly dump offs and first-read slants/crossers. That can work, but CIN’s reserves took one drive to shut that down. 
 

My concern is that an offense that is supposed to be dynamic and unpredictable will become predictable. Teams will just sit back and wait for a mistake. 

Patience Padwan, all in due time will be answered.

 

AR under pressure, AR in RPOs, Steichen’s playbook improvisations, AR’s usage of legs, AR’s accuracy, AR’s performances on the road, AR’s chemistry with the pass catchers….

 

Its all about AR in our minds  but it’s a team sport and there are 52 others that would like to have a say in our fortunes.

 

Just sit back and enjoy!!! We’re going to put our trust in Steichen and crew and endure all ups and downs.

[Happy2BeHere]

3 hours ago, Indianapolis-Colts-Fan said:

Ballard will most likely finish out his contract here. Anthony isn’t a franchise level QB yet. This season is majorly going to be his rookie season, and I don’t expect much in the way of wins. There will be a lot of close games I’m sure and some not so close. In the end I see a middle of the pack record again. I just want to see growth and a healthy AR through the year. The guy has very little experience playing QB, and is very young. If he stays healthy, he can learn to be great. But that’s going to take patience from fans and owner alike. 
 

also, the Colts looked like dog crap vs the bengals last year and that was with burrow out. It’s just not a good matchup for us.  

I agree with the middle of the pack record sentiment as well…I think 9-8 or 8-9 in my mind. Either way if AR improves and is here the whole year on the field that’s a good season from what we’ve had seeing as how this is the first time since 2016 we will have the same opening day QB to start the game…that really is a mind boggling stat….8 years…all those years of uncertainty. 

 

1 hour ago, chad72 said:

Patience Padwan, all in due time will be answered.

 

AR under pressure, AR in RPOs, Steichen’s playbook improvisations, AR’s usage of legs, AR’s accuracy, AR’s performances on the road, AR’s chemistry with the pass catchers….

 

Its all about AR in our minds  but it’s a team sport and there are 52 others that would like to have a say in our fortunes.

 

Just sit back and enjoy!!! We’re going to put our trust in Steichen and crew and endure all ups and downs.

I think that most of us will enjoy it. But what happens if AR still looks shaky in the opening game and beyond…no more excuses of (well it’s preseason it’s a vanilla offense, well it’s preseason and it’s not the real playbook, well it’s preseason and Richardson didn’t make run plays)…some fans will have to point the finger at something else…it is unfortunate that commonly human nature tends to focus on the frailties and failures rather than the strengths and successes…I suspect this is also why our country seems to be so divided but that’s a whole different topic not to be discussed here. Colts fans and other fans alike are always divided on opinions but at least we all want the same thing and that’s success for the team. 
 

But I’m with you, let us just sit back and enjoy together. Anything, anytime, things can change but being a fan shouldn’t be one of those things…live by the sword die by the sword…in Colts we trust right ?

[Colts.sb41]

3 minutes ago, Happy2BeHere said:

I agree with the middle of the pack record sentiment as well…I think 9-8 or 8-9 in my mind. Either way if AR improves and is here the whole year on the field that’s a good season from what we’ve had seeing as how this is the first time since 2016 we will have the same opening day QB to start the game…that really is a mind boggling stat….8 years…all those years of uncertainty. 

 

I think that most of us will enjoy it. But what happens if AR still looks shaky in the opening game and beyond…no more excuses of (well it’s preseason it’s a vanilla offense, well it’s preseason and it’s not the real playbook, well it’s preseason and Richardson didn’t make run plays)…some fans will have to point the finger at something else…it is unfortunate that commonly human nature tends to focus on the frailties and failures rather than the strengths and successes…I suspect this is also why our country seems to be so divided but that’s a whole different topic not to be discussed here. Colts fans and other fans alike are always divided on opinions but at least we all want the same thing and that’s success for the team. 
 

But I’m with you, let us just sit back and enjoy together. Anything, anytime, things can change but being a fan shouldn’t be one of those things…live by the sword die by the sword…in Colts we trust right ?

Early last season people were ready to bench Jordan Love and look where he is now. I’m not saying Richardson will have the same path but it is crazy how much can change in a year.

[Happy2BeHere]

6 minutes ago, Colts.sb41 said:

Early last season people were ready to bench Jordan Love and look where he is now. I’m not saying Richardson will have the same path but it is crazy how much can change in a year.

Well, there is only one way to tell if someone has got it or not right? And that is to just let them play for better or for worse…you gotta know what you’ve got. Love has done well indeed…we will see how good he is this year but by all accounts man the packers franchise went from Farve to Rodgers to Love (TBD if he is up there close to either of their levels), that’s pretty dang lucky in my opinion…but it’s more than luck they planned ahead…whereas the colts past two GM’s have failed to do so.

[smittywerb]

4 hours ago, King Colt said:

Colts need to at least beat Houston once to have a shot at the playoffs.

agreed, we have to beat both the jags and Texans at least once.  That is the only way we make the playoffs.  Going 0-2 to either one of them and we’re walking a thin line.  

[Happy2BeHere]

2 minutes ago, smittywerb said:

agreed, we have to beat both the jags and Texans at least once.  That is the only way we make the playoffs.  Going 0-2 to either one of them and we’re walking a thin line.  

A very thin line…statistically speaking going 0-2 to anyone in the division significantly degrades your playoff hopes and critically impacts the chance of winning the division. 

[AustexColt]

The screen play is a killer play for our defense, especially against the speed of our DL. When will we ever get that fixed?  Is just bad defensive play calling that catches us in that situation? Zac Taylor used it numerous times against us in the preseason game. I will not be surprised the Texans will use it on us in the first game.

[OLD FAN MAN]

13 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Ballard seems to love Sam, he has been Mr. 3rd Stringer around here it seems forever. To me Sam is a guy that made the big show, great guy, but a QB that isn't even a 2nd stringer. He is just insurance that knows the system just in case AR and Flacco both go down.

 

With the team we have, If our team overall stays healthy if Sam started, we would win only 4 games IMO. Flacco could win 9, I think AR could give us 10.

i think flacco gives us the best chance of making the playoffs this season and let ar learn slow and be ready if flacco gets hurt. but i am probably the only fan who feels that way.

[OLD FAN MAN]

2 hours ago, Happy2BeHere said:

Well, there is only one way to tell if someone has got it or not right? And that is to just let them play for better or for worse…you gotta know what you’ve got. Love has done well indeed…we will see how good he is this year but by all accounts man the packers franchise went from Farve to Rodgers to Love (TBD if he is up there close to either of their levels), that’s pretty dang lucky in my opinion…but it’s more than luck they planned ahead…whereas the colts past two GM’s have failed to do so.

ballard passed on love

[husker61]

1 hour ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

i think flacco gives us the best chance of making the playoffs this season and let ar learn slow and be ready if flacco gets hurt. but i am probably the only fan who feels that way.

I feel the same way. He has all the tools below the head, just not above the shoulders. That’s why it really surprised me he wasn’t standing next to a proven veteran nfl qb and learning the mental part of playing qb. The announcer hinted at he may not be ready yet and should the colts play Flacco. 

[husker61]

I don’t think Taylor looks the same, I don’t see the same explosion as he had before his holdout. I like the offensive line and the wr’s.
 

I really like the dl and unlike most here, think the db’s will be fine. I have always been concerned about the colts lb’s.

[CS Coltsfan]

16 hours ago, John Waylon said:

 
I don’t know, honestly. We’ve seen how far Ballard will go to avoid admitting a mistake anywhere other than a post-season press conference, so I tend to doubt it. We’ll keep Gay who will probably keep missing and Schrader will probably go on and bang them in from 60 out for someone else because that’s just the kind of ridiculous thing that happens these days. 

sad but true... I was never happy with Gay and paying him soo much... I say cut him and go with the kid... safe the money...

 

[richard pallo]

9 hours ago, CS Coltsfan said:

sad but true... I was never happy with Gay and paying him soo much... I say cut him and go with the kid... safe the money...

 

All that matters is the coach and Ballard are happy to have Gay.  Fix problems don’t create another one.

[krunk]

10 hours ago, husker61 said:

I feel the same way. He has all the tools below the head, just not above the shoulders. That’s why it really surprised me he wasn’t standing next to a proven veteran nfl qb and learning the mental part of playing qb. The announcer hinted at he may not be ready yet and should the colts play Flacco. 

Uninformed post

[shasta519]

16 hours ago, chad72 said:

Patience Padwan, all in due time will be answered.

 

AR under pressure, AR in RPOs, Steichen’s playbook improvisations, AR’s usage of legs, AR’s accuracy, AR’s performances on the road, AR’s chemistry with the pass catchers….

 

Its all about AR in our minds  but it’s a team sport and there are 52 others that would like to have a say in our fortunes.

 

Just sit back and enjoy!!! We’re going to put our trust in Steichen and crew and endure all ups and downs.

My trust in Steichen has never wavered. He’s a great play caller. But he’s also not out there on the field throwing the passes. That’s my concern with an inaccurate QB.

 

The CIN game was a microcrosm of that. 

[shasta519]

10 hours ago, husker61 said:

I don’t think Taylor looks the same, I don’t see the same explosion as he had before his holdout. I like the offensive line and the wr’s.
 

I really like the dl and unlike most here, think the db’s will be fine. I have always been concerned about the colts lb’s.

But last time we saw JT he was carving up HOU for 150+ yards. In that game, we saw some of the vintage JT burst. But given the injuries, his workload since college and the general aging curve for RBs, I doubt we are going to get 2021 JT again, at least for a whole season. 

[jvan1973]

10 hours ago, CS Coltsfan said:

sad but true... I was never happy with Gay and paying him soo much... I say cut him and go with the kid... safe the money...

 

What don't you get?   It would cost more to cut him.    Gay is also a proven product.   The kid isn't

[King Colt]

Add up the total number of AR's college games with his pro games and what do you get? As for Ballard from what the media jocks say he has put together a pretty sound roster from top to bottom.

[chrisfarley]

[GoColts8818]

10 hours ago, CS Coltsfan said:

sad but true... I was never happy with Gay and paying him soo much... I say cut him and go with the kid... safe the money...

 

Cutting him won’t save the money it will cost $10 million in dead cap space.

[OLD FAN MAN]

1 hour ago, GoColts8818 said:

Cutting him won’t save the money it will cost $10 million in dead cap space.

i would rather they have the dead cap space than his missed kicks result in losses

[jvan1973]

16 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

i would rather they have the dead cap space than his missed kicks result in losses

Cut him for a kicker that was 68% in college?   That's a great plan

[GoColts8818]

20 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:

Cut him for a kicker that was 68% in college?   That's a great plan

But he hit two field goals in a meaningless pre-season game!  

[Jz0204945]

On 8/23/2024 at 8:43 AM, Rhodelesstraveled said:

 

the second team D of Cincy shut our ones down.  Not a great thing to see at the end of camp.

That would be bad if the Bengals second team defense didnt have potential starters on it which i believe it does lets say this if AR is gonna have some mistakes mainly pick 6's then i would personally rather it be now it will allow him a couple weeks to look over the film and see what he did or what his target did wrong.

[OLD FAN MAN]

9 hours ago, jvan1973 said:

Cut him for a kicker that was 68% in college?   That's a great plan

i did not specify which kicker to go with, there are more around

[BeanDiasucci]

On 8/23/2024 at 3:01 PM, JTrouble said:

Luck was 54% his rookie year. 

 

My post that you responded to pointed out that Richardson's completion percentage in his short rookie year, 59.5%, would have been one of the lowest in the league for starting QBs. He needs to improve that percentage. One of my reasons for pointing that out is that for those of us who've watched football for a long time, 59.5% sounds like a pretty good completion percentage, but in a league that's changing, most of the top QBs now have a completion percentage of 65-70%. 

 

When Luck was a rookie in 2012, most of the top QBs had a completion percentage of 60-65%, so Luck also needed to improve his completion percentage (which he did). But comparing 2012 QB stats to 2024 QB stats can be misleading. The league has changed. One measure of that is that pass efficiency (shown in red) has increased significantly.

 

https://medium.com/the-sports-scientist/why-dont-nfl-teams-pass-more-often-e51adc22efb6

[shasta519]

1 hour ago, BeanDiasucci said:

 

My post that you responded to pointed out that Richardson's completion percentage in his short rookie year, 59.5%, would have been one of the lowest in the league for starting QBs. He needs to improve that percentage. One of my reasons for pointing that out is that for those of us who've watched football for a long time, 59.5% sounds like a pretty good completion percentage, but in a league that's changing, most of the top QBs now have a completion percentage of 65-70%. 

 

When Luck was a rookie in 2012, most of the top QBs had a completion percentage of 60-65%, so Luck also needed to improve his completion percentage (which he did). But comparing 2012 QB stats to 2024 QB stats can be misleading. The league has changed. One measure of that is that pass efficiency (shown in red) has increased significantly.

 

https://medium.com/the-sports-scientist/why-dont-nfl-teams-pass-more-often-e51adc22efb6

 

Not to mention that Luck's was throwing downfield more as as rookie. But a QB like Luck was completing 65-70% of his passes in college as well. So there was a baseline for them to have a higher comp % in the NFL.

 

AR doesn't have that baseline. He was 54% in college and 59% in a small sample as a rookie. Even <60% comp in a very small sample in preseason action, mostly against second and third stringers. He just has yet to prove that he can do that. 

 

Here's what I think teams will do:

• Take away the deep pass with zone and coverage shells to mitigate AR's strong arm
• Make AR throw for a high % in the short-intermediate range
• More plays equal more chances for a mistake and more opportunity to pick up tendencies
• Try to confuse with fake blitzes to sit on hot routes and first reads
• Contain AR as a runner instead of having him run past your whole team

Like when he was drafted, it's all going to come down to the short passing game and his improvement there. And right now, we just don't know. Steichen can scheme with the best, but he's not out there reading the blitzes and throwing the passes.

[ColtStrong2013]

4 minutes ago, shasta519 said:

Steichen can scheme with the best, but he's not out there reading the blitzes and throwing the passes.

coaches can only put somebody in the best position to make a play… but they don’t make the plays that win games… and the pay reflects that fact. 

[shasta519]

6 hours ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

coaches can only put somebody in the best position to make a play… but they don’t make the plays that win games… and the pay reflects that fact. 

 

Agree. I don't think Reich always did that, but I think he took a lot more heat for players underperforming than he should have.  Even if Steichen is infallible as a HC (and he likely won't be), it's still going to come down to the players on the field.

 

But I did see that Andy Reid got 5/$100M. So maybe a great HC is starting to be seen as about equal to a low-end WR1 or elite LG now lol