We Are Evaluating Everything

[Mr. Irrelevant]

I don’t know about the evaluating everything. Everything would mean the head coach, the coaching, the GM, everything. And we are surely not there yet, right?! 🤡

 

Sorry, but it is a bit draining to follow this team sometimes….

[GoColts8818]

1 minute ago, RollerColt said:

I spent most of last night watching Anthony’s all-22s for each game this season (I have not slept in days… not sure what’s wrong).

 

What I’m seeing on the tape is concerning on a lot of levels…

 

And then with what Shane and Anthony have been saying this season and quite frankly for the last few years including leading up to Richardson’s draft…

 

It seems like the staff and Anthony have differing opinions on what QB he’s supposed to be. 
 

AR views himself as a running QB who on occasion throws. He believes he’s not a prototypical QB, but something entirely else.

 

The staff thinks he can be a pocket passer who can run on designed plays.

 

Neither is on the same page it feels like… 

And I get the impression both are very stubborn and don’t want to accept the others positions.  The coaches want him to be a pocket passer because they dont want him hurt and they know that’s what it takes to play QB in this league, even Jackson didn’t become a league MVP until he learned how to play from the pocket.  AR still views this like high school or college where he’s the best athlete on the field and that’s enough to get by.  I formed this opinion largely based on the last two games where the announcers were talking about talking to AR and the coaches about AR running and AR saying I don’t really want to get down, if I get one on one with someone I like my chances.  
 

Then at the end of the game when he could have run out of bounds to stop the clock he cut backup inside and tried to split the defenders.  I don’t know this but I really think he thought he was going to split them with his speed and have an 80 yard TD run to win the game.  I don’t think AR has the respect for how much faster and better athletes people are in NFL and I wonder if he’s listening to the coaches trying to coach him and maybe that’s why Shane is sending this message.  It could be he’s trying to say you are going to play the way we want you too or you aren’t going to play.  
 

You can argue if the way Shane wants him to play is the best way to use a QB like AR but he’s the head coach.

[Solid84]

24 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

And if they pull the cord on Richardson right now, they'll prove that the entire staff is not up to the job.

 

If this is a way to make Richardson take some accountability for some of his decision making, fine. I don't know if it's the best way to do that, but whatever. 

 

But if they don't see how they are failing Richardson with their own decisions -- offensive gameplans, lack of discipline, etc. -- then all of it is a lost cause. Developing a project QB like Richardson was always going to be difficult and require a lot of patience. They probably made him the starter too fast in 2023, and since then I believe they've done a poor job of putting him in position to succeed within the obvious limitations he has. Now if they pull him off the field rather than simplifying the offense, it will be an even bigger mistake.

 

What's worse, they might be thinking 'we can just give him a reset, like the Panthers did with Bryce Young.' The problem is that Richardson won't get better just because time passes. He needs to play, but he needs to be carefully deployed and nurtured. And Steichen is blowing it on that front.

This is exactly it.

 

AR struggling was to be expected. But, Steichen calling plays like we have a veteran under center is mind-boggling. The biggest disappointment this season for me has been how the coaches have approached building an offensive scheme around AR. It's a disaster frankly.

[BeanDiasucci]

5 minutes ago, ShuteAt168 said:

AR thinks he throws the football “great.” He thinks it’s cool to just take a play off — something his coach said he can’t do and for which he’s been criticized by every former player I’ve heard comment. I hope AR is a star someday because I like the Colts, but maybe he could benefit from the harsh reality of getting benched. He’s not self aware enough for it to hurt his confidence and it seems impossible for him to complete a lower percentage of passes. What could it hurt. I hope AR plays because he’s interesting and exciting —for better or worse—but I don’t think sitting him down is a ludicrous decision for a guy with his numbers. Just my 2 cents. 

[GoColts8818]

2 minutes ago, Mr. Irrelevant said:

I don’t know about the evaluating everything. Everything would mean the head coach, the coaching, the GM, everything. And we are surely not there yet, right?! 🤡

 

Sorry, but it is a bit draining to follow this team sometimes….

Oh I think Irsay is absolutely evaluating Ballard and Shane as well as the players.  Irsay said when he brought Ballard back he needed to see progress.  None of us know how short of leash, or if Ballard is on a leash at all but I do think Irsay is always wondering if these are the right guys to lead his team.

[ADnum1]

44 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Ewers will be there he’s a senior and shocked everyone by not coming out last year.  There is also Milroe from Bama and Crason Beck from Georgia.

All 3 will be far better QBs than AR.

 

I really like Milroe from Alabama and Carson Beck from Georgia a pure accurate pocket passer.

 

This is what the 49ers did with Trey Lance. They didn't put all their eggs in the Trey Lance basket and went ahead and drafted Brock Purdy as insurance. 

 

This turned out to be a great move as Lance busted and Purdy has looked really good.

 

Colts need to follow this model and not put all their eggs in the AR basket.

 

Go ahead next season and draft our Brock Purdy.

 

If that is Milroe, Beck or Ewers than so be it.

 

Don't leave yourself exposed waiting on AR

[Defjamz26]

1 hour ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

What does Flacco accomplish? If you lose with AR then you get a better draft pick to move forward with someone else. It doesn’t accomplish anything. I look for vets to be traded this offseason and everyone is fired. Which means another 2 to 3 years with no QB and a bad team. It’s not worth it anymore. 

Winning games. This team isn’t winning enough games. You win more games with Flacco. It’s as simple as that. All that other stuff is hyperbole.

[Superman]

18 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Steichen was asked how they can make things simpler today. He had a good answer but I am not sure he will do it.

 

Nothing that Steichen says means anything to me. Especially after his 'come to Jesus' presser last week, then he ran the same gameplan again. 

[BrazilColts]

Sit AR and learn from the second half of the season watching Flacco. During the offseason he is going to the Tom House QB school and learn how to throw with accuracy. During the offseason we look for another QB (veteran or draft). All our TE are ineffective. We have no backup RB, should never have released Zach Moss. We need better scouts.  

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

11 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

I spent most of last night watching Anthony’s all-22s for each game this season (I have not slept in days… not sure what’s wrong).

 

What I’m seeing on the tape is concerning on a lot of levels…

 

And then with what Shane and Anthony have been saying this season and quite frankly for the last few years including leading up to Richardson’s draft…

 

It seems like the staff and Anthony have differing opinions on what QB he’s supposed to be. 
 

AR views himself as a running QB who on occasion throws. He believes he’s not a prototypical QB, but something entirely else.

 

The staff thinks he can be a pocket passer who can run on designed plays.

 

Neither is on the same page it feels like… 

AR Has said multiple times in order to have longevity he has to be a good pocket passer. He still keeps his eyes down field 
 

Agsinst dolphins he had 14 designed runs. Against Texans he had 2. Wr need a happy medium  at about 7 or 8. 

[SurfinKal]

What’s really concerning is the Colts front office told us it’s a 4 year project with AR. It speaks volumes if they are willing to bail on him after 1.5 seasons. Meaning he must really really not be able to be the guy. 

[GoColts8818]

4 minutes ago, BrazilColts said:

Sit AR and learn from the second half of the season watching Flacco. During the offseason he is going to the Tom House QB school and learn how to throw with accuracy. During the offseason we look for another QB (veteran or draft). All our TE are ineffective. We have no backup RB, should never have released Zach Moss. We need better scouts.  

Well he did the sit and watch thing last year.  It doesn’t look to have helped him so I am skeptical it will help him now.  
 

I do think they need better TEs and I think Ballard knows this too and I think he was trying to go up in the draft to get Bowers but couldn’t find a trade partner.  
 

They didnt release Zach Moss.  He left in free agency for a chance to start, something the Colts couldn’t offer him with Taylor.  There is a big difference.

[BeanDiasucci]

 

8 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Nothing that Steichen says means anything to me. Especially after his 'come to Jesus' presser last week, then he ran the same gameplan again. 

Before a game that Flacco started, the pregame show had Steichen saying that the gameplan is the same when Flacco starts as when Richardson does. Steichen shouldn't get a paycheck if that's true. 

[Superman]

17 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Maybe I am just a prisoner of the moment but I don’t think AR is it and I don’t think this staff is it.  Shane reminds me more and more of Frank every week.  Very stubborn, very do what we do, and very reluctant to change and acknowledge reality.  

 

Shane presents very differently from Frank, and his offense is more modern and fun (at times). But as far as his seeming blindness to what I think are obvious answers, yeah, they have some things in common. 

 

Richardson might not be it. From the beginning, the odds of him becoming a very good NFL QB were longer than most prospects. Young QBs mostly fail, including those drafted early in the first round, so that's not surprising. But add his rawness and inexperience, and yeah, he had a tough road ahead of him. Then he got hurt in his rookie season, which made it even harder. 

 

And I don't want anyone to misunderstand my viewpoint on him. He's been pretty bad. Reckless decisions, inaccurate passes, etc. But that's what I always expected from him, specifically because he's raw and inexperienced.

 

It's the job of the coaching staff -- a staff full of offensive assistants who have worked with project QBs in the recent past, seemingly handpicked to nurture a guy like Richardson -- to work around his limitations while he gets better. But like @Solid84 said, they're treating him like he's an experienced veteran. Almost every one of his passing attempts has a high degree of difficulty; he has the longest aDOT in the league, by far. He needs to be governed, through very careful gameplanning and play calling. Instead, they basically took the governor off, and now everyone is surprised that he's careening off the road. 

 

The staff is failing Richardson, and they are failing each other. And end result is looking like everyone is going to be gone by the end of 2025, if not sooner.

[Orioles22]

I don't think you give up on Richardson, but I'd bring him along slower. Let him work in a series, like some do in college, and give opponents something else to think about each week. That would be a big change of pace from Flacco  and give home some experience but not 20-plus passes a game until maybe next year.

[Hark]

1 hour ago, GoColts8818 said:

Ewers will be there he’s a senior and shocked everyone by not coming out last year.  There is also Milroe from Bama and Crason Beck from Georgia.

I'm also a fan of Cam Ward at Miami.

[Solid84]

They basically took the training wheels off his bike without even teaching him how to ride a bike first... it's ridiculous to be honest.

[ADnum1]

2 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Shane presents very differently from Frank, and his offense is more modern and fun (at times). But as far as his seeming blindness to what I think are obvious answers, yeah, they have some things in common. 

 

Richardson might not be it. From the beginning, the odds of him becoming a very good NFL QB were longer than most prospects. Young QBs mostly fail, including those drafted early in the first round, so that's not surprising. But add his rawness and inexperience, and yeah, he had a tough road ahead of him. Then he got hurt in his rookie season, which made it even harder. 

 

And I don't want anyone to misunderstand my viewpoint on him. He's been pretty bad. Reckless decisions, inaccurate passes, etc. But that's what I always expected from him, specifically because he's raw and inexperienced.

 

It's the job of the coaching staff -- a staff full of offensive assistants who have worked with project QBs in the recent past, seemingly handpicked to nurture a guy like Richardson -- to work around his limitations while he gets better. But like @Solid84 said, they're treating him like he's an experienced veteran. Almost every one of his passing attempts has a high degree of difficulty; he has the longest aDOT in the league, by far. He needs to be governed, through very careful gameplanning and play calling. Instead, they basically took the governor off, and now everyone is surprised that he's careening off the road. 

 

The staff is failing Richardson, and they are failing each other. And end result is looking like everyone is going to be gone by the end of 2025, if not sooner.

I have read several of your post criticizing Shane for his offense.

 

If you were the OC what specifically would you have done different?

[RollerColt]

2 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Shane presents very differently from Frank, and his offense is more modern and fun (at times). But as far as his seeming blindness to what I think are obvious answers, yeah, they have some things in common. 

 

Richardson might not be it. From the beginning, the odds of him becoming a very good NFL QB were longer than most prospects. Young QBs mostly fail, including those drafted early in the first round, so that's not surprising. But add his rawness and inexperience, and yeah, he had a tough road ahead of him. Then he got hurt in his rookie season, which made it even harder. 

 

And I don't want anyone to misunderstand my viewpoint on him. He's been pretty bad. Reckless decisions, inaccurate passes, etc. But that's what I always expected from him, specifically because he's raw and inexperienced.

 

It's the job of the coaching staff -- a staff full of offensive assistants who have worked with project QBs in the recent past, seemingly handpicked to nurture a guy like Richardson -- to work around his limitations while he gets better. But like @Solid84 said, they're treating him like he's an experienced veteran. Almost every one of his passing attempts has a high degree of difficulty; he has the longest aDOT in the league, by far. He needs to be governed, through very careful gameplanning and play calling. Instead, they basically took the governor off, and now everyone is surprised that he's careening off the road. 

 

The staff is failing Richardson, and they are failing each other. And end result is looking like everyone is going to be gone by the end of 2025, if not sooner.

I'm not liking this post because it makes me happy... 

 

But I agree... 

 

It's the problem with drafting someone like Anthony. Hardly any starts in high school and college... No high school championship... No college bowl games... 

 

He just doesn't have the experience to even truly know what winning football is like. The NFL just doesn't have the time and patience unfortunately for a major project like this. 

 

We bought into the hype of his combine performance... We bought into the hype of what he could become as opposed to what he already was.

[cdgacoltsfan]

1 hour ago, IinD said:

I think that's just lip service. 

 

We've hitched our wagon to AR for better or worse. You roll with him this year and if it's that bad pull the trigger again next season and draft a QB.

 

Sucks, but that's where we are.

I'm good with developing AR....scouts, Shane and Ballard knew it wast going to be pretty at times until he matures and develops. Regardless, Id rather watch AR's on the job training than an aging Matt Ryan ,a statue that couldn't throw it 30 yards...that was awful.

[1959Colts]

The way the O-line played vs Texas, and now minus Raimann... If it's a repeat performance by the line, then Im not sure Flacco would be much of an upgrade

[Solid84]

23 minutes ago, ADnum1 said:

All 3 will be far better QBs than AR.

 

I really like Milroe from Alabama and Carson Beck from Georgia a pure accurate pocket passer.

 

This is what the 49ers did with Trey Lance. They didn't put all their eggs in the Trey Lance basket and went ahead and drafted Brock Purdy as insurance. 

 

This turned out to be a great move as Lance busted and Purdy has looked really good.

 

Colts need to follow this model and not put all their eggs in the AR basket.

 

Go ahead next season and draft our Brock Purdy.

 

If that is Milroe, Beck or Ewers than so be it.

 

Don't leave yourself exposed waiting on AR

I'm not a fan of Beck, Milroe, Nussmeier, or Allar. I may just by gun-shy because of this AR experiment, but those 4 guys have 2 years of college starting experience or less (Nussmeier has one).

 

To me it's either Ward or Shedeur in the first or Rourke or Ewers later.

 

That said I just can't fathom them giving up on AR already with how the coaching staff have handled this...

[GoColts8818]

4 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

I'm not liking this post because it makes me happy... 

 

But I agree... 

 

It's the problem with drafting someone like Anthony. Hardly any starts in high school and college... No high school championship... No college bowl games... 

 

He just doesn't have the experience to even truly know what winning football is like. The NFL just doesn't have the time and patience unfortunately for a major project like this. 

 

We bought into the hype of his combine performance... We bought into the hype of what he could become as opposed to what he already was.

Again all reasons why I was never a fan of the pick in the first place.  Still here we are so I hope the Colts and AR figure it out.

[richard pallo]

Benching AR doesn’t mean you’re entirely giving up on him. That’s ridiculous.  He is obviously not ready to be an NFL starter talent wise and maturity wise.  And if we know it the team certainly knows it.  These players want to win and fight hard every week to try to accomplish that.  Not playing the quarterback who can best accomplish that goal is a recipe for disaster.  Shane said they are still in this thing.  That tells me they want to win.  Yesterday’s performance by AR shows you he’s not ready for the full time job.  I think backing up Flacco would be the best thing that could happen to him.  Next year you can see where he is.  Handing him the job on a silver platter when he is nowhere near ready has proven to be a disaster.  He knows he’s the worst quarterback in the league.  That can’t give you a lot of confidence.  I bet he knows he needs to sit.  Deep down I would bet he hopes it happens.  Knowing you’re nowhere ready for the job has to make it that much harder.  The team would be doing him a big favor by sitting him and let him watch, practice and learn how to be an NFL quarterback from a Super Bowl champion quarterback like Flacco.

[holeymoley99]

16 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Well he did the sit and watch thing last year.  It doesn’t look to have helped him so I am skeptical it will help him now.  
 

I do think they need better TEs and I think Ballard knows this too and I think he was trying to go up in the draft to get Bowers but couldn’t find a trade partner.  
 

They didnt release Zach Moss.  He left in free agency for a chance to start, something the Colts couldn’t offer him with Taylor.  There is a big difference.

And Moss has already been benched for Chase Brown. Goodson is a real good #2 back, he averages 1.2 yards per carry more then Moss for their careers (Goodson obviously less carries but 1.2 is signifcant).

[jvan1973]

1 hour ago, DougDew said:

And Curtis Rourke from IU will be a better NFL QB than all of them, and probably be a lower draft pick.  Not that we should give up on AR yet.

Kurtis Rourke will be a late round pick.  He is Stetson Bennett.   He will probably never see the field.  

[GoColts8818]

Just now, holeymoley99 said:

And Moss has already been benched for Chase Brown. Goodson is a real good #2 back, he averages 1.2 yards per carry more then Moss for their careers (Goodson obviously less carries but 1.2 is signifcant).

I didn’t say I liked the Colts backup running backs I am just telling you why Moss left and it was his choice as a free agent not the Colts decision to release him.

[cdgacoltsfan]

Shane should do a little self evaluation as well. He completely changed the game my mismanaging the end of the first half. We were tied Shane...and getting the ball back to start the second half! The Texans were willing to let the clock run out.

[jvan1973]

If the goal is to make the post season,  he should have been benched already.   If you want to see what he has,  you have to play him.   SS needs to call a much better game plan.   Let him run,  give JT the ball more.   Take deep shots on 2nd and short.    

[ADnum1]

1 hour ago, DougDew said:

And Curtis Rourke from IU will be a better NFL QB than all of them, and probably be a lower draft pick.  Not that we should give up on AR yet.

No we're not giving up on AR we're just drafting our Brock Purdy 

[John Waylon]

25 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

And if they pull the cord on Richardson right now, they'll prove that the entire staff is not up to the job.

 

If this is a way to make Richardson take some accountability for some of his decision making, fine. I don't know if it's the best way to do that, but whatever. 

 

But if they don't see how they are failing Richardson with their own decisions -- offensive gameplans, lack of discipline, etc. -- then all of it is a lost cause. Developing a project QB like Richardson was always going to be difficult and require a lot of patience. They probably made him the starter too fast in 2023, and since then I believe they've done a poor job of putting him in position to succeed within the obvious limitations he has. Now if they pull him off the field rather than simplifying the offense, it will be an even bigger mistake.

 

What's worse, they might be thinking 'we can just give him a reset, like the Panthers did with Bryce Young.' The problem is that Richardson won't get better just because time passes. He needs to play, but he needs to be carefully deployed and nurtured. And Steichen is blowing it on that front.

I’ve been fading on Steichen and the offensive staff all season. This just has not been what we were led to believe it would be, and it hasn’t even been as good as it was last season. It’s inexcusable.

 

And when you start getting into the X’s and O’s of what’s really going on on offense, it’s downright confusing. What kind of QB could have measured success in this system? It’s predicated entirely on low-percentage throws, even Mahomes himself would look ineffectual in an offense like this. We went from “gotta make the layups” to “no one shoots from less than half court”. 
 

I truly don’t feel like this staff is up to the task, or even up to par if it were some other task they were working with, and yesterday really drove it home for me. This just isn’t cutting it. 

[GoColts8818]

2 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:

If the goal is to make the post season,  he should have been benched already.   If you want to see what he has,  you have to play him.   SS needs to call a much better game plan.   Let him run,  give JT the ball more.   Take deep shots on 2nd and short.    

Like I said after the game yesterday Shane needs to embrace the QB he has not call plays for the QB he wants.  

[indyagent17]

2 hours ago, krunk said:

They just asked Steichen if Ant was starting Sunday and he said "We Are Evaluating Everything". That ain't good at all! We got trouble.

 

 

🤮

[Daddyneedsnack]

First post here, happy to be here!

 

As for the evaluating everything, I will commend management and Steichen for that message. Because it’s a far cry from the “we won’t waver on AR” messaging. However, it might just be too little to late at this point. We are essentially out of the division race and we have a gauntlet schedule coming up. The team should have made a decision in the best interest of this team after the Packers game. This isn’t a new thing. AR has been abysmal completing balls (short and intermediate passing particularly) since the Florida days. When we can’t get a lick of offense started without JT averaging more than 7 yards a run that is an issue. Having the 3rd worst completion percentage of all qb’s with 250 snaps since 2000, that is an issue. And not a fluke. I don’t want to hear about receivers dropping balls or pass pro. Historically bad numbers are not a fluke point blank period. And it’s not on Steichen. He is doing his best with what he has and the offense has looked very competent with Flacco under center. It’s hard to call plays if you can count on 70% completion on 5 yards balls. Its time to save the evaluating for practice on completions to second team wr. I will say that I sympathize with the just roll with it now with us theoretically out of it. However, if he is the future there is no need to hurt his confidence by continuing to let him complete 40% of his passes. 
 

As for the rest of “everything” I have some thoughts there.

 

Ryan Kelly, I appreciate your contributions but it’s time to move on. Dude can’t block and the fact that Tanner Bortelini has provided better play being out of position as a rookie should be a wake up call for us fans. He’s not worth the money and I wouldn’t mind sending him off for a 3rd round pick.

 

Braden Smith plays like an above average player 80% of the time and the other 20% he looks completely lost by letting guys blow by or picking up an untimely hold. I’d evaluate that. 
 

finally, I think the defense has played above expectation when healthy. Jaylon Johnson has made strides each game (same can’t be said for our 4th overall pick). However, the secondary should have been addressed this past offseason and wasn’t. Instead we went with another traits-y dline man. It’s been the same story every year while the first round corners and safeties have been hitting at an astronomical rate. Quinyon Mitchell has looked GREAT. Sauce, Surtain, Gonzales the list goes on. Ballard has gotten to involved in the athletic testing portion and it’s now showing on the field with the lack of skill at some positions. We are now wasting a generational defender in buckner and a great one in Franklin and Stewart. Ballard would never punt on this team now because it’s growing more likely it’s his last year. But do we need to let these guys waste away for nothing waiting on a QB that we have to teach EVERYTHING TO? That should be an evaluation also. 

 

 

 

[krunk]

Shane was dialing up some nice stuff last year. This year I find myself scratching my head at times.

[Chrisaaron1023]

Baby steps. 

 

Throw for 50% completion Sunday night then we'll talk more..

[Daddyneedsnack]

2 minutes ago, krunk said:

Shane was dialing up some nice stuff last year. This year I find myself scratching my head at times.

how do you dial anything up if you can’t complete a pass less than 30 yards downfield? The team was not perfect with Flacco, but the offense looked very promising with him at QB.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

 

[GoColts8818]

https://fox59.com/sports/colts/anthony-richardsons-starting-status-in-doubt/
 

the dean goes into more detail.

[krunk]

1 hour ago, Mr. Irrelevant said:

I don’t know about the evaluating everything. Everything would mean the head coach, the coaching, the GM, everything. And we are surely not there yet, right?! 🤡

 

Sorry, but it is a bit draining to follow this team sometimes….

He said something like that too but in the NFL it's NEVER a good thing when a coach is asked if an important player will be your starter and the coach responds with something wishy washy. Something other than yes.