Colts 2024 - Embrace The Future

[ChristianPatriot]

Last of the Mohicans. They’re all back.

 

[Ingomike]

WOW!!!

Chiefs lose stadium renovation vote, leaving their future in doubt

The Chiefs have threatened to leave Kansas City without the sales tax extension.

www.nbcsports.com

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Texans and Titans are certainly doing everything they can to surround their young quarterback with the best possible talent.

The Colts? They’ll just resign every member of a very average defense. Cool cool cool.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Case in point

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Case in point

For the less-educated:

Texans - premier wide receiver, premier pass rusher

Jags - premier defensive tackle, explosive wide receiver

Titans - premier cornerback, explosive wide receiver

Colts - backup quarterback that’s older than the head coach, backup defensive tackle

 

[chipbennett]

For the less-educated:

Texans - premier wide receiver, premier pass rusher

Jags - premier defensive tackle, explosive wide receiver

Titans - premier cornerback, explosive wide receiver

Colts - backup quarterback that’s older than the head coach, backup defensive tackle

...which leaves out some rather significant FA retentions the Colts have had this offseason, as well as differences in cap space available.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

...which leaves out some rather significant FA retentions the Colts have had this offseason, as well as differences in cap space available.

Pittman wasn’t a free agent.

See below.

The Colts? They’ll just resign every member of a very average defense.

 

[chipbennett]

Pittman wasn’t a free agent.

See below.

I wasn't talking about Pittman, though extending Pittman was also a factor (see also: Zaire Franklin). I was referring to Grove, Kenny Moore, Tyquan, and Rigo (among some other, more minor re-signings).

And keep in mind, I've never been a fan of the strategy to go out and buy a bunch of veteran FAs. It's a fool's errand.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

I wasn't talking about Pittman, though extending Pittman was also a factor (see also: Zaire Franklin). I was referring to Grove, Kenny Moore, Tyquan, and Rigo (among some other, more minor re-signings).

And keep in mind, I've never been a fan of the strategy to go out and buy a bunch of veteran FAs. It's a fool's errand.

I can hear both sides of the FA/home grown argument.

We’ve just seen what this defense can do because it’s been basically the exact same squad for three years. They’ll be ok against the run. They won’t get many turnovers. They’ll have a good sack total at the end of the season but they will consistently get zero pressure in critical situations. It’s the same movie on repeat.

Unless the young cornerbacks take a MASSIVE step in Year 2, the defense will be the downfall of the team.

You can at least talk yourself into optimism for the offense. Richardson has MVP potential and we never saw him and Taylor together at full strength. Purely objectively speaking, we have the worst WR/TE room in the division. Other division rivals are at least trying to surround their young QB’s with talent. We have Pittman and a handful of unproven guys.

 

[chipbennett]

I can hear both sides of the FA/home grown argument.

We’ve just seen what this defense can do because it’s been basically the exact same squad for three years. They’ll be ok against the run. They won’t get many turnovers. They’ll have a good sack total at the end of the season but they will consistently get zero pressure in critical situations. It’s the same movie on repeat.

Unless the young cornerbacks take a MASSIVE step in Year 2, the defense will be the downfall of the team.

You can at least talk yourself into optimism for the offense. Richardson has MVP potential and we never saw him and Taylor together at full strength. Purely objectively speaking, we have the worst WR/TE room in the division. Other division rivals are at least trying to surround their young QB’s with talent. We have Pittman and a handful of unproven guys.

I'm optimistic about the potential for 2024 and am not doing the Colts social media freakout. With Minshew, the Colts offense was essentially a Top 10. Just with the return of AR (not factoring a full season with JT, return of Evan Hull, and Jelani Woods), the Colts easily can be a Top 5 offense.

Defensively, the Colts need an elite pass rusher and help at Safety. The defense was an anomaly last year: lots of sacks but very little pressure when most needed (obvious passing situations, third downs, etc.). That's why opposing QBs feasted on young CBs. Get consistent pressure on the QB in obvious passing situations and the CBs won't be as exposed. Better communication in the backfield (LBs, I'm looking at you!) will help, too.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

I'm optimistic about the potential for 2024 and am not doing the Colts social media freakout. With Minshew, the Colts offense was essentially a Top 10. Just with the return of AR (not factoring a full season with JT, return of Evan Hull, and Jelani Woods), the Colts easily can be a Top 5 offense.

Defensively, the Colts need an elite pass rusher and help at Safety. The defense was an anomaly last year: lots of sacks but very little pressure when most needed (obvious passing situations, third downs, etc.). That's why opposing QBs feasted on young CBs. Get consistent pressure on the QB in obvious passing situations and the CBs won't be as exposed. Better communication in the backfield (LBs, I'm looking at you!) will help, too.

No division titles and one playoff win in 10 years is not a social media freakout. It’s always “we like our young guys” and “potential” with Ballard. It’s been nearly a decade of all potential and no results.

When he first came to Indy, he said it will never be about one guy (speaking of Andrew Luck), and now he’s placing all of the pressure on Richardson to be top tier elite.

 

[chipbennett]

No division titles and one playoff win in 10 years is not a social media freakout. It’s always “we like our young guys” and “potential” with Ballard. It’s been nearly a decade of all potential and no results.

The social media freakout primarily involves lamenting that other teams splash out for veteran free agents, while the Colts develop from within and maintain cap discipline.

The Colts don't need a $22MM/year CB, yet fans were freaking out about Snead. The Colts don't need a WR1, yet fans were freaking out about Diggs.

While the jury is still out on Kwity Paye, the one area where Ballard has failed to deliver through the draft is edge rush. He needs to hit this year. If he doesn't, the defensive secondary will continue to be exposed, even if I think our young CBs will be fine as they continue to develop.

When he first came to Indy, he said it will never be about one guy (speaking of Andrew Luck), and now he’s placing all of the pressure on Richardson to be top tier elite.

Well, that's where he was wrong, and the main reason the Colts hasn't won a division title in a decade. In the NFL, it absolutely is about one guy: the QB. That he has changed his mind on that point is the one, major change that will set the Colts up for success.

 

[Ingomike]

When folks read headlines like this they feel like the Colts are losing the offseason…

Texans have added a 100-catch receiver, 1,000-yard rusher and 10-sack defensive end

In Stefon Diggs, Joe Mixon and Danielle Hunter, the Texans have made an unprecedented trio of additions to their roster this season.

www.nbcsports.com

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Yep. Texans added a 100-catch receiver, a 10-sack edge rusher, and a 1,000-yd running back in the same off season. And those are additions to a roster that won a playoff game last year.

Ballard looked at his team that hasn’t made the playoffs since Philip Rivers and thought, “Perfect. Run it back.”

 

[chipbennett]

Yep. Texans added a 100-catch receiver, a 10-sack edge rusher, and a 1,000-yd running back in the same off season. And those are additions to a roster that won a playoff game last year.

Ballard looked at his team that hasn’t made the playoffs since Philip Rivers and thought, “Perfect. Run it back.”

MPJ is better than Diggs. JT is better than Mixon. The only real need there is pass rush. I believe the Colts were at least in the market for a veteran pass rusher, but this one opted for Houston. Can't really do anything about that.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

MPJ is better than Diggs. JT is better than Mixon. The only real need there is pass rush. I believe the Colts were at least in the market for a veteran pass rusher, but this one opted for Houston. Can't really do anything about that.

1) I agree. Pittman and JT are better than Diggs and Mixon.

2) Where have Pittman and JT gotten us?

3) Why can’t we ADD better complimentary pieces to some already good pieces?

4) Can’t really do anything about it? Isn’t that Ballard’s job? If your team needs a pass rusher that badly, then incentivize him enough to not go somewhere else. “Well, the guy we wanted didn’t want to come here so I guess we’ll just have poor play from the edge rush again.”

I’m not even a super anti-Ballard guy. He is phenomenal at drafting. Like top tier A1. His biggest downfall has been the handling of the quarterback situation post-Andrew Luck. There should have been a complete re-evaluation of everything. Instead he thought that the roster was good enough and tried to add cast-off quarterbacks from other teams over and over and over. He is extremely fortunate to still have a job and basically a whole new chance to start over with a rookie quarterback and a new head coach.

 

[chipbennett]

1) I agree. Pittman and JT are better than Diggs and Mixon.

2) Where have Pittman and JT gotten us?

With Minshew under center? Not very far. It's the same reason that AP was criminally under-used last season.

3) Why can’t we ADD better complimentary pieces to some already good pieces?

Where, on offense, would you add those complimentary pieces?

4) Can’t really do anything about it? Isn’t that Ballard’s job? If your team needs a pass rusher that badly, then incentivize him enough to not go somewhere else. “Well, the guy we wanted didn’t want to come here so I guess we’ll just have poor play from the edge rush again.”

If Ballard goes after a player, and that player chooses to take a lesser offer to play elsewhere (as, IIRC, was reported to have happened with Hunter), what, exactly, is Ballard supposed to do?

I’m not even a super anti-Ballard guy. He is phenomenal at drafting. Like top tier A1. His biggest downfall has been the handling of the quarterback situation post-Andrew Luck. There should have been a complete re-evaluation of everything. Instead he thought that the roster was good enough and tried to add cast-off quarterbacks from other teams over and over and over. He is extremely fortunate to still have a job and basically a whole new chance to start over with a rookie quarterback and a new head coach.

100%, Ballard didn't properly handle the long-term QB solution after Luck retired. It has set the franchise back by multiple years. I wholeheartedly agree with that.

I just generally don't agree that if any GM (including Ballard) isn't crazy-busy and successful in signing a bunch of high-ticket veteran FAs in the off-season, that said GM has somehow failed. I also don't think that Super Bowls are won (or lost) during off-season free agency.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Interesting…

 

[chipbennett]

Interesting…

View attachment 344684

All the more reason I'm glad Ballard didn't go for something like this:

1. A one-year rental on a high-cost WR?
2. The 2024 draft class is crazy deep at WR.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

All the more reason I'm glad Ballard didn't go for something like this:

1. A one-year rental on a high-cost WR?
2. The 2024 draft class is crazy deep at WR.

Alternate perspective - The Texans can still draft a WR in 2024. Give your quarterback a great weapon for this year while you develop a rookie receiver. Win win.