Colts Thread

kmart6

Not too surprising....

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/966709366912057344

Deco99

Worryingly quiet in FA. Probably take Barkley in draft and I don't think we should. Its just not a long term position. I'm leaning Chubb...but nothing in FA

Alfred Borden

Deco99 wrote: »

Worryingly quiet in FA. Probably take Barkley in draft and I don't think we should. Its just not a long term position. I'm leaning Chubb...but nothing in FA

Happy enough to be honest. So many average players getting top deals. Think we might be poor again next year but have a serious amount of cap space in next years exciting free agency class. That and 2 good drafts and we should be back.

McG

fantastic trade yesterday. Still a reasonable chance we land Chubb (or Nelson) but now we've got 2 extra 2nd round picks this year... and another next year. What a deal!!

letowski

McG wrote:

fantastic trade yesterday. Still a reasonable chance we land Chubb (or Nelson) but now we've got 2 extra 2nd round picks this year... and another next year. What a deal!!

Yes and there is even another way of looking at it. If both those players are not there that would mean there is a good QB at 6th overall meaning we could trade back again for another haul (Bills or Cards). That said Bradley Chubb is the player i hope we get.

not_quite_last

Surprised Hankins got released. But if he didn't fit the new defensive scheme, it's for the best. Would've liked an extra pick for him though.

decolts

Finally we've started making some moves in FA! Both Ebron and Grant will have a lot to prove but two players with potential... Will be interesting to see how Ebron fits in with Doyle, and where Swoope fits in all of this! Good to get a WR signed as well with Grant - such weak receiver depth we need to start building it up!

Was very surprised with the Hankins move - I know they needed to make the decision before Sunday (otherwise he was in for a big payday) but I think they should've just held on to him for the year and see how he'd fit in the new system. What you all think of the Melvin move? Disappointed he didn't stay, though sounds like he was trying to screw the colts out of serious money.. money he wasn't even given by the raiders!

And what about that trade? If we can get Chubb at 6 then this could be a masterstroke by Ballard! And if Chubb and Barkley are gone by 6 then it wouldn't be a surprise to see them trade back again.. time to start building!

Here's hoping for some more FA moves in the next weeks, and seriously can't wait for the draft!

letowski

Yeah the Hankins release was a little surprising, though understandable if it's a scheme fit issue, as he is an out and out NT in a 3-4 set, which we won't be playing next season. That said, while he is certainly a solid starter, he is playing short of his $10 million a year contract, as he is just a run stuffer, with little pass rush. In reality, he isn't offering that much more than what Al Woods is, and he is only being paid a quarter of Hankins' wage. With a extra 2019 second round pick I though we wouldn't get with a trade down with the Jets, my slight disappointment in him being released is offset by this pick, because we definitely can get a player of similar capabilities in the second round.

With regards to the FA is so far, my only disappointment is that we haven't signed any good interior offensive linemen. Being honest, I would paid Andrew Norwell the money the Jags paid him or a little more to get him here. It's definitely rich, but necessary given the situation we have with Luck. I am happy enough we didn't pay Ryan Jenson the money the Bucs did though. I expect we will use at least 1 pick in the first two rounds of this year's draft on linemen. I think Quenton Nelson will be second on Ballard's board too after Chubb.

But overall I'm fine with the way Ballard is trying to rebuild the roster. At the end of the day, he will be judged on his drafts, and he has really provided the ammunition with Sunday's trade to add some quality players in the next two years. It would be terrific if Chubb falls to us at 6th overall, I think there is a reasonable chance of that happening.

claresmurf

Chubb is the obvious choice for the Colts if he is there at 6, with that being said I wouldn't be against drafting Nelson. I think protection for Luck is the most important thing.

Once again the Titans, Texans and Jags have done well in free agency and look even stronger than last year, if Luck gets back to his best then we have a chance for the playoffs and if he doesn't it will be a tough year again.

decolts

Right folks.. who are we thinking then? I think it's as simple as if Chubb is there it's gonna be him, if not then Nelson is being picked - just can't see them trading back.. more chance of Broncos trading back instead of the Colts.

Alfred Borden

decolts wrote: »

Right folks.. who are we thinking then? I think it's as simple as if Chubb is there it's gonna be him, if not then Nelson is being picked - just can't see them trading back.. more chance of Broncos trading back instead of the Colts.

Not totally convinced on Chubb at 6 to be honest. Would love a small trade down and pick up Smith or Ward.

letowski

I'd like Chubb but he doesn't have fluid hips and is quite a slow bender (7.37s 3 cone). I think he will make for a very solid DE in the league but probably not a elite pass rusher. I think in his prime years he will be around 10 or 11 sack DE, maybe a little more. That said I would draft him at 6, he is genuinely elite against the run, has great hands, power and explosiveness. He had 54.5 TFLs in college which is crazy, his floor is very high imo.

I'm torn but I would prefer to trade back if we get a good deal. I guess we will know in 2 hours!

claresmurf

Delighted we drafted Nelson badly needed protection for Luck

letowski

Given who was on our board, I like the pick. It's a super safe pick, but he was the best player on our board. And he plays in a position of weakness, heightened by the Andrew Luck situation so we can't argue. I think this guy will be a multi pro-bowler that will be a mainstay in this organisation for years. Also, if Mewhort can return to his best our line could really come together.

letowski

Would be ecstatic if we could get Landry in the second. I think he might go to the Giants as he is a good fit for them. I think he can be that double digit rusher we havent had in ages. I like some of the corners still on the board in Jackson, Davis and Oliver, i think 1 will still be there at #49. And I expect Guice to be still on the board at #36 if we want a quality RB. Other players I like are Maurice Hurst and Connor Williams.

letowski

Darius Leonard LB SC State.

Braden Smith G Auburn.

So Leonard is a good athletic off ball linebacker which is something we badly badly needed. I like the pick.

Not in love with going for another guard. Obviously Ballard doesnt feel Mewhort has a long term future. I would have picked Connor Williams there, and you have the RT position sorted with the option of moving him to guard if needed.

Overall ok but I would love to have selected Landry, must be medical concerns with him.

decolts

Hi all - so what did you all make of the season opener? Shot ourselves in the foot again just like last season when we had leads but there is definite positives to take from the game. The penalties / mistakes cost us badly in the second half - the two quick penalties, geathers and turay gave away in the 4th quarter killed us off, the TY drop in the 3rd quarter, and then of course Doyle to finish off the day with a nasty fumble - one which was very preventable - he didnt need to get that first down, we had timeouts left! Really feel like Luck was going to get the win for us with that drive.

Positives though from the game:
- Luck! Definite rustiness in there but to come back and throw 39 (i think) of 52 and 300+ yards was a great sight - yeah he had some shakey throws in there but just great to see him back!
- Leonard looks like a massive talent - much needed!
- RB group - young / inexperienced but add in Mack and it could be an exciting group

The next few weeks are going to be very tough weeks and big improvements will be needed to get any wins but have to remain positive!

phatkev

Was there any specific reason for the Colts getting rid of Henry Anderson? He was excellent last night

decolts

phatkev wrote: »

Was there any specific reason for the Colts getting rid of Henry Anderson? He was excellent last night

From what I recall he didn't fit the new scheme so that was that! Heard he was very good last night tho, shame they couldn't find room for him with the Colts now!!

letowski

decolts wrote: »

Hi all - so what did you all make of the season opener? Shot ourselves in the foot again just like last season when we had leads but there is definite positives to take from the game. The penalties / mistakes cost us badly in the second half - the two quick penalties, geathers and turay gave away in the 4th quarter killed us off, the TY drop in the 3rd quarter, and then of course Doyle to finish off the day with a nasty fumble - one which was very preventable - he didnt need to get that first down, we had timeouts left! Really feel like Luck was going to get the win for us with that drive.

Positives though from the game:
- Luck! Definite rustiness in there but to come back and throw 39 (i think) of 52 and 300+ yards was a great sight - yeah he had some shakey throws in there but just great to see him back!
- Leonard looks like a massive talent - much needed!
- RB group - young / inexperienced but add in Mack and it could be an exciting group

The next few weeks are going to be very tough weeks and big improvements will be needed to get any wins but have to remain positive!

Great review.

Overall, I was desperately disappointed to lose the game, I thought we played most of the best football on Sunday. But your right, there was alot of positive and the team definitely looks to be on the right direction.

Here are some of my notes to add to yours:

- Just on Luck, he is a great QB but also it was good to see the oline and play calling much better. We actually have a (very) good interior now and I though Haeg and Webb did as best they could despite being backups. Get Costanzo and Good back in there and with an up tempo offensive playcalling, I think we will keep Luck clean.

- On the play calling, we don't have a great wide receiver group, especially after Hilton, but I think Reich and Sirianni are maximizing the talent available to them, especially the way we use the TEs. I loved the play calling, it was up tempo, quick release, alot of no huddle and it suits Luck down to the ground. He was fully in control out there and looked very comfortable. We were the best team on 3rd down this weekend (75pc), which is good considering it was a good Bengal defense. This is a massive improvement improvement from the Pagano era where we were awful. The running game wasn't great but with Costanzo and Mack back with Turbin later, it should improve. I think we will be around the top 10 offenses this year with Luck throwing for over 4,000 yards like 2016.

- I think on defense, we are obviously very young and made a few key mistakes, that ultimately were costly. I thought the starting safeties were rusty which in fairness was to be expected. But I'm much more excited about the future because they will get better. Players like Leonard, Turay, Wilson, Hooker, Moore III, Skai Moore, Walker, they are nowhere close to their ceiling yet along with Ridgeway who is off a excellent pre-season. I think next year's draft with the depth at defensive line, it will be a big help, because we struggle a bit against the run.

Overall, I think it will be a bit of a rollarcoaster season. We will proabably ship a big beating here and there but overall I think we still have an outside chance of making the playoffs. Getting Costanzo, Ridgeway and Mack back will give us a good boost for next week. I think we are going in the right direction anyway.

letowski

phatkev wrote:

Was there any specific reason for the Colts getting rid of Henry Anderson? He was excellent last night

Yeah it was a scheme fit more than anything. We have had to let a couple of our better defensive players go when we switched to the 4-3. Anderson I remember in his rookie year was excellent but was plagued by injuries since. He got a run of games fit last season and returned to very good form. Seems to have brought that on to NY. The Jets got a nice deal for him as he is a very solid starting 3-4 d-end.

decolts

letowski wrote: »

Great review.

Thanks! You too!

Like you I was super gutted after the game - you'd think after last season we'd be used to that but it felt (most of the way thru the game) that we were going to do it! It has only made me more excited for the season ahead though - as you say there will be no doubt be some heavy defeats in there but I think we're going to get to see some exciting football over next few months!

Those defensive players you've listed off have a lot of talent between them so that is going to be fun to watch those guys develop this season.

I know we are light on the WR group but I was still pleased with them at the weekend - Grant surprised me - he limited in talent but Luck obviously trusts him - I think he was targetted 11 times, and he caught 8 of those.. I'll take that! Would've liked to have seen more of Ebron - thought he would be more involved but sounds like Reich plans on using him the same throughout the season but lets see what happens there!

Here's hoping the hurricane doesnt stop the game from going ahead at the weekend... I need my Colts fix!

decolts

Hi all.. think we've finally something to talk about? what are all your thoughts on recent weeks? There have been some frustrating weeks as a colt fan this season but I think the last two weeks should give us plenty of hope! I know the bills pretty much suck but their D was doing really nicely up until that match.. and yeah the raiders arent so good either but we showed some nice determination to get the win - something we'd be faltering on in some of our losses this year!

To come from behind on Sunday, when our D had been playing so poorly and then close out the game was pretty awesome! Can only get you excited looking at the current O-Line with no sacks allowed in 3 games, our pretty sweet running game, our tight-ends, and Darius Leonard! That's more than enough to make me hopeful for the remainder of the season and the future of the colts!

Now with the injury list getting shorter (was getting ridiculous a few weeks back), & the bye week now we should be in good shape to go on and put a good run of wins together! looking at the schedule and the next 5 games i dont see any reason why we couldn't win those if we can keep our main guys fit!

On some of the areas I mentioned above - our running game - this must be so nice for Luck to know we have guys who can actually run the football! Marlon Mack can be a top running back in the league if he can keep fit, and Hines is showing he has a lot of ability also (which wasnt looking the case in pre-season!). Then onto the Tight-Ends - they are a dream for Andrew Luck - Ebron has been immense so far this season - a real go to guy for Luck especially while Doyle was out. Now with both of those as targets, and Cox in there too, they are going to be a real strength for this team! And what about Darius Leonard - he is AWESOME! There is no doubt he is a contender for Defensive Rookie of the Year! Sunday wasn't anywhere near his best but that forced fumble he made was sweet! A game winner really.. and to be able to do that on a consistent basis is such a huge benefit to the team.

Can't see us doing any trades today.. tho a WR would be a nice addition!

Pretty delighted I got myself a 'Mack' jersey at the start of the season.. was really hoping that wouldnt backfire on me but looks like it's might've been a good call! (Touch wood he stays injury free!)

letowski

Yes agreed there is quite alot to be positive about at the mid point in the season. I think 3-5 record is about right for this team. I hate using hindsight, but not taking the draw against the Texans is coming back to bite us a little. We would only be 1 game off a tie for the lead in the AFCS. But I'm backing Frank Reich and the call. I'm pleased the direction this team is going under his coaching.

We are growing offensively since the poor offense that played against the Redskins in Week 2, especially in the last 3 games. I said it in a post just above that with Costanzo and Mack back we would be able to get a more balanced offense, but my expectations have been exceeded. Mack has looked amazing and is firmly establishing himself as a proper RB1. Costanzo and the rest of the oline has looked as good as I have seen it, and that predates the mess of the Grigson/Pagano years. I'm very pleased with the guys and Nelson particularly is brilliant (see below ). This has meant Luck has been super efficient the last 2 games and is looking as good as I have seen him. That's huge and the play calling especially the commitment to run the ball is giving Luck a luxury he has never had. We are the 5th highest scoring offense behind KC, NE, LAR and NO so they're in great company. If we could get a good WR2, honestly we would be about set.

Our defense on the other hand isn't very good and played poorly yesterday. They have had some good games like against the Redskins and the Eagles but overall I think the simple, soft zone coverage scheme is being figured out fairly easily my other teams and they are just marching down the field at will. I know we do have that 'bend, don't break' scheme but I still would prefer if Eberflus could mix it up a bit and try and get more pressure on the QB. I guess the reality is we have limited talent at CB and on the dline. I think in the next draft, I wouldn't be surprise we draft an interior and edge defensive player and a CB with our first round and 2 second round picks. But there have definitely been positives none the less. Leonard is a stud and I think Hooker is playing very well, Hooker's stats may not show this but he is ensuring we are not getting beat over the top. Young players like Turay, Kenny Moore and Walker have played well. As I said, if we can get upgrades at CB and on the dline, hopefully Eburflus can call more of an aggressive game. But overall, I think this is where we were expecting our d to be at. It was encouraging though that they are making plays, statistically were doing well at getting takeaways.

https://twitter.com/BaldyNFL/status/1056978263069937664

Deco99

4-5 with two huge games this weekend. Home to Titans with Luck having never lost against them is huge. If Luck can keep pressure on you'd fancy the D to keep Mariota from keeping pace. The worry is if the titans D can stop alot of drives. Redskins is a game that Texans will be targeting as winnable.

helimachoptor

Deco99 wrote: »

4-5 with two huge games this weekend. Home to Titans with Luck having never lost against them is huge. If Luck can keep pressure on you'd fancy the D to keep Mariota from keeping pace. The worry is if the titans D can stop alot of drives. Redskins is a game that Texans will be targeting as winnable.

He's not the player he was when he beat them and titans are a vastly different team.

Luck will get yards for sure question is can the stingy titan D keep you guys out of the end zone?

Also the Mariota has been very good the last 3 weeks, assuming that continues titans win I think.

The big battle to watch is the titans front 7 Vs the colts o line. Game hinges on that imo

Deco99

helimachoptor wrote: »

He's not the player he was when he beat them and titans are a vastly different team.

Luck will get yards for sure question is can the stingy titan D keep you guys out of the end zone?

Also the Mariota has been very good the last 3 weeks, assuming that continues titans win I think.

The big battle to watch is the titans front 7 Vs the colts o line. Game hinges on that imo

Malik Hooker is out. Huge blow. Colts biggest problem is depth. Lucks numbers suggest he is still same player, or at least he's playing with a superior O-Line.

helimachoptor

Deco99 wrote: »

Malik Hooker is out. Huge blow. Colts biggest problem is depth. Lucks numbers suggest he is still same player, or at least he's playing with a superior O-Line.

O line is far superior from the stuff I watch, he doesn't seem to slam it down field as much though

decolts

So.. how we all doing today? ha.. I really don't want to get my hopes up about playoffs but it's looking more and more likely.. we win our two remaining games and we should be there... Looking back on our 6 defeats this season and you think how close we were to winning at least 4 of those - this team has to be the surprise package of the year! no one saw this coming, regardless if we make the playoffs or not, the fact that the Colts are in contention with two games to play is massive!

What are all your thoughts on the Colts season up to now? Am I the only Colts fan getting their hopes up of a playoff place?!?

not_quite_last

Whether they make it into the playoffs or not, it's been encouraging. Only real disappointment for me was the Jags game.
And the more the Ravens/Steelers/Titans keep winning, the more i think it's going to be what costs them the playoffs spot.

I'm loving Nelson's enthusiasm - seeing a long play down the field and as soon as the plays over, he's there helping the guys up. :-)
And it's nice to see the difference Kelly makes when he's there and when he's not. Some of the holes Mack went through yesterday were amazing.
Leonard is a beast. It's just a pity he plays for the Colts and so gets ignored by just about everyone in the media.

Whatever happens in the last 2 games, it's a definite improvement in the team and hopes are high for next season.
And Luck is definitely back. :-)