State of the team.
 

At the halfway mark…

Quarterback…something of a bloody mess. A 39 year old Joe Flacco hasn’t performed well against top-flight opponents, but it will be interesting to see what happens when the schedule turns to teams like the Jets, the Giants, and other bottom dwellers. As far as Anthony Richardson is concerned, we just don’t know. I thought that, in the game versus Houston, he showed real. progress. There were none of those airmailed balls that used to fly 5 yards over the receivers head. Whether that represented real progress or was an illusion, we just can’t know because he was benched. Going forward, my gut tells me that Richardson will get a second chance to prove himself. The only question is when that happens and whether it will be soon enough to get a handle on our need at the position ahead of next year’s draft.

Running Back… on a lot of levels, Jonathan Taylor is a splendid running back. He has the kind of innate running skill that sets him apart from lesser players. There are, however, undeniable weaknesses in his game. His blocking skills are, frankly, embarrassing and his receiving skills are still, largely, a mystery. As his career has progressed, we have seen him make plays as a receiver out of the backfield. But, for some reason, whether because of scheme or lack of confidence on the part of the coaching staff, he is largely under utilized in the passing game. Going forward, I see a real need to add another back, preferably through the draft. As he approaches 30 and the cliff that all Running Backs fall over, the need for a credible back up, becomes more and more obvious.

Wide Receiver…This is a position with which I am reasonably happy. Pittman and Downs are high-quality options. Alec Pierce is a legit deep threat who probably is under utilized in the intermediate and short zones. And, this past Sunday against Buffalo, AD Mitchell began to allay at least some of the doubts about him. If there is a need at the position, it’s for a legitimate superstar; one of those guys who strike fear in the hearts of men, a player who can shift the momentum of the game at any moment.

Tight End…The Colts have a number of Tight Ends on the roster, and none of them can be described as mediocrities. None of them, however, represent real strength. Frankly, I am tired of waiting for Jelani Woods who is beginning to remind me of Godot. From Kansas City with Travis Kelce to New England with Rob Gronkowski to the 49ers with George Kittle, it is blitheringly obvious that a truly elite tight end can shift a team’s fortunes. I would love to have one of those on the Colts roster; I just wish that I had confidence in Anthony Richardson’s ability to find him.

Offensive Line…All things considered, you have to be fairly pleased with the Colts offensive line corps. Bernard Raimann is never going to be confused with Anthony Munoz or Walter Jones, but he is an above average player at his position. Braden Smith, when healthy provides a credible bookend on the other end of the line. Quentin Nelson is Quentin Nelson. Will Fries is a nice piece to the puzzle. And Ryan Kelly is a four time Pro Bowler. If he were just five years younger, I would be very pleased. But, he is not. The good news is that Chris Ballard had the foresight to add Bortolini, Goncalves, and Tucker to the roster during this past off-season. With all of the injuries that have added up over the course of the season heaven only knows just what kind of shape we’d be in without them. Going forward, my gut tells me that there is still need to add a legitimately elite piece to the puzzle. Just who and where I do not know.

Defensive Line… At this moment in time, few teams have as strong a Defensive Tackle combo as do the Colts. Age, however, is creeping into the equation. So, to me, it seems imperative that Ballard go out and find one of those monster of the Midway type players…someone like Dexter Lawrence…to rotate in today and anchor the interior once Grover Stewart moves onward. At defensive end, we have a whole bunch of workmanlike players, but no one who changes the game. It’s tough to tell, right now. Who knows, maybe Latu develops into that guy; and, beyond question the return of Samson Ebukam will help immensely. Paye and Odeyingbo are decent players who will occasionally generate pressure but don’t do it with any consistency. Again, you have to wonder just how much of a difference that someone like Tyquan Lewis would have made. Personally, I would give a proverbial body part for someone like. Micah Parsons or Joey Bosa, but I wouldn’t beat the bushes in the first round looking for him. if it were me, I’d shake the tree in the fourth or fifth round and hope that another Robert Mathis falls to the ground.

Linebacker… I’m not exactly dissatisfied with either EJ Speed or Zaire Franklin; nor am I entirely happy with them. Going forward in the short term, there are certainly other positions in more dire need of improvement. So, for right now, I would do my best to make do.

Cornerback…beyond the certainty of Kenny Moore at Nickel, one of Chris Ballard’s most criticized decisions was to pass on taking a flyer at Corner this past off-season. His rationale was that he wanted to see how well players already on the roster developed. I think that that decision would have looked a lot better were Juju Brents not sidelined. The emergence of guys like Jalin Jones and Samuel Womack probably lets him sleep a bit easier at night. There is, however, no question that Corner is a fundamental need sometime soon.

Safety… At Safety, at the very least, Nick Cross’s play reassures us that he wasn’t a completely wasted pick in 2022. He appears to be someone you can live with. In years past, Julian Blackman looked like an emerging star. This year, however, he hasn’t seemed to live up to our expectations, and better minds than mine suggest that he’s simply playing out of position. That’s a question that Gus Bradley and the coaching staff are going to have to look at in a couple of months. If they come to that conclusion, the best way forward might be to bring a Free Safety then let Blackman and Cross battle it out betwixt themselves.

Special Teams…There’s really nothing to be concerned with here. Sanchez is fine and nothing about Gay really raises any red flags. Of course, if someone came along and dropped someone in our laps who could make 64 yard field goals with any degree of regularity I wouldn’t cry in my soup.

When all is said and done, it seems to me that Chris Ballard has done a nice job of putting together a roster that can compete. They lost a few games this year, but haven’t been out of any of them. To me, the best demonstration of exactly where this team stands is the game we just watched versus Buffalo. The only thing that stood between the Colts and victory against one of the best teams in football was the play of one man.

Well said. The roster is solid enough, but the QB play has been horrid. If AR were to make a leap, we would be contenders for the division, and possibly a trip to the second round. Just imagine what we would look like with a Kirk Cousins level of QB, or perhaps an Andy Dalton level. The realities of this league is that a good QB is vital to success, and we have been snakebit there since Luck.

Is Tyquan Lewis out for the year?

I think he's eligible to come back soon. We could use him.

If you look at the colts roster, they are really devoid of talent in a lot of areas.

Acceptable talent
Running back
Wide receivers
Offensive line is decent but Ryan Kelly and Braden Smith are on the way out.
Defensive line is ok now but aging in the middle and Kwity Paye is never going to be great.
Secondary has some talent but as it always seems need a corner and a safety.

Unacceptable
QB
TE
Linebacker.

In my opinion colts need to draft well to replenish the roster

I would swap LB for safety. We have two strong safeties, but no real ball hawking free safety, and absolutely no depth.

o


A quarterback who is the equivalent of Philip Rivers in his prime ...... that's what we need.

Rivers was not mobile, Anthony Richardson is mobile ...... so if Anthony Richardson can be 80-85% of the quarterback that Philip Rivers was, add the mobility, and this team could consistently win between 11 and 13 games year in and year out.


Oh yeah ...... a head coach that was not a complete imbecile would also help.

o

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The lone exception was the 2020 season, when Philip Rivers and one of the best offensive lines in all of football led the Colts to an 11-5 record and an excellent showing against the Bills in a playoff game that went right down to the wire on their homefield in northwestern New York State.



https://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/r...Teams/2020-ind


In that playoff game against the Bills, Philip Rivers was literally untouched ...... he wasn't just not sacked, he was LITERALLY UNTOUCHED by any member of the Bills' defense for the entire 4 quarters.

o

As you said, age is becoming a factor for some key parts of the defense.

DT and CB will be critical needs.

Braden Smith has played very poorly this year, is he hurt? I like the new guys playing on the OL, Goncalves, Bortolini, Tucker, Pinter...but I think we need to look at picking up another OT to see if we can improve on Smith and/or Raiman who has been merely serviceable (but that's better than bad). Maybe its time to move Smith back to G where he played in college and insert Goncalves at RT.

And then yea, the big ? at QB.

My term is correct, because Rivers retired after just one season.

o


Yes, overall the franchise has been snake-bit at that position since Luck retired.

The Rivers season was an anomaly, although I believe that it's worth pointing out to show that Ballard has indeed put together "complete" teams that are not overly-reliant on a superstar quarterback.

o

Steichen indicated that the Colts were opening the practice window for DL Tyquan Lewis. They only held a walk through practice today so tomorrow will be Tyquan's first full practice session.

Lewis will have up to 21 days to practice with the team before he must be activated or revert back to IR for the remainder of this season.

o


From the other side (a Detroit Lions sportswriter, the team whom the Colts play in their next game.)



Are the Indianapolis Colts Making a Playoff Push ???

(By Brandon Knapp)

https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2024/...t-playoff-push

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(DECEMBER 8th)


I just read that the Tennessee Titans were still mathematically alive for a playoff berth before today's game ....... and their record is now 3-10.

So with a record of 6-7, the overall state of the 2024 Colts may be erratic, unpredictable, and questionable, but it's not nearly as dire as the state of the Jaguars or the Titans.

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In spite of the weakness of their scheduled opponents' (the Titans, the Giants, and the Jaguars), ESPN experts predict a big collapse for the Colts in their final 3 games of the season ...... Seth Walder used 10,000 simulations with the Football Power Index to predict the final three weeks for all remaining NFL games, and the results show that the Colts will win one of their final three to finish a miserable 7-10.



ESPN Has Little Belief Colts Finish Season Strong

(By Drake Wally)

https://www.si.com/nfl/colts/news/co...-strong-titans

o

Well if they do shit down their leg that bad changes will have to happen & probably will.

It shouldn't surprise any of us if the Colts shit the bed against the Jagoffs. But any bed shitting other than that will be a surprise.

o


It might have helped if the Chargers had lost to the Broncos last night, but they also would have had to lose one of their 2 remaining games to either the Patriots or the Raiders in order fort the Colts to make the playoffs ...... and I think that 3 Ravens losses is more likely than the Chargers losing to either one of those teams.

The Colts' only hope for making the post-season is that the Ravens lose to the Steelers, the Texans, and the Browns.

The Steelers and the Browns have already beaten the Ravens.

The Texans have already clinched the division title, but they still have a chance to pass the Steelers for the number 3 overall seed in the AFC.



The Colts are not going to make the post-season this year, but I still hope that they win their 3 remaining game to finish at 9-8 overall.

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One bullet avoided, 2 to go.

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The Colts are ranked 21st out of 32 NFL teams heading into their game with the Giants ....... and I have no problem with that ...... until they prove otherwise and stop stepping on their own dicks, the Colts deserve to be met with a high degree of skepticism.



https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...st-rookie-year

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The New York Giants have been in existence since 1925 ...... their current losing streak is the longest in their 100 seasons of playing professional football.



Giants Will Try to End the Colts' Playoff Hopes, and Their Franchise-Record 10-Game Losing Streak

(The Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/colts-gia...bc30e069696d42

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I thought this was a good place to post this and an interestingly different perspective on the Colts situation.

https://youtu.be/qjUWHGJI9Ws?si=X-Kmu6uwAaEisZGt

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Meanwhile, the Redskins/Commanders just won their 11th game of the season for the first time since 1991 ....... the last time that they won the Super Bowl.


http://www.coltfreaks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=192715

o

Isn't it amazing what a change of leadership can do!

Just REDSKINS C&O. Commanders is a stupid ass name. That Redskins helmet was a classic.
Hope they bring back the Indians to Cleveland too. Guardians, another stupid ass name.

o


Aside from the fact that having a name like the Washington Redskins is as bad as having a name such as the Newark Niggers or the Wichita Whities, their name is the

Commanders ...... hence, the Redskins/Commanders.

o

As I watched that game couldn’t help but notice Mariota walking up to Daniel’s at a key point late in the game talking to him in his ear, and I’m thinking why the fuck didn’t we sign a QB similar to AR to be a backup? Instead let’s sign an old ass guy that way you have to run 2 totally different offenses when AR is out and clearly he wasn’t brought in to mentor AR because you never see them talking to each other and even if they did what the fuck does a 40 year old pocket passer have in common with a run first QB half his age

they changed their name. you don't have to like it but they aren't the redskins anymore.

The Colts need to appoint a committee of Polian, Manning and Dungy to find a President of Football Operations.

I would suggest somebody like Pete Carroll. Then, at that point, that person would be the presumptive voice of the organization. Because whoever is the voice now, does not have a clue.

The PFO would have full reign to fire, hire, promote, cut or sign anyone that they think will change the Colts culture back to it's former glory.

If anything is going to change, Ballard has to go! If they bring Ballard back next season the damage will take a decade to repair!

My guess is that Ballard and his agent already have a new gig lined for next season. In other words he's had one foot out the door all season.

I have never liked that Walmart in Zionsville, I will never shop there again now.

He will find a GM job quickly, if fired. This isn't Grigson we are talking about.

And will make a bunch of betters a shit load of cash by betting against his team every damn game they play!

Fuck Chris Ballard!

Sadly, that’s his biggest strength and why he got 8 years - he wasn’t Grigson. And that was enough for him to get the chance to waste 8 fucking years building mediocrity. That won’t carry as much weight in other cities.

He’ll get another shot. The question is if he learns anything from his failures here. His past history says he won’t. He’s way too fucking arrogant. I’m sure he’s still convinced he’s building the team the right way.

Frankly, give me Grigson 8 out of 7 days over this dude. Grigson was a tyrant, clearly lacking in personnel skills, and definitely rubbed people the wrong way including a lot of players. But what he wasn't, was a fucking coward! Ballard is all bravado and no balls. At least Grigson fired his shot- it misfired terribly and blew his own head off but give me that every single time over a fucking sit on your hands bum who does nothing and perpetuates a culture of rewarding his guys for accomplishing jack shit. We are in purgatory as a middling franchise with no upward momentum because bitch ass Ballard is scared of his own shadow.

Fuck Chris Ballard!

Maybe but he might have to take a step back to director of scouting or something.

Word is he has been doing some Coursera stuff to polish up on his knowledge of Boars Head vs Hillshire Farms. He will likely continue to struggle with the cut thickness, but hey, he'll likely be better at that than his scouting of NFL players.


Fuck Chris Ballard!

o


Former Colts Players Don't Hold Back as They Share Their Uncensored Thoughts on the Current State of Their Former Team

(By Destin Adams)

https://atozsports.com/nfl/indianapo...ts-pat-mcafee/




1) ) Marlin "I Intercepted Tom Brady's Pass to Clinch the 2006 AFC Championship" Jackson

https://x.com/i/status/1873485091332121080



2) ) Robert "Every Time You Hear My Name, You Will Always Think of Dwight Freeney, and Vice-Versa" Mathis

"Hold up !!! Giants hang 40+ on us ??? What's going on ???"



3) ) Pat "I Don't Care if I'm a Punter, I'll hit you as hard as Chris Hanburger would if you have the ball" McAfee

"A blind person could see the red flags on this team. Work ethic questions, NEVER happens on good teams. Preparation commitment questions, NEVER happens on good teams. Late to meetings, NEVER happens on good teams. Late to/skipping treatment, NEVER happens on good teams. The franchise QB tapped out of a game on 3rd down because he was tired NEVER HAPPENED in the history of the NFL."

o

I bet Ballard has a framed picture of Donnie Walsh in his office!