[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by MeSayDayo

I wanted to bump this topic because it need to be mentioned....

Shouldn't a $20 milllion per year lineman, regardless of their position on the line, transform that unit as a productive one?
The Colts line has been pure trash this year even if Nelson himself hasn't been terrible.
Would this team be any worse up front if they had traded Nelson for a first rounder? Would the franchise have been better set up for next season with another first rounder? Especially given the fact that we are looking at likely a high 1st in the upcoming draft.

The question isn't weather you should pay your best guys. You should. But there should never be a single player that isn't expendable, either due to their high value or lake thereof.
The only scenario where taking Q as high as we did would end up biting us in the ass was if he ended up starting his career at an All-Pro level- which he did- and it painted us into a corner.
I thought the same about Leonard until I witnessed just how bad we are without him in the lineup. He clearly is a difference maker, and even if he ends up retiring before age 30 (which I expect), I think we need him on our team. But why? If we are going young at QB, we don't need stars, we need assets.
Ballard has proven that he is willing to pay his own guys- no need to beat the dead horse, as this point has been cemented into our locker room- maybe to the point where guys are getting complacent after getting paid- see B. Smith, R. Kelly, maybe Buck too.
This team desperately needs to be realigned, starting with the spine of our roster. Get something for our assets while they are still considered assets.

I disagree quite a bit. High draft picks and a brand new QB are flashy new toys, but gutting the team to get those new toys is just the wrong thing to do. Maybe if we are talking aging vets, but you mentioned guys in their prime. We need guys like that.