According to Joe Burrow…

[Kray007]

The Bengals have the best supporting cast since he’s been with the team, better than the one that won a Super Bowl.

So, I thought that I’d compare them with the Colts, position by position.

QB…Indiana Jones vs Joe Burrow. My gut says to go with Burrow and so does my brain. PFF gives Burrow a grade of 91.8. Jones got a 71.7. That’s quite a discrepancy, considering that both guys finished with comparable stats and NFL.com’s end of season QB rankings put Jones at 8 and Burrow at 10. Still, Burrow gets the nod. Advantage Bengals

RB…Taylor versus Chase Brown. By any rational standard, Taylor stands head and shoulders ahead of Cincinnati’s guy. Advantage Colts.

WR…Chase, Higgins, and Iosivas vs Pierce, Downs and whoever else the Colts trot out there. Here, it’s not even close. You can mention Pierce in the same breath as Higgins, and Downs is probably a better slot receiver than Iosivas. But, no one thinks that Dulin could carry Chase’s jockstrap. Advantage Bengals.

TE…Warren vs Drew Sample. Drew who? Advantage Colts.

OL…Raimann, Nelson, Bortoloni, Goncalves, and Travis vs Brown, Fairchild, Karras, Turner, and Mims. None of the Bengal Linemen crack a 70 on PFF’s ratings. 3 Colts come in higher than 80. Travis gets a 73 and change, Goncalves 69. I know that a lot of people have issues with PFF, but in this case, at least, their grades pass the sniff test. Advantage Colts

DE…Latu and Key vs Murphy and Mafe. The uncertainty about who lines up opposite Latu complicates making a comparison. But, Latu is better than either one of those guys and, even if Key wins the job, it’s not a disaster. PFF grades him at 63. Murphy gets a 64. Lest anyone discount that, the numbers for Cincinnati were brutal. Murphy racked up 5 1/2 sacks. Maye picked up 2. Advantage Colts.

DT…Buckner and Stewart vs Lawrence and Allen. Taking off the rose colored glasses for a moment, I’ll allow that Sexy Dexy is probably better than D Buck. By any measure, however, Stewart is better than Allen. On the whole, though, Lawrence’s other worldly ability tips the scales. Advantage Bengals.

LB…Allen and ? Vs Knight, Carter, and Burks. The Colts uncertainty at the position is trumped by the fact that the Bengals might have the worst Linebacker corps in the league. Advantage Colts.

S…Bynum and Haulcy/Wohler vs Cook and Battle. Cook is an excellent Safety, undoubtedly better than Bynum, although you have to wonder if the return of Ward and Gardner elevates his performance. On the other side, whoever the Colts line up will probably be better than Battle. But, probably doesn’t buy you many Quarter Pounders at McDonald’s. Advantage Bengals

CB…Ward and Gardner vs Turner and Hill. Seldom in the annals of the National Football League has any team put together a Cornerback duo as feared as Dax Hill and DJ Turner. It isn’t often that you get one guy capable of shutting down his side of the field, much less two. Seriously, though, all kidding aside, it’s hard to overstate Gardner and Ward’s potential for changing the dynamic of the game. Advantage Colts.

Colts 6 Bengals 4, although you can argue that the Bengals superiotity at two of the most important positions in the game tips the scales towards them.

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by Kray007

The Bengals have the best supporting cast since he’s been with the team, better than the one that won a Super Bowl.

So, I thought that I’d compare them with the Colts, position by position.

QB…Indiana Jones vs Joe Burrow. My gut says to go with Burrow and so does my brain. PFF gives Burrow a grade of 91.8. Jones got a 71.7. That’s quite a discrepancy, considering that both guys finished with comparable stats and NFL.com’s end of season QB rankings put Jones at 8 and Burrow at 10. Still, Burrow gets the nod. Advantage Bengals

RB…Taylor versus Chase Brown. By any rational standard, Taylor stands head and shoulders ahead of Cincinnati’s guy. Advantage Colts.

WR…Chase, Higgins, and Iosivas vs Pierce, Downs and whoever else the Colts trot out there. Here, it’s not even close. You can mention Pierce in the same breath as Higgins, and Downs is probably a better slot receiver than Iosivas. But, no one thinks that Dulin could carry Chase’s jockstrap. Advantage Bengals.

TE…Warren vs Drew Sample. Drew who? Advantage Colts.

OL…Raimann, Nelson, Bortoloni, Goncalves, and Travis vs Brown, Fairchild, Karras, Turner, and Mims. None of the Bengal Linemen crack a 70 on PFF’s ratings. 3 Colts come in higher than 80. Travis gets a 73 and change, Goncalves 69. I know that a lot of people have issues with PFF, but in this case, at least, their grades pass the sniff test. Advantage Colts

DE…Latu and Key vs Murphy and Mafe. The uncertainty about who lines up opposite Latu complicates making a comparison. But, Latu is better than either one of those guys and, even if Key wins the job, it’s not a disaster. PFF grades him at 63. Murphy gets a 64. Lest anyone discount that, the numbers for Cincinnati were brutal. Murphy racked up 5 1/2 sacks. Maye picked up 2. Advantage Colts.

DT…Buckner and Stewart vs Lawrence and Allen. Taking off the rose colored glasses for a moment, I’ll allow that Sexy Dexy is probably better than D Buck. By any measure, however, Stewart is better than Allen. On the whole, though, Lawrence’s other worldly ability tips the scales. Advantage Bengals.

LB…Allen and ? Vs Knight, Carter, and Burks. The Colts uncertainty at the position is trumped by the fact that the Bengals might have the worst Linebacker corps in the league. Advantage Colts.

S…Bynum and Haulcy/Wohler vs Cook and Battle. Cook is an excellent Safety, undoubtedly better than Bynum, although you have to wonder if the return of Ward and Gardner elevates his performance. On the other side, whoever the Colts line up will probably be better than Battle. But, probably doesn’t buy you many Quarter Pounders at McDonald’s. Advantage Bengals

CB…Ward and Gardner vs Turner and Hill. Seldom in the annals of the National Football League has any team put together a Cornerback duo as feared as Dax Hill and DJ Turner. It isn’t often that you get one guy capable of shutting down his side of the field, much less two. Seriously, though, all kidding aside, it’s hard to overstate Gardner and Ward’s potential for changing the dynamic of the game. Advantage Colts.

Colts 6 Bengals 4, although you can argue that the Bengals superiotity at two of the most important positions in the game tips the scales towards them.

Accurate assessment. Burrow lifts that team because he is a top 5 QB in the league.

[apballin]

Agree Burrow tips the scales by himself.

I’m sure he’s feeling good coming into the season ever since they went to the superbowl it’s been one contract distraction after another or nagging injuries before the season begins for burrow.

They’re very dangerous

[ukcolt]

To start with....Burrow has never won the Superbowl!

I think your assessment of the linebackers is also wrong. Were Cincy's linebackers bad last year? Yeah, of course, but they were both rookies, who should improve, remember Allen is the equivalent of Knight last year.

Going off topic, I am concerned with the amount of faith generally that is being placed on guys from this years draft and from those in last years draft class as well.

Yes, Warren was great and hopefully continues to ascend, but JTT was really poor for most of the year, Walley didn't play at all, Travis looked good from a small sample size, but who really knows how good he will be this year? Giddens barely played, Leonard saw some action, and looked promising, but is certainly unproven, Smith was on the practice squad all year, and Wohler was on IR.

So we are anointing CJ Allen as the starter, but he was selected in a similar position to JTT last year, are we expecting too much from someone this far into the draft? Haulcy, it appears to be his starting job to lose, with no NFL experience at all. Farmer is being talked up massively, is it realistic to expect a 4th round guard to start? Not that i think this is a need necessarily.

I think we have some players with potential, but other than Warren and Travis, none of them have actually proven to play to an acceptable level already to be relied upon for real game time action.

Now that's not to say that some of them won't be big time contributors this year, I just feel that it appears as if we are going into this season relying on a huge amount of playing time from guys who are entirely unproven as starters.

[Oldcolt]

Originally Posted by ukcolt

To start with....Burrow has never won the Superbowl!

I think your assessment of the linebackers is also wrong. Were Cincy's linebackers bad last year? Yeah, of course, but they were both rookies, who should improve, remember Allen is the equivalent of Knight last year.

Going off topic, I am concerned with the amount of faith generally that is being placed on guys from this years draft and from those in last years draft class as well.

Yes, Warren was great and hopefully continues to ascend, but JTT was really poor for most of the year, Walley didn't play at all, Travis looked good from a small sample size, but who really knows how good he will be this year? Giddens barely played, Leonard saw some action, and looked promising, but is certainly unproven, Smith was on the practice squad all year, and Wohler was on IR.

So we are anointing CJ Allen as the starter, but he was selected in a similar position to JTT last year, are we expecting too much from someone this far into the draft? Haulcy, it appears to be his starting job to lose, with no NFL experience at all. Farmer is being talked up massively, is it realistic to expect a 4th round guard to start? Not that i think this is a need necessarily.

I think we have some players with potential, but other than Warren and Travis, none of them have actually proven to play to an acceptable level already to be relied upon for real game time action.

Now that's not to say that some of them won't be big time contributors this year, I just feel that it appears as if we are going into this season relying on a huge amount of playing time from guys who are entirely unproven as starters.

I could not agree more. Plus people get hurt and we have zilch sitting behind these guys. Add to the fact that folks here (and the Colts)are talking like we have a real winner in Leonard, which is incredibly important with the injury status of Jones. To me this guy is a journeyman backup at best. Moody is one fall from retirement and we didn't address the pass rush this off season. I am as unjuiced and depressed about this upcoming season as I have been about any Colt season in the past 60 years. I hope I am wrong but I see another season of futility for us, just like the last decade has been.

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by Kray007

The Bengals have the best supporting cast since he’s been with the team, better than the one that won a Super Bowl.

So, I thought that I’d compare them with the Colts, position by position.

QB…Indiana Jones vs Joe Burrow. My gut says to go with Burrow and so does my brain. PFF gives Burrow a grade of 91.8. Jones got a 71.7. That’s quite a discrepancy, considering that both guys finished with comparable stats and NFL.com’s end of season QB rankings put Jones at 8 and Burrow at 10. Still, Burrow gets the nod. Advantage Bengals

RB…Taylor versus Chase Brown. By any rational standard, Taylor stands head and shoulders ahead of Cincinnati’s guy. Advantage Colts.

WR…Chase, Higgins, and Iosivas vs Pierce, Downs and whoever else the Colts trot out there. Here, it’s not even close. You can mention Pierce in the same breath as Higgins, and Downs is probably a better slot receiver than Iosivas. But, no one thinks that Dulin could carry Chase’s jockstrap. Advantage Bengals.

TE…Warren vs Drew Sample. Drew who? Advantage Colts.

OL…Raimann, Nelson, Bortoloni, Goncalves, and Travis vs Brown, Fairchild, Karras, Turner, and Mims. None of the Bengal Linemen crack a 70 on PFF’s ratings. 3 Colts come in higher than 80. Travis gets a 73 and change, Goncalves 69. I know that a lot of people have issues with PFF, but in this case, at least, their grades pass the sniff test. Advantage Colts

DE…Latu and Key vs Murphy and Mafe. The uncertainty about who lines up opposite Latu complicates making a comparison. But, Latu is better than either one of those guys and, even if Key wins the job, it’s not a disaster. PFF grades him at 63. Murphy gets a 64. Lest anyone discount that, the numbers for Cincinnati were brutal. Murphy racked up 5 1/2 sacks. Maye picked up 2. Advantage Colts.

DT…Buckner and Stewart vs Lawrence and Allen. Taking off the rose colored glasses for a moment, I’ll allow that Sexy Dexy is probably better than D Buck. By any measure, however, Stewart is better than Allen. On the whole, though, Lawrence’s other worldly ability tips the scales. Advantage Bengals.

LB…Allen and ? Vs Knight, Carter, and Burks. The Colts uncertainty at the position is trumped by the fact that the Bengals might have the worst Linebacker corps in the league. Advantage Colts.

S…Bynum and Haulcy/Wohler vs Cook and Battle. Cook is an excellent Safety, undoubtedly better than Bynum, although you have to wonder if the return of Ward and Gardner elevates his performance. On the other side, whoever the Colts line up will probably be better than Battle. But, probably doesn’t buy you many Quarter Pounders at McDonald’s. Advantage Bengals

CB…Ward and Gardner vs Turner and Hill. Seldom in the annals of the National Football League has any team put together a Cornerback duo as feared as Dax Hill and DJ Turner. It isn’t often that you get one guy capable of shutting down his side of the field, much less two. Seriously, though, all kidding aside, it’s hard to overstate Gardner and Ward’s potential for changing the dynamic of the game. Advantage Colts.

Colts 6 Bengals 4, although you can argue that the Bengals superiority at two of the most important positions in the game tips the scales towards them.

o


In spite of less-than-stellar quarterback play from Gardner Minshew, Anthony Richardson, and Joe Flacco, the Colts managed to record a mediocre record of 17-17 in the 2023 and 2024 seasons combined ...... that would tend to point toward at least a pretty good supporting cast of the team as a whole.

In 2025, the Colts got excellent QB play from Daniel Jones and went 8-2 before he broke his leg in the OT loss to the Chiefs in western Missouri. They also nearly beat the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on their home-field with a 4th-string, 44 year-old quarterback taking the snaps behind the center ...... that would tend to point toward a good supporting cast.



All of that said, I won't be completely convinced of a change to the Colts' proverbial "Groundhog Day" mediocre ending to a season until I literally see the number "10" in the l W l column ...... I don't care if the Colts trot out the second coming of Peyton Manning, Lenny Moore, and Roger Carr on offense and the likes of Mike Curtis, Bubba Smith, Robert Mathis, and Lenny Lyles on defense, I won't believe it until I actually see it.

o

[ChoppedWood]

Originally Posted by Oldcolt

I could not agree more. Plus people get hurt and we have zilch sitting behind these guys. Add to the fact that folks here (and the Colts)are talking like we have a real winner in Leonard, which is incredibly important with the injury status of Jones. To me this guy is a journeyman backup at best. Moody is one fall from retirement and we didn't address the pass rush this off season. I am as unjuiced and depressed about this upcoming season as I have been about any Colt season in the past 60 years. I hope I am wrong but I see another season of futility for us, just like the last decade has been.

Nah man, we have had injuries every year, but there won't be any this year.

[Kray007]

Originally Posted by Oldcolt

I could not agree more. Plus people get hurt and we have zilch sitting behind these guys. Add to the fact that folks here (and the Colts)are talking like we have a real winner in Leonard, which is incredibly important with the injury status of Jones. To me this guy is a journeyman backup at best. Moody is one fall from retirement and we didn't address the pass rush this off season. I am as unjuiced and depressed about this upcoming season as I have been about any Colt season in the past 60 years. I hope I am wrong but I see another season of futility for us, just like the last decade has been.

I dunno. I’ve been a Colt fan since the Unitas years…admittedly, regrettably, it was at the end of his storied career. And, the joy in watching Unitas, Morrall, and Jones ver1.0. has sustained me as I watched them wander in the wilderness for what seemed like 40 years.

So, I can honestly say that there have been plenty of times when, in May, the upcoming season looked bleaker than the upcoming one.

Heck, as a Colt fan, there have been 4 or 5 year stretches in which the only light in the tunnel has come from the lantern of the guy searching for an honest man…or a Quarterback.

At times, at times it seemed as if the only mention the Colts got in the media was when David Letterman told jokes on the Tonight Show.

Don’t get me wrong, I, too, have doubts about Riley Leonard, and I do recognize that injuries could derail the upcoming season. But, that’s a fact of life in the NFL for a fan of any team. If Jones and Ward go down, the future might be bleak, but if they don’t,the future is bright.

[Oldcolt]

Kray. Maybe I was younger and had more hope. Usually in those really crap spells we were bad bought that we had a hight draft choices which gave me something to root for. Shit, I was even excited about Schlister, or at least I had hope. In retrospect it was almost always dashed but I still had it. I always felt that even if we were not going to contend we were building something that might.

[YDFL Commish]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

Accurate assessment. Burrow lifts that team because he is a top 5 QB in the league.

Burrow is the most accurate deep ball passer I've ever seen. What the Bungholes have done to him is a travesty. They allowed their O-Line to fall apart, haven't had a decent running game since Joe Mixon left, and have been too cheap to keep what was once a decent defense in tact. They have fielded the worst defenses in the NFL the last two seasons.

If the Colts had Burrow over the last 3 seasons, we would have easily fielded 11 win teams each season.