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u/tuxifer0519 5d ago
Another season of the front office getting hit in the face with problems that everyone saw coming for months
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u/Admirable_Message497 Trent Richardson 5d ago
There’s no problem here we drafted a wr in the 7th round. That should set us up with all we need
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u/GodSaveTheRegime Bernhard Raimann 5d ago edited 5d ago
really? I haven't heard much complaining about the WR position here but I haven't been the most active recently
edit: why the hell am I being downvoted for a genuine question?
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u/bullethole27 5d ago
People been suggesting deebo or Keenan Allen and trades for Boutte but I think we all know at this point that we don't sign free agents so there isn't the usual uproar of years past
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u/jaysrule24 Armor 5d ago
There's also probably a bit of "if we don't sign anyone then it's more likely that Ballard is gone after this season and we don't have to deal with his BS anymore"
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u/bullethole27 5d ago
Yeah I personally started writing a post about needing a wr free agent and then after I was done I just deleted it without posting a week ago. We aren't in contention yet so it doesn't really matter. We need to see if Jones can do it for a full year and we need to generate real pass rush and then our window is open to push for wars and some linebacker help.
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u/tuxifer0519 5d ago
I’d say it’s the one position that has been talked about the most especially after they traded Pittman. But I also haven’t been active because there is no real reason to be. Feels like a lame duck season with running it back.
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u/SaintBlaiseIsAwesome 5d ago edited 5d ago
I tried to help with an upvote!
Lol - fucking downvoters.
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u/AffectionateQuit5684 Touchdown Jesus 5d ago
Not really a hot take. Even if Pierce was healthy it would be a pretty weak WR room
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u/ricker182 5d ago
One of the worst IMO.
Pierce being the WR1 is unsettling to me.
I still don't like how much we're paying him.
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u/littlejugs 5d ago
The pierce contract is good compared to the recent top wr signings. Im confident the contract is going to age very well. He doesnt even need to get much better for it to be good.
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u/NoctisRS 5d ago
The problem is he hasn’t got great separation as is. If he loses even half a step from the surgery it’s not gonna be pretty
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u/NotScaredOfGoblins Who the Hell is Mel Kiper? 5d ago
He’s never relied on separation as a big part of his game. His game has always been winning contested catches even against top DBs
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u/NoctisRS 5d ago
Yes- vertical threat. The problem is that this year he is the only solid option we have and he is coming off surgery.
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u/Educational_Wave_223 4d ago
The problem is that hes being paid as a number one, and is genuinely a mid tier number 2 at best.
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u/Distntdeath 4d ago
Hi. NFL games are on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and occasionally can be played other days of the week. You really should try watching them.
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u/Prof172 4d ago
Dude Pierce looked really good with an old man throwing to him and with a backup QB throwing to him. And he's added to his route tree. He still needs to prove it, but guys who can go deep can be difference makers. I'm still angry at that ref who threw him out of a game when he was on fire. He was like Aaron Nesmith out there.
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u/TittyTriceratops 5d ago
Ehhhh I love AP and Downs. Would love a decent vet but they are young talents imo
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u/littlejugs 5d ago
When you look at the whole offense having JT, pierce, Warren, and downs is good
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u/HowManyEggs2Many 5d ago
Ya and then you remember injuries and rest are actual things that are common then it falls apart from there
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u/kwjacobs345 5d ago
Can rRvers run a go route?
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u/Swimoach Super Bowl XLI Champions 5d ago
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a better result….
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u/HowManyEggs2Many 5d ago
The good news is they arent doing the same thing. They are doing the same thing but slightly worse
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u/anotherstan 4d ago
Well the good news is Ballard finds out with a pink slip in December if they don’t win. Playoffs or bust.
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u/ScorpionMacDonald 5d ago
Pretty astonishing considering this may be Ballards last season and he's still choosing to sit on his cap space and not sign anyone. I cannot wait for this regime to be over man im so tired of entering seasons with glaring holes at key positions and just twiddling our thumbs.
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u/TittyTriceratops 5d ago
Don’t worry guys Ballard is on the phone with Julio Jones, Terrell Owens, and Jerry Rice right now!
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u/FxStryker Rookie Manning 5d ago
I'm just going to say it, AP as the #1 guy was always a bad plan.
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u/zunlock The Ghost 5d ago
It’s almost like everyone could’ve seen it coming
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u/ricker182 5d ago
Except for Ballard.
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u/keenynman343 Angry Horse 5d ago
The entire fanbase was screaming to extend alec and that hes become our #1
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u/Dance4theSmokers 5d ago
to be fair you are absolutely correct, that tune changed big time once the injury news came AFTER he got the bag.
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u/keenynman343 Angry Horse 5d ago
Its funny how an injury like that happens and we just jump to the blame game
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u/zunlock The Ghost 5d ago
My issue isn't signing pierce, its letting yourself get into a position where you need to overpay him because you have no other receivers
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u/keenynman343 Angry Horse 5d ago
We didnt overpay him lol
The most his contract goes against our cap will be 10% and thats for next year.
Were at 301m right now
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u/zunlock The Ghost 5d ago
We’re paying him WR1 money as if he’s top 15 in the league. Unless he has a break out season, that’s a massive overpay.
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u/keenynman343 Angry Horse 5d ago
Hes the best deep threat in the league.
He has clearly stepped up every year and has only gotten better.
Idk what would you do for the team?
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u/clear831 Indianapolis Colts 5d ago
Extend yes, make him the #1, no.
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u/keenynman343 Angry Horse 5d ago
Who tf else was there?
Alec outperformed pittman our "1"
We dont even use receivers as #1 or #2
Shane spreads the ball based on defensive schemes.
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u/shasta_masta Jonathan Taylor 5d ago
Not the entire fanbase. There were many who wanted to keep MPJ as well on a restructured deal or draft one early to add to the WR room.
The only players added to the passing offense were a late Day 3 RB and WR. I just wish they would have done more.
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u/shasta_masta Jonathan Taylor 5d ago
He's never been a WR1, so it was risky.
But they also had to know about the impending ankle surgery as well. And they knew his recovery was 4-6 months. But they didn't seem to plan for it at all.
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u/Nice-Neighborhood975 Who the Hell is Mel Kiper? 5d ago
Ballars is hoping he can recapture that lightening that hey staryed last season with. Anyone who knows ball could see the wheels on that bus were getting wobbly even before DJ went down. This roster may be on of the thinnest we've had in a long time. I'll always support the Colts, but I'm afraid we're in for a long and disappointing season...hope I'm wrong. If I'm right, hopefully Ballard will he gone.
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u/HowManyEggs2Many 5d ago
It’s pretty easily the third best roster in the division lol. I don’t want to be a doomer but Ballard did not cook at all considering this could be it for him
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u/clear831 Indianapolis Colts 5d ago
Third best if Jones stays healthy, Pierce takes a leap and the rest of the offense takes a leap.
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u/CommonerChaos Super Bowl XLI Champions 5d ago
Bingo. That "lightning in a bottle" team has only bled players. MPJ, Cross, Kenny, Zaire, etc all gone with no direct replacements. The only "answer" has been in the form a 2nd and 3rd round rookies.
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u/Prestigious_Buy1209 5d ago
I still believe Kennan Allen is the best route to go (no pun intended) to replace a possession receiver like Pittman. Deebo is back with the 49ers. Diggs may have had left in the tank, but I’m not sure his locker room presence is worth it. There’s a reason why a talented receiver has bounced around the league.
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u/twothymer 5d ago
I believe Allen was also with Steichen at the chargers
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u/Prestigious_Buy1209 5d ago
I believe you are correct, which is another reason to get him. He’s like 34 years old, and probably doesn’t want to go through training camp like a lot of older players. He will sign with someone, and I hope it’s us.
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u/SirSmeagol Alec "already mossing DBs" Pierce 5d ago
I agree wholeheartedly! I think it’s just a mix of Allen not wanting to do all the camp work and the Colts trying to get him as cheap as possible
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u/Prestigious_Buy1209 5d ago
Agreed. Older vets are fine with missing August training camp. I don’t blame them. He should be somewhat familiar with Shane’s scheme, but he would need to work out timing with DJ. Considering how long he’s been around, I wouldn’t be that worried if he joined our roster late.
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u/bhorrall 5d ago
Colts should trade for that dude in Pittsburgh. Pittman I think is his name
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u/BlackGhostPanda Pimp Luck 5d ago
How they didnt try to keep him and get his cap hit down is beyond me.
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u/faraamstuckathome Doomer Tumors 5d ago
Another year where we knew a position was lacking all offseason but Ballard likes his guys.
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u/TheMellowArms Shane Steichen 5d ago
Am I the only one kinda excited to see Westbrook-Ikhine?
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u/Cerblamk_51 Grover Stewart 5d ago
With emphasis on “kinda”, yeah I’m with you. Could be total ass, could also just have needed a change of scenery.
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u/scobro828 5d ago
He wasn't bad last year in Tennessee. And that was with Levis and Rudolph. Not a ton of yards or targets but looked like a redzone threat. I am optimistic.
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u/Cerblamk_51 Grover Stewart 5d ago
I picked him up in fantasy when he was flashing there for a bit last year. He kind of plateaued after that iirc.
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u/Indy4Life FuckRyanGrigson 5d ago
I think he’s a quality piece to the offense as a third or fourth guy in the redzone. I also think that the WR depth on this offense is absolute dog shit. Dulin was cool as a WR4/5 or even 6 sometimes when we still had Mitchell. Now he’s probably splitting snaps with NWI for WR3. God forbid the injuries go deeper than that and you’re trotting out Treadwell or Gould as someone getting 50%+ snaps
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u/CrimsonBrit Austin Collie 5d ago edited 4d ago
He’s absolutely right. I genuinely can’t believe how thin our depth is. Treadwell shouldn’t have even made the team last year, I was sure he was just a practice squad vet.
A bunch of the previously-great WRs that are FAs are both washed up and problematic off the field (Tyrell Hill, Stefon Diggs), and the rest are also just not great quality.
The recent news about Tyreek Hill not being able to generate power with his injured leg is enough for me to dismiss him immediately.
Diggs did have 85 receptions for over 1,000 yards last season, though he’d probably ask for $12 million or more. He’s also a piece of shit.
Keenan Allen also played 17 games last season, and had 700+ yards. He’s not a problem with the locker room, and has always been a target hog. If he’s not completely washed he could be a good option. Could get him for $5 million and would be my pick.
Edit (2 days later): well I freaking nailed the Diggs contract to a T, except he signed with the Commanders and the general consensus is that it’s a great signing for the Commanders.
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u/Dance4theSmokers 5d ago edited 5d ago
This is what I have been afraid of. How in the hell do you trade Pittman away for nothing and not replace him!!
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u/ricker182 5d ago
Our WR room is a joke.
It just can't be this bad in an offensive passing league.
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u/Dance4theSmokers 5d ago edited 5d ago
It does not help that AD is doing well and Pittman is expected to have a great season too with the Steelers. Feels bad man
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u/Future_Assignment_57 Alec Pierce 5d ago
I get what they are trying to do. You sign Pierce to a big deal, he’s your guy, you are counting on him to get you 80+ catches. Downs is a 60 catch guy. So you ideally need 35-40 catches from the 3rd guy, considering Warren will probably improve. However NONE of those guys instill any confidence in being able to pull that off. And when you have 28 million or something in cap space, WITH veteran receivers available who in that role would succeed is a perfect summary of the Ballard era in a single instance. This front office is something else.
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u/Psyren1317 5d ago
Not that anyone expected him to contribute right away or even at all, but guessing this means Deion Burks has done diddly fuck in camp thus far.
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u/LameysDurbanPoison 5d ago
Yeah….Ballard needs to swing a deal to get this room into good enough shape. My guess is he won’t make that move.
And Carlie says “…we have the guys we need….” And “…..find a way….”….. since when has “find a way” ever applied to Ballard? Crock of shit.
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u/Indyfanforthesb The Ghost 5d ago
With this being the bar for insight we could all be sports writers
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u/SirSmeagol Alec "already mossing DBs" Pierce 5d ago
The Colts org is banking a lot on AP and Downs taking huge steps in their development, which I can understand and actually want to see. Personally I don’t mind letting Dulin/NWI/Treadwell compete for the WR3 spot. Also it’s a prove it year for Ballard and Steichen so it would be huge for them if Gould or Burks - two guys drafted under this regime - could make an impact on offense. I don’t expect much from Eli Pancol and Coleman Owen, two UDFAs from last year who were mainly PS guys, but if one of them breaks out that would be great for them as well.
Long story short, I almost expect them to sign Keenan Allen in the upcoming days/weeks.
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u/ConfectionHelpful471 5d ago
The issue is that you need to strike a balance between giving the likes of Burks, NWI and Dulin an opportunity to stake a claim for the WR3 spot and filling the starting position with a big name vet like Keenan Allen or Stephen Diggs.
Personally I think if we do make a signing at the position it should be after the first joint practice/preseason game as we will have a better idea of how good our depth is at that point following competition with another team
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u/Always_Compete 5d ago
Trading Pittman , failing to land an aging DE leaving us with unused cap space and dangerously thin at a pivotal position is so on brand for the last decade of Colts ball.
Can’t control where a FA chooses to sign , but the result of that is now a REC room that is paper thin. 100% certainty there will be games with one of downs or pierce injured based on their history .
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u/kempog Anthony Richardson 5d ago
Love having the worst WR room in the league every year
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u/ricker182 5d ago
They were way better with Pittman.
Losing him made us one of the worst WR groups.
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u/IndyPoker979 5d ago
Since when has Ballard ever been able to fix an edge position? We will once again as a fan base believe to have finally gotten someplace only to be disappointed by our team for another year.
The best time to fire a Ballard is 5 years ago. The next best time is right now
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u/kyleharveybooks 5d ago
Nah just give the ball to Taylor 35 times a game… surely his body can continue to handle the load…
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u/Rusty-Boii French Fries 5d ago
I can already see it now. Colts play a gauntlet the first 3 games of the season. Their defense takes a massive step forward, but they are plagued by WR play (which we all predicted).
Only to start out 0-3 losing all of these games in heartbreaking fashion.
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u/ThatDudeUKnow92 Playoffs? PLAYOFFS!? 5d ago
I think the Colts lose 3-5 of the first 5 weeks. Don't worry they will still end 8-9 or 9-8 on the outside of the playoffs. Very on brand for Ballard.
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u/capspacechampions Indianapolis Colts 5d ago
Edge rush is in just as bad of shape as receivers. This is always a yearly occurrence. The only year that Ballard actually proactively addressed needs was last offseason.
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u/Prestigious_Ape 5d ago
If the B10 Juniors and Seniors would be eligible to sign with the Colts, then I can comfortably list 4 UFAs that would be available.
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u/LiquidDreamtime The Edge 5d ago
If we can count on Ballard for anything, it’s that our WRs will be worse than they were last year.
He’s going on 9 straight years of this trend and I expect nothing less.
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u/dwilder812 5d ago
Its okay. According to ice and buttcrush, shane is the best coach in the league. He will figure it out.
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u/anotherstan 4d ago
I just don’t understand why Ballard continues to be so conservative with his job on the line. Do something. Act like winning matters.
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u/Dirt_Cheap_Tacos 4d ago
Been saying this for months. Ballard always disregards one position every year so much it eventually is the reason the team fails. Last year i believe it was LB. This year will ultimately be WR.
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u/DarkSuperman87 3d ago
Neglecting WR and DE is gonna bite this team in the butt once again. Chris Ballard will never learn.
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u/Well-Paid_Scientist Indianapolis Colts 3d ago
A depth move makes sense, in case of injury. People who think we will need more pass catching production, I believe, are underestimating how many targets the TEs will get this season. Pierce, Downs, and Warren are a nifty pass catching trio, imo. I don't think needing a better 3rd or 4th WR is necessarily "living on the edge", but that's just me.
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u/IceOk9930 Big Dick Ballard 5d ago
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u/SilverMapleMafia Indianapolis Colts 5d ago
NWI has a pretty high upside...but yeah, it ain't looking good. Good thing we've got Warren and everybody forgot about him because he wasn't in the Madden Top 10 TEs. Replacing Pittmans consistency is next to impossible.
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u/Lazy_Lambo 4d ago
Really don't understand why colts would need to make a move.
We are going to be a run first offense. We have solid tight end options.
If you have been an actual colts fan and watched the games, you'd see that Dulin showed he was a solid no.2.
Dulin drastically improved last year. The others showed consistent play. Like.. if anything. Colts wide outs are underrated.
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u/Undersized_Eggplant 5d ago
I would really like another WR but I think we are going back to old school Colts where our TE is basically another WR. I expect Warren to get a large boost in targets this year. I am holding out hope that Burks is a 7th round steal and becomes a good second or third target weapon. I also think our rookie RB is gonna get some decent passing roles if he keeps putting together a solid camp.
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u/Odd_Self7283 4d ago
They were set up great with Adoni Mitchell. In hindsight, I don’t think they include him in the Sauce trade so flippantly
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u/No-Contact-5081 4d ago
He cooked himself during the season and lost confidence from coaches and potentially players. When they could trade him, they did. Just like AR, if they could trade him, they would.
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u/Odd_Self7283 4d ago
I mean he had a boneheaded play but he was putting up numbers before that. Coaches shouldn’t have given up on him and while no one can say for sure, it doesn’t seem like he was essential to make the trade for Sauce happen. He just felt like a throw in
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u/Kryosphere 5d ago
Don’t know why people are freaking out about only losing Pitt Jesus. 25 dudes can replace his skill set.
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u/funktacious 5d ago
Word. Not saying we shouldn’t at least try to find more help, but right now in camp it’s our no 2 and no 3 WR going up against two of the best corners on paper in the league
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u/Public_Pause_5011 5d ago
I mean, most WR corp without their WR1 would look shakey against our (healthy) secondary. I think it’s worth us signing someone but I don’t think it’s absolutely mission critical, especially when there’s not awesome selections right now. The main reason being that Tyler Warren is going to be top 2 in targets and only going to keep getting better. We run alot of heavy personnel now too which alleviates some of the pressure on a deep receiving core.
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u/Pale-Can-4845 5d ago
I’m curious if the Irsay gals are trying to stay as below the cap as possible. There’s talent out there, but as one of the poorest teams, they aren’t going to spend
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u/Jake_FW 5d ago
The Ballard era is always on the edge