I'd rather they tank this season.
 

Go for a better pick.

Luck could be healthier.

No if's ands or buts to fire the coaches.

Brisette would get more experience and maybe be a good backup.


Worse scenario - Luck takes the Colts to 9-7 and somehow a playoff spot and there is this temptation to keep Pagano.

I'd rather this be a rebuild. It takes an organization some time to recover from 1st round mistakes.

I disagree, if Luck is healthy you don't shelve him for the season, I don't see the benefit there. Besides, Chuck is still the coach, so they won't win many games anyway.

But will they win enough games for Irsay to keep him around?

I'm torn. Unless you're the Spurs you never get the stink of tanking
out of you, it shows up somewhere. On the other hand I shudder at the
thought of entrusting Andrew's recently repaired shoulder to this
miserable offensive line, incompetent coaching staff and testicle challenged
receiving corps.

No.

Considering that Luck is not yet practicing with the team, I find it a stretch that he will be ready for even the Week 4 CLE game in 2 weeks.

As such, he will be looking at joining a team that is 1-3 at best and quite possibly 0-4 as Cleveland is actually showing some signs of life as a team even though they are also 0-2 right now.

That is a pretty hard hole for him to dig the team out of in order to make the playoffs or have a winning record. Going 8-4 or 9-3 for the rest of the season will be a big chore. I hope Pagano is done in Indy.

I also hope that Ballard is smart enough to have come in, realized how bad the roster is, knew that a total rebuild was in order and also knew that if he kept Clappy McWoodchopper for 1 more season in which we were going nowhere anyway, he could then fire him and burn off much of the excess anger from the fan base while getting his star QB healthy and having a 2nd off-season of talent acquisition to further rebuild the team.

I hope that is the case rather than Ballard being convinced that Clappy was a quality NFL Head Coach and that Tolzien was an NFL quality #2 QB. If he believed that, then this franchise is doomed.

Walk Worthy,

Cleveland is next week (week 3), I dont see Luck playing in that one if he hasnt practiced, and I am not sure they will want to start him against the Seahawks in week 4 either. Maybe against the 49ers... at which point we could very easily be 0-4.

Colts are underdogs to the Browns? Holy **** Batman!

I could see us beating the Browns, in the same sense that I saw us potentially winning yesterday. I don't think this is going to be like 2011 where we're just getting laughed out of the building every week. Had we stuck with Tolzien then yes I think it would've been (in the same sense that we idiotically stuck with Collins/Painter for far, far too long in 2011), but with Brissett at the helm, I truly think every game is going to be competitive.

This really isn't a tough schedule at all. If we were better in just a few areas (namely coaching, but we're obviously all aware of our various position deficiencies as well) and had a healthy Luck, then we really could roll through the schedule and the division without too much trouble at all.

You say that like there is a chance they won't. lol. Inept coaching, lack of talent in key positions and it was set in stone before the season started. How bad we were going to be was the only unknown.

I can't believe we are having this conversation. If these young guys are led to think it's ok to lose now for a better draft pick you will NEVER turn that thinking around. A culture of losing breeds more losing. With good talent assessment and a smart approach to free agency Ballard will have plenty of opportunity to rebuild this roster in the next few years. It's not going to be a quick fix. I see NO scenario where Pagano is back next year. I think the ONLY question is if he's a mid season fire. As for Andrew I hope he's back for the 49s week 5. It's not like he doesn't benefit from playing just because it's a weak roster. He still needs to work on his decision making and can take the next step in his development. He's got some pretty considerable rust to work off. It may be a crappy season but this fan girl will continue to watch every crappy minute. I admit it. I'm addicted. :p

The Colts have no need to intentionally try to lose; our talent level dictates at this point that we will lose most of our games without 3 of our best players on the field (Luck, Kelly, Davis).

All management needs to do is make sure they don't hit the field until mid-season to "ensure" that they are 100% healthy and play a TON of rookies and young players and you are well on your way to a top ten/five draft pick.

No need to try to lose. We will do so naturally with the lack of NFL talent and Clappy McWoodchopper coaching.

Walk Worthy,

While it was great seeing some signs of life in the defense it worries the hell out of me that Pagano is going to somehow survive another year. We came out playing well (not sure how that happened) but Pagano is completely unable to make any in game adjustments. It's nauseating having this very nice man as our coach.

If they aren't healthy that's fine but if they are and management is intentionally holding them out the locker room will understand that and lose respect for their leadership. It's not a winning strategy in the long term. They are all well paid professionals. Professionals want to follow leaders that always strive to win.

I don't believe football teams ever really tank the season. They may not play with high emotion when they're pretty sure the opposition is better, but they still play hard.

As a fan, I always want to see my team win, but this year began with my expectations much lowered. When Luck is playing or before him when Manning was the QB, every week, you expected to win. So, when the team lost, it hurt. This year? Not so much. Play to win, but play the young guys, the ones that will be with the team next year. Let them get experience in a year when the playoffs are not in the cards. Next year, a new head coach, a healthy Luck, a young defense with some experience, a few FA acquisitions in critical areas, and a solid draft may get the team back to the playoffs.

Tanking has nothing to do with the players not trying to win. It instead is "Management" making decisions that may have long term interest in mind over winning today. Those decisions include;

Not playing Luck, playing rookies, moving AC to Right Tackle, not playing anyone that is injured even though they could play, etc.

We are not making the playoffs this year. A pick at 1,2 or even 3 could go a long way to this team getting really good, really fast.

Top priority for next year is a LEFT TACKLE.

I single high round daft pick in itself will not elevate this team.
I combination of quality draft picks (not with Pags), developing the talent we have (not with Pags), decent FA pickups (not with Pags), good game planning (not with Pags), good in game adjustments (not with Pags) and maybe some Luck.

We don't know what's going on with Luck, but I think it's critical that he play this year, so the team can assess his health. The team needs to know if Luck comes back 100%. If he's damaged goods, then Darnold could be the draft choice.

You aren't moving AC to right tackle this year.


Luck plays if healthy. No question about that.

As stated we need a pick at 1,2 or 3 because we can then trade that pick and still get a LT if we can stay in the top ten. We then get extra picks. First Priority is finally fixing the OL. We need an LT and at least a Guard if AC can play RT.

I do not know why we cannot move AC to right tackle now to see if he can play the position. He is terrible at LT so a replacement can only be as bad.

If AC cannot play Right Tackle when we will needs to move on.

If luck plays this year behind our current OL then he will be having a new surgery this off season.

You have to play Luck if he's healthy. I thought the initial prognosis on Kelly's injury was 6-8 weeks from mid-August, so that could be next or the week after.

I will lose a good deal of interest for this team if I think they are intentionally tanking. That in addition to the respect I've lost for this for irrationally sticking with Grigson, and stunningly irrationally sticking with Pags.

Lopresti mentions that the colts are 0-2 for three straight seasons for the first time since Andrew Luck turned two (1991).

This stretch reminds me of the Dowhower, Meyer, Venturi years....

0-2 doesn't bother me as much this year because I fully expected it. I say they'll start 1-4 after which Pags is FINALLY fired.

At least, I hope so.

It's just so frustrating that EVERYONE on Gods green earth can see how bad he is except the one guy who matters.

Definitely.

You think AC is terrible at LT but want another dude in the team to play it? You don't think it can get worse? Probably half the league has an as bad or worse LT than AC. Yet you think we have an upgrade on he roster?

There is zero logic in your thinking

Funny thing is that if they won yesterday, they reasonably may have been able to pull off 3-2 with Luck coming back for Week 6. But going back to the point of the OP, I think it's rationale to think that the Colts will be in a better position to develop into a contender if they lose a high share of games just like yesterday's.

I do not think that there is not an "upgrade" on the roster. However I know that AC cannot continue to play LT as he is really bad and has been bad for several seasons. He is paid a lot of money. The Colts need to find out if he can play RT or would he be just as bad.

I would start Clark at LT and move AC to RT. If Clark does worse then I have to put AC back at LT. If he is the same then I leave that line-up in place.

However the colts will not know until they try. Presently AC give the QB almost no time to throw. Even then "blocking" he gets pushed back into the QB.

To be fair, are those half the league at LT costing their teams a $13M cap hit?

I don't know. Probably not. But with 17 mil in cap space I don't care. We aren't hurting for money.

I am all for replacing him but I want someone better before we move from him. That is a spot I don't want a step back.

And this is really stupid

Clark couldn't even win the RT job and you want to hand him LT?

You want to see the alternatives? Watch how terrible these LT's are tonight

My point about tanking is I don't want them to rush Luck at the expense of wining games. The future can be better at 5-11 than 8-8.

8-8 gave us the same coach again.

Sure didn't sound like it.

If your goal is to see Luck actually die on the field, as opposed to just being ravaged by injuries, that's probably the way you'd go about doing so.

Who is AC keeping alive. :)

Why not just get AC some help at times? A RB or a TE, even if it's just something quick before releasing out on a route? Then in the offseason they can see if an upgrade is able to be drafted or brought in.

browns open as 2.5 point favorites in indy. that's embarrassing.

Luck is already ruled own for this week, though Pagano said he wouldnt rule out practicing.

Go chop wood somewhere.

Where did you get that bit about practicing? Holder quoted Pagano as saying "I don't know about that right now." Is that what you mean?

I'll again say that I'm feeling a win on Sunday against the Browns.

Just a feeling, but I had the same feeling about the Cards (when everyone was expecting blowout).