I think the final resting place for the offensive line is interesting. While I also thought Smith looked good to me so did LaRaven Clark. Clark seems to be the type of player that gets better only when he plays on a consistent basis. For that reason I'm beginning to think he should start. He wasn't perfect but each game he seems to get more consistent. He is less versatile than Smith as he is only a tackle. When TC comes back, would anyone here give LaRaven a shot at RT and let Smith be the primary backup to both guard and tackle? If he can handle it I see it as giving a little more versatility to the back up line as Good and Smith both can play multiple positions.

This game was lost before it even started.

On the road against NE on a Thursday night with half the team injured?

I was just happy they made a game of it in the second half

Leonard being out was a HUGE blow for this game. And then we lose the back up MLB in the first quarter as well. Brady and the Pats killed us right over the middle where he would have been all night

its obvious, for whatever reason, the defensive strategy was completely different this game. For whatever reason, be it Brady or injuries or lack of prep time, or all 3, they were sitting back in coverage, everything short, no extra men to pressure Brady. And he took advantage, just picked apart the D.

The offense, there was good and bad.

The bad was, again, dropped balls. Dropped balls and turnovers. Killers, many of them. This makes me appreciate Wayne, Harrison, the past WRs for the Colts all the more. Rarely dropped the ball and rarely turned it over.

Luck really did well considering the environment and no TY Hilton, no one he can really trust out there or has much timing or a QB/WR relationship with. He made one bad play, the INT before the half. Other than that, he looked great.

This team won't win games vs top teams though with 5+ drops a game, which is what has happened each of the last two games

On the positive as well, the OL in the second half looked pretty good. I thought Braden Smith looked as good at right tackle, or better, than anyone else all season. If Castonzo ever comes back, a line up of AC, Nelson, Kelly, Slauson and SMith for the OL looks to be decent

But still, no running game. Trying to fight for a few extra yards and turning it over. Stupid WR mistake leads to an INT. Can't do that vs the Pats.

The team is 1-4, but the next 3 games before the bye are certainly winnable : Buffalo, Oakland and NYJ. Its very possible we are 4-4 going into the bye and then we have 4 out of 5 games after that vs division teams, so they can be in contention going into December.

A poor record for a young team and a new coaching staff, but I actually still have hope from what I've seen

On the first drive, Brady never had the ball for more than 2 seconds and most of the time around 1.6 seconds. I don't care how many guys you rush, you're not pressuring him that quickly. You're better off with less rushers, but disguise them. 4 or 5 guys looking to rush, but 2 or 3 of them drop back when the ball gets snapped. You might get yourself in the lane of Brady's target.

By far the biggest issue imo was dropped passes. It has been a problem for long enough that one wonders whether it’s a result of poor coaching or more likely a lack of talent. I just cannot see how this team can enter next season without a true number two obtained via free agency and a 3rd/4th round pick as our 3rd option. Beyond Hilton I only see depth players or #3 at best on the roster. Tight end is solid and we have a weapon out of the backfield so getting a threat between the tackles and some defensive talent and we will likely see a team that can compete in January.

I agree totally. This team has continually regressed at WR since the vintage years of Reggie Wayne in 2012 and early 2013.

We need to find our next Reggie Wayne.

It's lack of talent and the thing I'm most critical of Ballard for. He seems to be either/or in free agency vs draft so far. I think most of us would agree: both can complement each other, and signing a free agent doesn't mean throwing away a youth-based build.

I look at it this way: your WR2 opposite Hilton wasn't, at any point in this roster's evolution, a long-term investment solution. Ryan Grant is a young player you want to mold into a future WR2. Neither is Chester Rogers at this point etc. MAYBE you could argue Deon Cain, but I would argue back: he was a 6th round pick and the Colts were HOPING he could flash as he did in camp, but that was always going to be a crapshoot.

So if you weren't impeding anyone else developing at that spot anyway (and even Cain, again, would have probably been a 2019 or beyond development target): why not sign Allen Robinson or someone similar to front-loaded deal instead of sitting on all this cap space?

Amen to keeping Hines on the field as a receiver. He's basically one of those en vogue wink-nod RBs anyway. His first veteran contract negotiation will be an interesting one.

Allen Robinson was coming off an ACL tear, he's not having a particularly great season thus far, and I don't trust that this team would've even kept him on the field.

That said, I'm hoping the reason Ballard squirreled away that cap space is that he's planning to spend it on some of the defenders that could hit free agency this year. You have almost all of last year's tag guys, Suh, Clowney, and a couple more who could all make very interesting free agent targets. Getting Lawrence and Clowney would be ideal, and is possible with nearly $90 million of cap space. That would also allow the Colts to consolidate their top 3 picks if necessary to get their preference of Ed Oliver or Nick Bosa.

I’m not very familiar with the under cap capabilities of other teams to sign their own talent but based on some comments read online I have some concerns that Ballard is setting himself up for a free agent market that either will not be there or will not match our needs. I just hope that in retrospect we dont come to regret not making some investments in free agency this year.

I have a feeling he will always keep us way under the cap until we sign dudes he drafted.