Colts Sign RB Christian Michael
 

won't make the team

Probably be between him or Ferguson ... Neither a great loss :cool:

we could keep only 3 rbs

which is what i would do

Yep, and probably one on the practice squad (Crossan maybe Ferguson if he's even eligible)

But hey, if we somehow have a rash of injuries at RB during TC, hopefully Michael will be a guy who at least knows the playbook.

Good, more competition, ensures Ferguson won't make the roster, and pushes Turbin for his spot. Also good insurance for if Gore falls apart (he is 34).

Good, maybe great physical talent. But he sucks. Everything I've read and heard on him says he doesn't understand football, doesn't understand plays or what to do. He keeps getting chances because of it clicks for him he'll be a very good back. But I don't think it ever will. And not with our coaches.

Don't get this signing when you drafted a RB?

Camp body.

yea, I think it's fair to say they aren't going to work Gore much at all in training camp, and need another back to take reps so that the other 3 aren't overworked.

looks like you were right

Of course I was

Oh ok motherfuckers so Ballard gets a pass on this huh

Dude got injured and was unlikely to make the team regardless. What is there to be worked up about.

It was a wasted/ pointless signing

Not that I thought Christian Michael was all world or anything, but.....

Gore. Turbin. Mack.

Those three are at the top of our RB depth chart. Then....who?

Gore is 835 years old. You have to assume that his work load has to decrease or else the injury bug will bite this year. Neither may happen, he is an ironman, but the coaching staff has to assume that he cannot carry the full load this year.

That leaves Turbin and Mack as the primary backups. But it would be foolish to carry less than 4 RBs on your 53 man roster in case of injury to either one of them.

Who is # 4 ?

I saw little out of Josh Ferguson last season that makes me think he is the guy. Rookie Dalton Crossan? 3rd year Troymaine Pope? Those are the other RBs on the roster.

Michael has 254 NFL rushing attempts with a career 4.3 ypc average. Not all-world but not terrible.

What did you want out of your RB4 ?

"wasted/pointless signing"? Really? Sure, he got hurt but if feels like you are equating this signing the same as the Trent Richardson trade. We swung, missed due to injury and lost NOTHING in the deal. None of the contract websites mention a signing bonus so nothing was paid to him. Perhaps we paid him an injury settlement but that does not come out of the cap. Nothing was lost.

"Ballard gets a pass....." On what? Signing a low level player who got injured?

Obviously, you want to be mad about something on the team. I got a few other choices for you that are much more important than the signing of RB4 Christian Michael.

#1 Be mad that the Colts are still sitting on nearly $20m in free cap space of which about $16m could have been used to sign more veteran free agents. We don't really need it for the future since our cap space is well managed (especially after dumping guys like D'Q and Art Jones) so why not spend it?

#2 Be mad that Gerald Hodges, MLB for SF, who recorded 80 tackles in 12 starts and has pass coverage skills went unsigned for most of free agency and ended up on a 1-year contract with BUF for $750k. Better choice, IMO, for a veteran presence than either Spence or Bostic.

#3 Be mad that we stood pat (at starter level talent) on the O-Line when our star QB is still laid up from having surgery. No veteran free agents signed other than Schwenke whom will be depth for the interior and no high round rookies. It might work out alright because I like the guys we got but another stud to hold down RG or RT would have been appreciated.

Anyway. You can choose to be mad about whatever you want but I think there are better choices than RB4.

Cheers,

Kind of like how your post bitching about a 4th string RB is pointless.

I didn't get the complaining on this one, either. Maybe some here think Gore can play until he's 50 and like Turbin. I'm not them. Gore is overdue to break down and Turbin is a less than ideal backup. I do like Mack, think he has a great future with the team and maybe starter potential, but you have to have something behind him, and a tough runner like Michael was, IMO, a pretty good solution. Unfortunately, he got hurt, and now I guess we'll see if Pope can do the job.

That said, I'm really only angry about Hodges from the points you listed above. The unused cap space rolls over into the following season (which will be useful at some point down the line), and if you want an OL to become an elite unit, you need to get a group and get them to gel. There is no reason to let a MLB who was superior in age, talent, and production to anything the Colts had on the roster to go to Buffalo for $750K when sitting on $20M in cap room, though. Though I guess maybe they're confident in getting the more Donnie Edwards-esque version of Anthony Walker?

Whoa, who said I was mad?

Point was if Grigson had done this it would've been a FIRE Grigs thread instead of hooray we gave money to a bum that wont be on the team.

There are plenty of RB's to bring in as RB4 so why sign this dude?

No, if Grigson signed players that were worth a shit, he'd have gotten credit where credit was due, like when he signed Ayers. The problem with him was those signings were so few and far between and heavily outweighed by poor personnel decisions.

Thankfully, Grigson is gone now, and Ballard seems to understand the type of talent the schemes that the team runs need to be successful.

The offense is Grigson's still as for the D he signed Langford and Butler, drafted Anderson and Parry, traded for Vontae. So the D is still half his, I mean he pulled a Dam near 30 year old LB out of the CFL and look what he turned into.

Looks good for Ballard so far but let's be honest these guys are just throwing shit at the wall really.

A great GM needs about a 50% success rate. Grigson's was about 25%.