Quote:
Originally Posted by Chaka
I disagree. I don't think Ballard intends to tank any seasons. In my view, he's trying to do three things: (1) reshape the roster that better fits the planned offensive and defenses schemes the Colts intend to employ, (2) utilize contract structures that incentivize the players to maximize their on-field performance, and (3) manage the Colts' cap situation to maximize the team's flexibility.
Implementing this strategy (particularly the first part) may necessarily cause some temporary weaknesses at certain positions - such as releasing Hankins - but I think he believes the Colts will be stronger and leaner (from a cap perspective) when this is complete. It also may cause the Colts to lose out on some of the big name free agents, since they aren't necessarily interested in the type of contract the Colts will want to use and will have better options elsewhere, but I'm guessing that in most instances Ballard believes the second or third best option is a better value for his strategy anyways. Presumably, he's keeping the Colt's ammo dry for when a truly great free agent option presents itself, and in those circumstances maybe he'd be willing to stray from the his normal approach. But paying Moncrief $9-11M or Melvin $10M+ a year (I know he only got $6.5M, but reports are that he wanted this from the Colts) probably isn't smart and certainly not consistent with this approach.
It takes some guts to do this, because he's being roundly criticized in the media and by fans, but I think he's shown he's a strong leader and believes in what he's trying to accomplish. And I really think its premature to criticize this offseason until it's over.
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Good post. Just to add one more aspect that I think factors into Ballard's strategy: he wants playing time for the young guys that he brings in. Guys will learn the most by playing, so I think he's keeping the roster flexible so that they can allocate playing time right away to guys that they think will be key contributors down the road.