I am going to chime in as a minority opinion here. I believe the book is still out on him- and that sounds a bit ludicrous I get it, but I don't know that I can cast a vote in the NO category yet- despite him now having ~2.5 years of starter experience.
2017- nope, not even a reasonable book of business to review, circumstances were F'd.
This year, well again he comes in with a really strange elevation to the starter role. He had all the real reps in PS but still, F'd up circumstances to be told you are the guy when an all-pro level guy just up and quits.
Now, on the field- I am not sure what the hell to think! I am admittedly very confused right now on where we stand...
Qualitative elements I consider:
We have had the starting WR assets we expected for what 2 Qtrs of 44?
We've had the WR1- a very special talent, on the field healthy, what 26 Qtrs? That assbag that endorsed Hoyer for a year based on Brisset's "faults", also used Watson, Hopkins, and Fuller as a benchmark- ummm we had a gimpy TY and Pascal as a comparison- sorry, apples to fucking coal comparison...
We've had Zach Pascal elevated from a 4 to a 1 for what, 1/4 of this season? Not trying to knock him- gives it his all, but he was at 4 for a reason. I think he's a reasonable # 2 but that's the ceiling- we've instead had games where we had to lean into him to try to be the separation guy- just not practical.
PC- has shown tantalizing ability, and when he's been a contributor, he looks like he will move the needle and perhaps help to take the top off. We've had PC, a rookie, on the field for what, maybe 1/2 of the season?
Rogers- dude, this guy is a 5 at best, he's been the 2 for 1/4 of the season.
Johnson- has some skills but is this a guy you want out there as a "go to" asset- no. Like his size but he needs a lot of work.
Cain- supposed to be this breakout star, healthy scratch and gone. I've thought about that, and I don't think as a talent reviewer you let a guy that you think has real potential walk if you believe the core issue is not him, but the QB.
So from a WR perspective- this season has been a serious train wreck. From a coaching standpoint this has to play havoc with your plans- you got guys having to learn all sorts of shit they were never supposed to know.
TE's- this is where I am struggling mightily. Generally speaking, when we've emphasized the TE's, things have gone well (absent a few drops from Ebron). But it really seems like they have been woefully underutilized, particularly in light of the problems at WR. SO, what does that mean? And this is where I get all fucked up on a coaching basis.
We KNOW we have some big nasty horses up front that can move the pile. We KNOW we have a RB group that is exceptional in many ways- we are deep, we have diversity, and we actually take care of the ball exceptionally well in that phase. We KNOW we can wear you down and break your will. We KNOW we are missing our explosive guys on the edge. We KNOW that because we are missing all those assets we HAVE to adjust the game and try to just GRIND out wins by attrition. So I think that sets the tone.
Based on all the above, we're obviously going into these games with a plan to smash the ball at the opponent and break their will- and to a large effect we've been effective. Many are looking at that and saying Frank doesn't have confidence in JB- and I don't know that I can land there- not yet at least.
To me, I do see some play action plays that demonstrate trust in JB. What I see that is infuriating me, is he sets, and then he fails to fling it and he then goes into this mode where it's all about the check down. Now, what is the issue there- is it not seeing it, not trusting his guys? Given the core of this team, AND the injuries which have unquestionably limited our firepower, I have to believe that JB has been receiving quite a bit of coaching along the lines of "don't make a stupid decision and put us in a bad position, punting will not kill us, 3 INT's allowing 14 points, with the lack of firepower, that will kill us". I just HAVE to believe that to be the case. Still the failure to take a chance, even if it is rooted in some coach speak- as a QB, you HAVE to demonstrate that you have the guts to take the risk. Brett Fahrve, no, hell no, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers- absolutely. That's what is driving me nuts, these re-sets and then sort of settling for a "positive" play- he HAS to force the issue more. Now, I am not naive to the fact that when your play action deep post is to Zach Pascal or Chester Rogers, the likelihood of a good outcome there, is really not very good.
So I get to the point of the check down game. How much of that is not trusting JB, vs that being Frank seeing that as a way to continue to maul the clock and just matriculate the ball down the field? Last night, several plays I recall where he took the snap and immediately threw it to a spot- that's not him, and I don't think that's a lack of trust thing- I think that's the combination of Reich and Siriani doing a good job of knowing the tendencies and saying "this play is an automatic 6, so we take it in this scenario" and that being the designed call. To me those do not show ANY TYPE of lack of confidence in JB- contrarily I see the opposite- the trust that he will throw to the right spot based on the call so you call it. Keep in mind, in many of those situations, if you question his ability to execute, you are often times risking a pick 6 because a bad throw there often hits a crashing DB right in the chest. So I see that as the opposite of what others may be feeling about those calls.
Then I end up here. Last week during the game they mentioned that the Colts lead the league this year in drops. That's fucking shitty! But, that's also going to have some ties back to the personnel- including the notoriously droppy Ebron. Last night 3 absolutely HUGE drops- from 2 guys that you almost automatically check the box for if you see a ball going their way- Hines- that was a potential MONSTER gain if not a TD with his speed. TY, just crushing drops, brutal. All three of those catches, if made, boy they probably have a pretty profound impact on the YPC for the game.
Finally, I look at what JB HAS done. We've seen very very very good statistical games from him- I haven't gone back and studied the personnel on the field but I suspect TY was a baller in those games; which gives me a feeling that with some high level assets to work with- he can get the job done and then som. Further we have seen some tremendous individual plays from him. The scramble from the End Zone and the throw to TY on the sideline- boy that's top shelf shit, that's Aaron Rogers level of play. His escape and toss to Johnson last week- to me, that looked like a Luck type thing.
Now, now I think we are at a cross roads. We have 4 games out of 5 that we should win. We have 4 games that we realistically HAVE to win to have a chance. So, here's where I think we have to see a change in him. We KNOW teams are going to stack the box. WE have a long time to get some guys healed, it certainly sounds like PC will be back and I would hope Funchess. So if he doesn't uncork it a LOT during this stretch, THEN I will say he is not capable and we need to upgrade.
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