Zach Hicks on Colts real issue

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by Brylok

KC beat themselves literally from the opening kickoff. They bumbled around all day and the blind squirrel Colts managed to capitalize on the mistakes a few times. That's it. That's all that happened. Take away that Jones flag at the end and give them 30-60 more seconds and KC would have won.

We beat ourselves against Houston and Tennessee.

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by ZionsvilleColtsFan

Not drafting Hurts was huge error by Ballard. Eagles wisely picked him up in the second round while Colts signed another old timer at QB.

I like Hurts. His personality is great and he is on par with Jacoby. But he was not a sure thing at all. He could barely hit the broadside of a barn. That was no guarantee at all.

Every six months some genius on Twitter says he would have drafted Allen instead of Nelson in the draft. Ignoring the fact Mayfield and Darnold were drafted before him. So many QBs fail.

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by ChoppedWood

I agree a LOT about Ballard not doing a very good job. What I cannot shake however is a team with SEVEN, SEVEN fucking pro-bowlers- not making the playoffs.

SEVEN and this turd we have at HC can't figure out how to beat the local boys JV squad with all his fucking whacked out scheming?

Nah, fuck that, the problem is with the dude wearing the headset and being the one talking to these guys about being competitors- his voice is raspy and old and they don't listen to shit that dude is saying.

Need a new voice!

Still need good QB play

[Brylok]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

We beat ourselves against Houston and Tennessee.

Yep, it works both ways. Overall though, I'm very uninspired watching this version of the Colts. It feels more like a chore than a pleasure.

[IndyNorm]

Originally Posted by rm1369

I personally don’t blame Ballard for not solving the QB situation. What I blame him for is an overall building philosophy that keeps the team from competing. You can debate the merits of swinging for a QB vs hoping to catch a couple good years from an old guy. What you can’t do is chose the old guy and continue to build the roster as if you are 4 years from being competitive. That’s what Ballard has done and that’s what keeps killing the team. He throws a bunch of young athletes at a problem and hopes one steps up. The beginning of the season is basically fucking tryouts. Again, look at the actual experience the colts started the season with at LT, WR, and TE this year. DE last year. That’s not how you build a team to win.

Agreed. Basically the only QBs who are good that we could have drafted are Hurts and possibly Herbert if we had given up a shit ton of draft capitol to move up in '20 to get him. And who knows, maybe Ballard tried to but didn't have any takers before he traded our 1st rounder for Defo.

What you can blame Ballard for is the shit OL, lack of pass rush, and lack of WR depth. Take LT for example. Ballard's had 3 off seasons to find a replacement for AC since he contemplated retiring after the '19 season. If he was half as good of a GM as a lot of people on this board think he is then he would have had that position fixed by now.

[ChoppedWood]

Just read an article with these two paragraphs:

Four games into the 2022 season, Indianapolis has scored just 10 points in the first quarter, tied for 22nd in the NFL, and averaged just 3.3 yards per play (26th), all while giving up 27 points. The numbers get worse in the second quarter; the Colts have been outscored 38-13, or 65-23 before the half.

None of Reich’s prior teams in Indianapolis have been outscored in the first half over the course of the season. A year ago, the Colts couldn’t finish.

This season, that’s the only thing Indianapolis can do. The Colts have scored 24 points in the fourth quarter and still haven’t given up a point.

THIS TEAM CAN PLAY GOOD FOOTBALL- DOMINATING FOOTBALL CLEARLY (I did not realize we haven't given up a 4th Qtr point).

This TEAM is GOOD ENOUGH.... THE COACHING IS NOT!!!

[MeSayDayo]

Originally Posted by IndyNorm

Agreed. Basically the only QBs who are good that we could have drafted are Hurts and possibly Herbert if we had given up a shit ton of draft capitol to move up in '20 to get him. And who knows, maybe Ballard tried to but didn't have any takers before he traded our 1st rounder for Defo.

What you can blame Ballard for is the shit OL, lack of pass rush, and lack of WR depth. Take LT for example. Ballard's had 3 off seasons to find a replacement for AC since he contemplated retiring after the '19 season. If he was half as good of a GM as a lot of people on this board think he is then he would have had that position fixed by now.

Ballard traded for Buckner before that draft, not during

[Oldcolt]

We released Patmon. Maybe he makes it to the practice squad (where he belonged the whole time) but this guy and Banagu have effectively made us a 51 man team the past few years. Both have not given us shit on game day yet somehow having their asses on the bench seems to have value to Ballard. I am not upset with not hitting on a qb, like most of you it is not hitting on almost any important modern day positions.That and he put such a huge huge amount of his draft acumen into drafting men with the correct mental make up. That was going to be a mainstay of how he built teams. The shinny object that was going to separate him from the rest of the gms. When the chips are down kind of guys. Couldn't bring in certain free agents until Ballard got his kind culture in this this locker room. He has obviously failed miserably at the one biggest thing he kept harping about on and on, getting the 'right' kind of players in the locker room. For adding this bullshit 'mental evaluation' and having it be a complete failure I leaning toward getting rid of him.

[HoosierinFL]

While its true the team has probowlers at weird positions that have less of an impact than say, DE and QB, or even LT, I still don't think talent is the problem on this team. It doesn't explain why the o-line has regressed so bad. Losing Castonzo didn't make Nelson go from all pro to mediocre. It didn't make Ryan Kelly bad, or Braden Smith bad.
There is a lack of toughness on this team. I keep beating the dead horse of going back to when the fired DeGuglielmo as the oline coach. He was the guy who focused more on toughness and meanness over technique, and Reich wanted technique. He was the guy who kicked Good off the team because he wasn't emotionally able to play after his brother got killed.

For right or wrong, it was that approach that made this line mean. When was the last time we saw Nelson pancake and teabag a guy? I sure can't remember it.

That this team seems flat and unprepared sometimes, and emotional other times, reflects coaching. I think it explains the history of Reich's record, each year has been the same story.

2018: Team starts 1-5, beating only a crappy Redskins, then went on a 5-0 streak, had a weird 6-0 loss to Jax, then went 4-0 to finish out, then 1-1 in the playoffs.

Everyone just assumed here that the bad start was just an adjustment period for the team and Reich as the new coach.

But then 2019: Colts start 2-2, make a little noise, but never get it going to finish 7-9.

No big deal, that was the Luck retirement debacle and the up and down play of Jacoby Brissett in his tea.

Then we get Phillip Rivers, rookie JT, and a line playing at a high level in 2020: Colts start better, 3-1 (but still lose the home opener to Jax), but have 2 blow out losses mid season to the Ravens (24-10) and Titans (45-26). 11-5 was Reich's best record

2021: reminiscent of 2018, starting 0-3, then win 10 out of next 13 games, and then we get the famous 0-2 finish to the Raiders and Jags.

What I see is a pattern of a team that has periods of really poor play, especially early in the season, followed by periods of improved play, but occasional unexplainable/weird losses or blow outs, esp at critical junctures in the season.

And I'm sure we all remember how many times we've been left scratching our heads at Reich's red zone play calling, decisions to go for it on 4th down, etc that took points off the board, and have cost wins.

To me it falls on Reich. The weird in-game decisions coupled with a team that seems unprepared too often is a coaching problem, not a roster problem.

I wouldn't at all be surprised to see this team go on another winning streak like 2018 and 2021 after the 4th slow start in the past 5 seasons, but even if they do, I expect a similar finish, either out of the playoffs or 1 and done.

[nate505]

By far the worst thing about Ballard is he's ridiculously conservative in Free Agency. I get not being an early 2000s Washington Red, er, Commanders level of spending, but damn, a few signings here or there would be nice.