A few things I think
 

I think that, as much as anything, Anthony Richardson needs a clean pocket. He might never be a 70% passer, but with a clean pocket, he might get to 60. The bottom line is that any quarterback’s performance deteriorates when they see the kind of pressure Richardson often encountered.

I think that I’d pay Danny Pinter and Mark Glowinski to leave the country. If they never take another snap with the Colts, I’ll be a happy man. The Bronco game was an excruciating exercise in futility for both of those guys. Richardson‘s stat sheet took a hit simply because time after time, he had to get rid of the ball to avoid getting sacked.. Two of the reasons he was under such pressure was Danny Pinter and Mark Glowinski. Pinter A) was incapable of recognizing Denver’s pass rush schemes and making line adjustments, and B) kept committing penalties that put them in 3rd and long situations. On play after play, Glowinski was little more than a turnstile.

I think that there’s nothing wrong with running the ball 34 times a game, but giving Jonathan Taylor every one of those carries is simply untenable. We don’t need to add another Eric Dickerson, just a quality guy who runs well, can block, and doesn’t have hands of stone.

I think that part of Anthony Richardson‘s problems with accuracy stems from personnel. It’s easy to say that he needs to hit the easy layups; but, for most Quarterbacks, easy layups involve easy tosses to Running Backs and Tight Ends.

I think that the who of our next Defensive Coordinator isn’t as important as the philosophy he brings to the table. I want to see a more dynamic, creative approach, someone who doesn’t see stunts and blitzes as foreign concepts.

I think that Chris Ballard and, by extension, Jim Irsay need to take free agency a little more seriously. They don’t have to swing for the fences every year, but the have to do more than settle for bunt and sac flies.

I think that a strength of this year’s draft is at Corner and Safety, and that validates, to some extent, Chris Ballard’s decision to take a waiver on the position last year.

I think the fact that this isn’t a star studded, 6 player deep, Quarterback class spares them from having to ask difficult questions about Anthony Richardson’s viability.

I think that Pat McAfee’s right about one thing…this team has a lot of talent in place. I think that he’s wrong about the culture holding the team back. What’s holding the team back is lack of production at the most important position in the game.

I think that it’s blitheringly obvious that Ballard has got to go out and sign a high quality backup capable of stepping in if Richardson goes down. Nothing about Richardson screams that he’s an iron man type who takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

I think after seeing Jim address the team that I have a healthier liver than him...honestly, I am done. I love 87, but fuck this whole thing.

I'm not say that McAfee is wrong, so how many games do we think this 2024 team wins with PM at QB, in his prime? I'm going to say no less than 12. The reasoning is that PM's value goes way beyond his QB play.

I can tell you this, with PM at QB, there would be no tolerance for;

WR's dropping easy catches
A WR who short arms throws would not see the field
A RB who can't catch, can't block and has the situational awareness of a peewee player "Goddammit Jonathan!"
Podcasts would be null and void
Missing or being late to practice, meetings, treatment or any event that PM is hosting
No talk about Pro Bowls, while in season
No leaks in the building
No stupid gadget plays in the worst situations
No stupid clock management
Certainly no tapping out

AR is a lottery ticket in a particular way (because we're just going to see, I'm not sure you can develop or "unlock" this)...

AR will have to love football like his mother. The kind of detail type things he needs to work on will require him to DUUUUUUMP hours into it. I need John Candy from Cool Runnings to come in and have that pep-talk about how the other guys can go out to the bar, but the driver has to stay in the hotel room studying turns and corners.

I've said it a bunch (not that I'm special and came up with it)... "Accurate" by NFL standards is not the occasional bomb to Pierce, or the occasional pinpoint laser beam on that crosser to Dulin, or that dime he threw to Downs.

It's leading your receiver to the sideline on a 7-yard out EVERY time. Or putting the ball on the proper shoulder EVERY time so that your receiver doesn't have to contort and fall to catch it 2 yards short of the 1st down, but can instead turn upfield and keep the drive alive. Or TIMING your throws so that the ball and the defender don't both hit the WR at the same time and we call it a drop (there's enough legitimate drops as is).

If it's the most important thing in the world besides his family, he'll not only get tangibly better, but... The effect of that devotion would mean you rub off on everyone and almost certainly won't tolerate fucking around.

If football, for him, is just a job he has for a few years... well, then that's that.

o


I believe that this team would have gone 13-4 with a prime Peyton Manning at quarterback.

I believe that they would have gone 12-5 with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback.

I believe that they would have gone 11-6 with Josh Allen at quarterback.

I believe that they would have gone 10-7 with a very good (but not great) quarterback.



If a prime Peyton Manning were the quarterback, I believe that the Colts would have beaten the Vikings by at least 12 points with the way that the Colts' defense played in that game (it was one of their better ones.)

Then there were games when the offense played well, but the defense was terrible (the first Jaguars game, and the Giants game.)

I think that Manning would have found a way to beat the Texans twice, also.

o

Great post. Helps to contextualize just how dysfunctional all this shit is. Peyton would have driven a bunch of motherfuckers from this assembly of turds to the unemployment line.

It is a disgrace that a post like this exists and Chris Flat Bill Fucko is still the GM. Shameful!

This team with prime Peyton is fighting the Chiefs for the #1 seed. The only teams on the schedule that would've even been a challenge for this team with prime Peyton were the Bills and Lions.

Nope. A bunch of these losers would have just folded like the weak willed fucks they are.

I said he was a bust day one (Richardson) I said as a homer I hoped I would have to gladly eat some crow. So far there has not even been a picture of a crow put on the menu. You guys that clammer he made progress are related to Stevie Wonder. I don't care if he can hit a 60 yard bomb when he can't hit a wide open 5 yard slant or pass in the flat. Even when he is not under pressure.
This is the same stuff we saw in college. Not one remote stride in progression. He is just not an NFL QB. Y'all can wish all ya want, or see a glimmer of hope when he hits one precise pass out of 20, but reality is, he is exactly what they drafted. If they roll with him next year unchallenged you will be here again next year vomiting this same BS.

Bit conservative on Manning, I think (as a homer). Prime Manning would have torched this version of the league. Old, broken Manning only got to play 3 seasons under the 2011 changes... 17 game averages: 5264yds, 46tds, 13int.

Mahomes/Allen sweep HOU, GB, MIN and probably DEN. Defense earned JAX and NYG, so keep them. That's 12-13 wins

Good QB would have at least split with HOU, scored 17 on GB, which is already a division championship. Good QB probably would've beaten MIN that night. Hell, probably DEN, too.

Mishew level QB would've had us at 9-8 again.

Remember also better QB play would have meant the defense was on the field less. Rested defense = better results. This is not an endorsement of the scheme, yes I think moving on from it is a good thing. But they were gassed a lot the past two years. We had the most games decided by a few points in the league I believe. That’s the QB play difference.

o


Manning played 4 seasons after those rule changes ...... he had 3 great seasons in 2012, 2013, and 2014 before plantar fasciitis severely hobbled him in the 2015 season.

In 2012, 2013, and 2014 combined, Manning had 131 TD's, 36 INT's, and 14,863 Yards Passing. His combined QB-rating in those 3 seasons was 107.8.


Manning was vintage Manning in 2012, 2013, and 2014, even though he was 36, 37, and 38 years-old respectively. He wasn't severely hobbled until 2015, his final season.

o

True, but my point is this is post-neck Manning. Wear a glove because I can't feel the tips of my fingers Manning. Old Manning. And he torched the league for 3 years before he fell apart.

I'm just saying '04-'09 (or '03-'10) Manning would've done even more damage in the post-2011 NFL inflation.

o


I believe that Manning would have torched this current 2024 league any time between 1999 and 2014.

His rookie season in 1998 and his final season of 2015 were the only versions of Manning that would not have done so.

His best season statistically was 2013, when he had 55 TD's, 10 INT's, and a 115.1 Passer Rating.


Manning lost arm-strength after the neck surgery, but he compensated by being even more accurate than he already was in his shorter passes and a slightly quicker release.

o

To be fair, comparing AR to Manning is like comparing a Yugo to a Ferrari. This would be true of many of todays quarterbacks although in AR’s case the Yugo has a suspect engine and transmission. One thing I am certain of is AR’s lack of toughness or mental fortitude. A tap out? Seriously? If Bromell had broken AR’s jaw Richardson would be asking for a priest and last rites before he got to the sideline.

2014 Andrew Luck would have done the same thing.

True. But I think the point (at least the one I was making), is that the perception that this roster, outside of QB, can't win is misguided.

This roster doesn't require PM, Mahomes, Allen, etc. to squeak into the playoffs. I think some guys who aren't bleeding out of the eyes can see that if we just don't have outright bad QB play, that's when we squeak into the playoffs. Remember, we're talking about historically low efficiency.

Any levels above that, increase the success. It's not a roster that has arguably the best QB in the NFL (Burrow) and missed the playoffs. The ChoppedWood of that fanbase has more of a case.

o


Thanks, and that is what I was going to say. That is why I included other QB's in my post, and gave my projected win total for each of them (13 for Manning, 12 for Patrick Mahomes, 11 for Josh Allen, and 10 for a very good-but-not-great quarterback.)

Also, Richardson was not the only culprit that was being compared to Manning and/or other top QB's regarding the Colts' 2024 season ...... Joe Flacco was absolutely horrible in the Colts' back-to-back losses to the Vikings and the Bills when Richardson was benched mid-season. And in spite of Flacco and the offense being horrid in both of those contests, they were both close games ...... the Bills game was very close early in the 4th quarter (20-13.) The Bills put the game out of reach with a TD with just over 3 minutes left to play. The Colts added a cosmetic TD to make the final score 30-20.

o

I don’t think it’s the worst roster in the league by any means. It’s certainly not devoid of talent. But saying the roster needs good QB play to squeak into the playoffs also isn’t exactly a flex or an indication it is a particularly strong roster either. It’s certainly not the Brad Johnson led Bucs, Dilfer led Ravens, or even Foles Eagles roster. It’s a mediocre roster put together by a GM who claimed he was building a complete roster that wasn’t dependent on a QB. And Ballard has misstepped multiple times trying to find a QB. Yes, I know - it’s hard. But if he’s mediocre at building the rest of the roster, bad at finding a QB, and even he seems to now acknowledge a culture issue, WTF is it that he brings?

But that wasn't the claim and it changes the premise. My previous post argued against that claim...

I don't think it's unreasonable to believe the bolded scenario if we had "good" QB play. I would argue 3, maybe 4 wins, but it's at least 2 wins. And just like that, it's a division title. NFL margins.

Minshew, who I assume we don't consider a good QB, is the level of QB that squeaks us into the playoffs. Speaking of him... Colts and Raiders were 9-8 and 8-9 respectively last year. Minshew went 7-6 with us, and 2-7 with them. His surroundings were not the same.

And Joe Flacco was 4-1 with Cleveland and 3-5 with the Colts. His surroundings were not the same. So clearly the Colts roster is a step down from Cleveland’s.

You can believe this is a good roster and that Ballard has done a good job. Buckner seems to believe there are issues and if we are to believe Ballard’s end of season presser, he sees there are major issues - not just QB. Sadly I think it’s most likely he’s full of shit and believes like you that’s he’s done a good job and it’s just AR holding back a good roster. The colts had a very easy strength of schedule and a shit division again. Ballard can’t win it. Even adding good QB play doesn’t make this a good team. MAYBE the best in the worst division. MAYBE. That’s with gifting Ballard the hardest thing to find in the league. To me that’s hardly a testament to the quality of the roster.

I didn't say the roster is golden and can't be improved. But it's a good roster. It's the margins and the perception. All things could be equal, but if the thin margin in a couple games goes our way, and we're not the "dumpster fire" some claim... we're division champs.

Those two designations are worlds apart, but when you break it down, the margin isn't that great. Same team.

Address the claim, for example. You don't think <insert "good" QB> would have made enough of a difference in the second Houston game? We lost by 3 after AR was 2/15 and gifted them a last second TD. Probably the first HOU game, too.

Even as weird as the GB and DEN games were... 17 measly points from AR and we win a game the DEF shit the bed in, and if we aren't throwing for 45%, we probably don't have 12 consecutive 4-play drives in DEN and blow a game where the DEF actually held them to under 200 yards of offense.

QB needs to be fixed. Unfortunately, everyone has to depend on AR developing this laser-focus and making a miraculous turnaround for that to happen. Let's hope he can and does.

No doubt with good QB play we probably get into the playoffs this year, and let's face it to be a SB contender in today's NFL you need very good if not great QB play.

But I think it's fair to also point out that our D costs us a spot in the playoffs just as much as the QB play and we would have had 3-4 more wins w/ good/ or even decent defensive play. If our D doesn't shit the bed @ NYG and @ Jagoffs we win both of those games. Additionally, our run D was just as much at fault in the losses vs. HOU and @ GB, and if it's not a shit show we win at least 1 and possibly both of those games. Also, I need to point out that we had at least 3 games down the stretch where our O bailed out really bad defensive play against bad offenses: @ NYJ, @ Cheats, and vs. Tits.

So yes we need much better QB play, but we also need much better defensive play as well.

Who the hell is saying QB doesn’t need to be fixed? Guys just aren’t pretending that AR is the only thing holding this team back. Yes, with better QB play they could have won a couple more games. Malik Willis completed 86% of his passes and had a QBR of 128.6. Josh Jacob’s rushed for 151 yards. You don’t think that shit matters? And no, it wasn’t just because the D got tired because the offense sucked, first drive of the game Jacob’s had 49 rushing yards including a 34 yard run on 1st and 20. Do I need to pull out the stats for all the players that had season best games against this team? Want to talk about the Giants game and the stellar play of the team with the playoffs on the line? Or is it just easier to dump it all on AR? The reality is the team was just as close to losing 2-4 more games as it was to winning a few more. So just as close to true dumpster fire as to conference champs. Tends to be the case when you have a mediocre roster.

One thing we’ll agree on is that the line between winning and losing can be very, very thin. The difference is that 8 years in you see that as a reason to excuse Ballard’s failures. I see it as an indictment of Ballards philosophy. If margins are thin, wouldn’t a better secondary maybe get them into the playoffs? If margins are thin and the QBs is key to everything (contrary to Ballard’s previously stated vision) wouldn’t having a decent TE help that young inexperienced QB? If margins are thin why the fuck does Ballard sit on his hands every year with huge holes on the roster? And if margins are thin why is it that year after year under Ballard the Colts fall on the wrong side of it?

You want to know why many say it’s a dumpster fire and something stinks besides just QB? It’s because we’ve seen this show before. Yes shit can go wrong when margins are thin, but if you are truly doing shit right it will fall your way. And it hasn’t for the Colts. And that’s because something is rotten on 56th st. No it’s not a completely shit roster. No it’s not completely without talent. And yes, a few good bounces / breaks and the Colts are in the playoffs. But they don’t bounce the colts way for one fucking reason - Chris Ballard. He’s right that it’s hard to win in the NFL. You are right that margins are often thin. YOU DONT WIN IN THE NFL BY ACCIDENT. It takes purpose. And in 8 years Chris Ballard has not once purposefully said THIS IS OUR YEAR. Not fucking once. And they won’t win until he does. That’s the dumpster fire. This can easily be a playoff team next year for a GM that builds a roster to compete now and not 2 years down the road.

You arrived here the same time Ballard arrived in Indy. All you do is complain about the guy. Are you related to Grigson?

Hmm, rm might equal Ryan's mom.

If I was Ryan’s mom would it make me wrong? Ballard sure as fuck hasn’t proven me wrong

Hello, Mrs. Grigs

I hear you, for sure. I don't defend them for those dogshit performances. I do think our offensive unit, outside of QB, is the strong unit, but AR had a great game vs NYJ and a great moment in NE to bail out the D.

I have two separate tiers of concern, and QB has been the consistent weakness on this team for years. At least I've seen the D be a lot better with largely the same personnel, and there's reason to believe that the talent can produce if they keep their collective head out of their ass. Hope the Gus change and the heat they're seemingly under from inside and outside the building makes that happen.

AR just has more influence as the QB, and I'll be the broken record... 45% and 12 completions a game can't work.

Fair enough, and totally agree our biggest issue is QB and if AR doesn't significantly improve then any other improvements will be mostly all for not. Hopefully w/ a full, healthy offseason AR can make that 2nd year leap. But I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't :cool:.

Significantly upgrading the TEs and getting a good pass catching RB to compliment JT should certainly help him out. I'm sure Ballard realizes this, so hopefully he actually does something about it this offseason.