There is a great 1989 film called Parenthood. Steve Martin wants normalcy in his life, but there is a lot going on that makes this difficult for him. His grandmother offers a story about how some of her friends liked the merry-go-round, but she didn’t because it just went round and round. She preferred the ups and downs of the roller coaster. Martin didn’t really get the story as a metaphor until a little later when he was able to embrace it. Colts fans need to be ready to embrace the ride.
With the
Ballard era over, we can no longer expect the consistency of playing around .500 football. It had it’s minor ups and downs, but is better categorized as a boring mediocre ride. The biggest spike could have been seeing the low of firing Riech and hiring Saturday, but the subsequent haul from that bad season did not see the high of the Colts return to the playoffs. The big swing on AR was a miss, so QB purgatory remained. The miss put them back firmly on the meh ride.
Make no mistake, the new ride is going to be come with more of those ups and downs. It doesn’t feel like we are at the apex, but we are at the point of the ride, where you plunge fast and hard to build momentum for the rest of the ride. Coasters are cool, you just have to survive the plunge, before you get some loops and climbs. We are definitely going to plunge some more and may not see that exciting twist until the new GM and coaches are picked. We may get another rush when we dip into free agency and again when we draft.
Here are some other things that will contribute to the volatility of the ride: Not everyone is going to be happy with the GM hire. Those not happy with the GM hire, are likely not going to like the new staff either. Not everyone is going to be happy with free agency. We will either be too active while destroying the salary cap, or not active enough and slipping back into Ballard’s frugal ways. We may or may not like the draft, as that is one that we seldom agree on and it can take a little time to determine whether a pick is good or not.
For me, the hard part is going to be trying to enjoy the plunge, or at least get excited about the rest of the ride. As we watch long tenured players leave the building, you know that some of their teammates will now get an opportunity, and it will make room for next year’s acquisitions. I probably will get a little rush when Steichen and Lou get their walking papers, but a twist that sees them retained would put me further into plunge mode. I guess that is what a roller coaster is all about.
Some things to keep our interest moving forward this year:
The continuation of the purge and just how much Dodd will be allowed to do, while still in that role.
It is too bad that Burks is the only young WR we could get a better look at. With Downs gone (likely), we will have to use draft capital or cap space to reload the WR room. Maybe we see Mallory more frequently in the flex role? He’s had flashes, but certainly nothing sustained. There is no reason for Pierce to suit up the rest of the year.
If JT can’t get traction behind the makeshift OL, just sit him and plan for a healthy 2027. I wouldn’t play him until the deadline passes and would prefer seeing him dealt. He did essentially sit out and ask for a trade, while also committing the AD sin of celebrating short of the goal line. McGowen probably profiles better with his downhill, hit the first thing that looks like a hole approach. We are going to run a lot the rest of the year.
I have no reason to believe that AR will be with the team next year, as it would cost 50+ million to franchise tag him and he has already asked to leave. However, I’d give him the opportunity to bump up his price tag by putting him out there until his next injury occurs. Jones is a shell of himself and seeing him behind a line without Nelson, is a recipe for an injury that could run into next year. Worst case, you have a 3rd string QB who you need to see if is a viable QB2 moving forward. He’s probably not, but his run with the 1’s last year was serviceable.
It might be interesting to see what Farmer can do at one of the Guard spots. If Dalton Tucker gets the start, it is evidence that Farmer was not a great pick. It couldn’t hurt to give someone else a look at RT as well.
Not much reason to play Warren until he is 100%. We know what we have in our veteran TEs, so keep an eye on that position next Spring. Maybe someone asks about Cox or Ogletree and their expiring contract?
Give Adebawore as many snaps as he can handle, so he has a reason to re-sign here. Quit playing the rookie ends at the same time and put one of them opposite Latu more often. I assume that they have talked to Grove and asked his wishes for this year. Moving him and re-signing him next year could be an option if he fits the new regime’s plans. He wouldn’t bring a lot, but he could be somebody’s Booger McFarland.
I’d see if I could get a 7th or possibly a 6th by adding our 7th, to find another home for ADG. It is not likely that anyone not named Lou will see him as an asset. Obviously, play the rookie LBs as much as possible.
I’m not sure that you get the kind of offer you hope for with Sauce and he should be kept for the next group to decide how he fits their plans.
Then there are brass considerations:
At what point do you announce that Dodds will or will not be considered for the GM role next year?
Is it worth it to see what your position coaches could do in a coordinator or even HC role? If you fired Shane, would you give Reggie the role and let Jim Bob call plays? Reggie has to be like most position coaches, as they see their job as a stepping stone toward being the boss. Giving him that opportunity could be a real plus for him down the road. I would think the team’s situational awareness would double with such a move. He’d certainly have a leg up on Saturday.
Just how much will we hear from Carlie over the next few weeks? What will be the message to the fans? “Bear with us, it is not as urgent as we stated earlier this year”? We are relevant right now, only because we are making moves. As soon as that process is over, the best we can hope for is, “They haven’t packed it in.” Unless you do hope they pack it in to have a better 2nd, 3rd,etc.. round pick.
I’m mainly hoping that I have a reason not to constantly use the FF button when watching my stream. It may not be long before I go ahead and watch the 1:00 games, even if I run the risk of knowing the outcome of our game, before I watch.
A lot of folks have been asking for the roller coaster for a while now. Pull that harness down and hold on!
