FanPost

11-5, 11-5, 11-5, 8-8, 0-16

Getting really tired of hearing the media, analysts, and even our own fans saying we are going to be 9-7 or even worse. How?

Please explain.

We went 8-8 with Luck missing 9 games last year. How did we manage that? I want to address each type of fan.

Fan #1: "Well we sucked even with Luck in, so regardless if he's in or not, we are still an 8-8 team..." Oh really? His 11-5 seasons prior mean nothing? The fact that 2 of his 5 losses came against the likes of the Panthers (lost in the SB), and the Patriots, (which was by far this regime's best game against that team and a team that was poised to be a SB favorite throughout the season). So hasselbeck is just as good as Luck? We are the same team with Hasselbeck at the helm? Josh Freeman won us a game. We are just an 8-8 team though. Luck, Hasselbeck, Josh Flippin Freeman. Doesn't matter who is back there throwing the pigskin. We are just an 8-8 team.

Fan #2: "Our Coach will always hold us back". A coach that has had a ton of pressure since day 1. Drafting a QB with the highest expectations since Elway. Having duties taken away by a dumb GM (at the time at least). A coach that battled cancer, came back and did just as good the next year but got further in the playoffs each year after BA's first year. A coach that had his head on a stake all of last year with no Andrew Luck to bail him out but still got his team to fight for a shot at the playoffs without their Franchise QB. A coach that can't beat "Good teams" but somehow beat the feared 49ers, Seahawks, and Broncos in his first FULL year in 2013. Shutout the Bengals in 2014, put up a 5 game win streak after starting 0-2 and putting up 40+ points back to back weeks against divisional foes to continue a very long division teams win streak. Beat the Broncos, (superbowl champs) last year and played hard fought games against the Panthers and Patriots the weeks prior to that with POOP HAMILTON as OC.

Fan #3: "Our division has gotten way better, we will be lucky to get 4 wins out of those games". Really? Tennessee is all of the sudden just as good as we are, able to split the series? Same with the Texans? who managed to just dominate us twice... i mean once last year. completely dominated by the texans. you know 16-10 against our back-up QB. Osweiler will be the second coming of Jesus apparently. Jacksonville is a superbowl team or bust apparently. Man I sort of wish we would have just gotten Malik Jackson so the media could crown us offseason Super Bowl winners two years in a row...

Fan #4: "The lions, chargers, bears, raiders, and jets are going to give us hell" Combine their records and you get:

34-46.

SCARY!!! that is almost .500. (You know the record we had last year with Hasselbeck, Pep Hamilton, and Josh Freeman as big contributors on our team)

Oh but iNDy you're just being naive... Am I? Or are you just eating up everything the media is throwing at you? Lets not forget that last year you were an IDIOT if you thought our team wasn't going to be the Super Bowl champions after Free Agency was all said and done. Are you an idiot if you think we actually could go 12-4 this season even though we should only go 9-7. (You know 1 win more than last year).

Sorry, but if we really do go only 9-7, 8-8 or basically just miss the playoffs somehow, we should seriously consider moving on from Luck. Peyton, Tom, and Rodgers are able to have perennial success regardless of how their teams are built. Tom hasn't had a notable WR1 since Randy Moss 10 years ago. He got hit the most out of every QB last season. Still made it to the AFC Champ game. Yes it's a team game, but yes its also a QUARTERBACK LEAGUE. I don't mean to beat a deadhorse. but damn, isn't that phrase said all the time? Isn't that why the Texans current team is running out of time to produce an actual good season. All their other pieces are aging and still NO QUARTERBACK.

At the same time, I understand we should demand better protection for Luck. We definitely should demand that. Lets say we draft Ryan Kelly. Does that change your guys' mind? do we all of the sudden become more favorable to go 11-5, 12-4, 13-3? Or are the same people that are demanding Ryan Kelly going to say we will still go 9-7? For those that think so... I ask why even draft him then? if he's only good for one more win this year. Do you think all of the sudden we will become 16-0 the following year in 2017-18? Other teams are going to continue to get better as well.

All that said. Do you guys get my point? Stop being so influenced by the media. Be a fan. Be a fanboy if you think that is what I am. But damnit, we don't have to assume we are going to go 8-8/9-7 just because the media thinks we have so many damn holes. Yeah we've got holes. Take Blake Bortles out of the jaguars next year and call me when they still go 12-4 and win the superbowl with Chad Henne at the helm.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.