Colts Fans and Stampede Blue Community Q&A - Post Draft ANSWERS

Colts fans and Stampede Blue readers can submit their Colts questions to have a chance of them being answered in our Q&A.

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Let’s jump straight into this week’s questions:

Luck may have it (Stampede Blue Comments): Do you think that they like Ehlinger better than Eason since he is more of a mirror to Wentz in his playstyle?

Answer: I don’t think they like Ehlinger better than Eason as they are yet to see either take an NFL snap. I think Ehlinger’s playing style is more like Wentz’s than Eason but Wentz may not turn out to be the right fit for the team then they may have to transition to a different play style. I think they will both battle it out for a job on the roster but I still see Eason winning the backup quarterback job.

Forever88 (Stampede Blue Comments): What are your win/loss expectations for the season? How many wins will it take for this season to be viewed as successful?

Answer: I think a realistic win/loss prediction for the Colts next season would be 11-6 considering they have to go on the road to play some very good teams such as the 49ers, Cardinals, Ravens, Bills, and Dolphins while playing the Patriots, Rams, and Seahawks at home too. I think unless the Colts get into the playoffs and win at least one game in the playoffs then the season will be viewed as unsuccessful.

Lord help our Colts (Stampede Blue Comments): If Wentz is running for his life from his left side all season, and the DL doesn’t seem to be improved much from last year, will Ballard be on the hot seat with Irsay, fans, and media?

Answer: I think if Wentz is running for his life and the defensive line isn’t improved from last year then a few things would have to go wrong; Wentz would have to stay at his 2020 level, the left tackle position would have to go unaddressed and the defensive line would have to regress as they were good last year but just inconsistent.

Therefore the seat will be warmer under Chris Ballard but I wouldn’t say it was a hot seat. The seat will only be warmer in the eyes of the fans and maybe the media too but Irsay knows how good Chris Ballard is and knows that Ballard has a clear plan and that these things take time.

Spidermonkey317 (Stampede Blue Comments): It always seems like in the preseason we feel we have decent WR depth only to get to the season and find ourselves scouring waiver wires due to WR injuries and underperformance. Injuries notwithstanding, will it be different this year? Who makes the roster, practice squad, and who gets cut? I like the Strachan pick, but am I going to be let down like I was with Cain and Fountain? Hilton, Pittman, Campbell, Pascal, Dulin, Harris, Patmon, Strachan.

Answer: Injuries are freak incidents and cannot be avoided but only minimized but even then they are going to happen eventually so it’s hard to predict if the wide receiver group isn’t hit by injuries but if they have a clean bill of health this is a very good group. I see the group panning out with Hilton, Pittman, Pascal, Campbell, Dulin, and Patmon. The top four wide receivers are set in stone and they are the best four on the team and will likely play the most snaps for the team. The competition starts at the 5th and 6th wide receiver positions, which leaves 4+ wide receivers fighting for 2 spots on the roster. The most likely receivers to win the 2 jobs at this point in the season are Patmon and Dulin. Patmon has the speed and size the team loves, learned lots last year being on the roster and around the team, and even has a rapport with new quarterback Carson Wentz already. Dulin is another likely receiver to win one of the last 2 spots due to his play on special teams which will be a massive part of the role.

BuddhaBri (Stampede Blue Comments): I think it’s fair to say most Colts fans are bewildered by Ballard not drafting an LT. I totally understand the first 2 picks as Edge has been totally neglected over the last few drafts. That being said, would it have made more sense to “force” an LT in the 3rd, or is the FA OT talent Ballard signed better than the available draft options? Sam Tevi just doesn’t instill confidence. But neither does our 7th round pick!

Answer: If the Colts would have “forced” a left tackle it would have to have been in the 4th round as they didn’t have a 3rd round pick. Forcing it in the 4th would have meant they would have missed out on TE Kylen Granson who looks like a great pick but it would also have likely meant over drafting a left tackle simply for need. Chris Ballard puts it well when talking about drafting for need vs drafting the best player available. Ballard says if you draft purely for need and force a pick you end up creating two holes, one for the spot you could have drafted in BPA and also the hole for the position you forced the pick on. Chris Ballard’s drafting plan isn’t to everyone's liking but it has proved to work very well for him and the team so far.

The Colts didn’t force the pick and went with their draft board and it worked out very well. Now the Colts have a chance to sign either free agent Eric Fisher or Charles Leno at the left tackle position who will make a better impact than a 4th round pick would likely do so Ballard has worked the draft exceptionally well.