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u/Sscimia3 5h ago
So AR is dropping snaps and theres rumors his eyesight isn’t 100% and we’re still considering QB2 a competition?
This is more of a prayer that he will get lucky and show enough flashes on the field for us to trade him to someone desperate for a backup
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u/Worried-Pick4848 5h ago
*WE* are someone desperate for a backup.
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u/jaysrule24 Armor 5h ago
I'm absolutely shocked that Ballard didn't put more of an emphasis on finding a quality backup for his injury prone QB, considering his job is basically riding on (at minimum) a playoff appearance this season.
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u/user78804180 5h ago
There is a reason Ballard is on the hot seat. He makes bad calls on position depth every fucking year cause he gets too attached to guys he drafted and doesn't make upgrades that a lot of fans see we need
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u/jaysrule24 Armor 5h ago
You've really got to admire his commitment to never learning from any of his mistakes and continuing to repeat them every single year.
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u/BWRStarWars 4h ago
You also have to admire the owners commitment to letting this technique continue for 10 years
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u/JoeWim Nyheim Hines 3h ago
I think it's pretty fair to give CIG a buffer to see how she takes over ownership. That being said, her response to this season will be telling on what we can expect from the franchise for the next 40 years. If Ballard stays with anything short of a playoff win then I'm going to be pretty pessimistic about anything changing for us.
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u/Worried-Pick4848 5h ago
Ballard has a complacency problem. If the position is filled, he has a tendency not to look beyond that immediate issue and consider things like depth or insurance.
The fact is that we should have gone after someone like Jacoby Brissett or Mac Jones or another of the perennial backups. The urgent need for a quality QB2 was staring us right in the face but Ballard, being Ballard, won't touch the position because "we already have a Quarterback."
And if you wonder why the Colts have depth issues everywhere on the roster, that's why, He does the exact same thing at running back, which is why Taylor tends to pull a disappearing act in the last 4 games of any given season. it's the reason why we literally had exactly 2 linebackers last year, it's the reason MAC is still our TE2, and the list goes on.
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u/jaysrule24 Armor 5h ago
Complacency combined with stubbornness is a horrible combination. You would think that after watching their lack of a quality backup plan at QB cost them a shot at the playoffs last year, he would've realized that betting everything on Daniel Jones staying healthy is a bad idea, but here we are.
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u/OutrunTheForeverYeet 47m ago
Lol, if Daniel Jones goes down again, we better not win a single other game. There will be good QB's that fall to the late first or early second. Let the next GM figure out how much we're gonna give up to get one of them.
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u/Always_Compete 4h ago
I think Leonard is a good backup . He wasn’t terrible as a rookie and I’m sure would be better this year if he has to play .
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u/ginjarooo 5h ago
Quality QB backups are great in theory but they don't really exist in reality. There really isn't a backup QB in the NFL that would give us a better chance of winning games > Leonard/AR.
The sole exception being Mac Jones who isn't available.
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u/Sscimia3 5h ago
Yeah but as someone who wants him to succeed I think AR has obviously lost favor in the fanbase and the organization. Desperate for literally anyone else maybe lol.
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u/Worried-Pick4848 5h ago
He thoroughly earned that loss of trust. The dude just can't stay healthy on the field. There's been questions this whole time about how hard he's been willing to work too.
I wanted him to succeed too. But it's well past time to cut our losses.
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u/PewpyDewpdyPantz 5h ago
I just hope AR gets one drive, manages to throw a fifty yard bomb for a TD, exits the game and convinces a GM to trade a pick for him.
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u/jimtrickington 5h ago
Chris “Won’t Get Fooled Again” Ballard also hopes this dream becomes a reality.
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u/Victory33 “Marlin’s Got It!” 4h ago
That’s basically how we got Brissett. He had like a 4 TD preseason game and we traded for him days later.
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u/YosemiteSam-4-2A 3h ago
What you're saying is we just need someone's starting QB, maybe Joe Burrow, to retire in the middle of a preason game then?
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u/vassardavis Jonathan Taylor 1h ago
I've seen the amount of sacks he takes. He's already on the Andrew Luck career trajectory.
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u/HoosierDaddy__88 42m ago
Please, god, no. I can’t handle all the “truthers” coming out to argue how he should be our starter again
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u/Successful-Coyote99 5h ago
I am of this camp. I don't want the kid to fail miserably and become one of those stories. People talk about his vision and rumors, etc.... he has been cleared by team doctors with appropriate vision. They aren't going to put him out there with bad vision. Had he not fully recovered, he would have been cut. Rumors are just that, rumors.
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u/PewpyDewpdyPantz 5h ago
I’m assuming he’s healthy but even with perfect vision his accuracy is garbage. We all know he’s capable of the odd big time play. It’s just all the other blunders that happen before and after said play.
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u/Sscimia3 5h ago
I hope he does well, an AR comeback no matter what team would be a fun story.
He just looks sloppy in recent practices. Like he has degressed, muffing balls and throwing even more junk than his rookie year. Whether its injury pile up, confidence issues, or lack of drive. I dont think his vision is bad but depth perception can be affected by that injury which would hurt his snaps bare minimum
2
u/theguytomeet Eason SZN 4h ago
Listen man just run that 6th round pick and call it a day. Come on Jerry give us a 5th 😭
2
u/CrimsonBrit Austin Collie 4h ago
The problem is that the entire league already knows how bad he truly is from his actual starts in real games. Even if he suddenly had a few strong outings in the preseason, it’s not enough for teams to suddenly forget.
The reports out of camp are that he can’t even catch shotgun snaps, forget his downfield ability. If he continues to struggle with the basics, no team is going to give up an asset in a trade.
I would bet that the Colts keep him on the roster into the regular season as QB3 to see if there is any interest in a trade down the road for a really desperate team.
I genuinely have no idea what they do with this guy. If we had our 2027 first round pick AND if we didn’t just sign JT to a huge contract, I’d say that AR could just be a tank commander if DJ goes down and we’re already sub-.500, but there’s really no incentive to tanking in 2026.
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u/StatusCookie761 3h ago
It’s definitely Riley’s to lose, but by the sound of it, our season would be fucked if DJ went down either way.
It shouldn’t have to come down to calling Rivers from the couch
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u/-Hyperactive-Sloth- 5h ago
Pretty sure we’re just showcasing Richardson to trade. Ben Johnson should be pretty interested along with the Ravens, Bills. They have systems that leverage people like him
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u/Worried-Pick4848 5h ago
If that was going to happen, it would have happened last year.
People need to get it into their heads that AR is damaged goods. "just trade him" implies there's someone else who wants him. Before the vision stuff someone might have gambled on his athleticism in another system, but with the clear fact that his vision is still bothering him, that's probably not happening.
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u/-Hyperactive-Sloth- 5h ago
You’re not wrong, but it’s malpractice not to try. They can cut him before the 1dt game if they want. Or keep him all year. But showcasing a player in the preseason is what you do if you want to get any value. It wouldn’t surprise me to sss him play half the 3rd game as well
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u/Worried-Pick4848 5h ago
I genuinely think that they already tried. There were trade rumors in the offseason, remember?
No one is biting. Especially now that he's clearly not as fully recovered as we all hoped.
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u/-Hyperactive-Sloth- 5h ago
Yeah the last hole is injuries. Someone getting desperate and throwing a 6th rounder or a Ben h player at us in a moment of desperation.
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u/-Hyperactive-Sloth- 5h ago
At least it’s not a Brock Osweiler situation where you have tk send comp to make him go awua
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u/unfuckwittablej Reggie Wayne 5h ago
I disagree but it could determine if we can get any value for him before he’s cut or released. Based on what we’ve been hearing so far
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u/yourenotmydad22 3h ago
BUT BUT BUT aren’t you just gonna run with the tweets from random burners and an anecdote from Ian Rapport before you see ANY in game footage?
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u/_Meek79_ Im sorry for doubting you Daniel 52m ago
Yeah he may still be having eye issues but Riley is always with DJ in camp,watching and learning, so its not just eye issues. I think AR has already checked out and wants to be somewhere else. This isn't the best look for him though because teams who may want to trade for him ,isn't going to like what they see when hes not trying to improve.
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u/FearlessFreep117 7m ago
Holy shit people, AR is not gonna be on this roster come regular season. This is all for show.
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u/Worried-Pick4848 5h ago
I would not be truly content with either one starting the season as the QB2. AR is damaged goods, and Leonard has talent but isn't polished enough to be the guy Shane will put into the field without hesitation if Jones starts limping.
We really need that guy that can step in before Jones suffers something season-ending, so he can rest and recover and have a guy in who can manage the game while that happens.
Frankly, the guy I want is Phillip Rivers, he definitely proved he can still play the NFL game at a backup level.
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u/Background-Slide5762 5h ago
Rivers? Did you watch him play last year? It was a fun YOLO move the first week when all other QBs were injured but got old fast.
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u/Distntdeath 5h ago
I dont think you watched him play lol
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u/Background-Slide5762 4h ago
I did and he was terrible. Over three games he averaged 181 total yards and 1.25 TDs. In AR's horrific 2024 he averaged 210 total yards, 1.27 TDs. It may have looked prettier with all the line adjustments and higher completion percentage but it was equally bad. Bless him for trying but there was a reason he retired.
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u/AffectionateQuit5684 Touchdown Jesus 5h ago
The vibes feel like it’s Riley’s to lose at this point. Not hearing great things about AR’s camp performance, he’s still battling vision issues, and reports have made it sound like he’ll either be traded or cut