Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Changing History: What if Trade for Carson Wentz Never Happened?

Episode Date: July 19, 2024

Chris Ballard's tenure with the Indianapolis Colts has been a wild ride, and today we are using revisionist history to smooth it out. Andrew Moore joins the show to discuss what moments and moves he w...ould change in recent Colts' history. Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms:🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOColts?sid=YouTube📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQLocked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL Follow Jake and Zach's written work on HorseshoeHuddle.com, and give them a follow on Twitter @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, @LockedOnColts, and @ColtsOnFN! LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn Dot Com slash LOCKEDONNFL. That’s LinkedIn Dot Com slash LOCKEDONNFL to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply.FanDuelFanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. As playoffs wind down, the sports stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up ALL CUSTOMERS with a boost or a bonus, DAILY! That’s right, there’s something for everyone, every day, all summer long! Visit FANDUEL.COM/LOCKEDON and add a big win to your summer bucket list!FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Today, we are living in the land of what-ifs and hindsight bias. Was Bobby O'Kerke walking the biggest blunder of Chris Ballard's career? Let's get to it. You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Thank you all for tuning in and making us your first listen of the day. This is your daily podcast covering your Indianapolis Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.
Starting point is 00:00:38 Today's episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates that you want to talk to faster. Post your job for free at linkedin.com locked on nfl that's linkedin.com locked on nfl to post your job for free terms and conditions apply hello everyone i am zach hick your favorite film nerd over at horseshoehuddle.com and today i'm joined by my buddy andrew moore who also works over at horseshoehuddle.com, one of my many, many managers I send my TPS reports to. That's what Andrew's job is there, collect those from me. But yeah, Andrew's joining me today for kind of a fun episode. I don't know if it's,
Starting point is 00:01:17 it might be like a heartbreaking episode, really. Earlier this week, we had Derek Schultz on, and in our final segment, talking with Derek, we look back in the past, you know, what moments from the Colts, from the Indy era Colts would we change? What, you know, hindsight bias, what things would we do differently and stuff like that? And it got me thinking, you know, as someone who's only really been in the market since Chris Ballard came to town, what are those moments in Chris Ballard's era with the Colts? What are those those free agent decisions that we would change? What are those trade decisions that the Colts never made or those draft picks that they never made during his tenure? You know, we're going to use the power of hindsight bias. And what if to just change these last whatever, eight years, six, seven, eight years, whatever it's been here since Chris Ballard has come to Indy. Now, I do want to put
Starting point is 00:02:02 a disclaimer out there. This is not a I hate Chris Ballard episode by any means whatsoever. Hindsight bias is the greatest tool that's ever existed in this world. So everyone is a genius if you use hindsight bias. That's what we're going to look like here, using the power of the future, knowing what actually is going to happen. So we're just having fun today. We're going to change, again, some specific moments in the past. We're going to change what Colts would sign or trade and all those things here and just look at the what-ifs of the Chris Ballard era before, obviously, we get the training camp coverage here the next couple weeks. So kicking it off, I think the number one place to start is specific moments in games during the Chris Ballard era. Now, the Colts are only one and two in the playoffs in the Chris Ballard era with the Colts.
Starting point is 00:02:48 So it's not a ton of playoff games that you would change. Like, obviously, like I said on the episode with Derek Schultz, you could change like 30 different plays from that Bills playoff game and the Colts end up winning. So you could pick anything from there. But Andrew, what really sticks out to you as specific moments or things that you would change on the field during the Ballard era that would lead to a different place than where we're at right now? Yeah, obviously, you mentioned that Bills game in 2020, where the Colts had so many opportunities to win that game. Many of them stick out, especially the offsides on Kamoko Ture, uh, the, the pass from
Starting point is 00:03:25 Phillip rivers that was just outside of the outreached arms of Michael Pittman jr. There in the end zone. And, and really, you know, if the Colts can beat the bills, who knows what they can do from there. It's just getting further along in the big dance. So that's obviously probably the biggest one that, that sticks with you. Uh, another in-gamegame moment kind of looking at a player specifically is is Shaquille Leonard and and when he suffered that that back injury what
Starting point is 00:03:54 if what if he doesn't suffer that back injury do Shaquille Leonard is probably still on the team he's probably still a Pro Bowl linebacker at that time and And it's kind of this era's Bob Sanders. I know Bob Sanders was probably a more important player to the Colts defense in the 2000s. But Shaq Leonard was still, I mean, there's no denying he was an important player to this defense. He's going to end up probably in the ring of honor someday up there with the best linebackers in franchise history. That's a big what if. If Shaq Leonard could have stayed healthy, where would this defense be right now and where could it be in the future? And then I think one more that really pops into mind for me
Starting point is 00:04:34 is just what if the Colts didn't lose that playoff game in 2018 to Kansas City? Kansas City was obviously the better team. There really wasn't any denying that, but if the Colts play better in that game and are able to upset the Kansas City Chiefs, that was when Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were really starting to get going. Does that change things if Patrick Mahomes doesn't have such early success? My answer is probably no, because Patrick Mahomes, I'm sure, would find out a way no, because Patrick Mahomes, I'm sure would find out a way to still be Patrick Mahomes, but how would it change the Colts history? Does, does Andrew Luck end up returning and pushing through that injury, knowing that they made it to the AFC championship game
Starting point is 00:05:16 that season. And, and they're so close on the cusp of a Superbowl. We'll never know, but, but I think those, those, those specific games, two playoff games, then obviously the injury to Shaquille Leonard, I think those are probably the biggest what-ifs for the Indianapolis Colts when you consider everything that has happened in the Chris Ballard era. Yeah, and that's not including, obviously, the Andrew Luck retirement. That's the biggest overarching player standpoint what-if. What if Andrew Luck retirement. Like that's that's the that's the biggest overarching like player standpoint. What if like what if Andrew Luck doesn't retire?
Starting point is 00:05:49 Where are we right now? Are we still a one and two in the playoffs under Chris Ballard? Probably not. We're probably a little bit further. But obviously you can't really do much about that now. I think you nailed all those
Starting point is 00:05:59 big, broad macro ones there. I'm going to go crazy micro here, Andrew. And I just want to get your just illicit reactions to each of these. i love it some of these moments had to happen like the first one here carson wentz's overthrow to t.o.i hilton versus the raiders and that week i want to say it's week 17 right was that during the 18th 18th week schedule yeah week 17 to the raiders i'm not even talking about the final game against the jaguars because there was no chance. Like, there's no singular play in that one. The Colts just got blown out in that one.
Starting point is 00:06:29 But the Raiders game the week before, overthrowing T.Y. Hilton, I think that would have put them up if he hits that wheel route there. I know, again, I wouldn't change that moment in particular because then we'd be stuck with another year of Carson Wentz the next year. We don't know if that would have got Anthony Richardson. So that's the fickle part of all this. But yeah, that throw was so brutal. Well, hey, T.Y. Hilton may have been able to come back in a Colts uniform as well.
Starting point is 00:06:54 If he's able to catch that, adds another touchdown. The Colts are able to play better in Jacksonville because they're not coming off of a loss. Not necessarily saying that they would win because we know that's mostly unlikely every single season but but you know you know is is ty hilton with the colts in in 2022 after that i think that's something to to kind of think about yeah yeah now we got some other ones this one is probably the one that annoyed me more than any other moment in my time covering the colts since 2018 i i believe this was in 2021 so So same year, uh, Taekwon Lewis interception fumble plus injury versus the Tennessee Titans. I mean, first off your heart
Starting point is 00:07:32 breaks for Taekwon Lewis. This was the first, I think this was the first of his two major injuries that he had. Uh, but just what happened on that play was so stupid. He gets the interception on the tip ball. Great play. He was returning it. He tears his or he has like the foot injury. I don't know if it was torn Achilles. It was something in his foot. Falls down as he's falling. Fumbles the ball. Titans pick it up.
Starting point is 00:07:53 The next play, the big touchdown to A.J. Brown. Just so infuriating on so many different levels. I would fix Tyquan Lewis's injury in mid play if I could change anything about that. Because, oh my gosh, that was just one of the most infuriating moments I've ever seen covering football. I was so annoyed with that. Tyquan Lewis, I mean, he goes from probably the highlight of his career, catching that interception to the low light of his career. I think it was, I think it was, it might've actually been his knee, but it was like an ACL, a PCL pcl an mcl the entire knee was just blown to pieces
Starting point is 00:08:25 and then when you think about you know the fumble giving it back to the titans is how it completely changed the game uh yeah i was at that game and the the shift in energy in that stadium was from again the highest of highs to the lowest of lows so quick and and unfortunately i've been in lucas oil stadium a couple of times when that has happened as well yeah yeah and then i got two more coming up we'll just hit these really quick so we can get to our next segment obviously the browns and texans games from last year uh tyler goodson catching the ball or or however you want to change it garner minchu throwing it a little bit higher obviously as part of that and obviously that browns game i'm tackling that ref before he throws that illegal contact uh penalty that like that one i think you have to change that one for sure honestly zach when i though the piece i wrote after that that
Starting point is 00:09:14 browns game about how the refs should be held accountable that may be my most viewed piece in my time at horseshoe huddle i mean fans wereiled up. I was riled up just because, and we don't have a rooting interest in this team. We cover it and we're trying to cover it as unbiased as possible. But when you see what was going on on the field that day, it was really hard to justify that the Browns actually went out there and won that game without help from the officials.
Starting point is 00:09:40 Yeah, yeah. And then I got one more game for us here. Just that everything about that dumb six to nothing Jaguars win 2018. I was looking stuff up for this segment. I completely forgot that game ever existed. The Colts went for it on fourth down like six times in Jaguars territory. Like the Colts outgamed them in that game and still lost six nothing. And it was in Jacksonville, of course.
Starting point is 00:10:02 I would just kick a couple more. No, actually, no, I wouldn't kick field goals. I would convert the fourth kick a couple more no actually no i wouldn't kick field goals i would convert the fourth downs you guys know me i can't kick field goals i would convert the fourth downs if i could change anything and that would drastically change that entire game because six to nothing oh my gosh such a such a weird game and and to imagine an andrew luck led team to six to nothing, almost unheard of. So yeah, definitely a very strange game. And I kind of sat there wondering what was I even watching when it was happening live. Right, right. Coming up, guys, we're going to switch gears and talk about what free agent or trade things that we would change from the Chris Ballard era. But one thing I did want to say real
Starting point is 00:10:41 quick is we didn't even change the biggest comeback in NFL history against the Colts because that was just funny. That was funny. We need to keep that there. But no, we're going to switch gears and talk about the biggest free agent in trade. What is in the Chris Ballard era? But first, passion, drive and patience, the formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive. eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance. Superchargers, roof rack, exhaust kits, LED headlights, and more. Whether you're into speed, power, or style, eBay Motors has got you covered.
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Starting point is 00:12:41 for free at linkedin.com slash locked on. That's linkedin.com slash locked on to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. All right, Locked On Colts, every day as we're back using hindsight bias, what if, and all the crazy things that Chris Ballard did not have available back in the time of making all these decisions. So again, not criticizing him too much for this. I mean, some of these are ones at the time we criticized, obviously. But Andrew, you know, when we're looking at what Chris Ballard could have done differently in the free agent market, the trade market, during his tenure with the Colts, and using that hindsight bias to really change things. You probably start at the quarterback position, right?
Starting point is 00:13:26 Since post Andrew Luck, like I feel like there were a couple, a couple of opportunities there that the Colts could have done something better than what they did do. I think for me, the first thing that pops up is the Carson Wentz trade. Inarguably the biggest, like the biggest, like prevalent blunder in the Chris Ballard era was making that trade of a first and third round pick for Carson Wentz. It only lasted one year. They ended up dealing him for pennies on the dollar considering what they gave up for him.
Starting point is 00:13:57 And it led to, you know, it ultimately led to the Frank Reich firing a year later. I think changing that in any way is probably the way to go if we're really using the hindsight bias on this one. Yeah, I would agree. And everyone had such high hopes for Carson Wentz at the time, myself included, because I thought if Carson Wentz can turn his career around, the best place for it to happen is in Indy with Frank Reich, a guy that he trusts that got the best out of Carson Wentz in his time in Philadelphia. And unfortunately, there were
Starting point is 00:14:34 points in 2021 where you thought, okay, there's some flashes here, but he could never put it together. And then by the end of the 2021 season, you are winning in spite of, of Carson Wentz at times, not because of Carson Wentz. And really it was, it was Jonathan Taylor carrying this entire offense on his shoulders to, to end that season. And then obviously you've got to talk about what happened with, with Matt Ryan. I think that was the final desperate attempt by the Colts to, to, to, to get, get a veteran quarterback in here. And I also think it was, it was probably Chris Ballard and Frank Reich not being totally honest with themselves about where this roster was. And Matt Ryan, it was just at that point where he completely fell off a cliff.
Starting point is 00:15:16 So, uh, the, because the Colts were honest about, they kept thinking that we're just, we're one piece away. We're a quarterback away away when it turns out this team over these last two seasons have has gone through a well it's not a full-fledged rebuild where you're you're tearing it completely down to the studs there's been a lot of turnover with this team getting some of the the older era out bringing in a bunch of new players uh deciding who to keep who not to keep, and then just starting at ground zero with Anthony Richardson at quarterback. So you hope that that can continue and the Colts can continue to make strides in that way. Yeah, yeah. And I think when we're talking about the quarterback thing, I don't want to spend too much time on this one because
Starting point is 00:16:01 there's plenty of other ones that we can jokingly go over but do you you know again looking back using revisionist history on this do you think if you were in charge during and knowing what you know now would you push harder for a trade for Matthew Stafford or would you push harder to sign Tom Brady I think you know those are two I mean maybe not the Tom Brady one just because we have to have some kind of hatred in our hearts you know we can't we can't we can't, we can't, we can't fully change like that. But the Matthew Stafford one, I think,
Starting point is 00:16:29 you know, especially when you consider the Colts did have some interest, like that's probably, and that was the same off season as the Carson Wentz. So at least with Tom Brady, you know, you got Phillip Rivers in here that year where Phillip Rivers had a good season.
Starting point is 00:16:42 And again, if we're changing everything, we're winning that bills playoff game. We're running all the way to Super Bowl but uh with the Stafford one it's like when sir Stafford maybe you're giving up two first or three first whatever it is but like maybe that would have worked you know you never know exactly and that that was actually going to be my answer to this question is is the Stafford trade because instead of Matthew Stafford you get carson wentz we all
Starting point is 00:17:05 know how that how what happened there but matthew stafford goes out to la still enjoys a a kind of a resurgence with his career goes out there and the los angeles rams have a super bowl the colts do not and matthew stafford while he's that has been battling through some injuries when healthy, he's still a top 10 quarterback easily. So Matthew Stafford, that, that trade where I heard the Colts were, I think we heard at the time that the Colts were, were, were interested, but they didn't want to go as far as the Rams did go as all in as the Rams did. And it turns out the Rams made the right decision. They, they went all in and while it did cost them a lot, I mean, they got the Superbowl,
Starting point is 00:17:47 so it was worth it. Yeah. Yeah. And, and going away from quarterback now, we could obviously talk about all these different trades. Other teams made, you know,
Starting point is 00:17:54 go get the Mario Cooper for a fifth round pick. That was my other one. Yeah. Yeah. You know, like all these ones, obviously, and those are,
Starting point is 00:18:00 are plenty worth talking about for sure. Why not go sign Trey Hendrickson? If we know what we know now and all these other things? Or even if you want to go as recent as this most recent offseason, sign Xavier McKinney instead of the Packers or something, you know, give him 25, 90 or whatever you need to do to make sure that happens. We could do that for so many things. But keeping it in-house, I think letting Danico Autry walk and letting Bobby O'Kerrick walk
Starting point is 00:18:24 are the two biggest things like I know the Bobby Okereke thing goes hand in hand with Shaquille Leonard's injury so you kind of have to pick you know if we're doing this revisionist history thing you got to change some certain things with you know them giving Leonard that extension and picking him over Okereke but like I think that the Okereke one in particular is really where this power of revisionist history and hindsight bias really comes in, because like, that's the one that we would all really change. Like, that's a realistic move where if we just knew a little bit of what was going to happen, we do the other thing. And we have a, you know, we have Zyra Franklin,
Starting point is 00:18:59 who's playing lights out. We have Bobby Okereke out the will, who's very, very good player, EJ Speed coming off the bench. That's very, very good player, EJ Speed coming off the bench. That's very strong instead of just Speed and Franklin. And, you know, Shaquille Leonard's basically out of the league at this point. So I think the Okereke one's a very, like, frustrating one because that one realistically could have gone the other way. Like, you don't doubt the Colts for what they did, but like, one of our homegrown talents is really really good for another team like that's that doesn't happen with Chris Ballard and that's the one time he let one get away because he chose wrong you know chose wrong and I think if you could really change
Starting point is 00:19:35 anything like that's the biggest like in-house mistake in a way that you would change and as soon as Bobby O'Kerrick goes to a big market like New York, I mean, there's respect now put on his name. And I think there's a lot of people are consider Bobby O'Kerrick a borderline top off the top 10 off ball linebacker in the NFL. He certainly had a fantastic season for the Giants last last year. And I think he can even continue to improve on that. We us that follow the Colts knew how good Bobby O'Kerrick was.
Starting point is 00:20:04 And I think the Colts did as well. But at that point, you can't pay two off-ball linebackers in and expect to be competitive in the NFL. And the Colts at that time, I think they still believed that Shaquille Leonard could overcome that injury. And obviously they were wrong on that one. Yeah, it's just not much they could have done there. Like once they committed all those resources to Leonard, you had to ride it out until you saw what was going to happen. And then, you know, they had Franklin and Speed on manageable contracts. Like that's a fine linebacker group if Leonard's healthy, but Leonard just didn't stay healthy.
Starting point is 00:20:36 Okereke walks, Okereke becomes this, I mean, not becomes, he really always just was this top 10-ish linebacker. And that happened. So, I mean, again, I don't blame Chris Ballard too much for that one. I don't really blame anyone for that. It's just unfortunate what happened. But yeah, losing O'Kerrick.
Starting point is 00:20:51 I don't, I think it's like the biggest blunder in house that Ballard made. And I don't really, again, I don't necessarily call it like a blunder in that sense, but we're going to move past this guys. We're going to move to the draft. Obviously quarterbacks going to be a conversation there as well.
Starting point is 00:21:05 But what are the biggest what-ifs in the Colts' recent draft history under Chris Ballard? But first, this show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Look, guys, I know it's hard out there with social media, hard to look at all these people with great lives and just so much wealth and buying houses and having 30 kids and all this and just wanting to compare yourself to what they're doing. And social media has really opened this up to a lot of people. I've grown up in the social media era. You can just look at what everyone's doing that's better than you. But look, social media is not everything. It's not the whole world. In comparison, it's the thief of joy. It's easy to envy other people's lives,
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Starting point is 00:22:26 and switch therapist anytime for no additional charge. Stop comparing and start focusing with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash locked on today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash locked on. All right, Andrew Moore, my buddy over at horseshoehuddle.com. He is joining us today to talk all about using hindsight bias in revisionist history to change everything that's happened the last couple of years. Again, Chris Ballard has done a great job. We're not here to criticize him with this. It's just at the end of the day, revisionist history, you're a genius if you can use this. And before we get to the quarterback stuff, because obviously if you know what you know now, you probably trade Andrew Luck in 2017,
Starting point is 00:23:15 2018, take Pat Mahomes or take Josh Allen, and then you're feeling good. Or you do something crazy to go get Justin Herbert in 2020. You don't trade for Buckner. You go out for Herbert. Like, obviously, those are the big ones at quarterback. But aside from that, I think the biggest one that I will never get over for as long as I live. Chris, Chris Ballard, if you're listening, I will never get over this one. Paris Campbell over Terry McLaurin. That one hurts so bad. And look, again, if we know what we know now's it's much worse than what it was at the time because even like at the time Campbell was the more productive player
Starting point is 00:23:50 elite athletic profile the the head coach was pounding the table for him and you just could never project the injuries even at the time I was fine with it but even then I had Terry McLaurin much higher than Paris Campbell like uh and and the fact that he was born in Indy you know he had the the greatest offseason you could ever ask for he wanted to come to Indy he had the special teams the senior bowl the captaincy like every single thing that checked every single box for the Colts and it just didn't happen and I'm still kind of wondering why he didn't because it's like as someone who does the build build a ballard stuff, it's like, Chris, this was the guy. This was this was like, how is Terry McLaurin not still a Colt? How is he not one of the highest paid receivers in football as a Colt? And you know, we're chilling right now. But yeah, I think that's ultimately the biggest draft. What if besides quarterback stuff, knowing, you know, with Andrew Luck and all that is like, how did Terry McLaurin not end up in a Colts jersey back in 2019? That 2019 draft is honestly full of what ifs, because you think the Colts even traded back
Starting point is 00:24:53 out of the first round, instead of sticking, sticking Pat and taking Montez Sweat, who I think the commanders took either it was at that pick or a pick after that. Montez Sweat, but instead they trade back and take Rocky Scene. AJ Brown was still on the board, obviously. And then Paris Campbell with DK Metcalf. Terry McCorin still on the board. So there's a lot of what ifs in those first two rounds. Ben Banigou was also taken in 2019. Bobby Okereke, who we just talked about, which was the guy that actually turned out to be the best out of the bunch.
Starting point is 00:25:28 So yeah, that 2019 is filled with what ifs, that 2019 draft. And the Colts are on the wrong end on pretty much all of them. Yeah, yeah. The other really big what if, and I'll throw it over to you here, Andrew. But again, another one that just made so much sense at the time, and I have no clue how it didn't happen. How did Reek Woolen fall so far in the draft? Reek Woolen in the 2022 draft fell all the way to what, round five? And it's like, Ballard, you love the super athletes.
Starting point is 00:25:59 You love these corners who are like 6'4", like 400-inch arms who run 4'1". This is what – like, Woolen was made in my creative player, you know, Madden leagues that I'm playing, basically. This was a fake player. It doesn't matter how good he was on the football field in college. Oh, by the way, he was pretty good in college too. Like, I don't – former wide receiver too. That fit the position change thing.
Starting point is 00:26:22 I have no clue. Like, I want to just – I know it's crazy to ask him about this now because it's so far removed. And he's this guy hasn't been on the Colts. But like, how? How did this not happen? Like, this is your guy. You took Darius Rush a year later. This is like Darius Rush, the worst version of this.
Starting point is 00:26:41 Like, I don't know what happened here. You can tell that pick is still hurting you to this day. You are pounding the table for Tariq Wolin. He took Marvell Tell in the 2019 draft a couple years ago. He's taken so many versions of this exact same project and
Starting point is 00:26:57 every time it fails, I'm like, you know what? You keep taking shots at that project. When it works, it works. And Tariq Wolin was the one that worked and he's not in the with the Colts it's like how did that one not go like that yeah it's just it's it's that one was one that I thought Woolen was a lock to the Colts uh in in 2022 and obviously each round goes by and you just don't see him picked until seattle gets him and now look he's he looks like he's going to be a starter for them for a very long
Starting point is 00:27:30 time yeah yeah no i i was projecting in top 50 to the colts oh man what are some that come to mind for you i mean again obviously you take josh allen in 2018 oh yeah really if we're really doing this like yes josh allen in 2018 but what are some If we're really doing this, like you take Josh Allen in 2018, but what are some ones that come to mind for you? So I'm going to go to the 2017 and I know Chris Ballard had came on late, so it wasn't his scouting staff or anything like that, but the Colts ended up taking Malik hooker at 15, which a lot of, a lot of people at the time thought hooker was a top 10 pick. So you think he was able to fall to 15 the colts got great value for that only thing is tj watt went in the first round at pick number 30 in that draft and for
Starting point is 00:28:11 chris ballard not being able to get a a dominant pass rusher and for something that he's wanted since he took the gm job he's always about building on the lines o-line and d-line tj watt was staring him right in the face and and the Colts passed by him. And who knows? Maybe Laatu turns into that dominant pass rusher. But could you imagine Watt on one side and Laatu on the other? If he does, that would be this generation's Freeney and Mathis. So that one hurts.
Starting point is 00:28:41 Another one was in 2021. And I don't want to talk down on this man. Cause I know this is a pro Dio Dango podcast. Uh, but if the Colts would have known what I'm on Ross St. Brown could have been in 2021, you probably take quitty pay in round one. Maybe you take Christian Darasaw, but that that's, that's another one that you could, you could argue, but instead of Dio Dangbo in round two and going back to back pass rushers, well, you wouldn't need it because you already
Starting point is 00:29:09 have TJ Watt, but then you add Amon Ross St. Brown there, uh, the, the fantastic route runner. I think he would pair very, very well with what the Colts have at wide receiver with, with Michael Pittman, uh, with Alec Pierce, uh, who knows if Josh Downs is even on the roster at this point, if you have St. Brown there in the slot. Uh, but we, as we all know now, St. Brown is, I think the third highest paid wide receiver in the NFL, and he's a perennial pro bowler. He's a fantastic talent. So those are, again, just a couple of the, the what ifs to, to go along with what you had said earlier, especially in that 2019 draft. Yep. And if you guys are following here, you know, listening to this show, as of right now, we fixed Andrew Luck's calf.
Starting point is 00:29:49 We also drafted Josh Allen. We took TJ Watt. We traded for Matthew Stafford. You know, we did all these things to fix the Indianapolis Colts. But, look, at the end of the day, training camp is coming up. We're excited about Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor, Shane Steichen at the helm, a really fun pass rush on the other side. Like this doesn't take away from where we're at when it comes to the current Colts. Obviously, it always hurts to look back a little bit and
Starting point is 00:30:14 think about what you could change. I mean, if you want to listen to the Derek Schultz episode, where he talked about the shoelace tackle against the Steelers in 2005, where that was the easiest Super Bowl the Colts could have ever won if they just runs a little bit to the other side of the field instead of running straight at Ben Roethlisberger's hand or whatever. Instead, we're talking about another championship. But I digress, guys. We're talking about the future now after this episode. We're going to have a little fun looking back, obviously. But let us know in the comments section, what is your biggest what if or thing you would change in the Chris Ballard era your biggest what if or thing you would change in the chris ballard era and i'll hold you guys to a higher standard than what we held ourselves to
Starting point is 00:30:49 make it something that at the time you know if we're talking free agent move trade uh draft at the time you were pounding the table for and just just proclaim how right you were at the time like me with terry mcglory here on this episode you you just at us in the comment section about how right you were about this and that. You were always against the Carson Wentz trade. You knew Matt Ryan wasn't going to work out. We should have gone and got Tom Brady. Let us know in the comment section below this video. And before we get out of here, I do want to remind you guys that Locked On has launched
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