Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS -1/25- Colts Interviewing GM Candidates In Mobile; Who Are The Favorites?

Episode Date: January 25, 2017

As the #Colts GM candidate list begins to grow, Matt discusses his favorites for the job as well as those he doesn't think would be a great fit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Learn more about our healthy benefits at fepblue.org slash getmore. No, I'm not for sale. You are lockeded On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome back to Locked On Colts, ladies and gentlemen. I'm your host, Matt Dainley. And we are all set for our Wednesday show for January 25th. And, you know, the GM candidates continue to roll in and increase for the Indianapolis Colts and, you know, one of them after another, after another. So, you know, and it really is beginning to turn into somewhat of an all-star cast here for the Colts. It just looks like

they're going to be in really good shape regardless of who they find and who they decide to hire. So yesterday on the show with George Bremer, we went through Jimmy Ray, Trent Kirshner, Scott Fitterer. We mentioned George Patton I believe And Elliot Wolfe had just gotten thrown into The mix at the time When we were on the podcast But since then Chris Ballard and Eric DaCosta

Have been added to the mix And like I said This is beginning to turn into an all-star cast here DaCosta was actually Brought in in 2012 to interview for the role, or he was requested to interview. I can't remember if he actually interviewed or not, but he ended up taking himself out of the process, I believe.

But Chris Ballard, if you guys don't know him, he's the director of football operations for the Chiefs. He's had that for a couple years now, and he's really been fantastic. He was in Chicago for at least 10 years and was really instrumental in bringing in some top key guys. I think Forte, I believe Peanut Tillman and and I'm not sure about some of the others that he brought in but he he's uh been known for years to be a fantastic talent evaluator uh he obviously with the Chiefs you know he brought in a bunch of those guys especially in the past couple years uh think about Tyreek Hill you know with his uh issues off the field, he saw the talent that was there that I don't think

a lot of people really did. Some of these guys with talent and off the field issues, you know, their talent doesn't far exceed the risk. But Tyreek, you know, was one of those guys that I don't think a lot of people had their eye on. And he definitely felt that he was that kind of a playmaker that he's turned out to be for the Chiefs. Marcus Peters, that wasn't a hard pick, but man, how freaking great is he? And Ballard is just one of the most favorable, in my opinion, in this entire lineup, including Elliott Wolfe, although I really like Elliott Wolfe in this. So this is, I mean, the Colts are going to have a really good GM, in my opinion. I mean, if you think about it, Ballard from the Chiefs, good defensive team.

Elliott Wolfe from the Green Bay Packers, not so great defensive this year, but they have been, you know, in the past. Patton with the Vikings, like George mentioned last night, how much he's done with that Minnesota Vikings defense over just the past couple years. And then you got Fitter and Kirshner from Seattle. We know what they've at least had a say in doing with that Seattle defense. So these guys have definitely got some defensive backgrounds with them.

DaCosta, another guy with Baltimore. Big, big defensive background there as far as, you know, how they've drafted and stuff. Huge guy. I mean, you know, you don't just pull in talent, you know, just by being stupid. Terrell Suggs, I believe he had something to do with Joe Flacco as well, but he's been there for the better part of 20 years, I believe, at least in some form or fashion,

but he's actually the assistant general manager in Baltimore at this time. I'm not as high on DaCosta only because I've seen kind of the way the past couple years have fallen for their draft and stuff. He might be my least favorite of the group. However, his name being in the mix and if he actually takes the interview, which I can't tell you one way or another whether he is or isn't or has said one way or the other. But if he at least takes the interview, that's a fantastic deal for the Colts. I mean, a lot of these guys that are interviewing right now, they want a piece of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, and rightfully so. These guys are going to be in store for, you know,

I have to build this defense, I have to get him protection, and the rest. I mean, this should be really, guys, honestly, and it's obvious, you know, I have to build this defense. I have to get him protection. And the rest, I mean, this should be really, guys, honestly, and it's obviously, you know, when we talked to Amy Trask the other day, she told us this is not an exact science with the draft and stuff like that, but you've got to be able to evaluate talent. You've got to be able to pull it in all three sections. You know, you've got to be able to get a solid free agency class. You've got to be able to get the talent free agency class. You've got to be able to get the talent mixed with youth and the sustainability of their health. Then you've

got to be able to draft and you've got to at least try to hit on half your picks, at least to be contributors. And you want one really good standout from each draft at least. And then you also have the undrafted guys. You've got to be able to evaluate the guys who didn't make it up to the podium or didn't have their name called during the draft. So that's a huge part of it too. And as we mentioned before, Jimmy Ray was very good at that and has been very good at that, bringing in these undrafted guys.

So that's a good thing about that. And hopefully, if he doesn't get the GM role, that they will keep him in that sort of role within the Colts organization, because he's really done a fantastic job with that. You know, I mentioned a few of them the other night that he had brought in, But he, I mean, he's also brought in guys like Zach Kerr. He brought in Jonathan Harrison, who isn't the greatest or anything like that, but he's definitely depth on an offensive line that is young and trending upwards. And I've talked about that before. I'm going to die on that hill. But I think there's a lot of guys that, you know, could really turn this team around in a short span, a couple years, I think this team could be really fantastic. I mean, this is the, you know what, and the best part about it is this

is the perfect draft for defense. This is the perfect draft for cornerbacks. I'm not a humongous draft guy as far as watching tape on several positions. At my other site, QB Mecca, I do a lot of quarterback work and look at those guys. Obviously, the Colts don't need one of those. But sporadically, I'll go through some of these guys. And this draft, from all the guests that we've had on, will tell you the same thing. Really high on cornerbacks. Really high on the combination of defensive line pass rushers and outside linebacker pass rushers. It's a solid inside linebacker group. There's a couple of really big time safeties in this group. They should hit on at least three picks in this draft to be solid contributors. That would be an

extremely young starting defense. I mean, it could be at least eight guys, and I may be overstating that just a touch, but that's still eight out of 11 guys. That's a huge percentage of your defense being first and second year guys, and that's what they need. They need youth. They've got some youth on the offensive line right now. They've got youth everywhere except defense and in the backfield, and they've got a couple of guys back there you know Turbin's not exactly young uh and they and other than uh Turbin as far as backups you know uh Jordan Todman he's 27 I believe as well but they really need uh another guy you know to step in and to be able to come in on a draft and be an impressive guy. They need ultimately,

eventually, well, I would say next year, they need a running back to be drafted who can come in and overtake a minimum of a backup role and should be a week one starter. That's what they need. Whether they get that or not, who knows. If they get a guy late in the draft or end up finding a really tough undrafted guy this year, maybe they luck out. But this is a deep class also, I guess, for running backs. So these are good things. This is a very good draft in order for this new GM to really make a statement. And he's going to get a lot of credit for falling into a really good draft if he does do so GM to really make a statement. And he's going to get a lot of credit for falling into a really good draft if he does do so, I can tell you that. He's an upgrade,

whoever it is, I think it's going to be an upgrade over Grigson. I don't think there's any two ways about that. But at the same time, this is, you know, almost like the luck offensive draft for Grigson in 2012 as far as for defense for whoever this comes in and I would just about guarantee you that it's going to come from one of those guys that have the defensive stronghold that have proven that they can be really good defensive evaluators. I don't think Elliott Wolfe will get the job i'm totally spitballing here this is my honest opinion i don't think it'll be elliot wolf i would not see it being patten i think patten thinks that he's going to get the gm role there uh very soon i also think that ballard is definitely

in line to get the chief's job very soon but I also think Ballard wants to take over a team who's got that quarterback to where his specialty in drafting and pulling in this extraordinary talent can flourish with a top-level quarterback because he hasn't really had one of those in Kansas City or in Chicago. So does he do that? I think Ballard is a very real possibility, and I think that as long as they can get Jimmy Ray to stay on. Now, I keep coming back to that, but I actually honestly believe that Jimmy Ray is a sticking point here, and I don't mean that he's somebody who's in the way. I think that Ursae very, very much wants to keep him on staff and keep him in a high-level role.

I think that he's going to be one of those guys like Ballard and like Elliott Wolfe and Patton, for that matter, who are very handsomely paid for not being the official GM but being an assistant to the GM or his right-hand man so to speak so I think that you'll see Jimmy Ray's salary go up this year we won't probably hear anything about that I just think that's possibly are more likely the case and it will be to keep him in Indianapolis as that backup to the GM and that and that guy who they know that they can have their GM and him bounce stuff off of each other, and they're going to get the best possible results out of it. So I threw up a tweet

today. It was a poll over who your Colts GM choice would be, and this is just kind of a, you know, there's only a few options here, but I had Ballard, Elliott, Ray and other and right now Ballard was the leading vote getter by far 38 percent and then Elliott was number two whereas Ray and other combined for 37 percent so I think that a lot of Colts fans who are guessing on this as well think that Ballard is not only the best choice, but I personally believe that he's probably the most likely out of all these guys. I think that they would – I think that those guys from Seattle, though, I think you're going to see eventually,

and I think this is going to surprise some people, I think one of them and Ballard are going to be the final two in the end. And if they make it three, maybe Ray. But at least those three in some form or fashion, Ray, one of the two Seattle guys, and Ballard will be the final three any way you slice it. You just can't ignore the way they've brought in defensive guys out over there. It's somewhat Belichick-like to be able to plug in new guys and be able to withstand that defense. Now, this past year they didn't quite maintain that when the safety went out,

Earl Thomas, but they have done it in the past four years, bringing new guys in. I mean, that's how these guys are going elsewhere and getting huge contracts. And then when they do that, they get out of that system. They don't seem to be quite as productive. So I would be very interested in this. And not only that, but the two things that I don't want, the only reason I don't want Ray or DaCosta to get the job necessarily is because I think that's a guarantee that Pagano stays on

board. I want Ballard, one of these guys that wants his own coach and one of the Seattle guys possibly that would want their own coach because if they do go defense, the Colts need a scheme change. That's as cut and dry as I can make it. The Colts need a scheme change on defense. They need playmakers. They need guys that are fast to the ball. They need to be able to play more coverages more effectively. And I think that in order to do that, they need a change in the type of defender that they're going after as well so i think that a lot of these guys know who their guy could be if they do that i think there will be a lot of mix-ups

you know and stuff like that but ultimately it makes it a very difficult deal because it is so late in the process and who are you going to bring in for your coach at this point. But I think there's a much, much better chance for Pagano being replaced if Ray and DaCosta do not get the job. So that's just my opinion, you know, and something you guys may or may not have noticed as well. McAfee has not relinquished his stranglehold on the NFL network for some reason. You know, when we got into the AFC championship game, you had these two teams that had a lot of firepower, a lot of possibilities. Either way, you know, pregame that you could have seen this game turning out. But, you know, there's been a lot of talk about Antonio Brown and McAfee's tweet,

which, I mean, I kind of thought it was funny. He said, NFL Network owned and operated by the NFL reported that Antonio Brown was pouting after first touchdown, so lying to make superstars look bad is good for biz. And he's right, and that's just stupid. I mean, you can see clearly that Antonio Brown is not pouting about it, and they're just simply trying to turn it into something that it's not. And, you know, I just think, look, Pat's great. I love Pat.

I don't think there's too many people that are funnier or real, you know, in professional sports right now. But I just want him to be careful because I don't want him to get senselessly fined or anything like that for speaking out and being a real dude on Twitter. May or may not, but we'll see. I'm kind of interested in, we talked about this real quickly and I'll kind of finish with this tonight, but I'm really interested to see where the Colts end up for their training camp. I've been to training camp the past several years down in Anderson it's a really nice facility two fields down there you know if you guys have gone down there you see

this you know the night practice is always on uh the the one field the actual uh schools field Anderson University and the majority of the training camp practices are always always on the practice field. It just kind of seems like it was a perfect fit, you know, plenty of room, very easy to navigate for both the players, media, and anybody else really. The nice little spot there for Touch Downtown or Colts Town or whatever they called it. It kind of surprises me if they do end up going to uh you know colts complex on west 56th street that kind of is gonna change things a little bit i'm just i guess i'm just really surprised to see

that they're leaving at all to be honest with you and on top of that i'm very interested to find out where they go uh that's something i'll be actually you know it seems cheesy but i'll be watching that pretty closely because i'll be interested obviously obviously, because I'll be going. But I'm also interested just to see where they decide to land it, whether they do it at a school or if they just do it at Colts Complex where everybody can go to and from their own homes, as opposed to having to basically stay through the week out of town, more or less. So that'll be something that's interesting to keep your eyes on as well. And I'll keep you guys updated on anything that I hear. But typically, by the time that I record my shows, you guys will already have seen it more or less,

if you're on Twitter or Facebook or anything like that. If they tend to make a decision, that'll probably go up. George will probably uh be putting that in an article the moment that it uh is released so uh thank you guys i i just i i know that i say it after every show but i truly mean it i really appreciate you guys and all that you're doing uh for the show a lot of shares this past month a ton a lot of our biggest you know my biggest listeners are all around central Indiana for the most part. But you guys in the States would be pretty surprised to hear how much attention this show is getting from our fans over in the UK. Thank you, everybody in London, over in the UK, people in Australia.

Thank you, all of you. I appreciate you guys listening. You guys are probably the ones that are listening to it first when I pump it through just because of the time frame at night. But it's really been great. There's a lot more countries getting involved, some that I didn't even know that they were able to listen to podcasts. But I really appreciate all of you guys listening to the show. I love your feedback. And more importantly, I appreciate the reviews you guys have been giving on iTunes

because that's really helping the show, and I mean substantially. So I thank you all very much, and please continue to keep that up. You can always hit me up at LockedOnColtsPod at gmail.com, LockedOnColts, or at mdainley underscore NFL on Twitter. We have a Facebook page for the show. If you guys go like that, I'd appreciate that as well. And you'll get, you know, I've got a lot of this stuff tagged through to where just about any article that mentions the Colts comes through on that page.

So that'd be nice for you. I also have that on the Twitter account too. So not only are you getting the show's pods, but you're getting just about any article that has anything to do with anybody with the Colts organization as well. So I appreciate you guys very much. Thank you guys for listening. And I'll talk to you all tomorrow right here on Locked on Colts. You are Locked on Colts, your daily podcast on the Indianapolis Colts,

part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.