I’ve been going back and forth with bellyaching Colts fans thus

far in the off-season prior to the Colts’ next trip to the Super Bowl in 2019 (called shot). I came up with a thought exercise to get..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteStampede Bluean Indianapolis Colts communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsColtsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Colts StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Colts NewsYahoo Colts Team PageYahoo Colts ReportYahoo Colts Depth ChartYahoo Colts TransactionsYahoo Colts PhotosShop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Colts staying the course in free agency with eyes on the draftNew Reggie Wayne Color Rush Jersey ,109commentsEDTShareTweetShareShareColts staying the course in free agency with eyes on the draftPhoto by Bob Levey/Getty ImagesI’ve been going back and forth with bellyaching Colts fans thus far in the off-season prior to the Colts’ next trip to the Super Bowl in 2019 (called shot). I came up with a thought exercise to get you through this apparently “unbearable period of time” in which the Colts barely make a peep in free agency. Keep in mind that we’re just looking at a player’s base salary instead of cap hit for reference because it’s all about guaranteed money. Understand that yes, we could dive deeper into the exact financials of any deal to see if it would have been reasonable, but I’m not here to debate roster bonuses and performance bonuses as some sort of out to the argument. Let’s leave those at the door.Can you name one free agent that you’d pay more than T.Y. Hilton to come play for the Colts?If you said “Of course not. T.Y. is the linchpin of the offense and our most reliable and consistent play-maker. He’s Andrew Luck’s favorite target. What kind of question is that?”Good answer. His salary is $13 million for 2019. That eliminates guys like Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, right? If you ever thought for one second that there was a chance “the price is right” for either of them, consider that both of them just got paid more per year by their new teams than T.Y. will this year. Nothing says loyalty than making sure your own home-grown stars are your highest earners.Let’s move on to the next example.Can you name one free agent that you’d pay more than Andrew Luck gets paid this year?If you answered “Of course not, Jared. He’s our Captain. Our franchise quarterback. A once in a generation talent. What kind of idiotic question is that?”Well, his salary is $9 million for 2019. That basically meant no Trent Brown, C.J. Mosley, Kwon Alexander, Mitch Morse, or Tyrell Williams. I’d also argue that $9 million number for Luck means no Bradley Roby, Sheldon Richardson or LaMarcus Joyner either, right?What kind of slap in the face to a guy like Luck would any of those signings have been?Can you name a free agent you’d pay more than Anthony Castonzo?If you blurted out “What are you thinking? He’s our anchor tackle. Without him, we’re toast on offense”, well... yeah you’re still right. Right?This is where we could argue about the fine line between upgrading the team and muddying the roster. Castonzo’s $6 million salary means no Ja’Wuan James https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Rigoberto-Sanchez-Jersey , Tashan Gipson, Golden Tate, John Brown, Za’Daruis Smith, Earl Thomas, Cole Beasley, Jamison Crowder, Trey Flowers, Rodger Saffold, C.J. Uzomah, Preston Smith, Jordan Hicks, Kareem Jackson, Robert Alford, and no Marlon Mack Jersey , the Colts weren’t in on Tyrann Mathieu either.Someone in the comments will bring up Devin Funchess and I’ll calmly remind you that his salary is $3 million. Another will bring up Pierre Desir, but his base salary is $1 million. Thanks for playing, though! Roster bonuses and performance bonuses are not guaranteed money.Our beloved GM Chris Ballard has said time and time again that the Colts are not going to take a shot on a high value free agent. The Colts are going to build through the draft and use free agency to fill holes caused by injury. If your head is spinning, consider that 7 of these free agents that have signed for more money per year than Anthony Castonzo are 30 years old or older.Did you know that if you take Adam Vinatieri out of the equation, the Colts have the youngest roster in the NFL?Think about that. What logic is there in trying to sign players you’ll have to pay more than your current stars if your general manager has said he isn’t a fan of spending big on free agency and that his intent is to grow his own and build through the draft.I understand the possibility that if you don’t pay free agents now, you’ll struggle to do so in the future. Methinks consistently winning while organically building your roster will have a net positive effect on your team’s ability to draw free agents in the future. I imagine that the Colts interviewed several potential free agents and decided it’s probably better to get younger instead of attempting to “pay to win”. Think about the teams doling out big dollars for free agents so far. Oakland? Cleveland? Both New York teams? Perennial winners? Nope. I’d argue John Dorsey knows what he’s doing, Dave Gettleman must be trying to get himself fired or run out of town, Mayock/Gruden are somewhere in between the other two GMs here and the jury is still out on Mike Maccagnan.I’d be interested to see what you think about this thought exercise. Does this make sense? Does this ease your mind a bit? Let me know what you think in the comments. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts are borrowing an old adage from Bill Belichick this week.They’re on to the Patriots.Less than 24 hours after a gutsy fourth-down call backfired in a wrenching overtime loss to AFC South rival Houston, coach Frank Reich walked into the team complex and turned his attention to Thursday night’s game.“It just appears to me the maturity level of these young players are eager to get on to the next game, just eager to get ready,” Reich said Monday.“I think the most important thing is how are we going to take care of them physically, get your bodies right and get these game plans in quickly and just get everything focused on New England.”First, though, Reich did replay the decision in his head repeatedly.Upon further reflection, he even walked back some of his postgame comments to explain with more clarity what he was thinking.Players appreciated the fact Reich had enough faith in his offense and defense to take a chance on fourth-and-4 from his 43-yard line with less than 30 seconds left in overtime. Afterward Quenton Nelson Color Rush Jersey , everyone including Reich acknowledged they didn’t want to settle for a tie.“I probably should give context to the 10 out of 10,” Reich said, referring to his postgame comments. “I mean it’s probably not a complete absolute as much as it is a mindset of being aggressive. There are always a lot of things to consider. To say it’s an absolute, it was emotional yesterday, a tough loss. The mindset is we’re going to be aggressive.”Everyone from Andrew Luck to record-breaking kicker Adam Vinatieri backed Reich in a game most figured they wouldn’t even watch on film because of the short week.But the reality is Reich is here, in Indy talking about New England, because Josh McDaniels isn’t.Had Belichick’s longtime offensive coordinator followed through on his verbal commitment to take the Colts’ coaching job following February’s Super Bowl loss, this game would be billed as yet another chapter in the long-running pupil-versus-instructor series.Instead, when McDaniels backed out of the deal, Colts general manager Chris Ballard plucked the offensive coordinator from Super Bowl champion Philadelphia and he’s been a big hit in Indy (1-3) — even in light of Sunday’s risky call.Beating New England would give fans even more to celebrate early in Reich’s tenure.But he’s likely to be working with a short-handed roster.Left tackle Anthony Castonzo has missed all four games with an injured hamstring and it appears unlikely he’ll return this week. Right tackle Joe Haeg went on injured reserve last week and his left ankle is now in a cast.Pro Bowler receiver T.Y. Hilton left Sunday’s game with a chest injury, returned and then left again in the second half with a hamstring injury. Reich doesn’t anticipate having Hilton at New England (2-2).Running back Marlon Mack has missed three of the first four games this season with a hamstring injury and the Colts have two cornerbacks, Quincy Wilson and Kenny Moore II, in the concussion protocol. Another cornerback Nate Hairston walked into the locker room Monday with his lower left leg in a walking boot.Hairston, Hilton, Wilson https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Andrew-Luck-Jersey , Moore, Pro Bowl tight end Jack Doyle (hip), center Ryan Kelly (hand), linebacker Darius Leonard (ankle) and defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway (calf) did not practice Monday.At least the Colts might have running back Robert Turbin back in the mix following a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancers. He’s been Indy’s top short-yardage runner the past two seasons and could play a key, albeit limited, role if Indy activates him before Tuesday afternoon’s deadline.“I feel good. I’m ready to roll,” Turbin said. “I just trained like normally do. I always train with pads and a helmet on, and I try to mimic routes and things like that. I got a chance to go back to my high school and run around with those guys a little bit.”But the seven-year veteran knows the competition will be much different with the defending AFC champions on the opposite sideline.Houston already appears to be a distant memory.And all the talk inside the locker room seems to focus on ending a seven-game losing streak to the Pats that dates back to Belichick’s own failed fourth-down decision in 2009.“You’ve got to move on from this one real fast,” Reich said. “We know how quick a turnaround that is here. A very well-coached team, a good football team. So all eyes on New England.”Notes: Castonzo, Mack and safety Clayton Geathers (knee) were all limited in practice Monday. … Tight end Eric Ebron (knee), safety Malik Hooker (hip), kicker Adam Vinatieri (right groin) and linebacker Anthony Walker (knee) were all full participants at practice.