Freischaltung » Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris

Ballard went virtually all in on defense in this year’s draft.He hopes the payoff is worth it.After watching the Colts improve from No. 30 in total defense in 2018 to No. 11 last season Shareef Miller Jersey , Ballard used seven of his first eight picks adding assets for second-year defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.“I guess now you understand what the plan was. Speed, competition on defense, plain and simple,” Ballard said. “We wanted to get athletic, fast players who fit our mold, which I think we accomplished.”Ballard did what he could to ensure the progression continues.The Colts haven’t produced back-to-back top-20 finishes in total defense since 2013 and 2014 and haven’t posted a top-10 ranking since 2004 when they were No. 4.Now, just months after Andrew Luck led the Colts back to the playoffs and was the overwhelming choice as the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year, Ballard invested heavily on the other side of the ball.“I feel a little defensive today,” team owner Jim Irsay joked as he entered the Colts’ media room. “We really thought those four picks we had on Friday were really, really game-changers for us to make us a better football team.”He didn’t just dip his toe into a deep pool of talented defenders — he dove in head first looking for players who could primarily pressure quarterbacks or hold up in pass coverage.Indy needed to get better in both areas, and Ballard did everything in his power to make it happen. Three times, he swapped picks. He also traded veteran defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway to Philadelphia for an extra seventh-round choice, No. 246 overall.Ballard also took some calculated risks by selecting Ben Banogu, who played primarily defensive end at TCU. The Colts will try to convert him into a multi-positional linebacker. Indy also plans on using Southern California safety Marvin Tell III at cornerback.But if those experiments fail, Ballard figures the fallback options aren’t much of a gamble.“When I first took the job Germaine Pratt Jersey , I think I told you all we know we’re getting it right when we’re cutting guys and they’re going to play for other teams,” Ballard said. “When we get our roster to 65 and 54 to 65 is popping up in other places, I know we’re getting it right. We’re not there yet, but we’re a lot closer.”WHO THEY GOTThe defensive run began with cornerback Rock Ya-Sin early in the second round and didn’t stop until late in the final round of the draft Saturday. Along the way, the Colts selected three linebackers — Banogu, Bobby Okereke of Stanford, and E.J. Speed of Tarleton State — two safeties — Khari Willis of Michigan State and Tell — and defensive end Gerri Green of Mississippi State. The Colts took speedy receiver Parris Campbell late with their second-round pick and closed the draft by using seventh-round selections on tackle Jackson Barton of Utah and center Javon Patterson of Mississippi.SURPRISE MOVEColts fans were disappointed when Ballard sent the No. 26 overall pick to Washington for two second-rounders. But the selection of Speed, who played at the Division II level, created the most intrigue. Speed was not a familiar name to most fans because he was not invited to the NFL scouting combine, didn’t play in any college all-star games and said he turned down chances to play at more Big 12 schools so he could be near his adopted brother, who was battling cancer.HOW THEY DIDBallard prefers substance to splash — and this was another draft that reflected his philosophy. Indy thinks Ya-Sin can be a lockdown cornerback, and Ballard filled his most glaring hole on the depth chart by choosing all those linebackers. He also found some depth for the offensive line and, perhaps most important, gave coach Frank Reich a dangerous deep threat who can create mismatches in multiple spots on the offense.WHAT’S NEXT?This weekend is only the start for Indianapolis, and Ballard knows it. Over the past two seasons http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ryan-finley-jersey , he’s plucked key contributors off the waiver wire (starting cornerback Pierre Desir and right guard Mark Glowinski), from other teams’ practice squads (center-guard Evan Boehm), and even off the street (safety Mike Mitchell). Plus, the Colts have had at least one undrafted rookie make the roster out of training camp for 20 consecutive seasons — the longest active streak in the league. The first component came Saturday when Ballard announced Indy would pick up the fifth-year option on starting center Ryan Kelly. So expect Ballard to stay busy between now and the Sept. 8 season opener at the Los Angeles Chargers. PITTSBURGH (AP) — The silence coming from the back of the bus offered Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi all the proof he needed that his maddeningly inconsistent team remains fully engaged.For now, that’s all Narduzzi can ask for. Well, that and the hope the small mistakes that piled up into a messy loss at North Carolina last Saturday will soon be erased. Or at least minimized.“I’ve been on a lot of team buses through the years where … you come out of the locker room, you jump on the bus and you’re hearing some talk in the back of the bus, and you’re kind of like as a head coach or a defensive coordinator, you’re kind of like, ‘Shut up back there,'” Narduzzi said Monday. “But you know what? I was on the offensive bus, I’m talking the entire time, just silent (elsewhere). So it hurts. And I think when it hurts, that’s when you know your guys care.”Caring is one thing. Winning is another, something that’s proven elusive all six times the Panthers have faced the Tar Heels since Pitt entered the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013. This one may have been the most painful. The Panthers led at halftime against a team that had won just one of its previous 13 games against Power Five conference opponents.And then it all went away. A penalty here. A fumble there. A 38-35 loss that dropped Pitt to 2-2 heading into its most difficult stretch of the season. Three of the Panthers’ next four games are against Top 25 teams. Pitt visits No. 13 Central Florida on Saturday Renell Wren Jersey , then hosts surprising Syracuse followed by a visit to No. 8 Notre Dame and a meeting with No. 22 Duke.The Panthers likely need a split to have a legitimate shot at reaching a bowl game after missing out in 2017. Not that Narduzzi wants to talk about it. It’s still September.“Things happen during a game,” Narduzzi said. “It is moving fast out there, and you’ve got to think fast, you’ve got to be locked in. And again, I think our kids are locked in, but you’re going to have mistakes. I’ve never been in a game where you’re not going to have mistakes. But again, one less mistake and we win the football game.”The Golden Knights and the Orange play at a high tempo, turning every game into a bit of a track meet. That’s not exactly great news for the Panthers, who allowed North Carolina’s sputtering offense to roll up 486 yards.The shaky performance came a week after Pitt kept Georgia Tech in check during a 24-19 victory. The Panthers tackled well and never really let the Yellow Jackets back in the game after going up 21-0 at the break. Facing a starkly different test by the Tar Heels, Pitt regressed on a side of the ball that was supposed to be a strength with nine starters returning and Narduzzi — a standout defensive coordinator at Michigan State before joining the Panthers — in his fourth season.Four weeks in, the Panthers rank in the bottom half of the ACC in total defense, scoring defense, pass efficiency defense and sacks.The offense has problems of its own. While senior running backs Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall have been dynamic at times, the Panthers have developed little rhythm in the passing game. Sophomore quarterback Kenny Pickett is enduring some growing pains in his first year as the starter, but an inability for his receivers to get separation is also a problem. The Panthers are 118th in the country in yards per completion.“The room sometimes goes lopsided http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-michael-jordan-jersey , and the offense plays good enough and the defense doesn’t,” Narduzzi said. “And then all of a sudden the offense doesn’t play good enough, the defense plays their tails off.”It’s part of a frustrating pattern that has repeated itself at Pitt for years. The ACC Coastal Division appears to be wide open. The Panthers believe they should be part of the mix — Narduzzi all but guaranteed a spot in the ACC title game during a kickoff luncheon in August — but to do so, they need to stop the one-step-forward, one-step-backward treadmill.“Coaches want perfection,” Narduzzi said. “You’re never going to get it, but, you know, you need to be excited after wins and after losses you should be having some disappointment. If not, there’s something wrong with your heart.”