As a Colts fan, what is the best news that you could hear during the off-season?

It seems as though our coordinators are going to stay in place, meaning that the only dog we have in a fight until new free agents are available, is the ability to re-sign our own guys before they hit the market. This could be rather tough in some cases, as many agents will make sure that their clients make it to free-agency to ensure that they get multiple offers to choose from and possibly play teams against each other. In that category we have a few guys, led by Pierce and D. Jones. There are others of importance, but Cross, Paye, and Smith would be secondary, while Ebukam and Pratt might not move the needle as much.

For this wave, the best news I could hear is that both Jones and Pierce had agreed to deals. Heck, they could both pull in similar money in the 25 – 35 million range. After that, I do not think we offer Cross and Smith as much as they want. We might still get them, but it won’t be without them testing the market. I actually hope I hear the words “No progress”, when it comes to Paye.

If the Pierce and Jones signings (or your other favorite in house free agent) are not the best news that you could hear, perhaps you are looking to sign a horse or two from another team? Maybe you have your eye on a difference making pass rusher or a linebacker(s) that doesn’t get lost in pass coverage? It is possible that you believe Hendrickson is the biggest piece for this offseason. I wish there were more options that I could get excited about, but I don’t think bringing him in would be the biggest thing we could do by June. I feel the same way about the available linebackers.

We love the draft and that has normally been where we see our biggest moves. Just as when we traded our #1 for Buckner, we will have to accept Sauce as our first pick in the draft. We will get some talent in the draft, but will it be the best news that we could get over the off-season, knowing that someone like Warren is not going to walk through the door? I think that right now, many would be happy if some gaps were filled, unless you believe that someone slips to 47, who can come in make an impact. For reference, ESPN says that Bobby Wagner was the best player to ever be taken with the 47th pick.

If not for these three “good news” events, maybe you believe that the health of a player might be the answer. Would hearing that Jones would be available on day 1 and be listed as QB1 during training camp be the biggest news? How about Moony Ward announcing that he was coming back? Or lasty, maybe you are a “addition by subtraction” sort of fan and would be most happy with a cut or a bit too late firing?

I’m going to go with the signings of Pierce and Jones, with a combined cap hit south of 65 million. I feel like that would set the stage for anything positive still to come.

As always, as a married man, I am often wrong. So let me know what gets you to say “Well alright now!”