I wanted Stafford as well, but it’s time to move on. We didn’t get him. Get over it. Let’s stop the dreams. Stafford coming to Indianapolis doesn’t have the same results as in LA. The Colts were reportedly on Stafford’s preferred list of destinations. Now I’ve defended Ballard on this particular subject. I was on Ballard’s side because I felt LA was at the top of the list, and Detroit did right by him by sending him there. My feelings have changed with the reports that Stafford did have the Colts on the destination list. Let’s play the what-if game. What if Stafford had preferred the Colts. What if Stafford was on the Colts. What happens?
Do we raise the Lombardi? I don’t think so. However, if we had made the trade for Stafford, we don’t have the same results as LA raising the Lombardi trophy in the end. We probably have similar results as we did with Wentz.
The Rams didn’t win the Super Bowl because of Stafford. While he played a significant role in winning it, he wasn’t the only reason. Sure the Rams threw the ball 40 times in the biggest game of the year. But they’re able to throw the ball 40 times because of the weapons surrounding Stafford. What do the Rams have that the Colts don’t? I’ll tell you. Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham, Robert Woods, or Tyler Higbee. Yes, Stafford would’ve been an upgrade over Carson Wentz, but TY Hilton, Zach Pascal, Jack Doyle, and Michael PittMAN don’t compare to the Rams weapons. I’m not trying to hate on what we have either. But, let’s be honest for a second and look in the mirror. Pittman is number 1 on OUR team. If Pittman was on another team, would he be the number 1? The answer is no. No disrespect to PittMAN, but you’re crazy if you think he’s in the same breath as Nuk, Adams, Thomas, Deebo, Kupp, etc. The growth is there for Pittman Jr. We’ve seen a massive stride from year one production to year 2.
I’m not saying the Colts don’t have weapons because that would be false. Taylor is an absolute monster. As Drizzy said, “I’m top two, and I’m not two.” Taylor is the clear number 1 running back in the league. But, a running back will only take you so far. I saw a tweet that came out from week 18. I can’t find the one who created the saying, but it’s the truth. The phrase was the Tennessee Titans, and the Indianapolis Colts are both proving in different ways why a running back isn’t the MVP of the league. Taylor struggled to finish out the year, and it hurt the Colts, while the Titans played without Henry and still won games and were a top seed in the AFC.
Going all-in for Stafford doesn’t get us a ring. It doesn’t even guarantee us a playoff spot. We could’ve gone all-in for a quarterback like Stafford, but at the end of the day, we’re not winning those games in the playoffs without weapons on the outside. A running back can only take you so far. Look at what all the playoff teams have in common. Weapons on the outside for days. Packers: Adams. 49ers: Deebo, Aiyuk, Kittle. Dallas: Cooper, Shultz, Lamb. Tennessee: Julio, Brown. Chiefs: Hill, Kelce. Raiders: Renfrow, Waller. Bengals: Higgins, Chase, Boyd, and Uzomah. Bills: Diggs, Sanders, Cole, Knox. Tampa: Evans, Godwin, Gronk. Arizona: Nuk, Kirk, Green, and Ertz. I’m sorry, but it’s crazy to think Pittman is better than those listed above. It’s also crazy if you say, Pittman, Hilton, Doyle, Pascal are a better group than ANY of those groups listed. Again no disrespect to our players. I have a tremendous amount of respect for anyone who wears the Shoe. But, let’s be realistic the amount of talent on the offensive side of the ball doesn’t equate to what the rest of the league has.
What if the Colts had traded for Stafford then what? What happens when we get the same result we got with Wentz. Would an entire fan base turn on him like they did, Wentz? All the speculation out there about possibly dumping Wentz after one year makes no sense unless you’re going to commit to handing out paychecks to pass catchers or using early picks on weapons for whoever is under center. How can we possibly want a divorce from Wentz without getting an actual look at what he is? Get him some real weapons before casting judgment on him. Stop the divorce, and let’s fix the relationship with Wentz and sign weapons for him.