Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Ways in which Jacoby Brissett’s extension is not like a franchise tag

Money might be close to equal, but there are a lot of differences between Brissett’s extension and a franchise tag in 2020.

There are those who view Brissett’s two-year, $30-million extension as a de facto franchise tag for the quarterback in 2020.

That’s not quite far off because the money is similar (cost for franchising a QB in 2019 was $24,865,000), but there are some differences that might be subtle to fans, but huge to people inside the NFL.

Here are just a few:

The money Brissett costs over the two years of this extension will be spread over the two-year length of the deal, not dumped into 2020. That doesn’t matter much to Brissett, but it saves the Colts a minimum of $10-million against the cap for 2020. They have plenty of cap room for 2019, but this move gives them additional flexibility in 2020.

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By not franchising Brissett in 2020, the Colts will be able to save that privilege for another player in 2020. It will also allow them to franchise Brissett in the future without burning the first year and starting the escalators that can make keeping a quarterback under the tag prohibitive (see the Redskins and Kirk Cousins).

The second year a player is tagged costs the team 120% of what he earned as he was tagged the previous year ($29,838,000 in Brissett’s case, assuming the tag price remains stagnant from 2019 to 2020).

There will be a new collective bargaining agreement in 2021, and the rules regarding future franchise tagging may be affected in a way that makes it prohibitively expensive, especially with escalators.

This two-year deal is much smarter than rolling through 2019 while learning what Brissett can become on the fly, and then being forced to accommodate him as his rookie contract expires.

It’s also fair to pay a starter more than his back-up. Brian Hoyer will earn $4-million per year for the next three years, and everyone in the Colts organization has their fingers crossed he never takes a live snap. It would hardly be cricket to pay a guy who will take all the snaps half the cash earned by the clipboard keeper. That has nothing to do with the smarts of the extension, but it shows the Colts understand a locker room that pays attention to a sense of fair-play in business.

Parents and adult fans: Bobby Cox writes about biggest challenge facing high school sports today

IHSAA Commissioner Bobby Cox hits the nail on the head in decrying the behavior of many sports parents.

The IHSAA asked that I publish this. While I don’t post the work of others, this is on point and 100% correct, so I make an exception. Officials and coaches are leaving their positions at an alarming rate because of the behavior and attitude of parents, and something needs to change.

Enjoy!

By Karissa Niehoff, Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations and Bobby Cox, Commissioner of the Indiana High School Athletic Association.

Inappropriate adult behavior at high school athletic events in Indiana has reached epidemic proportion.

When more than 2,000 high school athletic directors were asked in a recent national survey what they like least about their job, 62.3% said it was “dealing with aggressive parents and adult fans.”

And the men and women who wear the black and white stripes agree. In fact, almost 80% of officials quit after the first two years on the job, and unruly parents are cited as the reason why. As a result, there is a growing shortage of high school officials here in Indiana, and in some sports like wrestling, swimming, and track and field, the shortage is severe. No officials means no more games.

If you are a parent attending a high school athletic event this fall, you can help by following these six guidelines:

Act Your Age. You are, after all, an adult. Act in a way that makes your family and school proud.

Don’t Live Your Life Vicariously Through Your Children. High school sports are for them, not you. Your family’s reputation is not determined by how well your children perform on the field of play.

Let Your Children Talk to the Coach Instead of You Doing It for Them. High school athletes learn how to become more confident, independent and capable—but only when their parents don’t jump in and solve their problems for them.

Stay in Your Own Lane. No coaching or officiating from the sidelines. Your role is to be a responsible, supportive parent—not a coach or official.

Remember, Participating in a High School Sport Is Not About Getting a College Scholarship. According to the NCAA, only about 2% of all high school athletes are awarded a sports scholarship, and the total value of the scholarship is only about $18,000.

Make Sure Your Children Know You Love Watching Them Play. Do not critique your child’s performance on the car ride home. Participating in high school sports is about character development, learning and having fun—not winning and losing.

Purchasing a ticket to a high school athletic event does not give you the right to be rude, disrespectful or verbally abusive. Cheer loud and be proud, but be responsible and respectful. The future of high school sports in Indiana is dependent on you.

Jordan Geronimo is coming to Indiana Basketball – how big a deal is his commitment?

Jordan Geronimo “loves Indiana”, and that’s a pretty good place to start building a relationship with fans.

Jordan Geronimo is coming to Bloomington, and I have no idea what that means.

The 6’6″ swingman who apparently can touch Vermont from his high school gym in New Hampshire committed to Indiana’s basketball program yesterday, and Twitter exploded.

Geronimo is the 85th ranked player in the 2020 high school class, according to 247sports, and I hope he’s an all-time great for the Hoosiers. Watching his highlight reels, he looks good, but no one misses a shot or turns the ball over in a highlight tape. That’s why they are called highlight tapes.

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He reportedly has a seven-foot wingspan, and that’s a good thing if true. Those numbers are occasionally exaggerated for recruits. Given that Geronimo just concluded his official visit to the IU campus, I assume he was measured there and the number is accurate.

The point is we don’t know what or who this young man is. I’ve read Dustin Dopirak’s piece at The Athletic. In it, Geronimo’s coaches pledge their love for their player. That too is standard. Few coaches talk smack about one of their own players.

I’m not saying Geronimo might not be a hell of a player. He could be incredible. I remember talking to O.G. Anunoby when he committed. He was ranked #294 nationally, and I had to ask him how to pronounce his name. Now Anunoby is a world champion, but let’s tap the brakes on Geronimo – a young man virtually none of us has ever seen.

It seems he is smart, athletic, and long. That’s a good place to start for an Indiana commit, but it’s only a start. How about we let him play his senior high school season before we raise the bar too high.

Here is an Adidas Gauntlet highlight reel (courtesy of our friends at Inside the Hall), if you care to peruse Geronimo doing everything well and not missing a shot.

Five reasons why the Jacoby Brissett extension is a very smart move by Colts GM Chris Ballard

Brissett extension is a win-win!

Jacoby Brissett agreed to a two-year, $30-million extension on the same day back-up quarterback Brian Hoyer signing a three-year deal with $12-million.

That’s a lot of heavy lifting by Colts GM Chris Ballard on Labor Day, and all of it is smart.

The Colts needed a back-up not named Phillip Walker, and with Chad Kelly suspended until the third game of the season, there was no option but to sign the best guy they could get. That was Hoyer.

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As for the Brissett extension, here are five reasons it was smart for both Brissett and the Colts:

5 – Buys Colts two years of kicking the tires. No one knows whether Brissett has the tools to take a team to the multiple Super Bowls owner Jim Irsay covet. The Colts have no alternative to finding out in 2019. If he’s the long term answer at QB, Ballard can sign him to another extension next year.

4 – No franchise tag for 2020. If Brissett is as good as the Colts believe he can be, it’s possible they would have been compelled to franchise him for 2020. Franchising a QB in 2019 cost $24,865,000, and will likely cost a few more bucks in 2020. That brings Brissett in next year at $10-million under cost – IF he is successful.

3 – Brissett has a great situation in Indy. Here’s a partial list of the assets Brissett will enjoy this season:

Top flight offensive line.
T.Y. Hilton, Parris Campbell, and Eric Ebron as dynamic weapons.
Coach who knows how to scheme to the strengths of his QB.
Improving defense.

Brissett has all he needs to be as good as he can be.

2 – Brissett will never have to sweat money again. $20-million of the total of the extension is guaranteed, and that means unless Brissett is a grade-A moron (and he’s not), his budget worries are over. With $20-million earning a very conservative 5%, he’ll have an annual base of $1-million a year until the end of time. Even backing out taxes and some fun money for short-term goofy buys, he’ll have $10-million. That will yield $500K annually forever – at %5. And as of last week, he had no agent to take a significant percentage.

1 – If Brissett struggles, Colts draft a QB for 2020 and beyond. The new guy on his rookie contract won’t cost much, and Brissett will be a great insurance policy as he gets his feet wet in the NFL.

No one knows whether Brissett has the tools to take a team to the multiple Super Bowls owner Jim Irsay covets, but the Colts have no choice but to find out in 2019. If he’s the long term answer at QB, Ballard can sign him to another extension next year. If not, the Colts didn’t paint themselves into a salary cap corner.

Brian Hoyer will be the Colts back-up, but will Jacoby Brissett earn the starting job long-term?

Brian Hoyer is the latest back-up to Tom Brady to join the Indianapolis Colts.

We may not know who the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts will be in 2020 and beyond, but Brian Hoyer is going to be the back-up.

Hoyer has signed a three-year, $12-million deal with $9-million guaranteed to join the Colts.

The Colts will be Hoyer’s seventh NFL team, and he’s been serviceable throughout his 10 years in the NFL. Hoyer won’t be the reason the Colts win games, but he’s rarely going to be the cause for losing.

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There’s no question the starting QB spot belongs to Jacoby Brissett for the 2019 season. What happens after that is anyone’s guess. He might prove himself worthy of a contract extension, or he might not. Whatever happens with the Colts offense, Brissett will own the outcome this time.

In 2017, Brissett was acquired 15 days before his first start, thrown into the fire behind a porous o-line, and was coached by a safety-first lame duck coach in Chuck Pagano. The Colts went 4-11 in his 15 starts.

Now they have weapons, an offensive line that can protect, a coaching staff that knows how to scheme, and he’s taken over 1,200 reps this offseason with the first unit. If Brissett fails, it’s on him, and Colts fans will start watching Justin Herbert and Jake Fromm with keen interest. If he succeeds, a big fat contract and the love of a city tired of talking about the guy he’s following awaits.

As for preseason darling Chad Kelly, we’ll see where he winds up after serving his two weeks suspension for his strange behavior last Halloween. His talent was certainly evident during training camp, but can he be trusted to stay out of trouble long enough to see where that talent can take him?

For more than 20 years, it has been the chief responsibility of the Colts general manager to surround a generationally gifted quarterback with enough talent to win a super bowl. Now, Chris Ballard is the architect of a talented in search of a quarterback to lead it to glory.

Brissett gets the first crack at it starting this Sunday against the Chargers.

No surprises among today’s Colts cuts, but that doesn’t make it easier

This doesn’t happen very often. The Indianapolis Colts cut exactly the players I assumed would go. My being correct is not much of a consolation for those who were lanced from the roster.

In the battles at tight end and running back, Hale Hentges and Jordan Wilkins stayed with the team. Ross Travis and Aca’Cedrick Ware were told to turn in their playbooks.

Right tackle Le’Raven Clark stays (for now) and J’Marcus Webb goes.

Wide receivers Krishawn Hogan (waived) and Penny Hart (waived/injured) are no longer Colts, while Zach Pascal sticks.

Defensive ends Carroll Phillips and Gerri Green were cast aside. Bad news for them, but good news for Jabaal Sheard as he was not assigned to IR.

Cornerback Jalen Collins is a goner, but special teams monster Chris Milton stays. Phillip Walker is temporarily a former Colts as he (and nine others) will be assigned to the practice squad unless they are claimed by another team.

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There was a lot of bad news delivered today at the Colts Complex, and just as much good news. For every painful cut, there was an equal amount of joy for those who will awaken as Colts tomorrow.

The truly sad part of this process comes over the next 48 hours as the Colts will evaluate the cast-offs from the other 31 NFL teams. They will undoubtedly sign a quarterback, and might go after an offensive lineman or two as well as a running back. Anywhere GM Chris Ballard can find an upgrade, he will file a claim.

As players are claimed off waivers, an equal number will be sacrificed. Some will come so close to living their dream they can taste it, and others who want to play a young man’s game one more season will be told adulthood is calling.

For 37 Colts, the end came today. For a few more, it will come early next week. For the 53 men who stick on the roster, big fat game checks will be issued throughout the season

The NFL is cruel, and today it’s at its most cut throat.

Angry Colts fans and “hurt” Andrew Luck need to remember what they REALLY mean to each other

Fans were hurt, Luck was hurt. Both will get over it.

Fans are told constantly by players, coaches, and franchise owners they are an incredibly important part of the team. In football, they are referred to the 12th man. Colts fans even have a place in the team’s Ring of Honor. That’s how essential they are to the operation of the team.

So you’ll have to excuse them for taking the retirement of Andrew Luck a little bit too seriously. Forgive a few of them for booing Luck last Saturday night as he left the field after they found out from Adam Schefter’s Twitter feed that he was done with football.

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The booing and judgment of Luck was motivated by the financially prudent messaging that makes fans feel as though they are an integral part of the team – as though they belong. As the Colts (and every other NFL team) insist, Luck wasn’t “a quarterback”; he was “our quarterback”.

And “our quarterback” didn’t think enough of fans to share the news of his retirement directly. It was told to them by that twit Schefter, so there was booing. Luck really never shared much with fans. He was most comfortable on the field as the quarterback. In the community, he appreciated his privacy. He wasn’t the life of the party, but that was okay. Indianapolis had his back, as they always do for athletes.

Some Colts fans felt Luck’s lack of respect for them was revealed at the moment Schefter’s tweet was posted. Fans felt like they had been taken for a ride by Luck and by the franchise. As long as they write checks for tickets and swag, they are part of the family. When times get tough – they’re interlopers, crazy cousins, unwanted pets.

In reality, Luck owed fans nothing – not the truth, not effort, not wins. He owed blood, sweat, a kidney, and loyalty to his teammates and employer. Luck owes love to family, as it should be.

Sadly, no one ever tells the fans those things.

This emotional detachment between athletes and fans works the other way too. Fans enjoy quarterbacks when they win, and quarterbacks enjoy the fans right back until they are done with him – as many Colts fans are now done with Luck.

Scott Tolzien is a hell of a guy, just ask anyone at Fremd High School in suburban Chicago or the University of Wisconsin where he starred at quarterback. When Tolzien threw two pick sixes on opening day in 2017 against the Rams in Los Angeles, fans had enough of the plucky third stringer.

Not sure how many fans would have recognized Tolzien before or after that miserable afternoon, but few would have rushed him for an autograph after.

How many Colts fans would enjoy meeting Hank Baskett? How about none, unless we count those who would like to scream at him for muffing that onside kick at Super Bowl XLIV. Then it might be thousands.

Teams treat fans with enough respect to get them to renew their season tickets, and fans love the players and coaches as long as they win. Some teams forget how flaky fans can be, and fans forget that sports teams are businesses.

But both were reminded Saturday night.

10 things that need to be true for the Colts go to the playoffs

The new face of the franchise needs to live up to Frank Reich’s opinion of him.

10 – Kemoko Turay gets 10 sacks. Turay is an elite athlete whose been training with former sack master Robert Mathis, and needs to be the same kind of presence in opposing backfields. Sacks lead to punts, and pressures leads to picks. Turay needs to establish himself as a game-wrecker on a defensive line that should cause problems for opposing QBs.

9 – Chad Kelly stays out of trouble. “Million dollar arm and 10-cent brain” is a quote used to describe guys with elite level talent, but a penchant for living a way-too-active life off the field. That has fit Kelly to this point in his football life. Trouble at Clemson and with the Broncos, and great success at Ole Miss has given teams reasons to both love and fear Kelly. There is no question Kelly can be an excellent backup for Jacoby Brissett if he remains focused.

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8 – E.J. Speed is as disruptive in the regular season as he was in the preseason. There was one constant in the Colts four preseason performances – E.J. Speed. He either made the tackle or was at the point of the tackle virtually every single play. No one got more reps for the Colts, and no one made more of the opportunity. If he can be that effective in the regular season, he and Darius Leonard will make it tough for another Colt to make tackles.

7 – Adam Vinatieri makes 90% of his field goal attempts. Father Time declares the end of our athletic lives for all of us at some point, and that day is coming for for the future hall of famer, but it can’t come in 2019 if the Colts are going to steal a couple of games with his foot. The Colts are unlikely to dominate many opponents, which means a Vinatieri kick might be the difference in three or four games. If you don’t believe me, ask the Chicago Bears how important a made kick can be?

6 – Parris Campbell catches 70 balls. With T.Y. Hilton as a deep threat, there should be chances to complete balls to Campbell underneath. With the speed and elusiveness to run away from defenders, Campbell is a game breaking weapon. He’s also a guy who will draw attention from Hilton – giving him additional chances to get chunk yards.

5 – Left side of the offensive line starts 16 games. Nothing is as important in the NFL than health, and the consistent health of the Colts offensive line was one of the primary reasons Andrew Luck was sacked only 18 times last year. The Colts certainly don’t hope that RT Braden Smith or RG Mark Glowinski get hurt, but if someone on the line has to sit in the tub for a couple of weeks, the Colts hope it’s not LT Anthony Castonzo, LG Quenton Nelson, or center Ryan Kelly. Protect Brissett’s blindside – go to the playoffs.

4 – Malik Hooker grabs five picks. Healthy for the first time in his Colts career, the moment has come for the free safety to live up to his draft position (#15 overall in the 2017 draft). Scouts said Hooker was capable of changing the game with his athleticism when he came out of Ohio State. He needs to do that. Colts need to win the turnover battle, and Hooker needs to be a part of that effort.

3 – Ben Banogu, Bobby Okereke, or Rock Ya-Sin go to the Pro Bowl. The Colts were the first team since the 1965 Chicago Bears to have two rookies named to the NFL’s All-Pro team. It’s greedy to hope for that kind of excellence from the 2019 rookie class, but if one of them can go to the Pro Bowl, that means that another extraordinary and young piece of the puzzle has been added to a roster in need of some elite talent with the departure of Luck.

2 – Marlon Mack starts all 16 games. The one position where the Colts lack depth is in the offensive backfield. Beneath Mack, the Colts don’t have a runner who defenses need to worry about. The other backs are serviceable, but none have the explosiveness of Mack. Starting 16 games gives Mack a chance to total a minimum of 1,200 yards.

1 – Jacoby Brissett will be as good as Reich has insisted he is. Sometimes, Reich says things we know he doesn’t 100% believe, but on the many occasions he has said “Jacoby is one of the best 20 quarterbacks in the NFL,” Reich sold it with passion. For those in national media who insist upon citing 2017 stats to show Brissett as a middling back-up, their logic is based upon flawed evidence.

Here are four critical components to remember when projecting Brissett as a bust based upon 2017:

Brissett started his first game for the Colts only 15 days after Ballard dealt for him.
He played for a lame duck head coach and an offensive coordinator who never put him in a position to succeed – especially late in games.
Don’t forget the Colts led nine times headed into the fourth quarter in Brissett’s 15 starts. Idiocy and predictability in play-calling robbed the Colts of chances to win those games.
The offensive line was nowhere near as good as it is today.

Can the Colts check all these boxes? That’s why we watch.

Extension time for Indiana Football coach Tom Allen may come, but it is not here yet

I believe in Fred Glass as an AD, but it’s too early to extend Tom Allen’s contract.

I’m not sold on Tom Allen as Indiana’s longterm solution as a football coach. He could be the guy, or he could be the latest in a string of mediocres to lead IU Football that began with Cam Cameron.

So when I heard athletic director Fred Glass identify the next big investment in Indiana Football as being a contract extension for Allen, I had to listen again just to make sure I didn’t hallucinate. Glass said he has some money in his “cookie jar” for the raise that will accompany that potential extension.

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What has Allen done so far to earn an extension?

Allen has been IU’s coach for two seasons. Both ended with 5-7 records and losses to Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket Game. They have yet to earn a bowl invite, and have not won more than two Big 10 games in either season. That shouldn’t get Allen fired, but it can’t be defined as an achievement worthy of an extension either.

Recruiting has improved, according to experts. Allen is attracting a better grade of athlete to Bloomington. He knows Indiana and more importantly he is well-connected in Florida, where college football players rival oranges as the state’s top export. That might lead to more wins, but it hasn’t yet.

Rewarding success is good business. Extending a successful coach is the way to keep a uniquely talented guy tethered to his program rather than being poached by another. Allen has neither been successful, nor in demand as a replacement at a bigger and better program.

Watching Indiana remain mediocre as the program has been led by Cameron, Gerry DiNardo, Terry Hoeppner, Bill Lynch, Kevin Wilson, and now Allen has frustrated fans, players, boosters, and anyone else affiliated with the Hoosiers. Sticking with a coach is something IU hasn’t tried since Bill Mallory, but IU needs to stick with the RIGHT coach.

Is it Allen? Anyone who says he knows has a better crystal ball than I do.

I’m sure Fred knows things about the program I do not. Maybe those things show IU in ascension as a competitor in the Big 10 East – a division with Ohio State, Michigan State, Penn State, and Michigan. It’s possible. Maybe Indiana is on the precipice of an era of good football. Maybe IU is ready to beat Purdue and go to a bowl. Maybe is not a word that should prompt a big raise.

What’s wrong with a little patience?

The promise of success is not success just as the promise of wealth doesn’t equate to wealth. A contract extension with a big raise should be delivered to Allen when IU shows improvement. Not a minute before.

If the Hoosiers punch their ticket to a bowl in Allen’s third year, go ahead and reward Allen with an extension. If IU falls shorts again, the message of an extension would be that 5-7 is good enough for Indiana.

That’s a dangerous message for an athletic director to send.

Jason Gardner resignation as IUPUI basketball coach sadly makes sense

The unfortunate end of a too long night – and too short career.

Former IUPUI men’s basketball coach Jason Gardner’s night was way too long, and his coaching career way too short.

Gardner has resigned as the men’s basketball coach at IUPUI. That is not a good thing for IUPUI or Jason, but it is appropriate.

According to a police report, Gardner fell asleep behind the wheel of his car at a Fishers (IN) intersection while drunk Sunday morning at 4:30. There’s a lot wrong there to unpack.

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Driving drunk is incredibly irresponsible and reflects dangerously bad judgement. The alternatives are inexpensive and convenient. Uber and Lyft come to mind as great alternatives to getting behind the wheel after drinking.

And being out at 4:30 a.m. is ridiculous. All of our dads told us “Nothing good happens after midnight.” I’ll bet Gardner has told his players that very thing. The problem is a lot of good things happen before midnight, and people always believe they will continue.

My guess is Gardner was playing cards with friends. Regardless of your position in a card game, continuing to win or reversing fortunes after being down always seems like a great idea. Then, all of a sudden it’s 4:30 a.m. The reason for being out at 4:30 doesn’t excuse Gardner – or even matter – but that’s how bad decisions are made – one more hand, one more drink, one more whatever.

Gardner is a great guy and a good coach, so this story stings for IUPUI in both personal and professional ways. He’s done a nice job in his five years leading the Jaguars. The 64-93 overall record isn’t gaudy, but his Jaguars moved from the Summit League to the Horizon League in 2017 – a step up in class – and they continued to improve.

He recruited as well as possible to a program like IUPUI, sought the right transfers, and kept the Jaguars competitive during tough non-conference tests.

Maybe Gardner’s serious lapse of judgment will be the source of the last lesson he teaches his players. A lifetime of doing the right thing and the trust that comes with it can be undone in a single moment of irresponsibility.

That’s one big lesson, and here’s another one – Irresponsibility happens in bulk after four in the morning.