ColtsSpeak: Ferryn Palmer (Part I)
PhilB: What do you think about the NFL’s plan for the season despite the Coronavirus pandemic?
Ferryn: Like you, I’m very hesitant to believe that’s actually going to happen. I’m kind of in wait-and-see mode. I say that because of our current climate. With everything that’s been going on with the rallies and the peaceful protests, we’ve got a lot of people who are not really social distancing. My fear is we could see another Coronavirus uptick here in another couple of weeks. I hope we don’t. If we don’t, then yeah, I could see us going through with that type of schedule. But I’m kind of fearful. So I’m hesitant.
PhilB: I’ve been fearful this won’t happen. I’m operating like it’s going to happen. But I think you’re take is very smart.
Ferryn: Thank you. It’s just the truth as I see it. If you’re paying attention, I don’t know. I want my NFL, right? I want it. I think we need it. I think it would be great. But I can’t neglect what the CDC and the doctors and the experts who have prepared their whole lives for this moment, I can’t neglect what they’re saying.
PhilB: I hear ya, 100 percent. As far as what the Colts have done in the offseason, I haven’t heard too many negative comments. I think fans like what GM Chris Ballard has done. But what do you think?
Ferryn: I don’t have anything negative to say. To be honest with you, I’m very pleased thus far. I do have a couple of questions, a couple of players out there that I’ve had my eye on this entire time and I’m kind of curious as to why we haven’t gone after them with what has been reported as a nice, healthy amount of cap space. I love the DeForest Buckner trade. I think that was fantastic. With that 13th overall pick (traded for Buckner), a realistic option for us probably would have been (South Carolina defensive tackle) Javon Kinlaw. That’s what I was thinking. I really didn’t think we were going to do a quarterback. But Buckner is obviously head and shoulders above that. He’s a proven commodity. I love it. I love our draft. I think we hit it out of the park. Running back Jonathan Taylor, that (second-round) pick surprised me, but it’s a fantastic pick. I’m a big Marlon Mack fan. I think they’ll do great things together. Taylor I watched all through college. He’s an animal. If he can hang onto the ball, he’s an animal.
PhilB: And those two players on your radar?
Ferryn: (Laughs.) Safety Eric Berry. I know Ballard knows him, so that makes me feel like maybe there’s more going on. He has been away for a while and he was sick, but that guy was an animal on the field. I think he would be perfect in that room, just on paper. The other one, obviously, is (defensive end) Mr. Jadeveon Clowney. I’m very curious as to why we haven’t done that. My biggest fear with that is that somebody in our division, namely Tennessee, is going to end up getting him on a one-year deal. I think he could end up being pivotal. I don’t think he’s reached his potential yet. I don’t think we’ve seen a full year of a hungry Jadeveon Clowney in a good system. I think this system with him in Houston, and we’ve got Buckner and whoever we put at the one-technique, that makes the secondary better, that can put us on a different level.
PhilB: I would say about Clowney it’s all about money. He wants a certain dollar amount, which you’re weighing that versus his injury-prone nature. Now when he’s on the field, he’s disruptive, no argument. In the case of Berry, I remember when he was suggested a long time ago, the only thing I could come up with is Ballard needs him to come in and they want to put him through a workout and give him a physical before they agree to anything. I can understand that, given the times we’re in, and he hasn’t seen Berry in a few years since they were in Kansas City. That’s all I could think of because I thought it was a natural fit, a very high-reward, low-risk option.
Ferryn: A high-character individual. He would be a solid veteran for that room, and I think we would see positive dividends early with people like Malik Hooker and Marvell Tell III. I think Berry could help us in more ways than one.
PhilB: You need a veteran back there to help those guys. Even though Hooker has played a little bit, he’s just 24. I’m an Ohio State guy, I’ll admit it, and I saw him every year there and he’s an absolute ballhawk. He’s better than what he’s shown in the NFL. I know he didn’t get his fifth-year option for 2021, but if he has a real solid year, then maybe the Colts won’t hesitate to pay him. I hope. I could be wrong.
Ferryn: OK, alright. I hope so, too. I still have high hopes for him. I’ve got to ask you a question. You’re an Ohio State guy, what do you think about (defensive tackle/end) Tyquan Lewis?
PhilB: He breaks my heart. We’ve got three guys from Ohio State on this roster that I’ve written a little bit about and I saw all of them play in college. I can’t explain how a guy like Tyquan, who played with a torn pectoral muscle one year and was still a stud. He was physically gifted, maybe not the impact player like Nick Bosa but a solid player on the edge. He comes to Indy and he can’t get on the field because of a toe. Then he can’t get on the field last year and regresses because of injuries. I’ve talked to him. I know how frustrated he is. I hate to write anything bad about him, but I’ve done this more than 20 years and you’ve been a fan for more than 20 years, and you know there’s a breaking point where, as much as I hate to say it, it’s put up or shut up now. Wide receiver Parris Campbell had a tough time last year. I never thought I’d see a guy go through a rookie year where he needed three surgeries. I have a hard time blaming him for stuff that broke. But, again, you get into year two, if he gets hurt again you know what everybody is going to say. That’s what they’re saying about Tyquan Lewis right now in year three. I think Tyquan has got to have a good year this year or he’s walking. I’d hate to see this guy come into his own later and be the player we always thought he could be …
Ferryn: Somewhere else.
PhilB: Yeah, I hate that. But don’t have a limitless time frame to prove yourself in this league. So there you go. I show you that I have to be rational and look at it objectively even though I drag my wife to ‘The Horseshoe’ (Ohio Stadium) each year. All three of those Ohio State guys, including Malik Hooker, have a lot to prove this year. They have the talent to do it, but you can go back and make a laundry list of guys you were high on who didn’t get it done, for one reason or another. Talent wasn’t the issue.
Ferryn: I think one of those was cornerback Quincy Wilson. I was a big Quincy fan. Quincy was very young and I think he’s going to explode in the next year or two, and I’ll be rooting for him when he does.
PhilB: I was surprised when Ballard gave up and traded Wilson. He’s still very young, like you said, just 23. But when you’re drafted in the second round, you’re expected to play. The general rule in the media is if you’re drafted in the first three rounds, you’re expected to play.
Ferryn: I will say this, I’ve come to trust Ballard. I didn’t like that one, but it makes me believe I should be expecting bigger things from Tell and Rock Ya-Sin, other guys in the cornerback room. I love picking up (cornerback) Xavier Rhodes. I think he’s going to be big-time for us as well.
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