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2018 NFL Preseason Game 2: Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts Open Thread After a chippy end to joint practices Anthony Castonzo Jersey Stitched , the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts will suit up for their second preseason game tonight at 8 PM ET. This will be the first opportunity for many of the young players on both rosters to play a game against opponents they have already had a chance to play against. This should help coaches get a read on how well their players adjust.Andrew Luck is expected to play into the second quarter tonight. He will likely be given the opportunity to expand the playbook a bit in his second outing and there is a reasonable chance that he takes his first deep shot against the Ravens as well. Some of that will be up to an offensive line that is still undergoing a lot of change. Anthony Castonzo will not start at left tackle and rookie Braden Smith may get the nod at right tackle. Let’s face it, the most important thing for Luck is to be smart about how he takes care of himself and to not allow rookies and second string players at tackle cause any setbacks in his progress for a return to regular season action.Keep an eye on the following players on each side of the ball to see if they can put their stamp on a roster spot and push for considerable playing time in 2018.DEFENSEHassan Ridgeway is likely on the roster bubble for a defensive line that is undergoing a lot of change. Last week, he made a statement by abusing Seattle’s third and fourth string line, generating pressure and tallying multiple sacks. Can he keep it up this week? Will he get a chance earlier in the game? Rookie linebackers Darius Leonard and Skai Moore will get their second chance at making an impression on Colts fans. Leonard has already earned a reputation for being a very athletic linebacker, unlike any in Indianapolis for some time. Moore has brought his ball-hawking persona along with him from college and made life difficult in the center of the field in training camp. Will they show meaningful progress from the first preseason game to the next?What can Quincy Wilson do to stand out from his competition? Somehow Kenny Moore, Nate Hairston, and Pierre Desir appear to be ahead of him on the depth chart. This has to motivate Wilson, right?OFFENSEHow will Braden Smith perform in his second game? He will likely get a chance to play at tackle and guard again so he will be worth monitoring at both positions. His development could be crucial this year as the right tackle spot is up in the air and he needs to push for starting reps given his high draft position.How much earlier will Jordan Wilkins get to play? If he gets to play with the first team offensive line, will he look even better than he did against Seattle? There is a real chance that Wilkins can push his way up on the depth chart before Week 1. There is even a chance he could push his way to the top of the depth chart before Robert Turbin returns from his suspension in Week 5. Which pass-catcher will step forward? Deon Cain was lost to a season-ending ACL injury and K.J. Brent suffered an injury during training camp practice. This puts more pressure on a group that already had a lot of question-marks. Can Kasen Williams take advantage of his opportunity? Will Reece Fountain make his presence felt?SIGN UP FOR STAMPEDE BLUE FAN PULSEWe are considered the voice of the fan here at Stampede Blue and we talk every day about how the Indianapolis Colts are doing--whether they’ll win their upcoming game or how Colts fans feel about that awful call from the referees. Now we’re starting a new polling project that will pull together the insights of the most *plugged-in* Colts fans. If that describes you, then SIGN UP HERE to join me and other *knowledgeable* fans (including some other Stampede Blue contributors) on our new project called SB Nation FanPulse.If you sign up, you’ll be among a hand-selected group from Stampede Blue who answers quick polls each week developed by SB Nation. We want to build the definitive poll of *informed* Colts fans, and that includes you. Your votes will be anonymous--though if you join, you’re welcome to tell anyone you like. The results of each poll will be published by Stampede Blue, and may end up on SBNation.com also along with the results from other team sites.Ready to sign up as an Stampede Blue FanPulse participant? CLICK HERE.Game Time8:00 PM ET on Monday August 20th Youth Justin Houston Jersey , 2018LocationLucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, IndianaTV ChannelESPNRadioWFNI (107.5FM/1070 The Fan) and WLHK (Country 97.1 Hank FM) — Bob Lamey, Jim Sorgi, Matt Taylor (sideline)TV National Broadcast MapSee which games will be shown in your area, from 506Sports.com.WeatherLooks like rain, likely a roof closed kind of game.Referee AssignmentAlex KempKemp is in his first year as a referee, after being promoted from line judge following the retirement of Ed Hochuli and Jeff Tripplette.“Enemy” BlogBaltimore BeatdownTwitterFollow @StampedeBlue for the complete Colts coverage on Twitter before, during, and after every game.FacebookLike Stampede Blue on Facebook!PodcastFor all your Colts-related talk and information, subscribe, download, and review the Stampede Blue Colts Cast on iTunes, Stitcher, or BlogTalkRadio. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!The NFL conspiracy report: Week 4 Le’Veon Bell Justin Houston Jersey Stitched , saving himself for the Colts at Chris Ballard’s request If you were looking for in depth film breakdown, or one of my opponent scouting reports, or even a Colts-centric article, you’ve arrived at the wrong article. Welcome to the weekly conspiracy report where I, Chris Shepherd, will examine nefarious plots around the league and expose them for what they are. Now sure, I won’t be able to provide you any “proof” and no I don’t have any sources (that you know of). What follows should be treated purely as entertainment that include plausible (and not so plausible) scenarios that no one employed by NFL teams would ever admit to, I accept no responsibility for anything you do with the information I’m about to give you. In fact I accept no responsibility for anything you’re about to read, at all.In this week four expos茅 of NFL conspiratorial glory we’re going to take a look at how Le’Veon Bell is saving himself for the Colts and the evidence that points to Chris Ballard asking him to do so. Theory: Chris Ballard is working with Le’Veon Bell to bring the elite running back to the ColtsThis is a theory less about the why either man would do it and more about how they’ve done it and the evidence that supports it. What if I told you everything you think you know about what Chris Ballard is looking for in a free agent is wrong? What if I told you Chris Ballard is planning on opening Jim Irsay’s checkbook in a big way in 2019? What if I told you that Chris Ballard has been preparing us all for Le’veon Bell’s eventual arrival? By now most of us probably think we understand how Chris Ballard is going to treat free agency: spend little, give no guaranteed money and build through the draft. That’s what I have assumed too. The thing that I like most about Chris Ballard is the fact that if you actually listen to what he says and you read between the lines, just a little, he’s going to tell you what he’s planning on doing. Until now we’ve heard Ballard talk often about building through the draft and spending in ways that make sense but what Chris Ballard said starting at the 13:00 minute mark in this interview with Pat McAfee is interesting. When asked if he would ever bring in big name free agents if they fit the system and culture:Ballard goes on a lot of tangents, but there are a lot of nuggets in here. First he talks a lot about building culture, directly following this answer Ballard and Reich discuss how they plan to have a tough team and how they plan to have that. Staring down week four it seemspretty obvious they’ve gone out and added guys who exemplify that culture starting with this guy:Eric Hartline-USA TODAY SportsSo the Colts have begun to build the culture they’re after Indianapolis Colts Gerri Green Jersey , they have the guys in the locker room that are beginning to guide the locker room in that direction. So what does that say about about what Ballard said about bringing in free agents? It says that while the team wasn’t ready to absorb those personalities this year with a team full of young guys and a locker room culture that needed to be built, it says that the team will be ready to add those big free agents very soon. So how do we get to Le’Veon Bell? Well that’s really simple:Le’Veon Bell is telling us he wants to play for the Colts and it makes sense, he would upgrade the running back position, he would get to play with a good quarterback and the Colts have a ton of cap space. But if that’s all he’s looking for why isn’t he commenting on the Jets, Texans, Browns or 49ers Instagram posts? All of these teams have promising young quarterbacks, Bell would be an upgrade and the 49ers are the only team who will have less than $85 million in open cap space heading into 2019 and the 9ers will still have $69 million. Yes, the Colts have the most cap space but any of those teams could sign him and fit that criteria, yet he’s focused on the Colts, why? Because Chris Ballard has clearly informed Bell of his intention to sign him in the off season. Le’Veon Bell told all of his teammates leading up to the season that he would be back with the team before week one, so when he didn’t make good on his word his teammates were naturally upset. So what changed for Bell? Why would he tell everyone one thing and then do another? What if a rival company reached out to you and promised to make you wealthy beyond your wildest dreams as long a you figured out a way to call in sick for the rest of the year and come in fresh and ready in the spring? Would you do it? Yeah, I would too. Seems like a win, win. Sure, Le’Veon probably knew that the Steelers were going to run him into the ground this year but unless he had some kind of assurance from someone Womens Gerri Green 2019 Jersey , pulling this move, one that makes him look like a bad teammate could mean he could be forced to take a contract much smaller than the one the Steelers would have offered.Instead it makes far more sense that somehow, someway Chris Ballard sat back and looked at his team and he liked what was developing in the locker room. He liked what he saw from his coaches. He liked the youth and the atmosphere that has been created on West 56th street. He sat back and looked at what he has created this far and realized that he was a few play makers short of a championship caliber team. He realized this and then he realized if he could get one of those play makers in the upcoming free agency period and add two or three more with the three picks the Colts will have in the first two rounds of the 2019 draft, if he could do that, the Colts are instant contenders. We know Chris Ballard always has a plan, he’s talked about his binders quite a bit actually. I think it’s obvious that Chis Ballard opened up his 2019 free agency binder and on the first page is this man’s face:Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesIf you’re wondering about possible issues with the NFL’s tampering rules, oh grow up! It’s simple, Ballard just has to mention to his agent (Bob LaMonte) how he wants to pay Bell an obscene amount of money in 2019 as long as Bell sits the year out so he can give the Colts everything he’s got and Ballard’s agent calls up Bell’s agent (Adisa Bakari) and tells him a “funny story” he heard about his client that day. One thing leads to another and Le’Veon Bell is making googly eyes at every single Instagram post the Indianapolis Colts put up. Oh and trades? Don’t worry about a trade, Bell would have to agree to a contract and I’m sure Bakari could just give LaMonte a call and the two old friends could swap stories until Bell is convinced he just isn’t going to play this year. Ladies and gentlemen the starting running back for the 2019 Indianapolis Colts will be Le’Veon Bell, just as Chis Ballard planned it. *Once again, please note this article is purely meant for entertainment and the conversation it can create. Chris Shepherd may or may not actually believe anything above. By looking at current events through alternative viewpoints we hope to come away with a better understanding of what we’re seeing by considering something we’ve never considered. Worst case? We have a lot of fun with conspiracy theories and turn on old episodes of the X-Files while wearing our tin-foil hats.Links to the previous weeks conspiracies:Week 3: Roger GoodellWeek 2: Jon GrudenWeek 1: Colts Defense