Ballard's work ethic

[dodsworth]

The guy just never stops working and trying to find competition 

for the guys on the 53 man roster. The way he shuffles players 

In and out on the practice squad tells me he is looking for a diamond

in the rough that was overlooked.

 

Hogan is being brought up from the practice squad by making plays

in practice 'albeit because of injuries' but Sanjay spoke highly of him.

If a guy doesn't produce on the practice squad he is quickly jettisoned

and is quickly replaced with another player with potential.

 

With a couple more years of his work in the offseason like he did this

year and the way he is tirelessly  looking for talent on the practice 

squad, I truly believe he will have built a Super Bowl contending roster

in a 2 or 3 years.

[Buck Showalter]

34 minutes ago, dodsworth said:

The guy just never stops working and trying to find competition 

for the guys on the 53 man roster.

To be fair to Grigson, he also looked for talent continuously, constantly churning the bottom end of the roster. Grigson just seemed to strike out more often than not, let's just hope Ballard's attempts hit more often...

[cdgacoltsfan]

42 minutes ago, dodsworth said:

The guy just never stops working and trying to find competition 

for the guys on the 53 man roster. The way he shuffles players 

In and out on the practice squad tells me he is looking for a diamond

in the rough that was overlooked.

 

Hogan is being brought up from the practice squad by making plays

in practice 'albeit because of injuries' but Sanjay spoke highly of him.

If a guy doesn't produce on the practice squad he is quickly jettisoned

and is quickly replaced with another player with potential.

 

With a couple more years of his work in the offseason like he did this

year and the way he is tirelessly  looking for talent on the practice 

squad, I truly believe he will have built a Super Bowl contending roster

in a 2 or 3 years.

Everybody uses the 2-3 years cliché...I think we are 3 or 4 players away...not years.

[JTrouble]

2 hours ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

Everybody uses the 2-3 years cliché...I think we are 3 or 4 players away...not years.

Everybody uses the 3-4 players away cliché....I think were 2-3 coaches away bwhaha

 

I agree with you though cdg. OL, MLB, Edge Rusher. Another year of Ballard in FA and the draft plus some good coaching I think they could be on they way next year. Like to see how the team looks this year with everybody healthy as well.

[akcolt]

2 hours ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

Everybody uses the 2-3 years cliché...I think we are 3 or 4 players away...not years.

I tend to agree with you. We need speed at ILB and a pass rushing Edge. The D would be looking real good with those up grades at LB. George isn't the answer but he could help. These knuckleheads barely play him. He's shown the speed we lack inside since the preseason. 

 

The O we could use more than a LG but we could make do else where. What this teams needs most is to get healthy and a new coaching staff. 

 

We'd be in good shape if we could keep our guys healthy and add those 3 players. Then nearly as important as getting healthy bring  in a new staff. If Ballard gets the new staff right this off season we should be well on our way. 

[jet1968]

12 hours ago, Buck Showalter said:

To be fair to Grigson, he also looked for talent continuously, constantly churning the bottom end of the roster. Grigson just seemed to strike out more often than not, let's just hope Ballard's attempts hit more often...

Grigson couldn't spot talent if it jumped up and bit him in the nose 

[braveheartcolt]

8 minutes ago, jet1968 said:

Grigson couldn't spot talent if it jumped up and bit him in the nose 

Apart from the talented players he signed of course. Usual blatent blind hating. 

[Dark Superman]

Could you imagine if Clayton Geathers came back fully healthy, and the Colts re-signed Davis for another 2 years. If Ridgeway, Basham and Anderson can step up, then if the Colts can land a game changing MLB, our defense could be top 10 in the league.

[Dark Superman]

Seeing a lot of unexpected young guys step up this year is very encouraging.

[AZColt11]

14 hours ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

Everybody uses the 2-3 years cliché...I think we are 3 or 4 players away...not years.

I would agree.  But it may take that long to find the right ones. 

[Buck Showalter]

2 hours ago, jet1968 said:

Grigson couldn't spot talent if it jumped up and bit him in the nose 

TY Hilton & Jack Doyle disagree...

[Steamboat_Shaun]

14 hours ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

Everybody uses the 2-3 years cliché...I think we are 3 or 4 players away...not years.

 

If we’re just talking about defense, I agree. But outside of Kelly & maybe AC, the OL needs to be completely rebuilt IMO. We need 1st & 2nd round talent at every spot, & there needs to be some legit depth as well. Enough of this dilly-dallying around with 7th rounders & UDFAs. I think that can be achieved in one offseason considering what Ballard has already done on the defensive side of the ball.

[zibby43]

2 hours ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

If we’re just talking about defense, I agree. But outside of Kelly & maybe AC, the OL needs to be completely rebuilt IMO. We need 1st & 2nd round talent at every spot, & there needs to be some legit depth as well. Enough of this dilly-dallying around with 7th rounders & UDFAs. I think that can be achieved in one offseason considering what Ballard has already done on the defensive side of the ball.

 

They need to start considering moving AC to RT.

 

I think Haeg still has some potential.  Mewhort has struggled this year.  Struggled mightily, in fact.

 

But yeah, I'm going to have to agree that OL is a huge concern.  Need a young stud of a LT that can be around for a while.  Also need to start to bolster the depth.

 

ILB and OLB/pass rusher is a huge need too.  The current crew is fine for depth, but need more speed, athleticism (i.e., the ability to cover RBs and TEs), and explosiveness than we currently have. 

[csmopar]

5 hours ago, Buck Showalter said:

TY Hilton & Jack Doyle disagree...

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[Buck Showalter]

39 minutes ago, csmopar said:

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

True, Grigsons drafting history has left this Colts roster an absolute mess that Ballard will need to mend. It appears that mending is under way now & with a smart philosophy concentrated on youth.

However, saying Grigson "couldn't ever spot talent" just isn't true. The move to grab TY paid off in spades & getting Doyle an UDFA off waivers from TN are just 2 examples of the few times he got something right. Just trying to be realistic.

 

But, I am glad Grigson is gone & Ballard seems to be righting the ship. 

[Yoshinator]

1 hour ago, csmopar said:

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Or twice in 5 years.

[Creekside]

6 hours ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

If we’re just talking about defense, I agree. But outside of Kelly & maybe AC, the OL needs to be completely rebuilt IMO. We need 1st & 2nd round talent at every spot, & there needs to be some legit depth as well. Enough of this dilly-dallying around with 7th rounders & UDFAs. I think that can be achieved in one offseason considering what Ballard has already done on the defensive side of the ball.

 

Agree 100%. This team is going nowhere without a much improved O-line. Colts will have enough cap money to sign two legit starting linemen (a guard and a tackle) free agents in their mid-twenties and lock them up for four years. Spend most of the draft on defense (again).

[Steamboat_Shaun]

1 hour ago, egg said:

 

Agree 100%. This team is going nowhere without a much improved O-line. Colts will have enough cap money to sign two legit starting linemen (a guard and a tackle) free agents in their mid-twenties and lock them up for four years. Spend most of the draft on defense (again).

 

Depending on where we draft, I’d also go OL in the 1st and/or 2nd round just to establish some quality depth. Having good starters is great & all, but it goes downhill fast once a couple guys get hurt, just look at the current OL situation, it’s brutal. And it’s all because Kelly & Good are injured, it totally screwed everything up.

[Guest]

Ballard never stops.

And his efforts are showing on the field.

[MackAttack]

9 hours ago, Buck Showalter said:

TY Hilton & Jack Doyle disagree...

a broken clock is right twice a day...

[MackAttack]

3 hours ago, csmopar said:

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

I did not see this lol

[ColtsAC]

23 hours ago, akcolt said:

I tend to agree with you. We need speed at ILB and a pass rushing Edge. The D would be looking real good with those up grades at LB. George isn't the answer but he could help. These knuckleheads barely play him. He's shown the speed we lack inside since the preseason. 

 

The O we could use more than a LG but we could make do else where. What this teams needs most is to get healthy and a new coaching staff. 

 

We'd be in good shape if we could keep our guys healthy and add those 3 players. Then nearly as important as getting healthy bring  in a new staff. If Ballard gets the new staff right this off season we should be well on our way. 

Totally agree on the ILB and edge rusher. That's top priority. Likely an RB too. Moncrief will be gone I bet too so will need to replace him. OL  ...thats an every year thing....just depend whether they draft or free agency.

[Creekside]

2 hours ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

Depending on where we draft, I’d also go OL in the 1st and/or 2nd round just to establish some quality depth. Having good starters is great & all, but it goes downhill fast once a couple guys get hurt, just look at the current OL situation, it’s brutal. And it’s all because Kelly & Good are injured, it totally screwed everything up.

 

Yea, whatever it takes. I am so tired of the Colts year after year trying to cobble together a line with poor results. I'm sure Ballard doesn't like what he sees either. Something will happen.

[dudeski]

On 9/29/2017 at 11:37 AM, dodsworth said:

The guy just never stops working and trying to find competition 

for the guys on the 53 man roster. The way he shuffles players 

In and out on the practice squad tells me he is looking for a diamond

in the rough that was overlooked.

 

Hogan is being brought up from the practice squad by making plays

in practice 'albeit because of injuries' but Sanjay spoke highly of him.

If a guy doesn't produce on the practice squad he is quickly jettisoned

and is quickly replaced with another player with potential.

 

With a couple more years of his work in the offseason like he did this

year and the way he is tirelessly  looking for talent on the practice 

squad, I truly believe he will have built a Super Bowl contending roster

in a 2 or 3 years.

you mean like every other gm that has ever existed.  

 

yeah.  good job ballard

 

[ReMeDy]

7 hours ago, csmopar said:

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

 

Unless I keep correcting it, then it's right every time. Yea, I'm that good.

[NewColtsFan]

 

A reminder.....

 

Ryan Grigson was the NFL's GM of the year in 2012.

 

Most of the members of this website raved about his tireless work ethic and his willingness to go everywhere and try to beef up the back-end of the roster.      

 

Members raved about his work ethic for roughly 3 years....      by then,  his draft picks weren't really working out and neither were his free agent signings....      so the masses started to turn....

 

Then,  8-8 in 2015 and stories surfaced on how difficult he was to deal with.    (We just didn't know how bad...)

 

Then,  8-8 in 2016 and storites about Irsay calling in a phycologist to try and smooth things between Grigson and Pagano.          Completely unprecedented....     and he got his walking papers for it....

 

I'm just saying a very good first year for Ballard does not mean he's going to turn out great.     If that were true,  Ryan Grigson might still be our GM......     (Ughhhh!)

 

 

[jet1968]

15 hours ago, Buck Showalter said:

TY Hilton & Jack Doyle disagree...

You forgot to mention his other great finds. You know, Werner, Richardson, dorsett

[jvan1973]

He is doing the same thing every other gm does.   It has nothing to do with work ethic.   It's not like he is digging ditches 12 hours a day.    His ability to sign better talent than is on the roster is the skill. 

[crazycolt1]

37 minutes ago, jet1968 said:

You forgot to mention his other great finds. You know, Werner, Richardson, dorsett

Yes it is easy to point a finger at Grigson and say how bad he was without pointing out how he helped bring this team out of purgatory his first three years.

He helped bring a 2-14 team back from the bottom of the league that was bad enough they received the first draft pick. The Colts then earned a playoff birth his first year and in the third year made the AFC championship game.

Regardless of how things turned out he put the Colts back into the conversation of being a good team.

Grigson took over a team that was 39 million dollars in cap hades. Say what you want there are very few GMs that could have pulled off what he did.

Yes it ended bad but those three years it was great to be a Colts fan.

[HectorRoberts]

1 hour ago, jet1968 said:

You forgot to mention his other great finds. You know, Werner, Richardson, dorsett

The only bad one was Werner I think. when we got Richardson I was doing cartwheels over that trade, it didn't work out but he never really had a line in front of him either. And it's too early to tell with Dorset, I love brisset but I think we pulled the Dorset cord a little to early

[JTrouble]

4 hours ago, jvan1973 said:

He is doing the same thing every other gm does.   It has nothing to do with work ethic.   It's not like he is digging ditches 12 hours a day.    His ability to sign better talent than is on the roster is the skill. 

Unless Ballard is just drawing names out of a hat it takes work ethic to find the right/good talent. I've dug ditches and been the man in charge. They both require a good work ethic if you want to keep your job. I do see your point though Jvan, some have an eye for it and some don't but to say work ethic has nothing to do with it is far fetched...12 hours digging = 12 hours watching tape.

[crazycolt1]

5 hours ago, JTrouble said:

Unless Ballard is just drawing names out of a hat it takes work ethic to find the right/good talent. I've dug ditches and been the man in charge. They both require a good work ethic if you want to keep your job. I do see your point though Jvan, some have an eye for it and some don't but to say work ethic has nothing to do with it is far fetched...12 hours digging = 12 hours watching tape.

One thing going on right now is Ballard's scouts out in the field looking at players he needs to take a closer look at.  Those are the players who will get the most of Ballard's attention.

[dodsworth]

16 hours ago, jvan1973 said:

He is doing the same thing every other gm does.   It has nothing to do with work ethic.   It's not like he is digging ditches 12 hours a day.    His ability to sign better talent than is on the roster is the skill. 

I don't recall Grigson ever churning the roster like this. Grigs would sit pat on his draft picks

regardless if they were worthy of their roster spot. Also, I don't recall the practice squad being

shuffled at this rate. Ballard's competition mantra is evident.

[crazycolt1]

16 minutes ago, dodsworth said:

I don't recall Grigson ever churning the roster like this. Grigs would sit pat on his draft picks

regardless if they were worthy of their roster spot. Also, I don't recall the practice squad being

shuffled at this rate. Ballard's competition mantra is evident.

Grigson didn't need to churn the roster his first couple of years. Only time will tell the end results for Ballard but using hindsight to judge Grigson against Ballard is null and void at this point. We can only hope Ballard does as well as Grigson did in his first three years.

[LockeDown]

I think the key to being a great GM, is to always be objective.  I think GMs fall into traps and forget that. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dodsworth]

3 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

Grigson didn't need to churn the roster his first couple of years. Only time will tell the end results for Ballard but using hindsight to judge Grigson against Ballard is null and void at this point. We can only hope Ballard does as well as Grigson did in his first three years.

Grigson had some good pickups it's true but if his decisions were so good in the 

first few years then that would have laid a solid foundation for the remaining

years of his tenure.

 

If he would have focused on giving Luck a decent line in year one or two instead of waiting

until his last year then he would probably still be our GM. A healthy Luck would have masked

A lot of his bad picks and decisions.

[crazycolt1]

48 minutes ago, dodsworth said:

Grigson had some good pickups it's true but if his decisions were so good in the 

first few years then that would have laid a solid foundation for the remaining

years of his tenure.

 

If he would have focused on giving Luck a decent line in year one or two instead of waiting

until his last year then he would probably still be our GM. A healthy Luck would have masked

A lot of his bad picks and decisions.

That's what cost him his job. Most of us knew his free agent signings were just a band aids but missing on most of them added to the problem.

It was not from lack of trying he just didn't have good judgment his last three seasons and struck out on too many.

[Dark Superman]

His eye for talent is encouraging.

 

[Dark Superman]

Just listening to Ballard talk is music to my ears.

[chrisfarley]

On 9/29/2017 at 12:15 PM, Buck Showalter said:

To be fair to Grigson, he also looked for talent continuously, constantly churning the bottom end of the roster. Grigson just seemed to strike out more often than not, let's just hope Ballard's attempts hit more often...

good point, and it's those repeated strike-outs that's going to cost this team precious Luck years.  It was allowed to go on too long....similar situation going on with the HC right now, except his strike-outs are blow-outs.  It's time to finish gutting the pig.