From day one I've been telling Colts fans and pundits who were mad that Colts GM Chris Ballard for not being "active in free agency" that Ballard was the smartest man in the room when it came to building this new and improving Colts roster. He's been on the clock for two years now and that's how far back I've been telling people that the man knows his stuff when it comes to not only properly evaluating talent but also by building a team the right way. From the beginning of the 2018 free agency period (And last year's too), plenty of Colts fans were all calling for Ballard's head when he didn't go on a spending spree with the team having over 52 million dollars in cap space. I, on the other hand, echoed Ballard's sentiments from day one of his preaching of: "You need to grow your own, and build through the draft. "You wanna only use free agency in order to supplement your draft." As we go well into year two of his tenure, Ballard is doing exactly what I said he would: "Proving to everyone that he's the smartest man in the room when it comes to building a team the right way." Say what you want about his offseason gaffe regarding the Josh McDaniels debacle, but even with that I can understand his logic of going after McDaniels because had it gone through he would have killed two birds with one stone by A: making the Colts better while B: weakening a division rival in the process.

After gutting the roster (Literally) of Ryan Grigson's multiple draft and FA miscues, Ballard has been stacking the team with top-tier talent. From Malik Hooker to Marlon Mack. Anthony Walker to Grover Stewart. Quinton Nelson to Kemoko Turay. Darius Leonard to Tyquan Lewis. Nyheim Hines to Jordan Wilkins. Follow that with players he's acquired coming out of nowhere like Mo Alie-Cox along with FA castoffs deemed busts like Eric Ebron and Margus Hunt just to name a few and you see the work of a man who has an impeccable eye for talent. Now he hasn't hit on every one of his picks or free agents (See Terrell Basham and Quincy Wilson), but even when it comes to players like Quincy Wilson the jury is still out on them as they continue to learn a new system. All in all, this should come as no surprise to anyone who's actually taken the time to follow Ballard's illustrious career throughout his NFL journey. The man has done this everywhere he's gone, working with and learning from some of the game's best with the resume to prove it. From day one when Jim Irsay started his search for a new GM Chris Ballard was the man I wanted for the job from the beginning. After he was hired I began telling people that this was going to go down as one of the best hirings this team has ever had because there was no doubt in my mind that Ballard had the goods to turn this franchise into an elite dynasty as long as he was given the time and freedom to do this his way. Now that the fruits of his labor are starting to produce, Ballard can now look to the 2019 offseason with not only more money to count with but also for turning the Colts into a contender that many FAs on the market won't mind coming to play for. In spite of their current record, I still think this team can compete against the AFC's best and if the defense can rediscover the mojo they had towards the beginning of the season this is easily a SB team because no one is stopping the offense. Yes I said it. NO ONE. When you have the kind of offensive line and weapons that the Colts have with not only a franchise QB like Luck running it but also a HC who is as innovative as they come in Frank Reich to pair Luck with the sky is virtually the limit.