Les Poulains

The Rams best players are a generational defensive lineman, a lockdown corner, great receivers and the quarterback. Our best players are a running back, a guard, an inside linebacker and an interior rusher. 3 out of 4 aren't in valuable positions. We're not similar at all. Also, "not panicking" is not having a plan. He's possibly managed to turn chicken poo into chicken salad thus far this offseason in the short term. Good for him but that likely won't be enough to have us go where we want to go. Especially in this ridiculous AFC.

Yes, having a list of players Ballard would acquire, were it possible to acquire them, is part of his job. Nonetheless, it was obviously not his ultimate plan to acquire Matt Ryan. The chips just fell where they did and he reacted. Again, the compensation aspect is advantageous for us, so well done to Ballard on that end, but this was not 4D chess, as they say. We might just have different definitions of what "having a plan" entails.

The problem is also what can be done after Ryan. Will the platform be there to get our QB after? That's really what it's all about when you judge a GM nowadays. The QB and then the roster. It's a short term move. Admittedly a good one, after seeing the compensation given up.

I don't think you can look at what's happened this offseason and speculate there's been this huge plan all along. Ballard has simply reacted to what's happened and made the best of it. You have to applaud him for that, but there was no plan to speak of.

I still don't really agree with what he's doing philosophically or long term, but he's manoeuvered nicely in trades. Getting an upgrade on Wentz and giving up less for the upgrade. And then trading a straight up worse player for a better one.

I was thinking with the craziness of the NFL offseason now, which has really evolved over the past few years, It's hard not to think with all the big trades in the NFL now that he's got us sitting at the kids table. We're neither in the discussion for a big QB or top players we could trade a bunch of picks for and we don't even have the top players at premium positions to be on the other side of these trades either. We're in the utter purgatory of averageness. Maybe it's not totally Ballard's fault either, but he's an easy target. The Ngakoue for Ya-Sin trade I think was some nice maneuvering, but that's all it is, it's a decent move that improves a position group. It's not franchise changing. We can't do franchise changing things.

Lol "dubious claims". Ok, mate.

That's a noble way of saying you have no opinion and go with the general consensus of what journos, who have a bias toward to organization, by the way, will tell you. Or his peers, who are also biased. Congrats, I guess. It's pretty simple; I look at his inactivity in improving the secondary and the receiving group, and his failure thus far at left tackle and pass rush and then I point out that those things aren't good. This isn't rocket science. It's not even really armchair criticism, it's pointing out the blatantly obvious. If you're offended by that or that kind of criticism, I don't know what to tell you. If he's a "good" GM, he might be successful in doing this eventually. And maybe he'll do something at the QB position, while we're at it. Here's hoping, eh.

Lol, why are you making out as if I'm ripping him? I'm not. I try to criticize him fairly. Meanwhile, you're the one taking every criticism of him extremely literally. This is getting boring.

No, he's arguably a good GM, hence the arguments on both sides. That's a result of him doing some good things and some bad, and from having around a 500. record with the Colts. Not sure what you have to be mad about here. Do you expect a GM with those credentials not to get criticized?

You're just being obtuse now. People had been praising Ballard for years. In the interest of fairness, it's also fine to criticize him when he deserves it. I myself try to be nuanced, but you'll always get people who exaggerate on both sides of the argument.

It's a two way street. You also have the grinning dunces on the other side who think everyone in the Colts organization is a genius. Welcome to fandom.

Do you want hypotheticals? Would Margot Robbie be in your phone if you were a billionaire?

Yes, it's an opinion. This place is for opinions, after all. You're the one that seems offended by this very simple fact.

Good thing then, that our free agency philosophy works with all the playoff appearances we've made under Ball... oh wait.

What do you expect? You're on an internet forum, you'll get some hyperbole, deal with it. The point is, having one good receiver and a very good running back isn't a good place to be.

It's hyperbole. There's also some truth to it.

^^

Easy. We have a single good receiver on the roster. The other one is a running back. Enough said on that one.

Well, he got the tackle spot wrong last year and didn't meaningfully address secondary or receiver, so I'd say it's fair to be worried, even just after day one. Again, never mind the quarter back position, which is currently not set either. I wait and see, but the criticism is fair. Ballard doesn't get enough of it, really. He's pretty well-liked in general.

Quarterback is one position and I think people are usually quite fair and ready to concede he's been quite unlucky on that front, Wentz debacle aside. What about the bad pass rush, though? Paye, Dayo and the other young guys better start producing soon. What about receiver? He only has Pittman to his credit. What about whiffing at left tackle with Fisher? He can still get that right this summer, but that was bad. What about the mediocre secondary that he hasn't addressed? Everything I've mentioned there regards basically the most important positions in the sport. So even puting aside the QB issues, there's loads of fair criticisms to put on Ballard. These aren't illogical things to point out.

Normally, I'm on the train of "Ballard's free agency strategy is nonsense", but there's no point spending big money on playmakers or oline if you don't have a QB, or if you simply have a bridge QB. Better to try to hit on someone in the draft. We badly need secondary help, and pass rush, though. That has to come.