GoColts8818

Fans deciding the Colts have to win big this year or Ballard is fired. Spoiler I don’t think Irsay sees it that way.

Some Colts fans: oh my god the Colts didnt give Sneed $19 million a year and $55 million guaranteed the Colts are doomed because Ballard won’t sign anyone. Other Colts fans: he could still sign someone like Simmons to a more reasonable contact. previous Colts fans: are you crazy the Colts don’t have salary cap room for that…

I can see how this is going to go tonight. Good night everyone I’ll see you all tomorrow after the sun still rises.

Yeah the Colts run defense gave up a full yard a carry more when Grover was out. That’s not good. I mean let’s be honest when people were talking about needs before free agency started a lot of people were yelling they couldn’t let Grover leave because they had nothing behind him. So unquestionably they needed depth at DT. To me it’s more people had their hearts set on a splash move and thought Sneed was going to be the one and they got their hearts broken.

Yes I guarantee the sun will still come up tomorrow.

Yeah seeing that number and easy for me to understand why if the Colts ever were in on Sneed Ballard went yeah no.

Well @AustexColt you got your wish.

Wait that’s not what Eric Johnson is? Darn could have fooled me.

me every time I remember they brought back Taven Bryan…

I agree its his job but like I said it’s where it gets complicated because there was nothing he could have done about Jacoby. Rivers worked. Wentz wasn’t his call clearly and if Irsay was the one telling him to up his offer for Ryan then Ryan may not have been either. He’s not the only GM to deal with QB issues. However, Irsay appears to have judged him on it after 22 and seems to feel there were a lot of things that happened with the QB spot that wasn’t Ballard’s fault which is probably why he got a pass on it from Owner. Whats clear though is going forward Ballard is tied to Richardson. That’s Ballard’s guy and there is no denying it. So if Richardson doesn’t work it’s not going to matter how good of a team he’s built minus the QB he’s going to be shown the door if they aren’t winning, that’s just probably not going to happen this year though unless the Colts do something like go 0-17 with Richardson playing every snap.

If most of Ballard’s teams had Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck as the QB and not Carson Wentz, an aging Matt Ryan and Phillip Rivers, or backups in Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew do you think they made the playoffs? If you think so then it supports Ballard’s theory that this team has been missing the QB peace. Last year was a wash on it because of Richardson’s injuries. Hopefully over this year and next we get a shot to see what Ballard’s roster building can do with a legit franchise QB. I think it’s telling the only two years under Ballard the team had above average to good QB play all season they made the playoffs. Does Ballard deserve the blame for the QB spot? That’s a complicated question because on one hand he is the GM but on the other his hands have been tied there. For starters no one saw the Andrew Luck situation coming so there wasn’t really anything Ballard could do the year they started Jacoby. The year they had Rivers it worked. Wentz was clearly a Reich decision more than Ballard. Then if you recall it was Irsay who told Ballard up his offer for Ryan so maybe Ryan was more Irsay. He also wasn’t in position to really grab one post Luck until last year in the draft. Then he did. So that’s why for better or worse he’s tied to Richardson now. Irsay pretty much looked at Ballard after the 22 season and decided he saw good teams minus the QB spot and decided what had happened at the QB spot wasn’t on Ballard’s shoulders so he decided to give him a chance with his QB. Then his QB got hurt before we could really find out much about him. So that’s why Ballard’s job in all likelihood isn’t on the line this year unless they do something like go 0-17 with Richardson starting all year. You can disagree with the decision Irsay made or the logic he appears to have used to get there but that’s what happened. Irsay has bought into Ballard’s teams haven’t had the QBs they need and Irsay appears to think that isn’t all Ballard’s fault. Irsay also seems to think if they had the QB play they need then they would be a playoff team. If you believe that’s true then keeping your own a year after you went 9-8 with a backup QB playing almost all year makes sense if you expect to get your QB back which the Colts do.

I’d go one step further and say Ballard values certain positions more than most around the NFL do. I know I didn’t like it when I heard it reported he told a local reporter he sees oline and dline as premium positions. I agree they are important but other than an elite pass rushing end which the Colts don’t have I don’t see them as premium positions. So that’s one area I don’t agree with Ballard but I know that’s who he is so it is what is to me.

The closet that has come to that was Grigson who was the worst GM the Colts have had under Irsay as Owner. If he hadn’t had Andrew Luck those teams would have been like the Bob Irsay Colts who were just awful. Then he ruined Andrew Luck’s career by not getting the right players around him yet that’s the model so many seem to want to go back too.

Some of you worry too much. This was a nice story of Richardson doing something good. Yet some still found a way to doom and gloom on it.

No because the Colts have had no problem keeping good players. In fact that’s a large crutch of the anti-Ballard movement is that he keeps too many of his own players. As for the other part free agents almost always go to the highest bidder. So over spending in free agency to get players is not a problem that only the Colts face, that’s why some teams, like the Colts have made the decision to use it sparingly. I know it’s not popular right now but it’s who Ballard is and clearly the direction Irsay wants. Again, fans don’t have to like it but expecting it to change every year just isn’t acknowledging reality.

Clearly I meant his personal life. Typo on my part.

No doubt Richardson is a good person.

Because again people heard what they wanted with the “all chips in” comment. He was alluding to he didn’t think the team had been fully committed the previous season and held Wentz largely accountable for that. When he made that comment he was saying Matt Ryan was fully committed and would help the team be fully committed. it was never meant as a comment about roster building as has been explained several times. As for why do people defend him? They remember what the Colts were like under his father who was truly a bad owner. Jim Irsay has put a winning team on the field way more often than not as Owner. That’s why people like him as Owner. As for her personal life I think even the most loyal Colts fan will admit Irsay has demons that haunt him. They aren’t proud of it. No one defends his demons. They might feel empathy for him but they don’t defend them. They just wish him the best fighting it because what else can they do? He’s not going to sell the team and they aren’t going to stop being Colts fans.

The “articles” about Buckner are just straight spitballing by people who want attention. There are no legit stories suggesting the Colts are even thinking about trading Buckner. In fact if you follow the Colts they are pretty much saying Buckner is going to be here because they keep talking about having the Buckner/Stewart duo back together.

He just wants to fight and win arguments on the internet.

Yeah at this point it’s not even about Ballard to me. I am not a fan of everything he’s doing so I can get on board with some of the criticism of him it’s people throwing temper tantrums because Ballard isn’t doing exactly what they want and acting like he’s never done anything right and running to every thread to say it over and over and over. We get it some are sick of Ballard. However, we can’t fire him and posting about it every chance you get on a message board isn’t going to make Irsay fire him. If people are fans of the Colts then why not pull for what he’s doing to work even if you disagree with it? I just want the Colts to win I don’t care who the GM is or what he does to get the team there. I have no clue if what Ballard is doing is going to work but what I do know is the season isn’t over in March like some are acting like it is. It is what it is though, by the same token if people want to just be angry about Ballard I can’t stop them and I am not going to try.

Yet some are freaking out and saying the Colts can’t depend on Brents because he’s injury prone but attacking any argument that dares to question if we know about Richardson yet…

That’s pretty much what Holder eluded too in his interview with JMV and Holder said those kinds of talks happen all the time and most people in NFL circles don’t consider those real trade talks which is why Schefter said what he said. He also said when they decided to move on from Sneed and didn’t get Hunter they pivoted to plan B which was to bring all their guys back and said had they landed Hunter then Moore would have been allowed to walk for sure and perhaps Grover as well.

I mean it’s in the slot but Kenny Moore has been a starter for seven years now.

The team I kept hearing initially was the Chargers at five once Harbaugh was hired.