GoColts8818

Yeah that’s not true. I gave you the very reasons why this didn’t happen you just choose to deflect them with crazy conspiracy theories that are laughable just like a flat earther does when confronted with facts. When Polian was in charge nothing happened with the Colts without him knowing it and approving it. This has been well documented over the years. So no Irsay didn’t just go around him to do it because at some Polian would have gone what’s going on here get Painter out of there Caldwell and when it didn’t happen gone ballistic and probably fired Caldwell or resigned when Irsay wouldnt let him. So that means Polian would have had to be in on it. Why would he be in on something that resulted in him and his son, who was trying to set up to be a GM in his own right, their jobs? If he wanted out he would have just quit. So this idea that he came up with some back room deal with Irsay is just as laughable. There was also a report that part of what lead to Polian’s firing was Polian was in the trade the top pick to get more picks and players to around Peyton. Doesn’t sound like a guy who was in on it. From there there is zero reason to pull Painter before you had the top pick locked up and put the top pick at jeopardy by winning a couple of games before the top pick was locked up. You also have to get the players to buy in. The coaches can do whatever they want but the players aren’t going to go for tanking because they are going to lose jobs which is what happened. They tried to do the best they could, they just weren’t very good without Peyton. Also if Irsay was this true level of mastermind why wouldn’t he have repeated it after Luck retired to get one of the elite QBs who went number one overall since then?

Again, think what you want you are entitled to any opinion you want to have but just like you said flat earthers are proof opinions can be wrong and you are very much being a flat earther on this subject which is bit surprising because you honestly have good opinions about most things.

The ones that have been stated over and over in this thread in response to you, throwing out laughable conspiracy theories to try to get around them is ignoring them. It’s exactly what flat earthers do when you present them with facts that show the earth isn’t flat.

It is just as crazy because you are ignoring facts so yeah you are denying truth for a crazy conspiracy just like a flat earther.

you are entitled to your opinion but flat earthers prove opinions can be wrong.

Call it what you want but you are lending credibility to something that didn’t happen and if you look at any facts for two seconds it’s clear it didn’t. The guys who had to orchestrate it got fired and the only way to get around it is to throw out a wild conspiracy theory that’s frankly laughable at best. From there like Superman said if they were truly tanking why would you take Painter out before you clinched the top pick? Why win two games to even put the top pick in jeopardy? You also have to get all 53 guys on the roster to buy into it with their play. Many who lost their jobs and wound up out of football altogether after that season. That’s a lot of buy in for guys who never benefited from the Colts having Andrew Luck…

Let’s just say you are sounding like a flat earther on this.

Yeah I am not buying that conspiracy level thinking.

The problem with this is Polian got fired. Do we really believe he ordered tanking the season that lead to him losing his job? Nothing happened in the Colts organization back then without Polian’s approval. He was that kind of control freak. He also one of the largest egos in the history of football. Often times people with egos don’t like to admit they made a mistake and Polian is the one who decided to draft Painter to be a backup and I think he got stubborn and was determined to be right. That happens with people with egos like that despite when it’s clear to the rest of the world they are wrong.

They were also one play more away from beating Houston. If they execute that play it gets a first down. They still had to score.

Yeah that’s how most seasons go, you win a game or two you shouldn’t have won and then you lose a game or two you shouldn’t have lost. It normally evens out by the end of the year, yet most people just focus on the games you shouldn’t have lost which is understandable. From this past season the Colts shouldn’t have won the game in Baltimore, Justin Tucker doesn’t miss many game winning kicks and then shouldn’t have lost the Browns game they won the game and the officials took it away on a very questionable penalty.

Define “Colts twitter” the regular media threw cold water on it and were mocked for doing so some going as far to suggest that Holder might need to delete his twitter because it wasn’t what people wanted to hear. if you mean wannabe insiders and Destin I’d again say buyer beware when it comes to trusting information from those sources.

No one has claimed that in a long time.

I am not sure anyone is saying he has done a great job. I think that even those that are “defending” him will admit there is room for improvement. I think that’s the problem with debate some are having. Some are trying to push things into extreme positions either Ballard is the worst GM of all time or he’s the greatest GM of all time and there is no room for a middle ground which is where I think the majority of people are.

If anyone truly believes the Colts tanked in 2011 I have some land on the moon I’d to like to speak to them about selling…

And the year Flacco won it he played like a superstar QB, especially in the playoffs.

So what I’ve seen hint here a few times that I think is a very good point to bring up is what Ballard did by keeping his own was make sure there weren’t more holes to fill. I understand that some fans want for upgrades but if he had landed a big splash free agent he would have to let one or two of the guys he kept go to make room for them under the cap. It wasn’t going to be guys like Bryan or Lewis either. It would have been guys like Grover or Moore, who were a lot people’s you can’t lose these guys after Pittman. Yes Ballard could have moved money around to make more room with the cap but it’s pretty clear he doesn’t want to do that. He’s banking on his younger guys getting better and he’s banking on this core. I go back to something Holder talked about how after Franklin signed his extension he said now we have to get some banners and how the Colts loved that because they felt by giving these guys money they were saying it’s on you now and the bar is raised. Ballard knows they have work to do. He knows they need more players and he’s probably banking on finding most of them in the draft with a free agent here or there. If you look at most of the really good teams in the NFL that’s what they do. They assemble their core through the draft and add a free agent here or there. Yes, there are exceptions to that, but most of the mortgaged a significant part of their future to do it. Ballard also knows the Colts aren’t there yet. Again, while Richardson looked really promising in the four games we saw him last year that’s not enough to say let’s go all in. First they need to know can he simply stay healthy. Second, they need to know can he sustain the success over the course of a season as teams adjust to you and figure out ways to attack you or was it just a really four game stretch before the league figured you out? What Ballard doesn’t have to do now is fill new holes created by letting good players leave. He just has to focus on filling the holes we knew the team had coming out of the season. Yes, he’s going to have to hit on his draft picks and some mid level free agents to do that, and even if he does there will still be holes, that’s what the salary cap in the NFL does. Is this the only way to build a team? No it’s not. There is also no promise it will work either. A lot is going to depend on Richardson. If he becomes who the Colts think he can when he was drafted then yes it probably will work and people will be back to signing Ballard’s praises in a year or two. If he doesn’t then the yells for Ballard to be fired will only get louder and ultimately Irsay is going to adjust his position on Ballard to fire him. That’s why you don’t just take a franchise QB to take one. You take one you truly believe in it because your job future as a GM literally depends on that kid working out. i also think if Richardson does workout you might very well see Ballard adjust his approach to future off-seasons and be more willing to mortgage a little of the future to try to get the Colts over the top, just like Polian did by signing Corey Simon and then AV and trading for Booger the next year. This just wasn’t the off-season to do that because they still don’t know if Richardson is the guy or not and it all starts there.

I mean in Pittman’s he specifically took a three year deal rather than four year deal so he could get ANOTHER contract before he hits 30. Talking about retirement for him in the next two to three years seems to be sensationalizing things to try to make a point sound better. I know some fans don’t like hearing this but it really doesn’t matter if we think Ballard should be fired or not. We don’t get a vote. As you correctly pointed out It’s all about rather Irsay wants to fire him or not. His is the only opinion on this that matters.

So you are saying never as long as they have Watson… yes that’s a joke.

Well it hasn’t happened in the Super Bowl era so I guess they are really really really due.

couldn’t find the Wolfpack group so this will do

Yes it just doesn’t show you the post and it says you’ve chosen to ignore content by (insert name here)

The whole division combined has what one or two trips to the AFCCG as the furthest they’ve gone. It’s not like the rest of the division has been winning Super Bowls hand over fist over the past 8 years.

I think this is fair. As the old saying goes close only counts in horse shoes and hand gurnards. I think people bring up him trying to get other players for the exact reason you mentioned. It disputes he did what he always does as claimed and the claims he’s not doing anything. I took it more of a statement of fact to disprove an incorrect statement than wanting to give him credit for it. I think some that are frustrated with Ballard and want him gone are spinning a statement of fact as people supporting Ballard by trying to give him credit for trying when they really aren’t.

Yep nothing wrong with being critical of Ballard. He’s made mistakes. It’s beyond fair to call him on those and state when you disagree with a move and why you disagree. Where it crosses the line is attacking people who dare to have an opinion that Ballard is anything short of the worst GM in the history of football and labeling those people as Ballard fan boys. A lot of the people who pushing back against that also say Ballard has made mistakes and they don’t agree with everything he’s done. So clearly they aren’t here just to carry Ballard’s water for him. Like I said before you can look at what Ballard has done understand HIS logic and the fact YOU have no control over it and still not agree with Ballard but also know he’s not doing what he’s doing because he’s stupid or doesn’t care.