Chris Ballard press conference 1/30

[JColts72]

Feel very comfortable with Ballard and confident he will do very well. Talk about the In-Ryan. Jimmy having  a little trouble walking, and I lost count after 50 umms.

[Beizy317]

Liked everything he had said, from "it'll never be about one guy" to "defense wins championships." I feel confident in Chris Ballard.

[masnerj]

It appears as though Raye might be sticking around after all! Atleast for this evaluation year!

 

Also, Irsay called Ballard "the best GM candidate of the 21st century"

[Steamboat_Shaun]

I'm definitely a fan of his overall demeanor. Strikes me as a no nonsense, humble, lifetime football guy with a wealth of knowledge. I'm jacked!

[Dilger85]

First impression, seems like a humble guy that is not afraid to work.  Has strong beliefs in how to build a team and seems to value everyone working together.  Very excited to see what he can accomplish.

[1959Colts]

Ballard seems to be a class act.

Doesn't come across like he's just trying to say all the right things... Unlike some other Colts figures.

[JColts72]

17 minutes ago, RockThatBlue said:

His first words were "I'm jacked"

 

Seems like a really sharp and nice guy.

U be jacked too after 3 days of no sleep or crashed out.

[Tsarquise]

Funny how he said defense wins championships and referenced the Bears as proof, yet they lost to the Colts due to a lack of offense. 

 

Seems like a good guy. 

[Case]

Like this guy. Like how he took a second to learn everyone's name in the media asking him questions. 

[adamthyst]

That was a very impressive press conference. His answers were something that I was definitely looking for in a GM. Very honest and humble, and I'm anxious already to see what he'll bring during the offseason.

[Tsarquise]

2 minutes ago, 1959Colts said:

Ballard seems to be a class act.

Doesn't come across like he's just trying to say all the right things... Unlike some other Colts figures.

Yeah, he seems pretty genuine. 

[gnet550]

Seems to be anti-Grigson in personality....never said I, always said the team...prioritized defense and building through draft

[CheezyColt]

#ColtJacked

[CantBeStopped]

Just now, Tsarquise said:

Funny how he said defense wins championships and referenced the Bears as proof, yet they lost to the Colts due to a lack of offense. 

 

Seems like a good guy. 

Yea but he also said you've got to have the playmakers to score. We have that. If he can build a defense any where near Chicago's we will be unstoppable 

[braveheartcolt]

Let's see how he does in the draft and FA, and onwards. A presser is totally un-newsworthy. Time to move onto more important stuff......

[stitches]

Well, he won the press-conference without anything shocking or surprising being said. Now lets win FA and the draft... then on to the more consequential things.

[grmasterb]

6 minutes ago, JColts72 said:

Feel very comfortable with Ballard and confident he will do very well. Talk about the In-Ryan. Jimmy having  a little trouble walking, and I lost count after 50 umms.

Jimmy has bad hips.  Has had at least one hip replacement operation.

[JColts72]

3 minutes ago, CantBeStopped said:

Yea but he also said you've got to have the playmakers to score. We have that. If he can build a defense any where near Chicago's we will be unstoppable 

Bears of 10 years ago. I will take how the Chiefs are built now.

[Nadine]

2 minutes ago, gnet550 said:

Seems to be anti-Grigson in personality....never said I, always said the team...prioritized defense and building through draft

I noticed a very positive team oriented, and respectful attitude

Also, seemed to like interacting with the press

 

[masnerj]

Though I did notice him talking about "not being able to buy a locker room" and "growing guys" so it seems as though the Colts aren't gonna be big spenders (atleast not in the big name signings aspect) this year or in future years. But thats a good thing. Great teams don't go crazy in free agency, they resign their own. 

 

I can see him making one "big" defensive signing and then a bunch of stuff to shore up our depth and go hard in the draft (I have a gut feeling we might be drafting down somewhat to pick up extra picks!). 

[adamthyst]

I also salivate over the thought of having a top defense surrounding Andrew Luck. That's a dream come true right there if this happens.

[Tsarquise]

4 minutes ago, CantBeStopped said:

Yea but he also said you've got to have the playmakers to score. We have that. If he can build a defense any where near Chicago's we will be unstoppable 

Yeah, we obviously have a decent offense, so in this circumstance it really is all about defense. 

 

I agree; put a defense on this team and we are Super Bowl contenders. 

[JColts72]

2 minutes ago, grmasterb said:

Jimmy has bad hips.  Has had at least one hip replacement operation.

That explains it to me.

[Superman]

Just now, stitches said:

Well, he won the press-conference. Now lets win FA and the draft... then on to the more consequential things.

 

Yup. I like him, but he sounds just like every other new GM at his introductory press conference, for the most part.

 

The one thing that did stand out about him -- and I wonder if he was waiting on this question -- was when he was asked about having Luck, he said 'let me set the record straight, it will NEVER be about one guy, it will be about all 63 guys on the roster, everyone in the building...' Really wanted to get that across, and let everyone know that he's just as concerned with the rest of the roster as he is with the QB position.

[Horse Shoe Heaven]

Wow I like the guy. I have a really good feeling about him. I think him and Chuck will work great together!!!

[presto123]

 Much more well spoken than Grigson.

[masnerj]

I think as a Colts fan we have always been nontrusting of our defense (even in the Peyton Manning days, we would just rely on our defense to "bend and not break"). 

 

This might be the turning point in our franchise. We go defensive minded TODAY and move forward. And to be honest, thats ok. As long as you give Luck a serviceable offensive line and 1-2 offensive pieces, go ham on the defense. 

[JColts72]

3 minutes ago, Horse Shoe Heaven said:

Wow I like the guy. I have a really good feeling about him. I think him and Chuck will work great together!!!

And if Chuck cannot coach the additional pieces, be here next year for the new HC press conference.

[CantBeStopped]

We are gonna have to make a big splash or 2 in fa. We've got alot of money to spend. Building thru the draft will always be the most important aspect but when you have the money to pick up talented players you do it

[JColts72]

3 minutes ago, masnerj said:

I think as a Colts fan we have always been nontrusting of our defense (even in the Peyton Manning days, we would just rely on our defense to "bend and not break"). 

 

This might be the turning point in our franchise. We go defensive minded TODAY and move forward. And to be honest, thats ok. As long as you guy Luck a serviceable offensive line and 1-2 offensive pieces, go ham on the defense. 

Other then that 06 playoff D run, the last time Colts had TOUGH D was 1995 and that 75-77 run.

[JColts72]

2 minutes ago, CantBeStopped said:

We are gonna have to make a big splash or 2 in fa. We've got alot of money to spend. Building thru the draft will always be the most important aspect but when you have the money to pick up talented players you do it

Eric Berry and Melvin Gordon would do.

[Horse Shoe Heaven]

2 minutes ago, JColts72 said:

And if Chuck cannot coach the additional pieces, be here next year for the new HC press conference.

Agreed but he will geter done!

[aReggie7]

My biggest impression from this press conference is that Ballard truly believes that it is not just about one guy. Not on the roster, coaching staff, or in the personnel department. I thought the way he answered the Luck question was great for setting the tone. I remember during Grigson's press conference where he said his first priority was to lock himself in his office, put up a Do Not Disturb sign, and watch film on the roster. Ballard set a completely different tone today.

 

He also is clearly going to prioritize the draft and build the team that way. I still think they are going to end up spending some money on some outside guys in free agency but I think Ballard will be very selective.

 

I appreciated the fact that he talked about having former players involved. I think that is important especially considering the culture this team had during the last era.

 

Also, this is a little off topic but I usually feel that the media is overly criticized but their questions during this press conference were underwhelming. A press conference to introduce a new GM should be easy for coming up with good questions.

[CantBeStopped]

2 minutes ago, JColts72 said:

Eric Berry and Melvin Gordon would do.

I think you mean Melvin Ingram. Gordon is the rb for the chargers

[corgi]

I like him. I think he will do a really good job. What sucks though is that barring a Super Bowl I don't see how you can justify bringing back Pagano. I personally see no way the Colts are a Super Bowl contender next year. I don't understand the logic in bringing back Pagano. Wastes a year of Luck's career and a year of Ballard's contract.

[stitches]

1 minute ago, Superman said:

 

Yup. I like him, but he sounds just like every other new GM at his introductory press conference, for the most part.

 

The one thing that did stand out about him -- and I wonder if he was waiting on this question -- was when he was asked about having Luck, he said 'let me set the record straight, it will NEVER be about one guy, it will be about all 63 guys on the roster, everyone in the building...' Really wanted to get that across, and let everyone know that he's just as concerned with the rest of the roster as he is with the QB position.

Yeah, I'm not sure what a non-boring or different intro press-conference would look like for a position like that. At this time, boring is probably good. He hit on most things I wanted to hear him hit. At the very least it shows self-awareness and knowledge of what is expected of him.

- Team! Never about one guy!

- Humility. Knows that this is not the end of his path for him, this is the beginning of his development as a GM

- Clear focus on the draft - expects to get at least 3-4 players from each draft who would be contributors.

- Clear focus on the trenches - both O-line and D-line.

- Defense! He knows where this team is lacking and even though he refused to answer the direct question about the team's weaknesses, in following responses to other questions, to me it seems like his focus to start with the Colts is on the defense.

[Indy B]

8 minutes ago, presto123 said:

 Much more well spoken than Grigson.

 

Understatement... My pet rock is better spoken than Grigson or Pagano for that matter.

[CantBeStopped]

I think you go NT not safety in fa. That is going to impact the defense more than safety. Parry is decent in the 3rd down pressure role but I'm not fond of him as a run stuffer. We have geathers and resign Butler who played well at safety. They may not be berry but that's not the biggest need 

[Indeee]

why isnt the replay up on Colts site, I missed it and want to watch?

 

[GoColts8818]

He won the presser that's for sure.  Now we wait and see if he can deliever.