Ballard is a genius

[MB-ColtsFan]

14 hours ago, Lef said:

I love his discipline and how he is building this team for the long term. He is very calculated. It will take another year or two but his style is how teams remain contenders for years. Best young GM in the league and the rewards will manifest in the near future.

 

Love the journey that we are on as colt fans. Go Colts!

 

 

Not going to agree or disagree at this point.  Way too early to make an assessment.

 

The one thing that does concern me, though, is that ticking clock on Andrew's career.  We could have all the depth and pieces in place just as soon as he starts to come out of his prime.  I know it's a bit of an extreme thought, but still one that should be factored in.  The plan does have a timeline, I hope.

[superrep1967]

15 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

I consider myself as big an admirer of Chris Ballard as anyone on this website.    Love the guy.

 

Think the Colts are heading in the right direction.    

 

But I'm not ready to anoint him a "genius".     It's way too soon.     Need I remind everyone that most everyone thought Grigson was a genius at this same point in his tenure. (2013).    Things can change fast in the NFL.

 

I'm impressed with Ballard's vision and plan.   I'm impressed with his incredible discipline.   I'm impressed that he appears completely oblivous to all the white noise that flies around in the NFL.  

 

But genius?     We have to see some results on the field first.    Otherwise,  talk is cheap.    We need to deliver on the field. and this season is going to be challenging.

 

Yeah, it's silly to call him a genius just yet. But I too like his direction but he needs an RT, WR and a pass rusher which is going to make this season challenging I agree. 

[Hoose]

 

This is a team being rebuilt quickly through the draft with young talent. Its going to be a year that I think starts out rough and gets better over time. The Defense is going to have to go through a "trial by fire" type of learning experience. They will get better, but it may not be pretty for a while. Patience is required. 

For some Colts fans, this will be excruciating. Others, like me, will be looking for growth and improvement in our young players. If we get that, an 8-8 or 7-9 season won't feel that terrible.

One more strong draft along with some legit 2019 free agent talent at O-line, WR, and CB, and this could well be a playoff team once again. 

[Flash7]

9 minutes ago, Hoose said:

 

This is a team being rebuilt quickly through the draft with young talent. Its going to be a year that I think starts out rough and gets better over time. The Defense is going to have to go through a "trial by fire" type of learning experience. They will get better, but it may not be pretty for a while. Patience is required. 

For some Colts fans, this will be excruciating. Others, like me, will be looking for growth and improvement in our young players. If we get that, an 8-8 or 7-9 season won't feel that terrible.

One more strong draft along with some legit 2019 free agent talent at O-line, WR, and CB, and this could well be a playoff team once again. 

As a Colts fan, I get it. This is a rebuild and all of this is a part of the process. A long and painful process as a fan. 

 

As a fan, I know we have Andrew Luck and I hate the thought of putting him in harm's way with a roster that he can't win with. We're all hoping that the draft picks pan out, but if they don't, we've essentially wasted much of his time. And make no mistake about it, Andrew is the single most important player on the team.

[Hoose]

2 minutes ago, Flash7 said:

As a Colts fan, I get it. This is a rebuild and all of this is a part of the process. A long and painful process as a fan. 

 

As a fan, I know we have Andrew Luck and I hate the thought of putting him in harm's way with a roster that he can't win with. We're all hoping that the draft picks pan out, but if they don't, we've essentially wasted much of his time. And make no mistake about it, Andrew is the single most important player on the team.

I don't disagree for one second about Luck. But this is a "get back to form" year for Andrew;  we can't expect him to be his old All-Pro self right out of the gates. His game will hopefully be back by mid season. This year will get him back on track; next year, I hope, will be his redemption as one of the best QBs in the game. Add in a more mature group of players around him together with some genuine FA talent? Its going to be fun again. 2019 is the year this team breaks out. And Andrew Luck will still be in his prime. 

[masterlock]

9 hours ago, Coltsman1788 said:

I brought Mc Daniels up not to bash Ballard per se or even to blame him but as a retort to the poster labeling him as a genius prematurely.  He isn’t that and is capable of being blinded just like any of us when we want something bad enough.  The good news is Ballard strikes me as someone who can learn from his mistakes and grow from them. 

 

But the bad news is that it's a mistake that should have never been made in the first place. Put another way, not making a mistake trumps learning from a mistake. 

 

[Crunked]

6 hours ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

Which team is Hankins on? Nor did he want to be here after the change...

 

Anderson was never going to fit with this defense. Ever. He wasn't the same after his injury either. 

 

What did you prefer Ballard do in FA with the o-line? Throw a higher record amount at Norwell? He brought in Slauson (a very solid player) and what happened to be a bust in Howard, which wasnt expected by anyone.... and he went into the draft with a higher priority on offensive line than anyone possibly ever in draft history. 

 

I am just amazed people on here revert to these moves as if they were bad questionable decisions. They were solid moves. Simon is interesting to me because he was a playmaker. But he's injury prone and doesnt fit. It was him or Delaire as the odd man out. It makes sense when you look at it that way. He isn't going to "hang on" to anybody. He's going to try and develop the talent and potential that is on this roster, just as he said he was going to. 

oh kids, kids if you would have just read and highlighted my very next sentence where I said, "its too early to pass judgment on these things..."  I wont digress into your comments about each player and situation.....it is my opinion that "I question these moves" (because they are questionable to me) .....so I know its "amazing" to you that someone thinks these moves are "questionable" yet here I am, please......be amazed if you must  

[ColtStrong2013]

11 minutes ago, Crunked said:

oh kids, kids if you would have just read and highlighted my very next sentence where I said, "its too early to pass judgment on these things..."  I wont digress into your comments about each player and situation.....it is my opinion that "I question these moves" (because they are questionable to me) .....so I know its "amazing" to you that someone thinks these moves are "questionable" yet here I am, please......be amazed if you must  

I read it. And I'm still amazed. 

 

I'm still questioning why Hankins isn't on a roster. Apparently you are still stuck on why it's not ours. Good for you. 

 

Obviously. This is an opinion forum. My opinion is you are hung up on a few moves that you shouldn't be.

 

You also mentioned that this roster is void of talent defensively... Really? There's a lot of talent on that side of the ball. It's inexperience. I would venture to say this is one of the most talented defenses we have had in a while. They are going to make plays this season. They will also make big mistakes. 

[Crunked]

I hope your right, for now I will be hung up on believing there is talent when I see there is talent.  in the preseason I thought Leonard looked good. I didn't see any consistent pass rush, and the DB's ( maybe more so by scheme were) let me say it like I said about a DB names Lacey we had a few years ago.....2/3rds of the planet is covered by water, the rest is the cushion allowed by Lacey

[Trueman]

I'd be hesitant to call anyone in football a "genius"... maybe Belichick. But, I really think Ballard is a smart guy with strong character. 

He knows he's being criticized by some in Colts nation for his slow, methodical rebuild , but he's sticking to his convictions and carrying out the plan. I respect the hell outta that. 

It also helps that I'm 100% aligned with his vision. The worst thing we could've done is tried to patchwork the roster into being a false contender. The foundation needed to be rebuilt , and the only way to properly do that is via the draft. 

It sucks that Luck is in his prime, and it sucks that we essentially wasted years of his career, but that's not Ballard's fault. He can't act like we're close to contending when we're not. He inherited a total mess. If we want to build a sustainable program , capable of contending year-in and year-out , then this is the way we've gotta go. If we want to try and fix everything immediately and get crushed in the playoffs for a couple seasons and fizzle out, then the Grigson method is surely the preferred route.

I wish we had've hired Ballard in 2012, I truly do, but we didn't. That should've been the time to do what we're doing now, but Grigson was a (m)oron and Luck made us look way better than we actually were (a weak division helped as well).

We'll still be able to have a solid 5-10 year run before Luck's career is over, I'm certain of that. 
 

[Steamboat_Shaun]

On 9/1/2018 at 8:59 PM, Flash7 said:

I think we should stay neutral on this. If we can’t say that Ballard is a BUST, then we certainly cannot say he’s a genius. Let’s be neutral.

 

Let’s wait to see how this plays out.

 

I can understand trying to stay neutral, but personally I think his approach is a breath of fresh air. Sure, I would've liked him to address WR & CB a little more aggressively this past offseason, but aside from that, I'm fine with the guys that he's brought in at other positions.

[Flash7]

11 minutes ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

I can understand trying to stay neutral, but personally I think his approach is a breath of fresh air. Sure, I would've liked him to address WR & CB a little more aggressively this past offseason, but aside from that, I'm fine with the guys that he's brought in at other positions.

I agree with his approach and I think his approach is exactly what we needed in 2012. It's hard to stomach knowing that Luck will not have a chance to win until the youngsters gain playing experience -- and while also knowing that all youngsters do not meet their potential.

[Steamboat_Shaun]

4 minutes ago, Flash7 said:

I agree with his approach and I think his approach is exactly what we needed in 2012. It's hard to stomach knowing that Luck will not have a chance to win until the youngsters gain playing experience -- and while also knowing that all youngsters do not meet their potential.

 

It seems that a lot of fans are expecting this to be some crazy long 10-year rebuild or something... but I personally think we'll see things start to slow down for the younger guys somewhere around the middle of this season, if not sooner.

[DougDew]

On 9/3/2018 at 9:57 AM, Trueman said:

It also helps that I'm 100% aligned with his vision. The worst thing we could've done is tried to patchwork the roster into being a false contender. The foundation needed to be rebuilt , and the only way to properly do that is via the draft. 

It sucks that Luck is in his prime, and it sucks that we essentially wasted years of his career, but that's not Ballard's fault. He can't act like we're close to contending when we're not. He inherited a total mess. If we want to build a sustainable program , capable of contending year-in and year-out , then this is the way we've gotta go. If we want to try and fix everything immediately and get crushed in the playoffs for a couple seasons and fizzle out, then the Grigson method is surely the preferred route.


We'll still be able to have a solid 5-10 year run before Luck's career is over, I'm certain of that. 
 

But he also doesn't have forever, because good players age and need to be replaced.  His rebuild will have to take a pause when he will have to devote 1st round picks to replace our LT and WR1, which he hasn't had to do yet.  That pause will probably not allow Andrew to make the playoffs unless the rest of the team is top notch, so I hope his career is over in the 10 year range and not the 5 year range.

 

Not sure if the fan base will get feisty if we don't make the playoffs in the next 5 years.

[Flash7]

5 minutes ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

It seems that a lot of fans are expecting this to be some crazy long 10-year rebuild or something... but I personally think we'll see things start to slow down for the younger guys somewhere around the middle of this season, if not sooner.

For arguments sake, let's say I jumped the gun and I predict that Basham and Turay are busts. Just about everyone will say to allow 3 years to let them develop, as a rule of thumb.

 

So it's reasonable then to think that the rebuild will be a couple more years, not the middle of this year. These guys will take time to develop. The defense especially, since it's the most inexperienced group.

[deedub75]

On 9/2/2018 at 7:32 AM, masterlock said:

 

Disagree. Every year, there's a coaching favorite who's hyped, and last year it was McDaniels. Add me to the list of people who never liked the dude. What was there to like? The fact that he fizzled out in Denver with an 8-8 record, with half the team hating/not respecting him? Or was it all the success he had with New England which cannot be separated from the fact that Bill Belichick is the HC and Tom Brady as QB? And as I alluded to earlier, there were plenty of red flags when it came to character. Of course, all these criticisms and concerns were ultimately vindicated when he reneged. The fact that none of this was apparent to Ballard, to me IS concerning. It reflects on his ability to judge character and other important predictors of success.

 

Was McDaniels really the #1 coaching prospect in the league?  I’m not exactly sure about that one.  He was definitely the #1 prospect for Ballard for reasons I will never understand. I never liked the guy.  He has done absolutely nothing without Brady and Belichick.  Even his stint as the Rams’ OC was a disaster.  I think he realized that he would suck without B & B which is why he chickened out at the last minute. 

[Coffeedrinker]

On 9/2/2018 at 2:06 AM, Peterk2011 said:

 

Bill Polian didn't want Tony Dungy, it was also an 'accidental hire. Sometimes you have to be lucky to be good.

 

(Altough I have more question marks regarding our new coaching staff, than regarding Ballard. Ballard - though not perfect .. but who is - seems to be on track. Reich, Eberflus, the new offensive & defensive scheme are big. big question marks yet. Especially, the defense. I can see it ultimately be a huge success, but I can also see it flop completely. We have to wait probably a year or two to judge the defense, but regarding the offense, the moment of truth will come soon. That multiple, fast paced offense sounds very promising, but it's just a promise yet. We will see how much of it converts on to the field.)

I don't think that is true,  I know there is a bleacher report article out there that states that here is the counter to that.

 

Quote

Shortly after the end of the 2001 season, he presented a list of potential candidates to Jim Irsay, who looked at the six names and asked about one name that wasn’t on it: “What if Tony Dungy were to become available?”

“Then all bets are off,” said Polian, who had worked for three years with Dungy on the NFL’s influential Competition Committee. “Because he’s our guy.”

 From This article:

[indyagent17]

Just look at the draft classes under Grigson, that is a very telling fact! you have to give Ballard at least two more years to totally evaluate him. Not having Luck last year is a factor to consider so he gets a pass on that one to an extent but NOT on the draft class, lets hope a few years from now we do not have draft record of Grigson mirroring Ballard's

[Steamboat_Shaun]

1 hour ago, Flash7 said:

For arguments sake, let's say I jumped the gun and I predict that Basham and Turay are busts. Just about everyone will say to allow 3 years to let them develop, as a rule of thumb.

 

So it's reasonable then to think that the rebuild will be a couple more years, not the middle of this year. These guys will take time to develop. The defense especially, since it's the most inexperienced group.

 

If we were still running a 3-4 press man scheme, I'd fully expect a much longer learning curve for the younger guys, but I still believe the whole point of changing & simplifying the scheme was to speed up their development. Maybe midseason is a little too optimistic, but I seriously doubt that it takes 3 years for things to click for guys like Basham & Turay. If it does, I doubt they'll stay on the roster.

[Trueman]

4 hours ago, DougDew said:

But he also doesn't have forever, because good players age and need to be replaced.  His rebuild will have to take a pause when he will have to devote 1st round picks to replace our LT and WR1, which he hasn't had to do yet.  That pause will probably not allow Andrew to make the playoffs unless the rest of the team is top notch, so I hope his career is over in the 10 year range and not the 5 year range.

 

Not sure if the fan base will get feisty if we don't make the playoffs in the next 5 years.

Right, and how many older players do we have that need to be replaced in the near future?

What is this the genesis of this "pause" theory? He's likely going to stack one more draft and then become aggressive. We need more young players and we need to learn/develop what we have. 

If you're referring to Cantanzo and Hilton being irreplaceable assets that will stunt our rebuild when they start declining, I'd suggest to reevaluate your opinion of them , and look at their age. It's not a massive issue and they aren't old. 

The goal isn't to be out of playoffs for 5 years. The goal is the build the right way. We're probably only going to experience one more frugal/conservative offseason - if that. 


 

 

[Dark Superman]

I'll label Ballard as a genius the day he brings Indianapolis a Super Bowl title.

[ColtStrong2013]

On 9/2/2018 at 10:15 AM, Crunked said:

I don't know that I can give Ballard genius status yet. Although he exudes a confidence that "there is a plan" and "everything will be alright" ....which is a good thing, as we appeared rudderless in years past. Some of his moves I look at with the head tilt of the family pet. Hankins release, Anderson trade, Simon cut, not going after FA O line aggressively enough....a couple of his draft picks.........look its too early to pass judgment on all those things, I am just looking at some of those moves and thinking, I am not sure that was a good idea, and it puts him on one side of the fence or the other (and time will tell which side) for now, as a fan, I am giving him some slack to win or lose my support......but in a situation where we are void of talent defensively, I would hang on to the players I have that can contribute until I can acquire there scheme fit replacements....Maybe we have, I haven't seen evidence of it yet, again time will tell.

On 9/2/2018 at 5:54 PM, ColtStrong2013 said:

I read it. And I'm still amazed. 

 

I'm still questioning why Hankins isn't on a roster. Apparently you are still stuck on why it's not ours. Good for you. 

 

Obviously. This is an opinion forum. My opinion is you are hung up on a few moves that you shouldn't be.

 

You also mentioned that this roster is void of talent defensively... Really? There's a lot of talent on that side of the ball. It's inexperience. I would venture to say this is one of the most talented defenses we have had in a while. They are going to make plays this season. They will also make big mistakes. 

 

Can we revisit this discussion now that we are heading into week 3?... Are you still sour on Hankins and Anderson not being on this defensive line/scheme? Are you still sour that Simon was released in favor of Hunt? Just curious... Do you still think this defense is void of talent? ---Darius Leonard and Kenny Moore would like to know your thoughts.

I thought this was humorous then. I especially do now. 

[OLD FAN MAN]

On 9/2/2018 at 1:15 AM, IinD said:

If they don't go huge in FA next year and jump into the top 10 in terms of overall good teams, then I'll start to wonder if Ballard is the right guy.

 

They must have a plan with the psychotic amount of cap they'll have next year.

 

If his vision was to create solid young depth across the board and then go big in FA while being a little frugal his first two years, then I might start thinking genius.

i concur

[OLD FAN MAN]

On 9/5/2018 at 12:23 AM, Savage21 said:

I'll label Ballard as a genius the day he brings Indianapolis a Super Bowl title.

i concur

[OLD FAN MAN]

On 9/4/2018 at 1:19 PM, DougDew said:

But he also doesn't have forever, because good players age and need to be replaced.  His rebuild will have to take a pause when he will have to devote 1st round picks to replace our LT and WR1, which he hasn't had to do yet.  That pause will probably not allow Andrew to make the playoffs unless the rest of the team is top notch, so I hope his career is over in the 10 year range and not the 5 year range.

 

Not sure if the fan base will get feisty if we don't make the playoffs in the next 5 years.

i agree building only through the draft can take a long time there are faster methods the pats and jax are two examples of teams who get above average talent any way they can, pats contend every season and jax under the present regime will rule our division for years while we wait to build through the draft and low pay free agents

[OLD FAN MAN]

On 9/2/2018 at 4:41 PM, Flash7 said:

As a Colts fan, I get it. This is a rebuild and all of this is a part of the process. A long and painful process as a fan. 

 

As a fan, I know we have Andrew Luck and I hate the thought of putting him in harm's way with a roster that he can't win with. We're all hoping that the draft picks pan out, but if they don't, we've essentially wasted much of his time. And make no mistake about it, Andrew is the single most important player on the team.

i concur

[OLD FAN MAN]

On 9/2/2018 at 11:50 AM, bananabucket said:

This blind faith in the face of dumb decisions is pretty funny. 

 

I'm not giving up on him yet but he sure is piling up the head scratchers.

i concur

[ColtStrong2013]

44 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

i agree building only through the draft can take a long time there are faster methods the pats and jax are two examples of teams who get above average talent any way they can, pats contend every season and jax under the present regime will rule our division for years while we wait to build through the draft and low pay free agents

 

Who have the Patriots paid big in FA recently? How are the Jags going to sustain the high payroll? Years to come? Lol.

 

I can't tell if you are being serious or not... seriously. 

[OLD FAN MAN]

2 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

Who have the Patriots paid big in FA recently? How are the Jags going to sustain the high payroll? Years to come? Lol.

 

I can't tell if you are being serious or not... seriously. 

did not say the pats paid big money lately, they get above average talent any way they can as does jax now it enables them to contend each season not rebuild for years and years

[LockeDown]

17 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

did not say the pats paid big money lately, they get above average talent any way they can as does jax now it enables them to contend each season not rebuild for years and years

If you want to emulate Jax then we will need to be the worst team in the NFL for the next 10years drafting in the top 5.  If you want to emulate the Pats, then we need to hire Bill Belichick 

[chad72]

On 9/5/2018 at 12:23 AM, Savage21 said:

I'll label Ballard as a genius the day he brings Indianapolis a Super Bowl title.

 

Quoting you and extrapolating a quote of Irsay, I'll label Ballard as a genius when Luck wins multiple SBs, Star Wars numbers aside. #kidding  

[OLD FAN MAN]

1 minute ago, LockeDown said:

If you want to emulate Jax then we will need to be the worst team in the NFL for the next 10years drafting in the top 5.  If you want to emulate the Pats, then we need to hire Bill Belichick 

the current management in jax was what i was talking about they turned the team around quick not just limited building through the draft

[Jackie Daytona]

6 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

the current management in jax was what i was talking about they turned the team around quick not just limited building through the draft

 

That's exactly what he was alluding to.  They were able to turn Jax around "fast" because the team actually did a decent job using high draft picks for half a decade.....they didn't build that defense in 2 years,  they just in the last few years started bringing in free agents to fill holes, and when they have to pay all those high picks new contracts, some guys will have to go, but Jax has managed cap space really well.... when guys like Campbell are aging and being cut or retiring, that will add space to sign the high draft picks......

[Four2itus]

Seems like this is a concurrence thread. 

[OLD FAN MAN]

2 minutes ago, Shafty138 said:

 

That's exactly what he was alluding to.  They were able to turn Jax around "fast" because the team actually did a decent job using high draft picks for half a decade.....they didn't build that defense in 2 years,  they just in the last few years started bringing in free agents to fill holes, and when they have to pay all those high picks new contracts, some guys will have to go, but Jax has managed cap space really well.... when guys like Campbell are aging and being cut or retiring, that will add space to sign the high draft picks......

all losing teams have high draft picks , this does not put a team in the playoffs if they only depend on that name a superbowl team who only built through the draft

[lollygagger8]

Ballard makes a lot of head scratching moves that many people didn't like at the time (saying he drafted Nelson too high, drafting Leonard, letting Hankins go, trading for Brissett, not going after big name FA's, not keeping Anderson, etc) but the moves have proven to be good. 

 

He doesn't care what people think, sticks to his guns, owns all of it, and has the long term vision for building this team. I applaud him for all of that. 

 

 

 

 

[indyagent17]

3 hours ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

Can we revisit this discussion now that we are heading into week 3?... Are you still sour on Hankins and Anderson not being on this defensive line/scheme? Are you still sour that Simon was released in favor of Hunt? Just curious... Do you still think this defense is void of talent? ---Darius Leonard and Kenny Moore would like to know your thoughts.

I thought this was humorous then. I especially do now. 

Simon is still a free agent, Hankins and Anderson and definitely not putting any meaningful stats either 

[NagelHausForge]

46 minutes ago, Four2itus said:

Seems like this is a concurrence thread. 

 

I concur.... Sorry, I couldn't resist. 

[NannyMcafee]

Ballard’s plan takes hitting on the majority of his draft picks. But also I am super intrigued and excited with the way Reich is running this offense. He has so far from what I can see, maximized the talent we have on the roster. And after 2 games the Colts defense is the highest rated tackling team according to PFF. Which is huge. How many times have we seen players take wrong angles or just flat out can’t tackle the guy? Seeing that has me pretty excited as well. So far, all the complaints I had with pagano aren’t relevant anymore. They’re doing up tempo short passes move the chains. And the defense can tackle. 

 

Ballard understands he can’t do it alone. And so far I’m loving Reich and I’m excited to watch the Colts again on Sunday’s. We will see how it goes. 

 

We watched peyton manning, one of the most disciplined players ever. And the team is playing disciplined football once again. Let’s hope it keeps on going.  

[King Colt]

On 9/1/2018 at 11:32 PM, NewColtsFan said:

 

You're not the only poster to say this.    And for the life of me,  I don't understand why anyone here is holding the McDaniels fiasco against anyone other than Josh McDaniels.    He is the only person who did anything wrong. 

 

Not Chris Ballard.

 

McDaniels was the number one HC candidate this off-season.     Thought to be the next Sean McVey or Kyle Shannahan.    JM could've gone to any team he wanted and Ballard went after him and got him to agree to terms.    No one in football thinks Ballard did anything wrong.    They think McDaneis did.  

 

Almost hiring McDaneils should be viewed as a good thing on Ballard's resume,  not a bad thing.   Yes, it sucks the way things went down,  but none of that is Ballard's fault.   It's all on McDaneils.  

 

McDaniels chose to be with an historic proven champion versus a wannabe. A lot of people wish they made that mistake.

Signed,

The Detroit Lions