Top Five Best and Worst Chris Ballard decisions

[wig]

23 hours ago, CR91 said:

 

Reich kinda fell in his lap so I dont really think it belongs on the list. Ballard even said Reich was like 8th on his list of candidates

 

He didn't 'fall in his lap'.  That means he was the only guy to choose from. After McDaniel fell through, he had a new list of people to choose from and made what looks to be a great choice. Key word is choice. 

[CR91]

25 minutes ago, wig said:

 

He didn't 'fall in his lap'.  That means he was the only guy to choose from. After McDaniel fell through, he had a new list of people to choose from and made what looks to be a great choice. Key word is choice. 

 

Yea bad choices. Did you really think Leslie Frazier or Dan Campbell were good options?

[Dingus McGirt]

This is all ya got?

[EastStreet]

The good far outweighs the bad so far, but it's still early.

 

Best

5. Houston (older, but proven, and much needed rush injection to the DL)

4. Drafting Campbell which might have went against his grain

3. Nelson (he's the best draft pick, but he was a no brainer can't miss prospect)

2. Eberflus (best coaching hire by far thus far)

1. Leonard (Ballzy call at 36 and it was a home run)

 

Worst

5. McDaniels

4. Basham/Banner

3. Sitting on too much cap

2. 2018 WR situation. Grant was low end addition. Should have done more after Cain injury.

1. Neglecting iDL in the draft and FA for 3 years

 

People who say the draft doesn't count.... Sure it does. A GM should be expected to hit on early picks. He gets extra credit for finding jewels later. 

 

As far as Reich goes, still undecided on him. Play calling was pretty meh on O last year. This year with upgrades at WR, another year in the system, expectations are higher.

[superrep1967]

On 6/29/2019 at 10:29 AM, 2006Coltsbestever said:

#1 best move should be hiring Frank Reich. What is funny is the #1 worst move was hiring Josh McDaniels because he backed out and made Ballard look bad. Luckily for us McDaniels did back out. Hiring Reich was the best thing by far that Ballard has done. He has created a system that protects Luck much better and gets the ball out of Luck's hands faster.

 

-Ballard has had 2 exceptionally great draft picks in Nelson and Leonard. Nelson alone makes the O.line much better and Leonard is a monster on defense. He has also had 2 terrible one's in Basham and Banner that didn't pan out at all. I can't wait to watch Parris Campbell, I think he has the potential of being a great player in this league.

 

-Ballard picking up Eric Ebron (2018) and Justin Houston (2019) in Free Agency is genius to me. Ebron was great last year.

 

-Just some of my thoughts.

Well, you can thank Irsay for the Reich hiring. 

[superrep1967]

2 hours ago, Irish YJ said:

The good far outweighs the bad so far, but it's still early.

 

Best

5. Houston (older, but proven, and much needed rush injection to the DL)

4. Drafting Campbell which might have went against his grain

3. Nelson (he's the best draft pick, but he was a no brainer can't miss prospect)

2. Eberflus (best coaching hire by far thus far)

1. Leonard (Ballzy call at 36 and it was a home run)

 

Worst

5. McDaniels

4. Basham/Banner

3. Sitting on too much cap

2. 2018 WR situation. Grant was low end addition. Should have done more after Cain injury.

1. Neglecting iDL in the draft and FA for 3 years

 

People who say the draft doesn't count.... Sure it does. A GM should be expected to hit on early picks. He gets extra credit for finding jewels later. 

 

As far as Reich goes, still undecided on him. Play calling was pretty meh on O last year. This year with upgrades at WR, another year in the system, expectations are higher.

Yes, I totally agree on Reich the jury is still out on him I didn't like his play calling at all in the KC game. I also agree on Grant and don't think Funchess will be much better I hope I'm wrong he just drops to many for me. But I am a big fan of Ballard though and like the direction. 

[EastStreet]

23 minutes ago, superrep1967 said:

Yes, I totally agree on Reich the jury is still out on him I didn't like his play calling at all in the KC game. I also agree on Grant and don't think Funchess will be much better I hope I'm wrong he just drops to many for me. But I am a big fan of Ballard though and like the direction. 

Yup, on Reich, he had ups and downs before the Colts. He's got a lot of weapons this coming season, so let's see if he out coach the competition. He'll have to go up against some good ones. He's got more talent on the O side of things, so we should all expect more.

 

Grant was a bad call. I like Funchess as a "package" WR, but he is not a well rounded guy. He'll be deadly in certain scenarios, but he's got limitations. 

 

I really hope Campbell is more than just a gimmick guy. From all reports, he's picking up the route tree, which was not an emphasis at OSU. He's the best shot IMO of keeping double teams off TY and making the O "well rounded". If Cain can come back (and Campbell is as advertised) and be a well rounded X, they we will have one of the most deadly WR and TE corps in the league. We just need at least one of those guys (PC or DC) to demand attention. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 hour ago, superrep1967 said:

Well, you can thank Irsay for the Reich hiring. 

Irsay is smart. He isn't going to let Leaf get drafted over Peyton or RG3 over Luck. He hired Ballard too, best owner in the league IMO. Irsay knows his stuff and we will hold that 2nd championship shortly led by Andrew Luck. 

[lollygagger8]

[Myles]

Oops, double post

 

[Myles]

On 6/29/2019 at 12:54 AM, CR91 said:

 

 

1. Lying about Andrew's Injury

 

I'm sorry I can not let this go. I honestly feel like we as fans were blatantly lied to in 2017 about Andrew's injury. For weeks, we were told hes close to being back and I honestly believe that was the farthest from the truth. Could there have been a setback in the rehab? Of course, it happens, but I also think the injury was not made as severe as it was until Andrew was put on IR. Irsay is also partly to blame for that as well as I think it was done to sell season tickets. We all know a Andrew Luck led colts team sells more tickets then a Tolzien led colts team. 

i don't get how this gets put on Ballard.   If the reports were false, Ballard was ordered to do it.   That is not on him.   Do you fault Luck for lying to all the fans too?

[CR91]

2 hours ago, Myles said:

i don't get how this gets put on Ballard.   If the reports were false, Ballard was ordered to do it.   That is not on him.   Do you fault Luck for lying to all the fans too?

 

If it was up to Luck, He would have played. Colts were saving him from himself imo, but also not completely being upfront with us fans

[Myles]

1 minute ago, CR91 said:

 

If it was up to Luck, He would have played. Colts were saving him from himself imo, but also not completely being upfront with us fans

I agree.    Luck was lying to us fans the same as Ballard was.   

I just don't think labeling either of them as "liars" is fair.    If their job requires it, they get a pass from me.   

[ColtsBlueFL]

On 6/29/2019 at 11:59 AM, NannyMcafee said:

 

He wasnt on the list 

 

Correct,Reich told his agent he wasn't interested until after (hopefully at that time) the Super Bowl.

 

On 6/29/2019 at 12:07 PM, CR91 said:

 

He didnt make the initial cut yea. Ballard went with his top five candidates

 

Ballard only got calls/interviews through 5 candidates on his list before the search ended and the job was offered.

 

On 6/30/2019 at 11:00 AM, wig said:

 

He didn't 'fall in his lap'.  That means he was the only guy to choose from. After McDaniel fell through, he had a new list of people to choose from and made what looks to be a great choice. Key word is choice. 

 

The unfinished calls/interviews part of the list from above.

 

On 6/30/2019 at 11:26 AM, CR91 said:

 

Yea bad choices. Did you really think Leslie Frazier or Dan Campbell were good options?

 

To who?  They were on Ballard's first GM search list, just never got to calling them, as noted above.

 

13 hours ago, superrep1967 said:

Well, you can thank Irsay for the Reich hiring. 

 

Yes, but really it was Bill Polian.  He called Irsay. See the full timeline outline right below:

 

Originally 5 potential GM's on a list of names got called-

Matt Nagy (Bears)
Kris Richard (Cowboys asst)
Mike Vrabel (Titans)
Matt Rhule (dropped out)

McDaniels (Got the job, but scared back to Pats by Bully Bill)

 

On the list but weren't called until round 2, (mainly because of playoff rules interference)-
Dan Campobell
Leslie Frazier

...

Reich??

 

Finally, Frank Reich, who had a chance to do interviews on the pre Super Bowl bye week, but was hesitant to interview with anyone until his teams playoffs/Superbowl was finished. Besides, Doug Pederson was calling plays in Philly, and QB coach John Defillipo was a rising candidate. Frank was buried in between.

 

“He (Reich) and I talked just before the playoffs began, and he told me he was not going to chase any interviews,” Polian told Dakich on 1070 the Fan. “He told his agent he didn’t really want any interviews because it would upset his preparation for the playoffs and hopefully the Super Bowl. He wasn’t really making himself a candidate at that time.”

 

As a coach, Polian said, Reich will be more analytical than fiery. He is not a screamer, not a coach whose halftime speech will scrape paint off the walls. But he still can motivate, even inspire, players. But how can Reich be both reserved and inspiring?

 

“Sincerity,” Polian said. “Eloquence and sincerity. You can be eloquent and insincere. The world is filled with eloquent phonies. But he’s eloquent and sincere, and the players know it.”

 

How Polian got involved with the Frank Reich hiring-

 

When McDaniels backed out and the football world mocked the Colts, Polian called team owner Jim Irsay.  Having worked together for 15 years, the men converse in shorthand. “It’s a bad time, but there’s a happy ending,” Polian told Irsay. “Your guy is out there. He’s the Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator.”

 

It wasn't long after Ballard and Reich spoke... and the job offer came not long after. And lots of strories from Ballard about how it all went down are out there.

 

[CR91]

@ColtsBlueFL

 

To who? Ypu would have been fine with Fraizer as Head Coach?

[ColtsBlueFL]

5 hours ago, CR91 said:

@ColtsBlueFL

 

To who? Ypu would have been fine with Fraizer as Head Coach?

 

My personal feelings have no pull in the situation.  Only the Colts Owner and GM do.

 

But since you asked, I would not because of his 18 - 29 record as Vikings HC, and he was a defense player and defense minded coach.  I wanted (and got in Reich) an offense minded HC.

 

However, look at the Bills defense after week 3 last year until mid December. From an ESPN article-

 

"Since Week 3, Frazier's defense in Buffalo has allowed the fewest yards per game (281.1), fewest passing yards per game (177.7), fewest first downs per game (17.4) and second-fewest yards per play (4.78) in the NFL."

 

"I think he should be considered," McDermott said Thursday. "He's been a head coach before. I think he's a good coach and he's done a nice job with the defense."

 

Some do better as a HC in round 2 (like Pete Carroll - I count his Pats job and the Seahawks, not the 1 year with Jets), others do not (like Joe Gibbs and Chuck Knox) so it's a crapshoot. 

[CR91]

23 minutes ago, ColtsBlueFL said:

 

My personal feelings have no pull in the situation.  Only the Colts Owner and GM.

 

But since you asked, I would not because of his 18 - 29 record as Vikings HC, and he was a defense player and defense minded coach.  I wanted (and got in Reich) an offense minded HC.

 

However, look at the Bills defense after week 3 last year until mid December. From an ESPN article-

 

"Since Week 3, Frazier's defense in Buffalo has allowed the fewest yards per game (281.1), fewest passing yards per game (177.7), fewest first downs per game (17.4) and second-fewest yards per play (4.78) in the NFL."

 

"I think he should be considered," McDermott said Thursday. "He's been a head coach before. I think he's a good coach and he's done a nice job with the defense."

 

Some do better as a HC in round 2 (like Pete Carroll - I count his Pats job and the Seahawks, not the 1 year with Jets), others do not (like Joe Gibbs and Chuck Knox) so it's a crapshoot. 

 

And then it would have been more revolving door of OCs

[indyagent17]

I for one did not want to see McDaniels come here. He looks lost as a head coach and without Belichick he really is not much of a forward thinker. So I'm glad it worked out the way it did

[LockeDown]

I know one thing. A lot of our players  and staff from the Manning era are super excited with us picking Reich.  They support Ballard, Reich and current staff continuously in public and in media. It’s been a good thing and I believe  if we ever win a Super Bowl with this regime, we’re going to have one big Colt family.  Gonna be a lot of unity. 

[NannyMcafee]

3 hours ago, LockeDown said:

I know one thing. A lot of our players  and staff from the Manning era are super excited with us picking Reich.  They support Ballard, Reich and current staff continuously in public and in media. It’s been a good thing and I believe  if we ever win a Super Bowl with this regime, we’re going to have one big Colt family.  Gonna be a lot of unity. 

 

 

It would seem irsay has struck gold with the current colts front office. All these things coming together like they have. The colts just seem superbowl bound. Theres a feeling inside the organization that is overflowing into the stands. 

[CR91]

On 6/29/2019 at 10:07 AM, csmopar said:

Yeah maybe. I think it was just simply a screw up and I have a different theory based on Lucks physical condition. If your the Colts, would you rather have the perception that you lied about Lucks health or would you rather come out and say that your star QB isn’t in the right place, mentally and physically, following his surgery(stuff Luck has alluded too since)

 

Good point. At the end of the day, I think the colts were just saving Andrew from himself.

[CR91]

On 7/1/2019 at 4:57 AM, lollygagger8 said:

 

Just trying to help move along this dead time

[Valpo2004]

Didn't Luck say that he lied a bit to the team about the amount of pain he was in because he thought he could just play through it?

 

If Luck deceived them about the amount of pain he was in then it can be understood as to why they thought his recovery was going along better than it was.  

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

38 minutes ago, Valpo2004 said:

Didn't Luck say that he lied a bit to the team about the amount of pain he was in because he thought he could just play through it?

 

If Luck deceived them about the amount of pain he was in then it can be understood as to why they thought his recovery was going along better than it was.  

Yes. He admitted he wasn’t completely truthful to the team.

[BigQungus]

On 6/29/2019 at 12:54 AM, CR91 said:

This should be a fun list. Lets start with the best five to hold back the death threats  

 

5. Not Relying On Andrew Luck

 

Ballard's first press conference won me over because he said he understood who Andrew Luck was, but he was not gonna be the only reason we win. He was gonna build a team that can win in the trenches, on defense, and with a running game and that was important to me because teams that are fortunate to have franchise QBs tend to mask their teams flaws with their superstar QB and fail to address the rest of the team's needs.

 

4. Building Through The Draft

 

The draft imo is the best way to build the roster. Im not saying free agency does not help, but if you look at the patriots, their not huge players in FAs. They build through the draft and fill the remaining needs in FA using second tier free agents which is exactly what Ballard has done. Building through the draft allows you to have superstar and/or depth on your team without jeopardizing your cap.

 

3. Fixing The Run Game

 

Ballard has drafted three RBs Mack, Hines, and Wilkins all in the later rounds of the draft and for the first time since Addai, we have a legitimate run game with a workhorse back in Mack and two very good complimentary backs in Hines and Wilkins. Before Mack, the run game has struggled to the point we didn't have a 100 yard rusher in 4 years and a 1000 yard rusher in 9 years. Mack hasn't had a 1000 yard season, but he has shown to be a threat in the run game and has forced teams to defend the run.

 

2 Creating A Defense

 

If you look at the defense since Ballard has taken over, there is only one player left from the Grigson era and that is Geathers. Ballard has said that the first thing that needed to be reworked is the defense and that only one player on the defense was worth keeping that being Geathers. Ballard wanted to create a defense that has multiple fronts and relentless pressure from multiple contributors and you see that with starting with bringing in Sheard, Autry, Hunt and Houston and drafting Turay, Lewis, and Benogu. Then with the secondary, you have physical corners with length in Desir, Moore, Wilson, and Ya-Sin with a safety that can roam and prevent deep passes. With all that, the defense has improved in the two areas that have plagued the colts defense for years that being defending the run game and stopping 20+ yard plays.

 

1. Giving Luck Protection

 

This is by the far the most important thing Ballard has done. Drafting Nelson and Smith and picking up Glowinski and Boehm has given not only the protection Luck has needed, but also depth. Its more then Luck taking quicker throws because you see the line holding up even with deeper pass patterns and in the run game. Marlon Mack and the o-line have allowed Luck to take the burden of having to make every play and allowing him to play smarter and in result stay healthy. 

 

Now for all the good Ballard has done, hes not perfect so for all the Ballard lovers, just hear me out.

 

5. Draft Woes

 

Now im not saying Ballard has not hit on the draft because he has, but the drafting of Basham, Banner, and Stewart haven't provided the same impact as players like Mack, Hines, and Wilkins have had being drafted in similar rounds. Then you have players like Fountain who couldn't crack the roster even with lack of options at WR during the season and Wilson who is struggling with consistency.  With how much talent though Ballard has added through the draft, this is low on the list.

 

4. Pass Rush

 

Ballard's focus has been in the trenches, however in three drafts ballard has taken two DBs and a G as his first picks. Ballard has used the second round to draft three pass rushers in Turay, Lewis, and Benogu and time will tell if they can bring a consistent pass rush, but if we can not generate a consistent pass rush, the defense will struggle facing QBs like Rivers, Carr, Mahomes, Ryan, and Brees.

 

3. Lack Of Depth At LT

 

AC is a stalwart on the line and I am probably one of the few that really value what he brings to the team. With that being said, there is no reliable depth at LT and that was apparent at the beginning of last season. Haeg is more of a G then a T, but he can play T, Clark has not proven to be anything more then serviceable depth, Garcia is an unproven backup, and Webb is coming off an season ending injury.

 

2. Josh Mcdaniels

 

Now I am not putting that completely at Ballard's feet as I was a huge advocate for Mcdaniels and would have made the same decision. The problem I had with this was one allowing Mcdaniels to go back to the Patriots faculty when you know Kraft and BB were gonna try to talk him out of it and two announcing him as your Head Coach and having a press conference without having a signed contract. It was bad look for the colts and a bad look for Ballard. 

 

1. Lying about Andrew's Injury

 

I'm sorry I can not let this go. I honestly feel like we as fans were blatantly lied to in 2017 about Andrew's injury. For weeks, we were told hes close to being back and I honestly believe that was the farthest from the truth. Could there have been a setback in the rehab? Of course, it happens, but I also think the injury was not made as severe as it was until Andrew was put on IR. Irsay is also partly to blame for that as well as I think it was done to sell season tickets. We all know a Andrew Luck led colts team sells more tickets then a Tolzien led colts team. 

 

How is signing Eric Ebron and Denico Autry not on here?? Or hiring Frank Reich???

 

Titling #5 as Draft Woes is just terrible wording. We haven't had draft woes at all. I understand what you mean, in the sense that not all of our draft picks have been hits, and frankly I'm glad that you had to come up with that, cause it seems like you just ran out of stuff to say. Every GM in the league has missed on a draft pick. 

 

For #3, I just disagree. Or maybe it's another testament to Ballard's greatness. Choosing not to add LT depth is not that big of a deal to me, so putting that on there may show again that you didn't have a lot to say. It's not a big deal especially because the alternative is to draft a player who we have no idea how he's gonna turn out. The only thing we know about said player is that Ballard didn't draft him.

 

And for #2, I disagree again. You may make a case that it was not a good idea to hire him because you don't think he would become a good coach, and it would be fine other than the obvious fact that we don't whether this mistake is definitively a mistake or how bad of a mistake it would be. But I think it's complete 20/20 to say that Kraft and BB would try and succeed to Bring him back to the pats. The fact is that what McDaniels did was unprecedented but for BB's stint with the Jets, and no one could've seen it coming again. People announce all the time free agent or coach signings that haven't become signed contracts yet, and not just in football, in sports. What the Colts did was not out of the norm. 

 

#1, ehh, idk. I'm not sure that they blatantly lied. Maybe they did eventually just to sell tickets, but for the longest time no one knew what was up. I don't think they immediately knew that Luck would take over a year to recover. And you can't pin that on Chris the GM, that's on everyone in the front office if it's even true.

[BigQungus]

On 6/30/2019 at 11:53 PM, Irish YJ said:

The good far outweighs the bad so far, but it's still early.

 

Best

5. Houston (older, but proven, and much needed rush injection to the DL)

4. Drafting Campbell which might have went against his grain

3. Nelson (he's the best draft pick, but he was a no brainer can't miss prospect)

2. Eberflus (best coaching hire by far thus far)

1. Leonard (Ballzy call at 36 and it was a home run)

 

Worst

5. McDaniels

4. Basham/Banner

3. Sitting on too much cap

2. 2018 WR situation. Grant was low end addition. Should have done more after Cain injury.

1. Neglecting iDL in the draft and FA for 3 years

 

People who say the draft doesn't count.... Sure it does. A GM should be expected to hit on early picks. He gets extra credit for finding jewels later. 

 

As far as Reich goes, still undecided on him. Play calling was pretty meh on O last year. This year with upgrades at WR, another year in the system, expectations are higher.

 

#1 he signed Denico Autry. and #5 and #4 on the good shouldn't really count until we know that they're good signs 

[EastStreet]

4 hours ago, BigQungus said:

 

#1 he signed Denico Autry. and #5 and #4 on the good shouldn't really count until we know that they're good signs 

I like Autry, but I'd like to see him progress this year. IMO, doesn't rank at this point.

 

As far of 4 and 5 go, I'm not ranking those players, I'm ranking Ballard's action to go get those players. We needed a pass rush in the worst way, and he got Houston. Our WR group was a clear barrier last year, and we needed a speed option, not just a big RZ guy. 

[CR91]

On 7/4/2019 at 1:27 PM, BigQungus said:

 

How is signing Eric Ebron and Denico Autry not on here?? Or hiring Frank Reich???

 

Titling #5 as Draft Woes is just terrible wording. We haven't had draft woes at all. I understand what you mean, in the sense that not all of our draft picks have been hits, and frankly I'm glad that you had to come up with that, cause it seems like you just ran out of stuff to say. Every GM in the league has missed on a draft pick. 

 

For #3, I just disagree. Or maybe it's another testament to Ballard's greatness. Choosing not to add LT depth is not that big of a deal to me, so putting that on there may show again that you didn't have a lot to say. It's not a big deal especially because the alternative is to draft a player who we have no idea how he's gonna turn out. The only thing we know about said player is that Ballard didn't draft him.

 

And for #2, I disagree again. You may make a case that it was not a good idea to hire him because you don't think he would become a good coach, and it would be fine other than the obvious fact that we don't whether this mistake is definitively a mistake or how bad of a mistake it would be. But I think it's complete 20/20 to say that Kraft and BB would try and succeed to Bring him back to the pats. The fact is that what McDaniels did was unprecedented but for BB's stint with the Jets, and no one could've seen it coming again. People announce all the time free agent or coach signings that haven't become signed contracts yet, and not just in football, in sports. What the Colts did was not out of the norm. 

 

#1, ehh, idk. I'm not sure that they blatantly lied. Maybe they did eventually just to sell tickets, but for the longest time no one knew what was up. I don't think they immediately knew that Luck would take over a year to recover. And you can't pin that on Chris the GM, that's on everyone in the front office if it's even true.

 

That was the reason I put it low on the list

 

How is not having depth at LT not an issue? Did you see the first 5 games last year without AC?

 

I was making the issue more about how the situation came about and not the actual hiring. I wanted Mcdaniels. I just don't understand why you would wait 3 days after the super bowl to hire your coach and instead let him go back to the pats faculty.

 

I do blame Irsay mostly, but its not like Ballard was forth coming with his answers either. 

[csmopar]

4 minutes ago, CR91 said:

 

That was the reason I put it low on the list

 

How is not having depth at LT not an issue? Did you see the first 5 games last year without AC?

 

I was making the issue more about how the situation came about and not the actual hiring. I wanted Mcdaniels. I just don't understand why you would wait 3 days after the super bowl to hire your coach and instead let him go back to the pats faculty.

 

I do blame Irsay mostly, but its not like Ballard was forth coming with his answers either. 

If Andrew was hiding stuff from the team, I don’t see how that one is on Ballard or even Irsay. Now if they lied to just sell tickets, I’d have a bigger issue with it. But the fact it was several weeks after tickets had to be renewed that they shut him down and that was after a few weeks of him throwing at the facility, then I think for me the truth is, they got took

[CR91]

45 minutes ago, csmopar said:

If Andrew was hiding stuff from the team, I don’t see how that one is on Ballard or even Irsay. Now if they lied to just sell tickets, I’d have a bigger issue with it. But the fact it was several weeks after tickets had to be renewed that they shut him down and that was after a few weeks of him throwing at the facility, then I think for me the truth is, they got took

 

Perhaps they thought Andrew could play, but decided against it because the season was already off to a bad start. I think at that point we've only won two games and they saw how bad that line was getting Brissett killed so there was no pro in putting Andrew out there before he was even ready.

[csmopar]

7 minutes ago, CR91 said:

 

Perhaps they thought Andrew could play, but decided against it because the season was already off to a bad start. I think at that point we've only won two games and they saw how bad that line was getting Brissett killed so there was no pro in putting Andrew out there before he was even ready.

Could have been. Either way, it’s in the past now. I’m ready for fall