Ballard FA Grievances Thread (Merge)

[bluephantom87]

On 3/13/2023 at 3:45 PM, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

I'm waiting for Ballads supporters to say "Free Agency hasn't officially started yet and you be complaining about no signings"?

 

Then next week "Free Agency isn't over! There are still some players left to sign".

 

Then a week later "I'm sure glad Ballard doesn't overpay".

        

 

This is spot on!!! Ready made EXCUSES for a guy who has accomplished absolutely nothing as gm. The national media has gotten OFF his train but some on this board swear by him. I guess it's based on his "polished" talk on team building because HIS approach / philosophy has this team FALLING further and further back in the NFL landscape. Now according to Ballard there's not a qb worth moving up for. Not surprising because he thought the same of Allen, Herbert, Jackson and Mahomes* to name a few as teams moved up to snag their franchise guy DURING Ballard's lackluster tenure. Meanwhile Ballard has CHOSEN the uninspiring carousel of Tolzien, Hoyer, Brissett, Rivers, Wentz and Ryan. Yikes! This is also coming from the SAME guy that saw enough in Eason and the low ceiling Ehlinger to draft them?!! What have our draft picks under Ballard REALLY gotten us anyway related to CONTENTION or winning?

 

Take his four BEST picks in that long SIX YEAR span and what do you REALLY have? A guard in Nelson and lb in Leonard who BOTH are some of the HIGHEST paid at their NON premium positions. Both looked like a shell of themselves last season after MULTIPLE surgeries. Can they bounce back fully? Hopefully for the team's sake.

 

JT was a HIGH MILEAGE rb coming out of college which is one reason why his stock dropped in the draft. Now he IS the offense in Indy and starting to show wear which in turn led to him having ankle surgery THIS offense. Pittman is a big possession type receiver who would be a two on MOST teams if not a three on some but he just happens to be our wr1. Moving forward will the Colts pay both handsomely in the near future? We have a top rb in a passing league and a borderline upper tier receiver in a landscape of explosive ones. Who knows but NOTHING will change until Irsay decides to move from the house that's built on quicksand as the Colts continue to slowly sink into IRRELEVANCY.

[Aaron86]

[LJpalmbeacher2]

8 hours ago, bluephantom87 said:

 

This is spot on!!! Ready made EXCUSES for a guy who has accomplished absolutely nothing as gm. The national media has gotten OFF his train but some on this board swear by him. I guess it's based on his "polished" talk on team building because HIS approach / philosophy has this team FALLING further and further back in the NFL landscape. Now according to Ballard there's not a qb worth moving up for. Not surprising because he thought the same of Allen, Herbert, Jackson and Mahomes* to name a few as teams moved up to snag their franchise guy DURING Ballard's lackluster tenure. Meanwhile Ballard has CHOSEN the uninspiring carousel of Tolzien, Hoyer, Brissett, Rivers, Wentz and Ryan. Yikes! This is also coming from the SAME guy that saw enough in Eason and the low ceiling Ehlinger to draft them?!! What have our draft picks under Ballard REALLY gotten us anyway related to CONTENTION or winning?

 

Take his four BEST picks in that long SIX YEAR span and what do you REALLY have? A guard in Nelson and lb in Leonard who BOTH are some of the HIGHEST paid at their NON premium positions. Both looked like a shell of themselves last season after MULTIPLE surgeries. Can they bounce back fully? Hopefully for the team's sake.

 

JT was a HIGH MILEAGE rb coming out of college which is one reason why his stock dropped in the draft. Now he IS the offense in Indy and starting to show wear which in turn led to him having ankle surgery THIS offense. Pittman is a big possession type receiver who would be a two on MOST teams if not a three on some but he just happens to be our wr1. Moving forward will the Colts pay both handsomely in the near future? We have a top rb in a passing league and a borderline upper tier receiver in a landscape of explosive ones. Who knows but NOTHING will change until Irsay decides to move from the house that's built on quicksand as the Colts continue to slowly sink into IRRELEVANCY.

 

Excellent post. 

And I'll add if he drafts a QB at #4, he'll get another three seasons to fail because of the built in excuse of having a rookie QB at the helm. 

[gibson981]

Now that Ballard signed Minshew (and his 1970’s porn star mustache), I bet the QB room will consist of Elinger, Foles, and Minshew. Ballard will probably deal the 4th pick for a couple of late round picks this year and next year. He has the Colts on the way to being the sub-mediocre team they were in the mid to late 90’s. 

[gibson981]

Watch for the Mayflower trucks in the next couple of years. 

[philba101]

Bengals LT Jonah Williams asks for a trade after the Bengals signed FA LT Orlando Brown to a big contract. Maybe this is an opportunity to secure the left side of our line depending on how the Colts feel about Raimann coming into year two. Williams made 16 starts for the Bengals last year.

https://nfltraderumors.co/bengals-lt-jonah-williams-requests-trade-following-orlando-brown-signing/

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Keefer has a great article on how Ballard has already started changing his approach and instead of signing quick fixes he is thinking more long term.

 

The moves also speak to a much-needed organizational shift in thinking. The days of chasing a few pricey veteran free agents seem to be over. The Colts, instead, are prioritizing long-term stability over short-term gains, mindful that a young quarterback is all but assuredly on his way. Irsay, for one, wants to “grow his own” at that position.

 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

 

[Dobbinblitz]

On 3/15/2023 at 8:18 PM, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

 

Excellent post. 

And I'll add if he drafts a QB at #4, he'll get another three seasons to fail because of the built in excuse of having a rookie QB at the helm. 

And I will add that not moving from the #4 draft slot provides him cover because he will be taking "the best available QB" instead making a bold move to move up and put it all on the line by selecting the top QB on their draft board. 

[Solid84]

2 hours ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Keefer has a great article on how Ballard has already started changing his approach and instead of signing quick fixes he is thinking more long term.

 

The moves also speak to a much-needed organizational shift in thinking. The days of chasing a few pricey veteran free agents seem to be over. The Colts, instead, are prioritizing long-term stability over short-term gains, mindful that a young quarterback is all but assuredly on his way. Irsay, for one, wants to “grow his own” at that position.

 

Uh, what? When did we start?

 

We’ve signed some good players here and there, but we’ve never signed “pricey” veterans excluding some overpayed, underperforming QBs, but those have been trades not FA. 

 

Edit: There’s truth to us not being a few quick fixes away from the playoffs, though. Ballard admitted as much himself, so kudos to him/the FO for thinking long term. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

5 minutes ago, Solid84 said:

Uh, what? When did we start?

 

We’ve signed some good players here and there, but we’ve never signed “pricey” veterans excluding some overpayed, underperforming QBs, but those have been trades not FA. 

 

Edit: There’s truth to us not being a few quick fixes away from the playoffs, though. Ballard admitted as much himself, so kudos to him/the FO for thinking long term. 

Keefer is talking about a reset. Something Ballard should of done when Luck retired instead of thinking colts were so close.  No more Gilmores for awhile.

[NewColtsFan]

42 minutes ago, Dobbinblitz said:

And I will add that not moving from the #4 draft slot provides him cover because he will be taking "the best available QB" instead making a bold move to move up and put it all on the line by selecting the top QB on their draft board. 

Interesting.    You see the lack if makjng a bold move as providing Ballard political cover.   He’d settle for taking the best quarterback available.    
 

But I think Ballard has put his head on the chopping block.   He could have made the trade to #1 and had his choice.   But he decided not to.    So if the first or second  QBs, whoever they are, are really good and Ballard’s choice is not,  I think he’s set himself up to get fired sooner than people here think.

 

[Solid84]

2 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Keefer is talking about a reset. Something Ballard should of done when Luck retired instead of thinking colts were so close.  No more Gilmores for awhile.

I was mainly responding to the “The days of chasing a few pricey veteran free agents seem to be over.”

 

We’ve not done that under Ballard. In fact it’s been his MO to at best sign the B tier players. 

[Solid84]

4 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Interesting.    You see the lack if makjng a bold move as providing Ballard political cover.   He’d settle for taking the best quarterback available.    
 

But I think Ballard has put his head on the chopping block.   He could have made the trade to #1 and had his choice.   But he decided not to.    So if the first or second  QBs, whoever they are, are really good and Ballard’s choice is not,  I think he’s set himself up to get fired sooner than people here think.

 

Honestly, I really appreciate he didn’t mortgage the future so he could go out guns blazing. He recognizes and appreciates that there are no “clear” generational QB talents this year and acts accordingly. Could one or more of them surprise and turn out great? Sure, but at this point that’s not obvious like with Mahomes and Allen. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

5 minutes ago, Solid84 said:

I was mainly responding to the “The days of chasing a few pricey veteran free agents seem to be over.”

 

We’ve not done that under Ballard. In fact it’s been his MO to at best sign the B tier players. 

One thing I took from his story is colts are taking a QB at 4. He seems pretty sure of that in his story. So he was also talking about band siding the QB position also.

[Dobbinblitz]

20 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Interesting.    You see the lack if makjng a bold move as providing Ballard political cover.   He’d settle for taking the best quarterback available.    
 

But I think Ballard has put his head on the chopping block.   He could have made the trade to #1 and had his choice.   But he decided not to.    So if the first or second  QBs, whoever they are, are really good and Ballard’s choice is not,  I think he’s set himself up to get fired sooner than people here think.

 

Yes, I can see certainly see your point of view, but overall I view it as, in this way, he moves the focus to Steichen to make the #4 pick successful instead of Ballard making a potentially bad decision with all QB's available at the #1 position. I can also see the point of view of not mortgaging the future, but at some point you have to get out of a reload/holding pattern and take the risk to move this franchise forward. 

[NewColtsFan]

11 minutes ago, Dobbinblitz said:

Yes, I can see certainly see your point of view, but overall I view it as, in this way, he moves the focus to Steichen to make the #4 pick successful instead of Ballard making a potentially bad decision with all QB's available at the #1 position. I can also see the point of view of not mortgaging the future, but at some point you have to get out of a reload/holding pattern and take the risk to move this franchise forward. 

Your last sentence sums it up for me. 
 

And if Ballard’s decision not to make a move backfires….  His choice is anywhere from bad to maybe even Daniel Jones first three years level and Carolina and Houston get their guy with Stroud and Young, I think Ballard is toast.    It may not be until 2025, but I don’t see how he’d survive if the team looks like a 7-8 win team and languishing in 3rd or 4th in the South.  
 

At some point Irsay would make a change.  

[NewColtsFan]

45 minutes ago, Solid84 said:

Honestly, I really appreciate he didn’t mortgage the future so he could go out guns blazing. He recognizes and appreciates that there are no “clear” generational QB talents this year and acts accordingly. Could one or more of them surprise and turn out great? Sure, but at this point that’s not obvious like with Mahomes and Allen. 

I’m sorry, you lost me with the last sentence.    Are you talking about Mahomes and Allen NOW?   Or Mahomes and Allen coming out of college?   
 

Because coming out of college, neither was obvious. 
 

 

[Solid84]

14 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

I’m sorry, you lost me with the last sentence.    Are you talking about Mahomes and Allen NOW?   Or Mahomes and Allen coming out of college?   
 

Because coming out of college, neither was obvious. 
 

 

Sorry. Was talking about Mahomes and Allen weren't thought of as generational talents when coming out of college but turned out great.

[Nevbot]

17 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

I’m sorry, you lost me with the last sentence.    Are you talking about Mahomes and Allen NOW?   Or Mahomes and Allen coming out of college?   
 

Because coming out of college, neither was obvious. 
 

 

But, to the Chiefs and Bills it was obvious, hence getting aggressive and trading up.

In our case we are actively choosing to stand pat at 4 and take whatever QB falls to us.  I find it hard to believe that Ballard (or any evaluator in the league) doesn't have the 4 QB's rated EXACTLY even- So if the Colts take whatever QB they rate the highest at 4 and they hit on the pick- it will be more out of blind luck then actually being proactive to achieve your vision. Its passive, and a bit frugal.

Thing is, I actually agree with standing pat at 4 and not mortgaging anything for any of these QB's, or trading back a little bit.  If Will Anderson is there at 4 and it's between him, Levis and Richardson- I would pray that we trade back 2-3 picks if we can and maybe gain a 1st or 2nd.  Then and only then would i feel better about taking one of Richardson or Levis, because the sting of that player being a total bust is alleviated by a nice pick. 

The most boring and most predictable thing to happen (and I think it probably will) is that we simply just draft Levis at 4 and don't mess around.  Don't be fooled- the pick has always been Levis, but if Young or Stroud fall to us- I would have to believe we take one of them instead. 

I want Richardson or Levis at the 6-9 slot if we can pull it off.  

I want Young or Stroud at 4, if we can get lucky enough. 

I would take Will Anderson if there are no trade offers at 4 and he is still there. 

 

I don't think the decision will be as hard as everyone makes out.  By trading to 1, the Panthers at least made our decision tree much clearer at the 4 slot, even if they are taking a passer off the board for us to consider.  

[King Colt]

ESPN said today Ballard is interested in Lamar Jackson. Please God don't let this happen!

[Solid84]

GM Rankings by Gregg Rosenthal:

 

GM Rankings - By Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com

 

Chris Ballard at 18:

Quote

The Colts are a long way from having one of football's best rosters during the Philip Rivers season. They invested in an offensive line that atrophied. The receiving corps is below average. Most veterans acquired last offseason (Matt Ryan, Stephon Gilmore, Rodney McLeod, Yannick Ngakoue) are gone. The defensive line and Jonathan Taylor provide something to build off, but all the swinging and missing at quarterback has overshadowed some foul-tip outs elsewhere on the roster.

 

[gibson981]

On 3/28/2023 at 4:04 PM, King Colt said:

ESPN said today Ballard is interested in Lamar Jackson. Please God don't let this happen!

Can we get the Marion County Prosecutor to indict Ballard?

[Blueblood23]

Looks like the roster is not as strong as many on this board proclaimed.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/colts-roster-ranked-fourth-worst-123032813.html