Ballard FA Grievances Thread (Merge)

[Goatface Killah]

Just now, Indeee said:

"My Narrative"

 

This is the last moment I'm going to entertain your fizzle. Since reading my post you have made this all about "My Narrative".

 

You are right. It has been "My Narrative" for many years now, as you are quick to point out. But here's the thing. My post was from an Indy Writer, Reporter, whatever. Not from me. A person paid to write stuff about the team, not just some guy with a "Narrative" as you claim I am.

 

So, explain how "My Narrative" was so eloquently explained from some Indy writer I have zero ties to. A writer who has never had the privilege of seeing or knowing "My Narrative". Maybe I should attempt to sue her as she has clearly copied "My Narrative" without my permission, nor has she given me credit as "My Narrative" or could it be that "My Narrative" is starting to become a realized reality more and more each day, each year, as this GM continues down his never changing path. 

 

Maybe, just maybe, "MY Narrative" has been spot on from the jump. As "My Narrative" to me, has always been nothing more than obvious assertions.  

 

I'm out. You are no longer a part of "My Narrative".

You see eloquent and I see a bunch of mumbo jumbo from a writer with zero meaningful credentials in a world full of internet experts with zero meaningful credentials. 

 

Im not impressed.

 

Why are you so impressed? Only because she agrees with you. Thats it. You like it because it tickles your ego. And you just admitted it. 

 

 

[jvan1973]

44 minutes ago, Goatface Killah said:

Consistently, year over year he absolutely is. 

 

And he is much better than Grigson or Polian for that matter, ever was.

One year does not mean he was more active. 

 

You didnt even name as many people as I did and I left out quite a few.

 

Phillip Rivers

Stephon Gilmore

Tre Burton

Eric Ebron

Jabaal Sheard

Xavier Rhodes

Johnathan Hankins

TJ Carrie

 

 

Carson Wentz, Eric Fisher, 

 

Since he brought up trades

Moss and Buckner

[ArmchairQB]

1 hour ago, Goatface Killah said:

Consistently, year over year he absolutely is. 

 

And he is much better than Grigson or Polian for that matter, ever was.

One year does not mean he was more active. 

 

You didnt even name as many people as I did and I left out quite a few.

 

Phillip Rivers

Stephon Gilmore

Tre Burton

Eric Ebron

Jabaal Sheard

Xavier Rhodes

Johnathan Hankins

TJ Carrie

 

 

You forgot Denico Autry.  Both his greatest success and failure in FA management 

[Goatface Killah]

13 minutes ago, ArmchairQB said:

You forgot Denico Autry.  Both his greatest success and failure in FA management 

Also Justin Houston, Yannick Ngakoue amd Samson Ebukam. Glowinski?

[twfish]

3 hours ago, Indeee said:

This girl really gets what a lot of us non-Ballard apologists have been saying for years now.

 

Enjoy the read:

 

 

The General Manager for the Indianapolis Colts, Chris Ballard, has been extremely conservative during his tenure at the helm. The lessons of being disciplined, love your draft picks, short term deals, bargain bin free agents, build in the trenches, and financial flexibility have all been preached. Those lessons have netted the Colts a total of zero division titles and one playoff win. With an extension last year, Ballard has found something that is extremely rare in professional sports, a new lease on life after producing few results. He has to take advantage of that by changing his ways.

 

2023's great signing was a kicker. Yes, Matt Gay was good, but that can’t be your big splash. I know the Colts were coming off a low point last year, but signing a kicker is the best move? Ballard holds on to cap space and draft picks like they are the only things that mean anything. Meanwhile, I see team after team acquiring good talent for fourth or fifth round picks and being pressed up to the cap. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but I also see a lot of instances when it does.

 

Do you know what doesn’t work out? Being so conservative. Trading back eight times a draft to pick five times in the fifth round. Having one of the top four cap space situations year after year after year. Not paying for premium positions like wide receiver. Paying a guard like a defensive end. Signing twenty free agents every year to one-year deals so you have to start the process all over again. You know how I know it doesn’t work out? Because it hasn’t. Results are results, and there haven’t been any to date.

It is time to go for it. If you believe you have your Haliburton on the roster in Anthony Richardson, it is time to go and get him a few rare, more talented players. I can’t imagine his job is safe much longer if results do not materialize, so take a swing. I am not saying burn the place down on the way out, but make a trade, trade up in the draft, and/or sign some bigger name free agents. Like the fan-favorite meme that goes around every offseason of the character with the stick saying, “Do Something”, I implore and beg you, Chris Ballard, to do something this offseason.

 

**The above is an excerpt taken from a written piece by Kellie Wilkenson

Yawn 🥱 

 

She’s deliberately leaving out the biggest reason the colts have truly been mediocre the past couple years, regardless of how many times it’s been stated it’s still true that QB has been our downfall. 
 

When Ballard felt that we were close is 2019 and 2020 he took bigger swings in free agency and took a hug swing at Buckner. River’s took us to the playoffs and retired. Then Reich got his way and got his QB that he couldn’t fix and because of that we didn’t have a first round pick to spend on a QB. We also were bringing on his salary and the we ended up with Ryan.

 

You can see what Ballard thinks the direction of the team is headed based off of his free agency activity if you pay attention (I fully anticipate him being very active this year). In the prior years it was clear he wasn’t as confident and this past year he made it clear he wanted you guys to play so evaluate.

 

This is a very narrow sighted written article IMHO. Personally though my biggest gripe with Ballard will always be making the trade for Buckner and signing Rivers instead of trading up for Herbert. That single move would have changed the Colts beyond anything we can fathom. That was what I wanted then, not a hindsight look either.

[shasta519]

3 hours ago, Goatface Killah said:

Thats an organizational philosophy. All you complainers act like we were bringing in free agents before Ballard got here. We have never done that.

 

In reality, Ballard has been more active and made better decisions in free agency than any other GM we have ever had. Much better. Much more active.  

 

Stop looking for things that confirm your feelings and try actually looking at evidence. 

 

Much better? Where is the evidence that he has been much better beyond feelings? It's certainly not in the results. His predecessor won more playoffs games in half the time. The guy before that is a HOFer.

[Goatface Killah]

41 minutes ago, shasta519 said:

 

Much better? Where is the evidence that he has been much better beyond feelings? It's certainly not in the results. His predecessor won more playoffs games in half the time. The guy before that is a HOFer.

The conversation is about free agency.

 

I understand its very hard for you to follow any kind of actual conversation considering you have a clear agenda, but at least give it a good effort.

 

If you gave me the number 1 overall pick in the draft with a generational QB sitting there for me, I could win a playoff game also. Absolutely nothing impressive about that, at all.

[ArmchairQB]

5 hours ago, Indeee said:

This girl really gets what a lot of us non-Ballard apologists have been saying for years now.

 

Enjoy the read:

 

 

The General Manager for the Indianapolis Colts, Chris Ballard, has been extremely conservative during his tenure at the helm. The lessons of being disciplined, love your draft picks, short term deals, bargain bin free agents, build in the trenches, and financial flexibility have all been preached. Those lessons have netted the Colts a total of zero division titles and one playoff win. With an extension last year, Ballard has found something that is extremely rare in professional sports, a new lease on life after producing few results. He has to take advantage of that by changing his ways.

 

2023's great signing was a kicker. Yes, Matt Gay was good, but that can’t be your big splash. I know the Colts were coming off a low point last year, but signing a kicker is the best move? Ballard holds on to cap space and draft picks like they are the only things that mean anything. Meanwhile, I see team after team acquiring good talent for fourth or fifth round picks and being pressed up to the cap. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but I also see a lot of instances when it does.

 

Do you know what doesn’t work out? Being so conservative. Trading back eight times a draft to pick five times in the fifth round. Having one of the top four cap space situations year after year after year. Not paying for premium positions like wide receiver. Paying a guard like a defensive end. Signing twenty free agents every year to one-year deals so you have to start the process all over again. You know how I know it doesn’t work out? Because it hasn’t. Results are results, and there haven’t been any to date.

It is time to go for it. If you believe you have your Haliburton on the roster in Anthony Richardson, it is time to go and get him a few rare, more talented players. I can’t imagine his job is safe much longer if results do not materialize, so take a swing. I am not saying burn the place down on the way out, but make a trade, trade up in the draft, and/or sign some bigger name free agents. Like the fan-favorite meme that goes around every offseason of the character with the stick saying, “Do Something”, I implore and beg you, Chris Ballard, to do something this offseason.

 

**The above is an excerpt taken from a written piece by Kellie Wilkenson

If you’re going to quote someone get the source right.  This is an article written by Jon Spradley of Stampede Blue who is brand new to journalism and has the style of being a contrarian for the sake of getting clicks aka a Skip Bayless.  
 

This hardly qualifies him as an expert in anything other than starting arguments.  Also,  Samson Ebukam was the major offseason FA signing not Matt Gay.  

[Indeee]

11 hours ago, ArmchairQB said:

If you’re going to quote someone get the source right.  This is an article written by Jon Spradley of Stampede Blue who is brand new to journalism and has the style of being a contrarian for the sake of getting clicks aka a Skip Bayless.  
 

This hardly qualifies him as an expert in anything other than starting arguments.  Also,  Samson Ebukam was the major offseason FA signing not Matt Gay.  

I saw the article on news feed, MSN I think. Had that chicks name under it, so.. ??

 

Regardless, the sentiment is exactly what a lot of us have been saying for years and now it seems like outside sources see the same things as well. I don't care if you disagree with what the article said, it's your prerogative to do so should you choose, however just because viewpoints such as this via the article might be unpopular to some, doesn't make it not worth noticing or even discussing. 

 

There are too many in this forum that continue to point to these players improving in miniscule ways as one example, year after year. Rinse and repeat, without REAL results consecutively. Giving a pass for "growth period".

 

It also doesn't help when Ballard tells everyone it was a concentrated effort to play the young guys, as he did in his most recent presser.

 

Those who really like Ballard, will yet again overlook the obvious ( no division titles, 1 playoff appearance ) and stay the course, trusting his process. A process that is more resilient than the energizer bunny.

 

The rest of us can clearly see that from the start, whatever process he was implementing and whatever process was amended over these 8 years, has not worked. 

 

I do not dislike Ballard. In fact, I like him because he's a guy's guy. The kind of guy you wanna have a beer or two with. It's his vision that bothered me and I fully started to understand it somewhere in year two of his reign to the current.

 

He was building this team like it was the 80's Bears, early 90's smash mouth. Putting resources in the wrong spots and for some reason not understanding that the league was heading more towards a high-flying aerial style of offense in the majority.  It was odd to me especially because the Colts had the aerial in the Manning years and it was highly successful, so why go complete 180?

 

Anyway, he is here. If it takes him 9 years to realize where this league is, then so be it. Better late than never.

 

 

[VikingsFanInChennai]

4 hours ago, Indeee said:

I saw the article on news feed, MSN I think. Had that chicks name under it, so.. ??

 

Regardless, the sentiment is exactly what a lot of us have been saying for years and now it seems like outside sources see the same things as well. I don't care if you disagree with what the article said, it's your prerogative to do so should you choose, however just because viewpoints such as this via the article might be unpopular to some, doesn't make it not worth noticing or even discussing. 

 

There are too many in this forum that continue to point to these players improving in miniscule ways as one example, year after year. Rinse and repeat, without REAL results consecutively. Giving a pass for "growth period".

 

It also doesn't help when Ballard tells everyone it was a concentrated effort to play the young guys, as he did in his most recent presser.

 

Those who really like Ballard, will yet again overlook the obvious ( no division titles, 1 playoff appearance ) and stay the course, trusting his process. A process that is more resilient than the energizer bunny.

 

The rest of us can clearly see that from the start, whatever process he was implementing and whatever process was amended over these 8 years, has not worked. 

 

I do not dislike Ballard. In fact, I like him because he's a guy's guy. The kind of guy you wanna have a beer or two with. It's his vision that bothered me and I fully started to understand it somewhere in year two of his reign to the current.

 

He was building this team like it was the 80's Bears, early 90's smash mouth. Putting resources in the wrong spots and for some reason not understanding that the league was heading more towards a high-flying aerial style of offense in the majority.  It was odd to me especially because the Colts had the aerial in the Manning years and it was highly successful, so why go complete 180?

 

Anyway, he is here. If it takes him 9 years to realize where this league is, then so be it. Better late than never.

 

 

Kelly Wilkinson (of Indy Star) is the photographer/rights owner of the photo of Ballard used in the article from Stampede Blue, and it appears at the top of the article as the writer, but in reality that was caption credited for the photo. MSN feed probably showed in their website in a way to get misconstrued that way. 

[NewColtsFan]

On 1/19/2024 at 2:29 PM, Indeee said:

"My Narrative"

 

This is the last moment I'm going to entertain your fizzle. Since reading my post you have made this all about "My Narrative".

 

You are right. It has been "My Narrative" for many years now, as you are quick to point out. But here's the thing. My post was from an Indy Writer, Reporter, whatever. Not from me. A person paid to write stuff about the team, not just some guy with a "Narrative" as you claim I am.

 

So, explain how "My Narrative" was so eloquently explained from some Indy writer I have zero ties to. A writer who has never had the privilege of seeing or knowing "My Narrative". Maybe I should attempt to sue her as she has clearly copied "My Narrative" without my permission, nor has she given me credit as "My Narrative" or could it be that "My Narrative" is starting to become a realized reality more and more each day, each year, as this GM continues down his never changing path. 

 

Maybe, just maybe, "MY Narrative" has been spot on from the jump. As "My Narrative" to me, has always been nothing more than obvious assertions.  

 

I'm out. You are no longer a part of "My Narrative".

You're entitled to any narrative you’d like.  But you pointed to a writer.   And Kellie Wilkinson wrote that Matt Gay was Ballard’s big FA investment last year.  That’s false.   It was Samson Ebukam who rewarded the Colts with a breakout career year with 8.5 sacks plus grading out at over 80 which is near elite.   How she missed that is a mystery known only to her.  
 

But I’d say she’s young, inexperienced and not ready for prime time.  I read nothing that says take her writing seriously.  

[Indeee]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

You're entitled to any narrative you’d like.  But you pointed to a writer.   And Kellie Wilkinson wrote that Matt Gay was Ballard’s big FA investment last year.  That’s false.   It was Samson Ebukam who rewarded the Colts with a breakout career year with 8.5 sacks plus grading out at over 80 which is near elite.   How she missed that is a mystery known only to her.  
 

But I’d say she’s young, inexperienced and not ready for prime time.  I read nothing that says take her writing seriously.  

She is also not the writer..Ha!! she is the photographer of the Ballard pic in the original article.

 

MSN, where I got the excerpt from, botched the credit, and in turn, so did I. Some guy on stampede blue wrote the article.

 

[NewColtsFan]

2 hours ago, Indeee said:

She is also not the writer..Ha!! she is the photographer of the Ballard pic in the original article.

 

MSN, where I got the excerpt from, botched the credit, and in turn, so did I. Some guy on stampede blue wrote the article.

 

Well….  Whoever the SB writer is (some are good, some are not) didn’t do a very good job.   I think that’s pretty obvious.  

[VikingsFanInChennai]

2 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

Well….  Whoever the SB writer is (some are good, some are not) didn’t do a very good job.   I think that’s pretty obvious.  

2 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

Well….  Whoever the SB writer is (some are good, some are not) didn’t do a very good job.   I think that’s pretty obvious.  

In the SB nation article, the writer has mentioned Samson Ebukam while saying Matt Gay got the big contract. It's again the way things are subjectively measured.

 

When it comes to kicker position, Colts are paying one of the highest salaries after getting Gay. So, in that sense, people say that's the biggest signing for the year as when it comes to Ebukam signing, he got much lesser deal for his position. 

 

Devil is always in the details.

 

It's usually that writer isn't some inexperienced novice, some writers just know how to make something look different so as to get the rise out of the readers. 

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, VikingsFanInChennai said:

In the SB nation article, the writer has mentioned Samson Ebukam while saying Matt Gay got the big contract. It's again the way things are subjectively measured.

 

When it comes to kicker position, Colts are paying one of the highest salaries after getting Gay. So, in that sense, people say that's the biggest signing for the year as when it comes to Ebukam signing, he got much lesser deal for his position. 

 

Devil is always in the details.

 

It's usually that writer isn't some inexperienced novice, some writers just know how to make something look different so as to get the rise out of the readers. 

 
 

FWIW:

Here are the numbers….

 

Gay received 4 years $22.5 ,  $5.6 per 

 

Ebukam received 3 years 24mill.  8 mil per.   So by total dollars and dollars per year,  Ebukam is the biggest signing of the off season. 
 

Note:  I’ve just double checked the money with Spotrac to confirm. 

[Two_pound]

What makes anyone think trading up for Herbert would have been a great move? In Herbert's 4 years with the Chargers have won 31 games in that same 4 year span we have won 33 and that includes the 2022 season where we fired our coach and replaced him with a guy who had NO COACHING experience so we could lose a lot of games and get into a position to draft a qb(genius move by Irsay). One cannot assume Herbert would be tearing up the league had we drafted him. Let's see what Richardson can do.

[VikingsFanInChennai]

4 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 
 

FWIW:

Here are the numbers….

 

Gay received 4 years $22.5 ,  $5.6 per 

 

Ebukam received 3 years 24mill.  8 mil per.   So by total dollars and dollars per year,  Ebukam is the biggest signing of the off season. 
 

Note:  I’ve just double checked the money with Spotrac to confirm. 

Did you check what I mentioned?

 

NFL's Biggest Kicker & Punter Contracts

PLAYER TEAM TOTAL $

1. K Younghoe Koo ATL $24.25M

2. K Justin Tucker BAL $24M

3. K Matt Gay IND $22.5M

4. K Jason Sanders MIA $22M

 

And, Samson Ebukam isn't among the highest paid at his position.

 

As I said, if you look at biggest contracts Colts signed as free agents, Ebukam would be the highest.

 

It's also true Colts went out to sign and make Matt Gay one of the highest paid kickers in the NFL. 

 

Depending upon how people want to make their arguments, they may make a mountain out of mole on how Gay was paid at the highest rate in his position. 

 

Ebukam proved to be a great signing and he Performed beyond expectations. Gay didn't perform anywhere close to his exceptional years in LA, where he missed only 2 FGs each of the three years whereas with Colts, he made only 80.5% FG attempts. 

[csmopar]

It is very obvious that a majority of our problem was Frank Reich. Frank wasn’t a completely terrible coach but it’s very obvious after failing to win as a head coach with two different organizations, both with the same complaints about tells us a lot. I often wonder if Ballard had hired say.. Vrabel, would things have been different? 

[joeb]

Gave up on him way too quick. One of the best in the league, this year. I can't say I've been overwhelmed with Matt Gay. He definitely changed a few games for us this season.

[Shadow_Creek]

2 minutes ago, joeb said:

Gave up on him way too quick. One of the best in the league, this year. I can't say I've been overwhelmed with Matt Gay. He definitely changed a few games for us this season.

that seems to be a on going trend with Ballard after releasing talented players smh

[jvan1973]

4 minutes ago, Shadow_Creek said:

that seems to be a on going trend with Ballard after releasing talented players smh

The same Chase that hasn't spent more than one season on any team?

[joeb]

3 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:

The same Chase that hasn't spent more than one season on any team?

Same one.

[cdgacoltsfan]

55 minutes ago, joeb said:

Gave up on him way too quick. One of the best in the league, this year. I can't say I've been overwhelmed with Matt Gay. He definitely changed a few games for us this season.

Doink....off the left post...lol

[NewColtsFan]

56 minutes ago, joeb said:

Gave up on him way too quick. One of the best in the league, this year. I can't say I've been overwhelmed with Matt Gay. He definitely changed a few games for us this season.

Thank you for all that hindsight. 

 

But you do not appear to be aware that when Gay slumped it was because he was hurt.   I think his hip.   That’s why his accuracy fell off. 
 

 

[holeymoley99]

4 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Thank you for all that hindsight. 

 

But you do not appear to be aware that when Gay slumped it was because he was hurt.   I think his hip.   That’s why his accuracy fell off. 
 

 

Yes bad hip threw off his swing, why many of us didnt want that long fg attempt vs Houston he missed. Wasnt the same ,hope next season he is recovered.

[richard pallo]

Chase had his opportunity with the Colts.  Multiple times I believe.  I like Gay.  His injury affected him down the stretch.  It felt good not worrying about his kicking though.  I always found myself holding my breath with the previous kickers.

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, Shadow_Creek said:

that seems to be a on going trend with Ballard after releasing talented players smh

Would you like to list the players who make up this “on going trend”?? 
 

It should be easy for you…. 

[Blueblood23]

Jerry Hughes is one.

[OLD FAN MAN]

1 hour ago, joeb said:

Gave up on him way too quick. One of the best in the league, this year. I can't say I've been overwhelmed with Matt Gay. He definitely changed a few games for us this season.

a big ballard mistake

[OLD FAN MAN]

14 minutes ago, Blueblood23 said:

Jerry Hughes is one.

okereke

[2006Coltsbestever]

Matt Gay is the main reason why we beat Baltimore. Keep that in mind.

[jvan1973]

13 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

a big ballard mistake

No,  not really

[SaturdayAllDay]

38 minutes ago, Blueblood23 said:

Jerry Hughes is one.

The Jerry Hughes we let go 4 yrs before we hired Ballard?? 

How dare Ballard let Grigson let him go! 

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, SaturdayAllDay said:

The Jerry Hughes we let go 4 yrs before we hired Ballard?? 

How dare Ballard let Grigson let him go! 

Yeah some will blame Ballard for us laying an egg in the 2014 AFC Title Game 

[Indyfan4life]

25 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Matt Gay is the main reason why we beat Baltimore. Keep that in mind.

You can’t use that kind of logic here!

[cdgacoltsfan]

50 minutes ago, Blueblood23 said:

Jerry Hughes is one.

Grigson traded Hughes. ..nice try though

[cdgacoltsfan]

51 minutes ago, Blueblood23 said:

Jerry Hughes is one.

Wrong GM...thanks for trying

[2006Coltsbestever]

Just now, cdgacoltsfan said:

Wrong GM...thanks for trying

Didn't Ballard trade for Trent Richardson 

[w87r]

1 hour ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

Doink....off the left post...lol

Great timing.

[AustexColt]

Ballard's biggest mistake was Autry.