Ballard isn’t going anywhere (he will be retained for 2023)

[BlueShoe]

6 hours ago, DougDew said:

He hasn't been specific. 

 

He says things like...I haven't been perfect....I have shortcomings.....I've made mistakes.....like he knows that he has because he can see the results but still hasn't figured what the mistakes were.  He's honest, in a white wash brushing sort of way. 

 

How much does he value the LT position as a component of the oline?  That's what I would like to know.  If he says....all positions are equal across the oline so it doesn't matter where the talent is.....(which he has kinda said before), I'd say that he has yet to figure out where his shortcomings are.

 

Ballard has absolutely been specific about his shortcomings. Sure sometimes he is vague. He does not always go into a lengthy detail about it. 

 

Just look at the Quincy Wilson situation. He said that pick made him think long and hard about taking younger players, who might not be as mature... That pick made him think a little more like Bill Polian with younger players. It amazes me that people want to start over with someone who has not learned those kinds of lessons yet. 

 

Ballard is not perfect, and he will be the first to tell you that. 

[BlueShoe]

7 hours ago, shasta519 said:

You sort of sound like both Irsay or Ballard’s publicist in this thread.
 

I disagree that Ballard is here next year. But we will just have to see. 

 

Should I be getting paid for this? That would be great.

 

[cdgacoltsfan]

18 hours ago, BlueShoe said:

I’ve listened to Jim Irsay talk for decades. I know how to read him. 
 

Ballard will be here next season. Bank on it. 

A few weeks ago Irsay said he had given no thought about firing Frank and Irsay was also calling Ryan an Astronaut..a Navy Seal.

[BlueShoe]

8 hours ago, James said:

 

No, he has not. And now he’s trying to change the narrative, like the fans doesn’t see through his failing.
 

Smart fans know that you can fix both offensive line and wide receiver.

IT’S LITERALLY HIS JOB TO FIX MULTIPLE ISSUES AT ONCE.

 

 

So "smart fans" should be running the show? That'd be the biggest dumpster fire in NFL history. 

 

Ballard has built a strong defense and a strong special teams unit. He has failed to produce an offense (this season). He has failed to find the quarterback of the future. This might be too rich for "smart fans", but it is impossible for every team to finish 17-0 and win the Super Bowl.

 

Thanks for your feedback. Now pay $8.

 

[DougDew]

28 minutes ago, BlueShoe said:

 

Ballard has absolutely been specific about his shortcomings. Sure sometimes he is vague. He does not always go into a lengthy detail about it. 

 

Just look at the Quincy Wilson situation. He said that pick made him think long and hard about taking younger players, who might not be as mature... That pick made him think a little more like Bill Polian with younger players. It amazes me that people want to start over with someone who has not learned those kinds of lessons yet. 

 

Ballard is not perfect, and he will be the first to tell you that. 

He's admitted to specific mistakes when he's figured them out..and after the player has been cut.   He still hasn't talked about valuing different positions within the oline.  That's one of those mistakes that he hasn't come clean about. 

 

 The offense stinks, and he hasn't spoken about what specifically is wrong with it....hasn't had a presser about it, I know, but we'll see if he ever gets into specifics, or just talks about "execution",  "the QB spot"  the "oline" as a whole, or the "wideouts" as a group.

 

BTW, I think Nick Cross might be the youngest player in the NFL... 20? when Ballard drafted him.  Was he blowing smoke before?

[Matabix]

4 hours ago, Superman said:

 

It doesn't really who the interim HC is, either the offense starts playing well or it doesn't, and I'm not optimistic either way. But it's strange to bring in someone who isn't already on the daily staff, and even more strange to bring in someone with no real experience. It's unorthodox, and it's probably not going to produce a better outcome on Sundays. We still don't have a playcaller, and the two guys most familiar with our weekly game planning and play calling have been fired in the last 9 days. So whatever help he has probably won't matter. 

 

Also, Fox and Bradley are defensive guys, so the offense will still have some problems. 

One of my biggest issues with Reich was him solely responsible for the offense. Instead of coaching everyone. He should've long time ago passed the playcalling to Brady. It gives me little hope for this year that Saturday is just coaching. Letting Gus and Frazier call the plays. I'm sure Saturday will have his input, but not 100%.

[LJpalmbeacher2]

There's A chance Ballard comes back.. And that's if Irsay strikes out with High profile people like.Harbaugh, Payton, etc who he would probably offer Full Control too....which I doubt they would.accept, Indy with Irsay is not a desirable landing spot to coaches/GM's that can have their pick of jobs. Most likely irsay will fail to land A big fish and will have to settle for unproven or journeymen type of.coaches.that will be thrilled just to have nfl gig, even if it's with irsay and a team with no qb......then Ballard will have a chance to keep his job.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

2 hours ago, DougDew said:

He's admitted to specific mistakes when he's figured them out..and after the player has been cut.   He still hasn't talked about valuing different positions within the oline.  That's one of those mistakes that he hasn't come clean about. 

 

 The offense stinks, and he hasn't spoken about what specifically is wrong with it....hasn't had a presser about it, I know, but we'll see if he ever gets into specifics, or just talks about "execution",  "the QB spot"  the "oline" as a whole, or the "wideouts" as a group.

 

BTW, I think Nick Cross might be the youngest player in the NFL... 20? when Ballard drafted him.  Was he blowing smoke before?

This. He doesn’t see the issue until it happens. He is too late to react. 

[sb41champs]

21 hours ago, BlueShoe said:

Ballard isn’t going anywhere and it’s the right call. 
 

Jim Irsay can come off as very goofy. We all know that. But today’s decisions were all about trying to keep this team together. 
 

The Colts have a top notch defense and Gus Bradley is taking them to new heights. Bubba Ventrone is one of the best special teams coordinators in the business. Losing them would set this franchise back an additional 2-3 years. 
 

We need to fix the offense. That’s not a reason to blow this team up. 
 

As crazy as Jim can sound sometimes, he made the right decisions today. 
 

It might be a bumpy ride for the rest of the season. But Jim Irsay is keeping this team intact. It’s the smart play. 

I concur with every point you made.

 

It should also be pointed out that Chris Ballard was with the team BEFORE Frank Reich - and - I anticipate he will remain with the team for years to come.

 

He's built an outstanding roster.

 

The only concern - beyond the obvious franchise QB question - is getting more quality starters on the O-line and added depth.

 

With the salary cap - you can't address every need every year.

 

I'm proud of Chris Ballard and what he has accomplished after inheriting a legit "dumpster fired" from his predecessor.

 

He is an outstanding in the draft.  Let's see what pieces he can put in place for next year.

[Defjamz26]

2 hours ago, BlueShoe said:

It amazes me that people want to start over with someone who has not learned those kinds of lessons yet. 

The irony in this statement is that Ballard was a GM who hadn’t learned those lessons yet when he was hired to take over for Grigson. In fact, most GMs are first timers. Being scared to move on because of a lack of experience is like McDonald’s being afraid to fire a cook and replace them with someone who’s never flipped a burger before. 

[chrisfarley]

On 11/7/2022 at 10:59 PM, BProland85 said:

I too would like to give Ballard another shot but with the expectation that he needs to be a bit more aggressive when addressing a roster problem or resigning a producing player like Denico Autry. 

yes, but there are many things regarding Ballard and it's probably too late. The loss of Rock Ya-Sin, the low-balling Denico Autry, the letting go of Hines, the letting players slip out like Reed and Glowinski, the attempt at making Eric Fisher work with a recently ruptured achilles when you completely neglected the urgency in the draft for a Left Tackle, Letting Christian Darrisaw get picked by the Vikings who as left tackle for them gives up UNDER 1 pressure per game right now and is just tearing it up, the attempt at using Julien Davenport and Sam Tevi last year which both were complete disasters, the attempt at using Matt Pryor this year as starting left tackle, the misses in the draft at other positions, giving up our #2 pick in the draft if Wentz doesn't play 70 or 75% of the snaps this year, and the big one, NOT WORKING THE DRAFT (POST LUCK) TO GET A HIGHER ROUND QB, completely ignoring the position. 

[BlueShoe]

On 11/8/2022 at 2:49 PM, DougDew said:

BTW, I think Nick Cross might be the youngest player in the NFL... 20? when Ballard drafted him.  Was he blowing smoke before?

 

This is the problem... People are letting emotion cloud their own judgement... To the point that they are not even listening, or even trying to comprehend what others are saying. 

 

I ask you to just take a step back, for just a moment...

 

The difference between Cross and Wilson, is maturity... I said that Ballard learned a lesson, not to draft young players with maturity issues. Ballard hoped the locker room would help mature Wilson... Unfortunately, it did not. Ballard clearly opened up about that, and was honest about the situation. I am not sure how much more he can own that mistake. And he publicly owned it. 

 

I get that tensions are high right now. It is understandable. We find out who people really are when they face adversity. This is real adversity. Instead of making knee jerk reactions, let's see what happens. 

 

If the Colts stink it up over the next few weeks, and show no improvement... Then the results demand scrutiny. Right now, Colts fans are just playing right into the national headlines. Everything we are seeing is unordinary. No one is going to deny that. I am more interested to see what happens though. What Jim Irsay did, could end up being one of the most laughable moves in NFL history. Or it could change the way business is done in the NFL, for many years to come.

 

Take a deep breath... breathe, man... 

[BlueShoe]

On 11/8/2022 at 5:21 PM, Defjamz26 said:

The irony in this statement is that Ballard was a GM who hadn’t learned those lessons yet when he was hired to take over for Grigson. In fact, most GMs are first timers. Being scared to move on because of a lack of experience is like McDonald’s being afraid to fire a cook and replace them with someone who’s never flipped a burger before. 

 

Grigson had lost the respect of his players... I would argue that he never really had the respect of his players... 

 

Ballard has been in some tough situations, and he did not start this job with the number 1 overall pick in the draft, in a year that had Andrew Luck. 

 

Is Irsay putting his thumb on the team... Yes... But it does not mean that he is forcing Ballard out. I think that Irsay admires the good things about Ballard, and he is trying to help him through his weaknesses. Ballard has been uncomfortable with being creative. I think that Jim is trying to show him the value in allowing himself to be creative, and to think out of the box. In the long run, this will do Ballard some good. Whether he is with the Colts or not. 

[w87r]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/sports.yahoo.com/amphtml/report-colts-top-executives-objected-124749880.html

 

 

Seems Ballard was indeed against hiring of Saturday, at least according to this article. As well as another top exec.

 

Shouldn't be a surprise though, Ballard and Irsay said they had a "spirited conversation".

 

Ballard looked uneasy in presser. 

 

 

Starting to feel less confident in Ballard being back. Not that I think he will be fired, he might step down.

 

Can only let so much control be taken from you.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

4 minutes ago, w87r said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/sports.yahoo.com/amphtml/report-colts-top-executives-objected-124749880.html

 

 

Seems Ballard was indeed against hiring of Saturday, at least according to this article. As well as another top exec.

 

Shouldn't be a surprise though, Ballard and Irsay said they had a "spirited conversation".

 

Ballard looked uneasy in presser. 

 

 

Starting to feel less confident in Ballard being back. Not that I think he will be fired, he might step down.

 

Can only let so much control be taken from you.

I wonder what happens if Saturday does well and keeps the job and Ballard gets fired. Isn’t it going to be hard to find a GM that will come in with a HC already in place? I am sure most candidates hated the idea of hiring Saturday too. Or maybe Saturday moved into a executive role and hires the head coach.

[w87r]

Just now, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

I wonder what happens if Saturday does well and keeps the job and Ballard gets fired. Isn’t it going to be hard to find a GM that will come in with a HC already in place? I am sure modt candidates hated the idea of hiring Saturday too. Or maybe Saturday moved into a executive role and hires the head coach.

I don't think Ballard will get fired. Irsay most definitely wants him to stay. 

 

If he leaves it will be on his own accord.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

One thing good about Saturday if he keeps the job and Ballard stays he won’t be like Reich he will tell Ballard exactly what he needs on offense. Reich tended to think he could make anyone Ballard gave him good and didn’t interfere to much with player decisions.  I don’t see Saturday being  that way.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

2 minutes ago, w87r said:

I don't think Ballard will get fired. Irsay most definitely wants him to stay. 

 

If he leaves it will be on his own accord.

That might be weird if Irsay says Saturday is staying and Ballard doesn’t want him. If Irsay doesn’t trust Ballard he should be fired. 

[w87r]

2 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

That might be weird if Irsay says Saturday is staying and Ballard doesn’t want him. If Irsay doesn’t trust Ballard he should be fired. 

I don't think it has anything to do with trust.

 

He trust Ballard with the roster.

 

Just seems Jim really likes to control the HC? Even more so, hearing him talk in the press conference about his hiring of coaches now and in the past.

[BlueShoe]

10 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

One thing good about Saturday if he keeps the job and Ballard stays he won’t be like Reich he will tell Ballard exactly what he needs on offense. Reich tended to think he could make anyone Ballard gave him good and didn’t interfere to much with player decisions.  I don’t see Saturday being  that way.

I agree. The small move of bringing Jake Funk in and letting Lindsay go… I wasn’t in the room when that discussion was made… But it has Saturday’s fingerprints all over it. 
 

Many things lead me to believe that. Jake is a north and south runner. And when I looked at the Colts/Pats game film, it was clear that Lindsay was not willing to hit the holes. This is what Jake Funk does well. Funk was probably a guy who Saturday has like for a long time. 
 

This is not a groundbreaking decision. But it paints a picture that Saturday is getting some things that he wants. 
 

Now, I could be totally wrong about this. However, I have a strong feeling that I’m looking under the right rock here. 

[BlueShoe]

21 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

That might be weird if Irsay says Saturday is staying and Ballard doesn’t want him. If Irsay doesn’t trust Ballard he should be fired. 

I don’t think it’s something that Ballard is drawing the line in the sand on. I think it has more to do with the perception of the entire situation. Ballard knows this is not how things are done in the NFL. The decision is unprecedented. I’m sure he tried to talk Jim out of the Colts making a move that would bring a lot of scrutiny to the team. I just think it’s one of those times that Jim had his glasses on, and refused to take them off. The tunnel vision of it. 
 

I do believe this was Irsay’s call, all the way. But I don’t believe it is Jim sending a signal to Ballard that his days are numbered. 
 

It could lead to that though. Jim and Chris’s relationship could break down over this move. Let’s say the Colts lose a few games, and Chris starts making comments to Jim like I told you so…. That could lead to enough friction for Jim to blow the entire thing up. 
 

I think Jim pictures himself of being the mentor of the next great NFL GM. Tobin and Polian showed Jim the ropes. It was a different relationship. I have no doubt that Jim Irsay absolutely believes in Chris Ballard. 

[Solid84]

29 minutes ago, w87r said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/sports.yahoo.com/amphtml/report-colts-top-executives-objected-124749880.html

 

 

Seems Ballard was indeed against hiring of Saturday, at least according to this article. As well as another top exec.

 

Shouldn't be a surprise though, Ballard and Irsay said they had a "spirited conversation".

 

Ballard looked uneasy in presser. 

 

 

Starting to feel less confident in Ballard being back. Not that I think he will be fired, he might step down.

 

Can only let so much control be taken from you.

I don't think many GMs would've taken a HC without any coaching experience. Especially with coaches with HC experience on the team.

 

I'm fine with Saturday, but I won't fault Ballard for speaking against it.

[LJpalmbeacher2]

Another thing going for bringing Ballard back is money.

Remember when everyone knew.Griggs & Pagano were toast and would be fired. Dakich  said that firing just one of them instead of both at the same time.was financially better for irsay. So Griggs got the axe(Kraft liked that) and pagano  was a lame.duck.coach for a year and everyone knew he was. 

It's logical you fire both HC & GM at the same time if your not happy with them. But irsay  fired only Griggs that year.. 

 

We're in.similar situation now, I don't know if money was.a.factor back then(Dakich  said it.was) or will it be in '23? 

But saving $23 million on Ryan should.help I guess. 

 

[throwing BBZ]

1 hour ago, w87r said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/sports.yahoo.com/amphtml/report-colts-top-executives-objected-124749880.html

 

 

Seems Ballard was indeed against hiring of Saturday, at least according to this article. As well as another top exec.

 

Shouldn't be a surprise though, Ballard and Irsay said they had a "spirited conversation".

 

Ballard looked uneasy in presser. 

 

 

Starting to feel less confident in Ballard being back. Not that I think he will be fired, he might step down.

 

Can only let so much control be taken from you.

 

 Well um, it would have taken a World Class yes man to respond, yeah, great idea.  I can see Irsay absolutely expecting CB'S jaw dropping. And Irsay just smiling, full of exhubarance and saying, i just think Jeff will do a great job under these circumstances. 
 CB better hope this turns positive because his own legacy as a roster Builder has some tarnish to it. Better pass blocking, a better run game, and Ryan starting behind that will make most of the Crazy go away. lol 

  CB knows that everything will be on the table post season.

 There is no reason for any of our executives to make up their minds on the future just yet. 

[cptcomeback]

Had enough of mediocrity, thanks...  I can see it now, Ballard trades no 3 pick overall for two fifths and a couple sixth rounders in 25.  Brilliant!!

[r a y s k i]

Good, glad he is sticking around, formed a roster I grew really fond of. 

[BlueShoe]

Bumping this because some context of where we were when we fired Frank Reich and where we are now… All of us need this context, including myself. 

[BlueShoe]

On 11/7/2022 at 11:41 PM, BlueShoe said:

Instead of replying to everyone, I’m just going to leave the posts as they are, bookmark the page, and revisit later. 
 

As Elon says, your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8. Don’t worry though. In this case, it can be paid later. 

It’s time for a reality check. For all of us. 
 

I just happen to be the one, who was right on just about everything. 
 

Fans seem to have a different mentality during the season than off-season. I stay pretty even-keel all year round. Other than I come off more condescending from time to time. 
 

Most of this stuff comes down to rational logic and common sense. 

[GoColts8818]

8 hours ago, BlueShoe said:

It’s time for a reality check. For all of us. 
 

I just happen to be the one, who was right on just about everything. 
 

Fans seem to have a different mentality during the season than off-season. I stay pretty even-keel all year round. Other than I come off more condescending from time to time. 
 

Most of this stuff comes down to rational logic and common sense. 

Don’t hurt yourself patting yourself on the back.

[crazycolt1]

12 hours ago, BlueShoe said:

It’s time for a reality check. For all of us. 
 

I just happen to be the one, who was right on just about everything. 
 

Fans seem to have a different mentality during the season than off-season. I stay pretty even-keel all year round. Other than I come off more condescending from time to time. 
 

Most of this stuff comes down to rational logic and common sense. 

I think you take this and yourself way too serious.  No one I know likes a bragger.  It always comes off as arrogant. 

[BlueShoe]

3 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

I think you take this and yourself way too serious.  No one I know likes a bragger.  It always comes off as arrogant. 

That’s not it. What else you got?

 

I believe it is actually sour grapes. You’re the one who ate them. 

[BlueShoe]

6 hours ago, GoColts8818 said:

Don’t hurt yourself patting yourself on the back.

I won’t. 
 

Don’t hate yourself. As you can see, it’s not working for you to hate others. I believe you will find that removing the hate will make you feel better. It’s healthier. 

[crazycolt1]

5 hours ago, BlueShoe said:

That’s not it. What else you got?

 

I believe it is actually sour grapes. You’re the one who ate them. 

You pull an arrogant comment out and now you try to turn the table on me? How fitting for arrogance.  

[2006Coltsbestever]

[Superman]

20 hours ago, BlueShoe said:

I just happen to be the one, who was right on just about everything. 

 

Have you ever bumped one of your threads where you were wrong about everything?

[2006Coltsbestever]

Just now, Superman said:

 

Have you ever bumped one of your threads where you were wrong about everything?

I have unfortunately - I do it because I don't want to come off as being arrogant or Mr know it all. I have been right a lot but also wrong at times. Me saying Matt Ryan would be good  and we would make the playoffs still steams me, but our whole season was a shock! I never dreamed our O.Line would struggle or Taylor and Leonard would be injured a lot.

[BlueShoe]

12 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Have you ever bumped one of your threads where you were wrong about everything?

 

I would have to be wrong for that to happen... 

 

There are plenty of threads (1000 to 1) where I am 100% right, that I have not bumped. 

 

Bumping this thread was not about me being right. I bumped it mainly to have people go back to the regular season, when everything was thick and heavy, and to notice all of the knee jerk reactions. 

 

Plus, I did say I would bump this thread... I actually said it back then in this thread. You know when people were telling me I was crazy. So I had to follow through. If I remember correctly, I believe some of the posts of others were actually deleted in this thread, because they were personally attacking me. 

 

So in a nutshell... I made my points, which were correct... Had people call me everything in the book... Told them I would bump this thread later... I bump the thread later and now the same people who called me crazy are calling me arrogant... Yeah that sounds about right for this board... That says more about many people on this board than it does me being right or wrong about my projections. That is not my problem. You can make it about me... But it is not. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

22 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

Have you ever bumped one of your threads where you were wrong about everything?

Here is another one, I said Herbert would be average coming out of college  . He is very good and in my top 8 in today's QB's. He still needs to win more but I would love to have him.

[BlueShoe]

Just now, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Here is another one, I said Herbert would be average coming out of college  . He is very good and in my top 8 in today's QB's. He still needs to win more but I would love to have him.

 

I said Herbert was the best player in that draft. I had Justin Jefferson as my second rated player. I even posted a thread on this board stating the Colts must do everything they can to go get Justin Herbert. The hate for my projection in that thread was strong too... I have tried to find that thread... But it has long been purged. As an admin, Superman might have some access to those old threads... Or they could just be forever purged. 

[Superman]

7 minutes ago, BlueShoe said:

 

I would have to be wrong for that to happen... 

 

There are plenty of threads (1000 to 1) where I am 100% right, that I have not bumped. 

 

Bumping this thread was not about me being right. I bumped it mainly to have people go back to the regular season, when everything was thick and heavy, and to notice all of the knee jerk reactions. 

 

Plus, I did say I would bump this thread... I actually said it back then in this thread. You know when people were telling me I was crazy. So I had to follow through. If I remember correctly, I believe some of the posts of others were actually deleted in this thread, because they were personally attacking me. 

 

So in a nutshell... I made my points, which were correct... Had people call me everything in the book... Told them I would bump this thread later... I bump the thread later and now the same people who called me crazy are calling me arrogant... Yeah that sounds about right for this board... That says more about many people on this board than it does me being right or wrong about my projections. That is not my problem. You can make it about me... But it is not. 

 

Not sure, but I think there's a bit of playfulness in your posting, right? Just want to confirm...

 

As for the bolded, yeah, I think bumping a thread to say 'I was right, and everyone who doubted me needs to know it' is textbook arrogance. Even though I know you're having fun with it. (For the record, no hidden/deleted posts in this thread. You can bask in all of its glory.)

 

In principle, I do agree that it's important for people to confront their own overreactions from time to time. And to your credit, you were right about Ballard, and you said at the time that you would bump this, so good job I guess? I just wonder if you would have done so if you had been wrong... But I guess we'll never know, because that doesn't seem to happen... Also for the record, I think I mostly agreed with your take at the time, so don't confuse me questioning your victory lap for me trying not to acknowledge having been wrong.

 

Also, I'm definitely not the one making this about you.