1/10 Ballard End of Season Presser

[adubb84]

3 minutes ago, philba101 said:

Can Ballard course-correct this ship? I have not seen evidence of that in his six years as captain.

True, and he admitted as such. Talk is cheap, but I inherently believe he rights his wrongs and breaks down the roster in terms of what opportunities we have rather than being a prisoner of the moment and assuming we are Super Bowl caliber. 

[philba101]

4 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

Jim Irsay will never let that man set foot in LOS in a Colts uniform again.

People want Irsay to be hands-off so maybe he will let Ballard make the decision without interference.

[2006Coltsbestever]

Just now, philba101 said:

So you are saying there's still a chance we could go the band-aid, retread route? Careful, CB could be taking notes. 

I was sort of joking but Aaron is a top 7 QB of all-time and I actually think he still can play another 3 or 4 years. He had a broken thumb this year. I would still rather draft a QB and start fresh but I figured I would ruffle some feathers with that Aaron post  

[AKB]

32 minutes ago, philba101 said:

Did anyone ask Ballard about Matt Ryan and his future with the team?

I thinkt the answer there is obvious, but no I didn't hear anyone ask about Ryan's future. 

[ADnum1]

The Wentz lovers would be so happy if he came back.

 

At this very moment they think Wentz led the commanders to the playoffs.

[Indyfan4life]

Just now, PRnum1 said:

The Wentz lovers would be so happy if he came back.

 

At this very moment they think Wentz led the commanders to the playoffs.

If Wentz returned I’d probably jump out in front of a train. 

[philba101]

3 minutes ago, AustinnKaine said:

There's no way we can gain any insight into our plan with Pick 4.  No GM in their mind is going to show their hand like that.  Take everything anyone in this thread has to say about anything regarding that with a grain of salt. 

 

the most important part is the accountability ballard took and the acknowledgement of failure, and his concession that the philosophy regarding roster building tactics (outside of the lines) will be looked at to change. 

I get that he is talking in generalities right now as he doesn't want to show his hand. I was being a bit sarcastic with my comments especially about Wentz. But, I am not convinced that Ballard believes he must draft a QB at #4 unless Irsay has mandated it for him.

[2006Coltsbestever]

Just now, PRnum1 said:

The Wentz lovers would be so happy if he came back.

 

At this very moment they think Wentz led the commanders to the playoffs.

If he came back I would quit watching  . He was awful this year and choked last year when we needed him. I would rather Sam start.

[csmopar]

5 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I was sort of joking but Aaron is a top 7 QB of all-time and I actually think he still can play another 3 or 4 years. He had a broken thumb this year. I would still rather draft a QB and start fresh but I figured I would ruffle some feathers with that Aaron post  

No no no no no more retreads

[BProland85]

12 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

There are 2 really great one's, Paris and Sko

Neither are worth top 10 picks. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, csmopar said:

No no no no no more retreads

Tom Brady is lurking 

[AKB]

3 minutes ago, philba101 said:

I get that he is talking in generalities right now as he doesn't want to show his hand. I was being a bit sarcastic with my comments especially about Wentz. But, I am not convinced that Ballard believes he must draft a QB at #4 unless Irsay has mandated it for him.

yeah i just used your post as a general response, as im sure the first 8 pages of this thread are full of people debating if we take a QB or not due to Ballards same response as before.

 

My whole thing is there's no way we can get any insight into what they do with pick 4 based off of that press conference. 

[philba101]

1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Tom Brady is lurking 

We passed on Brady the first time around. No way he would want to come play behind this OL. He doesn't want to end up straight into the nursing home when he retires.

[Jason_]

8 minutes ago, AustinnKaine said:

I thinkt the answer there is obvious, but no I didn't hear anyone ask about Ryan's future. 

 

Someone did ask him about Ryan.  Ballard replied that Matt is a professional and blah blah and eventually he'll get to evaluating that situation, but right now the priority is the HC search.

[GoColts8818]

1 hour ago, PRnum1 said:

Did Ballard take any responsibility for this train wreck of a season ?

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/chris-ballard-failed-criticism-warranted-160205593.html

 

cant take more responsibility than that.

[AKB]

4 minutes ago, J@son said:

 

Someone did ask him about Ryan.  Ballard replied that Matt is a professional and blah blah and eventually he'll get to evaluating that situation, but right now the priority is the HC search.

yeah they mentioned Ryan, but he never specifically answered a question about Ryan's future here. 

 

(basically gives a non-answer)

[Blueblood23]

43 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I have been a fan since 1984 and I can honestly say this may be the most critical year for decision making. We need the right QB and right coach. 

And an offensive line coach, offensive coordinator, and get rid of some of the deadwood players.

[philba101]

I appreciate that Ballard admitted to making some mistakes and "failing" in his approach to the 2022 season, but I am unconvinced that he knows what to do to fix his previous mistakes. To be fair, I also did not expect him to outline for us how he intends to do things differently in the future in the end-of-the-season presser. He has a lot of work to do to clean up this mess right now.

[csmopar]

25 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Tom Brady is lurking 

I will puke

[throwing BBZ]

15 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

At that point, we knew Reich brought in Wentz, but we had no idea that Irsay and Ballard wanted to draft a QB (especially Irsay at that point), and Ballard was playing it off like he was ok with it. Ballard also has his philosophies on how he wants to build this team (through the draft, O-Line/D-Line, light on FA, sign our own). They didn't work when he didn't draft a QB, draft WRs around the veteran QBs for the most part (no 1st round WRs and very few quality WRs), and the O-Line declined heavily. Our top paid guys also fell apart due to performance or injury. 

 

Ballard was able to sweet talk his way out of criticism, but now it is out in the open, so much so, that he has done no conferences this year except for the interim coach hiring he was forced to attend. IMO, he is somewhat of a coward and wilts under pressure. 

 

As far as Ballard leading the charge for a new HC goes, he wasn't allowed to pick Saturday, and he also got overruled on getting rid of Wentz (along with Reich). So, there's some trust issues still IMO.

 

 I apprecate your perspective but...

 Each draft there are maybe 20 players with certain 1st rd grades.

And these show up to us as publicly declared ones by web sites, including the NFL site. And right before the draft occurs it is impressive how similar the boards look.

  BUT, the only board that matters is the COLTS board.

 And i would bet Pittman DID have a 1st rd grade. So there is one. Campbell was a very solid 2nd rd pick with high upside. Pascall had put up 60+ catches and was a high end blocker. A solid piece. Frank TOUTED Hines as a very important piece to a passing game.

 Franks was given some very good pieces. And of course he had TY to compliment the group.

  IMO, QB killed us, and Turay, Banogu, Lewis failing to live up to the draft rooms hopes, took away 3 very valuable picks that could have filled big needs.

 Rotsa Ruck! 

 We all wince at paying our All-Pro players their due, too bad.

Think about all the hype Frank spewed and how many of his players met or exceeded our expectations. Did Frank and his coaches develop players well?

 I couldn't be prouder of Irsay for knowing Frank needed out of the building and him laying down the hammer.  

 

[throwing BBZ]

9 minutes ago, Blueblood23 said:

And an offensive line coach, offensive coordinator, and get rid of some of the deadwood players.

 

 Saturday spoke of doing some things different.

  For those listening, he was firm in saying you play like you practice.

As we watched Franks teams come out flat as a pancake over and over and over. Post Sirriani, Frank was a DUD!

[throwing BBZ]

33 minutes ago, AustinnKaine said:

yeah i just used your post as a general response, as im sure the first 8 pages of this thread are full of people debating if we take a QB or not due to Ballards same response as before.

 

My whole thing is there's no way we can get any insight into what they do with pick 4 based off of that press conference. 

 

  I EXPECT all the top QB'S here for a grilling. Figuring out Levis and how they see him 3 years down the road is the big question. If you believe you can win with the top 3... that would be the ideal. If not... ouch.

[John Waylon]

I really appreciated the way he opened it up and just took ownership of it all, entirely unprompted. I loved the honesty he used to outright admit this was a culmination and it’s time for a fresh start. This press conference reminded me why I like Ballard. 
 

The only part that I didn’t enjoy was when asked if he would be surprised if he didn’t take a QB in the first round and he said no, and then fell back on that same defense he’s used to this point about how everyone would want to see him fired for not getting it right. 
 

Dude we already want to see you fired because you have a sub .500 record after six years and we keep doing this stupid dance. If he doesn’t take a QB in the first this year we Colts fans wouldn’t be out of line and to overthrow his office and remove him from power ourselves. Ijs.
 

% or get off the pot, dude. You kicked the can down the road until it rolled off a cliff. 

[will426]

3 hours ago, Stephen said:

I mean pittman isnt exactly a super star wr. Higgins, brown, mclaurin,hill diggs,adams,metcalf, and several others are better than him. Heck I think pierce will be better than him

Pittman when given crazy targets  was doing great for us. He has great hands and is a red zone target our best on the goal line tbh

[Moosejawcolt]

3 minutes ago, will426 said:

Pittman when given crazy targets  was doing great for us. He has great hands and is a red zone target our best on the goal line tbh

he doesnt make clutch catches, he gets dumb penalites, he loses the ball and he is just okay in terms of talents. Just another guy

[Defjamz26]

3 hours ago, philba101 said:

Sure he can. He gets to keep his job and still has the endorsement of the owner. Unless Irsay has mandated that he draft a QB, we know how Ballard feels about the process. He has a history of acquiring re-treads, and there could potentially be an abundance of  retreads to choose from. We also know that he loves draft picks. With the right trade partner he could turn the #4 pick into multiple  draft picks. He has given us no reason to believe that he won't do the same things he has done all along.

That’s true but if that strategy fails, it would be hard to come back from having the number 4 overall pick and not coming out with a QB. Some of the QBs that have come out since Luck retired are

-Tua

-Burrow

-Herbert

-Love

-Hurts

-Murray

-Lawrence

-Wilson

-Fields

-Lance

-Mac Jones

-Kenny Pickett

 

There are three guys that went number 1 overall, so they probably weren’t available.  But Ballard has had his fair shot at QBs. This year will probably be his best yet. If he passes on the guys from this year’s class and the Colts still have issues at QB later down the road, then he’d be out of excuses.

 

[Shive]

5 hours ago, #12. said:

It tells me he's not expecting to have an elite QB, and if you don't, you still have to find a way to win.

Yea, I think its one of those things where you build the team to win with the expectation of average QB play. If you get above average or elite QB play, you're that much better of a team.

 

2 hours ago, Moosejawcolt said:

i called it!!!

Called what?

 

2 hours ago, philba101 said:

I wouldn't be shocked if Ballard was thinking that. 

He was asked about Raimann and without outright saying it, it sounds like Ballard has him penciled in as our LT next season.

 

20 minutes ago, John Waylon said:

I really appreciated the way he opened it up and just took ownership of it all, entirely unprompted. I loved the honesty he used to outright admit this was a culmination and it’s time for a fresh start. This press conference reminded me why I like Ballard. 
 

Agreed.

 

20 minutes ago, John Waylon said:

The only part that I didn’t enjoy was when asked if he would be surprised if he didn’t take a QB in the first round and he said no, and then fell back on that same defense he’s used to this point about how everyone would want to see him fired for not getting it right. 
 

Dude we already want to see you fired because you have a sub .500 record after six years and we keep doing this stupid dance. If he doesn’t take a QB in the first this year we Colts fans wouldn’t be out of line and to overthrow his office and remove him from power ourselves. Ijs.
 

% or get off the pot, dude. You kicked the can down the road until it rolled off a cliff. 

I think that was really just GM speak to not tip his hand one way or another. I don't disagree with his belief that you don't just take QB up top in the 1st just to take one, you need to make sure you're taking the right guy. Taking one to take one gets you the Jake Lockers, Brandon Weedens, and Chad Hennes. That said, I think there's a couple of guys we'll have on our board, so I don't see us making it out of the draft this year without one of those QBs.

[JColts72]

7 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

That’s true but if that strategy fails, it would be hard to come back from having the number 4 overall pick and not coming out with a QB. Some of the QBs that have come out since Luck retired are

-Tua

-Burrow

-Herbert

-Love

-Hurts

-Murray

-Lawrence

-Wilson

-Fields

-Lance

-Mac Jones

-Kenny Pickett

 

There are three guys that went number 1 overall, so they probably weren’t available.  But Ballard has had his fair shot at QBs. This year will probably be his best yet. If he passes on the guys from this year’s class and the Colts still have issues at QB later down the road, then he’d be out of excuses.

 

Ballard passed up who from that list?

[richard pallo]

1 hour ago, csmopar said:

No no no no no more retreads

Brady, Tannehill, Jimmy G, Brisett, Mayfield, Mariota are all retreads.  They have played for more than one team.   Rodgers and Carr are not.  They are still with their original teams.  

[coltsfeva]

3 hours ago, PRnum1 said:

Did Ballard take any responsibility for this train wreck of a season ?

YES. Opening line. “I was wrong”.

[coltsfan_canada]

2 hours ago, PRnum1 said:

The Wentz lovers would be so happy if he came back.

 

At this very moment they think Wentz led the commanders to the playoffs.

So u r telling us there is hope Frank Reich will be back also along with Marcus Brady.

 

[RNGDShobby]

7 minutes ago, JColts72 said:

Ballard passed up who from that list?

Could have traded up for Herbert, Tua, Fields. Those are probably the only ones on that list I would want.

 

[strt182]

7 minutes ago, coltsfeva said:

YES. Opening line. “I was wrong”.

WRONG 

 " I FAILED. I failed alot of people " 

If you quote somebody please quote correctly. 

[coltsfeva]

5 minutes ago, strt182 said:

WRONG 

 " I FAILED. I failed alot of people " 

If you quote somebody please quote correctly. 

 I stand corrected. 

[csmopar]

17 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

Brady, Tannehill, Jimmy G, Brisett, Mayfield, Mariota are all retreads.  They have played for more than one team.   Rodgers and Carr are not.  They are still with their original teams.  

Retread is any QB that’s passed their prime going to a new team. 

[Defjamz26]

Finally watched the full presser and it’s not enough for me

 

There is accountability, but there isn’t enough conviction and there isn’t enough un-filtered talk. That’s with Saturday too. Until the Colts get a Mike Tomlin type of personality at HC and GM, they aren’t going anywhere. If I’m a player, nothing about what Ballard said makes me think I need to do better. Nothing he said would make me think my job was on the line.

 

He seemed to hold back from saying what he really wanted to say about the Kayvon situation. You can tell it did really bother him when it happened, but he should have emphatically said “Yeah that’s unacceptable and that’s nonsense”. 
 

I also don’t like the non-commitment on drafting a QB. He doubled down on what he’s said in the past. “I’m not taking one just to take on”. I also don’t get why he keeps saying “if that guy doesn’t play well then….”. I’m tired of him driving this fear campaign that drafting a QB is such a risky move that you have to exercise such extreme caution because you can never recover from that. How many times this season when we talk about the Philadelphia Eagles do we talk about the fact that they drafted Carson Wentz with the number 2 overall pick? 

 

Also, to try and attach job security to drafting a QB that ends up not being good when you were 4-12-1 without one is silly. What has avoiding taking “risks” on QB gotten us? Hasn’t gotten any AFC South titles and hasn’t gotten any playoff wins. I don’t get why he can not come out and firmly say “Yeah enough is enough. What we were doing hasn’t been working and we’ve got to figure out a way to get a young QB on this team and have an environment for him to flourish”. I don’t get as a GM how he can live with the fact that he’s never taken a serious swing at drafting a QB.

 

It’s not about missing. It’s about when you miss, can you identify why you missed and quickly can you fix your mistake. Eagles missed on Wentz and fixed it with Jalen. They also missed on Jefferson but they’ve got Brown and Smith now. Ballard has to stop playing scared. 

[JColts72]

9 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

Finally watched the full presser and it’s not enough for me

 

There is accountability, but there isn’t enough conviction and there isn’t enough un-filtered talk. That’s with Saturday too. Until the Colts get a Mike Tomlin type of personality at HC and GM, they aren’t going anywhere. If I’m a player, nothing about what Ballard said makes me think I need to do better. Nothing he said would make me think my job was on the line.

 

He seemed to hold back from saying what he really wanted to say about the Kayvon situation. You can tell it did really bother him when it happened, but he should have emphatically said “Yeah that’s unacceptable and that’s nonsense”. 
 

I also don’t like the non-commitment on drafting a QB. He doubled down on what he’s said in the past. “I’m not taking one just to take on”. I also don’t get why he keeps saying “if that guy doesn’t play well then….”. I’m tired of him driving this fear campaign that drafting a QB is such a risky move that you have to exercise such extreme caution because you can never recover from that. How many times this season when we talk about the Philadelphia Eagles do we talk about the fact that they drafted Carson Wentz with the number 2 overall pick? 

 

Also, to try and attach job security to drafting a QB that ends up not being good when you were 4-12-1 without one is silly. What has avoiding taking “risks” on QB gotten us? Hasn’t gotten any AFC South titles and hasn’t gotten any playoff wins. I don’t get why he can not come out and firmly say “Yeah enough is enough. What we were doing hasn’t been working and we’ve got to figure out a way to get a young QB on this team and have an environment for him to flourish”. I don’t get as a GM how he can live with the fact that he’s never taken a serious swing at drafting a QB.

 

It’s not about missing. It’s about when you miss, can you identify why you missed and quickly can you fix your mistake. Eagles missed on Wentz and fixed it with Jalen. They also missed on Jefferson but they’ve got Brown and Smith now. Ballard has to stop playing scared. 

All great observations! Worried Chris will not take QB at 4 then trade down. I have no confidence in him as he admitted to being stubborn to change.

[JColts72]

30 minutes ago, RNGDShobby said:

Could have traded up for Herbert, Tua, Fields. Those are probably the only ones on that list I would want.

 

Right, but who was there when Colts had chance to get QB since Luck retired?

[Dobbinblitz]

2 hours ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

 Saturday spoke of doing some things different.

  For those listening, he was firm in saying you play like you practice.

As we watched Franks teams come out flat as a pancake over and over and over. Post Sirriani, Frank was a DUD!

After watching these season starts the last few years I could not help but conclude his regiment was way too soft. He let influences such as his player rep  have a voice in the amount of padded practices and practice schedules. Reich it appeared only got softer with the the teams off season program. Looking forward to this team being ready to start a season- It has been a while.

[RNGDShobby]

23 minutes ago, JColts72 said:

Right, but who was there when Colts had chance to get QB since Luck retired?

Do you mean without trading up? Brock Purdy. Obviously that list is short, but no one cares what the Chiefs paid to move up to get Mahomes. No one cares what the Bills paid to move up for Allen. Pay the price. Move up. Get it done.