Ballard drafts - is he as good/bad as people say he is?

[DougDew]

18 minutes ago, twfish said:

I would like to see him compared to other GM's in the league over the same stretch of years. I still believe he is a top 10 G.M in terms of drafting. This past draft was a bit of a strategy change really going after high R.A.S but I believe the entire organization was well aware this was a developmental year so we will see if some of these guys pay off. Some I feel like are flashing between Brents, Mallory, and Jones. Downs was the only none high R.A.S score guy funny enough.

Downs is probably the best draft pick is several years.  RAS of less than 9.

 

And is the only one with ......what I would say....... college production > RAS.

 

Go Figure.

[Solid84]

2 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Downs is probably the best draft pick is several years.  RAS of less than 9.

 

And is the only one with ......what I would say....... college production > RAS.

 

Go Figure.

Downs’ RAS was 7.12 and Wayne was banging the table for him. This is not a win for Ballard, in my opinion, but for Wayne. 

[KB]

24 minutes ago, Nickster said:

 

Correction.  Almost everyone wanted JM.  

 

Nelson was one of 3 guys brought in on the line.  Good player with a couple great years to start off.  His first couple seasons were off the charts for a G.  But there is a law of diminishing returns of sorts in play there at the G positions. But his level of play past a certain point doesn't increase win probablitity that much.  

 

I'm one of a group that think Leonard was overrated from the beginning.  He was in a WILL friendly system.  He got good TO a couple of years.  Other than that, he was a high volume angle tackler who was mediocre in coverage.  

Yes both positions are low returns as far as wins. Still good to have talent there than not. We do need that kind of success at key spots like pass rush DE.

 

There arnt many LBs who would produce that much in that system. There isn't another Leonard  that has appeared in Chicago while Flus is there.

[kymd82222]

We can talk about his draft hits/misses as well as his FA signings all day.  While those are important to look at, what matters most overall are the results.  His results are a well below .500 record and 1 playoff win.  No division titles in a division that has been historically one of the weakest.  To me, that's how you measure the success of a GM.  IMO, he isn't bottom of the barrel, but based on results he is below average.  

[kymd82222]

27 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Look at Polian’s last 5 drafts.   Pretty much terrible.   Even a first ballot Hall of Fame GM has his missed.  And his last 5 drafts were not so good.   

Bill Polian created winning rosters, and that's all that matters in the end.  And it wasn't just because of Peyton.  He created a roster in Carolina that went to the NFC championship game in their second year of existence.  

[Mitch Connors]

Aren't wins/losses and playoff appearances exactly a measure of his drafting and player-acquisition skills?

 

I can understand being handed a bad deal for a very small amount of time when he started but the time for excuses is over. It's almost like the Colts are the only ones in the NFL with QB problems or the need to overcome a tough situation. 

 

I don't hear anyone saying the 49ers should fire their GM even though they're on their 247th QB in 4-5 years due to injury and they're making moves and winning games with a 7th-round QB. What about the Eagle? They had a "franchise" QB and moved on to another QB that's now an MVP caliber player. The Lions traded away their franchise QB and now a couple of years later are one of the best teams in the league all built around 3-4 years of solid drafts. The other side of that trade netted the Rams a Superbowl win by being bold and drafting talented players at positions that really matter.

 

Sure we can say Ballard is an OK GM but that's clearly not good enough in the NFL, his vision clearly isnt bold enough, and his drafts arent effective enough to translate to wins when other GMs seem to do exactly that. If the measure of success is mediocrity (at best) than Ballard is doing great. If the measure is anything more than that I dont see how anyone can defend him. 

[chad72]

17 minutes ago, kymd82222 said:

Bill Polian created winning rosters, and that's all that matters in the end.  And it wasn't just because of Peyton.  He created a roster in Carolina that went to the NFC championship game in their second year of existence.  

 

Let us not forget the K-gun offense in Buffalo Bills with Jim Kelly, Polian was the mastermind.

 

Polian wishes he was the GM in this passing era, he would have won more in the playoffs with the way offenses are given the benefit of doubt. If Polian was GM, Frank Reich would have had more toys for his offense, no doubt in my mind. 

[ShuteAt168]

What’s amusing about Ballard is that in his introductory press conference, he went out of his way to blab on and on about how the Colts would be a team, 50 man roster, it’s not about any one player, it takes the whole locker room, never about one guy, not just about No. 12, blah blah blah. Since then, his whole career has proven he can’t win without that one guy — Andrew Luck. 

[compuls1v3]

6 hours ago, chad72 said:

Middle of the road drafting equates to middle of the road team performance.

 

He isn't as bad as some make him to be. But he isn't great as some make him to be. He is good in certain areas but not good enough to give us the playmakers to put us over the top. Hence mediocre overall as a GM, objectively.

 

When we did have Luck and Rivers as QB, we made the playoffs and until he hits on that QB performance, his roster won't make the playoffs again. Forget division titles for now. The roster is not good enough to elevate an above average QB and make the W column look good but it is good enough to piggyback on a good QB to make the playoffs and make the W column look very good (double digit wins is what I define as very good), that is it.

Did you mean below average QB?

[chad72]

Just now, compuls1v3 said:

Did you mean below average QB?

 

I meant a guy like Wentz, not Minshew.

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, kymd82222 said:

Bill Polian created winning rosters, and that's all that matters in the end.  And it wasn't just because of Peyton.  He created a roster in Carolina that went to the NFC championship game in their second year of existence.  

I know who Bill Polian is.   I’m a longtime admirer of his.   He didn’t get elected into the NFL Hall of Fame on the first ballot for nothing.    My only point was that no one is perfect.   Honestly, that’s all. 

[AwesomeAustin]

Ballard is average. His crucial mistake was thinking this team was ready to compete after Luck retired. He should have not went the veteran QB route(it hardly ever works) and instead did whatever was needed to draft a franchise QB. He also spent a fortune in draft capital on DL and there isn’t much to show for it. QB and DL win ballgames. If he can figure out those two spots, the rest of the roster is probably good enough to win the division and contend for AFC championship game appearances. 

[Dobbinblitz]

I believe Ballard's record reveals he has taking far too long to nail down the anchor positions of any winning NFL franchise - QB, LT,WR, DE, and CB. I think he has a terrific eye for talent but often outsmarts himself and falls in love with athletic traits over raw production (Downs is a departure and great example of a highly productive player with a lower athletic score-great pick!). Nick Cross was also a third round pick with very high athleticism. and who is not on the field currently.

 

Ballard has been slow to cut bait when he does miss on player which in turn has impacted the quality of roster depth. It has also not helped that the team has had high performing players who have regressed in their second contracts

[Smonroe]

Not defending Ballard, but I'm trying hard to think of any great coach who didn't have a very good QB. 

 

I agree, he failed to remedy the Luck retirement until this year (and we're still not 100% sure that's even true).

 

Overall, your record is who you are.  Average.

[CR91]

I feel like things continue to complicate things on how to grade Ballard with the constant changes at QB.

[husker61]

Many here say the colts gm hasn’t gotten a rush de in the draft as a big deal. They are probably as hard to get as a top qb. Look how many teams have missed on those picks in the first round. No pick is a guaranteed top player and some positions are a much greater risk than others. All gm’s have hits and misses, the ones that get lucky and get those few hall of fame players are said to be top gm’s when it could be just luck. How many gm’s have built multiple teams into winners? It’s a VERY short list!

 

and the colts fans were spoiled to have one of them! And people here still complained about him.

[OLD FAN MAN]

7 hours ago, DougDew said:

Describing his drafting in a nutshell, I would say that he favors RAS, traits, and "ceiling" too often over production.  Everybody wants ceiling, I just think its a bigger component of his decision making than maybe other more successful GMs.

 

If you look at the players he's drafted that have had good college production, he has done well.

 

Nelson: Two year player at ND. nevertheless, was thought to be NFL ready day 1

Smith: 4 year starter at Auburn in various oline spots.

Leonard:  Great production even though it was a small school

Taylor:  Came into the NFL with some mileage on him...IOW..lots of production.

Pittman: Full time starter at USC with some PT as a junior (sophomore?...can't remember if he was a junior-declared).

Granson:  A bit one dimensional, but I believe had solid production in college

 

Even overall less talented players like Anthony Walker had lots of production in college.

 

I'm sure there are exceptions to this pattern.

 

Ballard's "ceiling" guys have tended to not have reached the ceiling that was expected....and have probably been drafted a round or two too early.

 

I've never called Ballard a bad GM, but I think his approach needs some adjusting.  A little less RAS, more emphasis on production (being a "real" football player), and better appreciation for high value vs lower value positions. 

 

I wish he would adjust rather than the Colts finding someone else.

at the end of last seasons disaster ballard said that he was going to do what it takes to be better. has he done better ? his win loss record has not improved but imo he did do better in the draft. why he wants the soft zone dc is beyond me. but he said delayed gratification!! I guess keep waiting is all we can do.

[John Hammonds]

4 hours ago, #12. said:

Had Luck not retired, Ballard's drafting method would have worked well - the Patriots method where Ballard fills out a balanced team, top-to-bottom, and Luck makes every weapon look better than they are.  The Wentz team could have won a Super Bowl with Luck.  Luck + Taylor and that running game would have been lethal.

 

As is, without the QB, it's not working.  I go back and forth on Ballard.  He's certainly had a long list of bad luck.  He probably deserves and will get one more year to see what happens with Richardson.  

At the risk of starting the whole fight all over again, I would say that we cannot underestimate just how much the sudden retirement of Luck affected the team.

After mailing in the 2017 draft when he hadn't had time to properly prepare, CB had a fantastic 2018 draft, AND got his prime time QB back.  The Colts put together such a great season, that people were talking superbowl.

And then, pow, they got hit with the double-whammy of Luck's sudden last-second retirement and a Terrible 2019 draft.  It set the team back HUGE.

The following year, they had a Very Good draft and brought in Rivers.  And won games and went to the playoffs.

And then we had yet another QB retire.  And they made a fateful decision.  They traded a 1st round pick for Wentz.  Again, another Very Bad decision that set us back.  And along the way, we had other valuable players that left, and CB struggled to replace them.  All in an effort to recapture 2018.  Try, try again.

Until it all fell apart in 2022.

And now -- it looks like CB changed gears.  He's no longer trying to recapture 2018.  That ship has sailed.  It's time to bring in the young kids, and give them as much playing time as possible.

 

Is Chris Ballard a Great GM?  Or a Terrible GM?

I think he's less than Great.  But he's not Terrible.  He's well respected.  But he's also made significant blunders.  I wasn't going to be surprised if he'd been fired after 2022.  But I can also see why he was retained.  So far, the 2023 draft is turning out pretty good.  Let's hope the 2024 draft does the same.

[John Waylon]

3 hours ago, Solid84 said:

Downs’ RAS was 7.12 and Wayne was banging the table for him. This is not a win for Ballard, in my opinion, but for Wayne. 

I really do wonder if Downs would even be here if literally anyone else was our WR coach.
 

I seriously tend to doubt it.

[DougDew]

21 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

at the end of last seasons disaster ballard said that he was going to do what it takes to be better. has he done better ? his win loss record has not improved but imo he did do better in the draft. why he wants the soft zone dc is beyond me. but he said delayed gratification!! I guess keep waiting is all we can do.

His first round pick was a limited production  college player with high ceiling over the more nfl ready productive qb. 
 

his second round pick was a high traits guy.  Brents

 

third was the Wayne high college production guy

 

seems like he kinda did the same as always this past year too?

[w87r]

8 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

2017: 

1st round, 15th overall: Malik Hooker, S, (T.J. Watt was still on board) 

2nd Round, 46th overall: Quincy Wilson, CB (JuJu Smith was still on board) 

3rd round, 80th overall: Tarell Basham, EDGE (11 sacks in 8 years w/ 4 diff teams) 

4th round, 137th overall: Zach Banner, OT (terrible pick) 

4th round, 143rd overall: Marlon Mack, RB (good pick) 

4th round, 144th overall: Grover Stewart, DT (fantastic pick) 

5th round, 158th overall: Nate Hairston, CB

5th round, 161st overall: Anthony Walker, LB (fantastic pick and value) 

Will start by saying, I don't really hold this draft up to other comparisons, as he was drafting for a coach and defense that would change the following year.

 

Hooker isn't a bad player, he is still playland just got paid this season. Injuries unfortunately disrailed his Colts tenure, but wouldn't call him a bust talent wise. Just didn't work out here.

Wilson, Bashem and Banner, definitely nothing to write home about.

I think the final 4 picks were all solid. I even liked Hairston. Lasted 5 years in the league, good rookie season for us.

 

 

All in all l, not bad for drafting for a defensive system, that will be changed the following season. 5 solid players

 

8 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

2018

ROUND 1, Sixth overall Quenton Nelson, G (no brainer pick at the time, but Josh Allen was next pick) 

ROUND 2, PICK 4 (36th overall) Darius Leonard, LB (lots of media outlets lambasted him for this pick) 

ROUND 2, PICK 5 (37th overall) Braden Smith, G (great pick) 

ROUND 2, PICK 20 (52nd overall) Kemoko Turay, DE (Jesse Bates was 2 picks later) 

ROUND 2, PICK 32 (64th overall) Tyquan Lewis, DL (still on team, decent player) 

ROUND 4, PICK 4 (104th overall) Nyheim Hines, RB

ROUND 5, PICK 22 (159th overall) Daurice Fountain, WR

ROUND 5, PICK 32 (169th overall) Jordan Wilkins, RB 

ROUND 6, PICK 11 (185th overall) Deon Cain, WR

ROUND 7 PICK 3 (221st overall) Matthew Adams, LB (decent player, but good vaule) 

ROUND 7, PICK 17 (235th overall) Zaire Franklin, LB (incredible pick / value) 

Only 2 players that didn't really contribute anything for us is Fountain and Cain(did us in this preseason though). Both are still floating around trying to make active rosters.

 

5 players still on the team and major contributors.

 

Hines was decent, but got us a great trade in return in Moss and a 5th.

 

Turay was hit with injuries as well. 12 sacks in 4 years here as situational opportunities/ in between injuries. As far as Bates, we just drafted Hooker and had Geathers, so safety wasn't a big need there.

 

Lewis has had a rough time, but he is still around making plays. He was up to the top 40 grade couple weeks back. 

 

Not much to complain about here.

 

8 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

2019

The Indianapolis Colts decided to trade down out of the 26th-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, sending the selection to the Washington Redskins

in exchange for two second-round picks — one in 2019 (the 46th-overall pick) and the Redskins' 2020 second-round choice

Redskins picked Montez Sweat with the traded Colts #26 pick 

ROUND 2, PICK 2 (34th overall) Rock Ya-Sin, CB (Deebo Samuel was 2 picks later) 

ROUND 2, PICK 17 (49th overall) Ben Banogu, LB (might be worst pick ever made by Ballard...plus A.J Brown was 2 picks later) 

ROUND 2, PICK 27 (59th overall) Parris Campbell, WR (DJ Metcalf was 5 picks later) 

ROUND 3, PICK 26 (89th overall) Bobby Okereke, LB (great pick) 

ROUND 4, PICK 7 (109th overall) Khari Willis, S

ROUND 5, PICK 6 (144th overall) Marvell Tell, CB

ROUND 5, PICK 26 (164th overall) EJ Speed, LB (excellent pick / value) 

ROUND 6, PICK 27 (199th overall) Gerri Green, DE (who? lol) 

ROUND 7, PICK 26 (240th overall) Jackson Barton, T 

ROUND 7, PICK 32 (246th overall) Javon Patterson, C 

UDFA notable: Ashton Dulin WR 

I'm ok with RYS and Pittman(2020) in the trade down here. 

 

Probably agree Banogu is probably the worst pick of the tenure.

 

Campbell was hit with injuries but the talent seemed to be there.

 

Don't sleep on Willis, he was playing very nicely, before he retired early to pursue other ventures.

 

Bobby and Speed were great picks.

 

Missed on some late round trench flyers

 

 

All in all another decent draft for trading out of the first. 

 

8 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

2020

Traded 1st round pick for Deforest Buckner (excellent move) 

2nd round, 2nd pick (34th overall; from Redskins): Michael Pittman Jr., WR (great player) 

2nd round, 9th pick (41st overall; from Browns): Jonathan Taylor, RB (great player) 

3rd round, 21st pick (85th overall; from Lions via Eagles): Julian Blackmon, S (turning out to be a pretty good safety) Fun fact- Zach Moss was the very next pick 

4th round, 16th pick (122nd overall): Jacob Eason, QB (yikes) 

5th round, 3rd pick (149th overall; from Lions): Danny Pinter, OL (still on team) 

6th round, 14th pick (193rd overall): Rob Windsor, DT (who? lol) 

6th round, 32nd pick (211th overall, from Jets via Chiefs): Isaiah Rodgers, CB (was a excellent pick -too bad about gambling) 

6th round, 33rd pick (212th overall, from Patriots): Dezmon Patmon, WR 

6th round, 34th pick (213th overall, from Patriots): Jordan Glasgow, LB 

UFDA Notables Rigaberto Sanchez K 

Trade for Buckner - no complaints, great move.

 

Pittman was a good pick as well, he still has some work to do though.

 

Taylor and Blackmon - more solid picks.

 

Don't really think Eason was worth the (yikes)? He was just a mod round QB flyer.

 

Pinter has been constructive assert to the team. Not the best but versatile when in need.

 

Rodgers, another great pick, despite what ended up happening.

 

Patmon like previous Colts WRs, did us in in the preseason. Made the big play against Cardinals, before the end of season collapse.

 

Glasgow contributed on SPT.

 

Again, not too much to complain about, missed on a couple. It's going to happen, every year.

 

9 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

 

2021

The Colts acquired Wentz from Philadelphia in March 2021 by sending the Eagles a 2021 3rd round draft pick and a 2022 1st rounder

First round, 21st overall: Michigan DE Kwity Paye 

Second round, 54th overall: Vanderbilt DE Dayo Odeyingbo (hurt first year didn't play) 

Thirds round pick sent to Philly for Wentz (ouch) 

Fourth round, 127th overall: SMU TE Kylen Granson (decent TE for 4th rd) 

Fifth round, 165th overall: Florida S Shawn Davis (who? lol) 

Sixth round, 218th overall: Texas QB Sam Ehlinger (still on the team somehow) 

Seventh round, 229th overall: Charleston WR Mike Strachan (Mega Strachan didnt work out) 

Seventh round, 248th overall: Penn State OG Will Fries (current starter - excellent pick/value

Wentz trade I won't put on Ballard, it was a collective decision, Ballard just the one to make it happen, and was something I think mainly driven from Reich. He got them to go along with it. 

 

Kwity and Paye still need to step it up more. Still have time though.

 

Granson, Ellinger and Fries(more so than the other 2) all solid selections.

 

Strachan didn't work out but showed some promise for a dart throw. Davis got claimed when we tried to get him to PS.

 

Again, not to much to complain about. Need more production from Paye and Dayo still, but that's only real complaint.

 

 

 

 

Not going to go over the last 2 drafts as I feel it is too soon, as I believe OP stated as well?

 

I will say I liked both drafts though.

 

Might do a different kind of break down if I don't get distracted with something else.

 

 

 

 

Haven't read a post past the OP yet, I imagine there is a lot of complaining going on, as there is a whole thread for it else where and happens in every thread on the site(slight exaggeration).

 

People like to complain about overall record, but that's just because we are used to ultimate excellence for most the decade with Peyton. So struggling and floating around it, or slightly below the .500 mark isn't acceptable.

 

 

To have a record that close to .500, while losing your top 5-10 franchise is a pretty good feat I'm my eyes. It really set us back and forced us to decide if we were going to retread QB and compete or blow it up and draft the young guy and rebuild. Left us in no man's land for a good 4 years maybe more.

 

 

Have at it.

[jvan1973]

3 hours ago, chad72 said:

 

Let us not forget the K-gun offense in Buffalo Bills with Jim Kelly, Polian was the mastermind.

 

Polian wishes he was the GM in this passing era, he would have won more in the playoffs with the way offenses are given the benefit of doubt. If Polian was GM, Frank Reich would have had more toys for his offense, no doubt in my mind. 

The k gun offense was just no huddle.   Polian was not the "mastermind".  Marv levy and Ted Marchabroda were the minds behind that version.  No huddle offenses have been around a long time.   Polian got them some great talent though

[w87r]

3 hours ago, Solid84 said:

Downs’ RAS was 7.12 and Wayne was banging the table for him. This is not a win for Ballard, in my opinion, but for Wayne. 

It's a win for Ballard to, he listened to his people and trusted in them.

[RollerColt]

1 hour ago, John Hammonds said:

At the risk of starting the whole fight all over again, I would say that we cannot underestimate just how much the sudden retirement of Luck affected the team.

After mailing in the 2017 draft when he hadn't had time to properly prepare, CB had a fantastic 2018 draft, AND got his prime time QB back.  The Colts put together such a great season, that people were talking superbowl.

And then, pow, they got hit with the double-whammy of Luck's sudden last-second retirement and a Terrible 2019 draft.  It set the team back HUGE.

The following year, they had a Very Good draft and brought in Rivers.  And won games and went to the playoffs.

And then we had yet another QB retire.  And they made a fateful decision.  They traded a 1st round pick for Wentz.  Again, another Very Bad decision that set us back.  And along the way, we had other valuable players that left, and CB struggled to replace them.  All in an effort to recapture 2018.  Try, try again.

Until it all fell apart in 2022.

And now -- it looks like CB changed gears.  He's no longer trying to recapture 2018.  That ship has sailed.  It's time to bring in the young kids, and give them as much playing time as possible.

 

Is Chris Ballard a Great GM?  Or a Terrible GM?

I think he's less than Great.  But he's not Terrible.  He's well respected.  But he's also made significant blunders.  I wasn't going to be surprised if he'd been fired after 2022.  But I can also see why he was retained.  So far, the 2023 draft is turning out pretty good.  Let's hope the 2024 draft does the same.

Excellent post. Well done! 
 

It can take years of mistakes for a GM to reach their full potential. Same for coaches. 

[RollerColt]

1 hour ago, jvan1973 said:

The k gun offense was just no huddle.   Polian was not the "mastermind".  Marv levy and Ted Marchabroda were the minds behind that version.  No huddle offenses have been around a long time.   Polian got them some great talent though

We’ve got some good football talk going on in here, love it.

[jvan1973]

4 hours ago, Solid84 said:

Downs’ RAS was 7.12 and Wayne was banging the table for him. This is not a win for Ballard, in my opinion, but for Wayne. 

Who hired Reggie?

[w87r]

4 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:

Who hired Reggie?

Reich, but Shane did keep him.

[jvan1973]

1 minute ago, w87r said:

Reich, but Shane did keep him.

I'm guessing that was an Irsay hire

[RollerColt]

2 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:

I'm guessing that was an Irsay hire

Possibly. Wayne was a consultant for a while on the team. A little similar to Saturday.

[w87r]

1 minute ago, jvan1973 said:

I'm guessing that was an Irsay hire

I'm sure Irsay gave him a good review, but Reich was here coaching for 6 of Wayne's seasons. Was even his WR coach one season. He is very familiar with Wayne, and Wayne's reputation speaks for itself. Just talking about a position coach, not like Saturday at HC. 

 

Indianapolis Colts (2006–2007)

Coaching intern

Indianapolis Colts (2008)

Offensive coaching staff assistant

Indianapolis Colts (2009–2010)

Quarterbacks coach

Indianapolis Colts (2011)

Wide receivers coach

 

 

[w87r]

7 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:

I'm guessing that was an Irsay hire

So what was the purpose of asking "who hired Reggie?", while quoting a post stating they "weren't so sure it was a win for Ballard, but more so for Wayne?", if you were guessing it was Irsay?

 

That makes no sense with your follow up comment I quoted here, as far as supplying anything to that question/statement. 

 

Not trying to be rude or anything, but the follow up just really confused me to the purpose/meaning of the initial post.

 

Did you initially think Ballard hired him, so he should receive a win for the Downs selection as well?

Did you think it was Irsay when you asked that, if so, how did that correlate to the post quoted?

 

You can elaborate if you want, or not, if you don't want to. Just did a double take for some reason. No big deal.

[Nickster]

7 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

I know who Bill Polian is.   I’m a longtime admirer of his.   He didn’t get elected into the NFL Hall of Fame on the first ballot for nothing.    My only point was that no one is perfect.   Honestly, that’s all. 

Has anyone ever thought the contrary ?

 

What is the point of that point?

[NewColtsFan]

48 minutes ago, Nickster said:

Has anyone ever thought the contrary ?

 

What is the point of that point?

The person I was inter acting with was explaining to me who Bill Polian was.   Perhaps they thought I didn’t know.   I was simply trying to explain to them that I know who Bill Polian is and have great respect for him.  

[Dobbinblitz]

I believe the issues with Ballard (His Record As GM) has much less to do talent evaluation, and more to do with Roster construction and CAP allocation. Some positions he has shown not to value nearly as much as other GM’s up to this point (ex WR), and has used significant CAP space on non critical positions.

I believe the issues with Ballard (His Record As GM) has much less to do talent evaluation, and more to do with Roster construction and CAP allocation. Some positions he has shown not to value nearly as much as other GM’s up to this point (ex WR), and has used significant CAP space on non critical positions.

[BeanDiasucci]

17 hours ago, DougDew said:

Downs is probably the best draft pick is several years.  RAS of less than 9.

 

And is the only one with ......what I would say....... college production > RAS.

 

Go Figure.

Would Ballard be better off if there were no combine and no pro days? If grading players was more limited to their college game day performance? Maybe.

[DougDew]

1 hour ago, BeanDiasucci said:

Would Ballard be better off if there were no combine and no pro days? If grading players was more limited to their college game day performance? Maybe.

Its reported that he values the Senior Bowl, since the Colts seem to have a lot of activity around that bowl game.  I suppose that's where they judge first hand the player's playing ability.   Not sure how effective its been.

[NewColtsFan]

2 hours ago, DougDew said:

Its reported that he values the Senior Bowl, since the Colts seem to have a lot of activity around that bowl game.  I suppose that's where they judge first hand the player's playing ability.   Not sure how effective its been.

FWIW:   Ballard and the scouts see players in person throughout the season.   But it’s at the Senior Bowl where the best players get to go up against the rest of the best players.   That gives their performances  that week extra weight and importance. 

[Jason_]

20 hours ago, chad72 said:

 

Let us not forget the K-gun offense in Buffalo Bills with Jim Kelly, Polian was the mastermind.

 

Polian wishes he was the GM in this passing era, he would have won more in the playoffs with the way offenses are given the benefit of doubt. If Polian was GM, Frank Reich would have had more toys for his offense, no doubt in my mind. 

 

 

Why would you think that Polian, the GM, was the mastermind of the offensive scheme the Bills used?  

[2006Coltsbestever]

I see Ballard as being better than Grigson but not near as good as Polian was. I know Grigson had a better W/L record but he also had Andrew Luck at his very best for 3 years in a row where we piled up a 33-15 record (2012-2014). If someone put a gun to my head and ask me where I would rank Ballard = bad, below average, average, above average, good, very good, or great. My honest answer would be above average. The record doesn't say that but when Luck retired, it through his way of how he wanted to build the team out the window for at least 3 years. He has had some good draft hits in Nelson, Leonard, Smith, Mack, Taylor, Pittman, and Downs this year. I think the AR pick will pan out, but we won't know until next season. I also think he nailed the Rivers signing back in 2020. Rivers was older but we had a good roster around him at the time, so Rivers gave us a punchers chance to make a SB run. The Buckner trade was good too IMO. I like the Shane hiring as well. My above average ranking really stems from his inability to draft a great playmaking WR (as in a top 10ish WR) or a dominant Edge Rusher. 

[chad72]

37 minutes ago, J@son said:

 

Why would you think that Polian, the GM, was the mastermind of the offensive scheme the Bills used?  

 

Wrong choice of words. He was the one that stockpiled the talent for it. Should have elaborated.