Is your view of Ballard changing?

[2006Coltsbestever]

It is funny how some are so critical of Ballard for not drafting a QB in Round 1 up until last year in his tenure. In 2017 and 2018 he didn't need to because he had Luck and thought he would have Luck in 2019. In 2020, we had a good roster/win now team so signing Rivers was a great move. Take those 4 years out of the equation. Yet every GM passed on Brock Purdy in the 2022 draft until Lynch drafted him last which was basically a throw away pick because their future was going to be Trey Lance. The 49ers even had picks in rounds 2-6 and didn't take Purdy. We must have some dumb GM's out there that couldn't see Brock Purdy would be a front runner for MVP in 2023 (sarcasm). I doubt anyone in here even knew who Brock Purdy was until he started to play good last year. Leading into the 2022 draft not 1 person in here mentioned Purdy as being a possible 1st round pick. If it was so easy to run a team, why didn't anyone mention Purdy in here? GMs of other teams screw up all the time is my point. Ballard has made some great moves in Free Agency that get overlooked. = Signing Houston, Rivers, Gilmore, Minshew. The Buckner trade was great, the Moss trade was great, the Moore pickup in 2017 was great, and his drafting gets a B at worse. = AR, Nelson, Leonard, Franklin - went in Round 7 by the way, Raimann, Taylor, Pittman, Downs. Hiring Shane may be the best move he has ever made as well. I have Ballard around 15th best GM, top half as I mentioned in another post. If AR works out and we win a lot next year, he moves into the top 10.

 

Hell, he even got rid of Wentz's contract after making that mistake, duped the Commanders into taking it . I think bringing Matt Ryan in was all Irsay. The way Irsay talked about him, etc.. No proof of that but my gut tells me it was.

[Dingus McGirt]

2 hours ago, lester said:

 

I liked to joke with my soldiers that I all wanted for Christmas was some cartilage in my knees.

Never hurt an arm, leg or knee in 92 static line jumps.  A couple of concussions, though.  Explains much.  LOL

[Flash7]

My view of Ballard has always been that he's a good GM, but not a great GM. I think under Ballard, he will field good teams, but his approach will not lead to fielding a great team. He is too afraid to make big moves.

 

I understand that big moves can backfire. However, they can also be what's needed to push the team over the top. My fear is that he'll continue to be good enough to keep his job for a long time and only field average to good teams, but will never excel beyond that.

 

I think that at best, the Colts will be a team that will continuously flirt with the playoffs year-in and year-out but that's about it.

[sb41champs]

23 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

No. If a player busts, it's on Ballard and the scouting team for drafting that player. The player doesn't draft himself to the Colts. Ballard and the scout team scout that player and draft him with the intention of him contributing to the team. All that work scouting and drafting the player is supposed to mean you are all-in on him thinking he will be a hit at the NFL level. 

 

All the player can do is his best. If that's not good enough, then Ballard and the scouting team made the wrong decision in drafting him, and should have drafted someone else. 

We'll have to agree to disagree.

 

Thanks for your feedback.

[Yoshinator]

2 hours ago, Flash7 said:

My view of Ballard has always been that he's a good GM, but not a great GM. I think under Ballard, he will field good teams, but his approach will not lead to fielding a great team. He is too afraid to make big moves.

 

I understand that big moves can backfire. However, they can also be what's needed to push the team over the top. My fear is that he'll continue to be good enough to keep his job for a long time and only field average to good teams, but will never excel beyond that.

 

I think that at best, the Colts will be a team that will continuously flirt with the playoffs year-in and year-out but that's about it.

This is the best way to describe Ballard as a GM. Couldn't agree more! 

[ColtV]

On 12/5/2023 at 10:40 AM, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I voted never wavered. I think he is good, not great. Around the 15th best GM in the league (top half). If AR becomes a franchise QB, it will waiver to him being better. I will say this, signing Minshew was a great move. With Sam, this team would be 4-8 at best. At least this season we are winning games again.

Yeah that answer on the poll doesn't actually endorse. I'm about the same on him. 

[jvan1973]

3 hours ago, Flash7 said:

My view of Ballard has always been that he's a good GM, but not a great GM. I think under Ballard, he will field good teams, but his approach will not lead to fielding a great team. He is too afraid to make big moves.

 

I understand that big moves can backfire. However, they can also be what's needed to push the team over the top. My fear is that he'll continue to be good enough to keep his job for a long time and only field average to good teams, but will never excel beyond that.

 

I think that at best, the Colts will be a team that will continuously flirt with the playoffs year-in and year-out but that's about it.

If AR turns out to be a great QB, everything else will fall in place.   It's a good roster, just need great qb play.   Like every other team.   How would you like to be a Bills fan,  or a chargers fan.   They are paying their qb huge dollars and what have they done?

[jvan1973]

1 hour ago, Jared Cisneros said:

This is the best way to describe Ballard as a GM. Couldn't agree more! 

Who,  in your opinion are the best gms in the NFL

[Flash7]

10 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:

If AR turns out to be a great QB, everything else will fall in place.   It's a good roster, just need great qb play.   Like every other team.   How would you like to be a Bills fan,  or a chargers fan.   They are paying their qb huge dollars and what have they done?

Possibly. We had Manning and still needed players like Harrison, Wayne, Stokely, Addai, Edge, and D. Clark on offense. On defense we had Freeney, Mathis, B. Sanders, Bethea and a bunch of other really good players and only amassed 1 Super Bowl victory.

 

Some of those guys mentioned above were among the best in their positions. 

 

Even if AR turns out to be good, we currently only have Q. Nelson (guard position is important but has limited affect on overall team wins or losses) and Jonathan Taylor who may be considered among the best at their respective positions on offense. Maybe Buckner and Z. Franklin on defense. That's about it.

 

If AR turns out to be good, we would still have a long ways to go.

[Yoshinator]

23 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:

Who,  in your opinion are the best gms in the NFL

Howie Roseman, Nick Caserio, John Lynch, and Brett Veach.

[jvan1973]

58 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Howie Roseman, Nick Caserio, John Lynch, and Brett Veach.

What has nick casiro done?  How many playoff wins?

[Yoshinator]

2 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:

What has nick casiro done?  How many playoff wins?

He has drafted the Texans a franchise QB and built a respectable team around him within a few years. The first year he didn't have a 1st or 2nd round pick. 

 

Basically did what Ballard did except 4 years faster, and he hits in the draft like Ballard too. The Texans are already on the Colts level in less than half the time with Caserio. 

 

He also managed to find a sucker to trade Deshaun Watson to and replenish the team with draft picks.

 

The playoffs (and possibly playoff wins) will probably come as soon as this year. 

 

Anything else I can help you with?

[jvan1973]

5 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

He has drafted the Texans a franchise QB and built a respectable team around him within a few years. The first year he didn't have a 1st or 2nd round pick. 

 

Basically did what Ballard did except 4 years faster, and he hits in the draft like Ballard too. The Texans are already on the Colts level in less than half the time with Caserio. 

 

He also managed to find a sucker to trade Deshaun Watson to and replenish the team with draft picks.

 

The playoffs (and possibly playoff wins) will probably come as soon as this year. 

 

Anything else I can help you with?

He hasn't done anything yet.   We can talk after the season. 

[Yoshinator]

Just now, jvan1973 said:

He hasn't done anything yet.   We can talk after the season. 

Neither has Ballard really. One playoff win (which is what you're questioning me on the Caserio choice). If you like Ballard, you should love Caserio. He's done what Ballard has done in half the time minus one playoff win.

[John Hammonds]

My opinion of Ballard hasn't changed:

 

Better than most,

but less than the best.

 

He's nearly always favored trading down to get more picks, rather than pick someone who wasn't truly worth the pick they were at.  He's found good players in the later rounds, but a lot of his 2nd round "targeted" players didn't pan out.

 

There's been reason to fire him.  And there's been reason to keep him going.

 

If he were to be released today, someone would grab him in 24 hours.

 

My vote is to keep him.  For now.

[Dobbinblitz]

I believe he grown in his role as GM. He appears to becoming more decisive in terms of roster building and cap management.

I think working with Steichen has produced a much better vision of what the team needs and the direction moving forward.

I think he is less willing now to extend players earlier in the contracts based on past performance. His talent evaluation has always been there, but I think his most recent draft was outstanding top to bottom.

[LJpalmbeacher2]

He's still well under .500 in his seventh season and has led the colts to two Top 4 overall(3rd &4th) draft picks with no division titles and only one playoff win. Wanting to hire Josh McDaniels and sticking with emergency hire Reich for so long, including a extension, aren't things to be proud of.....and neither were bringing in Wentz and Ryan. 

Being in playoff hunt is breath of fresh air BUT we're only two games over .500 with a favourable schedule. 

Colts fans have seen more Bad play than good with him in charge and he's fortunate he still has the gig, and he needs more wins in more seasons than this seasons current record of 7-5 before I crown him better than mediocre. 

[bluephantom87]

12 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

He has drafted the Texans a franchise QB and built a respectable team around him within a few years. The first year he didn't have a 1st or 2nd round pick. 

 

Basically did what Ballard did except 4 years faster, and he hits in the draft like Ballard too. The Texans are already on the Colts level in less than half the time with Caserio. 

 

He also managed to find a sucker to trade Deshaun Watson to and replenish the team with draft picks.

 

The playoffs (and possibly playoff wins) will probably come as soon as this year. 

 

Anything else I can help you with?

 

To piggyback on your point Nick has only been on the job less than 3 yrs! To his credit he has hit on several key premium positions quickly which includes drafting a franchise rookie qb in Stroud who will probably win ROY and Nick's choice for hc in rookie D Ryan will probably win the COY award. Nick himself is in play for the EOY award along with J Lynch of the 49's.

 

To Ballard's credit he's finally gotten the hc hire right in first timer Shane Steichen whose paid dividends already in wins, culture change and the reason why Minshew (his words) followed Shane to the Colts. Shane has also garnered some buzz lately in conversation for the COY award. Under Steichen could AR have been in play for ROY if not for a season ending injury? Most definitely.

 

As far as Ballard himself I think he is a solid gm who uses a more methodical approach in a now aggressive league which has led to several teams in the AFC alone that have elevated past the Colts in his now several year tenure. I'm not getting into his subpar record by listing some of the reasons why because @LJpalmbeacher2 did it perfectly in the previous post. Ballard has done some good things prior to THIS season but it wasn’t ENOUGH to move the needle as far as winning or being in contention. In my book he's trending up slightly but I need to see a couple of more explosive players on offense and a few more dawgs in the secondary.

[Jason_]

16 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

He has drafted the Texans a franchise QB and built a respectable team around him within a few years. The first year he didn't have a 1st or 2nd round pick. 

 

Basically did what Ballard did except 4 years faster, and he hits in the draft like Ballard too. The Texans are already on the Colts level in less than half the time with Caserio. 

 

He also managed to find a sucker to trade Deshaun Watson to and replenish the team with draft picks.

 

The playoffs (and possibly playoff wins) will probably come as soon as this year. 

 

Anything else I can help you with?

 

IMO, Reich is far more to blame for the delay in getting to where we are now than Ballard could ever be.

 

And before you reply, yes it is also the GM's job to evaluate and replace, when necessary, the HC.  However he also has to have the approval from Irsay in order to do that.

[Yoshinator]

18 minutes ago, J@son said:

 

IMO, Reich is far more to blame for the delay in getting to where we are now than Ballard could ever be.

 

And before you reply, yes it is also the GM's job to evaluate and replace, when necessary, the HC.  However he also has to have the approval from Irsay in order to do that.

You are probably right. I wish I could know if Ballard truly wanted to get rid of him at any point before he was fired. Ballard did sell it really well that Reich was his guy throughout his tenure here, and Ballard did choose him after McDaniels fell apart. 

 

I guess what's frustrating to me on a personal level as well is I was in the minority that Reich was a bad coach and he was the problem with the team. Nobody believes me until it becomes public knowledge. Only then does everyone take it as fact. I wish people didn't have to hear it from the horses mouth to figure out a coach or GM isn't good until he gets fired. I feel the same will happen with Ballard in a few years.

[2006Coltsbestever]

On 12/6/2023 at 10:00 AM, 2006Coltsbestever said:

It is funny how some are so critical of Ballard for not drafting a QB in Round 1 up until last year in his tenure. In 2017 and 2018 he didn't need to because he had Luck and thought he would have Luck in 2019. In 2020, we had a good roster/win now team so signing Rivers was a great move. Take those 4 years out of the equation. Yet every GM passed on Brock Purdy in the 2022 draft until Lynch drafted him last which was basically a throw away pick because their future was going to be Trey Lance. The 49ers even had picks in rounds 2-6 and didn't take Purdy. We must have some dumb GM's out there that couldn't see Brock Purdy would be a front runner for MVP in 2023 (sarcasm). I doubt anyone in here even knew who Brock Purdy was until he started to play good last year. Leading into the 2022 draft not 1 person in here mentioned Purdy as being a possible 1st round pick. If it was so easy to run a team, why didn't anyone mention Purdy in here? GMs of other teams screw up all the time is my point. Ballard has made some great moves in Free Agency that get overlooked. = Signing Houston, Rivers, Gilmore, Minshew. The Buckner trade was great, the Moss trade was great, the Moore pickup in 2017 was great, and his drafting gets a B at worse. = AR, Nelson, Leonard, Franklin - went in Round 7 by the way, Raimann, Taylor, Pittman, Downs. Hiring Shane may be the best move he has ever made as well. I have Ballard around 15th best GM, top half as I mentioned in another post. If AR works out and we win a lot next year, he moves into the top 10.

 

Hell, he even got rid of Wentz's contract after making that mistake, duped the Commanders into taking it . I think bringing Matt Ryan in was all Irsay. The way Irsay talked about him, etc.. No proof of that but my gut tells me it was.

Oh and I forgot he signed Matt Gay, 

[ColtStrong2013]

On 12/6/2023 at 10:00 AM, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I think bringing Matt Ryan in was all Irsay. The way Irsay talked about him, etc.. No proof of that but my gut tells me it was.

 

My consistent belief has been that Ballard wasn't given much a chance to draft qb with Frank Reich on staff. Irsay was the one that recommended interviewing Frank after the fiasco with McDaniels. 

 

I don't think Andrew Luck was very honest about his intentions or else Ballard likely doesn't take this job. It was well known that McDaniels thought there was a possibility of his retirement happening. No way he doesn't take this job with a healthy and committed Andrew Luck. No way. 

 

It's well known that Frank influenced the Carson Wentz trade. I think Rivers not committing to a second year threw them off a little, especially after a good year in 2020. Wentz was chaotic, especially with his hardline stance on Covid. I don't care what your belief is on the matter, and I'm the first to say the rules in 2020 were like the majority of industries in America 2020. Fly by the seat of your pants and adjust. But as the qb and leader of the team, he knew that the majority of the team was vaccinated and looking to win football games. I don't care that he refused (Nelson and others did as well.) He just turned into a giant distraction, especially with erratic play. Ended up getting Covid during the most crucial week of the season which left him as a gametime decision practically. If you watched the HBO in season Hard Knocks that year, you could sense the locker room wasn't digging him. It was awkward, and with a team that had pro-bowlers all over the field, Wentz was the odd-ball out. His relationship with Frank was just weird to me. There was one scene of them watching film and it couldn't have been a more awkward conversation. I think Frank was feeling it throughout the season that it wasn't what he was hoping for, and it was a direct reflection of him. The fact that he went to the "emergency meeting" after the season at Irsay's house and apologized for bringing Wentz in said it all to me. 

I agree that Matt Ryan was Irsay's move. I just don't think there were a ton of options those years, and Ballard was growing tired of constant moves instead of attempting to draft one. How many times can you say "it's not an exact science?" That was just media talk, I don't think he necessarily bought it. It's not an exact science, nor is bringing in random veteran qbs that were being forced out of their respective franchises. They were scouting like crazy. Ed Dodds scouted Justin Herbert himself. I don't think they had the greenlight from Irsay.

 

To me that makes the most sense why Frank was fired abruptly like he was. Irsay finally understood that it wasn't going to work and was going to set Ballard up for a major offseason as a second chance. 

 

The jury is still out, but with the way the offensive line has recovered to solid form and the emergence of what is looking like a decent receiver core, the offense is winning football games with a backup that was never supposed to be out there this season. I've broken film down each week, and try to envision Anthony Richardson out there with the playcalling Steichen's running. He would be altering defenses that are already breaking down and leaving guys open downfield. He would be having running lanes that the Mayweather trucks could drive down. His health is the biggest question going forward, but I'm confident that Ballard isn't going anywhere for a while. The defensive line is playing at the level he envisioned. Team has to keep growing together/finding ways to win. And the front office has to keep identifying talent, building onto what is looking like a pretty good young core of players. 

[ColtStrong2013]

3 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

I don't think Andrew Luck was very honest about his intentions or else Ballard likely doesn't take this job. It was well known that McDaniels thought there was a possibility of his retirement happening. No way he doesn't take this job with a healthy and committed Andrew Luck. No way. 

 

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/profootballdoc/sd-sp-pfd-josh-mcdaniels-colts-andrew-luck-shoulder-0207-story.html

 

And before anyone disputes this statement. This article was just one of many that were popping up after he backed out. A lot of questions about Luck's health back then after he bolted. 

[LJpalmbeacher2]

3 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Oh and I forgot he signed Matt Gay, 

 

Acquiring a very good to elite kicker is always a smart thing to do.....and I said it when it happened.

[ColtStrong2013]

1 hour ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

He would be having running lanes that the Mayweather trucks could drive down

this should have been mayflower- lol. 
 

Mobile won’t let me edit. 

[OLD FAN MAN]

22 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Howie Roseman, Nick Caserio, John Lynch, and Brett Veach.

nick caserio is by far the best, a gm who can turn a bottom team into a force in the afc south in only 2 seasons is far ahead of the rest

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/profootballdoc/sd-sp-pfd-josh-mcdaniels-colts-andrew-luck-shoulder-0207-story.html

 

And before anyone disputes this statement. This article was just one of many that were popping up after he backed out. A lot of questions about Luck's health back then after he bolted. 

ok….   I’m confused….    Are you saying no way MCDANIELS doesn’t take the job without a healthy Luck?

 

Or….

 

Are you saying no way BALLARD doesn’t take the job without a healthy Luck?  Because you wrote that.   But Ballard DID take the job without a healthy Luck. 
 

For context….   Ballard and McDaniels shared the same agent.   He’s the top agent for coaches and executives.  His name is Bob LeMonte.   And he was telling McDaniels NOT to back out of this deal.   But once he did, LeMonte fired him. 

[LJpalmbeacher2]

On 12/5/2023 at 3:55 PM, #12. said:

Ballard still needs a QB, and with Richardson getting knocked out of almost every game he played, he needs to keep swinging at QB on some level.  First round?  No.  A little later or in free agency?  Yes.  I would keep adding.

 

I don't think we still need a QB(at least hope not), just need for him and coach to play smarter and call less plays that puts him in danger. I do think it would be smart to have a backup on roster with similar mobility and arm strength so the playbook doesn't drastically change if AR5 gets hurt. 

[ColtStrong2013]

Just now, NewColtsFan said:

ok….   I’m confused….    Are you saying no way MCDANIELS doesn’t take the job without a healthy Luck?

 

Or….

 

Are you saying no way BALLARD doesn’t take the job without a healthy Luck?  Because you wrote that.   But Ballard DID take the job without a healthy Luck. 
 

For context….   Ballard and McDaniels shared the same agent.   He’s the top agent for coaches and executives.  His name is Bob LeMonte.   And he was telling McDaniels NOT to back out of this deal.   But once he did, LeMonte fired him. 

I don’t think Ballard takes it in 2017 without thinking Luck was committed longterm. There were a lot of rumors during that time that he wanted out. I don’t believe he was transparent with the team about his off field injuries just as Peyton wasn’t about his treatment and neck surgeries. I doubt it’s uncommon, but it does alter opinions, especially for new hires like Ballard. There’s a lot of hindsight in this opinion regarding Ballard. 
 

regarding McDaniels- I don’t think he was comfortable with what he was getting on Luck’s shoulder. He said that wasn’t the factor, but I cannot buy that. I’m saying there is no way he doesn’t take the job if there wasn’t serious insecurity about Luck’s future. He would have been dancing his way into the building. There were people calling him a “genius” after luck retired for what he clearly saw coming in the foreseeable future. Just fyi- he is NOT a genius. But I do believe he saw the handwriting on the wall with Luck. 

[ColtStrong2013]

8 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

nick caserio is by far the best, a gm who can turn a bottom team into a force in the afc south in only 2 seasons is far ahead of the rest

LOL. 
 

not at all. He lucked into CJ stroud at #2 thanks to the Panthers. If he was so convicted with Stroud, they would have moved up a spot. They were willing to take either young or Richardson at 2 if the panthers picked stroud. 
 

The only reason- ONLY. reason. They are winning football games is because of CJ Stroud right now. Propping him on a pedestal right now is similar to propping Ryan Grigson up early on. Stroud just like Luck is altering football games. 

[ColtStrong2013]

26 minutes ago, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

 

Acquiring a very good to elite kicker is always a smart thing to do.....and I said it when it happened.

especially after you play the kicker roulette game and lost quite a few games due to the kicking game the last several seasons… 

[ShuteAt168]

21 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Neither has Ballard really. One playoff win (which is what you're questioning me on the Caserio choice). If you like Ballard, you should love Caserio. He's done what Ballard has done in half the time minus one playoff win.

Ha ha. The delayed gratification must be part of the Ballard appeal. All good things … 

[ColtStrong2013]

20 hours ago, John Hammonds said:

My opinion of Ballard hasn't changed:

 

Better than most,

but less than the best.

 

He's nearly always favored trading down to get more picks, rather than pick someone who wasn't truly worth the pick they were at.  He's found good players in the later rounds, but a lot of his 2nd round "targeted" players didn't pan out.

 

There's been reason to fire him.  And there's been reason to keep him going.

 

If he were to be released today, someone would grab him in 24 hours.

 

My vote is to keep him.  For now.

This is maybe the most reasonable post I’ve seen on Ballard.
 

Teams can justify anything. But if you can’t replace him with someone you are confident will be better, then why wouldn’t you just stay patient and assist him in getting better? Just like you would expect a head coach to get better at his job with experience, you would have to do the same with a gm. I think Ballard has learned from both the good and bad, which will hopefully guide him moving forward. 
 

Contrary to the previous gm, who was a complete * to players and coaches he didn’t care for (see Pat mcafee’s first encounter with Grigson) Ballard is reasonable and largely looks to create win-win situations (see Shaq Leonard’s release- now on a Super Bowl contender, as well as many other cases). He might not bring a championship here, but I doubt very seriously Jim Irsay can bring a more professional GM in. 

[ColtStrong2013]

20 minutes ago, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

 

I don't think we still need a QB(at least hope not), just need for him and coach to play smarter and call less plays that puts him in danger. I do think it would be smart to have a backup on roster with similar mobility and arm strength so the playbook doesn't drastically change if AR5 gets hurt. 

it largely squares on what happens with Minshew. If he leaves in the offseason (most likely for a much bigger offer than we can afford), then there is no question we will be looking to add a qb. 
 

while I wouldn’t be looking to spend a top pick, i would be looking for the mobility you refer to, whether in draft or FA. Minshew is clearly limited in the playbook, even with the knowledge and experience he has with Steichen’s offense. 

[Yoshinator]

16 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

LOL. 
 

not at all. He lucked into CJ stroud at #2 thanks to the Panthers. If he was so convicted with Stroud, they would have moved up a spot. They were willing to take either young or Richardson at 2 if the panthers picked stroud. 
 

The only reason- ONLY. reason. They are winning football games is because of CJ Stroud right now. Propping him on a pedestal right now is similar to propping Ryan Grigson up early on. Stroud just like Luck is altering football games. 

If the Panthers would have taken Stroud, then you would have been bashing Caserio for taking Young because Stroud was already gone and he took the QB that was leftover and it happened to be the wrong choice. He can't win. He is Ballard's equal in half the time. The guy is a good GM. He has set the team up for success in 3 years. Just admit you don't know most of the players on the team. Collins, Dell, Schultz, Pierce, and Singletary are solid players he brought to the Texans on offense through the draft and trades, and guys like Stingley, Anderson, and Pitre are huge hits in the draft on defense.

[ColtStrong2013]

9 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

If the Panthers would have taken Stroud, then you would have been bashing Caserio for taking Young because Stroud was already gone and he took the QB that was leftover and it happened to be the wrong choice. He can't win. He is Ballard's equal in half the time. The guy is a good GM. He has set the team up for success in 3 years. Just admit you don't know most of the players on the team. Collins, Dell, Schultz, Pierce, and Singletary are solid players he brought to the Texans on offense through the draft and trades, and guys like Stingley, Anderson, and Pitre are huge hits in the draft on defense.

I wouldn’t be saying anything about him, because he would be losing games… CJ Stroud has led how many game winning drives? I didn’t say he was a bad gm. All I said was that CJ Stroud is winning football games, and he got him with the 2nd pick, which wasn’t guaranteed. 
 

I’m well aware of the players he’s brought in. Anderson was a big move and will pay off going forward. Tank Dell was brought in because of CJ stroud, let’s not confuse that. 
 

“he is Ballard’s equal.” It’s wild to try and compare these GM’s. One that was the 2nd pick in the draft just a year ago. Now has a competitive team with an MVP candidate rookie qb.

The other, had his franchise qb retire and his hands tied with drafting one until his 7th year as gm. Chris Ballard in year 2 was doing the same thing he’s doing in year 7 after years of qb changes. You can’t compare the two. Nor can you compare Caserio with many because he selected a qb that is looking like a superstar his rookie year. 

[ColtStrong2013]

6 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

You can’t compare the two. Nor can you compare Caserio with many because he selected a qb that is looking like a superstar his rookie year. 

Caserio might go down as an all-time great. Right now, he’s surpassing expectations by all because of CJ stroud’s success. He could very well end up on the Ryan Grigson path. 

[Stephen]

On 12/6/2023 at 10:00 AM, 2006Coltsbestever said:

It is funny how some are so critical of Ballard for not drafting a QB in Round 1 up until last year in his tenure. In 2017 and 2018 he didn't need to because he had Luck and thought he would have Luck in 2019. In 2020, we had a good roster/win now team so signing Rivers was a great move. Take those 4 years out of the equation. Yet every GM passed on Brock Purdy in the 2022 draft until Lynch drafted him last which was basically a throw away pick because their future was going to be Trey Lance. The 49ers even had picks in rounds 2-6 and didn't take Purdy. We must have some dumb GM's out there that couldn't see Brock Purdy would be a front runner for MVP in 2023 (sarcasm). I doubt anyone in here even knew who Brock Purdy was until he started to play good last year. Leading into the 2022 draft not 1 person in here mentioned Purdy as being a possible 1st round pick. If it was so easy to run a team, why didn't anyone mention Purdy in here? GMs of other teams screw up all the time is my point. Ballard has made some great moves in Free Agency that get overlooked. = Signing Houston, Rivers, Gilmore, Minshew. The Buckner trade was great, the Moss trade was great, the Moore pickup in 2017 was great, and his drafting gets a B at worse. = AR, Nelson, Leonard, Franklin - went in Round 7 by the way, Raimann, Taylor, Pittman, Downs. Hiring Shane may be the best move he has ever made as well. I have Ballard around 15th best GM, top half as I mentioned in another post. If AR works out and we win a lot next year, he moves into the top 10.

 

Hell, he even got rid of Wentz's contract after making that mistake, duped the Commanders into taking it . I think bringing Matt Ryan in was all Irsay. The way Irsay talked about him, etc.. No proof of that but my gut tells me it was.

Purdy is minshew with better wrs

[krunk]

no I've always been high on Ballard. never waivered.

[ColtStrong2013]

1 hour ago, krunk said:

no I've always been high on Ballard. never waivered.

grass is always greener on the other side…