Why are some teams always in playoff contention

[indyagent17]

I’ve been putting a lot of thought to this just thinking about it how come Pittsburgh has never had a losing season. Why was the New England so good for so many years? Why is San Francisco always competing for championship? It’s because they have great owners that their general managers on the team. Great coaching from the entire staff and steller scouting. Rarely missing on draft picks

[Bravo]

Colts used to be there.

 

Then Chris Ballard happened.

 

 

Before everyone gets upset, Grigson and poor coaching is also at fault but at least Grigson was able to make the playoffs (with A.Luck)

[ColtStrong2013]

25 minutes ago, indyagent17 said:

I’ve been putting a lot of thought to this just thinking about it how come Pittsburgh has never had a losing season. Why was the New England so good for so many years? Why is San Francisco always competing for championship? It’s because they have great owners that their general managers on the team. Great coaching from the entire staff and steller scouting. Rarely missing on draft picks

San Fran really doesn’t belong in this discussion. They have been so hit and miss over the last two decades, you can’t reasonably say they are “always competing for a championship.” 
 

from 2014-2018 season they were 25-55. they were 6-10 in 2020. They’ve lost two superbowls in modern era. I’m not saying they aren’t a solid franchise, but let’s be real. 

[indyagent17]

1 minute ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

San Fran really doesn’t belong in this discussion. They have been so hit and miss over the last two decades, you can’t reasonably say they are “always competing for a championship.” 
 

from 2014-2018 season they were 25-55. they were 6-10 in 2020. They’ve lost two superbowls. I’m not saying they aren’t a solid franchise, but let’s be real. 

I’m talking about San Francisco being a team that dominates for a while they go away but they come back again and again

[DavePSL]

Combination of things that you already mentioned and understanding how to miniplate the cap, make trades when they make sense and a good mixture of free agency, drafting and depth players along with a little luck,,,,

 

One of the biggest mistakes I think Ballard makes is over evaluating his own talent. Just quit denying what the stats and data tell us......Doesn't mean to give up on players too soon but have a plan B just in case.....Freeland is a good example of that...Bring in a vet early just in case so u have a backup plan...Depending on all young safeties was a mistake waiting to happen with 1 injury(we had cap room)...........Probably cost us the playoffs just that one non move and this isn't the first time Ballard has admitted he made that mistake.

.......

Hopefully Steichen can help him with that moving forward.

[ColtStrong2013]

5 minutes ago, indyagent17 said:

I’m talking about San Francisco being a team that dominates for a while they go away but they come back again and again

 

You could say the same for the Indianapolis Colts. We've had 5 below .500 seasons since 1999... 49ers had 14, i believe. 

 

[ColtStrong2013]

1 minute ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

You could say the same for the Indianapolis Colts. We've had 5 below .500 seasons since 1999... 49ers had 14, i believe. 

 

 

And by the way, Since Ballard was hired as GM, we share the same below .500 seasons (3) as the 49ers... They have won their division 3 times, and were 3rd and 4th twice each in their divisions in that timeframe. We obviously have zero division titles in that timeframe, but have never finished 4th under Ballard, and have been 2nd in the division 4 times. 

I don't think they are good example. Just recency bias, even though they haven't accomplished much other than 1 seeds. If they don't make it to the superbowl again this year, they'll have major question marks. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

17 minutes ago, Bravo said:

Colts used to be there.

 

Then Chris Ballard happened.

 

 

Before everyone gets upset, Grigson and poor coaching is also at fault but at least Grigson was able to make the playoffs (with A.Luck)

Andrew luck retired. Some of you forget we weee in the playoffs when he came back and were considered a SB contender before he retired ten days before the season.

[#12.]

In 2018, we had made the playoffs in 17 of 24 years?  Something like that.  

 

I don't remember his name, but there's a Lions fan on YouTube who makes Colts videos.  Why?  Because he feels sorry for us.  According to him, we're a down and out franchise that never gets any media attention, so he wants to shine a light on some of our players.

 

It was playoffs in 17 of 24 years, and now "Lions" fans are making pity videos for us.

[ColtStrong2013]

2 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Andrew luck retired. Some of you forget we weee in the playoffs when he came back and were considered a SB contender before he retired ten days before the season.

The Ballard hate is humorous to me. He inherited a pretty lousy roster and a battered franchise qb. We've been about as competitive as anyone would have expected to be in that circumstance. Sure, other teams might have continued their dysfunctional way of managing by firing and hiring new managers and coaches during the last 8 years, but it wouldn't have resulted in much. We are coming off the closest season to a divisional title that we've had since Andrew Luck was under center and are going into the most promising offseason we have had since 2019 when he retired abruptly.

I think the continuity and patience that Irsay family has shown since Luck's retirement is exactly why we continue to be in the same discussions by a majority of the league as the question that was posed in the original post. Why is the indianapolis colts so competitive even after Manning/Luck have been long gone. If this franchise takes a jump next year, those comments and the franchise record over the past 24 years will be shown more and more.

[NewColtsFan]

1 minute ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

And by the way, Since Ballard was hired as GM, we share the same below .500 seasons (3) as the 49ers... They have won their division 3 times, and were 3rd and 4th twice each in their divisions in that timeframe. We obviously have zero division titles in that timeframe, but have never finished 4th under Ballard, and have been 2nd in the division 4 times. 

I don't think they are good example. Just recency bias, even though they haven't accomplished much other than 1 seeds. If they don't make it to the superbowl again this year, they'll have major question marks. 

“If they don’t make the Super Bowl they’ll have major question marks.”

 

I think there are all sorts of things that could happen and few would say they have major question marks.  
 

Is it a shame to lose in the NFC Championship game?    Is it a shame to lose on a fluke finish?   A late field goal? 
Stuff happens every season.   I rarely subscribe to the theory if a team doesn’t reach the Super Bowl their season was a failure or they now have major question marks. 

[ColtStrong2013]

1 minute ago, #12. said:

In 2018, we had made the playoffs in 17 of 24 years?  Something like that.  

 

I don't remember his name, but there's a Lions fan on YouTube who makes Colts videos.  Why?  Because he feels sorry for us.  According to him, we're a down and out franchise that never gets any media attention, so he wants to shine a light on some of our players.

 

It was playoffs in 17 of 24 years, and now "Lions" fans are making pity videos for us.

 

Lions are a home win away from playing for a superbowl birth. They deserve it, but imagine being sorry for anyone but yourself as a Lions fan. Lol.

1 minute ago, NewColtsFan said:

“If they don’t make the Super Bowl they’ll have major question marks.”

 

I think there are all sorts of things that could happen and few would say they have major question marks.  
 

Is it a shame to lose in the NFC Championship game?    Is it a shame to lose on a fluke finish?   A late field goal? 
Stuff happens every season.   I rarely subscribe to the theory if a team doesn’t reach the Super Bowl their season was a failure or they now have major question marks. 

 

With the roster that they have built, yes there will be question marks if they lose in the conference championship three straight years...

[ColtStrong2013]

1 minute ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

With the roster that they have built, yes there will be question marks if they lose in the conference championship three straight years...

 

...especially if Purdy gets hurt or falls on his face. That will be the big one. 

Right now, I think they are hands down favorites in the NFC. But there's a lot of football to be played.

[NewColtsFan]

3 minutes ago, #12. said:

In 2018, we had made the playoffs in 17 of 24 years?  Something like that.  

 

I don't remember his name, but there's a Lions fan on YouTube who makes Colts videos.  Why?  Because he feels sorry for us.  According to him, we're a down and out franchise that never gets any media attention, so he wants to shine a light on some of our players.

 

It was playoffs in 17 of 24 years, and now "Lions" fans are making pity videos for us.

Not to put too fine a point on it….  But….

 

Who cares?    Seriously why would you care?    The Lions have been irrelevant for almost 50 years and now there’s a silly fan who’s making fun of the Colts.   Again, who cares? 

[NewColtsFan]

6 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

Lions are a home win away from playing for a superbowl birth. They deserve it, but imagine being sorry for anyone but yourself as a Lions fan. Lol.

 

With the roster that they have built, yes there will be question marks if they lose in the conference championship three straight years...

I think there are about 30 franchises who would KILL to get to the conference championship three straight years and lose.  
 

I think you make way too much out of way too little.  

[#12.]

6 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Not to put too fine a point on it….  But….

 

Who cares?    Seriously why would you care?    The Lions have been irrelevant for almost 50 years and now there’s a silly fan who’s making fun of the Colts.   Again, who cares? 

 

Care?  I thought it was hilarious.  Lol

[ColtStrong2013]

5 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

I think there are about 30 franchises who would KILL to get to the conference championship three straight years and lose.  
 

I think you make way too much out of way too little.  

 

Of course there is. I wouldn't be mad either. But I'm not making too much out of "too little." Little is not having a window of a few years to keep a very top heavy roster in tact because your starting qb counts for a million towards the cap. They have 5 players that will have an over 20 mil cap hit for the next several years. Trent Williams is projected to be over 30. If you don't view this as a window for a championship, i dont know what to tell you. To continue to not even get there, let alone not win one, would be a MASSIVE disappointment for the 49ers. They are in championship mode... not losing in the conference championship year after year. This is a big year for them.

[NewColtsFan]

2 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

Of course there is. I wouldn't be mad either. But I'm not making too much out of "too little." Little is not having a window of a few years to keep a very top heavy roster in tact because your starting qb counts for a million towards the cap. They have 5 players that will have an over 20 mil cap hit for the next several years. Trent Williams is projected to be over 30. If you don't view this as a window for a championship, i dont know what to tell you. To continue to not even get there, let alone not win one, would be a MASSIVE disappointment for the 49ers.

Well…. Now you’ve moved the goal posts from the outcome this year to the outcomes over the next several years. 
 

Sure, you want to capitalize the opportunity of Purdy’s rookie deal….  But the Colts didn’t get to a Super Bowl in Luck’s rookie contract and the world didn’t end.  Life goes on.   Contracts get re-worked, and some good players are let go.  It’s the same for every NFL team.  It’s not the end of the world. 
 

[ColtStrong2013]

Just now, NewColtsFan said:

Well…. Now you’ve moved the goal posts from the outcome this year to the outcomes over the next several years. 
 

Sure, you want to capitalize the opportunity of Purdy’s rookie deal….  But the Colts didn’t get to a Super Bowl in Luck’s rookie contract and the world didn’t end.  Life goes on.   Contracts get re-worked, and some good players are let go.  It’s the same for every NFL team.  It’s not the end of the world. 
 

Not really. You quoted all but the part i edited at the end where i said "this is a big year for them." It is. It's a huge year because of the point we are discussing. Not making a superbowl with a roster built for championships. 

 

And let's be real: Andrew Luck never had a championship roster. Not once. This 49ers team is loaded. They are in win-now mode. and yes, for the next few years until they have to reset and rebuild around whatever key players they decide to build around.

[Colt27]

Success breeds success ( and FA wanting to be here).

 

[NFLfan]

1 hour ago, indyagent17 said:

I’ve been putting a lot of thought to this just thinking about it how come Pittsburgh has never had a losing season. Why was the New England so good for so many years? Why is San Francisco always competing for championship? It’s because they have great owners that their general managers on the team. Great coaching from the entire staff and steller scouting. Rarely missing on draft picks

 

The Ravens. They are the shining example of a team that consistently contends for the playoffs. I think it has to do with stability within the organization and with building their team through the draft.  There is stability in the front office and they hire from within. They do a good job of developing players and letting some of them walk in free agency which allows them to get compensatory picks to build their team through the draft. I love what the Ravens do.

 

The Colts used to have stability too.

[ColtStrong2013]

2 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

The Ravens. They are the shining example of a team that consistently contends for the playoffs. I think it has to do with stability within the organization and with building their team through the draft.  There is stability in the front office and they hire from within. They do a good job of developing players and letting some of them walk in free agency which allows them to get compensatory picks to build their team through the draft. I love what the Ravens do.

 

The Colts used to have stability too.

 

The Colts used to have what the Ravens currently have.

A quarterback.

[ColtStrong2013]

12 minutes ago, Colt27 said:

Success breeds success ( and FA wanting to be here).

 

 

I've said this regarding free agency during Ballard's entire tenure. Who wants to come to Indianapolis? You better have a good quarterback and willing to spend the money, because that's exactly what it takes.

[Moosejawcolt]

59 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

The Ballard hate is humorous to me. He inherited a pretty lousy roster and a battered franchise qb. We've been about as competitive as anyone would have expected to be in that circumstance. Sure, other teams might have continued their dysfunctional way of managing by firing and hiring new managers and coaches during the last 8 years, but it wouldn't have resulted in much. We are coming off the closest season to a divisional title that we've had since Andrew Luck was under center and are going into the most promising offseason we have had since 2019 when he retired abruptly.

I think the continuity and patience that Irsay family has shown since Luck's retirement is exactly why we continue to be in the same discussions by a majority of the league as the question that was posed in the original post. Why is the indianapolis colts so competitive even after Manning/Luck have been long gone. If this franchise takes a jump next year, those comments and the franchise record over the past 24 years will be shown more and more.

8 years at his job and we have what?

[VikingsFanInChennai]

1 hour ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

And by the way, Since Ballard was hired as GM, we share the same below .500 seasons (3) as the 49ers... They have won their division 3 times, and were 3rd and 4th twice each in their divisions in that timeframe. We obviously have zero division titles in that timeframe, but have never finished 4th under Ballard, and have been 2nd in the division 4 times. 

I don't think they are good example. Just recency bias, even though they haven't accomplished much other than 1 seeds. If they don't make it to the superbowl again this year, they'll have major question marks. 

I think you're stubborn about 49ers...

 

I get the point that they were super bad in few years in past decade, but the difference with Colts is, SF has bounced back to have a championship contending team for past few years and Colts need to get there yet.

 

Unlike what you said, if SF doesn't win super Bowl this year, there will not be any question marks, especially any major one. It would mean just that not every great team can win all the time. Just because Peyton Manning won only 2 Super Bowls in 15+ years doesn't mean that's a major questionable flaw in his career.

 

You were right when you said SF was not all that contending year after year in past decade or the prior decade, although they've been back to contending after a short break in past decade 

 

But, when you say there would be major question mark on 49ers, if they don't win Super Bowl this year, that's just absurd and you're just trying to double down. 

[ColtStrong2013]

7 minutes ago, VikingsFanInChennai said:

I think you're stubborn about 49ers...

 

I get the point that they were super bad in few years in past decade, but the difference with Colts is, SF has bounced back to have a championship contending team for past few years and Colts need to get there yet.

 

Unlike what you said, if SF doesn't win super Bowl this year, there will not be any question marks, especially any major one. It would mean just that not every great team can win all the time. Just because Peyton Manning won only 2 Super Bowls in 15+ years doesn't mean that's a major questionable flaw in his career.

 

You were right when you said SF was not all that contending year after year in past decade or the prior decade, although they've been back to contending after a short break in past decade 

 

But, when you say there would be major question mark on 49ers, if they don't win Super Bowl this year, that's just absurd and you're just trying to double down. 

 

When teams go all-in on heavy rosters like the 49ers have, there will be questions if they cannot even make it the superbowl. I didn't say if they didnt win it, i said if they didn't MAKE it... which would 3 straight seasons. You think that the media won't double down on questioning the organization? Is it Kyle Shanahan? Can they win with Brock Purdy? The NFC is as weak as it's going to get, IMO. Cowboys choked again. They get a 7 seed in the divisional, with the potential of playing a team that went 9-8 in the conference championship. Maybe you need to be more honest with yourself on your analysis of my comments and the meaning behind them. I've been pretty direct about my opinion, and it is far from absurd. 

You folks are feisty as % tonight. Full attack mode. Go get some sleep. 

[VikingsFanInChennai]

10 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

When teams go all-in on heavy rosters like the 49ers have, there will be questions if they cannot even make it the superbowl. I didn't say if they didnt win it, i said if they didn't MAKE it... which would 3 straight seasons. You think that the media won't double down on questioning the organization? Is it Kyle Shanahan? Can they win with Brock Purdy? The NFC is as weak as it's going to get, IMO. Cowboys choked again. They get a 7 seed in the divisional, with the potential of playing a team that went 9-8 in the conference championship. Maybe you need to be more honest with yourself on your analysis of my comments and the meaning behind them. I've been pretty direct about my opinion, and it is far from absurd. 

You folks are feisty as % tonight. Full attack mode. Go get some sleep. 

No, you've not given credit to how they keep drafting very good talent in later rounds, often without top heavy draft picks.. last year, they drafted unknown S Tulanga (sp?) Who has been nothing short of awesome until ACL injury a month ago. They drafted late this draft CB Ji'Ayir (sp?) Who has been doing well. Players like that and Aiyuk on offense has stepped up to be elite. 

 

Yes, they have top heavy roster, correctly well done during rookie year of the QB, yet they already let go some good defensive talent that they took a step back this year. Yet, their offense has taken multiple steps ahead since the Jimmy G years, when they used to wishfully think that those offenses could score 20 points in championship games which they weren't.

 

You mentioned Purdy could fall flat yet his play has been nothing short of a MVP performance (70% completion, 33:13 TD:TO ratio). Do people still doubt him as a good QB? Any doubt on his Calibre has been totally clarified this year.

 

They have few players who would've a cap hit of 20+ million, but Trent Williams will be retired before Purdy earns big money.

 

Their drafting, FA acquisition, development by coaches, ability to withstand coaches and executives being constantly hired by other teams has been stellar, their offensive system has been the role model for foreseeable future. 

 

There will be zero major question mark on 49ers if they fail to win Super Bowl this year. There was one last year? Is Purdy the real deal? That has been answered, and once you've got your franchise QB, and your GM and HC could bring in or coach up stars, one would be very, very hard pressed to come up with a major question mark on 49ers this season, regardless of how the season ends. When you've such a stellar GM and HC with a franchise QB, you don't worry about replacing top heavy roster with championship contending team again and again. 

[ShuteAt168]

2 hours ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

And by the way, Since Ballard was hired as GM, we share the same below .500 seasons (3) as the 49ers... They have won their division 3 times, and were 3rd and 4th twice each in their divisions in that timeframe. We obviously have zero division titles in that timeframe, but have never finished 4th under Ballard, and have been 2nd in the division 4 times. 

I don't think they are good example. Just recency bias, even though they haven't accomplished much other than 1 seeds. If they don't make it to the superbowl again this year, they'll have major question marks. 

The three division titles are pretty massive separators. 

[ShuteAt168]

2 hours ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

The Ballard hate is humorous to me. He inherited a pretty lousy roster and a battered franchise qb. We've been about as competitive as anyone would have expected to be in that circumstance. Sure, other teams might have continued their dysfunctional way of managing by firing and hiring new managers and coaches during the last 8 years, but it wouldn't have resulted in much. We are coming off the closest season to a divisional title that we've had since Andrew Luck was under center and are going into the most promising offseason we have had since 2019 when he retired abruptly.

I think the continuity and patience that Irsay family has shown since Luck's retirement is exactly why we continue to be in the same discussions by a majority of the league as the question that was posed in the original post. Why is the indianapolis colts so competitive even after Manning/Luck have been long gone. If this franchise takes a jump next year, those comments and the franchise record over the past 24 years will be shown more and more.

How many more years of no division titles and a mediocre winning percentage are you willing to accept? If next year we are 9-8 and miss the playoffs, do you keep CB? Another 8-9 after that? Keep him? You’d let CB go 10 years with no divisions? I’m just curious. For me, the resume of no divisions and a sub .500 record after seven years is patience enough. What about you? Commit to an answer. 

[ColtStrong2013]

28 minutes ago, ShuteAt168 said:

The three division titles are pretty massive separators. 

Sure- if losing enough to get frequent top 5-10 picks is what it takes… They also drafted an mvp candidate with the final pick of the draft. That’s not skill. That’s just luck, which Ballard hasn’t had much of at qb. 

 

21 minutes ago, ShuteAt168 said:

How many more years of no division titles and a mediocre winning percentage are you willing to accept? If next year we are 9-8 and miss the playoffs, do you keep CB? Another 8-9 after that? Keep him? You’d let CB go 10 years with no divisions? I’m just curious. For me, the resume of no divisions and a sub .500 record after seven years is patience enough. What about you? Commit to an answer. 

They were maybe 2 plays away from one this season with a backup qb… if they take a step backwards next season, I think he may be gone. But I’m not the Irsay family, so how could I possibly say for sure? If they take a step forward and make the playoffs but don’t win the division should he get fired? I mean- if the goal is to compete for a Super Bowl championship, do division titles really matter? Did they matter for the 49ers those 3 years they won the division? No… they didn’t even make the Super Bowl to compete for it. 
 

It can be for you, but my stance regarding the colts has been they have been competitive with sub-par qb play. If getting good qb play was easy, there would be more teams with better qb than there is. there is a lot of luck with it. I happen to think we have a franchise qb. I think we have one of the brightest offensive minds in football at hc. So I’m willing to continue to be patient and build the roster through the draft/retaining our own. 

…and at the end of the day @ShuteAt168, our opinions don’t really matter. So you shouldn’t take yourself so seriously. “Commit to an answer.” Lol…  🤡 

[ColtStrong2013]

27 minutes ago, VikingsFanInChennai said:

There will be zero major question mark on 49ers if they fail to win Super Bowl this year.

why do you keep saying win*… I simply said if they can’t make it. And I never said major question marks, I didn’t even say that I would question them, I just said there will be question marks. Because there will be. You put together a star studded roster and lose 3 straight conference championships, there will be questions. And probably more internally than anything. 
 

You wrote a novel… fingers hurt? 

[2006Coltsbestever]

4 hours ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

You could say the same for the Indianapolis Colts. We've had 5 below .500 seasons since 1999... 49ers had 14, i believe. 

 

For some reason, some just leave us out when talking about winning. Some just dwell on when we lose and are very negative. That is the one thing that annoys me about certain fans. 

 

Since the 1995 season:

5 AFC Title Games = 1995, 2003, 06, 09, 2014

 

2 SB Appearances = 2006, 09

 

1 SB Title  = 2006

 

10 Division Titles 

 

22 non losing seasons

 

-The bottom accomplishment means we have had 22 out of 29 seasons since 1995 where we were .500 or better including this season (2023).

 

*Most Regular Season wins in a decade = 2000-2009. 

 

[VikingsFanInChennai]

1 hour ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

When teams go all-in on heavy rosters like the 49ers have, there will be questions if they cannot even make it the superbowl. I didn't say if they didnt win it, i said if they didn't MAKE it... which would 3 straight seasons. You think that the media won't double down on questioning the organization? Is it Kyle Shanahan? Can they win with Brock Purdy? The NFC is as weak as it's going to get, IMO. Cowboys choked again. They get a 7 seed in the divisional, with the potential of playing a team that went 9-8 in the conference championship. Maybe you need to be more honest with yourself on your analysis of my comments and the meaning behind them. I've been pretty direct about my opinion, and it is far from absurd. 

You folks are feisty as % tonight. Full attack mode. Go get some sleep. 

Doesn't matter, if they couldn't make or win SB... Ultimately, only one team can win SB every year and when the question is how other 31 other teams fared, SF will be among the best because their GM has done the best their Scouting team could, their HC has done the best he's done all his career in SF offensively, and this is the first year they've got their franchise QB performance...

 

I think the reason for you being harsh on them is okay, but you fail to understand that they've been struggling to identify franchise QB all these years (after Jimmy G, Trey Lance, many backups) all these years while still competing among the best in NFC. Now, they've got the franchise QB they wanted, you've got to give time. With franchise QB present in the roster from this year onwards (or last year), losing a top heavy roster can be managed as that's what great QBs do!

 

I hope that's clear - just like how Ballard can be forgiven for all the years for struggling to find a franchise QB, but once you've got a franchise QB (if that's Richardson), your owner, GM, hc, QB and all the team have to give their best to win. Even if they don't make SB for few years (like Josh Allen and Bills), it's all about whether they could keep doing the best they can.

 

Even if they fail to even make SB at end of their tenure, if they tried and gave their best in all these years, that's all there's to it. If they've really given their best and still couldn't win, I'd not consider that as a major question mark on them. But, you're free to have your opinion. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

32 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

For some reason, some just leave us out when talking about winning. Some just dwell on when we lose and are very negative. That is the one thing that annoys me about certain fans. 

 

Since the 1995 season:

5 AFC Title Games = 1995, 2003, 06, 09, 2014

 

2 SB Appearances = 2006, 09

 

1 SB Title  = 2006

 

10 Division Titles 

 

22 non losing seasons

 

-The bottom accomplishment means we have had 22 out of 29 seasons since 1995 where we were .500 or better including this season (2023).

 

*Most Regular Season wins in a decade = 2000-2009. 

 

By comparison, if you guys want me to list what Tennesse, Jacksonville, and Houston have accomplished you guys would jump off a cliff and be wanting everyone fired every other year.  It is perspective. None of those teams make a pimple on the Colts rear end history wise.

[VikingsFanInChennai]

42 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

Sure- if losing enough to get frequent top 5-10 picks is what it takes… They also drafted an mvp candidate with the final pick of the draft. That’s not skill. That’s just luck, which Ballard hasn’t had much of at qb. 

 

 

Kyle Shanahan has been linked to an academy where they pick raw QBs from college and train in their fundamentals for NFL before the draft and identify QB prospects that they could draft.

 

Among the few Shanahan has targeted that way, Purdy was his find from that academy and their Scouting. And, Shanahan could make many QBs look great 

 

That was not luck. That was scouting at its best and coaching at its best. Rightly, they've reaped their reward.  It was 0% Luck. It's Luck only for the ignorants who haven't learned about what has gone on in the background behind the Drafts. 

 

43 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

why do you keep saying win*… I simply said if they can’t make it. And I never said major question marks, I didn’t even say that I would question them, I just said there will be question marks. Because there will be. You put together a star studded roster and lose 3 straight conference championships, there will be questions. And probably more internally than anything. 
 

You wrote a novel… fingers hurt? 

You don't even try to acknowledge the greatness of other teams, but at the slightest of criticism on Colts (which I didn't make but someone else did), you call that as "Ballard Hate" here. 

 

Carry on, then you wonder why your comments attract critics like flies on a wound! 

[Chucklez]

7 hours ago, indyagent17 said:

I’ve been putting a lot of thought to this just thinking about it how come Pittsburgh has never had a losing season. Why was the New England so good for so many years? Why is San Francisco always competing for championship? It’s because they have great owners that their general managers on the team. Great coaching from the entire staff and steller scouting. Rarely missing on draft picks

The 9ers went through a lenghty stinky period where they were bad (2003 - 2010) with a 3 year decent bump, then bad again from 2014 - 2018).

The Patriots are a couple years into their stinky period and they will be bad unless they get incredibly lucky. (We all know why they were perenially in the playoffs, and he no longer plays in the NFL).

The Steelers are LUCKY to have made the playoffs this year, they still won 10 games, but they were lucky to get in. Tomlin is a good head coach, they just need a QB and they are sorted. This is the only team that I will grant you has been continuously good for coaching and management reasons.

The last time they had a losing season was 2003 (literally 20 years ago) and that was 6 - 10, not even a total flame out, and the last time the had a WORSE than 6-10 record was 1988 and that was 5-11. 

The truly last time the Steelers FLAMED out and had a season worse than 5-11 where you could say that they really sucked, was aaaaaaaaallllllll the way back to 1969 when they went 1 and 13.

[csmopar]

7 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

“If they don’t make the Super Bowl they’ll have major question marks.”

 

I think there are all sorts of things that could happen and few would say they have major question marks.  
 

Is it a shame to lose in the NFC Championship game?    Is it a shame to lose on a fluke finish?   A late field goal? 
Stuff happens every season.   I rarely subscribe to the theory if a team doesn’t reach the Super Bowl their season was a failure or they now have major question marks. 

This is how crazy it is. The media and lots of fans are calling for the eagles to fire Sirrani after the Eagles lost last night.  
 

what separates the teams that are competitive year in and year out is patience. Look at the Steelers, they’ve had 3 coaches since 1959. That’s it.  Packers, despite going from Farve, to Rodgers to Love, they’re always in it. But they’ve had the same thing, patience. Let the players develop and if you have a bad season or two, turn it around without completing blowing it up. 
 

meanwhile, teams like the Jags, who’ve draft top 10 probably 25 times in the last 30 years, have had maybe 7-8 total winning seasons in those 30 years. But have had something like 15 head coaches in that span and even more QBs.  They make noise for about 2-3 years at a time and then go back to the top of the draft board

[ColtStrong2013]

I’m just going to edit this post to be blank instead of reacting to being called ignorant by a Vikings fan on a colts forum. 

[ColtStrong2013]

5 hours ago, VikingsFanInChennai said:

Kyle Shanahan has been linked to an academy where they pick raw QBs from college and train in their fundamentals for NFL before the draft and identify QB prospects that they could draft.

 

Among the few Shanahan has targeted that way, Purdy was his find from that academy and their Scouting. And, Shanahan could make many QBs look great 

 

That was not luck. That was scouting at its best and coaching at its best. Rightly, they've reaped their reward.  It was 0% Luck. It's Luck only for the ignorants who haven't learned about what has gone on in the background behind the Drafts. 

they also spent draft capital to move up for Trey lance… 

 

They also signed Jimmy G to a large contract after using draft capital. 
 

I agree with Ballard when he says it’s not an exact science. Because it isn’t. Not one team, including Kyle Shanahan thought Brock Purdy would be good. That’s insanity to imply. He is good. He’s also in a great system that has major talent across the board. And yes, if they miss the Super Bowl this year with a healthy Purdy, there will be questions. There SHOULD be. Because in my opinion, and I would assume I’m not alone in the thought, the only ones that can beat this San Fran team is themselves. 

[ColtStrong2013]

5 hours ago, VikingsFanInChennai said:

You don't even try to acknowledge the greatness of other teams, but at the slightest of criticism on Colts (which I didn't make but someone else did), you call that as "Ballard Hate" here. 

 

Carry on, then you wonder why your comments attract critics like flies on a wound! 

because it’s a colts forum dude… when I don’t acknowledge the greatness of other teams, it’s because I’m not here to… 

 

and it’s not slight Ballard criticism, it’s blatant “fire him and let’s beat the hell out of the next unsuccessful general manager” type criticism on this forum that I often laugh at. As if the next guy will be surely be better or would have done a better job. We could have done a lot worse, and it’s likely we would have given the qb circumstances with someone else. It doesn’t take much to look around the league and see how poorly managed other teams are, never in competition to go anywhere. We were two plays away (some think just one) from a division title this season, and the way people talk on here, we are a bottom dweller. Apparently there is lions fans posting videos of colts football as a down and out franchise. Lol
 

I don’t mind criticism and I’ve never wondered why some are attracted to my comments. It’s the same people that leave laughing/confused reactions and post condescending comments intended to discredit/diminish the thought of many posters on this forum. I’m guilty of that at times too. It’s a discussion forum…