Why are some teams always in playoff contention

[BlackTiger]

11 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

 

When a team makes it year after year its usually because they have a good to great franchise QB.  The steelers got kind of lucky this year and were quickly dispatched in the playoffs too.

 

Niners have missed the playoffs a lot, they have a really well rounded team now though 

 

[jemack]

Since '95, we missed the playoffs 12 times. Not saying these recent yrs  have not been rough, but when l was a young Colts fan (walking 12 miles to school in 20 ft of snow ) we went 10 years without a playoff berth and one berth in 18 yrs. AND a quarter century without a win! 

It does seem that other teams have always had better depth at key positions than us. Perhaps a GM problem but

we wouldn't be having this conversation had Luck not dropped the bomb on us. OR had Rivers not retired.

So, in the past 5 yrs, we made the playoffs once and today are considered playoff contenders. Not bad, by my standards anyway.

 

 

 

[ColtStrong2013]

11 minutes ago, jemack said:

Since '95, we missed the playoffs 12 times. Not saying these recent yrs  have not been rough, but when l was a young Colts fan (walking 12 miles to school in 20 ft of snow ) we went 10 years without a playoff berth and a quarter century without a win! 

It does seem that other teams have always had better depth at key positions than us. Perhaps a GM problem but

we wouldn't be having this conversation had Luck not dropped the bomb on us. OR had Rivers not retired.

So, in the past 5 yrs, we made the playoffs once and today are considered playoff contenders. Not bad, by my standards anyway.

 

 

 

you mean the walls aren’t falling in on the colts organization? How dare you be so positive @jemack!! 

[2006Coltsbestever]

36 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

you mean the walls aren’t falling in on the colts organization? How dare you be so positive @jemack!! 

It is a losing battle with some in here. Some just get their kicks out of criticizing our franchise no matter what we accomplish. Like you said in another post, it just isn't criticizing the team, it is how some go about it. Fire this guy, fire Ballard, we suck, we are trash, etc.. I gave up trying to be the voice of reason. Not 1 person in here could run the team better than Ballard, if they think so they are delusional. When Ballard had a great QB = Luck (2018) and Rivers (2020), the Colts were 21-11 in those 2 seasons and won a Playoff game in 2018 with Luck. Facts!

 

All I know is since 1994, we have been to 5 AFC Title Games, 2 SB's, and have won 1 SB = 2006. We have been .500 or better since 1994 in 23 of 30 seasons. That means we have been relevant/playoff contention around 76.7% of the time over the last 30 seasons, not many teams can say that. We have had 7 bad seasons in 30 years.  

 

I am giving people a 30 season sample size (1994-2023). This season, we were 9-8 and a play or 2 away from winning the division and lost to a team that just made the Browns look like a college team. 

[ColtStrong2013]

18 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

It is a losing battle with some in here. Some just get their kicks out of criticizing our franchise no matter what we accomplish. Like you said in another post, it just isn't criticizing the team, it is how some go about it

It won’t stop me posting. Although I am getting my money worth now because I have some projects coming up in the upcoming weeks that won’t allow me to be on here much, if at all. 

[ShuteAt168]

8 hours 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. 

 

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…  🤡 

So division titles don’t matter. Ballard has had bad luck for seven years. And you’re such a Ballard a fan boy that you won’t even say two more years of no playoffs deserves a pink slip because — breaking news — you’re not in the Irsay family. Noted. Talk about wishy washy. My opinions may not matter but they sure get you fired up since you always respond with 200 words! I seem to be living rent free in your head. Lol. 

[rockywoj]

11 hours ago, Moosejawcolt said:

8 years at his job and we have what?

Hopefully, finally a franchise QB replacement for Luck and a roster primed to take a significant step forward with just a few more key player additions and with what appears to be a promising coaching staff, questions about the DC and D scheme excepted.

[ColtStrong2013]

16 minutes ago, ShuteAt168 said:

So division titles don’t matter. Ballard has had bad luck for seven years. And you’re such a Ballard a fan boy that you won’t even say two more years of no playoffs deserves a pink slip because — breaking news — you’re not in the Irsay family. Noted. Talk about wishy washy. My opinions may not matter but they sure get you fired up since you always respond with 200 words! I seem to be living rent free in your head. Lol. 

in your dreams… 

[jemack]

12 hours 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

Since '95, the Colts as well. Missing the playoffs for a 3 yr span  2021-2023 was our worst drought. And that's with losing AR.

[Two_pound]

I pointed out on here a few months back, that in comparison to Ballard, Polian was a failure for the simple fact he had Manning for 14 years and won one superbowel(got ridiculed for that position, so what, this is a forum of differing opinions). Ballard has been outstanding when you consider the merry go round of qbs' he's had for 7 seasons. Last year he was finally in position to draft a "franchise" qb. Will Richardson be the guy? I think so, so now the fun begins, Ballard gets to build around a Franchise qb. Let's see what happens. One other note, the original post here mentioned good drafting and included the steelers, wow, they must have one of the worst drafting records over the past 10 years as any team in the history of the nfl. Did anyone see how bad and SLOW their defense was last night and when we played them. How did they win more than 3 games this year, let alone make the playoffs??????

[indyagent17]

Friends I was just asking a question. It is interesting that some teams every year are always in the playoffs or barely miss. It’s about a culture and sometimes when you go out and get all the nice guys with good character work out and sometimes you need that player with a little nasty that will compete with vengeance. I’m not a coach I’m not a general manager and someone question my love for the team I’ve been a season-ticket holder since 1990 I love this team I have set through horrible defeats and waited till the end before I left but I’ve also seen some miraculous plays. Our team has made over the years which makes up for it. We’re at crossroads right now waiting to see if anthony can stay healthy and give us the same kind of chance to win that Stroud does, I feel that Richardson will be special. We’ve already seen glimpses. He just needs to make sure that he avoids heavy contact when running the ball. Have a great day fans

[twfish]

QB, QB, QB, and QB again. I think the Pats are such an incredible example at this. They have had arguably the best head coach for over 2 decades and an incredible amount of success, however once their HOF QB leaves they began to fall into the realm of irrelevancy. Some teams have gotten incredibly lucky like the Ravens, Packers and the Eagles where they went from good QB to good QB. Every GM has a load of bad picks, heck the 49ers wasted so much capital to take a QB whose not even on their roster any more. Recency biased is happening here, some teams that are winning a lot right now weren't 6 years ago. 

[smittywerb]

Simple, they have a quarterback that can get them there.  Just look at our quarterbacks since luck:

- Brisett, solid but he’s in the same boat as Minshew.  Can help you compete but not going to make the throws to get you to the playoffs

 

- Rivers, he did it but was old so that wasn’t going to last a long time

 

- Wentz, whatever magic he had in Philly he’s lost it.  Uncoachable, erratic.  Can make the throws but for some reason can’t get it done.  
 

- Ryan, over the hill.  Had the mentality and IQ but didn’t have the arm or the body to do it.

 

- Richardson, showed promise but couldn’t stay healthy.

 

its no secret that the QB is the end all be all for the NFL and if you don’t have one it’s going to be very hard to compete.  It’s also important to support said QB with weapons and protection so that they can perform at their best.

 

Dont worry, we’re almost there.  We’re ahead of schedule.  Heck, this year we’re in prime position to make that jump with money and a solid draft position.

 

[twfish]

The last time the Steelers won a play off game? 2016

Last time the colts won a playoff game? 2018

food for thought

[Yoshinator]

10 hours 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. 

 

Here's the issue with this. None of this is with Chris Ballard (besides a couple winning seasons and one playoff win). You are naming great Colt history that has nothing to do with Ballard while he's been GM. It would be like the equivalent of a poker player bragging that his family won $10 million dollars in tournaments when his father won $9,999,000 of it and the son only won $1,000. That's the equivalent of what Ballard has done compared to Polian. Then, in my scenario, the son would brag that his family has $10 million in tournament winnings to cleverly hide that he's a bad poker player compared to his father. That's the comparison from Ballard to Polian in accomplishments that you're basically showing here. 

 

We can't trust that Ballard will ever be in the same league as those Manning and early Luck teams.

[harrisoncolts88]

6 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

Here's the issue with this. None of this is with Chris Ballard (besides a couple winning seasons and one playoff win). You are naming great Colt history that has nothing to do with Ballard while he's been GM. It would be like the equivalent of a poker player bragging that his family won $10 million dollars in tournaments when his father won $9,999,000 of it and the son only won $1,000. That's the equivalent of what Ballard has done compared to Polian. Then, in my scenario, the son would brag that his family has $10 million in tournament winnings to cleverly hide that he's a bad poker player compared to his father. That's the comparison from Ballard to Polian in accomplishments that you're basically showing here. 

 

We can't trust that Ballard will ever be in the same league as those Manning and early Luck teams.

You're right, we can't "trust" him on it. But we also don't know because he's never had a Manning. And the year he had Luck, I'd say that year went very well. Also if we are playing the hindsight game, put the Colts team with a Brissett in the early 2000s and I would doubt we would make the playoffs. The defense on those Colts teams in my opinion sucked. Yes they had Mathis and Freeney but needed the lead to be truly effective. Without the lead, they got gashed in the run game and the CBs always seemed to be getting abused

Edited January 16 by harrisoncolts88
grammar

[2006Coltsbestever]

7 minutes ago, twfish said:

The last time the Steelers won a play off game? 2016

Last time the colts won a playoff game? 2018

food for thought

Patriots haven't won a Playoff game since 2018 either when they won the SB.

[Yoshinator]

25 minutes ago, harrisoncolts88 said:

You're right, we can't "trust" him on it. But we also don't know because he's never had a Manning. And the year he had Luck, I'd say that year went very well. Also if we are playing the hindsight game, put the Colts team with a Brissett in the early 2000s and I would doubt we would make the playoffs. The defense on those Colts teams in my opinion sucked. Yes they had Mathis and Freeney but needed the lead to be truly effective. Without the lead, they got gashed in the run game and the CBs always seemed to be getting abused

There's probably 5 or so QBs as good as Manning in history. So Ballard will probably never have a QB as good as Manning. That's unrealistic. The year with Luck went very well and it's a what could have been. Here's the thing though. You make your own luck (no pun intended). Ballard had a few opportunities to draft a QB and move up. He chose not too. We've gotten unlucky with injuries yes, but we've also choked with Wentz and Minshew with one game to go to make the playoffs. The opportunities were there. 

 

He's also been too passive in FA. We rarely ever sign a big FA unless it's someone like Gilmore where there's no other suitors later on in FA. When you build primarily through the draft and are too passive, you give yourself less room for error, and that's where we are at. Maybe AR hits, but we've had to suffer through 7 years (including an unlucky year this year where AR was injured for the season) to have a shot at a franchise QB that may or may not happen. 

 

Ballard is a losing GM. Never won the division. 1 playoff win. I'm proud of what the Colts did under Manning, Polian, and then Luck, but Ballard had very little to do with that history besides 2018, and it's a bit disingenuous  to associate our winning history with today where we have a GM who has been the complete opposite of that. Love @2006Coltsbestever, but that post rubbed me the wrong way. It's a bad way to defend Ballard and this current organization today.

[Two_pound]

Dude, you need to become a steeler, or better yet, a cowboy fan so you will at least be able to listen to countless media jacks tell you how good your team is.

[2006Coltsbestever]

3 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

There's probably 5 or so QBs as good as Manning in history. So Ballard will probably never have a QB as good as Manning. That's unrealistic. The year with Luck went very well and it's a what could have been. Here's the thing though. You make your own luck (no pun intended). Ballard had a few opportunities to draft a QB and move up. He chose not too. We've gotten unlucky with injuries yes, but we've also choked with Wentz and Minshew with one game to go to make the playoffs. The opportunities were there. 

 

He's also been too passive in FA. We rarely ever sign a big FA unless it's someone like Gilmore where there's no other suitors later on in FA. When you build primarily through the draft and are too passive, you give yourself less room for error, and that's where we are at. Maybe AR hits, but we've had to suffer through 7 years (including an unlucky year this year where AR was injured for the season) to have a shot at a franchise QB that may or may not happen. 

 

Ballard is a losing GM. Never won the division. 1 playoff win. I'm proud of what the Colts did under Manning, Polian, and then Luck, but Ballard had very little to do with that history besides 2018, and it's a bit off to associate our winning history with today where we have a GM who has been the complete opposite of that. Love @2006Coltsbestever, but that post rubbed me the wrong way. It's a bad way to defend Ballard and this current organization today.

When Ballard had Luck, he went 10-6 and won a Playoff game. When he had Rivers, he went 11-5 and made the playoffs barely losing to a red-hot Bills team at Buffalo. 

[Yoshinator]

5 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

When Ballard had Luck, he went 10-6 and won a Playoff game. When he had Rivers, he went 11-5 and made the playoffs barely losing to a red-hot Bills team at Buffalo. 

I'm not doubting that. I will say most NFL coaches and GMs could have had a winning record with Luck though. Grigson dominated with Luck as the QB when the overall team was at its worst. Rivers was great in 2020 and that was a great year, but we had two years at best with Rivers and it was a short-term band-aid. Unfortunately, we only got one year out of him. What we have gotten in 7 years of Ballard isn't good enough. Sorry. He should be on the hot seat, and if we don't make the playoffs this year, Ballard should be fired. My patience is gone with him. Two out of the last three years we've choked with one game left when we could have made the playoffs. 

 

Mike McCarthy will probably get fired from the Cowboys for less than what Ballard has done. He has made the playoffs consistently. I realize he is a HC, but Ballard has had an extremely long leash. There needs to be some form of accountability. 

[harrisoncolts88]

Just now, Yoshinator said:

I'm not doubting that. I will say most NFL coaches and GMs could have had a winning record with Luck though. Grigson dominated with Luck as the QB when the team was at it's worst. Rivers was great in 2020 and that was a great year, but we had two years at best with Rivers and it was a short-term band-aid. Unfortunately, we only got one year out of him. What we have gotten in 7 years of Ballard isn't good enough. Sorry. He should be on the hot seat, and if we don't make the playoffs this year, Ballard should be fired. My patience is gone with him. Two out of the last three years we've choked with one game left when we could have made the playoffs. 

 

Mike McCarthy will probably get fired from the Cowboys for less than what Ballard has done. He has made the playoffs consistently. I realize he is a HC, but Ballard has had an extremely long leash. There needs to be some form of accountability. 

I think there is some form of accountability here. It's not like Irsay is saying drive the organization into the ground. There are a lot of things that Ballard could have/probably did for Frank and it didn't work. And a owner like Irsay probably knows who wanted and who was responsible (therefore some accountability was shown).

 

As for some of the stuff in previous message. Like Ballard being passive in FA, do we not remember the Polian days?!? I would say Ballard is ultimate aggressive there if we compared the two lol. And which QB's could he have moved up for? I'm sure someone is going to say Tua or Herbert, but you have no idea if those teams that got him, told the teams above them, that hey if you get an offer, give us a chance to beat it. I'm not a fanboy nor a hater of Ballard (somewhere in the middle), but try to look at these things with some sense of logic. Changing head coaches and GMs willy nilly, just cause less consistency and accountability in my mind. Getting rid of him when things don't "go our way" could mean the next owner wants a different defense scheme, therefore pushing out further and further rebuild. I think this long leash that Ballard has been given is kind of a breath of fresh air in the world of turning around a team.

 

Granted I do think like you, he probably does have a warm seat at least for this upcoming year. But there is no way we can't say Ballard has not at least built a more solid supporting cast team. If this would have been in 2005 and Manning would have been injuried like AR was, this year would have probably been 3-14 with the old regime (including the Luck regime).

[NewColtsFan]

2 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

I'm not doubting that. I will say most NFL coaches and GMs could have had a winning record with Luck though. Grigson dominated with Luck as the QB when the overall team was at its worst. Rivers was great in 2020 and that was a great year, but we had two years at best with Rivers and it was a short-term band-aid. Unfortunately, we only got one year out of him. What we have gotten in 7 years of Ballard isn't good enough. Sorry. He should be on the hot seat, and if we don't make the playoffs this year, Ballard should be fired. My patience is gone with him. Two out of the last three years we've choked with one game left when we could have made the playoffs. 

 

Mike McCarthy will probably get fired from the Cowboys for less than what Ballard has done. He has made the playoffs consistently. I realize he is a HC, but Ballard has had an extremely long leash. There needs to be some form of accountability. 

Jared….   I don’t think you’ll get your wish about Ballard getting one more year.  I think he’s tied to AR, and as long as the kid shows progress, I think CB is safe, up to a point.  
 

I think Ballard gets at least two more years.  At that point, we will all know more about AR and if he’s the future of the Colts.  If AR is the future, I think CB is safe, if not I think the Ballard era will end. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

17 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

I'm not doubting that. I will say most NFL coaches and GMs could have had a winning record with Luck though. Grigson dominated with Luck as the QB when the overall team was at its worst. Rivers was great in 2020 and that was a great year, but we had two years at best with Rivers and it was a short-term band-aid. Unfortunately, we only got one year out of him. What we have gotten in 7 years of Ballard isn't good enough. Sorry. He should be on the hot seat, and if we don't make the playoffs this year, Ballard should be fired. My patience is gone with him. Two out of the last three years we've choked with one game left when we could have made the playoffs. 

 

Mike McCarthy will probably get fired from the Cowboys for less than what Ballard has done. He has made the playoffs consistently. I realize he is a HC, but Ballard has had an extremely long leash. There needs to be some form of accountability. 

Trust me, I am sick of not making the playoffs and not going deep in the playoffs, but I don't lay all the blame on Ballard like many do. That is where we differ. Ballard deserves some blame but from the way some post in here, he is a terrible GM. That is what annoys people in here as well. Did Ballard drop a pass last week that could've won the Division? Did Ballard lose 2 straight games in 2021 against teams we should have beat because of the roster he built. 

[harrisoncolts88]

2 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Trust me, I am sick of not making the playoffs and not going deep in the playoffs, but I don't lay all the blame on Ballard like many do. That is where we differ. Ballard deserves some blame but from the way some post in here, he is a terrible GM. That is what annoys in here as well. Did Ballard drop a pass last week that could've won the Division? Did Ballard lose 2 straight games in 2021 against teams we should have beat because of the roster he built. 

Yes, if you go back and watch that replay and squint your eyes real hard, you will see that #31 says Ballard on the back of that jersey. Just trust me and not go back and watch that replay

[ColtStrong2013]

5 minutes ago, harrisoncolts88 said:

Changing head coaches and GMs willy nilly, just cause less consistency and accountability in my mind. Getting rid of him when things don't "go our way" could mean the next owner wants a different defense scheme, therefore pushing out further and further rebuild. I think this long leash that Ballard has been given is kind of a breath of fresh air in the world of turning around a team.

 

This is how I feel. I have been called a "ballard fangirl" a few times on this forum. But I can at least understand the frustration from colts fans regarding him and the lack of playoff competitiveness. I think Ballard is probably his own biggest critic. That's what you want in a GM, someone who can learn from their mistakes. I think growing is a huge part of football. He's shown me over the past season alone that he's trying to focus hard on the premium positions, but he's sticking to his process which is largely drafting and retaining those players. That process is what got him hired by Irsay, which some on this forum seem to forget. Irsay bought into the idea of it going to take time and requiring patience. 

 

My education and career has been in management. It's not for the faint of heart. I think for me, I just appreciate being willing to be patient and develop a core of players that will ideally lead the Indianapolis Colts to a run of 5-10 years of highly competitive football. After Luck retired, it wasn't there... Finding and developing a QB, receiver, left tackle, edge rusher, and strong cornerbacks aren't easy. None of those things were handed to Ballard and it's been a hell of a time getting any single one of them. Some of those pieces seem to be coming together. We might be a few of many that think that statement you made that is in bold, but I would rather wait and see what this young core develops into over the next few years, than to start all over and find out that they are legit, but our new GM is dog crap...

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Trust me, I am sick of not making the playoffs and not going deep in the playoffs, but I don't lay all the blame on Ballard like many do. That is where we differ. Ballard deserves some blame but from the way some post in here, he is a terrible GM. That is what annoys in here as well. Did Ballard drop a pass last week that could've won the Division? Did Ballard lose 2 straight games in 2021 against teams we should have beat because of the roster he built. 

I mean, by that logic, no GM or Coach should get fired because it's the players that choke and they are the only ones who should get punished. The players we have wouldn't be there unless Ballard signed them. He determines the team we have on the field for the most part. In return, those players determine the outcome of games along with the coaching they get. If Ballard would have brought in different players, we probably would have different outcomes (for better or worse). Based on the players Ballard brought in, these are our results from 2017-2023. Based on that, Ballard is a bad GM IMO.

[2006Coltsbestever]

6 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

I mean, by that logic, no GM or Coach should get fired because it's the players that choke and they are the only ones who should get punished. The players we have wouldn't be there unless Ballard signed them. He determines the team we have on the field for the most part. In return, those players determine the outcome of games along with the coaching they get. If Ballard would have brought in different players, we probably would have different outcomes (for better or worse). Based on the players Ballard brought in, these are our results from 2017-2023. Based on that, Ballard is a bad GM IMO.

It works both ways, do you think Polian was a terrible GM in Buffalo because they never won a SB? Polian is why Norwood was their FG kicker. So, it was Polian's fault that Norwood missed a kick to win a SB. How about the GM of the Dolphins, is it his fault that Dan Marino never won a SB. He took Duper and Clayton and hired Shula. Is it Ballard's fault that Luck retired, and which really screwed things up for a few years in reality?

[ColtStrong2013]

9 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

I mean, by that logic, no GM or Coach should get fired because it's the players that choke and they are the only ones who should get punished. The players we have wouldn't be there unless Ballard signed them. He determines the team we have on the field for the most part. In return, those players determine the outcome of games along with the coaching they get. If Ballard would have brought in different players, we probably would have different outcomes (for better or worse). Based on the players Ballard brought in, these are our results from 2017-2023. Based on that, Ballard is a bad GM IMO.

there’s an entire discussion going on in “Kudos to Raimann” thread regarding being “lucky” with picking players. You should check it out and offer thoughts. As it relates to this, I can’t help but respond that Ballard hasn’t been a “bad gm.” He hasn’t, or else we wouldn’t have made a few playoffs, had all pro players, and have been a play or two away from even more playoff births/even a division title or two… Based on that fact and the fact that he’s not had “luck” at getting the qb position figured out (which, let’s be honest, it’s usually luck, unless you have the #1 pick, which is still not an exact science)- he’s not been bad, he’s just had bad luck leading to mediocrity, as some say on here… 

[Yoshinator]

Just now, 2006Coltsbestever said:

It works both ways, do you think Polian was a terrible GM in Buffalo because they never won a SB? Polian is why Norwood was their FG kicker. So, it was Polian's fault that Norwood missed a kick to win a SB. How about the GM of the Dolphins, is it his fault that Dan Marino never won a SB. He took Duper and Clayton and hired Shula. Is it Ballard's fault that Luck retired, and which really screwed things up for a few years in reality?

If Ballard ends up randomly making 4 SBs in his career as GM for the Colts but loses all of them, I would say he is a great GM and got extremely unlucky. Everyone would be disappointed we didn't win a SB, but no one would say Ballard is a bad GM. He got his team to those SBs and lost. It was unlucky, but he put his team in a great position 4 times on the Bills and it didn't work out. Ballard can only dream of that. 

 

It is partly the Dolphins GM fault that Marino never won a SB. I'm not qualified to speak about those 80s and 90 Dolphins teams with Marino, but Marino was a generational QB and there was no excuse why you couldn't win a SB or make more than 1 with a QB like that. That was terrible. He had the right coach in Shula, but the team was never good enough around Marino. 

 

It isn't Ballard's fault Luck retired, but it is Ballard's fault that he never was aggressive going after a QB and went the veteran route until 2023. He caved in to Reich and that was a terrible idea. You can say it's hindsight, but it's basic info that the best way to get a franchise QB is through the draft. All GMs know this, and the stats show that this happens more often than not.

5 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

there’s an entire discussion going on in “Kudos to Raimann” thread regarding being “lucky” with picking players. You should check it out and offer thoughts. As it relates to this, I can’t help but respond that Ballard hasn’t been a “bad gm.” He hasn’t, or else we wouldn’t have made a few playoffs, had all pro players, and have been a play or two away from even more playoff births/even a division title or two… Based on that fact and the fact that he’s not had “luck” at getting the qb position figured out (which, let’s be honest, it’s usually luck, unless you have the #1 pick, which is still not an exact science)- he’s not been bad, he’s just had bad luck leading to mediocrity, as some say on here… 

I'll look at the thread, I loved the Raimann pick and thought it was good value. He's done a great job developing.

[ColtStrong2013]

3 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

He caved in to Reich and that was a terrible idea. You can say it's hindsight, but it's basic info that the best way to get a franchise QB is through the draft. All GMs know this, and the stats show that this happens more often than not

We don’t know this. By all accounts, he didn’t cave, Irsay did. And the postseason apology by Reich to Irsay pleading for his job and the abrupt midseason firing of him/continued support of Ballard at GM tells me everything I need to know regarding that.

 

i don’t think it’s ironic that after Frank was fired, Ballard drafted a quarterback… 

[Yoshinator]

2 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

We don’t know this. By all accounts, he didn’t cave, Irsay did. And the postseason apology by Reich to Irsay pleading for his job and the abrupt midseason firing of him/continued support of Ballard at GM tells me everything I need to know regarding that.

 

i don’t think it’s ironic that after Frank was fired, Ballard drafted a quarterback… 

Thanks for telling me this. I was under the assumption it was Reichs fault because he wanted Wentz in 2021 and Ryan in 2022 (I think Ballard wanted Rivers). Then I'm annoyed at Irsay for this then. Reich was a bad HC, but I guess Irsay is at fault for the veteran QBs.

[ColtStrong2013]

2 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

Thanks for telling me this. I was under the assumption it was Reichs fault because he wanted Wentz in 2021 and Ryan in 2022 (I think Ballard wanted Rivers). Then I'm annoyed at Irsay for this then. Reich was a bad HC, but I guess Irsay is at fault for the veteran QBs.

I can’t say regarding Ryan. But it’s well known and documented on Reich’s apology for Wentz. I think Ballard obviously was hopeful, but if he had his hands tied when he preferred to look at the draft for a qb that offseason, then it’s 100% on Irsay.  Even looking back at those years, they were really weak qb classes. 2022 especially. There wasn’t many options, that’s for sure. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

24 minutes ago, Yoshinator said:

Thanks for telling me this. I was under the assumption it was Reichs fault because he wanted Wentz in 2021 and Ryan in 2022 (I think Ballard wanted Rivers). Then I'm annoyed at Irsay for this then. Reich was a bad HC, but I guess Irsay is at fault for the veteran QBs.

I know Reich wanted Wentz because he said it publicly and even talked about how great their relationship was. That he could resurrect his career.

[OLD FAN MAN]

1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

It works both ways, do you think Polian was a terrible GM in Buffalo because they never won a SB? Polian is why Norwood was their FG kicker. So, it was Polian's fault that Norwood missed a kick to win a SB. How about the GM of the Dolphins, is it his fault that Dan Marino never won a SB. He took Duper and Clayton and hired Shula. Is it Ballard's fault that Luck retired, and which really screwed things up for a few years in reality?

i cant make excuses for ballards poor record. i want the colts to win our division again not another third place finish helped by an easy schedule. the luck qb excuse is getting old, in 7 years he has not moved up to take a chance on a qb, in 2020 he traded our first round pick for buckner,  qbs in the draft in 2020 were burrow, hurts, herbert, tua, and love, ballard picked eason. ballard had a chance to get the colts a qb he chose instead to go with old declining qbs rather than move up and take a chance.  love he passed by completely . he should have picked a qb in 2020 and should have been fired for not doing that.

[Dingus McGirt]

Whom.Would.You.Replace.Ballard.With?

[ADnum1]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

Jared….   I don’t think you’ll get your wish about Ballard getting one more year.  I think he’s tied to AR, and as long as the kid shows progress, I think CB is safe, up to a point.  
 

I think Ballard gets at least two more years.  At that point, we will all know more about AR and if he’s the future of the Colts.  If AR is the future, I think CB is safe, if not I think the Ballard era will end. 

On this we agree.

 

Ballard is tied to the success of AR.  If AR is a bust, Ballard will be fired.  If AR is a huge success, Ballard will get several more years.

 

But Ballard has his work cut out for him in next year's draft and FA period.

 

I suggest he follow the Eagles template and I'm hoping Shane throws some of his weight around having influence on picks and free agents.

 

Ballard will have to;

 

- Find two number 1 receivers like AJ Brown and Devante Smith.  Is Pittman one of the number 1's ?

- Fix the Oline or the tackle position.  Should we be drafting Kelly's replacement ?  He only has one year on his contract.

- Get a great pass rusher

- Get a good backup RB

 

Ballard has to do everything in his power to help AR be successful.

 

The last thing we want is the Oline collapsing and our receivers can't get separation and AR takes off running.

 

Too much running leads to the injuries.

[Mitch Connors]

In my mind sustaining success in the NFL is like three sides of a triangle: Coaching, GM, and Quarterback and you need all three to have a stable structure.

 

The bad teams have one or none, the continually good teams have two, and the SB contenders have all 3:

 

 The 49ers have had coaching and GM for 4-5 years. Add a QB this year that could equal all 3 and a SB win. 

 We thought the Eagles had all three but it's looking like the coaching arm may have left last year. 

 The Colts had all 3 with Manning, Polian, and Dungy.

 The Pats with Brady, Belicheck and Belicheck. The Pats lost two sides in Brady and GM Belicheck and they now suck. 

 

Every once in a while, a team can win with just 2 of the 3 but its very rare and its typically because their okish QB played like an all-timer (Flacco, Eli, etc).

[OLD FAN MAN]

13 minutes ago, Dingus McGirt said:

Whom.Would.You.Replace.Ballard.With?

belichick

[ColtStrong2013]

13 minutes ago, Dingus McGirt said:

Whom.Would.You.Replace.Ballard.With?

No one can answer that question. The ones calling for his removal can’t even entertain the concept that the replacement could be really bad… I’m thankful those individuals aren’t making the decisions for the company I work for and those that I’m invested in, that’s for sure.