Chris Ballard: Redfining what Success means in the NFL

[NewColtsFan]

4 hours ago, CoachLite said:

I would say "hire the best who's available for the job". If all the good / great GM candidates are gone, you're stuck hiring someone like Grigson (or maybe someone from this forum).

 

I often wonder, who's the best candidate to hire for an impossible job? Someone who can make the impossible, possible?

How did we get to this being an impossible job?    

[NewColtsFan]

2 hours ago, RollerColt said:

Am I the only one who really hopes AR and Steichen end up being a success story and this hypothetical Ballard firing doesn’t happen? 

No, not at all!   I’m knee deep in these discussions because the idea was floated what happens if AR doesn’t work out?   I thought it was important that me as a high profile admirer of Ballard would publicly say that I think Ballard would and should be fired.   
 

Of course that led to me saying I thought there would be a decision to hire Dodds or Brown to replace Ballard.  Which led to some saying if Ballard goes they don’t want him replaced in-house.   All must go.  I’ve been trying to convince that group that while going outside to replace your GM is the normal way it’s done in the NFL, for the Colts it may not be the best way to proceed.   And that’s where we are.   
 

Hope that explains….  
 

But clearly I’m with you in spirit.  Not only do I support Ballard, AR has become my new favorite Colt.  A great kid who is easy to root for!   

[ColtStrong2013]

Also- 

 

happy birthday Chris Ballard. 

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, Superman said:

 

Pete Ward would be very involved.

 

I have to admit, I don't understand this conversation. First, Ballard will be the GM for the foreseeable future. Long enough for Steichen to be evaluated fairly, which probably coincides with Richardson's development. And it's my hope that they all succeed together.

 

Second, I don't think Irsay or whoever is making decisions in the future would hold back from replacing a GM because they're trying to avoid the inconvenience of replacing him or his staff. When Grigson was hired, it took him over a year to rework his staff, culminating in the hiring of Jimmy Raye. When Ballard was hired, he kept Jimmy Raye and Grigson's staff through his first draft, and then hired his own staff that summer. And of course, he didn't hire a new HC until the following season. These transitions required a lot of work and took some time, but that's what needed to happen.

 

If Ballard got fired, the Colts would hire whoever they think is best to replace him, whether it's an internal candidate or someone else. I think an external candidate would be most likely, but I don't think guys like Dodds and Brown would be excluded from consideration. Whoever they'd hire would then be allowed to re-staff the front office as they see fit. It might not happen right away, but the new GM would be given the chance to succeed.

 

Ultimately, I still find it mind boggling that Ballard's future is so hotly debated. I understood this as the team was falling apart in 2022. Since then, I think it's clear that Ballard was allowed to reset the operation, and will be here at least long enough for the new HC and QB to be established and evaluated. And if they all succeed, like everyone should hope, he'll probably be here even longer. 

Hey….  Good of you to weigh in.   I chalk most of this up to typical off-season chatter.  It’s slow and people float hypotheticals….  What if this happens?  What if that happens?  Just making conversation. 
 

Small favor….   I don’t want to repeat a long explanation of why and how we got here that I just wrote to Roller Colt.   If you’d please take a look at that, that would save all a lot of unnecessary overlap.  Shouldn’t be hard to find.   Hope my request makes sense?   If not, please ask me a follow-up and we’ll go from there. 
 

Many thanks.  

[Superman]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

Hey….  Good of you to weigh in.   I chalk most of this up to typical off-season chatter.  It’s slow and people float hypotheticals….  What if this happens?  What if that happens?  Just making conversation. 
 

Small favor….   I don’t want to repeat a long explanation of why and how we got here that I just wrote to Roller Colt.   If you’d please take a look at that, that would save all a lot of unnecessary overlap.  Shouldn’t be hard to find.   Hope my request makes sense?   If not, please ask me a follow-up and we’ll go from there. 
 

Many thanks.  

 

Yeah I read it, I think I get it. I know it's the offseason and there's little to talk about. It just seems like a lot of dogmatic discussion about a hypothetical outcome which hinges on other hypothetical outcomes, especially with how convinced people seem to be about the way these hypotheticals would/should play out. JMO.

[CoachLite]

2 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

How did we get to this being an impossible job?    

It's only impossible if fans expect perfection. It seems some fans do.

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, Superman said:

 

Yeah I read it, I think I get it. I know it's the offseason and there's little to talk about. It just seems like a lot of dogmatic discussion about a hypothetical outcome which hinges on other hypothetical outcomes, especially with how convinced people seem to be about the way these hypotheticals would/should play out. JMO.

Well….  I’ve been very involved in these conversations.  So to the extent you’re bothered by them then I’m happy to apologize to you.    Not my intention to bother anyone.   Just off-season conversation.  I think they’ve been mostly respectful. 
 

Clearly I admire Ballard, Dodds and Brown.  
Like everyone here,  we want to see the Colts succeed so these conversations eventually become meaningless.  
 

After last years enjoyable season, (for me at least) I’m looking forward to an even more enjoyable season this year.  

[GoColts8818]

6 hours ago, RollerColt said:

Am I the only one who really hopes AR and Steichen end up being a success story and this hypothetical Ballard firing doesn’t happen? 

You mean a fan cheering for his team to succeed?  Come on now you know that’s not aloud…

 

[Superman]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

Well….  I’ve been very involved in these conversations.  So to the extent you’re bothered by them then I’m happy to apologize to you.    Not my intention to bother anyone.   Just off-season conversation.  I think they’ve been mostly respectful. 
 

Clearly I admire Ballard, Dodds and Brown.  
Like everyone here,  we want to see the Colts succeed so these conversations eventually become meaningless.  
 

After last years enjoyable season, (for me at least) I’m looking forward to an even more enjoyable season this year.  

 

I'm not necessarily bothered by it. I was beginning to wonder how long the cycle would continue, though. Like you said, hopefully this whole thing is rendered moot this upcoming season.

[Moosejawcolt]

On 6/20/2024 at 8:02 AM, 2006Coltsbestever said:

For some reason, many don't understand that the QB makes the Coach and GM. Had Ballard had Andrew Luck all these years he would have a SB win by now and be way above .500 as a GM. 

 

Look how great a Coach Andy Reid was in Philly and his first few years in KC (won a lot of games). He even had good QB's in McNabb and Alex Smith and didn't win a SB. Not until Mahomes came along is when everyone labeled him a Top 5 Coach ever. Without acquiring Mahomes, KC would be another dot on the map, and their FO would be similar to ours. = FACTS!

 

Without Brady, Belichick would be just another good Coach.

Oh brother. Bill won championships when Brady was a game manager in the early years. They had a drought of not winning and those were Brady's best year's statistically. People just cant admit that it comes down to more than just one piece. You most likely win a Superbowl due to great coaching, drafting, free agency, and great qb play that all come together in that one year. It is all of those things coming together to win the championship

[jvan1973]

38 minutes ago, Moosejawcolt said:

Oh brother. Bill won championships when Brady was a game manager in the early years. They had a drought of not winning and those were Brady's best year's statistically. People just cant admit that it comes down to more than just one piece. You most likely win a Superbowl due to great coaching, drafting, free agency, and great qb play that all come together in that one year. It is all of those things coming together to win the championship

History says you win with a great qb or a great defense.  A great d hasn't won in a long time.   What does that leave??

[ColtStrong2013]

11 hours ago, Superman said:

Pete Ward would be very involved

honestly, how long do you think Pete stays on? He’s going into his, what 44/45th season with the Colts? if anyone wants to see continuity right now, it’s Pete… 

[2006Coltsbestever]

8 hours ago, Moosejawcolt said:

Oh brother. Bill won championships when Brady was a game manager in the early years. They had a drought of not winning and those were Brady's best year's statistically. People just cant admit that it comes down to more than just one piece. You most likely win a Superbowl due to great coaching, drafting, free agency, and great qb play that all come together in that one year. It is all of those things coming together to win the championship

Brady wasn't Brady of 2007 and beyond but he was more than a game manager in 2001, 2003-2004. He was great in all of those 4th Qtrs in those SBs. Nothing against Alex Smith, he was good but he was a game manager. Put Alex Smith on those Patriots teams, I am not sure they win in those years. In 2003 and 2004, Peyton would not of lost to prime Alex Smith. 

[ColtStrong2013]

10 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Brady wasn't Brady of 2007 and beyond but he was more than a game manager in 2001, 2003-2004. He was great in all of those 4th Qtrs in those SBs. Nothing against Alex Smith, he was good but he was a game manager. Put Alex Smith on those Patriots teams, I am not sure they win in those years. In 2003 and 2004, Peyton would not of lost to prime Alex Smith. 

2003-04 playoffs, New England scored one touchdown in a 24-14 win… the rest were field goals and a safety. Alex Smith at qb (or anyone for that matter) wouldn’t have made a difference in Peyton throwing 4 interceptions. 

[Superman]

14 hours ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

honestly, how long do you think Pete stays on? He’s going into his, what 44/45th season with the Colts? if anyone wants to see continuity right now, it’s Pete… 

 

He joined the team as an intern in 1981. So yeah, more than 40 years with the team. How long he will stay, I have no idea. He might retire tomorrow... I'm not sure how old he is, seems like he'd be a few years older than Irsay, so maybe close to 70? He seems to be very important to Irsay, for obvious reasons. He's the one who made the 911 call when Irsay was hospitalized a few months ago. He was standing at Irsay's side when he made his comments about Dan Snyder. He's been involved in all the big hires for decades, including Steichen a year ago. 

 

I brought Ward up in response to the idea that Irsay might not be up for an exhaustive executive search, and that maybe the Irsay daughters aren't 'ready' to fill that role if he has to take a step back. In that scenario, if that were happening in the next year or two -- which seems to be the timeline on which people want Ballard to be evaluated -- I think Ward would still be involved, and would help bridge any gap that might exist. 

 

Personally, I don't know if any of that is relevant. We might not be sure that the daughters are ready, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they are. At least two of them seem to be involved in the day to day, and Carlie especially seems to be preparing for a big role in the operation. She was the main point person back in 2014 when Irsay was in rehab and then suspended. She walks the sidelines on gameday with a walkie and a clipboard, she sits on league committees, and she was heavily involved in the coaching search last year. So in the event Jim has to take a step back -- which is an understandable concern, but also seems premature right now -- I would assume that Carlie would be the new CEO/chair. And even if that happened tomorrow, I don't think that would be the end of the world.

[ColtStrong2013]

8 hours ago, Superman said:

Personally, I don't know if any of that is relevant. We might not be sure that the daughters are ready, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they are. At least two of them seem to be involved in the day to day, and Carlie especially seems to be preparing for a big role in the operation. She was the main point person back in 2014 when Irsay was in rehab and then suspended. She walks the sidelines on gameday with a walkie and a clipboard, she sits on league committees, and she was heavily involved in the coaching search last year. So in the event Jim has to take a step back -- which is an understandable concern, but also seems premature right now -- I would assume that Carlie would be the new CEO/chair. And even if that happened tomorrow, I don't think that would be the end of the world.

 

Oh I think they are ready. They are right in the thick of it. Well educated and smart women. They are more in tune with the Indianapolis Colts than all of the new ownership in the league is with their respective franchises. I'm not concerned in the least with these ladies taking over moving forward. I think it's a great thing and speaks to the stability that the organization is preaching and looking to build.