Ballard season end press conference
 

Comments from Ballard's season end press conference:

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...73333406146561

https://twitter.com/zkeefer/status/1481675714403393548

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...74021448130564

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...83580657061890

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...76080096362502

https://twitter.com/zkeefer/status/1481676832428732425

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...78062190317575

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...78222127415296

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...79132589277186

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...84487113261063

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...80604500537344

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...88823847346184

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...85200086130692

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...80425466609668

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...82367043493888

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...82709785235457

https://twitter.com/JoelAErickson/st...85936182284289

That’s quite a bit less than a ringing endorsement of Wentz. Which is encouraging.

If they try starting Pryor at left tackle I’m going find Ballard and kick him in the balls.

His tone when he discussed Wentz would not make me comfortable if I were Wentz. From Wentz' previous history of being so mentally fragile it will be interesting to see how the douche reacts. It sound like no decision on Wentz has been made (a good thing) but I would guess that Ballard is leaning towards cutting him (just my take) but how Wentz reacts will have a huge bearing on it. Ballard took a chance, knew it was a chance and it didn't work out as any of us wanted.

I'm starting to get tired of Ballard. It's been five years and we haven't even won the division. We're turning into the Pacers.

Big Lots is still Big Lots no matter the nice couches and yard amenities you put in the front of the store.

Dude loves him some Big Lots furniture and isn't concerned that the table legs snap after 3 months of use.

He needs to go too.

thanks for putting that together. I watched/listened and my takeaways were:

Ballard (and probably reich) are not happy with the wentz experiment. The "make the layups" comment was very telling imo. He mentioned asking the honest and hard questions, about stability at QB position and although its a team game that particular position is crucial. On the flip side, ballard also talked about our rush to cancel someone based on a failure and not to make emotional decisions. This makes me think they will take a hard look at replacing wentz but will most likely come down to what options are available to them.

He is scared of burning JT out. Mentioned that to win the QB will need to make passes, cant strictly rely on run game. Also specifically talked how hines needs more touches, even quoted numbers.

The comments on LT means to me they will not be handing fisher a long term contract.

I did not really like his comments on the receivers. He seems to think more highly of the non-pittman receivers than many of us.

I thought the moment he mentioned Luck, quickly realized the situation and joking said he wont field any questions, was pretty humorous.

Although he said there will not really be a FA philosophy change, I felt like he realizes he may need to dip into that well a bit more.

Haven't listened yet, but just reading the excerpts... I'm glad he seems firm on Reich and Nelson, acknowledges Wentz being an issue not worth committing to, and seems to acknowledge Fisher isn't the answer at LT.

And they could afford better furniture but they keep carrying that surplus to the next year. I guess it makes them feel all warm and good inside. (That's what she said)

Spot on

I think Chris Ballard read Donnie Walsh's book entitled "Owners Love Winners, Even Without Championships"!:D

I think that we were pretty close to reaching the cap this year.

More like Donnie Baker. We have a good team I swear to god

“Let’s make the layups.”
-Ballard to Wentz


After his comments, you can't think that Wentz is going to be back.

Blah blah bullshit bullshit blah

Let’s see what you do to fix your fuck ups.

Bet he is. Bet him and Frank got together and he showed Frank here Fisher missed this block and how Hines didn't chip right and how Doyle should have blocked down but went into the flat etc...

And then Frank went to Irsay directly and told him to release everyone but Carson.

What surplus????

The Colts had to restructure Ryan Kelly's deal at the start of the season and TY Hilton's contract during the season just to stay under the cap.

This year was a bit unusual, however, because the salary cap unexpectedly dropped about $16M due to COVID-19.

I guess I must have listened to a different presser than most of the freaks. I thought Ballard was pissed beyond belief. He was entirely appropriate both emotionally and factually. The fact that he is getting ripped for how this team is built and still won't back down will piss some off, I love it. He has a developed philosophy that he believes in. It provides continuity for a team over the long haul. Won't make decisions until he has calmed down. Another excellent trait. I'm looking forward to the off season. It will be interesting and controversial no matter what we do. I still like the guy as the GM, a lot.

agree. well said.

Well this seems to fly in the face of the "we're lucky to have him" comment re: Frank.

The Colts played with the lead for more minutes than some of the top Super Bowl contenders — but missed the playoffs.

They played with the lead for 562 minutes this season, more than the Packers (521) or Titans (490), the top seeds in their respective conferences. The Colts managed to lose games where they had leads of 19 (Ravens), 14 (Titans) and 10 (Buccaneers).

Ballard took the blame and laid out what needs to be done. First part is hard personally. The second will be hard due to the salary cap/rules. Its not impossible. The wildcards are people and their ability to meet expectations

Sorry, but you are a moron.

And some morons (you) are saying that Ballard needs to go. :rolleyes:

I just finished listening and sure enough... tone and inflection make a difference. I actually thought he sounded even more disappointed and resigned than it read. Resigned to the fact that they took a shot with Wentz and it didn't work. And even further; the way he talked about Wentz's problems made them sound like uncoachable mental issues. Reading the transcript made it seem like he was saying the opposite.

Also, he likes our D scheme and made a compelling case for it going from Indy back to Chicago. Big issue is pass rush (no surprise) and corner.

Also likes our WRs. And after watching Warner's film study, for that game at least, they did seem like they were getting open more than I expected. Brought up how Luck and Rivers did so well with Reich's system by, among other things, getting the ball out quickly. Another specific indictment of Wentz.

I watched it,

Dudes a stand up straight up guy and I respect it

Says he’s not changing the type of players he goes after and he does go after free agents but he’s not gonna over pay it all depends on the player

I know JMV has been talking about moving Nelson to LT for awhile now and that was funny he was definitely taking a shot at JMV with the comment about why would you move a hall of fame guard I was laughing my ass off

I get the feeling if they can get a better QB somehow then Wentz is done I’m not sure about contracts and trades and all that

Well said. I happen to agree on Ballard. I think he’s up there in Polian territory, personally.

He’s just stuck in quarterback purgatory like Frank Reich and the rest of us.

I firmly believe that this team would have been a 1 or 2 seed with Rivers at quarterback. No doubt in my mind.

Overall I like Ballard and I respect that he has a plan - I just don’t agree with it. Never have. His plan belongs in a different era. He can’t fix all the holes on this team through the draft. He shouldn’t make decisions based on emotion. But he should make them based on reality. The reality is he has been building his way for 5 years and he has a 9-8 football team. That is with him actually being a pretty damn good talent evaluator. It simply doesn’t work. You can’t play for the future every year and win in the present.

Lack of pass rush and a D that lives only on turnovers will do that to you.

So will having a quarterback who cannot play in the face of adversity.

I believe in his plan. We tried it the 'modern' way with great QBs and not putting resources into the lines. We had a good run but got one championship in 20 or so years with Manning/Luck. I agree with everyone that QB and pass rush are what is really holding us back (I don't like our wr group much but think they are third on this list and the easiest to fix). Being in QB hell is a bitch. We need to find a way out and none of us has any idea whatsoever as to what to do. There are no sure things at QB available. We need to get lucky.

I believe in his idea of investment in the lines - that’s not the issue. The issue is his constant focus on the future. The modern NFL, in my opinion, is about maximizing 2-3 years windows. Not being pretty good for 10-12. I find your complaint about the past ironic because that’s exactly what I compare Ballard’s methods too - Bill Polian. And I’ll add Ted Thompson. Teams that have had the most important part (QB) in place and under achieved.

The methods are slightly different but the goals are the same - long term consistency. Long term very goodness. When you are overly concerned about 4 years from now you don’t maximize this year. But you are competing with teams who do. You go in to every season then at a disadvantage for the ultimate goal. Irsay is not going to get his goal of multiple championships in the next decade without taking risks. He didn’t get it with Peyton freaking Manning. He’s sure as hell not going to get it playing it safe every year with Carson Wentz, Jascoby Brisett, or Philip Rivers’ cadaver. Ballard is going to give really good talented teams that always fall short.

Excellent point rm1369. I misunderstood and agree with you on this completely.

What would have you done at QB?

Oh you know... Pluck one from that big ass Quarterback tree all the other teams are getting their Elite QBs from:D

Seriously not many teams have good to great QBs... Rarely do teams like the Colts get them back to back.

In hindsight maybe we should have gone all in on Stafford.

I said it elsewhere and I’ll say it here-literally nothing else matters but solving the quarterback position. If it takes trading Q and Darius to get it done, that’s what has to be done.

I don't know. Maybe I'm the weird one, but...

Let's look at 1999-2015 (from Manning to Luck falling apart). I much prefer that I was a Colts fan as opposed to a Giants fan. We went to two Super Bowls and won one. They went to three Super Bowls and won two.

But... the Giants also missed the playoffs 10 seasons in that span. Seven losing seasons, two more 8-8 seasons. Reached double-digit wins 6 times. That's a lot of time wallowing in irrelevancy. We've had 4 of those seasons since 2015 (arguably 5) and they're awful seasons to sit through.

In contrast, I had a blast watching the Colts basically every season during that span aside from 2001 when both Edge's knee and Mora's brain blew out and then in 2011 when Manning's head got too heavy. Aside from those seasons, the Colts we're among the elite teams year in and year out.

Again, maybe I'm the weird one.

Let me be clear - my point isn’t to criticize what Ballard has done at QB. Lucks retirement screwed him. My point is only that in my view, his method has shown that, even with a dominant QB, not risking the long term for a better short term peak hasn’t been extremely successful. So how is it going to work on a team that likely won’t have that level of QB? It won’t, IMO.

To answer the question though, my position has been that they identify who their guy is and go get him. No BS half measures of mediocre guys while they look. Pay the price for who you want. Two off-seasons ago I suggested trading one or both of their seconds for future firsts to help build ammo for a trade up last draft. That means either no Pittman, no Taylor, or both. Steep price, no doubt. This off-season I said I’d have traded for Darnold - cheaper and less injury prone. Almost certainly a bust here as well though.

I won’t pretend I have a sure fire answer, although in hindsight I like either of my two solutions better than theirs. But again, I’m not criticizing Ballard for Wentz being QB. They did what I suggested - went and got their guy. I’m criticizing him for the rest of the roster building. The one that had a pass rush with no one with double digit sacks for their career. The one that is leaving a huge hole at LT even though we’ve seen the issue coming for several years. The one where it feels like year 10 of being under manned at WR. Those are moves that are indicative of his building style. Place holders until he can draft a permanent guy two years from now. Where free agency is only used to pick through left overs or sign a “no risk” one year vet.

In hindsight the cap money may not have worked out.

I think the Colts best option is to build a team that mirrors the 2012 Ravens, strong defense, strong running back, serviceable QB...Flacco was smart, didn't usually beat himself, but he was not elite in my opinion. The Colts are closer to that model than trying to build from the QB down. Colts need a Flacco type and add a stud or two on defense, and they can win it all!

Without a doubt they could make the cap work if they wanted to. There is a lot of flexibility in the cap. They just would have paid for it in later years. A trade off Ballard won’t make. I’m not judging if it would have been worth it or not. I’m just saying it was a choice they made.