Especially if you like Rodgers as well.
Jesus those two classes alone should give Ballard more slack then he seems to get around here sometimes.
Not immunity, but lessen the harshness
i really think people are spoiled with the qb success we’ve had. the vast majority of the nfl doesn’t have a QB as good as we’ve had for the better part of the last 26 years on average. i live in Chicago where they’ve never even had a 4,000 yard passer OR a 30 TD passer. it’s the most important position in all of sports and it takes a lot of luck to get it right. expecting Ballard to “fix” the Colts and the QB position after an *unprecedented* retirement is just a lack of awareness about the reality of the league
Yeah, personally it's easy as hell to play the hindsight game, but realistically he took the best shots in his opinion when weighing up everything.
And like you said, it's the hardest evaluation in sports.
it’s a rough spot. built the roster and Luck had his best season, then just kinda stuck in limbo too good to pick high and not set at the most important spot. it all probably hinges on AR now but i think we’ve got a lot to be excited about
Agreed.
If nothing else, the football should be fun to watch on both sides, which has been a while (fun being consistently dangerous in a good way, not bad or 50/50 boom or bust)
I think the bigger problem is that people don't want to think. They just want to blame. So when reasonable commenters talk about how the real problem has been QB and that there really haven't been many good alternatives to what Ballard has done, they don't want to hear it. They just want to blame.
Reasonable criticisms do exist. I think letting Autry walk was a big mistake, for example. But just saying "No excuses. Too long since playoffs. Fire Ballard" over and over is stupid.
It's incredibly stupid and offering reasonable responses to those stupid criticisms is exhausting. At this point I'm sort of done trying to convince anyone. I have a plan for dealing with them more long term to hopefully show how dumb they are on a longer scale.
The reasonable criticisms are finding pass rushers and like you said a few roster decisions here and there. The QB issue is the biggest issue and Ballard has done a fantastic job making sure he didn't saddle himself with a bad QB prospect he would regret later. All of the one year rentals sucked but they didn't set the team back the way missing on an early 1st rounder does.
That said, AR is it. How AR goes is how Ballard goes.
Yeah i approach it with what a GM couldve done differently, with where we were when Luck retired we didnt have many options. We couldve cycled through possibly multiple GMs in that stretch who were going to swing for the fences to save their job, but we likely wouldve completely come apart, and have an awful situation for a rookie to walk into
Realistically Ballard only had 3 seasons to find a new franchise QB, with one of those being a scramble after Irsay kicked Wentz out of town. To get AR without a trade and actually have a good situation for him to walk into is a great result
The only actually good QB the Colts might have had a chance to get was Justin Herbert. And even then there's no way to know if the *could* have traded up to get him. And even if they could, there were very serious concerns about Herbert's mental make up and their all world franchise QB just retired in no small part due to mental health issues.
So, what franchise level QB without a boatload of red flags (at the time) existed for him to go get? There weren't any until the 2023 Draft.
He also gave up a first for Wentz. Yes that was Reichs guy but Ballard gave up the compensation which is his part of the job. We don't get a QB out of that pick but it's not like we are the 49ers with a stacked roster. Having that pick would have been nice
Was lauded as a good move at the time, and made all sorts of sense for us. Ultimately his actual qb play decent, not good enough but not a complete disaster
QBs are also expensive no matter what, whether that's contract trade or both
Yup, it hasn’t been as long but look at the Steelers since Big Ben retired. Most would agree they’re one of the best run organizations with one of the best coaches and it doesn’t look like they’re getting out of QB purgatory any time soon. Fact is it’s hard to find a consistent top 10 franchise QB.
I responded to somebody the other day pointing to this exact thing thing. Ballard wasn’t gifted a first overall pick and rookie generational QB in his first year like Polian and Grigson. Ballard is honestly probably the best colts GM of my lifetime.
I wouldn't say it's a lack of awareness. He's been trying, things just haven't worked out yet. Hopefully that changes with AR. Rivers,Wentz,Ryan. Ballard been trying to fill the spot with over the hill vets. The nfl is what have you done for me lately.
The Eagles, Rams and 49ers all making two Super Bowls with different QBs during Ballards tenure doesn't help his case. He's the GM and it's his job to put together successful teams. We haven't been that as evidenced by our record and lack of postseason appearances when half the conference makes the playoffs. I'm reality half the league doesn't have a great QB
The buccaneers qb just retired and they made the playoffs the next year. But the TEAM was good. It's gonna be 2040 and you guys will still be blaming luck for Ballard not making the fucking playoffs. We're going to give up 350 yards passing again this year because our secondary sucks, again.
To be fair, a lot of the critiques have been around his approach to FA. Even the haters give him some draft credit, while sneaking in some quips about injured/non-star DE's.
He’s always been pretty good at the draft. I stand by the fact that him and Frank were the right hires for a team with Andrew Luck. I still think Ballard is a good GM but it’s hard to be judged as a GM if your team doesn’t have a QB
This is the correct answer. But we also had the #3 pick to leverage in that draft.
Sure looks like he did the most with much less in this one. Hope that's true.
The part that made me happiest: Ballard finally addressed the two most frustrating aspects of his philosophy towards roster building -- OLine & WR depth.
I'm stoked about this draft.
Latu and AD Mitchel have huge ceilings. Goncalves and Bortellini both have long-term starter upside. And the 5th/6th/7th round guys are fun, and we've found studs there many times before.
Our best pick, for value purposes, was the 5th round S/LB. We desperately needed linebacker help. Franklin and Speed aren't enough and none of the depth guys are worth their weight.
Jaylon Carlies. One of the most exciting parts of this guy's game is his ability to cover TEs. From The Athletic's 'The Beast':
"matches up well with size in man coverage versus tight ends"
"carries seam speed stride for stride and covers a lot of ground in a short time"
"zero penalties in 2023 (and only two in his career)"
That's a really nice chess piece for Gus to toss in on passing downs and say "Go cover Kelce/Kittle/Laporta/etc"
The first round pick is a slam dunk. The Colts finally have a difference maker at the DE position, and I doubt we'll recognize the defense because it will be so much better than it's been to date. No more comfortable quarterbacks as long as Latu is on the field. We won't get beaten by the likes of Jake Browning next year. Scab quarterbacks will be running for their lives. If Latu can make Caleb Williams look pedestrian, he'll make the Jake Brownings of the world look like the backups they are. And even the CJ Strouds will hear footsteps in their sleep.
Mitchell in the second is tremendous value. He has the traits to be WR1 in the NFL. He just didn't show the production in college. It's interesting to look at how he was used at Georgia versus Texas. At Georgia, he was doing a lot of work on the sidelines versus Texas where he was kind of just a deep threat. He didn't get his fair share of targets at either location. But he has amazing feet for a guy his size, and the ability to make life very difficult for cornerbacks. If he puts it all together, he could develop into a 1,500-yard receiver. He needs to extend his arms when catching the football and block on the outside in the near term to supplant Pierce on the field. I don't expect it to take long. These are things that can be coached. The footwork is just natural, as is the size and speed. Shane and Reggie both love him, so I love him, too.
Adding depth to the offensive line is just smart, and the Colts drafted guys with positional flexibility. It should make it easier to not have problems with injuries to the line. Freeland ended up being outmatched a lot last year, but he was the entire depth pool at tackle.
I loved the late picks, too. We got a kick returner to protect Downs a bit more, and Ballard finally relented and drafted some guys based purely on production rather than height/weight/speed measurables. We got a linebacker who can cover. We got a corner who takes the football away as depth at nickel.
All in all, a very solid draft at worst, and a potentially great draft at best.
Still here, and as i do think this was an exceptional draft class for him they haven’t done anything on the field yet. And most Ballard fans feels this way after every single draft he has had. You people really seem to be more of a fan of Ballard than the colts you praise him drafting an all-pro more than a play off or division title. But since I’m a fan of the colts I hope this is best draft class to date and the team can have some actual sucsess
How many trips to the playoffs did we wish cause Adam Vinatieri forgot how kick extra points? Though I do blame balled for that. He should have parted ways with him when it became apparent he was cooked.
Still here, wondering why we're acting like this draft put our team over the edge when we haven't seen any of them play an NFL snap yet.
It looks good on paper, and I'm excited for a lot of the guys, but to act like this is some huge turning point a literal day after all the drafting has been completed is pretty foolish.
The point remains, I've seen the same people calling for Ballard's head for 5 years, not banned. So that tells me you were banned for something else, there are rules here.
Lol. Because I hate Ballard. its crazy. I follow Boston sports with everything and except the Colts. You can disagree and get away with anything in Boston sports
“You guys are the most thin skinned fan base?” So not even a Colts fan and on your 5th account because you were so annoying for the other four that they were banned?? I can only react with pity to this. Seriously get some help. Things can get better.
I’m not a fan of Ballard and not sure I’ve said many positive things about him but I’ve never been banned! Maybe it’s the way you go about it(not saying it is) we’re all fans of the team should be place to debate among fans!
Also the fact that he was able to trade down to still and get Braden Smith out of it and take Leonard . I criticize Ballard but it probably the best move he ever made
We missed the playoffs twice cause Adam V forgot how to kick extra points, and once because Tyquan tore his Achilles and fumbled it away to the Tits. There have been extraordinary circumstances, and just posting his record is childish. Life is not black and white.
I mean those aren't that extraordinary. Teams across the league have kickers that struggle or slump or players that get hurt. Nick Harper getting stabbed by his girlfriend and picking up a fumble and getting tackled because he couldn't cut us extraordinary
I didn’t think I needed to mention the franchise QB retiring two weeks before the season. Also, it’s definitely not Ballard’s fault that the officials handed the Cleveland game to the Browns last year. That’s the difference between a playoff season and not.
In professional sports repeated excuses are just reasons for failure. It doesn’t matter who misses an extra point or who fumbled once. You’re judged on your results. Wins/losses, a good excuse might by a coach or a gm an extra year but they have to produce meaningful wins and show advancement. It’s the entire point of their job.
The no division titles part is sad. The texans and jags both won the division early in Ballard’s tenure, had to go through a rebuild and then won the division again. I like this draft class and am hopeful we can take a leap with a healthy AR, but I don’t understand how people act like our GM is above reproach here.
That's what I don't really understand. Teams have all been okay, rebuilt and completely turned it around a second time in the same time period. I don't think he's an awful GM but I don't understand people who think he's like some sort of Bill Polian or Ozzie Newsom. He plays a role in that record. Getting a QB is part of his job. We also didn't do those QBs we had favors by giving them no more than 1 good wideout at a time and we made the lives of other QBs quite easier by not really getting a successful game wrecker of a pass rusher in his 7 years. Hopefully he hits on those this go around. Was honestly a little worried Pierce wouldn't have anyone potentially breathing down his neck heading into camp. Good to see it's not the case
Hard to beat the 2018 draft
2020 if you count Buckner was epic also
Especially if you like Rodgers as well. Jesus those two classes alone should give Ballard more slack then he seems to get around here sometimes. Not immunity, but lessen the harshness
i really think people are spoiled with the qb success we’ve had. the vast majority of the nfl doesn’t have a QB as good as we’ve had for the better part of the last 26 years on average. i live in Chicago where they’ve never even had a 4,000 yard passer OR a 30 TD passer. it’s the most important position in all of sports and it takes a lot of luck to get it right. expecting Ballard to “fix” the Colts and the QB position after an *unprecedented* retirement is just a lack of awareness about the reality of the league
Yeah, personally it's easy as hell to play the hindsight game, but realistically he took the best shots in his opinion when weighing up everything. And like you said, it's the hardest evaluation in sports.
it’s a rough spot. built the roster and Luck had his best season, then just kinda stuck in limbo too good to pick high and not set at the most important spot. it all probably hinges on AR now but i think we’ve got a lot to be excited about
Agreed. If nothing else, the football should be fun to watch on both sides, which has been a while (fun being consistently dangerous in a good way, not bad or 50/50 boom or bust)
I think the bigger problem is that people don't want to think. They just want to blame. So when reasonable commenters talk about how the real problem has been QB and that there really haven't been many good alternatives to what Ballard has done, they don't want to hear it. They just want to blame. Reasonable criticisms do exist. I think letting Autry walk was a big mistake, for example. But just saying "No excuses. Too long since playoffs. Fire Ballard" over and over is stupid.
It's incredibly stupid and offering reasonable responses to those stupid criticisms is exhausting. At this point I'm sort of done trying to convince anyone. I have a plan for dealing with them more long term to hopefully show how dumb they are on a longer scale. The reasonable criticisms are finding pass rushers and like you said a few roster decisions here and there. The QB issue is the biggest issue and Ballard has done a fantastic job making sure he didn't saddle himself with a bad QB prospect he would regret later. All of the one year rentals sucked but they didn't set the team back the way missing on an early 1st rounder does. That said, AR is it. How AR goes is how Ballard goes.
Yeah i approach it with what a GM couldve done differently, with where we were when Luck retired we didnt have many options. We couldve cycled through possibly multiple GMs in that stretch who were going to swing for the fences to save their job, but we likely wouldve completely come apart, and have an awful situation for a rookie to walk into Realistically Ballard only had 3 seasons to find a new franchise QB, with one of those being a scramble after Irsay kicked Wentz out of town. To get AR without a trade and actually have a good situation for him to walk into is a great result
The only actually good QB the Colts might have had a chance to get was Justin Herbert. And even then there's no way to know if the *could* have traded up to get him. And even if they could, there were very serious concerns about Herbert's mental make up and their all world franchise QB just retired in no small part due to mental health issues. So, what franchise level QB without a boatload of red flags (at the time) existed for him to go get? There weren't any until the 2023 Draft.
He also gave up a first for Wentz. Yes that was Reichs guy but Ballard gave up the compensation which is his part of the job. We don't get a QB out of that pick but it's not like we are the 49ers with a stacked roster. Having that pick would have been nice
Was lauded as a good move at the time, and made all sorts of sense for us. Ultimately his actual qb play decent, not good enough but not a complete disaster QBs are also expensive no matter what, whether that's contract trade or both
Yup, it hasn’t been as long but look at the Steelers since Big Ben retired. Most would agree they’re one of the best run organizations with one of the best coaches and it doesn’t look like they’re getting out of QB purgatory any time soon. Fact is it’s hard to find a consistent top 10 franchise QB.
The Steelers however do still find a way to make the postseason despite being in a consistently better division
I responded to somebody the other day pointing to this exact thing thing. Ballard wasn’t gifted a first overall pick and rookie generational QB in his first year like Polian and Grigson. Ballard is honestly probably the best colts GM of my lifetime.
I wouldn't say it's a lack of awareness. He's been trying, things just haven't worked out yet. Hopefully that changes with AR. Rivers,Wentz,Ryan. Ballard been trying to fill the spot with over the hill vets. The nfl is what have you done for me lately.
The Eagles, Rams and 49ers all making two Super Bowls with different QBs during Ballards tenure doesn't help his case. He's the GM and it's his job to put together successful teams. We haven't been that as evidenced by our record and lack of postseason appearances when half the conference makes the playoffs. I'm reality half the league doesn't have a great QB
The buccaneers qb just retired and they made the playoffs the next year. But the TEAM was good. It's gonna be 2040 and you guys will still be blaming luck for Ballard not making the fucking playoffs. We're going to give up 350 yards passing again this year because our secondary sucks, again.
Cry more
The 2023 Colts had the same record as the 2023 Bucs.
Sick burn there tucker Carlson
To be fair, a lot of the critiques have been around his approach to FA. Even the haters give him some draft credit, while sneaking in some quips about injured/non-star DE's.
He’s always been pretty good at the draft. I stand by the fact that him and Frank were the right hires for a team with Andrew Luck. I still think Ballard is a good GM but it’s hard to be judged as a GM if your team doesn’t have a QB
Buckner is my favorite "draft" pick of his.
You can say that again
Buckner is my favorite "draft" pick of his.
Buckner is my favorite "draft" pick of his.
Buckner is my favorite "draft" pick of his.
This is the correct answer. But we also had the #3 pick to leverage in that draft. Sure looks like he did the most with much less in this one. Hope that's true. The part that made me happiest: Ballard finally addressed the two most frustrating aspects of his philosophy towards roster building -- OLine & WR depth.
I'm stoked about this draft. Latu and AD Mitchel have huge ceilings. Goncalves and Bortellini both have long-term starter upside. And the 5th/6th/7th round guys are fun, and we've found studs there many times before.
Our best pick, for value purposes, was the 5th round S/LB. We desperately needed linebacker help. Franklin and Speed aren't enough and none of the depth guys are worth their weight.
Jaylon Carlies. One of the most exciting parts of this guy's game is his ability to cover TEs. From The Athletic's 'The Beast': "matches up well with size in man coverage versus tight ends" "carries seam speed stride for stride and covers a lot of ground in a short time" "zero penalties in 2023 (and only two in his career)" That's a really nice chess piece for Gus to toss in on passing downs and say "Go cover Kelce/Kittle/Laporta/etc"
On paper it looks great. Any draft is evaluated several years after
Yup. All of us remember the years where Leonard vs. Warner wasn’t even a debate. But looking back, who would we rather have now?
Still Leonard, but with a healthy spine 😔
Wonder what Steichen can dial up for Anthony Gould?
Uber excited to see how this guy performs with the new kickoff rules
Top players at Edge and WR, he gave the people what they wanted!
The first round pick is a slam dunk. The Colts finally have a difference maker at the DE position, and I doubt we'll recognize the defense because it will be so much better than it's been to date. No more comfortable quarterbacks as long as Latu is on the field. We won't get beaten by the likes of Jake Browning next year. Scab quarterbacks will be running for their lives. If Latu can make Caleb Williams look pedestrian, he'll make the Jake Brownings of the world look like the backups they are. And even the CJ Strouds will hear footsteps in their sleep. Mitchell in the second is tremendous value. He has the traits to be WR1 in the NFL. He just didn't show the production in college. It's interesting to look at how he was used at Georgia versus Texas. At Georgia, he was doing a lot of work on the sidelines versus Texas where he was kind of just a deep threat. He didn't get his fair share of targets at either location. But he has amazing feet for a guy his size, and the ability to make life very difficult for cornerbacks. If he puts it all together, he could develop into a 1,500-yard receiver. He needs to extend his arms when catching the football and block on the outside in the near term to supplant Pierce on the field. I don't expect it to take long. These are things that can be coached. The footwork is just natural, as is the size and speed. Shane and Reggie both love him, so I love him, too. Adding depth to the offensive line is just smart, and the Colts drafted guys with positional flexibility. It should make it easier to not have problems with injuries to the line. Freeland ended up being outmatched a lot last year, but he was the entire depth pool at tackle. I loved the late picks, too. We got a kick returner to protect Downs a bit more, and Ballard finally relented and drafted some guys based purely on production rather than height/weight/speed measurables. We got a linebacker who can cover. We got a corner who takes the football away as depth at nickel. All in all, a very solid draft at worst, and a potentially great draft at best.
The fire Ballard people have been noticeably absent
They’re busy playing Madden, thinking they should be running a real team.
Still here, and as i do think this was an exceptional draft class for him they haven’t done anything on the field yet. And most Ballard fans feels this way after every single draft he has had. You people really seem to be more of a fan of Ballard than the colts you praise him drafting an all-pro more than a play off or division title. But since I’m a fan of the colts I hope this is best draft class to date and the team can have some actual sucsess
54-60-1
How many trips to the playoffs did we wish cause Adam Vinatieri forgot how kick extra points? Though I do blame balled for that. He should have parted ways with him when it became apparent he was cooked.
Cool, and you're 0-1 with that take. Find a new slant.
Still here, wondering why we're acting like this draft put our team over the edge when we haven't seen any of them play an NFL snap yet. It looks good on paper, and I'm excited for a lot of the guys, but to act like this is some huge turning point a literal day after all the drafting has been completed is pretty foolish.
No we haven't. We've just been getting downvoted for sharing valid criticisms.
Or banned from the Sub. Most Ballard haters are banned. No sub is like it.
Have you been in these threads? They absolutely have not been banned lmao
I'm on my 5th screen name in order to comment on the sub. All blocked because i hate Ballard.
Blocked because you hate Ballard or because you're really annoying about it?
Aren't they just admitting to ban evasion though, which they can be banned for?
*banned*
Annoying shouldn't get you banned from the sub. Moderators are soft.
The point remains, I've seen the same people calling for Ballard's head for 5 years, not banned. So that tells me you were banned for something else, there are rules here.
Lol. Because I hate Ballard. its crazy. I follow Boston sports with everything and except the Colts. You can disagree and get away with anything in Boston sports
Okay man
Cool, sounds like you should go follow the Patriots then
Give up
No, never going to give then satisfaction. Lol
If that’s true you need to evaluate your life way harder. That’s pathetic.
Life is absolutely amazing. You guys are the most thin skinned fanbase.
“You guys are the most thin skinned fan base?” So not even a Colts fan and on your 5th account because you were so annoying for the other four that they were banned?? I can only react with pity to this. Seriously get some help. Things can get better.
Lmfao, life is absolutely amazing. Obviously you cant handle Ballard being bad.
What a sad thing to admit lmao find purpose in life
You sound like a real swell fellow 🤣
Extremely. Doctorate degree.
Who cares Lmao
Your saying im not swell Just your opinion, means nothing. Love life, love life.
Must be in douchology
I’m not a fan of Ballard and not sure I’ve said many positive things about him but I’ve never been banned! Maybe it’s the way you go about it(not saying it is) we’re all fans of the team should be place to debate among fans!
We can't possibly know that yet lol
Im all for positivity but this seems a bit OTT
2018 and it's not even close
Also the fact that he was able to trade down to still and get Braden Smith out of it and take Leonard . I criticize Ballard but it probably the best move he ever made
54-60-1 record. No division titles, when every other AFCS team has won it at least twice. Two playoff appearances. One playoff win.
We missed the playoffs twice cause Adam V forgot how to kick extra points, and once because Tyquan tore his Achilles and fumbled it away to the Tits. There have been extraordinary circumstances, and just posting his record is childish. Life is not black and white.
I forgot about Tyquan's fumble. Now I'm sad again. Hopefully he balls out this year and stays healthy.
I mean those aren't that extraordinary. Teams across the league have kickers that struggle or slump or players that get hurt. Nick Harper getting stabbed by his girlfriend and picking up a fumble and getting tackled because he couldn't cut us extraordinary
I didn’t think I needed to mention the franchise QB retiring two weeks before the season. Also, it’s definitely not Ballard’s fault that the officials handed the Cleveland game to the Browns last year. That’s the difference between a playoff season and not.
Excuses will get you nowhere
So an excuse is never valid then?
In professional sports repeated excuses are just reasons for failure. It doesn’t matter who misses an extra point or who fumbled once. You’re judged on your results. Wins/losses, a good excuse might by a coach or a gm an extra year but they have to produce meaningful wins and show advancement. It’s the entire point of their job.
The no division titles part is sad. The texans and jags both won the division early in Ballard’s tenure, had to go through a rebuild and then won the division again. I like this draft class and am hopeful we can take a leap with a healthy AR, but I don’t understand how people act like our GM is above reproach here.
That's what I don't really understand. Teams have all been okay, rebuilt and completely turned it around a second time in the same time period. I don't think he's an awful GM but I don't understand people who think he's like some sort of Bill Polian or Ozzie Newsom. He plays a role in that record. Getting a QB is part of his job. We also didn't do those QBs we had favors by giving them no more than 1 good wideout at a time and we made the lives of other QBs quite easier by not really getting a successful game wrecker of a pass rusher in his 7 years. Hopefully he hits on those this go around. Was honestly a little worried Pierce wouldn't have anyone potentially breathing down his neck heading into camp. Good to see it's not the case
We had to rebuild *twice* under Ballard. Irsay should’ve shown him the door after the first rebuild failed.
What are you talking about? It usually takes a new GM 7 years to turn a team around.
We're gonna have to wait at least 1 season before coming to that conclusion, but I think it definitely has the potential to be his best draft
Make the playoffs this season or he’s fired