5 Takeaways from Colts GM Chris Ballard’s End-Of-Year Presser
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Every year after the season has ended, fans of the Indianapolis Colts get a chance to hear from the man calling the shots.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard always takes the time to speak with the media about how the season unfolded and what the team is looking to do as they head into the offseason. It’s hard to find another GM in the league as transparent as Ballard.
We certainly didn’t expect to be hearing from Ballard this early in January. However, with the Colts losing to the Jaguars on Sunday and choking away a postseason berth, he had plenty to say on Thursday.
So, after 66 minutes and answering north of 40 questions, here are the main takeaways from Ballard’s presser.
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Noncommittal on Carson Wentz
As expected, many of the questions Ballard answered surrounded the performance and future of quarterback Carson Wentz.
Wentz’s performance was a major factor in the Colts’ collapse in the final two weeks of the season. When asked about Wentz’s future with the team, it was more about what Ballard didn’t say.
“At the time of the decision, we felt good about it,” Ballard revealed. “And I still don’t regret the decision at the time. I won’t make a comment on who’s going to be here next year and who’s not going to be here.
“We’ll look at everything. There’s solutions, sometimes they’re not ideal, but there are solutions. Sometimes they’re long-term and sometimes they’re not.”
Ballard was very careful not to commit to Wentz being the quarterback for the Colts in 2022. This is in-line with head coach Frank Reich earlier in the week, as he failed to say for certain if Wentz would be the quarterback.
The way Colts leadership has talked about Wentz in recent days is a much different tune than the past couple of years when talking about their quarterbacks. Jacoby Brissett was revered for his leadership and what he meant to the team. Reich and Ballard both publicly stated they wanted Philip Rivers to return in 2021. This is a far cry from that.
“You’ve got to get stability at the quarterback position,” Ballard said. “And that position has to play up to his potential to help the team win. Don’t get me wrong, I ain’t blaming all of this on Carson. I’m not. Because everybody else has to do their jobs too. But the hyper-importance of that position, it’s real. You have to get consistency there. The years we’ve gotten it, have been pretty good, and we thought we had it until the end of the season.”
At this point, it seems more and more likely that a change at quarterback could be coming for the Colts. If so, it would be the fifth different starting quarterback in five years for this team. Ballard and the Colts desperately want to find the long-term solution, but is that in the cards?
“I’d like to quit band-aiding it. I’d like for Carson to be the long-term answer or find somebody that’s going to be here for the next 10 to 12 years. Sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. I can dream about it and wish about it, do everything I can to figure out the solution but you do the best of what you can do at the time that you have to make a decision.”
Take Full Responsibility
Football is a team game, and it takes an entire organization working together to be successful. After the Colts collapse this season, Ballard only wanted to point the finger at himself.
“The expectations are higher,” Ballard admitted. “Frank and I have been together for four years and have been building this. The expectations are high, and we accept that. I won’t sit up here and make excuses as to why we got our ass beat in Jacksonville because that’s what happened. We got our ass beat.
“Ultimately that falls on me, that falls on my shoulders … It’s something that we’ll work and go to work and ask some very hard, tough questions over the next month, month and a half, to fix it.”
There’s a famous saying in sports that says “you are what your record says you are.” For the Colts, this means they are a mediocre team that missed the playoffs. Ballard knows he plays a major role in this as the general manager that assembles the team, and he certainly isn’t taking this lightly.
“We’re a 9-8 football team, that’s who we are,” he said. “I put that team together and that falls on my shoulders. We’ll spend this month, we won’t overreact. I’ve got to let the poison get out, it’s not out yet. And then we’ll make a thorough evaluation of everything we’re doing.”
It is good to see the Colts front office taking responsibility and showing accountability for the lost season. Now it’s time to make changes so it doesn’t happen again.
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Better Passing Game and Pass Rush
For anyone that watched the Colts this season, it wasn’t hard to see what their strengths were. The offense was dominated by superstar Jonathan Taylor running behind the big offensive line. The defense specialized in stopping the run with DeForest Buckner and Darius Leonard in the middle.
But when it came to executing through the air or putting pressure on the quarterback, it wasn’t good enough.
“Our passing game has to be better, just has to be,” Ballard said candidly. “On defense, we have to be able to rush the passer better. It’s a passing league. You’ve got to be able to affect the passer and you’ve got to be able to throw it.”
Ballard particularly talked about the Colts’ struggles rushing the passer. This isn’t a surprise as Ballard has always been a huge proponent of dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
“I still believe you win the game up front,” he said. “You have to be good on the O-Line, D-Line. You have to be. You have to get good quarterback play, and then the rest of your playmakers have to do their jobs.”
Ballard has consistently talked about having a solid eight-man rotation along the defensive line. This helps to not only keep guys fresh but also prepared in case injuries strike. He expects all eight of these guys to be able to make an impact on game day.
The Colts decided to go young along the defensive line last year, giving their draft picks chances to play and develop. First-round pick Kwity Paye started hitting his stride towards the end of the year, and the Colts have faith that he can be a special player. But the inconsistency of some of their young players, along with the major injury to Tyquan Lewis, really hurt the group.
When asked about bringing in veteran pass rush help in the offseason, it seems there is a good chance that could happen.
“We lost really two good vets in Justin (Houston) and Denico (Autry). Good players, good people, good fits. Yeah, it’ll be under consideration.”
If you’re looking for free agent targets for the Colts, veteran pass rusher looks to be high on the list.
Improvements at Core Positions
Ballard was very honest about his feelings on certain positions that need to be improved around the offense. After quarterback and the defensive line, he pivoted to three offensive positions that could use some work.
“The left tackle is what the left tackle is,” he admitted. “We short-term fixed it. We still have to be looking for a long-term solution there. And if we have to short-term fix it again because the long-term solution doesn’t show up, that’s what we’ll do.”
The Colts signed Eric Fisher last year to a one-year deal to be the team’s left tackle. Coming off of a torn Achilles, Fisher played well in the run game, but struggled massively in pass protection. It’s safe to say he will not be back, and while Matt Pryor showed flashes, the Colts are still on the lookout for their left tackle of the future.
Ballard was also honest about the tight end position. As a position that is prominently featured in a Frank Reich offense, he admitted that they need to get better.
“Tight end position needs work. Depending on what Jack (Doyle) does, Mo Alie (Cox) is up and we like Mo. We’d like to get Mo back. And then we’ve got a young kid in Kylen (Granson) who we thought showed some things and he’ll continue to grow.”
With Jack Doyle considering retirement and Mo Alie-Cox set to be a free agent, the position could look much different in 2022. This is a position the Colts could look to add a playmaker in free agency to help make their offense more dynamic.
And finally, the wide receiver position, a group that, outside of Michael Pittman Jr., underperformed in 2021. But Ballard has faith in his young group and believes they can have an impact.
“At wide out, we’ll kind of see how things shake out, but we do have some young players there. Michael Pittman, we think he’s going to continue to get better as we go forward … I think every year we’re trying to upgrade every position if we can. Would I like two or three dynamic (wide receivers)? Absolutely you would. But I think we’ve got some good young players to work with.”
From his words, it does not look like the Colts will be big spenders on the free-agent market for a wide receiver. However, could they use a high draft pick on one in another loaded receiver class? Very possible.
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Confidence in Frank Reich
If there was any doubt that there is a rift between Ballard and Reich, there certainly isn’t anymore.
“He’s a good head coach,” Ballard declared. “He’s a good football coach. We really only had the one losing season at 7-9 (2019) which was my doing, not his. We’ve had a different quarterback every year and we still find a way to be really competitive and a good football team. So, I think he’s really good, really good as a head coach.”
Ballard and Reich work very well together and have the same vision for the franchise. They want to build a winning team that is built to last, and they want to build it the right way. Ballard has the utmost respect for Reich and is very happy with how his head coach handles the team.
“He’s a leader, he has a plan, he’s flexible, he’s aggressive but also knows when to dial it back. Lucky to have him. Promise you, we’re lucky to have Frank Reich.”
There have been questions over the past couple of days on whether or not changes will be made to the coaching staff after certain groups underperformed. While the offseason has barely begun, Ballard does not envision many changes, if any at all.
”Not right now, but we’re still evaluating,” he said when asked about coaching changes. “We’re still working through all that. There’s a lot of change going on through the league. So give us a little time, we’re evaluating, we’ll work through that.”
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