“I don’t understand how that person still works here.”
That is a statement most of us have made at some time or another about that one person who seems to get away with everything despite their poor performance. They’re late. They don’t get all their work done. Others have to pick up the slack, and they have a bad attitude. Somehow, they keep their job. It’s as if they have something on the boss… When the day finally comes and that person has been released or left, it’s almost unbelievable even though
you’ve anticipated it for years. That is exactly how I feel about the Indianapolis Colts finally pulling the trigger and firing Chris Ballard.
For the last three years, I have publicly advocated for the Colts to cut ties with Ballard. It’s nothing personal. It’s just business, and business has been bad. It was bad enough to justify a firing before the last three years, but a bad thing has somehow gotten worse. Ballard had some bright spots. This isn’t to say everything he touched turned to dust, but in the NFL, a few bright spots don’t cut it. Winning is all that matters and quite frankly, Ballard didn’t do enough of it.
To the Ballard apologists, we can look historically or recently, but the outlook doesn’t change. After ten years at the helm, Ballard’s Colts made the playoffs twice, winning once. They have zero AFC championships during that time. A hat with AFC South Champs would have been in the Goodwill bin during the Manning years because they were a dime a dozen. Nowadays, they would be like discovering buried treasure.
Why didn’t the Colts win under Ballard? I’ll give you a hint: it has nothing to do with Andrew Luck retiring. Was that a blow? Certainly, but life is all about how we handle adversity. Ballard had plenty of years and chances to right that ship. There were some fantastic draft picks along the way, but there were way too many failures too. Build the trenches was the motto, but the modern NFL is built on the edges and at quarterback. Even the trenches have struggled mightily over the years. A fresh and more modern approach is needed.
If you don’t like history, let’s look at this year. A 2-4 record after having lost to the worst team in football at home was the final straw. A $50 million quarterback who isn’t throwing downfield and when he does, it’s to the other team, and a benched fourth overall pick backing him up is the current situation at the game’s most important position. Receivers are being brought in off the street while the defensive line generates no pressure, resulting in the secondary getting cooked. This isn’t legacy. This is now. In a win now, what have you done for me lately type of league, this doesn’t cut it. Pile on the last decade, and it’s obvious why the Colts cut ties.
Honestly, if you’re still on the fence about this move, why? What have you seen that makes you still back Chris Ballard? “Well, you can fire him but that doesn’t mean there is someone better to take his place…” Maybe that’s the case, but most likely not. Does it get much worse? Being too good to rebuild with quality draft selections but not good enough to be in contention is the worst possible place for a sports franchise. Ballard knew the gig was up. He knew he didn’t perform to the required standards, and the Colts were more than patient. There were 100 reasons to fire Ballard. It took the 100th, but the right move was finally made.
