There are five stages of grief with acceptance being the final one. Indianapolis Colts fans moved to that last stage extremely quickly after it was obvious the Anthony Richardson experiment was over. It technically continues, but the way camp has gone, barring an injury to Riley Leonard, he is going to have to be Superman in preseason games to even get a sniff of consideration. The writing is on the wall, and while he certainly gets blamed for the decision to draft Richardson, Chris Ballard simply
deserves more.
This isn’t your buddy who is always late, can’t seem to keep a job or get their life quite right for extended periods of time. You can be there for your friends through thick and thin. We are talking about the GM of an NFL franchise. Ballard is one of 32. Anything that rare comes with immense reward and even more pressure. The Richardson draft was one of many missteps that can’t be considered in a vacuum. The missed playoffs, the complete draft classes that fell short, and failing to find a quarterback after ten years are all relevant as to why Ballard should have experienced more heat for his failed pick.
I know the Ballard apologists are sharpening their knives right now, but objectively speaking, what is there to go on? I understand that Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud were off the board, but remember, we aren’t operating in a vacuum. There was a lack of understanding that Philip Rivers would call it quits after one season. Follow that up with a disastrous trade for Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan, whose tank was completely empty, and you are looking at a series of grave errors. Even bringing in Gardner Minshew as Richardson’s backup instead of retaining Ryan as a veteran presence was highly questionable. Ballard could have eased Richardson in with a non-threat like Ryan. Instead, he chose Minshew, who was fighting for his own place in the league, which created a looming presence.
Richardson was supposed to be a project. He wasn’t supposed to be this much of one. Some of the worst accuracy this league has ever witnessed carries his name. The injuries aren’t Ballard’s direct fault, but there was evidence of durability issues in college. The raw prospect played one season’s worth of games and is one subpar outing from being cut. The bright spot lasted about 4.5 games. That isn’t enough for the fourth overall pick. This may go down as one of the worst picks in franchise history.
How has Ballard skated by? Not only was he kept on for another season by Carlie Irsay-Gordon, fans still line up to defend him too. I am not saying he hasn’t been roasted for picking Anthony Richardson. He has. Beyond roasting, he should be toast. That pick alone shows his questionable judgment and inability to recognize NFL talent. We made it through the stages of grief in record time. Looks like we get to stay in acceptance a little while longer.
