The two are linked, and if Richardson is no longer the starter, Ballard’s days are numbered.
Ah, Chris Ballard. My favorite topic.
As General Manager of the Indianapolis Colts, this man has had more lives than a cat. Both he and Frank Reich were signed to extensions in August of 2021 after Jim Irsay expressed extreme faith in both men. Irsay is an interesting man. In some instances, he seems to act on a whim and emotionally. After just missing the playoffs, Irsay demanded Carson Wentz be traded after one season, he fired Reich after a rough start in 2022 which was less than two years into his extension, and he brought in Jeff Saturday who had no head coaching experience. On the other hand, Irsay shows extreme loyalty and patience. Because of that, Ballard still finds employment at West 56th.
We know Ballard’s record so I won’t waste time discussing it here. Even with a poor record, that has somehow gotten worse, Ballard got his extension and was allowed to find and draft the next franchise quarterback for the Colts. Shane Steichen might have put the final nail in the coffin for Ballard after he made the unilateral decision to bench Anthony Richardson after less than a full season of action. After all the Band-Aids and patches Ballard has used at the quarterback position during his tenure, his second chance was tied to Richardson’s success. Steichen just cut the cord.
I don’t care how many stud linebackers Ballard has drafted, he has never had the track record of success needed to guarantee longevity in this league. It is performance and results based. He, himself, would tell you as much. The drafting of Richardson was his last gasp. It was his chance to say, “After Andrew Luck retired, I finally found the guy that is going to be with this franchise for the next ten years.” If this is the end of the line for Richardson, that ten years, didn’t last ten games.
I am on record stating that I disagree with Richardson being benched for the long term. If one game is needed to send a message, so be it. The problem is, it sounds like starting Joe Flacco is the move going forward. Steichen remains equivocal on Richardson starting again. He would like him to, but the choice at quarterback now and going forward is Flacco. That is the death knell for Ballard. If Richardson doesn’t see the field again this year, playoffs or not, I am not sure Ballard survives this. He has nothing to fall back on. This isn’t a bump in the road during his tenure, this is a sinkhole that is going to swallow him up. And why shouldn’t it? This is a “what have you done for me lately” league, but it is also a “what have you ever done for me” situation. Outside of a few diamonds in the rough draft picks, I struggle to come up with much.
Chris Ballard had his chance. Oops. Let me correct that. Chris Ballard had his chances…and chances…and then more chances. If Ballard is fired, we can’t say he didn’t get a fair shake. He got a better deal than Carson Wentz and Frank Reich got. He got a much better deal than Anthony Richardson is getting right now too. Those three men, quarterbacks especially, had incredibly short leashes. Chris Ballard has been allowed to roam untethered for almost a decade. Just like a cat, he knows no leash. Just like a cat, he had nine lives. Sorry to let the cat out of the bag here, but a tenth life doesn’t exist.
