Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
With just three games remaining in the 2024 season, the Indianapolis Colts are all but eliminated from playoff contention.. again. They are currently slated with the 12th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and are once again sitting in the same position they’ve been in since the unfathomable collapse that was the 2021 season.
It’s as evident as ever that change needs to be made, but how much and who specifically needs to go remains the unanswerable question. It’s quite easy for some fans and analysts, just burn it all down and start anew. But how feasible is it to suggest a full-fledged teardown?
It is possible that the Colts could follow suit with the Detroit Lions’ blueprint and hire an entirely fresh set of faces for both the coaching staff and front office once the season is officially said and done. Perhaps it is that easy. However, it took decades after decades worth of trial and error for the lovable losing Lions to see the light.
With that being said, what is the best course of action in order for Indianapolis to right its wrongs as a franchise? There are a plethora of hypotheticals to ponder, but the two biggest culprits sit at the top of the totem pole: Owner Jim Irsay and General Manager Chris Ballard.
Chris Ballard is at the forefront for all possible blame due to the sheer amount of responsibility that falls on him, whereas Jim Irsay oversees the very job that he [Ballard] signed up for. A lot of people, myself included, have questioned the patience and subsequent meddling from Irsay that may or may not have presented itself over the years. Although, perhaps Irsay’s biggest flaw is actually having too much trust and patience in his decision-makers.
There’s no doubt that under Irsay’s reign, the Colts have seen worse days than they’ve seen better. Peyton Manning may have single-handedly breathed life into generations of Colts fans who had previously valued basketball above all, but once upon a time, it was Jim Irsay who brought in Bill Polian, the guy who surrounded Manning with multiple Hall of Famers and All-Pros as far as the eye can see.
That was a long time ago, no doubt, but therein lies proof that Irsay is capable of making the right hire. It’s what has followed that unreal era that’s preventing confidence in Irsay moving forward.
Irsay followed up that wildly successful era with Ryan Grigson, who, in turn, did the exact opposite of what Polian accomplished. Both Grigson and Polian began their tenures with the hardest task already settled for them (i.e., Manning, Luck), with the former turning their goldmine of an opportunity into a flourishing business, whereas the latter banked on his young QB year after year to pick up the slack.
Despite a trip to the AFC Championship and two divisional titles in two of the first three years under Grigson, he was let go after back-to-back down seasons which opened the door for Chris Ballard. Irsay wasn’t afraid to make the change following Grigson and company’s sudden downfall, which begs the question: why has Chris Ballard been provided a leash much longer than anyone in the franchise’s history?
And let’s not get it twisted. The writing was on the wall for Ryan Grigson, but so has been the case for Chris Ballard (on multiple occasions) throughout his time in Indianapolis. Why has Irsay given Ballard multiple chances to right his wrongs after nearly a decade of shortcomings? We may never know the answer to that question, but the need for course correction is as evident as ever.
Many Colts fans are at a point where relieving the duties of the man in charge isn’t enough. The people are at their wits’ end and yearn for a fresh reset that rids all of those who have been involved in the Colts’ recent history. Unfortunately, I don’t believe a teardown as such is imminent.
What I do believe, however, is that someone, or some people, will be gone after the conclusion of this season. I certainly think there’s a chance that the general manager and both playcallers will all be shown the door after the season, though I believe a repeat of Irsay’s handling of the Grigson send-off (i.e., firing the GM, retaining the HC) is the most likely case scenario. At least for the 2025 season that is.
It feels as if the writing is finally on the wall for Chris Ballard and his executive counterparts within the front office. Colts head coach Shane Steichen and QB Anthony Richardson may have shown just enough to run it back once and for all in 2025, but Chris Ballard’s time in Indianapolis has all but run its course.
Sure, Chris Ballard is the one who drafted Richardson and hired Steichen, but he also chose Josh McDaniels over Dan Campbell as his first HC fire and has consistently churned out uninspiring draft picks. Not all general managers are built the same, but Ballard’s stinginess in the free agent market and draft-first approach has fallen flat too many times (especially in recent memory) to grant him any more grace.
Let’s not forget that the days of granting Chris Ballard grace for the abrupt retirement of Andrew Luck are long gone. Ballard’s eight-year tenure with the Colts can be broken up into two separate tenures (2017-2020, 2021-2024), and there you can pinpoint when exactly grace was lost — the second Phillip Rivers’ goodbye tour ended in 2020.
It’s been eight years, with only two playoff trips to show for. The Colts have yet to win the NFL’s worst division in each of Ballard’s eight years as the team’s general manager. Despite all of these shortcomings, the Colts have been good enough to finish second in the AFC South and barely miss the playoffs in more seasons than not, and that’s exactly why it’s time to give up on this experience.
For better or for worse, the Indianapolis Colts deserve to face the fate of most NFL franchises. No longer are the days of inevitable disappointment that evolve into the dysfunction of yesteryear. Regardless of the extent to which it should happen, the Colts need to start anew in more ways than one, and that begins with rewriting The Colture that Chris Ballard implemented.
