“I don’t understand how that person works here.”
That’s 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 are late. They don’t do all their work. Others have to pick up the slack, and they have a bad attitude. Somehow, they keep their jobs. It’s like they have something with the boss… When the day comes and that person is released or left, it’s almost unbelievable no matter how many years you’ve been waiting for it. That’s 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. Nothing personal. Just business, and business gone bad. It was bad enough to justify a firing before the final three years, but a bad thing somehow got worse. Ballard has some bright spots. That’s not to say that everything he touched turned to dust, but in the NFL, a few bright spots just don’t cut it. Winning is all that matters and to be honest, Ballard didn’t do enough.
To Ballard apologists, we can look to history or to recent times, but the perspective does not change. After ten years at the helm, Ballard’s Colts made the playoffs twice, winning once. They didn’t have an AFC championship during that time. A hat with the AFC South Champs on it was in the Goodwill bin during the Manning years because they were a dime a dozen. Nowadays, they seem to have discovered a 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? True, but life is about how we handle adversity. Ballard had many years and opportunities to right that ship. There have been some fantastic draft picks along the way, but also plenty of disappointments. Build the trenches was the motto, but the modern NFL is built on the edges and at quarterback. Even the trenches have fought hard over the years. A new and more modern approach is needed.
If you don’t like history, let’s look at this guy. A 2-4 record after losing to the worst team in football at home was the last straw. A $50 million quarterback who doesn’t throw down 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. The receivers are taken out of the way while the defensive line doesn’t apply pressure, resulting in a secondary fumble. It’s not a legacy. This is it now. With a win today, what have you done for me lately kind of league, it doesn’t cut it. Pile on the last decade, and it’s clear why the Colts cut ties.
Honestly, if you’re still on the fence about this move, why? What did you see that kept Chris Ballard coming back? “Well, you can fire him but that doesn’t mean someone better will replace him…” Maybe so, but probably not. Is it getting worse? Being too good to rebuild with quality draft picks but not good enough for contention is the worst possible place for a sports franchise to be. Ballard knew the gig was up. He knows he’s not performing to the required standards, and the Colts are beyond patient. There are 100 reasons to fire Ballard. It took the 100th, but finally the right step was taken.