For the first time since August, before the 2024 season began, Indianapolis Colts’ general manager Chris Ballard met with the media to discuss this past year, along with what’s ahead.
After another disappointing season that resulted in the Colts’ missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year, Ballard was retained and will be the team’s general manager in 2025.
If you missed any of Ballard’s press conference on Friday, here is what you nee to know from it:
– “I’ve got to own all of that,” said Ballard about the Colts not making the playoffs in four years and not having a playoff win since 2018. “There’s definitely a sense of guilt for not getting it done at this time.”
– Ballard called himself “stubborn” and said as he reflected throughout the week that they need to self-evaluate how they build the team and how they operate moving forward. This is the only way they can create real change.
– “I don’t think we can completely stamp it,” said Ballard when asked about his confidence in Anthony Richardson being the guy. They’ve seen the ‘wow’ plays but need the consistency. Ballard also adds that Richardson has to stay healthy. “The good news is,” said Ballard, that Richardson will go into the offseason healthy.
– “We can’t beat our head against the wall,” said Ballard, we need competition at quarterback because competition makes everyone better but Richardson hasn’t shown that he can play 17 games.
– “Yeah, I did,” said Ballard when asked if we was too rigid in sticking to his own philosophy. He mentions that after how the 2023 season ended, he thought the team was trending up, and “it was a mistake” not adding competition to the roster. Ballard acknowledged that “ego” and “complacency” on the roster, which DeForest Buckner called out, was correct.
– “We’ve got to be better about making sure that we identify the right free agents that can help push this team to where it needs to go.” Ballard goes on to say “we are not close,” mentioning that losing on the last play of the Super Bowl is close, at 8-9, the Colts are not close.
– “He does a good job holding guys accountable,” said Ballard about Shane Steichen. Ballard adds that he doesn’t like all the things said to the media and not kept internally. He addressed the team about that.
– “I don’t agree with everything Pat (McAfee) said, but there is some truth to it,” said Ballard about the criticisms of…
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