2020 with Philip Rivers, 2021 with TBD ...... the Unenviable Dilemma of Chris Ballard
 

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In my rat's ass of an opinion, Chris Ballard has backed up what he asserted several years ago when he first took the job as GM of the Colts ...... he has built a complete team, as opposed to just a team that was extremely dependent on a great QB (such as Peyton Manning and/or Andrew Luck) that would be shit out of luck should that player go down with an injury (for the most extreme example of this, see the Colts' 2011 Manningless/Luckless season in which they went 2-14. For slightly less acute examples of this, see the 2015 Colts with Matt Hasselbeck and the 2017 Colts with Jacoby Brissett.)

I liked the signing of Philip Rivers, and I consider the 2020 season to have been a successful one for the Colts (both for Rivers as an individual, and for the Colts as a team.) I think that they showed that they were very capable of beating the elites of the league when they defeated the Packers in the regular season, and when they just barely lost to the Bills in the post-season. A slightly-past-his-prime Philip Rivers was still good more often than not, and I think that it was abundantly clear that a 39-year-old Rivers was still significantly better than a prime Jacoby Brissett.


All of that said, with the retirement of Philip Rivers, Ballard now faces one of the biggest decisions of his tenure as the team's GM ...... how to put a starting quarterback on the field for the 2021 season who will be at least as good (preferably a little better) as was a 39 year-old Philip Rivers in 2020. I don't envy his dilemma. I would have been OK with acquiring Matthew Stafford. I am not OK with Sam Darnold. I am on the fence about Carson Wentz. My opinion plus 13 dollars will get you a one-way ticket from Brewster, NY to Grand Central Station. My opinion plus 35 dollars will get you a Dwight Freeney jersey on eBay. Stay tuned for the decision that will be made by our GM, who so far has proven to be every bit the franchise builder that he asserted he would be when he first came on board in January of 2017.

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Is Carson Wentz the Best QB Option for the Super Bowl-Hungry Colts?

(By Mike Wells)

https://www.espn.com/blog/indianapol...l-hungry-colts

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I agree - Ballard has backed up his words in making the team more than the QB. The real question is - was it a smart move without a QB in place? It’s not that difficult to get where the Colts are now. What is difficult is finding a SuperBowl caliber QB once the rest of your roster is good. Definitely an unenviable position to be in.

Ballard has made some brilliant decisions since coming here. However, he did not (nor could anyone) anticipate the Andrew Luck sudden retirement. He structured a team with a solid player at QB and who knows how they would have done this past year if Luck were still here. I won't fault any of his moves so far, and I only hope he can get some sort of really quality QB play this coming year to go along with this solid, young team.

Let me be clear - I’m not faulting Ballard. You don’t have to blame him to deal with reality. The Colts are in the same position a lot teams find themselves in. Last off season he chose to continue building the roster instead of solving the QB issue. That’s fine. It’s not an easy issue to address and may take more than one offseason. I said last year that if he didn’t see his future QB in the that draft he should push the the #2s to this year (they typically bring a #1) to have more trade ammo to move up for his guy in this draft. That obviously has consequences. So does not having a QB. We’ll see how he handles it this offseason.

My only point is that any team building a roster that doesn’t prioritize the QB position is taking a risk. I like Ballard, he’s made some great moves. But he’s also going into his 5th offseason and the team has no QB, no LT, huge questions at edge rusher, and no playoff wins. So I’m not going to suck his dick. It’s not entirely his fault, but if at some point he doesn’t realize QB is not just another position then all his other work likely won’t matter at all. That’s simply reality.

We beat Houston in the playoffs last yr

Not really seeing it the way you do on the QB issue. Luck retired unexpectedly, so year one post-Luck he's forced to go with a wild card - Brissett - and quickly brought in an experienced backup (Hoyer). Not surprisingly, things didn't click.

Year two, he brings in Rivers, an older but certainly above average QB, on a one-year deal. He resists Rivers' overtures for a two-year deal, presumably because he think better options may become available and doesn't want to be locked in to Rivers for more than one year. He also uses a mid-level pick on a highly rated but project QB (Eason) - giving the Colts at least a year to see what he can do, and also providing a potential low-cost replacement for the expensive Brissett as a backup QB.

Now we are in year three post-Luck, and I don't think anyone outside the organization really knows what his QB plan is, but he's said quite clearly in interviews that he understands the importance of the QB position but won't be pressured into making the wrong move. I believe him - he's held firm on his vision so far despite howls of protest at times, while demonstrating that he's not afraid to make a decisive move if the opportunity presents itself (Buckner). He's also put the Colts in a good position via the cap to make such a move.

Whether that move is Wentz, Darnold, Trubisky or someone else, I don't know. I really don't think it will be a draftee though. We will have an experienced QB at the helm when the season starts. And whoever it is, given Ballard's demonstrated restraint, I'll be fairly confident that he's been vetted thoroughly and is likely to succeed.

You are correct (year before) - my mistake.

If Ballard keeps kicking the can (QB) down the road, by the time he figures it out, he might have to start the rebuild over again!! Thanks A...........

Chaka, I don’t really dispute anything you’ve said. I just question if continuing the vet approach at QB is the right approach. I understand that going the rookie route is risky and probably expensive. However, rotating through reclamation projects has costs as well. I want them to identify their guy and go get him. I don’t see QB as a position where you keep plugging in reclamation projects until one sticks. We will see where he goes with it.

But I’ll be clear again - I like and support Ballard. I just don’t believe he’s beyond questioning in this area.