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Originally Posted by Colts And Orioles
o
Unlike myself and almost every other Colts fan on the planet, I think that Ballard knew about Daniel Jones. Perhaps not to the point in which he would be toying with defenses the way that he and the Colts' offense has been doing, but at the very least at the level that Philip Rivers was playing at in 2020 ...... that's why he has been sitting in the Colts' GM office for the last 8 and-a-half years, and you, myself, and everybody else on ColtFreaks has not been. So yes, I think that 2+2 does indeed add up to 4 here.
The 2020 Colts were a 39 year-old Philip Rivers away from turning a mediocre 7-9 team the previous season to being a solid 11-5 playoff team that took the Buffalo Bills right down to the wire in the post-season on their home-field in northwestern New York State. I've said numerous times before, Ballard built a complete team and then tried to get the elusive franchise quarterback. He essentially did the opposite of what the New York Giants did ...... the Giants got a solid quarterback in Daniel Jones, and expected him to carry an otherwise incomplete team. Ballard, on the other hand, built complete teams that were a solid quarterback away from being bona-fide contenders (as is evidenced by the 2020 Philip Rivers season, and this 2025 Daniel Jones season.)
Regarding Richardson, Ballard took what was available, not necessarily what he wanted. Stroud was already taken at #2, and the next quarterback that was taken was Will Levis at #33. After that it was Hedon Hooker at #68, Jake Haener at #127, Stetson Bennett at #128, and Aiden O'Connell at #135. He refused to give away a proverbial King's Ransom for Stroud, and in hindsight we're all glad that he didn't.
I personally would have been more patient with Anthony Richardson, and would have had him taking snaps behind the center as the Colts' starting quarterback for this 2025 season ...... one of many reasons why it's a good thing that I am not making the important decisions about this franchise.
o
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I got you, and I'm not going to say that the Phillip Rivers season was not fantastic.
Jacoby Brissett
Carson Wentz
Matt Ryan
Sam Ehlinger
Nick Foles
Gardner Minshew
Anthony Richardson
Joe Flacco
have all started for us since 2020. None of those guys were the guy, but Daniel Jones is the guy that Ballard was just waiting for?
Were having a "my steak is too juicy" discussion. But I think Ballard lucked into Daniel Jones and you are trying to make it sound like Ballard (and only Ballard) scouted this out and shrewdly found this massive value buried on the Vikings practice squad.
Ballard had a lot of good planning and a lot of good luck that paid off for all of us.