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I’ve been harping on this for a bit, but I went to look at the numbers on a snowy morning.
Since the Irsay family acquired the Colts, the franchise record is 410-420-2.
That includes the Peyton Manning and Bill Polian era, the first season in which Manning was learning on the job (3-13) and the last in which Manning was hurt and didn’t play (2-14). During that time, and including those two bad years in the comparison, the franchise went 143-81.
No Bill Polian and no Peyton Manning, the record is 267-339-2. 44% winning percentage. On average, in a 17 game season, that comes out to an 8-9 team … their record this season.
So they can promise things will be better but, 50 years of experience sure doesn’t make it seem promising.
Ouch! Good comment. Those stats you pulled out are pretty telling of an ownership that is clueless … and with that glorious decade with Manning, even a broken clock, as they say, gets the time right twice a day.
They simply do not have a winning culture. They are content being average.
If I were in charge, I would create the most formidable defensive unit in the NFL. Give it a name that guys would want to be a part of it, defend it, and be proud of it, because it operates as a unit at the highest level.
Same people, doing the same thing = the same losing results. Change will only come when it hits the pocket book$. Right now they are using the same game plan as the old Cubs; “Wait ’til next year” and they got by with it for almost a century.
A new approach? The heck you say! Why would Ballard want to try a new approach? Because the one he’s been pursuing for eight years has produced nothing but mediocrity? Why didn’t he try a new approach after 2021 or 2022 or 2023? It took embarrassing thumpings by the lowly Giants and the Broncos in December of 2024 to convince him it was time for a new approach? What makes Irsay think Ballard will get his second approach right? Will we have to wait eight more years until we find out?
Two playoff appearances in eight years coming out of the weak-kneed AFC South indicate more than a new approach is needed. The Colts are at least two or three years overdue for new leadership atop the front office.
Bob Irsay was known for being impetuous and making terrible decisions.
Jim Irsay does everything he can to avoid repeating that. The one time you could argue he did make a rash decision (Jeff Saturday as HC), it went about as well for him as it did for his dad.
So Jim isn’t making the same mistakes as his dad, but he is still making mistakes. He’s been around football for so long, and he wants to show the world he can put together a winning team. Simply put, though, that’s not in his skill set. He’s about as good as a GM as Jerry Jones. (Don’t get me wrong, Jones has been brilliant on the business end of things. But without Jimmy Johnson, he’s accomplished not much.)
And Ballard’s solution is “create competition at QB”.
As if a(nother) QB controversy will settle things into a championship groove.
The Colts drafted a raw piece of clay seem mystified that it’s not ready to be a piece of pottery yet.
Richardson will turn out pretty good after he goes elsewhere and gets better coaching and development. If the Colts wanted a ready-made QB, they should have moved up in the draft. If they thought they were getting a ready-made QB, they should all fire themselves.