Chris Ballard Dicusses Colts Season At Bye Week

Chris Ballard chatted about his 5-5 football team with the Colts.com crew as the team approached its bye week.

The Colts general manager discussed a wide range of subjects on the team’s official podcast because this was the first time we had heard from him during the regular season.

Ballard shared the following ideas while speaking with JJ Stankevitz, a writer for Colts.com, and Larra Overton, a producer, host, and reporter for Colts:

On Shane Steichen handling things to this point to be 5-5: “I give a lot of credit to Shane, the coaching staff, and the players—especially with all the ins and outs of the offensive line, secondary, and quarterback positions. As is common in a season, we’ve had to make a lot of adjustments along the way. The thing I really like about Shane, though, is that he is unfazed by it. You never hear me complaining, it’s always like, “Who got up?” Okay, let’s figure out how to make it function. And that is very energizing. We still have a great deal of work ahead of us and a long way to go. However, 5-5, naturally, we would like to improve. Additionally, there have been several close games that we believed could go either way. But it’s where we are right now. Pay attention to Tampa (after the bye).”

“There are always going to be some hiccups when trying something new. He is very genuine; he is who he is, and I thought this came through in the interview. He isn’t attempting to pass for someone else. And I believe that’s what draws players in. They value the personality and consistency of someone who they see every day. And I find that admirable about him. He has high standards. He is seeking his own goals. And when you realize, “Hey, I need this, to make this go,” he will tell you and give you that look that makes my job and the jobs of my staff much easier. He also acts honestly toward himself each and every day. As if he does more than simply point the finger at others when something goes wrong. No, he accepts responsibility for his mistakes and holds the players accountable for theirs.

On the team at 5-5 and the team closing out the final 7 games: “I’ve always felt that Thanksgiving marks the official start of the season. It’s not something you want to play yourself out of. That’s for certain. Nevertheless, the final seven games usually decide who gets to advance. Every year, you can guarantee that someone will emerge from the tail of the pack and excel at football. But Tampa is the one issue I believe we need to continue concentrating on. That is all. It is impossible to look forward. Tampa is a concern for us because we are not in a position to simply roll the ball out and declare victory. We’ve positioned ourselves to accomplish some excellent things. But if we don’t win the next game, it’s all for naught.”

On Jonathan Taylor’s contract extension: “Look, the business side of things can get emotional and risky at times. After we kind of stood back and assessed the situation and Jonathan, I believe we want to do everything within our power to retain as many of our own players. That has been our experience, and I believe we have a solid track record of doing so. We also have a player who has produced a lot of value for us. And that’s been fantastic, not just for the building but also for the community, which is something we believe is crucial. And we consider the future. After all, at 24 years old, Jonathan is still a young man. Although he is still a young player, we believe he has an incredibly bright future. He’s beginning to move. Furthermore, I believe that we haven’t yet seen the best of him. After that, I don’t want to kind of ignore what Zack Moss has accomplished. Zack Moss performed admirably for us even though he didn’t play very well. And I am aware that during the most recent game, Jonathan got the best of the carries, which threw them off a bit. Our staff will work hard, I’m sure of it. Because in order for us to succeed, Zach and Jonathan must be involved.

On Anthony Richardson and his shoulder surgery: “I witnessed what Andrew endured because I arrived at the end of his surgery. I witnessed his extensive rehabilitation and his actions prior to my arrival. I have a history of knowing how crucial a throwing shoulder is for any athlete who rotates or throws, so I sought multiple opinions on the matter after that. In the end, I believe it’s a difficult choice, but getting Richardson’s shoulder fixed right away was the best course of action for him. And finish it so there won’t be any more problems in the future. Rehab is going well, and the surgery went well. And in the upcoming season, he will return. You want him to get those reps, those live reps, so it’s a bitter pill to swallow, but that’s just the way it is. You can’t map out, really. Things like this do happen, and you just have to keep going.

On Richardson’s emotions dealing with this: Anthony is a truly exceptional young man. I believe you witnessed it in his play. With him, there was never a moment of fear. He’s not happy. Naturally, he was. He wanted to play more, after all. Before the surgery, he actually sent the team a very positive message. He recorded it for the team and left a voicemail for Shane and Shane. He expressed how much he cared and how much it bothered him that he wasn’t playing with genuine heart. However, for a young man who just turned 21 years old, he is far more mature than I had anticipated.

On what Richardson showed the Colts GM as a player: “Every idea of raw, needed work, he went above and beyond what I had anticipated. Now that we had seen the poise college, I believe all of that was evident, along with his accuracy, instincts, and creative ability.He definitely needs to work on a few things, one of which is protecting himself. He’ll discover that. I believe it is a lesson that all aspiring quarterbacks must learn: in this league, you are not required to take needless shots. It’s acceptable to trip and fall off the line. I believe he will pick up those skills while playing. but extremely heartened by the brief glimpse we had of him.

On Richardson’s 2024 outlook: “No matter how talented people are in this league, the more you watch and eventually get to watch them play, the more you realize that this is what we need to do to get this guy going. I think we have a pretty good handle on him and what he can do and what we need to do to build around him. However, until you are with them, live with them, and watch them play every day, you cannot truly understand what a player can and cannot do, especially at the quarterback position, and how you must build around it.

On rookie WR-Josh Downs having great early production: “We anticipated it. For us, it didn’t take long. In college, he produced music and had an excellent tape record. During his first rookie camp, he was a huge hit. He was definitely going to assist us immediately. The last player, I believe—and I don’t mean to put him on a pedestal—was Tyreke Hill, who, during his first minicamp in Kansas City, kind of said, “Okay, we got some here.” Josh is in the same boat. He’s not Tyreke, after all. Josh Downs is extremely talented, but Tyreke is in a completely different league altogether as a player. And he’s still getting bigger. Thus, we were anticipating everything he did. We knew without a doubt that he would assist us immediately thereafter.

Usually, the tape runs out. They develop and alter. However, what you witness on video in college is typically the real them. They will recover. We were aware of his fierce rivalry. That was captured on tape. We were aware of his extraordinary senses. It was captured on tape. He has some T.Y. (Hilton) in him, the more I observe and spend time with him. And while I don’t want to yet place (Downs) in that group, T.Y. possessed some of the best instincts of any player I have ever encountered in my professional life. The child merely understood how to play the game, really. Josh knows he has amazing instincts and feel for the game, and he thinks he has some of that in him.

On first-year offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr.: Tony has a very promising future. This was his upbringing. In our league, his father was a legendary offensive line coach. Additionally, Tony has had excellent coaches throughout his career to aid in the development of his skill. He truly has the entire O-line room to himself for the first time, and he intends to do nothing but keep improving and growing. This is what proficient trainers do. A player’s best qualities are seen and brought out by good coaches. It’s simple to focus on shortcomings. It’s simple to focus on their limitations. That is a simple task. I think that’s what incompetent coaches do. Effective coaches find this guy’s strengths and work to enhance them.

And Tony has never once flinched in my eyes. “Dude, you have to play this rookie right tackle this week. You know, Blake Freeland.” Yes, exactly. He will, incidentally, be playing left tackle this week and right tackle the next time. You know he will play right tackle, so you’re going to play. And despite all the change, he hasn’t faltered once. He has a wonderful sense of the space. He has high standards. He also has an incredibly bright future in this.

It’s a credit to the players, Tony, and his assistant Chris Watt. That is to say, they are arrogant. They are an arrogant bunch. Most likely, they didn’t perform to their fullest last year. However, as I previously mentioned, I believed that things began to improve at the end of the year 2022. They are currently playing really good football.

On Zaire Franklin, Kenny Moore: They deserve credit for it. When we were seventeen, we claimed Kenny. It was evident from the beginning that we thought he possessed some special abilities. Afterwards, to truly observe his growth. The previous year, we also faced some difficulties. Kenny had a difficult time. However, in our relationship—Kenny in particular, Zaire as well—you stick with people, particularly once you get to know them well. Everybody experiences good and bad moments. And the way that Kenny has recovered and continued to play—which, in my opinion, is at a Pro Bowl level right now—is a testament to his character. Furthermore, I’m not sure Zaire isn’t competing on an equal footing.

Zaire, a seventh-round pick, enters the game and, I believe, was a four-time captain and a four-year starter at Syracuse. He made an immediate impression on us and became a special team captain. We have had success with that group of linebackers. We’ve been able to find guys for this position since roughly 2018 or 2019, from Bobby Okereke to Anthony Walker to E.J. Speed. Our scouts have performed an excellent job of covering that group. And never once does Zaire perform a role without taking great pride in it, giving it his all, and producing a work of great quality. And he performs at a high level whether he is the starting Mike or the captain of the special teams.

On DeForest Buckner: “I don’t read much, but the other day I came across something that said,’stock down: Buckner.'” Which damn game did you watch? Find out if stocks are low in New England. This is what a defensive coach at our school asked me the other day. Think back to the first time you brought him or exchanged for him. Saying nothing different, I I expressed my belief that he is improving. He is a true professional, and every day he sets a great example for everyone on this team with his preparation, his physical well-being, and his attendance at practices. On Sunday, he goes out and makes something.

Additionally, even though it doesn’t always appear on the stat sheet, our opponents are aware of it when you wear the tape. The fact that you recognize DeForest Buckner as a Colt is truly fortunate for us.