Draft 2021

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

I’m sorry I lied there. We are dominating our division and earning a solid seed in the playoffs every year. We were two plays away from missing the playoffs again.

Every team has trying circumstances. But QB wasn’t the issue last year. It wasn’t a strength two years ago, but it wasn’t the biggest problem either. Lacking a franchise QB doesn’t stop him from getting more talent in the WR room. Nor does it stop him from getting more pass rush help.

The Colts were also two plays away from winning the AFC South (the Texans nearly upset the Titans in Week 17), and that doesn't even factor in the way that Buckner missed the most important game of the year and that the Titans basically got handed their win against the Colts by the NFL.

Every team has trying circumstances, but even current and former GMs acknowledge that the circumstances Ballard have had to deal with are far more challenging than what most GMs face. And I'd say Ballard has guided the franchise through to a place where they're still contenders, and will be for the foreseeable future. How many GMs could've pulled that off within 20 months of unexpectedly losing the franchise QB that was entering what was supposed to be the prime of his career and was in place when they were hired? Not many. Again, I agree with you that Ballard needs to loosen the pursestrings a bit in free agency, but that's pretty much the only criticism I would say is really justifiable based on his tenure to this point.