Ballard and Steichen are safe

[Kray007]

Originally Posted by Oldcolt

Again the best thing you can say is 'he had injuries to deal with'. Unlike other teams. Nobody ever lists all the fabulous players Ballard has drafted, the depth he has given this team or the incredible culture of winning he has developed. Nope. His best (and apparently only) defense is injuries.

If you are looking for a team that was injured but still survived and did well look no further than the 49ers. Lost Aiyuk for the season, Trent Williams (all pro tackle), Ricky Pearsall, linebackers Dee Winters (ankle) and Tatum Bethune (groin) , with Fred Warner (ankle) and Nick Bosa (knee) already out for the season and to top it off Brock Purdy missed 6 games with a toe (While our boy Jones missed 4) . They finished 12-5 without excuses.Imagine that.

You keep saying San Francisco, San Francisco, San Francisco, and I say Kansas City, whose offense withered and died without Mahomes and Minshew. I say the Bengals who managed 1 win without Burrow. I say the Ravens who managed 13 points in their first 2 games without Lamar Jackson. I say Minnesota who, without JJ McCarthy managed 2 wins…1 against a wretched Browns team and one vs a Joe Burrow’less Bengals.

If Jones had never broken his leg, if he’d never gone down for the season, the Colts would have been a lot more competitive. Given they lost 5 of their last 7 games by a cumulative 16 points, it’s not unreasonable to imagine that they might have finished with 13 wins…even with all the injuries at other spots.