[Kray007]

Okay, an honest invitation. I’d like to hear just where Chris Ballard has failed as a talent evaluator. Just which positions are so bereft of talent that you’re prompted to rise from your couch, run for the barn, and grab your pitchfork?

At least two games were lost because of an annoying proclivity to turn over the ball in the shadow of our own goalposts

One was lost when Patrick Mahomes staged a miracle comeback, a feat he seems to generate with all too annoying regularity.

One was lost when an opponent got the ball back, trailing, with no time outs, and 46 seconds left.

One was lost when a Receiver, whose name shall never again be muttered, fumbled at the one yard line.

And that wasn’t the only time that the nameless Receiver drove a stake through the heart of our ambitions. At times, throwing in his direction was entering a black hole that could swallow the life out of Quarterbacks,, even those named Elway and Manning.

But, none of that was Chris Ballard’s fault. It wasn’t his fault that Daniel Jones broke his leg. It wasn’t his fault that Anthony Richardson lost his battle with a rubber band.

It wasn’t his fault that Charvarius Ward concussed…three times. It wasn’t his fault when Sauce Gardner went down.

It wasn’t his fault when DeForest Buckner dinged his neck, and it sure wasn’t his fault when injuries turned the Offense Line into a jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone.

You’re going to tell me that it’s possible to suffer injuries and win. You’ll point to San Francisco and their 11-4 record despite losing Bosa and Warner, Bartch and Williams.

I’ll point out that, for every team that overcomes, most don’t. I’ll see you the 49’ers and raise with the Bengals, the Ravens, the Chiefs, and, yeah, the Colts.

I’ll also point out that the 49’ers had the easiest schedule in the league in 2025.

If you complain about Quarterback, I’d ask how soon you forget Daniel Jones. The Colts 8-2 record wasn’t a mirage. He might not be Andrew Luck, but if that’s your standard, if you’re expecting any new GM to strike his staff on a rock and have Peyton Manning spring forth, fully formed, you’re going to have to spend a couple of decades wading through an icy hell’scape of broken dreams. 20 other NFL teams would love to have Jones, and it’s not for nothing that I point out that if you look at any list of the best free agents available in 2026, Jones is listed near the top…even with the injury.

If Linebacker is your quarrel, I ask who could have foreseen Zaire Franklin’s one year decline from pro bowl to mediocrity? You say that, even if Franklin hadn’t regressed, there was a need at Linebacker, especially one who can cover. That’s true, but I wonder what might have been if Carlies hadn’t gone down. As a rookie, in admittedly limited action, he got PFF’s 3rd highest grade for coverage at the position, at 83.1. Personally, I have no problem with Ballard’s decision to play his cards close to his vest and bide his time, hoping thatbthe promise Carlies showed wasn’t fool’s gold.

And, finally, we reach Defensive End, the position that causes people to start sharpening their knives. You point at all the capital we’ve spent on the position, and the lean harvest gleaned. I say so what do you expect? Right now, there are only about 6-12 edge players who are truly elite. This despite the fact that over 500 have been drafted over the past decade.

Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Will Anderson, Aiden Hutchinson, Nick Bosa, Maxx Crosby, Trey Hendrickson, Danielle Hunter, Josh Hines Allen, Nik Bonito, TJ Watt. Any of them would work wonders if he were lined up opposite Laiatu Latu.

To be honest, 5 of those guys, 6 if you include Verse, were available when Ballard picked. But 29 other teams passed on Watt in the first round in 2017. 63 teams passed on Bonito. Hunter and Hendrickson lasted into the 3rd round, and Maxx Crosby was the 106th player drafted in 2019.

You sputter yes, but Bill Polian found Robert Mathis. True, but that was sheer luck, nothing more, nothing less. It wasn’t an exercise in scouting genius, not an indication of brilliance. Mathis was the 16th Defensive End selected in 2003. Bill Polian simply spun the wheel, put his chips on 26 black and won.

If we’re going to fire GM’s because they can’t find Reggie White or Lawrence Taylor, the line at the unemployment office will be awfully long. The best the front office in New England could do is Harold Landry. The Eagles field a couple of guys named Smith and Phillips. Off with Howie Roseman’s head.

Even without a blue chip player on the edge, when D Buck went down, the Colts had 35 sacks in 15 games. That’s 3 a game, 51 in a 17 game schedule. That’s, by any measure, is acceptable.

And, it’s not like Ballard hasn’t been beating the bushes. Samson Ebukam looked good until he got hurt. They were in hot pursuit of Hunter, but he decided to go home to Houston. Rumor had an interest in the Giant’s Thibodeaux, but the Giants, demonstrating their usual ineptitude, decided to hold onto a player who’ll never sign a second contract with them.

In 3 months, Ballard might have Trey Hendrickson on his radar. If he does, chances are pretty good that Hendrickson will have a locker wedged between Sauce Gardner and DeForest Buckner.

As sure as the sun rises, people who scream for Ballard to do something, anything, will be wringing their hands, bitching about it.