Let me start by saying that much of what you read from here on will be more fan based, than journalistically based. It is not as if anyone was getting me confused with Frank Deford anyway, but I always hope that at the end of an article, you feel like responding. It doesn’t matter whether you agree or not, I simply hope it puts you in a place where you feel like expressing yourself. It is hard for me to write negative, or sometimes even neutral material, for a team that I’ve let into my fabric. Brace yourself, here comes some negativity.
I’ve have been a loyal supporter (apologist to some) of Ballard for longer than most and from what is written in your responses, longer than many of you care to hear about. I believe he has assembled a good roster and while never quite solving the QB situation, I thought each attempt had merit. Where I find myself at a breaking point, is that in my opinion, he has now failed multiple times to find the right leader of those rosters. My first complaint could be unfair, because I don’t know if he was even allowed to fire Pagano, but McDermott, Shanahan, and McVay did start prosperous careers that year. Could the Colts have had one of them? Well, Luck was here, so I’m thinking Indy might have been a destination.
When he did have free reign, he somehow fell for the banana in the tailpipe and selected McDaniels. We all know how that evolved into getting Reich as a crushingly bad consolation prize. While he was at it, he added one of the least aggressive DCs that the NFL has ever seen. I know that Ballard had to bite his tongue when Jimmy went, well, Jimmy and brought in Saturday, but not having a divisional crown to your name makes it more difficult to go against your boss. This brings us to Steichen, who I have supported…until now.
He was hired in large part to develop a rookie QB, even though that QB was yet to be determined. There are different opinions on why Richardson has not developed to this point and they have been debated enough, but I do think it is fair to say that we don’t know much more about our 1st round pick than we did in 2023. I actually am not putting all the blame on the coach for this, but he should be considered a factor. If a QB is unable, or possibly unworthy of being on the field, they have to bear some of the burden for their lack of development as well.
There have been head scratching decisions when it comes to when to go for it, when to take points, and some would add, when to take the ball. I think we all watched the last drive against Denver and said “What the?” I, like most, was willing to forgive/forget some of those decisions, because what I was seeing in the first eight games, seemed to show what he could do with a QB capable of executing his plan.
If you care to go back to other articles, you might see me pledging my continuing support, because I could not unsee the efficiency being shown. The fatal flaw in my opinion was that each game is filmed and dissected by very smart people who’s job is to come up with counter measures to what is working for teams. The teams we would play in the following weeks, produced a good plan against our offense.
When the defensive approach against us changed, our offense did not adjust to the new approach. If adjustments from the offense were being made, they were not producing results. The step up in weight class had some effect, but we had a bye in there to sort it out as well. The situation did not call for a genius, it called for a response that worked. I feel confident in stating that those offensive responses do exist, or 32 teams would be putting that defensive plan into action.
Lastly, there are coaches out there that will fight you tooth and nail with whatever resources that they have at their disposal. They will convince the troops that all they need to do is want it more and give the team a reason for that desire. Slamming the table and saying, “We are going to go out there and impose our will against the enemy in support of Riley Leonard and he is going to lead us to a victory!!” should be the approach, not seeing what Phillip Rivers is doing. Take a fine for a profanity filled press conference (there should be a budget for that) that supports your player’s efforts. Wilting has become too much of an identity for this squad.
So, if I have determined that Steichen is not the answer and that Ballard is bad at hiring coaches, it is only logical that giving both of them their walking papers seems to be the needed decision. I’m not willing to make these firings without a plan in mind to replace them. It should come as no surprise that with my long leash for what would be the former regime, I am not looking at scorched earth changes. I really would not venture to guess what Carlie might be thinking, but I am leaning toward continuity, with a different voice at GM and HC.
So, Ed Dodds moves up a notch to GM. The hope is that he is able to keep much of his scouting personnel. I like what the group has done in general. He needs to understand that the coaching hire will not be his for at least two years, but he should be gathering candidates. He gets the final say on AR. Lou is moved into the head coaching job. This lets us avoid losing him to another team and having to start from scratch on defense. Jim Bob retains the OC role and will call plays. I have to believe that D. Jones will be back next year. I do not know for how long and for how much, but given the landscape of other QB options who might be available, it seems a given that he will be on the roster and playing at some point next year. Having the coaching staff largely in tact, may help keep him in house.
I actually started this article before the Rivers news broke. I have an opinion on that, but I have taken enough of your time, so let me just add that I believe this straw grasp is the move of a leadership group that likely knew that nothing short of a division title and/or a playoff win, would secure their jobs. If Ballard and Steichen thought that they were coming back, they may not have played an injured Jones. If they thought they were coming back, they might still want to give their young backup some experience. You only go get a 44 year old retiree of five years, if you know that only the playoffs save your job.
So, who do you think will be the GM, Head Coach, and starting QB next season?