The Indianapolis Colts finished the 2024 campaign with an 8-9 record and missed the playoffs for the 4th-straight season. After another year of mediocrity, many fans expected (or hoped) that team owner Jim Irsay would make huge changes to the Colts’ leadership. Instead, Irsay confirmed that Indianapolis would retain both head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard for 2025.
There are several reasons why the Colts have struggled in recent years. In addition to major injuries and underperforming players, Indianapolis has had to navigate Steichen and Ballard’s missteps, including inconsistent playcalling and poor personnel decisions. So, did Irsay make a mistake sticking with the pair?
A third season for Shane Steichen is justifiable
In February 2023, Shane Steichen was hired as the Colts’ head coach after stints as the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles. Steichen arrived in Indianapolis with an impressive track record of developing young quarterbacks (Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts) and leading successful offenses (Philadelphia’s Super Bowl LVII run).
Unfortunately, Steichen has yet to deliver the same results with the Colts, going 17-17 over his first 2 seasons and missing the playoffs twice. His record has been disappointing so far, but context is important. Steichen inherited a 4-win team, rudderless offense, and porous defense. Then, the front office returned virtually the same roster, added a raw QB prospect in Anthony Richardson, and retained a failing defensive coordinator in Gus Bradley — all of these decisions were largely outside Steichen’s control.
Although Steichen’s playcalling and leadership have rightfully been criticized, we have to acknowledge that he’s been thrust into a difficult situation. Fixing this team in just two years was an impossible ask. Truthfully, the fact that Steichen was able to keep the Colts competitive and alive in the playoff race, despite the turmoil surrounding the franchise, is impressive. Steichen has shown enough competence to earn himself a third season in charge. That being said, the honeymoon phase is officially over, and Steichen’s on the hot seat.
There is no reason to continue believing in Chris Ballard
While Steichen’s lack of success can be somewhat rationalized by the imperfect roster he was given or the insufficient time he’s had to make a difference, the same excuses do not apply to Chris Ballard. In Ballard’s 8-year tenure as the Indianapolis GM, the Colts have won 0 division titles and just 1 playoff game. He has had plenty of time to build a winning team and has repeatedly come up short.
Ballard’s laundry list of mistakes is long. He owns a hit-or-miss record in the draft and free agency, gambles on suspect players, and is slow to address areas of need. Most importantly, Ballard has struggled to fill the two most important roles in football, cycling through 4 head coaches and 7 starting QBs. It’s unrealistic to expect a front office executive to nail every decision they make
— however, Ballard’s pattern of bad choices is concerning.
Clearly, Ballard’s roster construction philosophy is not working. He prefers to build through the draft while being a conservative spender in free agency. In the past, Ballard’s stated that he doesn’t want to pay “B players A-plus player money”, even if that means neglecting premium positions like wide receiver, offensive tackle, edge rusher, and cornerback. Accordingly, the Colts often have to trust young and unproven talent to play significant roles, which has yielded disastrous results. Of course, Ballard has shown no signs of giving up on his losing strategy, admitting that he’s “very stubborn and dogmatic”. The Ballard era in Indianapolis has been filled with failure and there's no reason to believe anything will change, so why is he still around?