Can the Colts possibly have success with Chris Ballard’s conservative approach?

There is a fine line between a shrewd and an overly conservative approach to free agency. Can a risk-averse mentality win at the highest level?

A fool and his money soon go separate ways. We have all heard that one before. While it may be true, it is also true, in the words of coach Bruce Arians, “No risk it, no biscuit.” The Indianapolis Colts have been conservative under Chris Ballard. Really conservative. Like, what are we doing here conservative. Like, are we seeing the same thing here conservative. Like, I want to bang my head on the wall because things seem to run so slowly here conservative.

You would have better luck turning back time than expecting Ballard to treat free agency as a spending spree to bring in new talent. He won’t be sped up or pushed into moves at the behest of the fan base. That is fair and the way it should be. You wouldn’t want the general manager of anything making rash decisions just to appease the masses, but at some point, it goes beyond the pale. We have reached that point. The overtly conservative approach has led to a whole lot of nothing. Something has to change.

During his tenure there have been two playoff appearances with zero division titles. He normally gets a pass for two things: Andrew Luck retiring and his drafting ability. The statute for Luck retiring has expired, and his ability to draft has been good but not incredible. Even with the draft, it is normally trade back here, trade back there. Sure he makes a few trades like the Jonathan Taylor one in which he goes up and grabs someone, but haven’t we all come to expect that the Colts might trade out of the first round almost every year? If not there, a trade back in the second or third to acquire more of those coveted fifth rounders will surely occur.

If he is conservative in the draft, then he is nearly catatonic when it comes to free agency. This entire free agency has revolved around the known. Ballard’s sole focus has been on re-signing his guys from last year’s club. I like that on some level. Bring back a select few and then look elsewhere. This team wasn’t at the doorstep of a Super Bowl. When fourteen teams out of thirty-two make the playoffs, they couldn’t even do that. We don’t know what we will get with Anthony Richardson, so we can’t say the team will automatically be better with him. Yes, some of the players he brought back are good, and we should be happy they are on the roster going forward. That doesn’t make it any less of a remarkably conservative approach, however.

To ignore the receiver position and defensive secondary, two obvious holes, is baffling. “It takes two to tango, though. If the free agents don’t want to come here, then what can he do about it?” Yeah, I hear you, but Ballard is notorious for low balling players with the contracts he offers and sticking to that number regardless. It is a take it or leave it mentality. That is the conservative mentality that cannot win in the NFL. To be completely risk-averse has such a low chance of providing results. The proof is in his record. I would rather my team take a swing and a miss than hold the bat.

I am not sure what Chris Ballard is waiting for. The contract doesn’t get longer than this if he doesn’t produce. Yes, he is tied to Richardson, and that could work out in his favor. Why he isn’t more aggressively improving this roster is beyond me. There are financial maneuvers that could happen to create more cap space, so money isn’t the issue. Maybe the issue is he can’t get to a phone to dial free agents. After all, it is a hard thing to do when you spend another offseason sitting on your hands.