The Indianapolis Colts' tumultuous, fruitless 2024 season put general manager Chris Ballard on the hot seat.
Ballard remains on the seat, still employed by the Colts after they finished 8-9, missing the playoffs. The seat remains hot, too.
"Just disappointed, extremely disappointed," Ballard said when speaking with reporters Friday. "I hear the criticism and it's warranted. It is. A lot of that falls on my shoulders. Four years, we've not gone to the playoffs. We've not won the division since I've been here, not won a playoff game since 2018. I've got to own all of that, I do. I'm not gonna run from it, but I've definitely got to own it because it's real, it is the truth."
The truth is the Colts haven't reached the playoffs since Philip Rivers was closing his career with a one-year stint in Indianapolis. That happened back in 2020; Rivers has been retired for four seasons. Indianapolis, meanwhile, has cycled through a handful of quarterbacks, trying Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan and 2023 fourth-overall pick Anthony Richardson, with appearances made out of necessity by veteran backups Gardner Minshew and Joe Flacco over the last two seasons.
In order to properly position the Colts moving forward, Ballard acknowledged they need consistency from their top pick -- both in terms of performance and availability. Richardson missed all but four games in his rookie season of 2023, suffered a hip injury early in 2024 and was also benched because of poor play.
"Like we can't beat our head against the wall," Ballard said of the Colts' handling and evaluation of Richardson. "We've got to have competition at the position just for the fact that, one, competition makes everybody better and, two, he's not proven he can play 17 games."
The interruptions have hindered Richardson's anticipated development. But Ballard also holds regrets regarding Richardson's benching, admitting it should have lasted longer in 2024 in order to properly benefit the young passer, who Ballard said "was drowning" amid the speed of the game in his second season.
Richardson's place in the franchise's long-term plans is not solidified, Ballard said. The inconsistencies displayed by Richardson start in the accuracy department and spilled over into ball security, with which Richardson has struggled as he's failed to frequently connect with his targets.
The difficulties are similar to that of a current superstar, Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who needed an offseason to fine-tune his mechanics in order to improve his accuracy and become the unique talent he is today. Ballard sees comparable potential in Richardson, but knows it won't be a smooth path for him.
"I don't think we can completely stamp it," Ballard said of Richardson's future as the franchise's quarterback. "We've seen some good things … Look, I like Anthony, and Anthony has done some really good things, but there's been some potholes, too.
"We knew when he took him it was going to be a roller-coaster."
So far, that's been an accurate assessment of Richardson's career. Still, it's difficult for the Colts to overlook his threat as a runner, his incredibly strong arm and the possibilities of combining the two.
Richardson is often compared to a new-age Cam Newton, and many believe he could surpass the 2015 NFL MVP. But Richardson isn't close to doing that now.
"Every quarterback's journey and developmental cycle is different," Ballard said. "I wish I had a magic wand that [I] could wave and get him to the top of the peak right away, but that's not realistic."
Similarly, the Colts aren't close to winning a title right now. In order to get there, they'll have to solidify the quarterback position while also finding answers for a defense that regressed dramatically, falling to 29th in the NFL in total yards allowed per game, prompting the club to fire defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
There's plenty to fix. But it could be worse for Ballard: He could be unemployed.
He isn't, which means it's time to get to work. Ballard knows that starts with looking in the mirror.
"There's definitely a sense of guilt for not getting it done at this time," Ballard said. "I'm very hard-headed. I'm very stubborn. I am. I'm not gonna sit here and say I'm not because I am. Having to really self-evaluate how we build the team and how we move forward is extremely important."