INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts had two opportunities to finish their regular-season job by winning a game to secure a playoff berth and failed both times.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard has not gotten over the disappointment. Ballard paused, closed his eyes and looked toward the ceiling inside the Indianapolis Convention Center on Tuesday, seething while preparing to answer a question about his team's late-season collapse.
He didn't zero in on either of Indianapolis' final two losses, at least not initially.
"It still bothers me," Ballard said. "We lost to Baltimore in overtime, a game I thought we should have finished. We lost to Tennessee in overtime. We fumbled twice inside the 1 versus the Rams. I know our pass rush needs to be better, but Tampa ran the ball right down our throat to win the game. So there was more than just those last two games that signified the end of our season.
"I know it all ended in a way we didn't like and we've closed out those situations in the past. In '18 we had to beat Tennessee to get in, we did it. In '20, we had to beat Jacksonville to get in, we did it. This year, we failed to do it with two opportunities to do it. Just to look at the two last games and say, 'well, those are the only two we blew' -- no, we had other opportunities during the season to get wins that we just didn't get it done."
An integral part of Indianapolis' offense, quarterback Carson Wentz has again found himself in the crosshairs of the countless individuals dissecting the Colts' season in an attempt to determine what went wrong. Wentz is the scapegoat, if not a primary reason Indianapolis fell short of reaching the postseason, and he's the central figure in the Colts' offseason narrative.
As a result, Wentz is under scrutiny. His future is once again uncertain as it appears the Colts have a decision to make before a $5 million roster bonus hits March 18. Reporters at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine peppered Ballard with questions regarding Wentz on Tuesday, and a common theme emerged: The Colts need a quarterback they can believe in.
That may or may not be Wentz.
"Not saying we don't, but in the long-term best interest for us, as we sit down and work through whether Carson's the long-term best answer or not is the best way I can put it," Ballard said. "We're not there yet. I'm not there yet. And that's something that we'll talk about as a group and move forward. Whatever decision we make will be the best one for us."
Head coach Frank Reich's stance on Wentz is a more passionate one. Nonetheless, he underscored the uncertainty of what lies ahead for the QB in Indianapolis -- or elsewhere.
"I haven't sat down with [Colts owner] Mr. [Jim] Irsay. I know I believe in Carson. I believe in him. I stuck my neck out for him. I stuck my neck out for this guy," Reich said Tuesday. "Last year, I was a big part of that decision to get him here. I believe he's gonna continue to have a lot of success at quarterback. That might be here. That might not be here. That decision has yet to be determined. I still believe in the person. I still believe in the player. We're all in progress. I'm in progress. He's in progress. Every one of our players is in progress. I just don't want to get into that trap of taking a snapshot of one week, one year. It's a bigger story than that. The storyline is much bigger than one season. I've always had that perspective."
Wentz showed flashes of play that justified Ballard's decision to bring him in via trade in the 2021 offseason, especially in the month leading up to Indianapolis' collapse. He threw the Colts to a road win over the Cardinals on Christmas, and enjoyed a three-game stretch in Weeks 13-15 in which he posted passer ratings above 107 in two of the contests.
After battling through inconsistency and being challenged by Colts coach Frank Reich to prove he could handle the adversity (shown via HBO Sports' Hard Knocks In Season: The Indianapolis Colts), Wentz appeared to be following through. Then Weeks 17 and 18 arrived, and two crushing, if not befuddling losses followed that shifted the conversation toward another potential change under center.
"I know I'm going to get a lot of questions about Carson right now," Ballard said early in his session with reporters. "I don't have a direct answer for you. We're working through it. Jim -- Mr. Irsay -- Frank and I will sit down over the next 10 days and figure out where it's going. Ultimately, we'll do what's best for the team, for the Colts, both in the short term and in the long term."
Wentz's mental fortitude (or relative lack thereof) has been a consistent point of focus for the Colts. There was Reich's challenge, and Ballard's message to Wentz following the end of the season: "Make the layups." On Tuesday, Ballard again pointed to the difficulties associated with playing quarterback in the NFL, and how imperative it is for Wentz to develop thicker skin.
"Ultimately, look, it's the most scrutinized position in sports," Ballard said. "And I think one of the most difficult to play in sports because you're playing a position where you have to make accurate throws with people trying to actually hurt you. Then the scrutiny that comes into play in the position, it's week to week. In our league, it's a week-to-week league. Handling the ups and downs of it and staying the steady course, there's so much that goes into it."
Such a process continues with internal meetings that aren't just between Ballard, Reich and Irsay.
"I visited with Carson today in my office for an hour," Ballard said. "It was good. It was really good. I think learning to handle the criticism -- I think what you always have to ask yourself, and I always ask it with the criticism I get, some of it's deserved. But I always ask: Is the criticism fair? ... Most of it is pretty fair. It'll be interesting to see how he grows from this. I think he will."
Growth will be essential to Wentz continuing his career in Indianapolis, and the decision might already be out of his hands after just one season to prove his value. As Ballard said repeatedly Tuesday, Irsay, Reich and the GM will end up doing what's best for the Colts.
