Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - EULOGY: Indianapolis Colts Showed 2026 Will Be The Same Old Story

Episode Date: October 12, 2026

The Indianapolis Colts' 34-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was all the proof needed that this is the same old team that overpromises and underdelivers. At this rate, it feels impossible to justify ...keeping GM Chris Ballard and HC Shane Steichen. Photo Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images EVERYDAYER CLUBDon’t forget to check out the Everydayer Club for perks of being a loyal fan of the show. Get ad-free episodes and a group chat with us and other fans of the show.All-access members also have a text line to Jake and Zach, and receive bonus content as well.Go to lockedoncolts.supercast.com to join. Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms:🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-colts/📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQLocked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-nfl/ Follow Jake and Zach's written work on ColtsRoundtable.com, and give them a follow on Twitter: @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, and @LockedOnColts! Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Make this Your Most Rewarding Season Ever with FanDuel Rewards Club. Every week, check the FanDuel app to see what’s waiting for you. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Gameday Men's HealthBook your complimentary test and consult at https://join.gamedaymenshealth.com/reasons_to_choose_gameday-1201?utm_source=lockedon&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=NFL&utm_network=lockedon&utm_adgroup=corp&ghl_tag=national,corpOdooGreat organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon.Butcher BoxIf you're looking for an easier way to get great meals on the table, give ButcherBox a try. Go to https://ButcherBox.com/LOCKEDONNFL to get $20 off your first box, plus your choice of free ribeye, New York strip, or filet mignon in every box for a year — with free shipping always.AppleYou can earn up to 3% unlimited Daily Cash back on every purchase you make with Apple Card using Apple Pay. Apply in the Wallet app on your iPhone today. Subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank, USA. Salt Lake City Branch. Terms and more at apple-card-dot-com.https://learn.applecard.apple/unlimited-daily-cash?cid=apy-318-2000008800000-400000000000039&itscg=2030032&itsct=srvs-crd-P3004756-C3004897&mttnagencyid=c1a&mttnsiteid=133087&mttnpid=LockedOn%20%28Audio%29&mttnsubad=srvs-crd-P3004756-C3004897&mttnsubplmnt=&mttncc=USPrizePicksVisit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFL and use code LOCKEDONNFL and get $150 if you win your first $5 lineup!KALSHIToday's episode is brought to you by Kalshi. For a limited time, Download Kalshi and use code Locked On to get $25 when you trade $25. Kalshi. Trade what’s next.GametimeToday's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.FanDuelGet three hundred fifty dollars in Bonus Bets — GUARANTEED — when you bet five dollars every day for seven days. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COMFANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Even though there are still 12 games left in this season, I think Jake and I are ready to eulogize the 2026 season for the Indianapolis Colts. Let's get to it. You are Locked on Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to Locked on Colts. I'm Zach Hicks. That's Jake Arthur. And on today's show, we are going to be all doom and gloom for sure on this one.
Starting point is 00:00:34 And I think the Colts have earned it after a 12th. 12 point loss in Pittsburgh for what seems like the 10th year straight. Like every time they go to Pittsburgh, it's the same old story. This team can knock it over the hump, and we saw it yet again on Sunday. So on segment three, we're going to talk all about Chris Ballard because, you know, he's a hot topic today. Segment two, we're going to talk about Shane Steichen and his failures as a head coach over the last couple years. But to start off this show, we're going to talk about why Jake and I both kind of feel like mentally checked out on this team's ability to win this year. And we'll kind of break into that a little bit to start off today's show.
Starting point is 00:01:09 But all that and much more on today's episode that is brought to you by Fandul. Make this your most rewarding season ever with Fandul Rewards Club every week. Check the Fandul app and see what's waiting for you. Now, Jake, I do think this is a risky thing for us to touch on in week five because we want people to be interested in the team. We want people to be interested in our show the rest of the year. So the last thing we want to come out and say is like, oh, everything is done. This is the worst team ever. Like, check out everybody.
Starting point is 00:01:34 but I just think Sunday's game was such a perfect embodiment of the Chris Ballard era with the Colts and even the Shane Stuyken era as well. I'm not trying to let him off the hook where it's the same old story, a game that had a little bit of adversity to it. You know, they're on the road coming back from London and they just didn't put up any fight. They looked hapless and just out competed in this game against a Pittsburgh Steelers team that really hasn't been playing that well to start the year. like it was just the same old story. So I'm going to give you the floor because I think people heard a lot of my thoughts yesterday on the postgame show. But I feel like you're on the same boat with me here, Jake, where it's like this was another one where it was like, I don't even know if they're going to get to the eight or nine wins that I expected this year when you're seeing how they're performing on Sundays so far.
Starting point is 00:02:21 Yeah, this was a game where I don't think any of us are surprised by the outcome that, yeah, they lost in Pittsburgh once again, whether that's some sort of Appalachian dark magic or whatever. is happening there. Maybe that is the reason. But what really got me concerned was when I saw the cracks starting to form with Pittsburgh early in the week, you know, Mike McCarthy is saying, our house is not clean. Jalen Ramsey's outspoken. Aaron Rogers is outspoken. I was like, the Colts are giving this up. I can tell you right now, this is a recipe for them to lose. And we shouldn't be able to just tell us straight that stuff. We shouldn't be able to still say that X amount of years into Chris Ballard,
Starting point is 00:03:02 X amount of years into Shane Stuyken. It's just these tough games where the opponent has something serious to play for. It just seems like they're always outmatched, man. And, you know, when it comes to this year, like, I do think they'll still win
Starting point is 00:03:21 a lot of these games they're supposed to. Like, they'll probably kill Tennessee at home on Sunday. That'll bring back some good vibes and people will feel good about that. And it's like, You can celebrate those, these small victories along the way this year, but the changes you wanted to see with this team are not happening. It's the same as last year or any other year where, you know, we made excuses for this team. And, you know, anytime they lost or anything, we were trying to find reasons for it.
Starting point is 00:03:50 And it's like, we kind of entered this season needing to wipe that slate clean because this was the urgency season. This was the win at all cost season. And we didn't love their off season. And then you come into this thing and nothing looks improved upon. Nothing looks like we were wrong about it. You know what I mean? And it's all very predictable. And they don't look like anything more than like a 500 team again, once again this year.
Starting point is 00:04:21 I would actually argue they don't look like a 500 team to start this season. They look much worse. Sure. You can make that argument. They look much worse. Because here's my thing, right? I'm a big process over results, and that doesn't mean that you ignore results completely in favor of process. But typically, if the process is good, you'll eventually achieve the results that you're looking for, right? So I think when Carly or say Gordon made the decision to run this thing back, I disagreed with it, right?
Starting point is 00:04:44 I was like, look, we have enough data on these two people to know that they shouldn't be back. But I understood it from the perspective of if you looked at last year's team, almost every advance number said that they were better than their record. they just had a really bad one-score game loss, the one-score game record, and, you know, it's worth another shot to see what's real and what's fake with the Colts, right? I mean, they were the seventh best offense in EPA per play, sixth best in success rate, and even in EPA per play against last year on defense, they were 17th, right? So they were a good offense in an average defense by all advanced metrics. DVOA had them as one of the best teams ever to have a losing record in the NFL.
Starting point is 00:05:22 So I understand taking that bet, but you know. needed to see at least some sustainability with those things that you bet on, right? Like, seeing the offense still be a top 10 offense, seeing the defense at least hit average rates like they did last year and then finding a way in those one score games. What we've seen this year instead is complete regression across the board. They're 22nd in EPA per play on offense, 21st in success rate. On defense, they've plummeted down to 27th in EPA per play and 26th in success rate against. And yes, they played against Mahomes. Yes, they played against Lamar. Jackson, they've also played against C.J. Stroud. They've also played against Athin Calacchamacus. They've also
Starting point is 00:06:00 played against... Good for you on nail on that name. Yeah. The corpse of Aaron Rogers. Like, this is not, like, again, we're past the point of saying it's only because they played against Mahomes and played against Lamar Jackson. So I'm someone who, again, I look at the process more so than just the results, process and results, put them together. And honestly, looking at how this team has performed this year, I think they're lucky to be at two and three right now. I think two and three is generous. And the whole reason they're even sitting at two and three. And three special teams in football right now, top three special teams in football.
Starting point is 00:06:34 They have a kicker who can't miss. They win in the margins on punts and kickoff team. And that is how they're able to squeak out some of these victories. But there is nothing about this team that is telling me that they can even get to eight wins this season. They have an ineffective offense, a slow and ineffective offense. They have a defense that can't communicate with each other. And that's still an issue. No matter who is the green dot, no matter who's a green dot,
Starting point is 00:06:54 no matter who's on the field. We have, like, Jalen Warren catching that pass in the flat and going 80 yards was a pure communication thing, plus a mistackle on top, which turned that into a touchdown. We have linebackers running the wrong way on every single run play. And like you mentioned, Jake, like the free agent moves and the additions and acquisitions they made this offseason were just utter disasters. And that was so easy to tell coming into the year. So the process isn't good.
Starting point is 00:07:20 The results aren't even that good right now, but I think the results are a little better than the process currently. And I don't really know what's going to come in and save this season, right? Like, it's not like, it's like, okay, our Jamar Chase is out for two weeks, but Jamar Chase will be back and then we'll be good again. Or, you know, our, our Trey Hendrickson Pass Rusher has been out for two weeks, but he'll be back. Like, there's no solution coming for this team. They are who they are right now. Even if Alec Pierce comes back, it's not going to turn this offense all of a sudden into a top 10 unit again because they have legit problems.
Starting point is 00:07:50 They're a very, very slow and ineffective offense right now. And Daniel Jones just doesn't look like how he did. last year. All the bets they made in the off season are not paying off. They've regressed across the board, and I don't really see any path for success here. So maybe they can still scrape their way to seven or eight wins. They're not making the playoffs this year, though. And that should spell the end of Chris Ballard and probably Shane Steichen as well. But I am out on them potentially making the playoffs this year. This game against the Steelers was a real chance to showcase who they are as a team, their mentality and just who they want to be this year.
Starting point is 00:08:24 And they look sloppy. They looked undisciplined. They look like they looked apathetic out there. And I think that is the best thing to sum up the Chris Ballard and Shane Stuyken era so far in Indianapolis. Yeah, without a doubt. And I'm going to talk more about that in the Shane Stuyken section because it kind of lends itself to a culture or just like current vibes type of thing. But I mean, just let's look at what they hinge this entire offseason and built it on. They said, Daniel Jones is.
Starting point is 00:08:50 good. He's going to be healthy enough. He's going to come back and be great. Alec Pierce is going to take another step forward. We're going to revamp this defense to make it younger and faster. We have this good offensive line coming back, Jonathan Taylor coming back. We're going to kind of retool the secondary. And if you look at that now, what if it's true? Like what has gotten better? Really nothing has improved. none of those big bets like you just mentioned as well. Daniel Jones, you know, to his credit, like he deserves to be able to look like he's coming back from Nick Hillies, you know. The Colts shouldn't have placed all that on him.
Starting point is 00:09:32 They shouldn't hinge their season on that. It's kind of foolish. Alec Pierce, he's got his own injury issues that he's dealing with, you know. And they didn't really make any reasonable receiver moves outside of him. So here they are with LaQuan Tre. Redwell and Ashton Doolin who can't stay healthy and a seventh round receiver in Dionne Berks, who they're trying to get to be their deep guy right now, because they don't have anything. So, you know, everything they've done, you know, secondary included, we thought that might at least be
Starting point is 00:10:03 good, but it's riddled with communication issues. So, yeah, everything they really hung their hat on this offseason has fallen flat. Yeah, absolutely. And we're going to talk more about that coming up because Shane Steichen is a big, part of this. And while I think he's still a good play designer, a good offensive play caller, it's clear that this head coaching tenure is certainly not working out with Indianapolis Colts. All right, guys, listen up. A quiz on your phone and a box at your door is not a clinic. When it comes to men's health, things like energy, sleep, drive, and how you feel day-to-day
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Starting point is 00:11:35 I don't really know what I'm going to be hitting on the Colts going forward. Maybe more, more, more on their losses going forward because everything from the advanced stats to the surface numbers looks horrible with this team. So maybe that's why I need to be hitting on the prize picks going forward. Price Picks has your back too when other apps don't. you know that prize picks invented the injury reboot? If a player in your lineup gets injured in the first half of game and doesn't return, your lineup can still cash.
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Starting point is 00:12:31 All access members. Also have a text line to me and Jake and receive bonus content as well. Type the link in the show notes or go to lockdowncults. com. All right, so let's have this conversation about Shane Steik and Jake, where, again, I like the hire when it happened, and I think it's a good shot to take, right? Young, offensive-minded coach with a really good resume,
Starting point is 00:12:50 they spoke well. Players seem to resonate really well in both Philadelphia and with the Chargers. But something has just not worked here with the Colts in terms of personnel, in terms of his coaching in general. I mean, aside from just not getting the results that we're looking for, again, too often we see this team just come out completely flat in big games. I mean, his inability to beat teams that end up with a winning record is jarring, right? It's something that we've talked about time and time again, where he's been great at just beating up on these bad teams.
Starting point is 00:13:23 But the second that they have to go out and beat someone who is a playoff contender, they just don't step up to the plate. And I think part of this, too, is he's been so focused on offense. And a lot of his hires on defense have been, I'm just going to hire someone who can run the whole defense for me. Either a guy who's been a head coach before who knows that side of the ball or, like in Luana Rumo's case, a guy who's been running a defense for so long, that he is very hands-off with the defense. And it feels like instead of having a head coach, the Colts have an offensive coach and a defensive coach. And that's where I think a lot of the disconnect comes with inspiring these guys, with making them
Starting point is 00:13:58 actually show up and polite. Now, I've always been on the standpoint that, like, these are grown men. You shouldn't have to have to, like, inspire them or anything like that. So maybe that's just a deeper cultural issue with the entire team. But I do think it starts with Shane Steichen, right? It's something I always say, like, in business in general, right? If your employees are all struggling, you have to look at the manager who's above them, who's not holding them accountable and not getting the results that you need.
Starting point is 00:14:24 And that's kind of what we're at with Shane Steichen, where we aren't getting the results, right? This is going to be the fourth year without the playoffs. He's going to finish with a below 500 record through these four years with the Colts. It's simply not good enough. And they do need to make that change after the season. Yeah, this feels an awful lot to me like the end of the Frank Reich tenure, where, you know, I never had a problem with the cult hiring Shane Steichen.
Starting point is 00:14:49 He was the guy you and I wanted number one. I will never think it was a regrettable decision for them to make the hire. It just hasn't worked out for whatever reason. Perhaps he's a guy where he's not a builder. Like if you would have, if he was like an heir apparent kind of coach or you like dropped him into a team that already had like some established veterans and a quarterback, he'd probably be awesome. Like his teams would probably be great.
Starting point is 00:15:19 Or a decent GM that could draft, right? Maybe that would help. That would also help, yeah. But like building something and having a different quarterback situation all the time, I don't, he's probably just not the kind of coach that's going to elevate the team to that. Now, last year early, I thought the team was finally buying into his message. Gishane is consistent. When it comes to messaging and all that stuff, like they don't have a herky,
Starting point is 00:15:42 jerky coach there. Like those players know who they're getting to. day out. So from that perspective, he's great. But, you know, whether it's, like you said, just not getting through to the defensive side or like whatever it is, like there's a lack of inspiration here. And I saw something yesterday, was this year for a Shane, week five of the season. They've been better at tackling the last couple weeks, right? I don't under, and, you know, tackling in the NFL at the beginning of the year is abysmal anyways, especially when your players not play in the preseason.
Starting point is 00:16:16 So I thought, you know, they flushed the tackling issues behind them, you know, a lot of new personnel. It was the beginning of the year. They started to look for our last couple weeks to regress like that and look that bad. I think that's a huge problem. And, you know, like Dave's Gather said it best, you know, now he wasn't a shining example of good play yesterday, but he said tackling is a want-to thing. And he's right.
Starting point is 00:16:41 Like there's a, you see the defense. you see some guys out there that just don't look fired up. They don't look like they don't look like they want to be the ones establishing the tone. You know what I mean? And on defense, you have to want to be a killer. You know what I mean? Like there's just some guys out there that are so laxadaisical. And it's like this is not a brand new head coaching regime.
Starting point is 00:17:07 Like how do we, how does it feel like these guys are so uninspired still? and that's so much how I felt at the end of the Frank Ranking. Yeah, and I think this is not even something that was Shane Stuyken where it's a this year problem, right? That we can go to multiple games from every year under Shane Stuyken. Oh, it's a franchise problem. It's a franchise problem too, but I do think it speaks volumes to Shane Stuyken too, right? Like, 2023, there were multiple games late in that season. Remember they got crushed by the Bengals and crushed by the Falcons late in that playoff push they were trying to make,
Starting point is 00:17:39 where the team just rolled over in those games. Do I even need to bring up the Drew Locke game in 2024, where multiple veterans after that game were calling out the lack of effort. Kenny Moore was calling it out and DeForest Buckner and a bunch of players. And we're sitting here in 2026 having the same conversations, right, where guys not showing up, guys are complacent, guys, you know, the want to. We've had back-to-back weeks where a veteran on defense has talked about effort issues or want to with the defense. what do you mean? Like this shouldn't be happening, right? That's what I'm saying, man.
Starting point is 00:18:15 This speaks volumes to your coaching staff. He speaks volumes to your players as well, right? And to all the players that you have in the locker room, that something has gone stale, right? How is this acceptable? You know, A.D. Mitchell gets shipped out for less than this that we see. And I'm not even trying to say that was the wrong decision. I'm just saying, like, we hold, like, one or two people accountable,
Starting point is 00:18:32 but everyone else, they're fine if they just keep having the lack of effort on the field. And, again, it's not just one or two players. It's a system thing here. Like it's really like from top to bottom, we are seeing it across the board. There's a couple exceptions here, but whenever they have to face any bit of adversity, I mean, they couldn't win one game down the stretch last year to get into the playoffs. They couldn't come out here in this game. We'd even show a little bit of fight against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Starting point is 00:18:58 And that was a big problem for me. It's you guys lost this game last year mid-season. It's when your whole season shifted. You beat Atlanta the next week. But that really was where the season started to crumble last year. You narrowly lost despite coughing it up like five times. How do you not come into this game so much more pissed and ready to play? Like, I don't see that fire and the anger.
Starting point is 00:19:26 I see guys upset and irritated and they're tired of losing in the locker room after. But, like, leading up to it in the action, like you don't see anyone that's, like, pissed. And it's such a problem. Yeah. And at the other day, what's the head coach doing about it, right? What is the head coach doing anything to either inspire guys to hold guys accountable to light a fire? And that, like, what is going on here with the head coach? Because, again, this is four years of this that we've seen this with Shane Steichen.
Starting point is 00:19:54 For as much as I want to defend, the offenses he's able to do, like, again, what he's able to do with Daniel Jones last year? What he's able to do with Gardner-Minchu in 2023? I think are showcasing his talent as a play caller on offense. But there is so much more to that than being a head coach. There's so much more, and he's just failed in those other regards. So, I mean, I think no matter what, like, I'm out on Shane Steichen after this year. I just don't think after seeing this time and time again the same story with him, you just cannot bring him back, especially when it's going to be, again, four years of not making
Starting point is 00:20:27 the playoffs. There can be no excuse for bringing him back. But speaking of no excuse of bringing him back, I mean, if you can't bring back Shane Seichen, there is no way in God's greener that you're bringing back this next guy, which is Chris Ballard, who we're going to have our 50th rant about Chris Ballard in the time that we have, you know, run this podcast. So we'll talk about the cockroach you always lives here in just a moment. What's going on, everybody?
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Starting point is 00:22:07 Fandul is making the excitement go beyond what happens on the field with the all-new Fandul Awards Club featuring exclusive offers, surprises, and much more. Every week, check the Fandul app and see what's waiting for you. Colts are six and a half-point favorites on Sunday because they're at home against the worst team in football, but they are six and a half point favorites. But if you're really out on this Colts team like Jake and I kind of are, maybe you do throw the Titans a little bit of love this weekend.
Starting point is 00:22:32 We'll see how that transpires. But make this your most rewarding season ever with Fandul. Visit fandul.com to get started. All righty guys, we're back for a final time, joined by Jake Arthur, of course, here on Lockdown Colts, and let's talk Chris Ballard, because why not, right? Jake, we've talked Chris Ballard so much over the years. The guy who, no matter what, will always keep his job, his contract is finally expiring after this season, and with the way this year is going, I mean, there is just no way that he is getting an extension, right?
Starting point is 00:23:09 like because it would take even extra to bring him back because he doesn't have a contract. There's no chance he's coming back after this season because they're just not going to go where they need to go. I hope Carla Ursula Gordon puts a freeze on him making any trades for players, like any kind of desperation trades to try to save his job because that could hurt the franchise even more. But, I mean, we are sitting in year 10 of this era with him. And to look at the way the roster is even constructed right now is embarrassing. In the 10th year of a general manager, this is what your roster is looking like. And the thing is, Jake, like, everyone complained about it coming into the year.
Starting point is 00:23:43 The depth on the roster was a mess. But even the starters at several key positions, like edge rusher, which you and I talked about all offseason, linebacker, again, like, we were fine with getting some new faces in there, but if you're going to take that bet, it better work out. And it clearly didn't, and I don't think it's going to this season. And then wide receiver, we saw the depth be tested when Alec Pierce goes down. So I just don't understand, man, how in this, like, do or die off season, how this is what he put together. Like, and it's just, again, it's a summary of just what Chris Ballard's era has been with the Colts where, like, you look at the rosters year in and year out.
Starting point is 00:24:21 And not only is he missing on, like, every draft pick. Like, every draft pick is just bad in the last, like, five years. But also it's like free agent acquisitions have been messes. His trades, I mean, the Sauce Gardner trade is aging like cheese right now. Like, it's really not going well for them right. Like, it is a mess right now. And this is the mess that Chris Ballard has put the Colts into. Yeah, I was kind of just, you know, musing this over a little bit.
Starting point is 00:24:52 And there's kind of a parallel with Chris and Shane where they just kind of play not to lose. Like, think about it. There's some other teams that maybe haven't been. dynasties necessarily, but they've had sustained success. And they've been willing to bite the bullet and rebuild at times. Like we've seen the, like, okay, so every team in the AFC South has won the division twice since the Colts have last one at all, right? How many times have the Jaguars gone from being the worst team in the league to going back
Starting point is 00:25:27 to the playoffs? Houston's gone from looking like a mess several times to being good again. Like they had the Cajones to go and get C.J. Stroud and then trade up for Will Anderson Jr. That's a baller move, man. Like that has worked for them. I mean, Stroud is whatever to this point. But like, you know what I'm saying. Like that, they're in the playoffs every year.
Starting point is 00:25:50 The Eagles even have been willing to strip it down a time or two. Like, Howie Roseman understands timing. Now he's got the cachet with ownership of like, hey, I've been to the Super Bowl. but Chris Ballard has always just treaded water and there's been times where they needed to hit a detonator button or like put more effort into more of a rebuild and they just haven't done it. Like he's always kept a roster
Starting point is 00:26:18 that is good enough to be middling but not much else. Like obviously 10 years, two playoff appearances. That's actually kind of crazy when we think about it. Well, that's below middling right there. That's unbelievable. But one thing I want to say real quick, so sorry, I don't want to interrupt you too much here, but one thing I want to say real quick is like, this is kind of why I think like the last two years is so weird to me, right? Because they bought on Daniel Jones, Cameron Bynum, Mooney Ward, made the huge trade for sauce Gardner, right?
Starting point is 00:26:50 So they are pushing those chips in, right? He is going for it. Huge off season. But then he just doesn't do any, like it's like he made those moves and that was good. oh, the rest of the roster was good. We just needed those big moves up top. And you just let everything else just kind of decay. And it's like, if you're going to go for it, go for it.
Starting point is 00:27:10 Right? Like, honestly, part of why you and I were both fine with the Soss Gardner trade, it was like, okay, cool, he's finally going for it. And then to have the offseason they just had, after making that big Soss Gardner move, it's like, so you make the move for Soss Gardner, and then your big linebacker signing as Akeem Davis-Gather on a vet minimum, and Arden Key as your big edge rusher signing is going to start.
Starting point is 00:27:30 Now, like, how is that, like, how do those things working? Like, when you see, like, the Rams, for instance, go all in, they are throwing everything at it, right? And I'm not saying I wanted Ballard to go that reckless and throw everything at it, but, like, I can at least respect the hustle, right? Go for it, you know? And if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Even the Eagles dream team back in the day, it's like, cool, you know what?
Starting point is 00:27:48 They went for it. It didn't work, but they went for it. With Ballard, it's always like these half measures. Like, I don't even think it's this active desire to be mediocre. I just think it's always like, for every swing he means. makes, he has to bunt the next, like, 10 at-bats, you know, because he's just nervous after that. Like, he can't have multiple misses. So if he's going to take a big swing, that's, like, the only big swing he's going to take, and everything else is, like, vet minimum contracts, you know?
Starting point is 00:28:13 And it's like, you can do more. Like, you can, you can really go for this thing. Like, if it blows up in your face, it blows up. So I do think to a degree you're right, where it's, like, there is this tentative nature to him. But also, it just, it's, everything is always so disjointed with him that it's left the cults in this really weird situation. for again like a decade now. Well, I think what lends itself to that is he does not really get to the point where he sees players as depreciating assets either. He sees names and he's like, this guy's been a star for me before.
Starting point is 00:28:46 So he's on the roster. So he's capable of doing it again. It's like, man, sometimes guys are done. Like sometimes you have to move on. And that's why like they're so okay with being stagnant on move. like so many of their like acquisitions are just players that were already on their roster that are coming back from being hurt which is like that that doesn't count man like how many years have yeah yeah like they've settled for their own players coming back from injuries as roster moves too many times and like it is uh you i think you mentioned a little bit ago like you look at how this roster's built right now it's embarrassing It is so embarrassing. Like think of how you win in the NFR right now.
Starting point is 00:29:35 Like offensive line's good. Cool with the offensive line. Defensive line, unbelievable. How on God's green earth did they think that was going to work? And like, to me, I'm still not over the Colby Wooden thing.
Starting point is 00:29:49 I think that was a huge problem. I'm not saying like he, like the move in general, just like maybe you should have just gotten a draft hit from Green Bay. Because it's not like wooden. is a star with the Saints or anything, but that would have been the type of move that really bolsters a defensive line. You know what I mean? And now that's, that's an opportunity missed. So they, they kind of thought they'd have Trey Hendrickson and Colby Wooden as two awesome parts of their
Starting point is 00:30:14 defensive line. You got neither of them, Arden Key's on IR, Michael Clemens is on IR. You got no receivers other than Josh Downs right now. Like Lequan Treadwell, Nick Westbrook Aquina, those guys are great stories. That does. doesn't like what there's reasons why they're in the positions they are in the NFL like it is it is so crazily built this roster is right now like for year 10 for without it being a rebuild it's year two of Lou Anarumo so like really it you should be having layers of solid players at this point who are acclimated to the defense it's it's so it's still so empty in so many key areas. Like, I just don't get it. Yeah. So we'll, uh, clearly we are a little
Starting point is 00:31:06 frustrated right now, guys. You guys can let us know in the comment section what you think too. And like, look, we've been out on Chris Ballard for years at this point. You can go back on our old videos and you can see that. We've clearly held this opinion for a while, but the frustration just continues to mount each and every year. Again, I understand the process of trying to run it back. It's not going to work this year. It's clear to everyone that it's not going to work this year. They are a bad team. they'll win six games, maybe seven games this year, and we'll get a fresh start after the year. But if you guys want to follow along with us the rest of the year
Starting point is 00:31:34 for 12 more games, 13 more weeks, don't worry. We will be here each and every day. If you don't already, though, make sure you're following at Lockdown Colts at Lockdown Colts 2 all on socials. You never miss an episode that the Everdayer Club is built for you. Get us ad-free, plus members only Discord access and much more. Head to LockdownColts.com. To join the club.
Starting point is 00:31:52 Thank you all for tuning in. And we'll catch you guys back here tomorrow afternoon.

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