The Indianapolis Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard on Monday, one day after a home loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans. The team announced it on its official account: "We have relieved Chris Ballard of his duties as General Manager." Ballard was in his 10th season with the club. Per Yahoo Sports, it is the first major leadership move of the NFL season.
ESPN quoted owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon as saying "a change in leadership is necessary." Yahoo reported that she had promised changes if the team's results were not different this season, and that they weren't. Yahoo's Chris Cwik also tied the announcement to criticism from DeForest Buckner. The feed summaries we have don't say what Buckner said, so we can't characterize it. None of the reporting we have names an interim GM or a timeline for a replacement.
The game that preceded the move was a 26-20 loss to the Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. The box score shows the Colts were the better team on paper. They had 399 yards to Tennessee's 186, 24 first downs to 11, and 38:32 of possession. They also turned the ball over three times, two of them interceptions, and the Titans scored a defensive touchdown. The Colts went 7 of 15 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth, and they were sacked six times.
The result left Indianapolis 2-4 and on a two-game losing streak. It follows a 34-22 loss at Pittsburgh on Oct. 11, and a 30-13 win at Washington on Oct. 4 is the only recent win. The Colts are second in the AFC South, but the division offers little cover. Jacksonville leads at 4-2, and Indianapolis has a run differential of minus-20. The Titans, at 1-5, got their first win of the year, and they still have the worst record in the division.
Buckner is the one player the reporting connects to the firing. He has four sacks in five games this season, with 24 tackles, eight of them solo. He had two tackles and a pass defensed against Tennessee, with no sacks.
The Colts play at Minnesota on Sunday, Oct. 25. The Vikings are 5-0. The Colts will play it with a vacancy in the front office.
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