WESTFIELD, Ind. -- Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard is beginning his 25th season working in the NFL, and that milepost comes with what he considers a dubious distinction.
At no point during Ballard's quarter century in pro football has he ever endured a streak like his current stretch of four consecutive seasons of missing the postseason.
That regrettable fact dawned on Ballard earlier this week as he was recounting the Colts' struggles of recent seasons, when all manner of late-season breakdowns has resulted in Indianapolis missing the playoffs in 2021 through 2024. The Colts haven't won a postseason game since a wild-card victory in 2018. And last season, when the Colts finished 8-9, they could not sustain a run at the postseason despite AFC South rival Houston going 4-5 in the second half of the season.
Ballard knows it all has to change. Most decision makers in the league don't survive a stretch like he has endured. And Ballard knows the clock is ticking.
"It sucks, man," Ballard said Tuesday. "It's a bothersome thing, especially with the expectations we have here in Indy."
Throughout the franchise, similar feelings are being expressed. The specific reasons and potential justifications don't matter any longer. The front office and the core of the team's roster has been in place for years, with its best players not getting any younger. But the outcomes haven't improved.
Patience is running thin, and the feeling is increasingly palpable.
"It's something that I've felt, obviously, every year, but specifically this offseason," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "... Definitely the interactions with the fans and stuff, they're upset and they're demanding. And to be quite honest, I wouldn't have it any other way."
Perhaps no player on the Colts' roster has better perspective on this than defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. His last game before he was traded to the Colts in the spring of 2020: Super Bowl LIV with the San Francisco 49ers. He came to Indianapolis with hopes that the Colts could eventually reach similar heights and he could ultimately contend for the championship that eluded him that night. Instead, he has played in one playoff game (a loss) and spent the remaining postseasons confronting consternation about why his team keeps falling short.
Buckner has been one of the team's most consistent players -- he has made three Pro Bowls and has been an All-Pro selection -- but even he says he's feeling the heat.
"Just seeing the team that we had and the potential that we had and all the players we have, some of the core guys we still have here," he said. "And, not being able to get over that hump the past four years, it's definitely been frustrating. But it's the conversations that you need to have with the guys throughout the locker room. Some of the leaders, we've been discussing things on how we need to approach some things differently ... and find those extra a couple wins to get over the hump to make it to the playoffs."
The challenge is that many of the shortcomings in recent seasons trace back to quarterback play. The position has been unstable in Indianapolis, and it remains to be seen if things improve this year. The Colts are staging a quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson Sr., their 2023 top draft pick, and veteran Daniel Jones, a former first-round draft choice who was released by the New York Giants last year.
But the issues aren't limited to quarterback.
The Colts' defense was shockingly bad down the stretch last season. The unit finished 29th in yards allowed per game (361.2) and 24th in points allowed per game (25.1), and it's unlikely the team's trajectory will change if those numbers persist. The Colts added pieces such as cornerback Charvarius Ward in free agency and hired former Cincinnati Bengals coordinator Lou Anarumo, but Buckner isn't letting anyone forget about recent results.
He called the 2024 season "the worst defensive performance for a season that we've had since I've been here. It doesn't matter who you are, your name's attached to that. It doesn't matter how good a season you have personally, whatever it is. I mean, my name's on that and I have a lot to prove this year."
This year's training camp begins on the heels of one of the city's more memorable moments, with the Indiana Pacers advancing to the NBA Finals before losing in seven games. The unexpected run galvanized Central Indiana, giving Indianapolis the sort of buzz it hadn't felt since the Colts of the mid- to late-2000s were consistently competing for Super Bowl berths.
Franklin was seated courtside for multiple games in that series, and he took note of how the city responded. It was a much different feeling than the fury he said he has heard expressed from fans of his own team lately.
"I just was inspired watching the Pacers, watching how they were able to come together as a team, how they were able to continue to grow and build together," he said. "And that's something that we're trying to replicate and continue to build on here.
"It is so tough when you're just a handful of bad moments away and we've had our fair share. So, it's about time we make some great memories."