{
  "id": 9325015,
  "title": "How does Chris Ballard continue to keep his job?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/how-does-chris-ballard-continue-to-keep-his-job",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-23T11:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/does-chris-ballard-continue-keep-113000287.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For ten years, Indianapolis Colts General Manager Chris Ballard has overseen a team that consistently hovers around .500, never achieving significant success. Despite his occasional good drafting choices, Ballard's overall record as General Manager is 70-78-1 in nine seasons, with only two playoff appearances and no division titles. The Colts have fallen short compared to rivals like Houston, Jacksonville, and Tennessee, all of which have experienced more postseason success during the same timeframe. Ballard's teams have rarely been terrible, but they have never taken the next step either, often picking middling in the draft and avoiding January football. This pattern of mediocrity, coupled with a high number of early-round draft misses, paints a picture of a General Manager who keeps the Colts from breaking through but ultimately fails to provide sustained success.",
  "summary": "Ten seasons, zero division titles, one playoff win and a losing record later, the excuses for Chris Ballard are gone.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}