By Jeremy Giggy | Sports Director, White River Broadcasting
Welcome to something new.
This is the inaugural edition of “Gettin’ Giggy With It,” a weekly opinion-based segment you’ll start seeing regularly here on our website as we roll into the new year. This isn’t traditional reporting. This isn’t box scores, press releases, or postgame quotes. This is my perspective, built from experience covering sports locally, regionally, and at the professional level — the good, the bad, and everything in between.
“In my opinion” will be the guiding phrase here, because that’s exactly what this space is meant to be: honest, thoughtful sports conversation about the teams and topics we care about most in our area and region. Some weeks it’ll spark debate. Some weeks it’ll reinforce what fans are already feeling. Every week, the goal is the same — real talk, rooted in respect, and always pro-team, pro-community.
So let’s start where a lot of Colts fans already are mentally.
From my perspective, the Indianapolis Colts don’t need a dramatic teardown. They don’t need to scorch the earth or start another cycle of instability. In my opinion, the smartest move this franchise can make right now is a targeted reset — keep Shane Steichen as head coach and move on from Chris Ballard as general manager.
That idea isn’t born out of frustration. It isn’t personal. And it certainly isn’t dismissive of what’s been built.
It’s about timing.
From my perspective, Shane Steichen has done the hardest part of the job already — he’s given the Colts an identity.
For the first time in years, the offense actually looks like it knows who it is. The scheme fits the personnel. The quarterback isn’t being forced into a rigid box. The run game stresses defenses. The play-action creates hesitation. The offense asks questions instead of hoping for answers.
Most importantly, Steichen is the right teacher for Anthony Richardson.
Quarterback development is fragile. It’s about trust, repetition, and continuity. Changing head coaches means changing language, reads, timing, and expectations all over again. In my opinion, that’s how young quarterbacks stall instead of grow.
From my perspective, Steichen has earned patience because the direction is clear even when the execution isn’t perfect. Players play hard. Adjustments happen. The locker room hasn’t fractured. That tells me the culture is taking root.
Which leads me to this conclusion:
the issue isn’t the sideline.
This part deserves care — because context matters.
In my opinion, Chris Ballard has done many things well for the Colts. He helped stabilize the organization after Andrew Luck’s retirement. He emphasized character and culture. He avoided cap disasters that cripple franchises for years. He drafted real NFL players and built a roster foundation that didn’t collapse.
Those are strengths. Real ones.
From my perspective, Ballard’s philosophy works best when time is on your side — draft, develop, retain, repeat. That approach brings stability. It builds floors. It prevents panic.
But the modern NFL doesn’t always reward patience. Sometimes it rewards urgency. Sometimes windows don’t wait to be perfect.
And in my opinion, that’s where the Colts are right now.
This roster isn’t starting from scratch. The foundation is poured. The offense has direction. The division is competitive but winnable. The quarterback has rare traits that don’t come around often.
From my perspective, Indianapolis is past the “wait and see” phase. It’s in the “finish the job” phase.
That doesn’t make Chris Ballard the wrong GM overall.
In my opinion, it means his strengths may no longer align with this specific moment.
This is important to say.
From my perspective, Chris Ballard would be an excellent fit for a team entering a true rebuild — a franchise that needs structure, discipline, and a steady drafting philosophy more than splashy moves. A younger roster. A longer runway. A place where patience is a feature, not a flaw.
There are teams across the league that would benefit greatly from his approach.
For the Colts, though, patience has too often drifted into hesitation — especially at premium positions like pass rush, secondary, and offensive playmakers. In my opinion, that’s not failure. It’s a philosophical mismatch with the current competitive window.
Now let’s address the quarterback question honestly.
From my perspective, Anthony Richardson is still the plan. Full stop.
He’s the most physically gifted quarterback the Colts have had since Andrew Luck. He changes the math for defenses. He forces coordinators to account for him on every snap. You don’t walk away from that upside because development hasn’t been linear.
That said, development doesn’t mean recklessness.
In my opinion, there is room for a veteran quarterback to exist alongside Richardson — someone who can stabilize things if needed, start games if injuries or inconsistency arise, and keep the season from going sideways without hijacking the long-term vision.
A scenario where the Colts keep or acquire a veteran like Daniel Jones as a bridge or safety net makes sense only if the internal message is crystal clear: this is protection, not replacement.
From my perspective, that kind of veteran presence:
If Shane Steichen stays, alignment becomes everything.
From my perspective, the next general manager must:
This roster doesn’t need to be reinvented.
It needs to be sharpened.
In my opinion, this is the most pro-Colts stance possible.
It honors what’s been built.
It protects the quarterback.
It supports the head coach.
And it recognizes when evolution is necessary.
This doesn’t have to be messy. It doesn’t have to be personal. It can be done with gratitude, professionalism, and clarity.
From my perspective, the Colts are closer than the record sometimes shows. The path forward isn’t starting over — it’s finishing smarter.
So as we kick off Gettin’ Giggy With It, this is the tone you can expect every week: honest opinion, rooted in respect, always looking forward.
Keep Shane Steichen.
Thank Chris Ballard for steadying the ship.
Hire a GM built for urgency.
Protect Anthony Richardson’s development — even if that includes a veteran safety net.
Because sometimes the most important move a franchise can make isn’t tearing it down —
it’s knowing exactly what to keep, what to change, and when to push the accelerator.
