Colts GM Chris Ballard has no issues with McDaniels rule failing to pass

ORLANDO – The NFL has tabled a proposal by the league’s competition committee that might have prevented situations similar to Josh McDaniels backing out of his deal with the Colts last month.

Proposal G-4 was tabled Tuesday morning at the NFL’s annual meeting. There will be no vote on the issue.

The rule was seen as necessary by some after what unfolded between McDaniels and the Colts in February, with McDaniels agreeing to terms with the team after weeks of waiting for the Patriots to play in the Super Bowl, only to back out on the eve of his introductory press conference. The proposed rule sought to allow teams to “negotiate and sign a head coach candidate during the postseason prior to the conclusion of the employer club’s season.”

But in a surprise twist, Colts General Manager Chris Ballard, who was on the wrong side of the McDaniels fiasco, said he was not a proponent of a new rule.

“When you’re a playoff team, you’re trying to eliminate all the distractions that you can. And we’re going to be a playoff team and we’re going to have these issues,” Ballard said. “It becomes a slippery slope. We have rules in place for a reason. I think they’re good rules. It gives you a chance to interview and then, after the season, whatever happens, happens. In our case, he changed his mind and we moved on.”

Ballard sees the Colts’ outcome with McDaniels as a one-off and not something that could occur frequently. It’s unclear how the Colts as an organization would have voted. Ownership sometimes makes the final call on these matters, and it’s not clear whether the Irsay family shares Ballard’s sentiments.

But Ballard was undoubtedly sure of his own personal stance.

“What if you hire a guy and he’s halfway in?” Ballard said. “Even though it was painful, and everybody reacted, I kind of didn’t see what the big deal was. You move to the next scenario. That’s just what we do. People are so scared of the unknown. I say just keep moving forward. What if a guy signs a contract and then, two weeks later, has second thoughts? What are you going to do? What are the legal ramifications?

“And that playoff team who has worked their (butt) off, they’re trying to win, man. The rules are in place to protect them. It’s already a distraction, but now you’re creating a whole other issue.”

Follow Colts Insider Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.

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