Bill Polian believes in Carson Wentz. More importantly, he believes in Colts brass.

Former Colts general manager Bill Polian watched every Colts game this season. He saw what everyone else saw in quarterback Carson Wentz — flashes of promise followed by head-scratching moments.

He saw a team that seemed destined for the playoffs suffer one of their worst losses in franchise history. He saw the ire of fans begging for Wentz's days in a Colts uniform to be over. He saw the questioning of Chris Ballard and Frank Reich, and the emotion-filled calls for change.

He still believes in them all. The owner. The general manager. The coach. The quarterback.

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"This was a rough year for the Colts," he said. "Chris and Frank are great. Jim's a great owner. He understands football inside and out. Everybody's upset about the ending. The past is prologue. I have every confidence that they'll bounce back and be a contending team again next year and for a long time, because they've got the people to do it. I believe in Chris Ballard and Frank Reich, and they're going to get the job done."

Polian read what Ballard said about Wentz, and agreed: The Colts need consistency from the most important position in sports. And he believes Wentz can deliver, because he's seen it before.

"His future with the team is up to Jim and Chris. That's not my ground to plow anymore," Polian told IndyStar. "His play was up and down. There were great moments, like the Arizona game, where he made a phenomenal throw, and there were bad moments like the Tennessee game, the Jacksonville game. You could call it inconsistent. If you're going to win a championship, you have to have consistent quarterbacking. That's the bottom line. It's as simple as that. Phillip Rivers provided consistent quarterbacking, and you saw the results.

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"Do I think Carson is capable of it? Yes, I do. He shows you what he can do when he has great days. It means that he can do it, but he’s got to get on with the job of being a consistent quarterback. If he can do that, things are going to work out just fine."

Polian had the luxury of Peyton Manning, so he never had to make a tough quarterback decision during his tenure in Indianapolis. But he did have to make tough roster decisions. Not every moved panned out.

"We put the pressure on ourselves to win," he said of NFL executives. "We know that our livelihoods depend on it. Outside pressure means nothing. If you make a mistake — and we all do, I made hundreds of them in my career — you move on and rectify it. I'm not saying that needs to be done with Carson by any means. But the bottom line is, if you've made a mistake, you own up to it and move on."

It remains to be seen what Wentz's future is in Indianapolis, or what the Colts do to find stability at a position where they've lacked it since Andrew Luck was still healthy. But Polian cautioned that if they draft a quarterback, fans should prepare themselves for a slow process. The Colts won just three games during Peyton Manning's rookie season, when he threw 28 interceptions.

"A young quarterback is going to inconsistent in his first year. There's no question about that," Polian said. "You have to assume that if the arrow is up as you hit the end of the first year, that he's going to continue to grow. You’re going to work hard to help him continue to grow. That means putting people around him who can make plays. The five quarterbacks that were drafted this year, who changed the face of any franchise? No one. Patriots rookie Mac Jones was the best of the bunch, and he's watching the playoffs from his couch. So that's the story of rookie quarterbacks."

Polian didn't often draw the ire of Colts fans, but he might not have known anyway. He just didn't pay attention. And that's the advice he'd give Ballard, Reich and the Colts players enduring fans' rage.

"Criticism comes with the job. Whether it's fair or unfair doesn't matter," he said. "I used to tell the players every year when I had my annual meeting with them prior to training camp, ‘Don't read the newspapers. Don't listen to sports radio. Don't pay attention to the criticism. Listen to what the coaches tell you. That's how you're going to advance your career. And that's how we're going to win games. And by the way, tell your mom and dad and your other loved ones not to do it either.’"

Follow IndyStar trending sports reporter Matthew VanTryon on Twitter @MVanTryon and email him story ideas at matthew.vantryon@indystar.com.