Several teams have disappointed this season, and the Colts are near the top of that list. They have gone from a team that led the NFL with seven Pro Bowlers last season to one with a 4-9-1 squad that just blew an NFL-record 33-point lead.
The Colts have already fired their head coach and offensive coordinator, promoting their assistant quarterbacks coach to call plays, and have made multiple quarterback changes. Jeff Saturday‘s showing in Minnesota likely will lead to him not being retained as Indianapolis’ full-time HC, and prior to the Vikings loss, Jim Irsay indicated he was looking forward to interviewing a host of HC candidates. But the second-generation Colts owner is still planning to keep Chris Ballard in place as GM.
“I think a lot of Chris,” Irsay said, via Zak Keefer of The Athletic (subscription required). “Young GMs make mistakes. He’s been up against it. The No. 1 component is he’s an outstanding talent evaluator. He has this [Bill] Polian-esque touch in the draft room. There have been some things … people don’t realize, you have to learn as a general manager. You just don’t get it overnight. I feel very confident in where we’re going.”
The directional confidence part is a bit strange to read, considering what has happened to the Colts over the past year, and it should be noted Irsay issued this Ballard support prior to the team’s 39-36 loss Saturday. But Irsay said upon hiring Saturday that he intended for Ballard to return next year. The Colts are 1-4 since those comments. Ballard, however, had attempted to talk Irsay out of the Saturday move. While Irsay has said it will be Ballard’s job to hire coaches, Keefer adds some around the league are convinced the owner will pursue Jim Harbaugh in 2023.
Long connected on the coaching carousel’s fringes, Harbaugh surfaced in a real way this year by interviewing with the Vikings. Harbaugh also recently announced he would stay at Michigan for a 10th season, but just before that pledge, NFL teams were doing homework on him. Some around the league wonder if Colts interest could change Harbaugh’s Ann Arbor plans, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. The former quarterback spent four years with the Colts, leading them to two playoff berths and an AFC championship game in the mid-1990s, and is in the team’s ring of honor. Harbaugh, who has led Michigan to back-to-back College Football Playoff berths, signed a new deal with his alma mater this year. Should Harbaugh truly be on Indy’s radar, Ballard’s personnel power could be at risk — at least compared to where it is now.
Ballard, 53, built what looked like one of the league’s top rosters — though, one without a long-term quarterback — and last year’s Pro Bowl count reinforced confidence the Colts sported a strong foundation. The Colts have extended Ballard draftees Shaquille Leonard, Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith. Two of Ballard’s Day 2 picks from 2020 — Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. — will likely be on the extension radar soon as well. But the team has not truly climbed out of the hole Andrew Luck‘s sudden retirement left it in three years ago.
Irsay drove the trade of Carson Wentz to the Commanders and pushed Ballard to finalize the Matt Ryan swap. The latter move has not panned out for the Colts, and Irsay was behind the midseason QB switch that led to Sam Ehlinger rising from third-stringer to starter. It is safe to say this has been a rather chaotic year for the Colts, who returned all seven of those Pro Bowlers this season. Ballard has, however, been rather stingy in free agency since being hired in 2017. That has placed more pressure on his homegrown core.
Last year, Ballard and Reich signed extensions that run through 2026. The former returning in 2023 would mean considerable pressure to both aid Irsay on the team’s next HC hire and fix the quarterback position. Ballard’s last HC search did not go smoothly, with Josh McDaniels reneging on an agreement and Reich being the fallback hire. The next one not panning out would almost certainly lead to Irsay going GM shopping.
Jim Harbaugh would be a fool to work for Irsay – regardless how much money they promise him.
I don’t know. I think it would be a smart move to sign a huge, lengthy, full-guaranteed contract knowing that you’ll be fired in two years.
Too funny. The hedge fund approach to coaching.
I guess Peyton Manning will be the next GM.
Keeping Ballard is a double-edged sword for the future. He’s seen as a lame duck with Irsay meddling this year, so there’s a strong chance that will turn away some top HC candidates. In addition, his archaic roster-building philosophy and stubborn cheapness in free agency will handcuff the Colts to being nothing more than a mid team.
Harbaugh WILL be coaching the Colts in 2023 Guaranteed
Doubt harbaugh leaves Michigan. They are on the up swing just went 13-0. He’s Making 7million a year. Harbaugh can get an nfl job whenever he wants. He won’t settle for the colts.
Actually he can’t get an NFL job whenever he wants. He found that out last year.
Not sure why anyone would want to work for Jim Irsay after the way he treated Frank Reich and how Andrew Luck was chewed up and ruined due to Irsay’s failure to bring in good OL fast enough.
The Jeff Saturday story was fresh and exciting as if part of a movie but alas it looks like that Cinderella in a jock strap story has fallen flat. Saturday probably could make it as a coach, if he goes off and hones his craft at a more reasonable level for a few years.
But today the Colts seem almost wrecked.
Also, injuries or not, if your O-Line sucks making changes mid-season is like switches oars when there’s a hole in the boat.
Agreed. Jeff Saturday looks like a raw head coach. He needs another season under his belt and I think he’ll be great. Unsure what he does if he’s not re-hired.
He’s got more on the ball then Denver’s Hackett, but even still, the same argument is now there. There’s so many injuries, it’d be hard for him now that he has a better footing to make any improvements.
Any play that’s put together just falls apart. If you can’t run an offense that suit the QB because your O-line is a sieve, it makes little difference to throw tomatoes at the head coach.
I haven’t liked watching Saturday squander big leads.
Curiously the common thread Matt Ryan who has now been the victim/architect of the biggest regular season comeback to his record-breaking Super Bowl lead-to-loss.
Playing Ryan has not been a bad Saturday decision given who is on the roster. Bringing in Ryan was sure to end in tears, fortunately it only cost a single third round draft pick.
I’m no expert but I wasn’t expecting a whole lot out of Matt Ryan coming to Indy.
Yeah, when you see Saturday squander big leads, I feel like that’s exactly the lumps you’re supposed to go through at lower levels so you don’t go through them at the pro level. Two in a row would defend that supposition. If he really wants to get into coaching, I’m wondering if he’d be okay with being an offensive coordinator or O-Line coach. I think he understands a lot of the game but those things, like fumbles for a RB, just can’t happen repeatedly in pro ball.
The Colts have been squandering leads even before Saturday turned up. There’s something wrong with this team. I tried to find some stats on which teams squandered the most leads in the last two seasons but only came up with oodles of articles about how the Denver Broncos squander leads. The Broncos aren’t the only team to collapse in the second half. Matt Ryan’s old alma mater, the Atlanta Falcons always seemed to get off to a fast start and then fade in the second half.
Yeah, it’s a more hard-to-determine metric than red zone efficiency. Like…why? It’s accumulative and hard to pin down on one thing outside turnovers, but that’s not enough to validate unless it’s like that game a couple weeks ago with the Broncos/Chiefs.
It’s hard to digest why performance plunges 4th quarter. I watched that second Indy game and it just became a 3rd down affair. What do you tell them at halftime? Don’t forget how to tackle? Please catch the ball, like really?
Ballard is a good GM. I’d say he’s a Top 10 GM that gets over-shadowed by a lot of “Irsay Override”.
He’s shown to make good decisions in difficult situations and he’s got solid draft IQ.
Yeah, he gone.
Harbaugh won’t leave Michigan. Maybe the colts want his brother
Jim Irsay is an idiot owner like his father. Both meddle too much with the team. Why would Jim Harbaugh want to work for that clown. Maybe his brother can send Greg Roman to Michigan and the Ravens can get a better OC to help Lamar.
Sure hope he stays at Michigan !
Wouldn’t want them to get a good coach!
The Wolverines will interview Tom Brady the day after Harbaugh quits.
Jim Irsay speaks out of both sides of his mouth
and makes stupid,impulsive decisions.
Fires Frank Reich and hires his good friend and pal Jeff Saturday,who is showing to the world his lack of experience in coaching. It’s only a matter of time that he’ll fire Ballard, who by all rights should have been fired along with Reich. Whatever Irsay gets for the rest of the season will be well earned and deserved.