Getty The future of not just Matt Ryan but of all the important figures in the Indianapolis Colts organization, including head coach Frank Reich and general manager Chris Ballard, are in question after a 3-3-1 start to the 2022 season.
The Indianapolis Colts announced on October 24 that quarterback Matt Ryan lost his job. But he may only be the first important figure in the organization to do so this season.
If the Colts’ quarterback change signaled anything, it’s that there’s turmoil in Indianapolis. The Athletic’s Bob Kravitz questioned whether that turmoil could possibly end with both head coach Frank Reich and general manager Chris Ballard not returning for 2023.
“Here’s my question,” Kravitz wrote. “If the current brain trust cannot be trusted to find suitable short-term replacements at quarterback — Philip Rivers was the best of the bunch — can they be trusted to make the more important, long-term move in this upcoming draft?
“You probably know the answer to that. Irsay, too.”
Kravitz concluded it may be up to new quarterback Sam Ehlinger to save not only Indianapolis’ season but Reich and Ballard’s jobs.
Ballard’s Unwillingness to Draft a Long-Term Solution at Quarterback
The Colts general manager was dealt a bad hand when quarterback Andrew Luck suddenly retired during the 2019 preseason. No one would deny that.
But that was more than three years ago. Ballard has had ample time to find a long-term replacement for Luck, and he’s been unable to.
A big part of why he hasn’t steadied Indianapolis’ quarterback situation is his unwillingness to draft a quarterback. He did select new starter Ehlinger, but in the sixth round. The Colts haven’t drafted a signal caller before Day 3 of the NFL draft since Luck in 2012.
Indianapolis has been labeled as a team “a quarterback away” from Super Bowl contention in recent years. So going after veteran signal callers the last few offseasons made sense. But it’s crippled the organization that Ballard’s last two retreads — Carson Wentz and now Ryan — didn’t work.
The question now becomes whether Ballard should receive the opportunity to again find the right quarterback to fix the team’s revolving door at the most important position in sports.
“Ballard whiffed on Carson Wentz. He whiffed on Ryan,” Kravitz wrote. “Does anybody trust Ballard, a GM whose reputation does not nearly match his team’s on-field production, to make that call — with Irsay in his ear, of course?”
Reich’s Inability to Fix Indianapolis’ Offensive Problems
In my opinion, Reich isn’t as much to blame for the offensive issues as Ballard. Every year, Reich has been faced with establishing a new quarterback in his system. With the lack of playing time for veterans in the preseason nowadays, that’s a very difficult task. It’s no wonder Reich owns a 6-10-1 record in September.
But, Reich also isn’t getting the most out of what Ballard has given him. Either Reich isn’t designing the offense to maximize his players’ strengths or the talent on the roster is flat out underperforming on his watch. Take your pick.
“He vouched for Wentz, and Wentz failed,” Kravitz wrote about Reich. “He vouched — they all did — for Ryan, and he was a monumental failure. He is the brains behind this offense, and this offense has stunk for the better part of a year now.”
Kravitz also referenced the 10 points Indianapolis has scored in seven first quarters this season as a stat that particularly reflects poorly on Reich. His game plans to begin contests were terrible with Ryan under center.
It must get better with Ehlinger the rest of the season or Reich, along with Ballard, could be gone.