Getty The Indianapolis Colts fired head coach Frank Reich on November 7 but not general manager Chris Ballard.
The Indianapolis Colts have fired two coaches over the last couple weeks, but to the surprise of some, the organization has not departed with general manager Chris Ballard.
According to Colts owner Jim Irsay, that’s not going to change either.
When asked during the team’s introductory press conference of interim head coach Jeff Saturday on November 7 if Ballard would return as Colts general manager, Irsay responded with “of course.”
“You guys can diminish him all you want, but that’s just your words and they have no substance to it,” said Irsay during the press conference. “Because there’s no truth. The guy’s a winner. He’s been immensely successful.”
But based on what else Irsay has said over the last couple months, it’s worth wondering whether Colts fans can take the owner at his word.
The Owner Who Cried Never-ending Praise
Irsay has quickly become an owner who sings the praises of his employees loud and clear right up until he fires them.
The best examples of that have been with quarterback Matt Ryan and head coach Frank Reich.
Irsay declared all offseason that trading for Ryan would set up the Colts at quarterback for the 2-3 years or maybe even longer. He loudly complimented the veteran signal caller for his leadership, comparing him to Peyton Manning for much of the offseason.
Then Ryan lost his job after seven games. Granted, Ryan played the poorest football of his career, but it was still an about-face for the head of the organization to switch so quickly from Ryan being a long-term answer to a quarterback not even worth starting ahead of a 2021 sixth-round pick.
Publicly, benching Ryan was Reich’s choice, but reports indicated that Irsay was instrumental in the quarterback decision.
Irsay changed his mind even quicker on Reich. On October 30, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Reich was “safe.”
“Multiple sources say Reich is in no trouble at all,” Rapoport wrote. “His job status is best described as ‘safe,’ sources say, and in good shape.”
Eight days later, the Colts fired Reich.
Indianapolis lost two games after Rapoport’s report, including one defeat that was Indianapolis’ worst offensive performance since 1997. But still, it was jarring to see Reich go from “safe” to fired in about a week’s time.
With these two situations in mind, it’s wise to take Irsay’s newest public comments on Ballard with a heavy dose of salt.
Jeff Saturday Names Sam Ehlinger the Starting QB
The focus of the November 7 press conference was mostly on Irsay and Ballard, but interim head coach Jeff Saturday was also present. Notably, he faced some pertinent questions from the media that need to be answered before the Colts face the Las Vegas Raiders on November 13.
Saturday was not able to name an offensive play caller at the press conference, but he did declare Ehlinger the team’s starting quarterback. He also added that rookie Bernhard Raimann will start at left tackle.
Irsay made it pretty clear that his hope is that Saturday will be the team’s head coach next year along with Ballard at GM. But to Saturday’s credit, he admitted he needs to earn the job.
“I have no preconceived notion that I’m going to be some spectacular anything,” Saturday said. “I know I’ve got to work hard. I’m auditioning not only for this one, but for 31 others just like everybody else in this game. Make no mistake, the job is win and I know that’s what I’m here to do.”
Saturday will be counting on Indianapolis’ young players to help him earn his place as an NFL head coach.