Monday was a whirlwind. Monday night was a s— show.
And we’ve only just begun, Colts fans.
Many fans were longing for change, Frank Reich had worn out his welcome as the team has completely unraveled this season and while Chris Ballard still remains in place as GM, at least fans saw some change.
Then the news that Jeff Saturday would be interim head coach came out and led to a lot of head scratching considering he doesn’t have any college or NFL coaching experience. Okay, that was kind of weird but clearly it will be all addressed in a nice, orderly fashion during Monday night’s press conference…YIKES!
What should have been a big moment for Jeff Saturday and his family was completely derailed by owner Jim Irsay’s uncharacteristic defiance and GM Chris Ballard’s petulant attitude. From not knowing how sausage is made to quartiles to comparing Ballard to Michael Jordan to Ballard yelling about wide receivers and the offensive line units that he assembled, it was a complete clown show. One that made league-wide waves for how embarrassing it was.
The Colts have now become the laughingstock of the NFL and it’s only going to get worse. It’s not Jeff Saturday’s fault. Who is turning down a job that has only 32 openings in the world? Nobody. But if Saturday doesn’t work, is any other reputable coaching candidate looking at Indianapolis after Monday night and thinking there is stability there?
No way is Sean Payton saying “Indy is where I’ve got to be”.
Chris Ballard looked like he’d rather be at an eighteen hour lecture about rock sentiment than at that press conference. He’s gotten completely neutered by Jim Irsay at this point and is likely out at the end of the year anyway. Might as well collect the paycheck and enjoy the multi-year severance pay.
Similar to the head coaching candidates, what GM candidates are going to be interested in fixing the absolute mess that is the Colts? Little depth, massive holes at key positions, bad contracts at non-premium positions, this is not a one off-season fix. This is multi-year and the process hasn’t even started yet.
So how bad can it get Colts fans? A lot worse. We’ve only just begun. And Jim Irsay’s new found bravado and defiant attitude is not going to sit well with any prospective candidates, just like it doesn’t sit well with those currently on his pay role within the organization.
This isn’t rock bottom. This is still the freefall to the bottom. It’s already ugly, comical and sad and it won’t get better overnight. Will Irsay actually have the patience to sit through a rebuild? This franchise is desperate for a roster overhaul, long overdue. But for a guy who has been stubbornly saying his team is a contender every training camp, I’m curious how much patience he has for said overhaul.
If he keeps meddling, this franchise is only going to be stuck in the mud longer than it already has been. Hopefully by the time this rebuild is complete, he’ll at least have learned how to make sausage.
-Marc Dykton
For thoughts on Monday night’s press conference, click on the link below for our conversation with The Athletic‘s Bob Kravitz and be sure to listen to Kevin & Query every weekday morning from 7-10 on 93.5 & 107.5 The Fan!
