Indianapolis Star's Zak Keefer, Indianapolis Star's Zak Keefer,
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Jim Irsay and Ryan Grigson Reportedly Have ‘Heated Conversation’ After Loss

By Luke Schultheis

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According to the Indianapolis Star’s Zak Keefer, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay and general manager Ryan Grigson apparently had a ‘heated conversation’ following the team’s 27-21 loss to the New Orleans Saints:

"“It’s what led to a heated conversation between owner Jim Irsay and General Manager Ryan Grigson in the locker room after the game,” wrote Keefer. “It’s what led to their desperate coach, Chuck Pagano — whose seat seems to be warming by the minute — giving an impassioned postgame speech to his players. It’s what has led to a Super Bowl contender being below .500 seven games into the season.”"

Right now, it appears frustrations and tensions are beginning to boil for a team that hasn’t lived up to its expectations with just a 3-4 overall record after another loss Sunday. The Colts entered the season with championship aspirations, yet it’s fair to question whether the team will be able to beat another team outside the lowly AFC South and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after looking at the remaining schedule.

Sep 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay (left) and general manager Ryan Grigson react during the game against the New York Jets at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Jets defeated the Colts 20-7. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Set to play two undefeated teams in the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos respectively in back-to-back games starting next week, the Colts could very well see themselves fall to 3-6 should things not improve quickly. Simply put, it could get even worse before it gets better.

Irsay felt really confident entering the season that his team would be a bonafide championship contender, but to say they’ve underachieved would be an understatement in every sense of the word. The team has simply played bad football against the NFL’s better competition and will likely see themselves receive an early exit from the playoffs–only making it by default from winning the woeful AFC South, if it doesn’t get turned around quickly.

It’s not that Grigson is squarely to blame, as from top to bottom, coaches, players, and management all share a stake of the team’s struggles. However, a handful of his big free agent signings such as Andre Johnson, Trent Cole, and Todd Herremans haven’t made much of an impact given their respective price-tags with Herremans obviously by far the worst of the group.

When the Colts needed help along both their offensive and defensive line, Grigson opted to draft wideout Phillip Dorsett with the team’s first round pick in last year’s draft. Through no fault of his own, Dorsett fractured his ankle Sunday and is set to be out 4-6 weeks. While that can’t be held against Grigson by any means, even before that Dorsett had largely been an afterthought in the offense–having been buried by what’s an exceptionally deep wideout group.

Much like anything else, the NFL is clearly a results driven league, and right now, the results have been pretty poor for the Colts. At a certain point, each individual has to be held accountable and answer the criticisms.

As owner, Irsay calls the shots for the Colts atop the organization, and it appears he’s not very happy with the results right now. For his “lieutenants” like Grigson and even head coach Chuck Pagano, it appears they’ve been firmly placed on the hot seat with no real end in sight.

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