Ryan Grigson, GM of the Indianapolis Colts, has earned the right to be named NFL Executive of the Year for this season. The race for this award, much like the NFL MVP, Rookie of the Year, and comeback Player of the Year, will be highly contested this season. Still, Grigson not only helped this young team make history, he helped rebuild and reload a fantastic franchise.
Much like many of his star players in Indianapolis, Grigson entered his job with the Colts as a rookie at his position. Much like his rookie quarterback, Grigson had big shoes to fill, taking over for Bill Polian, who had previously won Executive of the Year. Grigson took an unpolished and mostly-inexperienced team and turned them quickly into a title contender.
Last January, Grigson took over as the GM for the Colts, and wasted no time in reloading this team. The Colts were basically gutted from top to bottom, making Grigson’s duties that much more daunting. When the Colts hit the field in 2012, most of the roster was built around rookies, and players with less-than three years of pro football experience. By the time their season ended, the Colts also had 13 players on the injured reserve list.
The stats speak for themselves. The turnaround for this team was nothing short of amazing. Grigson’s rookie season as a GM will be hard to outshine, but he has helped build a foundation that could be steadily improving for years to come.