The Indianapolis Colts decided to part ways with quarterback Stephen Morris on Sunday after making the trade for fellow quarterback Jacoby Brissett from the New England Patriots on Saturday.
In a press conference on Monday, Colts GM Chris Ballard said “It was hard. I’m not going to lie…that was a hard decision.”
Morris had played well during the preseason, and showed signs of improvement and command of the offense as he got more playing time. Morris finished with a stat line of 399 passing yards while completing 67.9% of his passes for a touchdown and no interceptions.
According to Ballard though, Morris had a hole he had to dig himself out of.
“I think Stephen will even tell you that he was bad during OTAs. He knows it. He was bad,” Ballard said. “And he was bad early in training camp to a point where we moved him to the number three quarterback.”
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When you watch the tape, you see how Morris took control and proved he could handle the intricacies of the offense. The move comes as a bit of a shock for a team that looked to be in better hands with Morris.
Ballard thought otherwise, however.
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“But at the end of the day, Scott (Tolzien) was more consistent over time, and that’s why we made the decision.”
Morris, who clearly had more upside compared to veteran Scott Tolzien, is set to hit the waiver wire immediately and will surely be snagged by a team before he hits free agency.