Colts Gm Chris Ballard held a press conference this morning to discuss the Josh McDaniels situation. Here is everything you need to know about what he said.
Chris Ballard stepped up to the podium at 11am this morning to discuss the events that happened last couple of days. Originally this was supposed to be a press conference to introduce Josh McDaniels as head coach of the Colts. But as we know now, that was not the case.
Ballard started out the presser by giving his condolences to Edwin Jackson’s family, as well as the family of Jefferey Monroe, who was the other man killed in a drunk driving crash on Sunday. Ballard said he was so distraught over this tragedy that he did not even watch the Super Bowl. He could only think of those men and their families.
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Ballard then moved on to discuss the events that occurred last night. He said he received a call around 7:30 from McDaniels saying he “had some bad news”. Ballard then asked if McDaniels was in or out, and McDaniels indicated that he was out. Ballard then informed owner Jim Irsay of his decision.
After explaining all this, Ballard then took questions from reporters. Highlights of these questions are the following:
- Ballard was asked if he had any indication McDaniels was getting cold feet before last night. He said he did not
- Ballard was asked about who would be on the list to be the next head coach of the Colts. He said that he had a list of guys that he had not been able to initially interview and that he expected to reach out to them soon.
- He stressed that there was no need to panic throughout this situation. Ballard said it was more important to get the right guy than to rush to make a hire.
- Ballard was asked about Andrew Luck’s health. He stated that he believed Luck did not need another surgery, and that everything he has heard from doctors indicated that he was on the right track.
- Ballard said the assistants who had signed on to serve under McDaniels would remain on staff, and that the coaches he had reached out to interview have told him that this is not a problem.
Colts fans should feel better after this press conference. Ballard looked calm, determined, and hopeful for the future. He seemed like he had a complete grasp of the situation, and was not going to let McDaniels fluster him.
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To end his press conference, Ballard walked off the podium saying “The rivalry is back on.”, indicating that he clearly has some vitriol for the Patriots and McDaniels. The Colts should feel good about having this man running the front office. This is his first big test, and so far he seems to be passing.