These are the players, coaches, and executives that the Indianapolis Colts must move on from at the end of this atrocious season.
It’s no secret the Indianapolis Colts had a disappointing football season. At the hands of their own, the Colts diminished from preseason AFC South favorites, to contending for a top-five pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Currently, their record of 4-10-1 directly correlates to the amount of dysfunction in the locker room, the coaching staff, and the front office.
A series of one implosion after another has finally led to full-blown corrosion in the organization so badly it’s as if the drinking fountains are spewing toxins of anti-football success suppressants. The injury bug bit hard in 2022, coaches were fired, and players were traded away or indefinitely benched. Morale is low and energy has faded.
Who is to blame for the Colts in 2022?
Lots of fingers pointing in different directions, with no direct pinpoint of who or what to blame as the source for all these setbacks in the organization. As great and invested an owner as Jim Irsay is for more than just the Colts, there is a strenuous list of questionable decisions that have set back the organization. Most are fueled by personal indecisiveness with a separate agenda to follow.
Chris Ballard’s lack of aggressiveness in free agency could be at fault as well. Additionally, contract negotiations with players that seem to have peaked and are tail-spinning in the opposite direction could also be to blame.
Matt Ryan has been disgracefully bad. Although he’s not fully at fault for the full demise in his first year in Indianapolis, we’ve most likely seen the end of what some people unfathomably believe is a Hall-of-Fame quarterback.
There’s a good chance all of these names are on the list of personnel to move on from for the Colts. Let’s take a look.
Players the Colts must move on from
Matt Ryan, quarterback
If you watched football in the last say, three seasons, it was not a secret that Matt Ryan as a player was full charge on a decline as an NFL quarterback. Capability does not amount to success, and Indy learned that firsthand. Accepting the move for Matt Ryan was an unnecessary self-inflicted wound at the fault of trading away the player behind center before, is a big step in identifying the dysfunction.
Nevertheless, it hasn’t panned out with Ryan and the future is dim on whether or not he’ll play another down as a QB in the NFL, much less for the Colts. Ryan is due $24.7M in 2023 and has a dead cap hit of $18 million. He’ll either walk away from football and retire, or the Colts will bite the bullet. Either way, it’s time to move on from this failed experiment.
Indianapolis will likely look to draft a quarterback to attempt putting this carousel at a finale.
Braden Smith, right tackle
The Colts are a handful of sacks allowed away from setting the franchise record. Braden Smith lost in his game whatever he had before that led to his contract extension just two seasons ago. It’s unlikely that this move is made, however, any options for a change of scenery need to be heard.
Matt Pryor, offensive linemen
One that we can all agree on here. Pryor playing anything but a reserve role was a mistake. Make that position something that comes completely unnatural like left tackle and the approaching sack record makes that much more sense.
Mo Alie-Cox, tight end
Re-signing Mo Alie-Cox, who underproduced as a tight end in his first four years, was a head-scratcher a season ago. As the season panned out, it made it more obvious as wasteful cap spending. With the emergence and full takeover of 2022 draft pick Jelani Woods, the end of Big Mo in blue is near.
Coaches and suits Colts must move on from
Jeff Saturday, interim head coach
Just typing that out, I felt the need to perform a balloon-tying party trick for the audience. This hire was laughable, and that’s exactly what the rest of the sports world did at the announcement when this ESPN analyst, former player, and friend of the owner took the seat as the interim head coach for the Indianapolis Colts. I couldn’t fathom what the Las Vegas Raiders went through after their loss to this guy.
Indianapolis needs a full-blown rebuild in the coaching department. Preferably someone with NFL experience, that can put together a capable staff to bring out the best in the players on the roster. Fully knowledgeable of NFL rules, strategies, and clock management.
Jeff Saturday is not the answer and any mindset that he has an actual chance at continuing on as a legitimate head coaching candidate is futile.
Chris Ballard, general manager
Yes, general manager Chris Ballard. The same Chris Ballard that continues to receive praise from owner Jim Irsay year after year of falling short. It is time to move on from every aspect of a conservative approach and sprint running away from it. Fresh eyes on the tasks at hand will be prominent in correcting the longing mistakes set forth. Especially with capable replacements in Ed Dodds and Morocco Brown, both of who have entertained interviews for other organizations.
No more pledged faith in underwhelming players, fewer contract extensions for underperforming players, and no more keeping your thumbs warm when a dire need for talent is at hand in free agency or around the trade deadline.
While that southern draw is sweet and insightful at times, the opportunities to be aggressive never were achieved. No risk it, no biscuit, Chris.
Chris Strausser and Kevin Mawae, offensive line coaches
Any pair of coaches that cannot avoid setting the franchise record in sacks allowed with players like Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, and Braden Smith are casualties lost beyond recognition. The regression has been diminishing in back-to-back years. The time for change is now.
Scott Milanovich, quarterbacks coach
This one just isn’t working out. Regardless of who’s under center, the QB progression has been at a halt. A decision likely to be named with a coaching overhaul anyways, including Milanovich on this list is a freebie, low-hanging fruit if you will.
The defensive coaching staff should not be affected by any future coaching decisions and should remain intact as the strong point of this team. Gus Bradley and company have done an outstanding job in maintaining a top-tier defense at all costs.
Is Sean Payton trying to send a sign that he’s interested in coaching the Colts?
Sean Payton will likely return to coaching in the NFL next season and it looks like he may be interested in the Indianapolis Colts.