Ryan Grigson Named Colts Gm (Merge)

[Pancake Block]

Maybe that means that Irsay will have more say in the organization and not let Ryan have as much power as Polian felt he had. Who knows but I am excited and hope he does well. I guess time will tell.

I was hoping someone at the press conference was going to ask,"Any truth to the rumor that You hired Grigson because he threatened to beat you up, if you didn't?" Grigson's a big dude. ;o) Very happy with Irsay's decision.

[Nadine]

I certainly appreciated his passion, enthusiasm, humility, the indications that he is not the type of person to fire people left and right just to protect his turf, and his story about getting his start in player evaluations - voluntarily - when he was in college. There is a lot to like there.

Less enthusiastic about the insinuation that he is a salary cap novice (do we have an expert or two in house I wonder?), and his comments about film study and talent being the be all and end all (what little things should be ignored - character issues?). He is clearly extremely raw.

I was amused in a way because the sequence of events reminded me of watching my former employer hiring a new manager after we had had some problems. It was abundantly clear afterwards that in those closed door interviews the owner had complained about every perceived flaw of the old manager, and - not having anything else to go on - those were the things that the new manager was going to focus on "fixing". He was concerned with nothing besides placating the guy who just hired him, he was scared to impose a vision of his own - even if he "knew" it was right, having seen what happened to the last guy. Thats a far cry from where we just were - with a manager who knows more about the business than the owner could ever dream of. As others have said, this appears to be about Irsay taking his team back. He as much as said that Griggson's job is to evaluate talent PERIOD - I doubt that he has much say in who coaches for example. I'm exited by the changes, but nervous as anything. Lets hope that Jim has learned something in the past 14 years, and doesn't now think that he has the skills to micromanage all football operations. We learned the hard way that he most certainly does not.

Re: salary cap........IDK but maybe that's Dennis Polians job?

What I heard was that the GM reports to Irsay and the Coach reports to Grigson

Irsay indicated it would be more of a traditional GM role........but then Grigson said he would be evaluating every part of the building

So, the extent of his powers are unclear to me

[shakedownstreet]

Less enthusiastic about the insinuation that he is a salary cap novice (do we have an expert or two in house I wonder?), and his comments about film study and talent being the be all and end all (what little things should be ignored - character issues?). He is clearly extremely raw.

i wondered about that too. i think he meant that you evaluate film talent first, instead of looking at hype or stats.

that doesn't mean one can't verify character prior to actually drafting

in other words, first figure who the greatest players are, then decide which ones you want on your team

[i am yoda]

Best three consecutive posts I've seen in a while. Great job gentlemen.

Why is Jeff Fisher so desirable as a HC? He has a barely .500 record.

[shakedownstreet]

just because a guy leads the ncaa in rushing (cough brown) doesn't mean he'll be a great nfl player (cough polian)

[ColtsPacersfan]

E

Have followed the press conference. Tell me, you native speakers: Did you also notice that Ryan Grigson was nervous and seemed a bit uncomfortable?

Everyone is nervous when something is brand new to them, like standing in press conf with TV cameras and reporters starring at you.. I also saw that he calmed down as the press conf went on. Give him a break! Don't nitpick on the little things. He will come to his own. Can't wait to see all the good things he will do with the Colts. Welcome to Indy Ryan and the new world of GM. I think you will do great!!!

[MTC]

Why is Jeff Fisher so desirable as a HC? He has a barely .500 record.

Well.. he is the best head coach candidate out there.

[shakedownstreet]

Why is Jeff Fisher so desirable as a HC? He has a barely .500 record.

if you are yoda, does your voice sound just like cookie monster's?

[ThorstenDenmark]

Grigsons big decisions in the future:

1: Is Jim Caldwell the best HC for the Colts

2: Learn the Salary Cap system (sounded like he needed some help at that area)

3: Deal with Peyton Manning, should he be traded or re-signed = Win now or win later?

4: 1. draft Pick: Luck, Kalil, Blackmoon or RG3

[hawkeyes]

Really liked his enthusiasm in that interview and not so sure that was nervousness as much as it was being so darned excited to have a great job. I was surprised he wasn't a bit more professional looking, but hey maybe a GM isnt supposed to be in a suit - maybe hes going to fit in like one of the guys.

Can't wait to see what direction he will take the team! Congrats Ryan and welcome home!

[Coffeedrinker]

As others have said, this appears to be about Irsay taking his team back. He as much as said that Griggson's job is to evaluate talent PERIOD - I doubt that he has much say in who coaches for example. I'm exited by the changes, but nervous as anything. Lets hope that Jim has learned something in the past 14 years, and doesn't now think that he has the skills to micromanage all football operations. We learned the hard way that he most certainly does not.

I agree with a lot of your post, but the bolded part is not true. He said he is going to fill the typical GM role, which includes player evaluation and coach evaluation and picking the correct people. Grigson then added that he will be reviewing all that stuff, including the coaches, over the next few days.

[gspdx]

I would guess this means Irsay wants to do more in free agency than in seasons past.

yes i agree, and i think it has to do with giving manning a one last shot, so taking luck doesnt seem like not comitted to winning now....cap wise? dont know if it can happen

I think you guys might be reading a little too much into this. Just because this guy worked for the Eagles doesn't mean he's into chasing free agents and even if he is it doesn't mean the plan is to surround Manning with free agents.

I think there will be more work around the overall health of the team, Manning or no Manning. My preference would be a couple more SB runs with Manning, but this hiring doesn't tell us anything yet.

[presto123]

Anybody have that tape of Caldwell's worst coaching moments handy? I'll run it over to Grigson's office if you need me to. LOL

[buccolts]

Re: salary cap........IDK but maybe that's Dennis Polians job?

What I heard was that the GM reports to Irsay and the Coach reports to Grigson

Irsay indicated it would be more of a traditional GM role........but then Grigson said he would be evaluating every part of the building

So, the extent of his powers are unclear to me

I kinda took this (beyond players and coaches) as meaning he doesn't know who his support is at this time, or what they're talents are.

I believe this comment came right after he was asked the 'salary cap' question.

If that's not his strong suit, he needs to learn more about the rest of the staff to know who can assist where.

I could be wrong, but that's how I took it at the moment.

[Peter Harter]

How is it a downgrade?

YOU JUST GOT HIRED!

I see it as a downgrade because Bill Polian in his prime was one of history's most successful GMs. He took a terrible Bills team and made a great team. He took a hopeless situation in Indy and made it into a historically great franchise. So we just traded one of the best managers in the history of pro sports for a dude that has never been a GM before who is from Lafayette. It sounds to me like another knee jerk mistake by Irsay (like drafting Jeff George). I'm hopeful that he will be good--I certainly will give him a chance to prove himself-- but Irsay's success as an owner was all due to Bill Polian. Irsay himself was a reckless manager who compounded knee jerk mistake upon stupid decision. If it wasn't for Polian, the Colts would have gone to LA. It seems like people who love Irsay have too short a memory.

[CR91]

i didnt like how he kept dodging questions

[SyX]

i didnt like how he kept dodging questions

I don't think he was dodging any questions, I think (as he said multiple times) he had just gotten there and wants to go through due process in his evaluations and decisions.

[Peter Harter]

I don't really see it as a down grade for Chris Polian.

I agree, I was comparing the new hire to the Bill Polian legacy--in that sense its a downgrade. I'm excited to have new talent at GM. I'm not a big Irsay fan--I remember too much from his years as a manager to think that he could have changed at his core. But people do change--and his Christian experience has something to do with it as well. Something happened to Irsay when he went through rehab that made Christianity more important to him. Lets give it a chance.

[CR91]

I don't think he was dodging any questions, I think (as he said multiple times) he had just gotten there and wants to go through due process in his evaluations and decisions.

im sure him and irsay discuss about peyton and caldwell before he was given the job to get an insight of what he was planning to do if he got the job. to me he was dodging.

[JColts72]

Regarding Caldwell, if he does get canned, it will not be on MLK day that's for sure, imagine the backlash from Dungy.

[Tony Sullivan]

Who deserves more credit for our successes, our front office or Manning?

I haven't seen anything exciting outside the receiver position for a number of years.

[SyX]

im sure him and irsay discuss about peyton and caldwell before he was given the job to get an insight of what he was planning to do if he got the job. to me he was dodging.

Okay, put yourself in his position. You're just getting introduced as the new GM of the Colts. Are you going to say that in your first day, you are going to make this this, this and this move? You're going to make all decisions based on one or 2 conversations, none of which have been with Peyton and having only talked with Caldwell earlier that morning for the first time?

[presto123]

Who deserves more credit for our successes, our front office or Manning?

I haven't seen anything exciting outside the receiver position for a number of years.

Manning does. This year proved that without a shadow of a doubt.

[CR91]

Okay, put yourself in his position. You're just getting introduced as the new GM of the Colts. Are you going to say that in your first day, you are going to make this this, this and this move? You're going to make all decisions based on one or 2 conversations, none of which have been with Peyton and having only talked with Caldwell earlier that morning for the first time?

i would give some sort of insight into whats going on and not just leave everyone in the dark

[SyX]

i would give some sort of insight into whats going on and not just leave everyone of us in the dark

Without having talked to any of the people involved? Rash decision making at the absolute worst.

[MAC]

I agree with a lot of your post, but the bolded part is not true. He said he is going to fill the typical GM role, which includes player evaluation and coach evaluation and picking the correct people. Grigson then added that he will be reviewing all that stuff, including the coaches, over the next few days.

You may well be right, but the sequence was a little odd, and perhaps telling.

The question was asked to Irsay about the coaches. The easy answer would have been: "Ryan will meet with them, review the situation, discuss it with me, and then we will be making a decision in a few days". Instead he stopped to think and choose his words, and said things like "Ryan is going to fill the traditional GM. His focus is primarly on evaluating and finding talent", etc. Why the heck would he stick that there unless it was a counter point to the reporters implication that it would be up to Ryan to determine the coaches fate?

On the other hand, later in the conference Irsay referred to "the owner coordinating with the GM, and the GM coordinating with the coach".

My opinion from all this is that Irsay very much wants to keep Caldwell, and he intends to make the final decision, but he needs to make sure that Ryan and Caldwell can work and play well together first because he can't risk having such a key relationship fail. Considering that all parties involved appear to be decent and rational people, I would be astonished if Caldwell is fired. Griggson appears to have far too much on his plate (and is too inexperienced and has too much to learn) to even be interested in investing time, energy, and personal currency firing a HC that he knows the owner likes, that has taken the team to the SB, that has a long-term relationship with the franchise player, and that he has little concrete info to act on. Coaches get fired in these situations because the GM wants to put his own stamp on the organization, but that doesn't seem to be an issue here. At age 39, and no experience as a GM, who is he going to bring in? An older coach who will want to impose his OWN stamp on the organization? Keeping him is shrewder. He can work with him for a year and if it's working he can let his contract expire while evaluating all possible alternatives - something he can't conceivably waste time on now.

[No 1 Manning Fan]

You know, considering the Colts injuries, the Eagles season was a lot worst. Just a complete abomination. Are you really sure that they have "that" much talent? And I'm sure that their salary cap "magic" has a lot to do with all of their bigger named players besides Vick (and before the free agent signings) being on their first contracts. So where the Colts have solid vets that they've drafted and resigned, the Eagles had glaring holes that they had to overpay in free agency to fill. It's entirely a win now mentality with a short window, and they aren't winning. They have an enormous financial commitment to a lousy QB who is undersized, relies too much on his athleticism, and at 31 could lose his edge on any moment. They have a "star" wide receiver who they may not even want to resign because he is a locker room cancer and scared of getting tackled. There isn't a lot of magic there in my opinion. I'm just hoping that Griggson had nothing to do with most of the questionable decisions.

On paper, they have a great team. For whatever reason, they didn't gel. They are still talented. What they forgot to do was obtain real leaders.

[CR91]

Without having talked to any of the people involved? Rash decision making at the absolute worst.

not saying make a decision then and there. im saying to give us some sort of idea what will happen. he said nothing. he was more worried about his wrinked clothes.

[No 1 Manning Fan]

I agree, I was comparing the new hire to the Bill Polian legacy--in that sense its a downgrade. I'm excited to have new talent at GM. I'm not a big Irsay fan--I remember too much from his years as a manager to think that he could have changed at his core. But people do change--and his Christian experience has something to do with it as well. Something happened to Irsay when he went through rehab that made Christianity more important to him. Lets give it a chance.

I agree. He is probably not going to be on Bill Polian's level. But if what people have speculated about Chris having taken over most of the control, then this is probably an upgrade. If that isn't true and Bill was really making the decisions, then I'd have to say that he has lost a step. Either way, we'll just have to wait and see with the new guy.

As far as Irsay goes, I would have to say that I am inclined to trust him these days. He brought in Polian and helped build a phenomenal team. Then, when he saw that the team was heading down the wrong path, he pulled the trigger and got a new GM who has worked for a pretty successful franchise at that. I'm not saying that he has always made the best decisions, but my opinion of him is a lot higher now than it was in the 1990s.

[SyX]

not saying make a decision then and there. im saying to give us some sort of idea what will happen. he said nothing. he was more worried about his wrinked clothes.

Why do we, as fans, have some inborn right to know right off the bat what decisions are being made? Especially when there is no solid ground for making those decisions? He was a bit nervous, maybe someone said something about his clothing before we were privy to listening to him. Maybe he's really uncomfortable in a suit.

Let him get settled, the indications were that Irsay and Grigson would be talking through this weekend, and we should expect some decision next week, though there was, and I'll quote Irsay, no real timetable.

[CR91]

Why do we, as fans, have some inborn right to know right off the bat what decisions are being made? Especially when there is no solid ground for making those decisions? He was a bit nervous, maybe someone said something about his clothing before we were privy to listening to him. Maybe he's really uncomfortable in a suit.

Let him get settled, the indications were that Irsay and Grigson would be talking through this weekend, and we should expect some decision next week, though there was, and I'll quote Irsay, no real timetable.

its the off-season for non-playoff teams so as fans we just crave information

[z28eater]

Great posts I like this thread lol but I missed the press conference. I think he will do fine but there's some tough choices to be made. If he let's Peyton go and Peyton is back to old then that will haunt the guy. If he keeps Peyton and manning isn't the same, he will get blame from alot of people. I really believe he will do a good job

[Quantum88]

Reading this thread made me look at Polian's start as a GM. He was only about 3-4 years older than Grigson. I was pleased with the way he handled the conference, but as I said in an earlier post, give him time to make decisions and then wait to see how those decisions pan out before tearing him a new one or give him praise as the next best GM in the business.

[ruksak]

I don't think he was dodging any questions, I think (as he said multiple times) he had just gotten there and wants to go through due process in his evaluations and decisions.

Yep yep. Lets allow the fella to warm his seat before the landslide of questions is unleashed. I wouldn't have blamed him for saying "dunno" to every question regarding roster/coaching changes.

[ruksak]

I see it as a downgrade because Bill Polian in his prime was one of history's most successful GMs. He took a terrible Bills team and made a great team. He took a hopeless situation in Indy and made it into a historically great franchise. So we just traded one of the best managers in the history of pro sports for a dude that has never been a GM before who is from Lafayette. It sounds to me like another knee jerk mistake by Irsay (like drafting Jeff George). I'm hopeful that he will be good--I certainly will give him a chance to prove himself-- but Irsay's success as an owner was all due to Bill Polian. Irsay himself was a reckless manager who compounded knee jerk mistake upon stupid decision. If it wasn't for Polian, the Colts would have gone to LA. It seems like people who love Irsay have too short a memory.

Ryan Grigson looks like your brother. Just sayin....

[21isSuperman]

Irsay has the most invested into the franchise out of anyone. I'm sure he did tons of research and interviews before selecting his man

[Superman]

its the off-season for non-playoff teams so as fans we just crave information

You'll get information, one way or the other, sooner or later. Reggie McKenzie took a few days to officially get rid of Hue Jackson. We'll have a good idea about what Grigson and Irsay want to do with Jim Caldwell soon.

[The Fish]

Not to say that I don't care, because I do, but I have nothing to go on with this guy so in a way I don't really care, I hope he makes more good move's than bad.

[Douzer]

Irsay likes him, so I like him!

Welcome Ryan Grigson

[GrizzColt]

As he stated several times, he "literally just got here", so I wouldn't examine every tittle and dot of all he said. He looked a lineman who quickly put on a suit for a press conference, which he was. The best part of the conference was how excited he was thinking about shutting his door, putting a "do not disturb" sign on it and proceed to evaluate everyone on the team to see who was starter material. I mean C'mon, most of us here know there is 2nd and 3rd string talent starting on our team and that is about to change.