The Athletic: Colts disarray, Irsay "a one man crew"

[Nesjan3]

Just now, cjrulli said:

Irsay has every right to meddle. We’ve been an underperforming team for years. Do we want him continuing to meddle? No. He hasn’t been that type of owner outside of this season. I have no indication it’ll stay that way.

 

He knows what winning football, culture  and accountability feel like. If anything, he should’ve meddled sooner. 

 

Give Ballard another shot and let’s see what he can do with another high pick and some coaching changes. 

Yah because his meddling the last year and a half has really gotten us to such a good place. The only good thing that has come from it is we are bad enough to draft in the top 5. Other than that the Org. is on fire.

[Superman]

10 minutes ago, Nickster said:

So my question is who’s decision was it to trade for Ryan?  I don’t think Reich had any particular relationship with him.  And it seems to go way away from the idea of drafting a  new guy.  
 

there is a lot of strangeness in the whole thing.

 

What we gave up for Ryan is basically what we got back from the Wentz trade. I view it differently as trading a first for Wentz and expecting him to be the guy moving forward. The Ryan trade was kind of a 'make the best of a bad situation' deal. My response when we got Ryan was 'great, now who's the next guy?' because it wasn't really solving the actual problem. And it had no bearing on the long term strategy of drafting a guy. Last year's draft probably didn't have the guy that should be drafted.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Zak keefer has had many articles talking about Irsay meddling. I think some of you chose to ignore it. He and other local media have find many interviews on the fan talking about  what’s in this story.

[Superman]

@NewColtsFan

One last thing. If I'm wrong, it's bad for the Colts. If Irsay really has "changed,", if his decisions were knee jerk, and he's going to be shooting from the hip moving forward, it's going to be a serious problem. So when I say I'm 'optimistically hopeful,' that's me saying I hope he has not gone rogue and off the rails.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

This story is why getting a guy like Harbaugh is so important. Irsay would trust him and just let him do his thing.

[NewColtsFan]

10 minutes ago, CR91 said:

 

Is the part about Reich wanting Wentz good enough? I can't find the article referring Reich convincing Ballard to trade for him, but I'd like to think this is good enough.

Huh?

 

Reich wanting Wentz has been known since Day 1. 
 

You claimed Ballard never wanted Wentz and had to be talked into it by Reich.   
 

Those are not the same thing. 

[Nesjan3]

Just now, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

Zak keefer has had many articles talking about Irsay meddling. I think some of you chose to ignore it. He and other local media have find many interviews on the fan talking aviyf what’s in this story.

Some people refuse to believe any "bad" narratives about the team especially if its rumor driven. Just like Hines and Odinegbo wanting out. The smoke (rumors) are there. All the signs point to them being true, it makes perfect sense. Hines even said in an interview he is sick of the QB carousel. Yet people will not believe it till the proof is shoved right in their face. I was called a liar the other day for bringing it up haha.

[CR91]

5 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Huh?

 

Reich wanting Wentz has been known since Day 1. 
 

You claimed Ballard never wanted Wentz and had to be talked into it by Reich.   
 

Those are not the same thing. 

 

He also mentioned fixing him. You would think from the jump, Ballard needed to be convinced. I've even seen articles mentioned that Ballard wanted Fields not Wentz

[Nesjan3]

While I have to agree it is Irsays team he has the right to do whatever he wants. I however don't think this is how to build a winning team. To me it reeks of desperation. Like he wants to win so bad right now that he is overstepping the people he has hired and doing their job. If he wants to be GM, get rid of Ballard and appoint yourself GM. Dont just start firing from the hip and making erratic decisions. I feel like he is losing it a little bit.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Just now, CR91 said:

 

He also mentioned fixing him. You would think from the jump, Ballard needed to be convinced. I've even seen articles mentioned that Ballard wanted Fields not Wentz

Looks like Irsay wanted to draft a QB too. Which probably led to his dissatisfaction with Reich since he talked him into wentz. But then there are stories Reich liked Hurts and Ballard didn’t. Sounds like there is too many cooks making decisions. There needs to be one voice. 

[Superman]

Just now, CR91 said:

 

He also mentioned fixing him. You would think from the jump, Ballard needed to be convinced. I've even seen articles mentioned that Ballard wanted Fields not Wentz

 

I don't get why it's hard to believe that there was disagreement leading up to the Wentz decision. This is not abnormal. Everyone doesn't see everything exactly the same way. But what you expect is that the decision makers work through the variables, reach a consensus, and unite behind the decision. Which is what happened in 2020 when Wentz was acquired.

 

Then, 10 months later, the season falls apart, and the coach who was the main connection to Wentz in the first place, admits apologizing to the owner, telling him 'I was wrong.' It seems obvious that Reich was the driving force behind the Wentz trade, and that there was some convincing that needed to be done before the trade happened.

 

And by the way, isn't that an indication that Irsay generally acquiesces to his football people? 

[KB]

1 hour ago, Superman said:

 

There's an excerpt about Odenigbo in this article. He missed a bed check, Saturday benched him, now he's gone.

Just wondering, what's a bed check? They gotta be back to the hotel at a certain time or something like that?

[Superman]

1 minute ago, KB said:

Just wondering, what's a bed check? They gotta be back to the hotel at a certain time or something like that?

 

Exactly. He missed bed check before the Steelers game. He was inactive for that game. 

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/colts/gameday/colts-steelers-inactives-monday-night-football 

 

 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

1 minute ago, KB said:

Just wondering, what's a bed check? They gotta be back to the hotel at a certain time or something like that?

Yes the night before games even home games they are in a hotel.

[Nesjan3]

Just now, Superman said:

 

Exactly. He missed bed check before the Steelers game. He was inactive for that game. https://www.si.com/nfl/colts/gameday/colts-steelers-inactives-monday-night-football 

 

 

There is also rumors on Reddit, whether true or not that he and a coach got into it, then he requested his release, prior to missing bed check.

[Superman]

Just now, Nesjan3 said:

There is also rumors on Reddit, whether true or not that he and a coach got into it, then he requested his release, prior to missing bed check.

 

I saw the rumor. Never saw it as mentioned prior to the bed check issue. This article is the first time I've seen the bed check report, so I don't know how it relates to the disagreement with the coaches, or him requesting his release. Do you have a timeline?

[crazycolt1]

I think a player has to be under curfew by 11 pm the night before a game. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

If we hire Jim Harbaugh I will party for a week. Game on again then. 

[crazycolt1]

Just now, 2006Coltsbestever said:

If we hire Jim Harbaugh I will party for a week. Game on again then. 

Smoking is bad for your health 

 

[NewColtsFan]

34 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I don't think I'm defending him. I'm saying that I think I understand him, and I hope that my understanding is correct. In short, I think Irsay was very dissatisfied with the end of 2021, and his confidence in Reich was significantly shook at that point. And his increased involvement has been a reflection of the fact that he thought the team was not on the right track. It's my hope that there's a reset, Irsay's increased involvement was a temporary necessity -- in his mind, and he goes back to his previous normal mode of letting his football people make football decisions.

 

So if -- IF -- Irsay was lukewarm on Reich as of January 2021, wouldn't it stand to reason that Reich's firing had been in the works for a while now? 

 

I don't think Reich was fired because we got taken apart by the Patriots. (And to be clear, the Patriots game was a referendum on Reich's coaching, top to bottom. We can predict that Ehlinger would have a rough day, but that result was inexcusable.) I think Reich was fired because Irsay felt he was not right guy, and had felt that way for a while. I don't think he just ran hot for 24 hours and did something that he'd never done before simply because of a bad game.

 

And, admittedly, I was on the same track as Irsay. After last season's meltdown, my confidence in Reich waned tremendously. I felt like he might not have the ability to get the players moving in the right direction. I saw a lack of fire and intensity; the team paid lip service to the idea of coming out strong to start the season, then laid an egg. By the time Reich was fired, I was beyond ready for him to go. And I'm not the guy who calls for the coach to be fired, you know that. So I don't see it as knee jerk, I see it as reaching the boiling point.

Since you raised the issue of a lack of fire and energy, I’d simply say this….

 

Roughly a month into the season those type of comments were all over this website.   So I’d like to repeat what I was saying in late September and early October…..

 

It’s hard to show a lot of fire and energy when your offensive line can’t pass block AND can’t run block either.   When your offense struggles to get first downs, forget about touchdowns, then it’s hard to look like you’ve got some real fire. 
 

Which leads me to Chris Ballard.  I’m not sure you’ve even mentioned his name?   This is his roster and your focus has been been Irsay and Reich.   Where does blame for CB fit in your equation for this season? 

I’ve been a huge Ballard admirer since Day One.   But I’m furious with him.  I’m not ready to call for him to be fired,  but I’m hoping he gets grilled harshly at his year end presser. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

Just now, crazycolt1 said:

Smoking is bad for your health 

 

True - I'll just do that Aaron Rodgers thing lol.

[Nesjan3]

2 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I saw the rumor. Never saw it as mentioned prior to the bed check issue. This article is the first time I've seen the bed check report, so I don't know how it relates to the disagreement with the coaches, or him requesting his release. Do you have a timeline?

I dont know the specific timeline exactly. Im guessing the disagreement with the coach must have come in the Eagles game cause it was that week he missed bed check then was benched for the Steelers game. Then 2 weeks later he requested his release and both parties agreed. Thats just pure speculation on my part trying to put the pieces together though.

[stitches]

2 hours ago, Superman said:

This is behind a paywall.

https://theathletic.com/4046216/2023/01/06/colts-jim-irsay-jeff-saturday-frank-reich?source=user-shared-article

 

A couple of excerpts I found very important. First, this is the report I wanted to see about Irsay's involvement in the Ryan benching. I won't question it further.

 

Another point, they paint the picture of Irsay being very affected by Luck's retirement. And how the QB strategy affected Reich's standing:

 

Reich wasn't big on accountability, an area in which Saturday provided an immediate contrast:

 

There's some stuff on Ballard, his role, and his future, but it's more speculative. 

 

The big takeaways for me are that Irsay was very upset about the end of last season, he was pushing to bench Ryan and finally made it happen, and his dissatisfaction with Reich had a lot to do with the Wentz situation. 

It scares me that the guy everybody is blaming for the disarray and chaos with this team seems to have the most clear picture and best philosophy for this team. It scares me that it's Irsay that wanted us to "grow our own" QB after Luck retired and it wasn't the guy who actually should be the one making those decisions with the input of the other guy... Those are the guys that actually wanted a retread after retread at QB. 

 

It scares me that the looney owner was the one with the clear mind who had the clearest picture that this team has serious issues with coaching and that Reich was losing it and changes needed to be made at HC... and it wasn't the GM whose job it is to see this. 

 

It scares me that it was the merchant of chaos who saw that Matt Ryan is done and we actually need to see what we have in Sam Ehlinger. It wasn't the coach. The coach wanted Ryan... and then FOLES before he even gave a thought to Ehlinger. This is freaking insane to me. 

 

Why the hell are those people in those positions? If the GM cannot have a good strategy for the QB position, cannot see that his HC has lost it... if the HC cannot see that Matt Ryan and freaking Nick Foles are done, then what chance do we even have? 

 

This post is NOT an excuse for Irsay going rogue. He might have been right on most issues(excluding hiring Saturday if the goal was to still compete), but this is NOT how you do it. He should have given them all the rope they need to hang themselves and fired them at the end of the year without much noise and commotion in the locker room or within the coaching staff. This post is a total vote of no confidence in Ballard. I do NOT trust him to make the picks for the next HC and QB. Are we even sure it will be him making the pick for HC? 

 

With that said, I really really hope Irsay steps back. I generally love the guy and I think he's been a great owner for this team. But this is not the way. He should keep a hierarchy of responsibilities. If you don't trust your GM to make the decisions - you fire him. You don't make the decision that are in his purview. Then hire a guy you trust for GM and let him make the big decisions. Of course you can have a say if something totally out of order is going on, but for the most part - hire the GM, let him make personnel decisions, let him hire HC and coaching staff... and let them work out the picks for QB and other important roster decisions. 

 

I really really hope, once Irsay decides who his GM will be next year, he would let them do their job and succeed or fail on their own terms. 

 

 

[OLD FAN MAN]

1 hour ago, Superman said:

This is behind a paywall.

https://theathletic.com/4046216/2023/01/06/colts-jim-irsay-jeff-saturday-frank-reich?source=user-shared-article

 

A couple of excerpts I found very important. First, this is the report I wanted to see about Irsay's involvement in the Ryan benching. I won't question it further.

 

Another point, they paint the picture of Irsay being very affected by Luck's retirement. And how the QB strategy affected Reich's standing:

 

Reich wasn't big on accountability, an area in which Saturday provided an immediate contrast:

 

There's some stuff on Ballard, his role, and his future, but it's more speculative. 

 

The big takeaways for me are that Irsay was very upset about the end of last season, he was pushing to bench Ryan and finally made it happen, and his dissatisfaction with Reich had a lot to do with the Wentz situation. 

what makes the athletic such a reliable source? are they allowed in the front office to sit in on the meetings with irsay? I for one dont think so, just more media crapola. 

[Superman]

4 minutes ago, Nesjan3 said:

I dont know the specific timeline exactly. Im guessing the disagreement with the coach must have come in the Eagles game cause it was that week he missed bed check then was benched for the Steelers game. Then 2 weeks later he requested his release and both parties agreed. Thats just pure speculation on my part trying to put the pieces together though.

 

I assumed that the bed check was the first domino, and it seems to make sense to me. I guess we don't know.

 

I will say, I think the whole 'people want out' angle is overblown. Set Odenigbo aside. I think Hines wanted out because we wouldn't get him involved in the gameplan, and that's been a problem for four years. I think Klayton Adams left because he knows that the entire staff is going to be gutted when the new HC comes in.

 

No doubt there's some dissatisfaction around the team, that's normal when things are going poorly. 

[#12.]

27 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

This story is why getting a guy like Harbaugh is so important. Irsay would trust him and just let him do his thing.

 

As soon as that happens and Harbaugh is a dictator, fans will wish someone were in place to balance out Harbaugh.  

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

2 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

what makes the athletic such a reliable source? are they allowed in the front office to sit in on the meetings with irsay? I for one dont think so, just more media crapola. 

The story was written by local media zak keefer. Yes he has sources.

[chad72]

4 minutes ago, stitches said:

It scares me that the guy everybody is blaming for the disarray and chaos with this team seems to have the most clear picture and best philosophy for this team. It scares me that it's Irsay that wanted us to "grow our own" QB after Luck retired and it wasn't the guy who actually should be the one making those decisions with the input of the other guy... Those are the guys that actually wanted a retread after retread at QB. 

 

It scares me that the looney owner was the one with the clear mind who had the clearest picture that this team has serious issues with coaching and that Reich was losing it and changes needed to be made at HC... and it wasn't the GM whose job it is to see this. 

 

It scares me that it was the merchant of chaos who saw that Matt Ryan is done and we actually need to see what we have in Sam Ehlinger. It wasn't the coach. The coach wanted Ryan... and then FOLES before he even gave a thought to Ehlinger. This is freaking insane to me. 

 

Why the hell are those people in those positions? If the GM cannot have a good strategy for the QB position, cannot see that his HC has lost it... if the HC cannot see that Matt Ryan and freaking Nick Foles are done. 

 

This post is NOT an excuse for Irsay going rogue. He might have been right on most issues(excluding hiring Saturday if the goal was to still compete), but this is NOT how you do it. He should have given them all the rope they need to hang themselves and fired them at the end of the year without much noise and commotion in the locker room or within the coaching staff. This post is a total vote of no confidence in Ballard. I do NOT trust him to make the picks for the next HC and QB. Are we even sure it will be him making the pick for HC? 

 

With that said, I really really hope Irsay steps back. I generally love the guy and I think he's been a great owner for this team. But this is not the way. He should keep a hierarchy of responsibilities. If you don't trust your GM to make the decisions - you fire him. You don't make the decision that are in his purview. Then hire a guy you trust for GM and let him make the big decisions. Of course you can have a say if something totally out of order is going on, but for the most part - hire the GM, let him make personnel decisions, let him hire HC and coaching staff... and let them work out the picks for QB and other important roster decisions. 

 

I really really hope, once Irsay decides who his GM will be next year, he would let them do their job and succeed or fail on their own terms. 

 

 

Just re-iterates the fact that we have the wrong guys pulling the strings at HC and GM as well if they are too stubborn or blind to see some of the things happening right before their eyes and opting not to take a different path.

[adubb84]

2 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Since you raised the issue of a lack of fire and energy, I’d simply say this….

 

Roughly a month into the season those type of comments were all over this website.   So I’d like to repeat what I was saying in late September and early October…..

 

It’s hard to show a lot of fire and energy when your offensive line can’t pass block AND can’t run block either.   When your offense struggles to get first downs, forget about touchdowns, then it’s hard to look like you’ve got some real fire. 
 

Which leads me to Chris Ballard.  I’m not sure you’ve even mentioned his name?   This is his roster and your focus has been been Irsay and Reich.   Where does blame for CB fit in your equation for this season? 
I’ve been a huge Ballard admirer since Day One.   But I’m furious with him.  I’m not ready to call for him to be fired,  but I’m hoping he gets grilled harshly at his year end presser. 

This begs the question what came first. The chicken or the egg? Did the offensive line regress because Frank didn’t hold his elite ( I cautiously use that word loosely) players accountable when they under performed which initiated the erosion/implosion? Was is the lack of accountability for the offensive line coach? Or was it Ballard FAILING to address key needs and go barging shopping on replacements?

 

Ultimately, I think it’s a combination of all 3. Ballads giving Frank great value ingredients to cook with, Frank does his best to get the most out of them, Frank fails to course correct when things turn sour.  
 

All parties are guilty including Irsay. HOWEVER, I would like to caution that inherently had the right ideas the whole time (draft a QB and have some growing pains) but let his subordinates have some space to make the big decisions they are paid to do. 
 

I think we need to offload some “assets” and get a new voice in the room ASAP. And no, Saturday isn’t it. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

1 minute ago, #12. said:

 

As soon as that happens and Harbaugh is a dictator, fans will wish someone were in place to balance out Harbaugh.  

If Harbaugh can live with  Ballard as his GM I think they would work well together. This team needs a more dominate voice and quit being so soft. Everything that I have heard is players like him and he gets along with his assistants really well.

[Superman]

9 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Since you raised the issue of a lack of fire and energy, I’d simply say this….

 

Roughly a month into the season those type of comments were all over this website.   So I’d like to repeat what I was saying in late September and early October…..

 

It’s hard to show a lot of fire and energy when your offensive line can’t pass block AND can’t run block either.   When your offense struggles to get first downs, forget about touchdowns, then it’s hard to look like you’ve got some real fire. 
 

Which leads me to Chris Ballard.  I’m not sure you’ve even mentioned his name?   This is his roster and your focus has been been Irsay and Reich.   Where does blame for CB fit in your equation for this season? 

I’ve been a huge Ballard admirer since Day One.   But I’m furious with him.  I’m not ready to call for him to be fired,  but I’m hoping he gets grilled harshly at his year end presser. 

 

I saw this article as a lens into the Irsay-Reich dynamic, more than having anything to do with Ballard, which is why I haven't focused on him in this thread. My thoughts on Ballard are more nuanced than I think is appropriate for this thread, but I've touched on them in others all season.

 

As for lack of fire, you're focusing on September and October. I'm saying it was obvious in January! And everyone talked about it all offseason (which I thought might be a good sign, rather than shying away from it; turns out it didn't matter either way). And this article paints a picture of that lack of fire being a symptom of Reich's failed leadership. Surely that's only part of the picture, but, to me, it tracks. And it's something I've been saying -- and that I've inferred from Irsay's words and actions -- since the end of last season.

[Nesjan3]

2 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I assumed that the bed check was the first domino, and it seems to make sense to me. I guess we don't know.

 

I will say, I think the whole 'people want out' angle is overblown. Set Odenigbo aside. I think Hines wanted out because we wouldn't get him involved in the gameplan, and that's been a problem for four years. I think Klayton Adams left because he knows that the entire staff is going to be gutted when the new HC comes in.

 

No doubt there's some dissatisfaction around the team, that's normal when things are going poorly. 

Im not sure what you mean by overblown. I dont think anybody is making it out to be more than it is. Just stating that there are rumors they wanted out, and its likely they are true.

 

Which you just said in your post, while providing legit reasons as to why they likely wanted out.

 

Your right a team in the midst of dysfunction like ours is bound to have unhappy players. I also don't think its unrealistic to think there will be more come the offseason. Theres nothing wrong with talking about it which is all I really think has been happening.

[stitches]

1 hour ago, Superman said:

I think the rest of this tracks with what I've thought since the end of last season. Irsay's response after the Jags loss in January was, to me, a strong indication that he was not happy with what had been happening. He felt the tone of the program was not right, and he decided to turn up the temperature. The video about 'we have allowed doubt, fear, and a lack of faith to slip into our DNA, and it will not stand...' to me, that was Irsay putting everyone on notice. And all of this was a decided change from the way Irsay has handled things throughout his tenure.

I loved that sentiment from Irsay at the time and I thought it was on point. The problem was that nothing really changed for the decisionmakers with that video. Irsay and Ballard still wanted retread QBs on the verge of retirement. Ballard still couldn't see how our OL needed serious help and actually spent the whole summer convincing us that Matt Pryor was the guy and Pinter will plug in the hole left by Glowinski. Reich continued with the same old playcalling and largely for the same talent... only possibly with even worse OL play(at least for the first 10-12 weeks of the season).

 

1 hour ago, Superman said:

 

He's never shied away from a camera or a reporter pool, he doesn't hide his feelings, he doesn't lower expectations ('two Super Bowls in the Luck era!'), etc. But him having such a strong, direct influence on day to day ops is a departure. Firing a HC during the season is unprecedented. 

Yeah. For me it was shocking firing Reich in the middle of the season. Don't get me wrong... I thought Frank deserved to be fired. But I wish Irsay left that decision for after the season. 

1 hour ago, Superman said:

I think Irsay was -- rightfully -- not happy with the direction of the team, and I think he held Reich mostly responsible for what he saw as a lack of toughness, a lack of fire, a lack of focus, and maybe even a lack of a franchise QB. If anyone in the building felt that Reich didn't hold players accountable for playing poorly, and Irsay felt Reich was making a flawed decision in sticking with Matt Ryan, that might be confirmation to Irsay that Reich is not the right guy for the job. 

 

I have heard the same thing about Reich not holding his players accountable before. Not sure where, I think it was one of the radio shows or Kevin Bowen's podcast. I don't remember, but I have heard this exact knock against Reich - that he doesn't hold accountable his players and especially his stars and that other players didn't like that. 

1 hour ago, Superman said:

So my hope is that Irsay's increased intensity over the last 12 months -- which for the most part I don't have a problem with, although the day to day influence is problematic IMO -- is more about finding out where the cracks were/are, and not an indication that he intends to be more involved moving forward. 

 

I hope you are right. Because even though I think Irsay was right about most of the things, I don't like how he handled the whole process. 

 

1 hour ago, Superman said:

I personally think it's a bit sensational to say that the Saturday saga will have turned NFL people off from working for the Colts, although I agree it's not a good look. Ultimately, I hope it's just a short term spurt, and leads to a reset, after which Irsay's involvement goes back to the previous "normal" we saw for decades.

Fingers crossed. 

[adubb84]

9 minutes ago, stitches said:

 

 

I really really hope, once Irsay decides who his GM will be next year, he would let them do their job and succeed or fail on their own terms. 

 

 

So you’re operating under the idea that Ballard is gone next year. I agree. To further add to that I feel that Ballard and Irsay will agree to part ways. I mean….how does he stay aboard at this point? If Ballard did say he will have to live with the fact that every move is being micromanaged and scrutinized. I don’t see that happening. A new coach and GM are on the way. 

[#12.]

Just now, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

If Harbaugh can live with  Ballard as his GM I think they would work well together. This team needs a more dominate voice and quit being so soft. Everything that I have heard is players like him and he gets along with his assistants really well.

 

Philosophically, Ballard and Harbaugh should be a good match.  

 

I could get on board with Harbaugh I guess, but I would prefer to go in a different direction.  I would rather let Ballard hire his own guy, draft a QB and see what happens.

[philba101]

36 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

This story is why getting a guy like Harbaugh is so important. Irsay would trust him and just let him do his thing.

I agree. Harbaugh doubled-down today on his statement from December saying he will enthusiastically be coaching Michigan in 2023 so we will see. My worry is if Harbaugh stays and Payton goes elsewhere, a volatile Irsay will hire Saturday. I like Saturday as a player and as a person, but I don't think he deserves this job.

[Superman]

9 minutes ago, stitches said:

This post is NOT an excuse for Irsay going rogue. He might have been right on most issues(excluding hiring Saturday if the goal was to still compete), but this is NOT how you do it. He should have given them all the rope they need to hang themselves and fired them at the end of the year without much noise and commotion in the locker room or within the coaching staff.

 

Aside from the 'end of the year with no commotion' part, isn't this what Irsay did with Reich? That's how I see it.

 

Irsay says 'we should probably draft and develop a QB,' Reich says 'I can make it work with Wentz.' Reich admits he was wrong.

 

Irsay says 'don't you think Ryan is cooked? And we're sending him out there behind an OL that's not performing.' Reich says 'give me a couple more weeks, we'll get it right.' Not only does Ryan not get it going, he gets hurt, potentially undermining the team's ability to move on after the season.

 

Irsay gave Reich plenty of opportunity and room to do things his way. Then he fired him. I think it's noteworthy that he did not fire Ballard, but we'll see about that in the coming weeks.

[DougDew]

Irsay is saying that he was upset at Reich for bringing in Wentz....convincing Ballard and Irsay since Reich doesn't make the deals.....which kept them from "growing their own" through the draft.   That was the Fields draft.

 

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 1 pick)

Zach Wilson, New York Jets (No. 2 pick)

Justin Fields, Chicago Bears (No. 11 pick)

Mac Jones, New England Patriots (No. 15 pick)

And Kyle Trask...Davis Mills.

 

And was upset at Frank for not holding some of his better players accountable...who are the better players.  I assume that means Nelson?

 

Those are not good reasons to fire a HC. 

 

I think it makes things worse more than better.  It doesn't solve the QB problem, and the "accountability" issue doesn't seem to be mattering at the moment.

 

I think Frank should have been fired at the end of this season in order to take the team in a different direction...elevate the offense and the roster if that solves the problem,

 

But firing him for what seems like punishment for getting Wentz wrong (hindsight sees the draft options were not that great) and an accountability issue that has no definition or way of measuring its effectiveness seems pretty shallow and petulant.  JMO. 

[DougDew]

18 minutes ago, stitches said:

This post is NOT an excuse for Irsay going rogue. He might have been right on most issues(excluding hiring Saturday if the goal was to still compete), but this is NOT how you do it. He should have given them all the rope they need to hang themselves and fired them at the end of the year without much noise and commotion in the locker room or within the coaching staff.

Agree.  That's basically what I just said above.

[stitches]

4 minutes ago, adubb84 said:

So you’re operating under the idea that Ballard is gone next year. I agree. To further add to that I feel that Ballard and Irsay will agree to part ways. I mean….how does he stay aboard at this point? If Ballard did say he will have to live with the fact that every move is being micromanaged and scrutinized. I don’t see that happening. A new coach and GM are on the way. 

No, not really... when I say "once he decides who his GM is".... this includes the possibility of keeping Ballard. But IF he keeps Ballard, I do NOT want to hear stories about him meddling into the HC search or QB pick. Sure... give the final OK to the picks, but if Ballard stays, I want him to have all the power to do what he feels is right. And IF he fails again, I want to know that it was HIM failing and not wonder if Irsay set him up for a bust.