I expected Frank to be fired after the year was over, but to do it after only nine games is a little premature. Jim Irsay has clearly had enough of Frank Reich and his quarterback whispering ways as he fired the head coach after only nine games, though it was clear the Colts were plummeting because of Ballard’s GM moves.
Well, you can’t say that Jim Irsay is indecisive as he has just made the biggest coaching move of the season to date. Even though Frank Reich brought the Colts to the playoffs twice and had three winning seasons out of the four full years he spent as the Colts HC, Jim Irsay decided that he had seen enough and resolved to complete his firing of the entire coaching staff.
Yes, Frank Reich wasn’t the only guy to go as Irsay had previously fired Reich’s offensive coordinator, Marcus Brady, though it’s a good thing for Brady that he was fired a few weeks ago as now he can claim that he wasn’t the sole reason for the Colts offensive ineptitude this season.
That responsibility falls on the shoulders of Reich…and GM Chris Ballard.
Yes, Frank Reich is the supposed ‘QB Whisperer’ who could turn any quarterback into a Pro-Bowl caliber player. And, yes, Frank Reich has been responsible for the Indianapolis Colts offense since Brady’s firing, which has resulted in the Colts losing 26-3 to the Patriots last Sunday. Actually, let me revise that sentence: Reich was responsible for the Colts getting BEATEN DOWN by the Patriots.
It was honestly sad how bad the Colts offense played yesterday as they not only gave up 9 sacks, an interception, ran for less than 80 yards, passed for exactly 80 yards, and only had a grand total of 121 scrimmage yards (which is pathetic), but they also were outscored by the Patriots defense.
That Jonathan Jones Pick 6 in the 4th Quarter was the only touchdown the Colts offense actually helped create…which is damning in its own right.
So, it makes sense that Frank Reich is now unemployed, but it still doesn’t add up as to why GM Chris Ballard still has a job.
Sure, Chris Ballard has made some great moves as the Colts GM, such as drafting Shaquille Leonard, Quenton Nelson, Nyheim Hynes, Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr., and Alec Pierce, as well as acquiring huge talents like DeForest Buckner, Stephon Gilmore, and Yannick Ngakoue. But, the one thing that Ballard has failed miserably at doing is drafting/acquiring a franchise QB.
Ever since Andrew Luck retired from the NFL back in 2019, the Colts have had FIVE starting QBs come in and out of that locker room in the hopes of bringing the Colts back to the Super Bowl. Yet, whether it was Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, or now Sam Ehlinger, the results have been the same: failure!
Out of those five quarterbacks, only Philip Rivers has led the Colts to the playoffs, and they were immediately dumped out in the Wild Card round by Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Clearly, Ballard has failed at doing the one thing that is fundamental to all winning franchises: finding a franchise QB.
A team can have great players in every single position, but if it has a lackluster QB it won’t win a Super Bowl.
Just look at all of the Super Bowl winning teams and see how many of them didn’t have a franchise-caliber QB. The 1983 Washinton Commanders, the 1986 Chicago Bears, the 2001 Baltimore Ravens, the 2012 Baltimore Ravens, and the 2018 Philadelphia Eagles are the only teams that I counted that didn’t have a ‘franchise QB’ on their roster.
Though, that Commanders team had a Hall-of-Fame running game, the Bears had the greatest defense of all time, the 2001 Ravens team also had one of the greatest defenses of all time, and the 2012 Ravens and the 2018 Philadelphia Eagles had fantastic defenses.
So, all of these teams had ‘All-Time Great’ components to their teams that counteracted the fact they didn’t have a great quarterback. Obviously, you can’t say the same about the Colts.
Anyway, we’ll see if this firing works out for Jim Irsay as he has hired ESPN Analyst and former Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday to take up the interim head coaching role.
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