I’ll start by saying that it is probably healthier to just forget about last season and move on to how to win next year, but like many of you, I have to view the start of next season in a way that reminds me a lot of last season. The decision to remain status quo with our leadership, makes it difficult to see next year being different. I do not recall other organizations allowing such a long learning curve for the GM and Head Coach.
I, like most of you, went into Sunday evening thinking that the possibility
existed of seeing the Colts make some changes in the GM and/or head coach. The sentiment was creeping in that they would be retained, but I didn’t hear any reasoning that I bought into (so that’s on me), and given the Colts have been good at keeping their business in house, I felt the odds might still be about 50-50. My personal choice was that they let both the GM and HC go. I felt that their “must win” opportunity was this past year and it had eluded them.
I’m more out on Steichen, based mainly on him appearing to be more involved in X’s and O’s, than getting 53 guys working together to win games. I simply do not think he can run the offense and the team at the same time. I’m out on Ballard because I wouldn’t want him finding my next coach, or any coach for that matter. I blame them both for the “Rivers Experiment”. Not because I believe it failed, but because they did not understand that team building needs to be a constant phenomenon that is not abandoned when the going gets tough.
Steichen should have been a focusing on getting Leonard ready, the minute AR was injured. RL should have been taking first team reps as soon as Jones was injured and the HC should have been selling the team at each stop that Riley would be the man when needed and that they would rally around him, when and if he was called upon. Ballard should have had a QB that he had at least some level of confidence could be a backup on game day. If you had no thought that Rypien could fill that role, find someone else.
Riley Leonard had a pretty nice day for a season finale. I’m only counting the first half, since he saw the 2nd string in the 2nd half. He did score 17 in that half, against a team that only gives up 16 a game. This might make some fans say that you’ve seen enough out of him to make him the starter or backup for next season. I’d like a little more info and I feel we got robbed of this by bringing in Rivers. A four game sample size might have exposed whether he was the guy making downfield connections, or the guy who threw a bad INT and fumbled. On the rushing touchdown he scored, he held the ball like a loaf of bread and a better hit might have seen him loose control. Even if him playing the four games didn’t reveal anything, it would have been four games against four stout defenses to put in his bag and four games of film to work on over the offseason.
Full disclosure, I was against bringing in Rivers the first time. I have a long memory when a player taunts a crowd as he exits a playoff game in our home stadium. Especially, when he didn’t play. By the way, when you are doing an interview, where a Colts hat. Yep, I’m old.
Part 2 here is an admission. I shared that I thought if Steichen was fired, I would just leave Cooter in place and have him call plays. After watching RL on the sidelines this week, I have to ask just what JBC contributes? SS obviously calls the plays. They showed Jones wearing a head set, sitting with the coaches upstairs and Turner sitting with RL on the sidelines, but what the heck was JBC doing? I saw him walk into the picture once and he was clapping. I may be wrong, but I’m not even sure he was wearing a headset? To see him calling plays is a suggestion that I’m glad no one paid attention to.
In that same scenario, I had Lou moving into the HC role. I guess I am not completely nuts, since he has been requested for an interview with two teams. It is possible that it is still a bad idea and that the teams inquiring are not looking in the right place for their next guy. I am hoping there is a bit more of a shakeup on the defensive side, aside from seeing Partridge leave. Health was a problem, but so was generating a real and visible pass rush, along with getting a LB where they need to be in coverage. It was likely more personnel than scheme.
We obviously need to make some changes and so far they haven’t come to the administration level. This likely means that unless someone sees Lou as the answer to their problems, all of our changes will involve players and we will not hear much about the roster until March 3rd, when we may have a sense of whether or not it takes the franchise tag to bring D. Jones back. Shortly afterwards, March 9 – 11, we get the legal tampering with free agents. These are not secrets, so you know if you have acquired or lost players, rather quickly.
There is the combine sprinkled in there, but hopefully the scouting department is looking less at RAS, than guys who are good at football. Without a 1st round pick, it is going make our mock drafts a lot less fun. We honestly have very little to look forward to for the rest of January and all of February. This may see us ranting about last year, longer than we want to. I know I just did.
So, I’ve laid my blame at the feet of the GM and the HC. Do you have a different villain, or maybe the same villains for a different reason? Feel free vent, so that you can put 2025 in the rear view mirror.
