If this isn’t rock bottom, the Colts are well on their way, benching their starting quarterback (former MVP Matt Ryan) and firing coach Frank Reich within a two-week span. Though it’s of little solace to fans right now, you could argue the Colts, in waving the white flag, are doing what’s best for their long-term future, sacrificing short-term success for a chance to rebuild through the draft.
Drafting an impact player like Heisman winner Bryce Young or Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud would go a long way toward reversing the Colts’ fortunes, though so would an enterprising head coach with strong instincts, determination and a creative flair. Do those traits remind you of anyone?
A franchise icon lauded as one of the great offensive minds in NFL history, Hall-of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning has emerged as the betting favorite to succeed Reich in Indianapolis, installed at +475 odds on Bovada. Other listed candidates include Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh (+500), Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson (+500), Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore (+500), Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo (+500) and Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey (+900).
Manning’s former Colts teammate, Pro Bowl offensive lineman Jeff Saturday, was named the team’s interim head coach, a surprise given his lack of experience, coaching four years of high school at Hebron Christian Academy in Georgia. Despite his almost encyclopedic knowledge of NFL offenses (an attribute he displays on a weekly basis hosting the Manning Cast alternative viewing experience on ESPN2 alongside his brother, Eli), Manning has been adamant he has no plans to pursue a coaching career and doubts he’d be good at it, recently telling Colin Cowherd he “sucked” as a play-caller when given the opportunity in preseason games.
With Saturday still getting up to speed, 30-year-old pass-game specialist/assistant quarterbacks coach Parks Frazier will man the headset Sunday, serving as play-caller when the Colts visit Las Vegas in Week 10. Though Saturday boasts an extremely high Q rating, particularly in Indianapolis, where he spent all but one season of his 14-year playing career, he’ll be walking into a hornet’s nest Sunday, left to repair a locker room left in shambles by Reich’s sudden departure.
“This is the third straight decision that [owner] Jim Irsay has made at the top. He forced the trade for Carson Wentz. He benched Matt Ryan and he went and hired Jeff Saturday,” beat reporter Zak Keefer of The Athletic told Pat McAfee Tuesday. “The guys were not happy that Matt Ryan was benched. They came here to win the division, to play in the playoffs, and this is going nowhere. If you guys watched the game Sunday, you saw the worst offense this team has had in 25 years.”
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