Veteran player rips Colts amid rumors about GM, head coach changes

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano suggested on Thursday that Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay could part ways with general manager Chris Ballard and/or second-year head coach Shane Steichen after the 7-9 Colts were eliminated from the playoffs an embarrassing 45-33 loss to the lowly New York Giants (3-13). 

Irsay probably won't like what an unnamed veteran player recently told Zak Keefer and James Boyd of The Athletic about the state of the Colts. 

"There’s no vision," that player said. "From the top down — from the front office, to the coaches, to the players — no one is ever on the same page, and every year at the end, we’re sitting here losing. If you look at the best teams in the league, they all have a vision, and they commit to it...There’s no vision here."

The Colts have now failed to qualify for the playoffs in four straight seasons under Ballard's watch, and he acknowledged in December he wishes he and Steichen didn't rush to play second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson as a rookie. While Richardson impressed during multiple game-winning drives this past fall, he previously attracted criticism for taking himself out of a game because he was "tired" and hasn't improved enough as a passer since September 2023. 

According to Pro Football Reference, Richardson ranks 28th in the league with a 46.5 adjusted QBR, last with a 36.0% passing success rate and last with a 47.7% completion percentage for the season. Additionally, some accused him of being injury-prone even before he missed the Giants game because of back issues. 

"The people I've talked to there believe Ballard has been in good standing," Fowler said, "but the ugly Week 17 loss to the Giants isn't exactly helpful. The pulse of the building, at least before that game, was that Ballard might be OK. But as was reminded to me -- owner Jim Irsay fired Ryan Grigson three weeks after the 2016 season. It seems like anything can happen."

Meanwhile, Keefer and Boyd noted that the fact Irsay hasn't publicly backed Ballard and Steichen could mean "change is coming." One wonders if such change could result in the Colts giving up on Richardson less than two years after the club's current regime made him the fourth overall pick of the 2023 draft.