Tag: Jim Irsay

Colts coach Frank Reich on new QB Sam Ehlinger: ‘This guy is special’

Frank Reich praised Sam Ehlinger, and believes he’s ready.

The Indianapolis Colts are 3-3-1 on the season and only 1.5 games out of first place in the AFC South. Yet, on Monday, the Colts benched veteran quarterback Matt Ryan for the season and turned over the reins to second-year QB Sam Ehlinger.

Ehlinger, a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, will make his first NFL start in Week 8 against the Washington Commanders.

Curiously, the Colts benched Ryan ahead of the Washington game. The Commanders are the team that traded for former Indianapolis quarterback Carson Wentz, who is now sidelined with a finger injury. Even before his injury, Wentz wasn’t playing particularly well, although he was much better than Ryan was for the Colts.

Then, there is the whole Jim Irsay vs. Daniel Snyder saga.

Anyhow, there is a game on Sunday, and the quarterbacks aren’t who anyone expected in the offseason. It will be Ehlinger vs. Taylor Heinicke.

On Wednesday, Colts head coach Frank Reich praised his young quarterback and believes he’s ready.

“It’s a big step, but we think he’s ready,” Reich said, per Kevin Hickey of Colts Wire. “This guy is special. You all know it; everybody knows it. Talk to anybody in that locker room, and we’re fortunate to have a guy – really, three quarterbacks like that. Sam (Ehlinger), he’s got that about him; he carries himself in a way, and he practices in a way. He’ll be ready.”

Reich understands Ehlinger will make mistakes but also believes he will make plays.

“Is he going to make mistakes?” he said. “Of course, he’s going to make mistakes. But I think Sam will make plays. Sam is going to make plays. He’s proven that everywhere he’s been, and we believe that’s what he’s going to do for our offense. He’s going to make plays.”

One reason the Colts turned to Ehlinger is because of his mobility. The offensive line was struggling to protect the stationary Ryan, and Ehlinger can help Indianapolis’ offensive line, much how Heinicke helped Washington’s last week.

“If you have a quarterback who can scramble and get out into the open, if you say, ‘Hey, if you can just get us one or two a game, one or two third-down conversions where you scramble,’” Reich said. “If you get one or two a game, those are huge plays. Sam (Ehlinger) as we all know, we’ve all witnessed, he has the capability to do that.”

Washington’s defense is playing excellent football recently. However, Ehlinger’s legs present a different threat. In the past, the Commanders have had issues against dual-threat passers.

Who would’ve thought this game has become one of the more interesting on the Week 8 schedule?

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Kevin Byard: Jim Irsay’s comments made sweep of Colts sweeter

Kevin Byard was well aware of Jim Irsay’s desperation to beat the Titans, and that only made sweeping the Colts sweeter.

Tennessee Titans All-Pro safety Kevin Byard isn’t shy about voicing his opinions, and it’s a personal trait he actually shares with Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.

The difference between the two is that the Mayor of Murfreesboro does his talking after the work is done, never beforehand.

Irsay has grown this obsession with beating the Titans, and so much so that he publicly admitted to calling meetings to address Tennessee’s dominance over his team in recent years.

Ahead of the Titans’ Week 4 win, Irsay fired off a tweet storm urging fans to come out in force at Lucas Oil Stadium to help the Colts beat the Titans, something that didn’t work out.

Byard and the rest of the team undoubtedly took notice of Irsay’s comments, as well as the “come to Jesus” meetings the team apparently had to discuss their inability to beat the Titans.

After beating the Colts 19-10 on Sunday, Byard admitted Irsay’s comments made sweeping Tennessee’s division rival for a second straight year even sweeter.

“It feels really good,” Byard said. “To sweep them two years in a row, obviously after their owner [Irsay] makes all these statements about, ‘We’ve got to beat the Titans’ and stuff like that. It feels really good, and we’re definitely going to celebrate this. As of right now, we don’t have to worry about them. We’ve got a division game against Houston now we have to get on the road.”

That’s some subtle shade thrown from the Middle Tennessee State product. It wouldn’t shock me one bit if Byard’s quote ends up on an Irsay-led PowerPoint presentation in the near future.

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Jim Irsay isn’t backing down from his comments regarding Daniel Snyder

Irsay’s Colts play Snyder’s Commanders next week.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay isn’t backing down.

Irsay made headlines last week when he came out against Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder, admitting he thought there was merit to removing Snyder as owner. Irsay later further explained why he felt that way.

On Sunday, ahead of the Week 7 afternoon games, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports revealed a conversation that he recently had with Irsay after his comments regarding Snyder last week.

“I don’t not feel it’s in the best interests of the shield and the NFL,” Irsay said about Snyder’s ownership. “This is not how we should be represented, and it’s regrettable that we have to be in this position.”

He wasn’t finished. Irsay believes after Mary Jo White completes her investigation, then it’s time for the other NFL owners to have a serious discussion regarding Snyder.

“I do believe that the concerns I have will merit a serious discussion among all the owners,” Irsay said. “I don’t want to see this swept under the rug again.”

Curt Menefee asked Glazer if he felt Irsay thought he had the backing of other owners.

“I would have said, if you asked me this a year ago, I’d probably say no,” Glazer said. “But I think that sentiment has started to change. When I [Glazer] asked him that, he [Irsay] said ‘we are bound as owners to listen to the fans, and we cannot put our heads into the sand on this.'”

Irsay isn’t going away, either.

“I’m gonna talk about it,” Irsay said. “I will not be muzzled, and I will stand by it.”

In case you weren’t aware, Snyder’s Commanders travel to Indianapolis to face Irsay’s Colts next week. That should be fun.

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Commanders fans say security told them to take down ‘sell the team’ signs

The Commanders responded, saying fans should not have been asked to take signs down.

It was a tumultuous week for Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder. At last week’s NFL owner’s meetings, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay spoke candidly about the Washington owner.

“I believe there is merit to removing him as owner,” Irsay said. Irsay stood by his comments later that evening in a chat with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Snyder’s Commanders had a home game on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. It wasn’t just any home game; it was homecoming weekend where the franchise would add 10 more franchise greats to its “90 greatest,” celebrating 90 years as an NFL franchise. In addition, the team would be giving out seat cushions to fans.

However, after considering the Snyder situation, the franchise decided against the seat cushions and instead gave them out after the game. But Washington had to know there would be fans with signs, specifically centered around selling the team, directed at Snyder.

On Sunday, multiple fans who brought signs to the game aimed at Snyder to sell the team were directed to put the signs down.

This wasn’t the only example.

As you can see in this video, multiple fans held “sell the team” signs and were told to put them down.

On Sunday evening, a team spokesperson reached out to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post with the following statement:

“They should not have been asked to take down the signs. (Bags over heads are not allowed as it’s a safety issue.)”

 

 

 

Colts’ Jim Irsay: Matt Ryan has Peyton Manning-like leadership

Jim Irsay had high praise for Matt Ryan’s leadership.

The start of the 2022 season hasn’t gone much to plan for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan, but owner Jim Irsay sees qualities in the veteran similar to that of legend Peyton Manning.

Even through the offense’s early struggles to open the season, Ryan’s leadership in the locker room and on the field never faltered. It’s an attribute not easily attained, and Irsay told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that he sees a lot of Manning when it comes to Ryan’s leadership.

“I’ll tell you, he is a steely-eyed missile man,” Irsay this week via NFL Network. “I’ve been around a lot of leaders and I’d put him right up there with Peyton Manning. A really outstanding, tough guy who doesn’t back down. Often the best in fourth quarter and you don’t ever want to count out Matt Ryan. He’s a winner, he’s a fighter and our team is taking on that temperament around him, which is exciting. More will be revealed, no question about it. But we’re encouraged, we really are.”

Through the first five weeks of the season, Ryan’s 21 sacks were tied for the most among quarterbacks. His seven interceptions are the second-most among quarterbacks behind only Matthew Stafford (eight).

But Ryan turned things around in Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He completed 42-of-58 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns while setting the franchise record for completions in a game and passing Dan Marino on the all-time passing yards list.

It was the first time we really saw vintage Ryan, and it was the fourth time in six games he led a fourth-quarter comeback.

Irsay attributed the slow start to the season to the fact that the team has a limited preseason now with the new setup.

“I really think these days with two preseason games and 17 regular season games, you really don’t know who you are until about midseason,” Irsay said. “I’m encouraged. We have to run the ball better, which will help us protect better. But I’m very encouraged.”

The Colts have a big matchup coming up against the Tennessee Titans (3-2) for the top spot in the division, and they will need to rely on Ryan to help lead the charge in what will be their final division game until Week 18.

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Jim Irsay stands by his comments on Daniel Snyder

Jim Irsay discussed why he came out against Daniel Snyder.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay sent shockwaves through the NFL Tuesday when he came out strong against Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder at the NFL’s owner’s meetings.

“I believe there is merit to removing him as owner of the [Commanders],” Irsay said. “There’s consideration that he should be removed.”

Irsay also said the NFL could “potentially” have the 24 votes needed to unseat Snyder as the owner of Washington.

The Commanders quickly responded to Irsay, and Snyder also sent a letter to the other 31 owners. The tone in each correspondence was vastly different.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated caught up with Irsay later Tuesday evening and asked him why it was important for him to come out and rebuke Snyder. Irsay cited his three daughters and seven granddaughters and the family culture the Colts have built.

“I don’t like the fact that sometimes the way owners are viewed, people think we can do whatever we want, with all the sorts of issues that are out there. Because that’s not true,” Irsay said. “This is not what we stand for, this sort of thing. I mean, it’s absolutely not. So the league’s very important to me. I’ve been taught by founders of the league and, like I said, Lamar [of the Chiefs] and Wellington [Giants] and Dan Rooney [Steelers] that you do what’s best for the Colts but what’s best for the league, too. You have to protect the shield to protect the league, and I don’t like to see the shield damaged. And right now, the shield is taking some damage from all this.”

Washington’s organization is under multiple investigations for sexual harassment accusations and a toxic workplace culture.

That’s when the talk turned back to the women in Irsay’s life, per Breer.

“Just having three daughters and seven granddaughters, I can relate to that sort of thing—my seven granddaughters, as they venture off in different forms of working for organizations,” Irsay said. “I know the culture that we have in Indianapolis. I know the special culture that we have and the family atmosphere that we have developed there. That’s important to me, and I believe it’s important to many owners in this league, because that’s what we’re about.”

On Wednesday, Irsay took to Twitter, seemingly referencing his words against Snyder.

No other owner was willing to go on record with their thoughts on Snyder’s situation as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell cautioned everyone against speculation.

The Colts and Commanders meet in Week 8 in Indianapolis.

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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell comments on Snyder, Irsay

Roger Goodell cautioned against speculation until the completion of the NFL’s investigation into Daniel Snyder and the Commanders.

It was a busy day at the NFL owner’s meetings on Tuesday, and it had nothing to do with rule changes. Instead, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay made headlines when he spoke with the media on Tuesday afternoon, discussing Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder.

“I believe there’s merit to remove him as owner,” Irsay said of Snyder.

Not only did Irsay say he believed there was merit to removing Snyder as owner, but he also said he believed the league could “potentially” get the necessary 24 votes to force Snyder out. Irsay also said, “we’re not gonna vote today.”

A spokesperson for Snyder immediately sent the following response to Irsay.

Next, everyone wanted to hear from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who offered the following comments on the matter:

“It’s an ongoing investigation,” Goodell said, according to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports. “There were no internal reports. We have not gotten into reports. We do not provide any because we do not have them. When Mary Jo White is done with her investigation, we will share that with the membership and share it publicly, as we’ve committed to before.”

Goodell cautioned against speculation.

“Speculation without facts is not a very positive thing to do,” he said. “I think everyone deserves to have facts and to make sure those decisions are made with facts. And the membership will have that opportunity.”

Finally, Goodell was asked if he was surprised or upset that Irsay broke ranks, so to speak.

“No, how do you like that?” Goodell replied.

Goodell handled this in the best way possible. He didn’t come out and take a side. That’s important. However, it is interesting his reply when asked if he was surprised about Irsay’s comments.

We included the link to Washington’s reply to Irsay, but Snyder also sent a letter to fellow owners Tuesday.

 

Commanders owner Daniel Snyder sends letter to fellow owners

Commanders owner Daniel Snyder sent a letter to his fellow owners Tuesday.

It was another busy day for the Washington Commanders, and we aren’t even talking about head coach Ron Rivera officially naming Taylor Heinicke the starting quarterback in place of the injured Carson Wentz.

In case you haven’t heard, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay sent shockwaves across the NFL when he declared the following at the NFL owner’s meetings Tuesday:

“I believe there is merit to removing him as owner,” Irsay said of Commanders owner Daniel Snyder.

It didn’t take long for the Commanders to respond.

At some point on Tuesday, Snyder sent a letter to fellow owners in response to some of the allegations levied against him in the ESPN. Here is a copy of the letter, per a team spokesperson:

Dear ,

I hope that you and your family are doing well.

I would like to address a recent ESPN article that contains false and malicious statements about the Washington Commanders, our management team, and me and my family. It is particularly shameful for ESPN to diminish the very real accomplishments of our President Jason Wright, who ESPN alleges was placed at the Commanders by the League and has no power to make real change. I know you know this to be false. Unfortunately, ESPN ignored our efforts to correct the many falsehoods in their article before its publication.

There is one allegation in the ESPN article that I feel it is important to address immediately. The article cited unnamed sources who said: “They’ve been told that Snyder instructed his law firms to hire private investigators to look into other owners” and Commissioner Goodell. That is patently false and intended to erode the trust and goodwill between owners that I take quite seriously. I have never hired any private investigator to look into any owner or the Commissioner. I have never instructed or authorized my lawyers to hire any private investigator on my behalf for any such purpose. And I never would.

While we all are fierce competitors on the field, we are a part of this organization because we love football, our teams and our fans. Having the privilege to own a franchise in America’s sport is something I know none of us take for granted. Falsehoods and lies being spread about any of our organizations hurts our League, our players and our fans, and we simply cannot let them go unchallenged.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, Tanya and I are always available to answer them, and we look forward to discussing these issues with you at the appropriate time.

Sincerely,

Dan Snyder

Colts Jim Irsay believes Dan Snyder should be removed as Commanders owner

Colts owner Jim Irsay says it is time to remove Dan Snyder

The first voice has spoken from the owners’ side and Dan Snyder will be fuming.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said Tuesday that the Washington Commanders owner should be removed and he thinks there is support to get the job done.

“I believe there is merit to removing him as owner of the (Commanders),” Irsay said from a hotel lobby in New York where the owners are meeting. “There’s consideration that he should be removed. ,…

“I just think that once owners talk amongst each other they will arrive at the right decision. Unfortunately, that’s the road that we need to go down.”

The league requires 24 of 32 owners to approve such a vote, which never has been done at the NFL level. Irsay said no vote will take place at Tuesday’s meetings.

“Some of the things I’ve heard doesn’t represent us at all,” Irsay said. “I want the American public to know what we’re about as owners…You can’t shy away from the fact that, I believe it’s in the best interest of the National Football League that we look at this squarely in the eyes and deal with it.”

There was a swift response from a Commanders spokesperson:

Jim Irsay on Daniel Snyder: ‘I believe there is merit to removing him as owner’

Colts owner Jim Irsay with strong comments regarding Daniel Snyder.

The Washington Post reported back in September that some NFL owners’ opinions toward Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder had shifted. The story noted that multiple owners believed “serious consideration may be given to attempting to oust Snyder from the league’s ownership ranks.”

The NFL owner’s meetings began Tuesday, and while Snyder’s current situation was not on the agenda, it was expected to be a topic of conversation among owners.

In what should be considered a massive development, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay went on record with his thoughts on Snyder’s ownership.

Snyder is currently under multiple investigations by the NFL and the U.S. House Oversight Committee, and ESPN published an explosive report last week saying Snyder reportedly told those close to him he had “dirt” on other NFL owners. Much more was included in ESPN’s report, which can be found here.

In addition to the quote Ian Rapoport tweeted, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated had more from Irsay, where he went even further.

For the NFL to remove Snyder as an owner, they would need 24 votes from other owners. In ESPN’s report last week, it was reported that Snyder had lost the support of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who denied that report.

It will be interesting to see if any other owners go on the record regarding Snyder.