Tag: Jim Irsay

Colts’ Jim Irsay on Shaquille Leonard: ‘We’ll see’

Colts owner Jim Irsay didn’t exactly quell any doubts about Shaquille Leonard’s timetable for return.

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One of the biggest questions entering Indianapolis Colts training camp is the status of star linebacker Shaquille Leonard, who is working his way back from a second back surgery.

Leonard didn’t participate at all during the team’s spring workout program. He was present for OTAs and minicamp when the media was permitted to attend. However, he did not participate.

The Colts, and Leonard himself, have been extremely vague on a potential timetable for return, casting plenty of doubt pertaining to his availability at the start of training camp and even the start of the regular season.

Owner Jim Irsay didn’t help those doubts Monday when he appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, giving a “we’ll see” when talking about The Maniac’s progress.

“And, you know, I think Shaq Leonard, he’s working hard. We’ll see, you know. He has a chance, he’s working really hard, he’s getting a little better each day,” Irsay said around the two-hour, 59-minute mark of Monday’s show.

He told reporters during the spring that he feels much better about his prognosis, but he declined to give a timetable for return.

“I’m feeling better. Feeling a whole lot better than what I did at any point of the year last year. Moving around a whole lot better, I’ve got more power in the calf. It’s still not where I want to be,” Leonard said in April.

Head coach Shane Steichen also declined to give a potential return date whenever he was asked by the media this offseason.

Leonard is a key part of Gus Bradley’s defense. He only appeared in three games during the 2022 season, though. He made his season debut in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans before suffering a concussion and broken nose, which forced him to miss the next three games.

He then returned in Week 8 for two more games, but interim head coach Jeff Saturday suggested Leonard shut it down for the rest of the season considering he still didn’t look like himself during practice or the limited action in games.

Injuries are difficult to gauge during the offseason because teams are not required to give daily injury reports, and they often take the cautious route when it comes to participation levels.

There are no doubts Leonard is putting as much work in as he can to return. We’ll have a better idea of Leonard’s status when the team returns to Westfield on July 25, but this is certainly going to be one of the top storylines to follow.

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Colts’ Jim Irsay says Jonathan Taylor is ‘healed up’

Jim Irsay gave a positive hint on Jonathan Taylor’s health with training camp right around the corner.

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Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is a bit of a question mark when it comes to his status to open training camp, but owner Jim Irsay gave some optimism for his situation Monday.

While on The Pat McAfee Show, Irsay wrapped up his segment discussing how excited they are for training camp to start and, without being prompted, said Taylor is “healed up.”

In January, Taylor underwent what was called a “minimally invasive” procedure on his ankle, which clearly limited his production and eventually forced him to finish the 2022 season on the injured reserve list.

Though the procedure was considered a “clean-up,” Taylor didn’t participate in any of the spring practices, and he told reporters at the end of minicamp that he hopes to be ready for the start of training camp.

However, this news from Irsay may be a positive sign that the star running back will be cleared at or near the start of training camp, which would be incredibly encouraging for an offense that is likely to feature a rookie quarterback for the majority of the season.

Taylor is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and if a deal doesn’t get done before the start of the regular season, a lot will be riding on his production in 2023.

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Jim Irsay: Anthony Richardson has to play to get better

Colts owner Jim Irsay made it clear on The Pat McAfee Show that Anthony Richardson needs to play to get better.

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It has been well-established that Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson is about as inexperienced as it comes for first-round picks entering the league.

The No. 4 overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft will enter training camp competing for the starting quarterback role despite having only 13 collegiate starts under his belt.

Though there will be plenty of growing pains ahead, owner Jim Irsay firmly believes Richardson needs live reps in games in order to get better as opposed to learning through sitting on the bench.

Richardson has some stout competition in veteran Gardner Minshew, who enters his third season working with new head coach Shane Steichen’s offense. His overall experience in the NFL and specific experience in Steichen’s offense certainly gives him an edge over the rookie.

But Richardson’s development hinges strongly on learning through playing. His work ethic and determination are through the roof, but he needs to be able to learn from the mistakes he will make during games.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Minshew begins the season as the starter in order to help Richardson get more acclimated to life in the NFL.

But it’s clear the Colts want Richardson to play as much as possible and as soon as possible in 2023.

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Colts LB Zaire Franklin feels infusion of energy with young roster

Zaire Franklin has felt the energy of the youth movement.

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The 2022 season was not kind to the Indianapolis Colts. A season filled with hope and pressure to deliver an AFC South title ended in disaster and a host of staff changes, including the firing of offensive coordinator Marcus Brady and head coach Frank Reich.

With those changes, the Colts hired Shane Steichen to lead the team, inject immediate change, and weave energy into the roster core. Linebacker Zaire Franklin seems to notice some initial differences and loves the shift.

“I would just say, to be honest, we’re just having a lot of fun. I would just say just the energy in the building, energy at practice,” Franklin told reporters at minicamp.

“Personally, I just feel like I’m really enjoying the team, enjoying our time together, and hopefully, that pays dividends when it’s time to put those pads on and play real football,” said Franklin.

The new wave of energy will be needed when the team takes on the early parts of the 2023 schedule. The team plays four division games in the first six weeks, including the reigning AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars twice.

From there, the team sees several games against the NFC South and AFC North before ending the season at home against the Houston Texans.

Additionally, the organization hasn’t won a division title since 2014 and hasn’t seen a Super Bowl since 2010, leaving high expectations.

Time is ticking, and owner Jim Irsay is watching.

Jim Irsay snubs Peyton Manning on list of NFL’s all-time greatest players

Jim Irsay included John Elway on his list of the five best players in NFL history, but he did not include Peyton Manning.

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Since he retired from the NFL in 2016, Peyton Manning has remained closely connected to the Denver Broncos while his connection with the Indianapolis Colts has seemingly dwindled.

Manning has still made select appearances for Colts events, but he is far more visible with the Broncos, and he still lives in Colorado. One can only speculate that perhaps Manning’s relationship with Jim Irsay is a factor.

Following the passing of former running back Jim Brown last week, Irsay tweeted that the top-five players on his all-time list are (in order) Jim Brown, Tom Brady, John Elway, Deacon Jones and Reggie White.

Irsay notably included Elway, who famously refused to play for the Colts when they drafted in him 1983, but he did not include Manning, who won a Super Bowl in Indianapolis and established himself as one of the greatest players in NFL history while playing for the Colts.

Irsay clarified in a follow-up tweet that Elway did not have the same kind of supporting cast as some of the players who were snubbed on his list.

Fans on Twitter certainly didn’t appreciate Peyton being snubbed.

You’re top five in our book, Peyton.

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Jim Irsay comments on Harris group and NFL hoping to get deal done

Jim Irsay was talking about the Commanders again.

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Jim Irsay was again commenting about the Commanders.

Monday at the NFL owners meeting which is taking place Monday through Wednesday, Irsay expressed some comments regarding the Harris group hopefully getting the deal done in the purchasing of the Washington Commanders.

Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, had recently expressed some anger feeling the Commanders had broken the NFL’s tampering rules. Irsay had warned that tampering with Colts retired quarterback Andrew Luck would bring a team trouble.

But Monday, Irsay was speaking as representing the finance committee overseeing the sale of the Commanders by Daniel Snyder to the Josh Harris group.

The finance committee had met earlier Monday, and consequently, it was very reasonable that one of the committee members would update the media or answer questions.

Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, provided some of Irsay’s statement:

Listeners and readers may find themselves wondering if there has been some discussion or debate regarding the NFL rules and policies being altered. Irsay did bring up the rules and said the NFL was not changing them. Then Irsay went as far as to offer that NFL owners are looking for the same type of cooperation they received from the Broncos’ sale to the Walton family.

On the one hand, the NFL does not want to alter the rules, change the policies, or change the procedures. On the other hand, might the Harris group be responding that the world of NFL sales and purchases is escalating? In this case, the purchase price is $ 6.05 billion. This necessitates a plurality of people making a purchase, not simply a single owner.

Was Irsay speaking to the Harris group through the media about rules, policies and cooperation? Or might Irsay have been hinting that the NFL is not going to update its policies for the Harris group purchase?

Might we be in the middle of an old-fashioned game of chicken? The owners want to rid themselves of Daniel Snyder so much; might Harris actually possess more leverage than we imagined at first?

Report: Colts ‘satisfied’ with resolution to Commanders tampering dispute

The Colts reportedly are satisfied with the NFL’s tampering investigation involving alleged contact between the Commanders and Andrew Luck.

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The Indianapolis Colts reportedly are satisfied with the resolution to the inquiry into the league’s investigation of potential tampering between the Washington Commanders and former quarterback Andrew Luck, per ESPN’s Stephen Holder.

Earlier this month, an ESPN report stated that the Commanders reached out to Luck during the 2022 offseason in order to gauge his thoughts on a potential return. Because the Colts still own the rights to Luck’s contract, that would have been a clear violation of the tampering rules.

Colts owner Jim Irsay then requested an investigation into potential tampering, but the issue reportedly has been resolved without further action needed.

From Holder:

But after further clarification, it has been determined that the Commanders never spoke to Luck or anyone in his immediate circle and therefore did not violate the NFL’s anti-tampering policy, the source told ESPN.

There we go. Finally, we can put this issue to bed and focus on the future of the organization, which will be led by rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson and first-year head coach Shane Steichen.

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Twitter blasts Jim Irsay for leaving Peyton Manning off top-five list

Colts Twitter was not happy with Jim Irsay’s list of the top-five greatest players.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay released his list of the top-five greatest NFL players of all time following the passing of legendary running back Jim Brown.

A notable snub on the list was Colts legend Peyton Manning despite Irsay having both Tom Brady and John Elway in his top-five greatest players.

Irsay followed up that tweet saying Manning, along with Jerry Rice and Barry Sanders were in his top-10 list.

Nevertheless, Colts fans let Irsay know their thoughts on leaving Manning off the initial list:

Report: Commanders did not contact Andrew Luck, his father, or his uncle

This would seem to favor the Commanders.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay sent shockwaves around the NFL late Sunday night with the following tweet regarding retired quarterback Andrew Luck.

Irsay’s tweet came on the heels of an ESPN story from John Keim regarding Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell.

What would a story about Howell have to do with Luck and Jim Irsay, you ask?

In referencing Washington’s wide-ranging search for a solution at quarterback last offseason, Keim said the following:

Even so, they didn’t feel the same urgency they did last offseason, when they called every team that might have a quarterback available. They even phoned about retired Andrew Luck, just in case.

That was enough for Irsay to send out the tweet and have the NFL look into possible tampering by the Commanders regarding the retired quarterback. The Colts still own the rights to Luck, and even though he has no interest in returning to football, any interested team would need to go through the Colts — not Luck or his camp.

What wasn’t included in Keim’s story — and this is important — was who the Commanders contacted about Luck. Was it Luck himself, his father [former NFL QB Oliver Luck], or his uncle, Will Wilson — who was his agent when he played?

According to Mark Maske of Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, it was none of the above.

The Commanders did not contact Luck, his father or his uncle who has served as his agent, according to a person within Luck’s camp. However, a person familiar with the Colts’ position said the team wants the NFL to determine whether there was improper contact through intermediaries. The Colts do not want the situation to be dismissed without being properly investigated, according to that person.

Everything we know about Andrew Luck and the Commanders, including Colts tampering talk

Were the Commanders interested? And is that a problem with the Colts?

Why are we sitting here talking about Andrew Luck, the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback who hasn’t play a down in the NFL since 2018?

Well, because, per a report, a team kicked the tires on the retired QB to see if he had that itch to get back into the league. This is a thing that happens in the NFL from time to time, especially when there’s a dearth of truly elite QBs beyond the top tier. Some veteran gets a phone call, either says “yes” or “no thanks” and we all move on.

But this one has escalated a bit. Let’s explain what we know: