Tag: Jim Irsay

Colts’ Jim Irsay donates $25K to Damar Hamlin’s toy drive

Colts owner Jim Irsay donated $25,003 to Damar Hamlin’s toy drive, tied for the largest donation to date.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay donated $25,003 to the “Chasing M’s Foundation Community Toy Drive,” which was created by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

Since Hamlin’s terrifying incident in which he suffered a cardiac arrest against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, the toy drive has exploded. Donations from all over poured in. A GoFundMe that had a goal of $2,500 now sits at nearly $7.8 million.

Irsay and the Colts played a hand in that, giving the largest donation as of this writing at $25,003.

We also got a bit more insight from Colts safety Rodney Thomas II on Hamlin as they share a brother-like relationship since their high school days in Pittsburgh.

It’s encouraging to see the NFL community come together like this when we’re reminded that football is simply a game. A freak accident occurred, putting a 24-year-old’s life in the balance, and the NFL community rallied to make something positive come out of an impossible situation.

Fortunately, Hamlin is making progress. Reports have come in that Hamlin is awake and communicating through writing. He has gripped the hands of his loved ones but still has a breathing tube. The next step is getting the breathing tube out and getting Hamlin to breathe on his own.

Hamlin’s recovery will be well-documented, and it was nice to see Irsay and the Colts make a positive impact considering the situation.

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Giants defeat Colts: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants defeated the Colts, 38-10, in Week 17 and here’s a look at our winners and losers (and those in between) from the game.

The New York Giants came into their Week 17 meeting with the Indianapolis Colts with an NFC Playoff berth in their sights and they never took their eyes off of it.

The Giants routed the decimated and downtrodden Colts, 38-10, to gain entry into the NFL postseason for the first time since 2016.

Here are some winners, losers, and in-betweens from the game.

Colts’ Jim Irsay: ‘Chris Ballard will be our general manager’

Colts owner Jim Irsay gave another vote of confidence for GM Chris Ballard.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay gave another vote of confidence for general manager Chris Ballard, telling ESPN that the latter will remain in his role for the upcoming offseason.

In what has been a tumultuous season for the Colts, Irsay has been right at the center of it. His impulsive decision to fire former head coach Frank Reich, essentially making him the scapegoat, is among the biggest decisions Irsay has made with his team.

With so many wondering if Ballard will be back for his seventh offseason as general manager, Irsay said in the interview with ESPN that he would.

“Chris Ballard will be our general manager,” Irsay said.

This certainly will be a do-or-die offseason for Ballard. As much blame as Reich deserved for the offense’s collapse this season, Ballard may be responsible for a bigger role in the team’s decline.

He’s the one who put the roster together. He’s constantly talked about building through the trenches only to see the Colts sport arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL.

His reluctance to go after a young quarterback with high draft capital in the NFL draft may ultimately be his downfall. The constant cycle of retread quarterbacks can only kick the can down the road for so long.

Ballard will need to make some adjustments to his philosophy this offseason if he wants to stick around, but it seems he’ll get at least one more shot to prove his worth.

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Colts’ Jim Irsay expects broad pool of HC candidates

Jim Irsay sees ‘a lot of great’ head coach candidates.

The Indianapolis Colts are roughly one month away from beginning the process of hiring a new head coach.

As Jeff Saturday has taken over as the interim head coach following the firing of Frank Reich, the Colts are obligated to go through the entire interview process, which includes following the Rooney Rule.

The latter is an aspect the Colts didn’t have to do when hiring an interim head coach.

In speaking to reporters this week, Irsay said that while Saturday is a candidate for the head coach vacancy, he expects a broader pool of candidates this offseason, which may or may not include some college names.

“I’m looking forward to the interview process,” Irsay said via ProFootballTalk. “I think Jeff’s a candidate but there’s a lot of great candidates out there. I think there’s a lot of great candidates in college. I think the pool needs to be broadened somewhat more. There’s some great college coaches that may be capable. There’s some unknown coaches that may be capable.”

Saturday has expressed his interest in returning as the full-time head coach after the season, and it’s likely he’ll be one of the first interviews the Colts conduct this offseason.

The most popular name from the college scene would be Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, who has a strong history with the Colts. However, it isn’t clear if he wants to return to the NFL coaching sphere.

There will be a long list of names the Colts will consider, and that process should begin in just about one month’s time.

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Jim Irsay isn’t ready to vote Dan Snyder out, wants to hear from fellow owners

Jim Irsay speaks on Daniel Snyder and the Commanders at league meetings.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay shocked the NFL world at the October owner’s meetings when he came out strong against Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder.

“I believe there is merit to removing him as owner,” Irsay said. In follow-up discussions with the media, Irsay didn’t just stand by his comments; he doubled down.

“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.”

So, when the NFL convened in Dallas for league meetings this week, every reporter was looking for Irsay. However, Irsay’s tone was a bit different this time around, although his opinion hasn’t necessarily changed.

“I’m not ready to vote him out,” Irsay said per Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press. “I need to hear more of my partners talk. It’s been something where you want to get more information about everything is the key.”

Daniel Snyder wasn’t in Dallas for the meeting, but his wife and co-owner, Tanya, along with team president Jason Wright represented Washington.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell briefly discussed the Commanders Wednesday, stating only that he didn’t have any “expectations” of a sale.

Irsay was also asked if he thought Snyder selling the team would be a better alternative than the owners voting to force him out.

“I think that’s something that’s certainly a better solution if it came to that,” Irsay said.

Snyder hired Bank of America recently to explore possible transactions with the franchise, leading many to believe it would be a complete sale.

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Colts’ Jim Irsay on firing Frank Reich: ‘It wasn’t personal’

In an interview with ESPN, Jim Irsay pushed back some of the criticisms they’ve faced recently.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has received plenty of criticism over the last few weeks for the process of firing former head coach Frank Reich and replacing him with Jeff Saturday as the interim head coach.

In an interview with ESPN, Irsay pushed back on some of that criticism, especially after Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni made it clear how he felt about the firing of Reich when Philly beat the Colts 17-16 in Week 11.

“It’s not personal. It’s the very opposite from being personal,” Irsay said in the interview.

It was well known that the relationship between Reich, Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard was a strong one. This wasn’t a situation where these three got along simply because they had to. Their relationships went beyond showing up for work every day.

Irsay leaned on his experience of never giving a coach or executive an extension with multiple years left on their current contract as an argument for how he felt about Reich.

“I’ve been doing this for over 50 years, and I’ve never, ever, ever, ever given a coach an extension when there’s two years left on the contract,” Irsay said. “But [I did it] because of the closeness with him and our family, and because I hoped that maybe it would be something that would help strengthen him in his position and his own belief.”

Irsay also doubled down on his relationship with Reich and his family, noting how close the two have been.

“Frank is a treasured friend of my family and all my daughters,” Irsay said. “We go back a long, long way. I’m very, very close to Frank, and I’ve known Frank for many decades. He’s like family.”

Regardless, the Colts are moving forward with Saturday as the interim head coach, and Irsay will have to go through the full process of interviews following the season.

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Jim Irsay called Jeff Saturday while Patriots wrecked Colts offense

Jim Irsay saw what the Patriots was doing to the Colts offense and called Jeff Saturday on the spot.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay watched the horror show that was the New England Patriots defense making second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger the main course dish of their sack lunch in the Week 9 AFC matchup.

Patriots linebackers Matthew Judon and Josh Uche each had three sacks on a day when the team punished the Colts offense with a total of nine sacks and 12 quarterback hits.

It was a complete demolition show.

According to ESPN’s Stephen Holder, things got so bad that Irsay actually called Jeff Saturday on the phone during the game.

Holder wrote:

“Saturday, who was a Colts consultant as well as ESPN analyst at the time, received two calls from team owner Jim Irsay that day. One was during the middle of the game asking why the offensive line was struggling so badly, and the other was later that night to broach the idea of Saturday becoming the interim coach.”

The Patriots rolled to a 26-3 victory over the Colts in a game where the defense continued to flex its elite capabilities. After the loss, the Colts made the move to fire Frank Reich and hire Saturday off the ESPN set as the team’s new interim head coach.

If anything, it’s just another feather in the cap of the dominating effect of the Patriots’ defensive front.

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Jim Irsay made Jeff Saturday interim head coach against advice from Colts’ brass

Senior executives in the Colts’ building had serious concerns about Jim Irsay’s decision to make Jeff Saturday interim head coach.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has certainly been going with his gut lately. It was Irsay’s decision to recently fire head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Marcus Brady, to bench veteran quarterback Matt Ryan in favor of second-year man Sam Ehlinger, and to hire former Colts center Jeff Saturday as interim head coach in a press conference that was all kinds of “interesting.”

The most bizarre parts of the Colts’ Jim Irsay/Chris Ballard/Jeff Saturday press conference

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Irsay made the Saturday hire against the objections and concerns of his closet confidants in the building.

Colts president Pete Ward and general manager Chris Ballard, among others, spoke with Irsay and expressed their reservations, sources say. The Colts have former head coaches John Fox and Gus Bradley on staff, as well as a rising star in special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone. But sources say Irsay was hellbent on hiring Saturday, who revealed that Irsay called him during a last Sunday’s loss to the Patriots to ask about Indianapolis’ problems on the offensive line.

Moreover, Irsay named 30-year-old pass game specialist/assistant quarterbacks coach Parks Frazier, who has never called plays at the NFL level, to replace Brady as offensive coordinator. This despite the fact that the Colts had a more experienced option on staff. Per Rapoport, quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich was offered the position with no revision to his existing contract, so he declined the offer.

The lack of coaching experience seems to be in line with Saturday, who becomes the first NFL head coach with no college or professional coaching experience since the Minnesota Vikings hired Hall of Fame quarterback Norm Van Brocklin to be their first head coach in 1961. The Vikings were an expansion team, Van Brocklin was known around the NFL as a coach on the field, and with all that, Van Brocklin’s tenure as Minnesota’s head coach was flawed at best — especially when he made the situation so toxic with quarterback Fran Tarkenton, that Tarkenton demanded a trade after the 1966 season.

Eventually, the Vikings replaced Van Brocklin with CFL legend Bud Grant, who would take the team to four Super Bowls — including three with Tarkenton, who was traded back to Minnesota in 1972.

Experience matters.

Saturday, while a smart player and a fine analyst for ESPN in recent years, has no such “coach on the field” history, and the Colts are far from an expansion team, though they’re looking more and more like it every week.

The Colts travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders on Sunday afternoon in Saturday’s first game as head coach.

Colts’ Jeff Saturday gives impassioned speech on taking interim HC role

Colts interim HC Jeff Saturday was impassioned about why he took on this role.

Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday doesn’t have the typical resume or qualifications for his current position, but there’s no debate about the passion and energy he will bring to the franchise over the next eight games.

Even though it was extremely questionable for owner Jim Irsay to go through with this decision, it’s easy to see that Saturday is going into this interim role with full intentions of getting the best out of the team while he’s here.

During his first solo press conference with the media Wednesday, Saturday gave an impassioned speech as to why he accepted the job essentially out of the blue from Irsay.

“Because I care. I told the guys this morning. I care about the players. I care about their families. I’ve sat in their seat man,” Saturday said. ” These guys work hard. They sacrifice for their families, they sacrifice time, energy and effort. I know the equipment room, I know media relations, I know training room. You guys act like this is – these are my people, bro. Like my adult life was forged here. Like my wife and I, we raised our kids here. These people matter to me. This organization matters to me, right? The people in the community matter to me.”

It will be a learning curve for Saturday to get acclimated into the weekly process of being an interim head coach even with all of the experience he had as a player during his career.

But even with his inexperience, Saturday is fully confident he can lead a team of men and get them to buy into the mentality and process he will bring each week.

“Here’s the deal, I’m completely comfortable in who I am as a man. I know I can lead men. I know I know the game of football and I’m passionate about it,” Saturday said. “I have no fear about – are you as qualified as somebody else? I spent 14 years in the locker room. I went to the playoffs 12 times. I’ve got five dudes in the Hall of Fame that I played with. You don’t think I’ve seen greatness? You don’t think I’ve seen how people prepare, how they coach, how they GM, how they work?”

The honesty Saturday gave during his presser was admirable. The passion he feels for the game is tangible, and there’s no one who will deny the fact that he will give everything he has toward these next eight games, regardless of the outcome.

“Here’s the deal man, none of us are promised a good job. I may be terrible at this and after eight games, I’ll say, ‘God bless you. I am no good.’ I may be really good at it. I have no idea, but I dang sure ain’t going to back down. I can tell you that,” Saturday said. “If life ain’t an adventure, it ain’t for me. I’m ready to go do this.”

This week has been a whirlwind for Colts fans and the NFL in general considering this unprecedented move, but Saturday isn’t backing down from the opportunity ahead of him.

“I take a challenge head-on. Everybody can say whatever they want. I appreciate that, but from my perspective, when I was asked and they said they were following every rule – at the end of the season, you aren’t promised anything. Perfect. Let’s go with that and I’ll move forward. If I’m no good and Mr. Irsay looks at me and goes, ‘Hey, we appreciate you. Thanks for stepping in. Job well done.’ I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

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Jim Irsay: ‘Absurd’ to think Colts are tanking

Jim Irsay had more to say, this time addressing notions of the Colts tanking.

Despite taking over the press conference Monday night, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay had more to say following the unprecedented change at head coach.

In a phone interview Tuesday with Mike Chappell of Fox59 and Bob Kravitz of The Athletic, Irsay vehemently denied the notion that the Colts are tanking the 2022 season in order to grab a better slot in the 2023 NFL draft.

“It’s the most absurd thing in the world that we would be tanking games,’’ Irsay said. “You think we’re going to (expletive) tank games? That’s (BS).”

Irsay was particularly animated during Monday night’s press conference introducing Jeff Saturday as the interim head coach. Between droning on about his nostalgia for the franchise from the 2000s and comparing Chris Ballard to Michael Jordan, Irsay made the press conference about himself.

Tanking is an extremely taboo subject in the NFL. Teams would never admit to doing it, especially because of the harsh punishments that would come from doing so.

“We’re in this thing; 9-7-1 gets in (the postseason). We just have to look at the Raiders game and get back on track. We’ve always felt we’re in things,” Irsay said.

While Irsay’s aspirations of making the playoffs are still high, the odds of them missing out are higher. At 3-5-1, the Colts have no direction on the offensive side of the ball and as great of a player Jeff Saturday was, he’s still extremely inexperienced as a head coach.

We would never know if the Colts—or any team—are actively tanking. Irsay is certainly a proud man and owner so it makes sense he would vehemently be against tanking.

But in the end, it may not matter because the Colts are likely heading toward a premium draft slot regardless.

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