Colts’ season of chaos: Jim Irsay’s impatience, impulsiveness leave franchise in disarray
New York TimesThat afternoon was like nothing Jim Irsay had experienced across his five-decade run in professional football. After Philip Rivers’ successful one-year stint in 2020, the owner wanted to find the team’s next quarterback in the draft, and in Irsay’s words, “grow our own.” But head coach Frank Reich wanted Wentz, convinced he could salvage the former No. “But I was wrong.” That’s when Irsay started to lose faith in his head coach, most in the building believe. “You go s— the bed in Foxboro and the head coach you love gets fired, replaced by a guy who wasn’t in the building,” center Ryan Kelly said. “And he’s done an unbelievable job of making sure the guys understand the different levels of accountability.” A few weeks after Saturday arrived, Ballard actually admitted to Irsay, “Wow, having a new set of eyes, the whole building’s changed.” But the Colts needed more than tough love.