About a year ago, I wrote about the Indianapolis Colts needing to get an offensive line to better protect quarterback Andrew Luck, and in turn improve the team. Now the franchise has two options; trade Luck or fire general manager Ryan Grigson. Yes, the Colts used most of their draft picks on linemen, and yes, it takes a while for a line to jell. Luck no longer has that kind of time. While I’d never wish such a fate on anyone, it seems inevadible that Luck’s 2016 season will end on injured reserve. Because not only does the line stink, but so does almost everyone else on the team. If Grigson has plans to hold his post beyond this season, he may as well blow it up now and start over. Get a solid but not necessarily spectacular quarterback and a bevy of draft picks in exchange for a franchise quarterback that, given the right set of circumstances, could be hall-of-fame worthy. Do right by Luck and trade him. It’s obvious head coach Chuck Pagano is cooking with substandard ingredients in the kitchen. It’s like he’s being asked to make gourmet meals from a can of biscuits, a jar of peanut butter and a bag of lima beans. The Colts’ best back, Frank Gore, spent his best professional years in San Francisco, the defense can’t get stops, and while the receiving corps is adequate, it’s hard to tell how good they could be with Luck running for his health every time he takes a snap. I’d bet more than one Chicago Bears fan would think Luck would look good in orange and navy blue. Or, the simpler thing to do is relieve Grigson of his duties; whether he steps down or gets fired doesn’t matter. Some people are problematic, others seems to be problem-addicts. The dysfunction within the organization is obvious to anyone who knows anything about how to run a business. He wants more of the credit when they win and none of the responsibility when they don’t. This is his creation, and he needs to go. Honestly, right now it’s hard not to wonder if he got the job by winning a reality game show similar to one run by a current Presidential candidate. Based on the Colts’ performance this season and last, it seems like Grigson needs a longer apprenticeship. Sadly, owner Jim Irsay doesn’t seem to possess the backbone to make the changes. In one sense, he’s got it right; hire good people and let them do their jobs well. It worked when Bill Polian was around, but not so much now that he’s retired. Irsay is on the record as saying he wishes Luck were more like Peyton Manning, and not go after ball carriers after an interception. I’m sure Luck wishes he had Jeff Saturday, Tarik Glenn, Ryan Lilja, Jake Scott and Ryan Diem, in their football primes, in front of him. Pagano, unfortunately, isn’t likely to keep his job with a new GM in town. That’s too bad; he’s not the worst coach the Colts have had, and he won’t get the chance to show he could be the best coach they’ve had as long as Grigson is stocking the roster. He stands little chance to prove he’s a Tony Dungy-success type of coach as long as he stays in central Indiana. The Colts should be receiving criticism for being in the softer-than-week-old-bananas AFC South and how it related to them having the best record in the conference. Houston’s OK, the Jaguars are better and the Titans fans are asking the same general questions as Colts fans. But the Colts should still own this division,as they once did, and the fact that they are 1-3 (and probably should be 0-4) should be a point of embarrassment. Yeah, a play or two here or there and they could be 3-1, but that wouldn’t make this conversation go away. The Colts have been relying on catching a break at the end of games, and the problems with the team are systemic. As the old saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over, and expecting things to change. The longer Grigson stays, the more clear that definition becomes for the Colts.
