Ryan benched?

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by Chaka

This is awful.

Originally Posted by nate505

It might end up being that way, but as of now I can't see the harm. Ryan is decent when the line gives him time, but unfortunately, the line does not give him time. Or they are extremely inconsistent at it.

Everyone wants Ballard's head, but IMO, this is either coaching or the players themselves. Yeah, I get it, LT sucks, but it doesn't suck to the point that everyone just completely forgot how to play football. Even Nelson looks quite bad, and just on one on one plays.

It's terrible on several levels. First, and there appears to be differing accounts of this in the media, I'm troubled if Irsay is going to step in and force his GM and head coach to make changes. I like him much better as a hands-off owner. But clearly this was not Frank's (at least) idea because he stated the day before that Ryan was the Colts' QB. I think stepping in and forcing changes, to the extent that actually happened, undermines the guys he hired and that doesn't bode well.

Second, it undermines the experienced guys who came here as free agents. Not only Ryan but also guys like Gilmore, who I'm sure were assuming there wouldn't be an abrupt non-injury related change at the game's most important position only seven games into the season. As to Ryan, I know its been rough, but to give this guy only seven games seems a bit ridiculous. He's been an effective QB for 15 years and he's joining a brand new team and offense, new personnel, and has been running for his life. I think 15 years of quality QB play is enough to earn more than seven weeks. How does this look to other free agents who might consider coming here in the future?

Third, unless they truly believe that Elhinger is truly special, this suggests the Colts will be in development mode for the near future. The colts are 3-3-1 and the season is far from lost. It is not time to give up on the season.
Also, the Colts have built a quality, mostly home grown defense, and have (or at least had) lots of offensive pieces in place. If they have to wait for several years before contending, the Colts will lose all of these guys as they'll become expensive, overpaid free agents.