Ryan Grigson is destroying the Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are supposed to be one of the elite teams in the National Football League. They have an all-world quarterback in Andrew Luck, a pair of Hall of Fame offensive weapons in running back Frank Gore and receiver Andre Johnson, and one of the best pass-rushers of the last decade in outside linebacker Robert Mathis.
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Yet, the Colts are an overachieving team buoyed by a generational player in Luck. Unfortunately, the buoy is counterbalanced by general manager Ryan Grigson, who is an anvil dragging this team below the surface.
Grigson was hired by owner Jim Irsay in 2012 after he cut his teeth in scouting with the St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles from 1999-2011. Grigson was highly regarded across the NFL, and walked into a perfect situation. Indianapolis was coming off a 2-14 season, but had the first-overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and Peyton Manning returning from a neck injury that kept him sidelined throughout the 2011 campaign.
Then 39 years old, Grigson was given a golden opportunity. He predictably drafted Luck to become the franchise and released Peyton Manning, moving on from an era for another. In the rest of the 2012 draft, Grigson hit on other offensive weapons in tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, along with receiver T.Y. Hilton. For all the world, it appeared like Grigson was on the fast track to a dynasty.
From there, things have completely come apart. Yes, the Colts have advanced a round deeper each year since Luck’s arrival, losing in the AFC Championship game last year to the New England Patriots. Yet Grigson has done a deplorable job putting the team together, a fact masked by Luck’s brilliance. Grigson has drafted horrifically over the last three years, a problem compounded by his mystifying decision to trade a 2014 first-round pick for Trent Richardson. Richardson turned out to be one of the worst running backs in NFL history after the Browns took him with the third-overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. Richardson muddled through parts of two years with Indianapolis before being suspended and released. He is currently out of the league.
To give a visual on how bad Grigson has been since the 2012 NFL Draft, here are his draft picks:
[table id=108 /]
Where is the impact player in that group? Why is there only late-round help being given to the secondary? Grigson has completely ignored defensive talent to acquire Richardson and Phillip Dorsett. Grigson has been nothing short of blind when addressing a defense that merely needs to be mediocre to win a championship. His only significant move was to acquire corner Vontae Davis from the Miami Dolphins, a trade that has certainly panned out. Besides that exchange, Grigson has brought in mediocre players on awful contracts such as LaRon Landry, Ricky Jean-Francois, Erik Walden and Arthur Jones.
In 2015, the seams are finally unraveling. Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano – who Grigson hired – are reportedly at odds. On Monday, following Indianapolis’ 20-7 loss to the New York Jets, Pagano tore into Luck in the press conference, stating that he needs to avoid turnovers. When asked about the pitiful performance of the offensive line, Pagano said that Luck should be used to it, since he has endured it for years. It was a thinly veiled shot at Grigson, who has no recourse. The front wall has been atrocious throughout Luck’s time with the Colts, with Grigson bringing in stopgaps and afterthoughts.
Grigson’s plan has been to surround Luck with offensive weapons and hope the rest works out with bargain-bin signings and off-the-beat draft picks. For that, he should be shown the door.