In the broader context of the world of professional sports, I've always viewed the Indianapolis Colts' various machinations as having about the same speed and agility as center Jeff Saturday might have in rambling down field after recovering a fumble. When owner Jim Irsay fired Bill and Chris Polian the day after the 2011 regular season ended, I should have known that we might be dealing with a different set of circumstances than usual in 2012, but I still expected the search for a new general manager to be a long, drawn-out process. Irsay, though, proved to be serious about moving the franchise forward expeditiously and announced on January 11 that he had hired Philadelphia Eagles director of player personnel Ryan Grigson to be the Colts' new GM. As a longtime Colts fan, I find this development interesting on a number of levels, from the quick turnaround to Grigson's age and background.
Grigson, an Indiana native and Purdue graduate, is just 39 years old, and presumably will bring some fresh ideas to go along with his fresh face. After a couple of stints on NFL rosters, Grigson found some playing time in the CFL before a back injury ended his playing days in 1997. He immediately transitioned into the scouting ranks, still in the CFL, and began working his way up the NFL's executive ladder. He eventually landed with the St. Louis Rams as a combine scout and then became an area scout before latching on with the Eagles a couple of years ago.
During his climb, Grigson has become known as an expert evaluator of talent, an attribute that surely held great sway with Irsay as he sifted through at least seven candidates to find the new GM. After quarterback Peyton Manning went down with a neck injury, it quickly became evident that the Colts were a one-dimensional team who could do almost nothing in the absence of their field leader. For most fans, and apparently for Irsay, as well, that fact pointed squarely at a shortcoming in the roster-building skills of the Polian regime. You can bet that Irsay held talent evaluation at the forefront as he went through his search.
I'm excited to see what Grigson can do with the Colts between now and the draft, and I certainly don't envy the choices that he needs to make in the next couple of months. Almost surely the first among those will be what to do with head coach Jim Caldwell. Can a franchise really clean house, as the Colts seem intent on doing, without wiping out the coaching staff, as well? Can they clean house without cutting loose an injured and aging, though legendary, quarterback? Those are now Grigson's calls to make, and we'll be here to second guess him the whole way.
Adam Hughes was raised, and still lives, in rural Indiana. He has been a Colts fans since the team arrived in Indianapolis on a snowy morning in 1984. The Blue and White eventually replaced the Chicago Bears as his #1 team, and Super Bowl XLI was a dream come true.
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