Colts say rivalry on after snub by McDaniels
Offensive coordinator looks like the heir apparent to Belichick in New England
Colts general manager Chris Ballard showed up for a news conference Wednesday — just not the one he expected.
Instead of introducing Josh McDaniels as the team’s new head coach, Ballard stood in front of reporters trying to explain why New England’s longtime offensive coordinator reneged on a deal he initially accepted.
But if Ballard’s disgust about losing his top choice wasn’t clear from the occasional glare or the strong pitch in his voice, he left no doubt with one parting shot.
“The rivalry is back on,” he said before leaving.
Conducting a coaching search in February isn’t what Ballard or Indy envisioned when Chuck Pagano was fired just hours after Indy completed a 4-12 season on Dec. 31.
Exactly 24 hours after announcing McDaniels’ hiring on the team’s Twitter account and roughly 16 hours after he called back to tell Ballard he was out, the search begins anew for the jilted Colts.
Their other finalist, Mike Vrabel, has already taken the Tennessee job. Another top-tier candidate, Mike Nagy, has already been hired in Chicago. Baylor coach Matt Rhule, who also interviewed for the job, is back on campus getting ready for spring football. And it’s unclear where the Colts may turn next.
“We have a list of candidates, I’ve had them from the get-go,” Ballard said. “There are other guys we wanted to interview, but because of the playoffs, we weren’t able to.
“We’ll move forward with them and we will get the right leader for the Indianapolis Colts — one that believes what we believe and wants to go where we want to go. I’m very confident in this.”
Ballard didn’t name names, of course, nor did he provide a timetable.
Oddly, the timing could present Indy with a unique opportunity to pick off a candidate whomight emerge as a top candidate on next year’s coaching carousel.
Several possibilities exist, including Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich (Maryland), who was part of a Super Bowl victory over the Patriots with a backup quarterback.
The good news for Indy is that the only coaching vacancy still looks pretty attractive — if Andrew Luck is healthy.
Indy still has Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton, Pro Bowl tight end Jack Doyle, a revamped defense that showed major improvement as last season went along, the No. 3 pick in the draft and about $80 million to spend in free agency.
Luck, meanwhile, continues to be the big question as he rehabs from last January’s surgery for a partially torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.
Some believe McDaniels’ sudden change of heart was related to doubts about Luck’s health.
Ballard didn’t bother asking McDaniels why he made the decision.
On Wednesday, though, he attempted to Colts general manager Chris Ballard answers questions during a news conference at the NFL team’s practice facility in Indianapolis on Wednesday. The event was originally scheduled to introduce Patriots assistant Josh McDaniels as the Colts’ new head coach. alleviate lingering concerns about Luck while acknowledging the franchise quarterback still hasn’t thrown a football since returning from Europe late last year.
“At this point, we feel very strongly that Andrew is in a good place. He doesn’t need surgery,” Ballard said. “I have not gotten that from the two doctors that he’s seen here after the season. His strength is good. He’s working on his throwing motion and he’s working on his arm speed right now. He has not picked up a football, but he is throwing balls, working on arm speed.
“He’s going to do everything right to get himself ready to play and I’m very confident, he’s very confident, that he’s going to come back and prove a lot of people wrong,” Ballard added. McDaniels’ return: McDaniels sent ripples throughout the NFL with his decision to pull out of an agreement to become the Colts’ head coach.
He has yet to speak publicly about what factored into the 11th hour about-face. But McDaniels’ return as New England’s offensive coordinator keeps a possible successor for Patriots coach Bill Belichick in house.
Belichick gave no indication after the Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia on Sunday night that he plans to exit in 2018. And just last month he said that it was “absolutely” his intention to be back for his 19th season with the Patriots.
But at age 65 he’s also the second-oldest coach in the NFL, behind only Seattle’s Pete Carroll at 66.
McDaniels has been one of the hottest names in coaching searches every offseason over the past three years.
At 41, he’s considered one of the NFL’s brightest young minds. What’s more, McDaniels is someone whom Patriots quarterback Tom Brady trusts and recently called “a great coach and a great friend.”
It’s unclear how McDaniels’ decision will affect him regarding future opportunities with other NFL teams, a gamble should he never get the opportunity to lead the Patriots.
If McDaniels ever leaves New England again, he will certainly have some repairs to make to his image around the league.
Responding to a suggestion that comfort with the Patriots might have played a role in McDaniels’ decision, former coach and current NBC football analyst Tony Dungy said in a tweet Wednesday that “there is no excuse big enough to justify this,” adding it was indefensible to leave the assistant coaches he’s hired in limbo.
Charlie Weis, who was Patriots offensive coordinator from 2000 through 2004 and coached alongside McDaniels, is now an analyst on SiriusXM NFL Radio. During an appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio he called McDaniels’ decision “unbelievable.”
“I know his agent, Bob LaMonte. I had his agent for 15 years,” Weis said. “And I promise you, with 100 percent conviction, this is against what Bob LaMonte wanted him to do.”
LaMonte didn’t return a message seeking comment. LaMonte represents several coaches and executives around the NFL, including Ballard. Patricia introduced: The Detroit Lions desperately hope Matt Patricia ends their decades-long search for a coach who can help them have success in the playoffs.
Patricia, with his previously bushy beard trimmed, had his first news conference Wednesday on the team’s indoor practice field. “This is a dream come true,” he said. The 43-year-old Patricia helped New England win three Super Bowls over14 years. He was the Patriots’ defensive coordinator the past six seasons. Patricia and Lions general manager Bob Quinn worked together for a dozen years in New England.
Detroit has been searching for decades to find a coach who can help the franchise have success in the playoffs and at least appear in the Super Bowl for the first time.
“Our goal is to win and to compete for championships and I believe we’re taking the next step,” team president Rod Wood said. Titans coordinators: Tennessee’s new coordinators each saw opportunities by joining Mike Vrabel‘ s first Titans staff — though they looked at the situation from completely different vantage points.
For offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, 38, coming to the Titans from the Los Angeles Rams marks the next step in his coaching career.
Meanwhile, 68-year-old defensive coordinator Dean Pees actually ended a twoweek retirement from coaching to head up the Titans’ defense.
Pees, a 45-year coaching veteran, had retired at season’s end as defensive coordinator of the Ravens. But he said he began to second-guess the decision and was encouraged by his family after Vrabel called and asked him to become his defensive coordinator. Pees was Vrabel’s linebackers coach and later his defensive coordinator when Vrabel played for New England.
“When Mike called, it kind of got us reassessing where we were and did we really want to stay retired, and to be honest with you, my kids and my wife were super excited about it,” Pees said.