Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has been more involved in the quarterback position over the last year, and he reportedly empowered head coach Frank Reich to make Sam Ehlinger the starter over Matt Ryan.
Buy Colts TicketsAccording to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Irsay was in “lockstep” with Reich and general manager Chris Ballard about making the switch to Ehlinger going into Week 8.
Colts owner @JimIrsay said early this morning that he empowered HC Frank Reich to make the change at QB from veteran Matt Ryan to Sam Ehlinger, a 6th rd pick in 2021, and was "excited" and that he, Reich and GM Chris Ballard were in "lockstep" on the move.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) October 30, 2022
Mortensen also reported that the change going to Ehlinger started to heat up in Week 5 when the Colts beat the Denver Broncos on the road in prime time. However, they felt the optics of demoting a quarterback after a win wouldn’t have gone over well.
Irsay praised Ryan as a "true pro and leader" but "Matt understands you can't have (12 turnovers)… the competitor in him wants to play."
"Our line let him down. He's injured..he's shellshocked."
Ehlinger talks heated up after Denver game but "you don't fire a QB after a W."— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) October 30, 2022
Though Ryan suffered a shoulder injury in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans, he would have been demoted anyway. The Colts seemingly have been wanting to make the change for some time, and the loss against the Titans was the final straw.
This is a bit significant because, on the surface, benching Ryan would look like the Colts are conceding the season. But having the owner support this kind of move could make the transition a bit easier.
At 3-3-1, the Colts are still technically in the playoff race, but it will incredibly difficult to do so as a wild-card team considering their division record is 1-3-1 and they lost both games to the Titans.
But the Colts are excited to see what Ehlinger can do even if the likely outcome means they miss the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons.
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