{"id":58352,"date":"2018-02-08T07:42:08","date_gmt":"2018-02-08T07:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=58352"},"modified":"2018-02-08T07:42:08","modified_gmt":"2018-02-08T07:42:08","slug":"the-josh-mcdaniels-colts-era-how-it-all-fell-apart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/the-josh-mcdaniels-colts-era-how-it-all-fell-apart.html","title":{"rendered":"The Josh McDaniels Colts era: How it all fell apart"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Josh McDaniels Colts era: How it all fell apart<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Even as the apprehension in the building began to rise, a little more with every passing hour, Chris Ballard never blinked. Way he saw it, there was no reason to. The fact that Josh McDaniels\u2019 flight to Indianapolis aboard Jim Irsay\u2019s private jet was delayed \u2013 at first it was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, then pushed back to Wednesday morning \u2013 didn\u2019t worry him.<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019d had his new coach lined up for three weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

The verbal agreement was there, the contract agreed to. When the team sought to announce the news on Tuesday morning, Ballard gave the OK. It\u2019s a decision he\u2019d come to regret in the hours that ensued.<\/span><\/p>\n

But at that juncture, 37 days into his first coaching search as the Indianapolis Colts\u2019 general manager, Ballard had never considered the prospect of McDaniels backing out. He was his head coach. Ballard remained \u201cvery confident,\u201d he\u2019d later reveal, Monday night into Tuesday, that the deal was done, though the team made certain to use the wording \u201cagreed to terms\u201d instead of \u201chired\u201d in their release announcing McDaniels was coming to town. Why? The contract had not been signed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou think you\u2019ve found the right guy, you move forward,\u201d Ballard would admit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the GM\u2019s mind was elsewhere. He\u2019d spent part of Tuesday sitting, crying, mourning with one of his players, safety Matthias Farley. Tragedy rocked West 56th Street over the weekend, and the Colts were still processing it. A young linebacker, bursting with energy and ambition, was killed, hit by a suspected drunk driver at 4 a.m.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edwin Jackson was at the Colts\u2019 facility as recently as Thursday, smiling as always. Suddenly he was gone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ballard spent his Sunday calling Jackson\u2019s family, calling the family of the other man killed in the crash, Jeffrey Monroe, and consoling players. McDaniels was in Minneapolis, calling plays in the Super Bowl. Ballard didn\u2019t even watch the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not 48 hours later, while he sat in a draft meeting, Ballard\u2019s phone buzzed. It was eight hours after the Colts had announced the terms had been agreed to, 16 hours before they were set to introduce McDaniels at a splashy news conference at Lucas Oil Stadium. They just needed him to board the plane. They just needed him to sign the contract.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have bad news for you,\u201d McDaniels began.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ballard answered with a question.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI need a yes or no answer,\u201d he said. \u201cAre you in or are you out?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

McDaniels, the Patriots\u2019 longtime offensive coordinator, had arrived at 1 Patriot Place Tuesday morning intent on cleaning out his office and informing his bosses \u2013 that\u2019d be head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft \u2013 that he was leaving for Indianapolis. Then, over the course of several hours, while Ballard met with grieving players, planned for the draft and the Colts sent out word that Josh McDaniels was, indeed, their new head coach, Josh McDaniels decided he wasn\u2019t going to be their new head coach.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a stunning U-turn, one that would leave Ballard and the Colts in nearly unprecedented NFL territory. Three assistants had signed contracts to work under McDaniels and were already in the building.<\/span><\/p>\n

The conversation went back and forth. Eventually, McDaniels gave Ballard his answer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m out,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The GM kept his response succinct. Inside, he fumed. He had no interest in the conversation dragging on.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re gonna move forward, then,\u201d Ballard told McDaniels. \u201cBest of luck.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Asked later if he tried to persuade McDaniels to reconsider, to not renege on his word, Ballard demurred. \u201cI didn\u2019t want the explanation,\u201d he\u2019d say. He never wanted a coach he had to beg to come to Indianapolis. He wanted a coach who\u2019d beg him to come to Indianapolis.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no persuasion,\u201d Ballard said. \u201cLet me make this clear: I want and we want as an organization a head coach that wants to be all in. … I want somebody that\u2019s 100 percent committed to partnering with us and getting that work done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\nMcDaniels wasn\u2019t. Ballard processed it. He called his owner, Jim Irsay, and informed him the coaching search would have to start anew, five weeks after the regular season ended, several since the top candidates were scooped up. There\u2019s behind the eight-ball, then there\u2019s the Indianapolis Colts at the current moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Irsay, no doubt, fumed as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt he\u2019s competitive,\u201d was about all Ballard would reveal of his conversation with his boss. He went on: \u201cWe\u2019re fortunate, this city is fortunate, to have him as an owner. I couldn\u2019t imagine working anywhere else and for a better man who stands for the right things and wants to win \u2013 unequivocally wants to win.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Some players felt jilted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe got snaked,\u201d one said Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, some eight hours after he\u2019d been ditched at the altar by the first head coach he\u2019s ever tried to hire, Ballard spun it forward. \u201cJust because you\u2019re the first choice doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re the right choice,\u201d he proclaimed. Tuesday night\u2019s events made that clear. Ballard had pushed his chips into the middle of the pile, betting big on Josh McDaniels, and busted out.<\/span><\/p>\n

A day later he rightly dished some needed perspective. The Colts lost a head coach. Edwin Jackson\u2019s family lost a son, a brother. Across 19 minutes at Wednesday\u2019s news conference, Ballard was diplomatic one moment, stirring the next, humbled throughout. In what could very well prove a defining moment of his tenure in this city, he let it be known that Josh McDaniels\u2019 spurning his franchise at the 11th hour would not derail where this team is headed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Time will tell on that. But be clear: Ballard will not forget this.<\/span><\/p>\n

Does he feel betrayed?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Ballard said tactfully. \u201cPeople make decisions. People tell people \u2018no\u2019 every day. That\u2019s his prerogative and that\u2019s his choice. And he chose not to be an Indianapolis Colt. That\u2019s OK. We\u2019ll move forward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They already are. Ballard\u2019s second coaching search in a month commenced late Tuesday night, this time with an added understanding. The old enemy is now the new enemy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe rivalry is back on,\u201d he said, clenching his notes, striding out of the room, ticked off, done with Josh McDaniels and the New England Patriots.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nfl\/colts\/2018\/02\/07\/josh-mcdaniels-colts-era-how-all-fell-apart\/312617002\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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