The team is now still without a head coach, however, they do have a defensive coordinator that they brought in when he was supposed to join McDaniels’ staff.
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It appears that McDaniels was swayed at the last second by Patriots owner Robert Kraft and head coach, Bill Belichick, who allegedly offered a pay raise and possibly a position as the coach in waiting, although latter hasn’t been confirmed. The Colts’ last win against the Pats occurred in 2009, when McDaniels was in his first season as the Broncos boss. Ballard was asked if he had ever seen signs of McDaniels having cold feet and he said: “No, not at all”.
And while it’s one thing for folks unaffiliated with the Patriots to take shots at McDaniels, it’s something else entirely when it comes from a former New England assistant. McDaniels has told those close to him that such stability is rare in the coaching profession and is something he values.
“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. I know it is a stressful time, but what happens again with Josh when the s– gets tight?
Enter: Bob Kraft, the sleaziest owner in all of the NFL.
“I didn’t want the explanation”, Ballard said of the quick conversation. Later that day, McDaniels informed Ballard he was returning to New England as offensive coordinator.
As a Colts fan who loves Tony Dungy, I consider anyone who doesn’t heed his advice as indefensible. Colts brass envisioned the arrival of the Patriots’ hotshot offensive coordinator as the ideal way to energize the fan base, boost ticket sales and help Andrew Luck return to prime form after the quarterback missed all of last season. Wednesday he put an emphasis on reassuring people that the Colts will be able to find the right head coach to replace Chuck Pagano, who was sacked in January after six seasons.
But according to SiriusXM, at least one coach hadn’t been ed by McDaniels. He was sacked during only his second season in Denver and had a sub-par record of 11-17.
The Colts fired Chuck Pagano after a six-year tenure with the team. McDaniels reportedly felt staying with the Patriots was a better fit for him.
But the hatred for the New England Patriots is still alive and well in the city of Indianapolis.
The Colts learned the hard way that an agreement isn’t official until it’s written in ink.
The Colts are moving on swiftly from the Josh McDaniels debacle, putting in a request to interview Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.
McDaniels never wanted to leave.
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Ballard, who had been due to introduce McDaniels to reporters on Wednesday, instead issued a statement of defiance about the snub, vowing to target the Patriots’ dominance in the AFC.
