Colts candidates: Analyzing options Sean Payton? DeMeco Ryans? readers suggested

The Colts have an advantage over many teams heading into the offseason: They get to ponder who their next head coach will be ahead of Black Monday, the day after the regular season ends when several coaches will be relieved of their duties. Indianapolis joined the Panthers as the only teams to fire their coaches during the season, so not only do they have interim coaches auditioning for the permanent job, but they also can scour the coaching landscape for candidates.

Advertisement

We asked readers earlier this month whom they would like to see fill the Colts’ job. There were 72 responses, and they offered dozens of names, ranging from obvious to practical to wacky (Bill Belichick was mentioned). There were even some — possibly in need of a sarcasm font — who said to bring back Frank Reich. Other former Colts coaches Tony Dungy and Chuck Pagano also were mentioned.

Not surprisingly, the name that came up the most was Jim Harbaugh, a choice The Athletic’s Bob Kravitz recently recommended to fill the position. The Michigan Wolverines coach, who has his team in the College Football Playoff for the second straight year, was Captain Comeback as the Colts’ quarterback for four seasons in the mid-’90s. He’s proven as an NFL head coach, earning the Coach of the Year Award in 2011 and winning the NFC Championship Game that season with the 49ers.

Others want to stick with interim coach and team great Jeff Saturday, though those responses did come before the Week 15 meltdown against the Vikings.

Former Saints coach Sean Payton and 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans were popular choices, too, finishing behind only Harbaugh in mentions.

So how realistic are these options, and how well would each fit? Kravitz and Colts beat writers Zak Keefer and James Boyd gave their thoughts on some names on readers’ wish lists:

Most mentioned

Jim Harbaugh, University of Michigan head coach

Keefer: It’d be a surprise if the Colts don’t pursue Harbaugh, a member of the team’s Ring of Honor. Most around the league are convinced he’s at the top of Jim Irsay’s list, though the owner is keeping his thoughts to himself for the time being. But chasing Harbaugh and landing him are two different things. Would he leave Michigan? And if he did, how much of a say would he want on personnel matters? Where would that leave general manager Chris Ballard, whom Irsay has said he’s planning to bring back?

GO DEEPER

'He's been up against it': Will Colts owner Jim Irsay bring back GM Chris Ballard in 2023?

Harbaugh had NFL interest as recently as last year, when he interviewed with the Vikings. Of that experience, he told the Detroit Free Press’ Mitch Albom this season that “there was a pull to the NFL because I got that close to the Super Bowl, but this was the time (to look). And this is the last time. Now … let’s go chase college football’s greatest prize.”

Advertisement

That’s his focus at the moment. Michigan plays TCU in a College Football Playoff semifinal on Dec. 31. The national championship game is Jan. 9, a day after the Colts’ final game of the season.

Asked about NFL speculation after the Wolverines’ November win over Ohio State, Harbaugh said: “No man knows the future, but I think that people that think we’ve done a good job and are pleased with the job we’ve done here at Michigan are going to be very happy to learn that I’ll be back enthusiastically coaching the Wolverines in 2023. And those people that don’t approve of the job we’ve done and would rather see somebody else coaching here, I think they’ll be most likely disappointed to learn I’ll be back coaching the Wolverines in 2023.”

Coaches have said similar things before, only to leave a few weeks later. Until Harbaugh tells Irsay no, this one bears watching. My gut tells me the Colts’ owner wants a hard-nosed coach who’ll keep his players accountable; Harbaugh fits the bill.

DeMeco Ryans, 49ers defensive coordinator

Keefer: What a job Ryans has done in San Francisco, where he’s coordinating the best defense in football — the 49ers are allowing just 15 points per game, by far the least in the NFL — and further solidifying his name as one of the hottest head-coaching candidates in the league. The former linebacker and two-time Pro Bowler is just 38 and declined a second interview with the Vikings last winter, telling them he needed more time to develop.

Is this the year he takes the jump? He’ll certainly garner some interest.

Though he has no obvious connection to the Colts, it’s a good bet he’s at least on their radar.

Sean Payton, former Saints head coach

Keefer: Barring an unforeseen change, this isn’t happening. Payton has earned the right to be picky, and he’ll be the most coveted coach in this hiring cycle. After a 15-year run with the Saints that included 10 winning seasons, nine trips to the playoffs and a victory over the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV, Payton has spent the past few months with family, dabbling in media and weighing what comes next.

Advertisement

“I do think at some point I’ll coach again,” Payton told The Athletic’s Jeff Howe.

But what Payton said next was most revealing: “It would be the comfort level with ownership and the front office, with the leadership structure, with like-minded thinking. Are more of those opportunities out there? I don’t think many. I think there are a lot of dysfunctional teams in our league. There are some places where talent can die. I just want to avoid those places.”

It’s all but impossible to imagine Payton picking the Colts after the events of the past few months. This is a team with an owner who has stepped in on personnel matters and without a long-term answer at quarterback (at least until the NFL Draft) — two red flags, in Payton’s mind. Also of note: Irsay has never hired a coach with the understanding that coach would have a heavy say in roster management; Payton had that in New Orleans and will likely want the same authority at his next stop.

Multiple mentions

Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs offensive coordinator

Kravitz: Bieniemy, the longtime offensive coordinator for the Chiefs, is a perpetual candidate, it seems. His name comes up every season when there are openings. Why hasn’t he gotten the top job yet? Fair question. But he has the Ballard connection (assuming the GM remains), and Bieniemy’s work with Patrick Mahomes makes you feel like he’d be well suited for working with the kind of multifaceted rookie quarterback the Colts figure (or at least hope) to draft.

GO DEEPER

With Colts slated to pick No. 6, let's examine who their options might be in the draft

Bieniemy doesn’t call the plays in Kansas City; that’s left to coach Andy Reid. But then, Reich was not the primary play caller in Philadelphia during his days with Doug Pederson. Once again, Bieniemy will have to do most, if not all, of his interviews during the Chiefs’ postseason run.

Again, he’s been a candidate for several years. What’s the issue? Is there an issue? Don’t know.

Shane Steichen, Eagles offensive coordinator

Kravitz: So, they fired Reich … and they’re going to hire someone directly off the Reich coaching tree? Not likely.

Advertisement

Steichen is best known now for being the Eagles’ second-year offensive coordinator and guiding Jalen Hurts to new heights as a passer. He also was with the Chargers and Reich and coached a young Justin Herbert, who has gone on to a marvelous career. At 37, he’s the right demographic, and given Irsay’s history, he figures to be around the right price.

Let’s say the Colts take a flyer on Florida’s multipurpose quarterback, Anthony Richardson, who figures to be a bit of a project but is said to have a massive upside. Look at the work Steichen did with Herbert and the work he’s doing with Hurts.

Can Irsay get past the Reich-Nick Sirianni connection? Not sure.

Brian Flores, Steelers defensive assistant

Kravitz: A tough-guy anti-Reich would probably be a good departure from the line of nice-guy coaches Irsay has hired over the years. Flores went 24-25 with the Dolphins and won nine and 10 games in his final two seasons, continually overachieving. He’d also bring some toughness into the building, something that’s been lacking in recent years.

The problem: Would Irsay want Flores after Flores’ falling out with his former boss, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, whom Flores said wanted him to tank for a chance at getting the top draft pick? Flores has made a lot of waves in recent years, and even if his legal claims have merit, it might be difficult to find an owner who’d embrace him at this time for a head-coaching job. Owners talk, of course, and they’re unlikely to greet with great enthusiasm and warmth a coaching candidate who once sued his team’s owner.

In-house options

Jeff Saturday, Colts interim head coach

Boyd: Irsay said it Nov. 7, the night Saturday was plucked off an ESPN television set and introduced as Indianapolis’ interim coach: “I’m glad he doesn’t have any NFL experience.” It was a shocking statement, especially considering Saturday didn’t have any college coaching experience either, and it has backfired tremendously in recent weeks.

Saturday guided the Colts to a dramatic win at Las Vegas in his debut in Week 10, but the team has lost four straight games. The losses were expected since interim coaches are often plugged into terrible situations. However, it’s how the Colts have lost that probably hurts Saturday’s chances of getting a real shot at being the permanent coach.

GO DEEPER

Kravitz: Colts go to historic lengths to embarrass themselves on national TV ... again

Saturday mismanaged the clock on the final drive in a 24-17 loss to Pittsburgh in Week 12, and the Colts were outscored 33-0 in the fourth quarter of a 54-19 loss to the Cowboys in Week 13, but Indianapolis’ meltdown in Week 15 takes the cake. The Colts blew the largest lead in the NFL’s 102-year history against Minnesota, losing 39-36 in overtime after leading 33-0 at halftime.

Advertisement

Saturday, 47, has seemed in over his head, but he said he intends on interviewing for the permanent head-coaching job in the offseason and has “a vision for what this could look like into the future.” Perhaps the only reason he’ll be given consideration is because of his relationship with Irsay, who has a great deal of respect for his former Pro Bowl center.

Bubba Ventrone, Colts special teams coach

Boyd: If Irsay and company want a fresh but familiar face as head coach, he should look no further than Ventrone. The Colts’ special teams coordinator is considered a rising star among head-coaching candidates in the NFL, but he was not given an interview to be Indianapolis’ interim coach (nor was anyone other than Saturday).

Ventrone, 40, is in his fifth season with the Colts and has helped several players excel on special teams before earning bigger roles on offense or defense. Wide receiver Ashton Dulin, a second-team All-Pro gunner last season, and linebacker Zaire Franklin, who ranks fourth in the league in total tackles this year, are two examples. Additionally, Ventrone’s units have been steady throughout a tumultuous season. In Indianapolis’ loss at Minnesota, special teams accounted for 24 of the Colts’ 36 points, thanks to Chase McLaughlin’s five field goals and three extra points, and JoJo Domann returning a blocked punt for a touchdown.

GO DEEPER

'Best in the business': How Bubba Ventrone has made the Colts' special teams unit into a weapon

“I do aspire to be a head coach at some point whenever the time is right in the right situation, wherever that may be,” said Ventrone, who spent five seasons under Belichick as a player and assistant.

Gus Bradley, Colts defensive coordinator

Boyd: Unlike Ventrone and Saturday, Bradley did have head-coaching experience before this season. He was the Jaguars’ coach from 2013 to 2016 and went 14-48.

Bradley is in his first season as Indianapolis’ defensive coordinator, and if he’s looking to get back in the head-coaching saddle, he has some merit. The Colts defense didn’t allow a point in the fourth quarter through the first five games of the season. And three of the team’s four wins this season were notched on a last-second pass breakup.

However, the 56-year-old Bradley is not absolved of the Colts’ struggles. After being stout in the first half of the season, Indianapolis’ defense has collapsed in the fourth quarter over the past two games, allowing 33 points against Dallas and 22 points against Minnesota.

(Top photo of Jim Harbaugh: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k2lpam9iZ3xzfJFrZmpqX2eAcK%2FOpausZZiarqV5wqiYnKBdmK6vsMidmK2do2Q%3D