Colts mailbag: How hot are the seats for Frank Reich, Chris Ballard and others?

The Colts played another game in Jacksonville on Sunday and it went much like the rest, with a 24-0 loss where they were never competitive. Coming off a Week 1 tie to the Texans, it has fans a little bit fed up after a good amount of preseason hype.

The mailbag is always interesting to do in these moments because of the great disconnect between the team and the fans. The coaches and players have jobs that require them to show up each week and try to win, and the math is still on their side with 15 games remaining. The fans invest time and money in trying to feel good about a team that's given them no reason to yet, and they want the results right now.

We're about to learn plenty about this team in the coming weeks, so let's lay out some of the questions the Colts are facing:

Question: "So where do you think the Colts go from here? I mean clearly this is beyond execution. I mean, not all fault lands on the coach, I can’t forget to bring up the negligent GM. Do you we move on from Chris Ballard and Frank Reich?" -- Vinny Borelli on Twitter

Answer: I received a lot of questions about job security. And while I understand the frustration of fans after two infuriating performances and some underlying issues, we do have to remember it's Week 3. There's really no precedent for a coach with a winning record to be fired during a season, and it's not how Jim Irsay operates.

So, the rest of this season becomes a trial for these two. They work collaboratively, with Ballard assembling the roster and Reich working to get the most out of it. Reich is the one who answers four times a week for the franchise, but their hands are both in this.

They both have wins and losses. Ballard has loaded the roster with All-Pros entering or in their prime, from Quenton Nelson to Jonathan Taylor to Shaquille Leonard to DeForest Buckner, but his neglect at wide receiver and left tackle are taking a toll. Reich has gotten the most out of every quarterback he's had and has built a rare culture that can climb out of holes, but his teams too often show up not ready to play in the opener or in Jacksonville.

Together, they are 38-31-1 including the playoffs, with two postseason trips and no division titles.

They need to prove to Irsay that they're the right men to move the franchise to newfound stability at quarterback and to a contender status in the AFC. That is not the exact job both signed up for when Andrew Luck was the quarterback, but it's the reality of the franchise and the job Irsay has to evaluate now. Both have done some good things to get to a fourth year tackling that monstrous challenge, but results have to come at some point. This feels like when the bill is due after last year's collapse.

Question: "The offensive line hasn't been good in a couple years. At what point do you consider the coaching to be a problem and change their o line coach?" -- Kaarthik on Twitter

Answer: This is an interesting question to tackle because it's sort of like the last one: Where do we come down on an issue between the front office and the coaching? And how culpable are the players in this, too?

The Colts have had an overall fantastic run of offensive line success under Chris Ballard and Frank Reich, from drafting a superstar like Quenton Nelson 6th overall to foundational pieces like Ryan Kelly and Braden Smith to extremely competent backups in most seasons. These two were brought here to better protect Luck and build a team that can win in the trenches, and for the most part they've excelled in that area.

That's why the recent slide of the offensive line is hard to configure. Kelly and Smith just have not played as well since the 2020 season. COVID-19 was a factor last season, as were injuries to Smith, and it was easy to give last year a pass. But those two have not performed to start this season, and that's meant that welcoming in new starters at left tackle and right guard has not gone nearly as smoothly.

You can question the front office for giving the left tackle job to Matt Pryor, who had started one game there in his life previously; or for choosing Danny Pinter over Chris Reed or Mark Glowinski at right guard. You can question offensive line coach Chris Strausser and his assistant, Kevin Mawae, for not getting more out of them after the flashes they showed last season. But I think the issues are magnified by the lack of support they're receiving from Kelly and Smith, and given that they've been mostly together and healthy since the start of training camp, it's an issue they're going to have to fix with performance and leadership.

This has been the most shocking area of disappointment so far. It's now the key to turning the season around. The Colts have to maximize the otherworldly talent of Jonathan Taylor, and they have to protect a 37-year-old quarterback in Matt Ryan and give him time to run the mesh routes that define Reich's offense. None of it will work if the line continues to take until the second half to establish a ground game and struggles so much in pass protection.

So, consider this group on trial right now as well. For the long-term, the only player or coach who is safe is the one the Colts just paid $60 million guaranteed to play left guard.

Question: "Do we think Frank Reich should cede play calling to Marcus Brady?" -- Deacon Blue on Twitter

Answer: I've gotten a few questions like this one, but I don't think this would create as much of a shift as people think.

Just like Reich did with Doug Pederson in Philadelphia, the setup is for him and Brady to work together Monday through Saturday on a game plan that sets up a basic formula for calling plays on Sundays. It's a collaborative effort, with the two operating a little closer with their bread-and-butter positions in practice (quarterbacks for Reich, wide receivers for Brady), and together they script the first quarter or so of the game and talk throughout it on the rest of the calls.

If the Colts were having issues with game management that Reich wasn't on top of, a change could help. It would also be justifiable if he didn't have a track record of doing it well, but the Colts are ninth in offense in the past four years despite playing with four starting quarterbacks. That speaks to the chemistry between Reich and Brady. This is the natural division of roles. Reich played quarterback for 14 NFL seasons, and it helps to have him talk directly with the man under center in order to adjust to what a defense is doing throughout a game. Matt Ryan and Nick Foles are here in part because they believe in Reich's ability to do that.

These guys aren't perfect, but it's nearly impossible to call plays on 3rd-and-long with tackles who can't protect, a quarterback who can't scramble much and receivers who don't separate. They're trying to run the ball on early downs and just aren't having the success they need to stay out of those situations.

If the Colts can fix their massive personnel issues, play calling can become a strength again. Right now, it's largely a reflection of what they don't have to work with.

Question: "Need an answer about Isaiah Rodgers Sr.’s usage. When he got defensive snaps last year, he always found the ball and made plays." -- Scott Adkins on Twitter

Answer: Through two weeks, Isaiah Rodgers Sr. has not played a single defensive snap. Last week after the opener, I asked Gus Bradley why he hasn't gotten on the field, and here was his answer:

"I just talked to Isaiah yesterday in our locker room, matter of fact. Just talked to him about his progress and stuff. We’re hoping – he’s looking better and better in practice, he looks good. No issues. We’re going to keep working on that and see how this week in practice goes.”

Then Rodgers Sr. played zero snaps again on Sunday.

The Colts have limited the opportunities for their third-best cornerback by playing lots of base defense against the Texans and Jaguars, with Kenny Moore II and Stephon Gilmore on the outside in those settings. But they've still had 84 snaps for the third guy, and they've all gone to Brandon Facyson.

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The reason is style and familiarity. Bradley is trying to install a new scheme, and it's not off to the smoothest start. He has two starters who have played in it in two stops before, with Yannick Ngakoue up front and Facyson on the back end. The ability to execute assignments with confidence matters, and it gave Facyson a leg up from the start. As did his 6-foot, 2-inch length, or four more inches than Rodgers Sr. has, which helps for press coverage.

This Colts defense has lived on turnovers the past four seasons, ranking in the top 10 every single year, but now has just one turnover in eight quarters and an overtime period against Davis Mills and Lawrence. It's a huge reason they haven't won with an offense still finding its sea legs. And it has plenty to do with losing the guys who are best at creating them, like Shaquille Leonard and Rodgers Sr.

Rodgers Sr. played just under half the defensive snaps last season and finished with three interceptions, one off the team lead. He had 11 in his college career. In the preseason opener against Buffalo, he forced two turnovers in nine snaps. Ball skills are a very translatable skill from college to pro and through different systems, and I believe Rodgers Sr., with his hands and tracking and recovery speed, could create some in this defense. He can't if he's playing zero snaps.

Bradley is in a tricky spot where the defense isn't adjusting very well to his scheme, and taking out one of the two guys who knows it well doesn't help that. But it's also not making any big plays, and Rodgers Sr. is good at that. The solution seems to be a better mix of the two than 100-0, and it's a fix they should look to implement starting this week.

Contact Colts insider Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts mailbag: What do Reich, Ballard have to do to keep their jobs?