'We did not hold up our end of the bargain': Colts' Reich on replacing Ryan with Ehlinger

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts are making an enormous change at the quarterback position, cutting their losses on veteran Matt Ryan after just seven starts and turning the job over to second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger, a move that signals a monumental shift in the direction for the franchise.

For the past four years, ever since Andrew Luck’s retirement, Indianapolis has focused its energy on finding veteran quarterbacks who could serve as the bridge to the team’s next franchise quarterback, trying out Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and finally Ryan.

From owner Jim Irsay on down through the organization, the Colts spent the offseason saying they believed they’d found in Ryan a bridge who could pause their revolving door at the position temporarily, giving the team a chance to contend while they searched for a long-term answer.

Indianapolis bailed on that plan before the halfway mark of Ryan’s first season, rolling the dice with Ehlinger, a 2020 sixth-round pick who has taken just 18 snaps in the NFL to this point.

“Extremely difficult decision, obviously, given the respect and admiration that we have for Matt Ryan,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said. “We know, at the quarterback position, that our poor production on offense is not on one person, it’s not on Matt Ryan, but we also know, Matt and I talked it through, as head coach and quarterback, ultimately, it doesn’t matter. I’m judged on wins and losses. Quarterbacks are judged on points, production and turnovers.”

Doyel:Sam Ehlinger is the Colts' QB because Chris Ballard, Frank Reich, Jim Irsay failed

The Ryan era was short on points, long on turnovers and painfully short on wins in the AFC South, the area that matters most to Irsay.

Indianapolis is off to a 3-3-1 start, punctuated by three comeback wins led by Ryan, but the Colts are 29th in the NFL in scoring, Ryan has turned it over 12 times and Indianapolis is 1-3-1 in the division already, including two more losses to the Tennessee Titans, the AFC South heavy that Irsay set up as the target the Colts needed to knock off this season to show progress.

The weight of that ugly start does not fall only on the quarterback.

When Ryan decided to come to Indianapolis in a trade, he thought he was getting a chance to play behind an excellent offensive line and one of the league’s best rushing attacks. Neither has materialized.

“We did not hold up our end of the bargain,” Reich said. “I mean, you came here, and we promised you one of the top NFL rushing games, and we promised you great protection, and we haven’t really as an offense delivered on that, and that starts with me.”

But it is Ryan who is bearing the brunt of the failed marriage right now.

The 37-year-old quarterback has a Grade 2 shoulder separation, and the Colts made it clear that the decision to move to Ehlinger would have been made regardless of injury. By making this move now, Indianapolis has effectively given up on Ryan, despite restructuring his contract in the offseason to guarantee most of the final two years of his contract, meaning it will cost Indianapolis $18 million in cap space to move on next season.

Ryan is expected to remain with the Colts as he rehabilitates his injury, presumably mentoring Ehlinger in his first season as a starter; but it’s clear the second-year quarterback is the man in Indianapolis going forward.

“We’ve always thought, from Day 1, that Sam had some kind of special sauce,” Reich said. “I’ve been particularly impressed with Sam this year in practice, once the season has started. The look he’s given on scout team, the quality of his throws, the way he’s commanding himself out there has been the total package. I just feel like at this point, that’s the best decision for our team going forward.”

Ehlinger played well in the preseason, completing 82.8% of his passes for 289 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing for another 71 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

But this is also a big step up for a player who opened the season as the team’s No. 3 quarterback. Nearly all of Ehlinger’s preseason production came against an opponent’s No. 2 and No. 3 defenses, and in training camp, he took relatively few snaps, practicing sparingly as the Colts focused on Ryan as the starter and Nick Foles as the team’s backup.

Ehlinger has also been open about the fact that he is in the first year of a two-year process revamping his throwing motion with Tom House, and the second-year quarterback expected to develop behind Ryan and Foles this season.

The former Texas star served as Wentz’s backup for most of the second half of last season, but given his lack of playing time in the NFL so far, Ehlinger is an unknown commodity.

The sort of shot in the dark the Colts have been reluctant to take at the quarterback position.

“You want to measure twice and cut once,” Reich said. “You want to make sure you make this move that it is truly the best thing for the team, and you don’t want to rush into this kind of a judgement. I don’t think we did that. … At some point, as a head coach, you have to make hard decisions.”

From what Reich said on Monday, though, this decision was made by the Colts’ decision-making triumvirate of Irsay, Reich and general manager Chris Ballard, and Irsay in particular played a role, signifying how big of a shift this is to the franchise.

Irsay has long said he believes his role is to make sure the Colts have the right coach, general manager and quarterback.

A shift in philosophy like this had to have Irsay’s input and direction.

“Mr. Irsay, as I’ve said many times. … he’s got a lot of wisdom, a lot of good counsel,” Reich said. “Certainly, his vote is always going to carry — it’s a one-man crew in that respect, but what I appreciate about him is this is a collective decision. … He might lead in certain ways, but it’s really owner, GM, head coach talking through a decision of this magnitude.”

Irsay was arguably Ryan’s biggest champion this offseason.

The Colts owner got Peyton Manning’s seal of approval on Ryan, then doubled down on the team’s commitment several times, at a couple points suggesting that the commitment to Ryan could last beyond two seasons.

As recently as last week, Irsay told the NFL Network that Ryan’s leadership reminded him of Manning.

“First of all, it just shows Mr. Irsay’s commitment to winning,” Reich said. “He’s committed to winning championships, and anything short of winning a championship isn’t going to be good enough. No one’s exempt from that. Not the head coach, not anybody. He’s going to make the decisions he thinks is best.”

Now, it’s up to Ehlinger to salvage something of a Colts season that is off to an awful start offensively.

Ehlinger has gotten increased repetitions in practice, impressing Reich with his improved throwing ability, one of the knocks on the young quarterback coming out of Texas.

“I told Chris Ballard last week, Sam had one of the best weeks of practice I’ve ever seen him have,” Reich said. “He made four or five, what I would say to you, are elite throws. I mean elite, big-time throws down the field, threading coverage, putting the ball right where it should be. Those things don’t go unnoticed.”

Ehlinger is much more mobile than Ryan, a trait that could be critical behind a Colts offensive line that has given up 24 sacks, and Reich said he believes the young quarterback’s game has improved from the pocket.

Ehlinger is mostly an unknown.

But the Colts are going to find out what they have in a youngster that Irsay has been interested in throughout the offseason. At the owner’s meetings in March, Irsay brought up Ehlinger’s promise unprompted.

“It’s a big step, but we think he’s ready,” Reich said. “Is he going to have some growing pains? Of course. Is he going to make mistakes? Of course, he’s going to make mistakes. But I think Sam will make plays. Sam is going to make plays. He’s proven that everywhere he’s been, and we believe that’s what he’s going to do for our offense.”

An offense that desperately needs a new direction, both now and in the future.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts promote Sam Ehlinger to starting quarterback, replacing Matt Ryan