Following the firing of head coach Frank Reich on Monday, the Indianapolis Colts held a press conference announcing former center Jeff Saturday as the interim coach later in the evening. At the event, Colts owner Jim Irsay fielded questions from the media, including queries about the job security of general manager Chris Ballard. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Irsay shared that he “of course” expects Ballard to be around in 2023, calling the executive “a winner.”

Perhaps more shocking than hiring a former Pro Bowl lineman with a TV gig at ESPN that possesses absolutely zero professional coaching experience is the profuse amounts of praise Irsay showered upon Ballard on Monday. Per Ari Meirov, Irsay euphemistically asked, “You know how many shots Michael Jordan has missed?” in defense of Ballard.

While it is generally understandable for ownership to stand behind their front office brass amidst change, the hyperbolic comparison to Michael Jordan is too far out of pocket for Irsay. Many football observers have been calling for Ballard to be the next person fired in Indianapolis, citing an inability to identify a long-term solution at quarterback following the surprising retirement of Andrew Luck in 2019, among other reasons. Since taking over as the Colts' GM in 2017, the franchise has only made three first-round picks. It is certainly fair to question exactly how much of this season's failures were the fault of Frank Reich, to begin with.

Far be it from anyone who has not been the general manager of an NFL franchise to criticize too many decisions. Still, a lack of restocking a roster with high-end, high-draft capital talent and finding a QB does not a Jordan-esque executive make. How these moves will impact the 3-5-1 unit led by an inexperienced quarterback in Sam Ehlinger remains to be seen, but Colts fans everywhere ought to brace themselves for a bumpy ride throughout the remainder of the 2022 NFL season.