General Manager Ryan Grigson Discusses Many Topics
By Andrew Ross
Feb 21, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson speaks to the media in a press conference during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Believe it or not, but the Colts started training camp nearly a month ago and have already played two preseason games. There are a lot of things to dissect during this time, and Ryan Grigson took some time to share his thoughts on numerous subjects.
When asked about his evaluation on the running game, Grigson said, “We’re going the right direction. To me there’s definitely more of a surge that I didn’t saw last year and that’s with even some of our two’s in there. I think we’re getting more of a push that’s going to create more room to run the football.”
Grigson was also asked to go deeper into the running game and talk specifically about Trent Richardson. “Well, I think it’s gonna be a little bit different of a picture this year because you’re gonna have more guys outside that command more attention from the defense.” Grigson then added, “Again, Trent needs to answer the bell and do his job to the best of his ability. I will say this, there’s a lot of backs I think last year that wouldn’t of gotten 2.8 considering the amount of people he had in the box and the amount of bodies that were hitting him before he even seemed to get the ball sometimes.”
Delano Howell is the newest Colt with a seemingly serious injury that could result in him missing the entire season. Grigson didn’t say anything to make the situation look better. “Anytime there’s anything with a neck, you’ve got to cross your T’s and dot your I’s. That’s a serious area. It’s something that’s been nagging him. He’s going through the whole entire process of seeing multiple people so he can formulate that opinion with his wife and his agent, himself and all of us and make the decision that’s best for Delano. He’s seeing another specialist so we can pinpoint exactly what the problem is. Hopefully he’s back out there playing for us soon.”
“I will say this, there’s a lot of backs I think last year that wouldn’t of gotten 2.8 considering the amount of people he had in the box and the amount of bodies that were hitting him before he even seemed to get the ball sometimes.” – Ryan Grigson
With Howell out, it looks like Mike Adams has the leading position to take his role. “Just to be blunt, if you’re out here, you’re gonna have more of an edge on the guy that’s not out there. That’s just how this league works. Sometimes the best ability is availability.”
Reggie Wayne has been slowly placed back into football and the team is still being precautions with him in the preseason. Grigson on when they want to see Wayne in preseason action, “We haven’t gotten to that point yet to where we’re making a decision on that. He’s kind of the least of our worries, honestly. We know that Reggie is going to be ready when we call on him.”
Like Wayne, Robert Mathis hasn’t seen any action yet and it’s hard to see when he will due to his suspension for the first month of the season. “He falls into the Reggie category. Do I have a question if Robert Mathis knows how to play this game? No. Has he done it at a high level for many years? Yes. It’s kind of trying to find a fine line to where you want him to be game ready, but at the same time, game ready for what? He’s not going to be there for the first four games. So we just gotta be smart. And we know that a guy like Robert Mathis — on his own — he’s going to be getting ready. He’s gonna be taking mental reps in his mind. He’s gonna be dreaming about playing. He loves this game. He’s another one that you kind of don’t worry about.”
Although the Colts’ first couple of units looked really good against the New York Giants in their second preseason game, the team still lost the game late while playing some of their bottom guys. Grigson was pleased to see how the first and second team looked, but still feels that losing is unacceptable. “No one likes going back to a locker room that’s like a morgue. When you come back in that locker room, we always want to have that feeling when we go in that locker room after the game when Chuck’s bringing everyone up, and Mr. Irsay’s in there in the middle of the horseshoe, it should be jubilation. That’s something that Chuck immediately addressed. No matter who’s in there, that’s not Colts football.”
Grigson was asked if it matters if the Colts have a clear number one wide receiver. “I think people get caught up in that. At the end of the day, we’re gonna put the guys on the field in the right groupings of guys on the field that’s going to give us the best chance to get in the end zone. To me, you’re going to put your best players out there regardless of what number they are in the rankings — and again — it’s week-to-week so it’s all about how they match up.
Finally, Grigson shared how much he likes the depth at the wide receiver position. “You wish you could keep nine, ten. We have some really good young guys that are continuously emerging. They all kind of bring one thing to the table. At the end of the day, we’re going to have to pick to what skill set is most important on those down-the-line guys.”
Grigson didn’t say anything too shocking. He continues to back Richardson and thinks good things are ahead for him. I think the biggest takeaway from all of this was what he said on Howell. It just sounded like a situation where he fears Howell will be missed for a long, long time.