Ink on Indy
Fansided

Colts: Jim Irsay Should Reconsider Personally Making General Manager Hire

By Kyle Nishida

Mar 18, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay announces that the jersey of Peyton Manning (not pictured) will be retired during a press conference at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. The Colts will also build a statue in honor of Manning. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay announces that the jersey of Peyton Manning (not pictured) will be retired during a press conference at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. The Colts will also build a statue in honor of Manning. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Indianapolis Colts’ owner Jim Irsay made the correct decision to fire Ryan Grigson. However, he should reconsider finding his replacement by himself.

First of all, Irsay is more than qualified to make the decision by himself. He definitely has a solid understanding of what a general manager needs to do to be successful.

However, it would be a lot better if he had one or two more people helping him evaluate general manager candidates. He still has senior football executives running the team. There is no harm in having and listening to outside opinions when searching for a new general manager.

More from Indianapolis Colts

Irsay’s decision to personally handle the new general manager hiring is also concerning because he did the same thing in 2012. His search resulted in Grigson becoming the Colts’ general manager.

For this reason, Colts’ fans and others may understandably question Irsay’s judgment. The last thing Indianapolis needs is another bad general manager continuing to waste a Top 10 quarterback talent in Andrew Luck.

There is a theory out there that Irsay has handling the general manager search personally because he has already picked his new guy: VP of football operations Jimmy Raye III.

There may be some truth to that. Irsay took a gamble by hiring someone outside of the organization in Grigson, and that turned out to be a big mistake. Irsay may be hesitant to look outside his franchise again and may choose to go with the safe choice in Raye.

Even if this is his strategy, it is still a good idea to bounce the idea off of someone else. Raye may be a legitimate candidate, but Irsay could miss on hiring the right guy if he sticks with comfortable. Sometimes, comfortable is not always the right answer.

In manay people’s minds, Raye is the favorite due to Irsay’s familiarity with him. However, to Irsay’s credit, he still has had interviews or plans to talk with outside candidates.

Some people they want to interview are the Minnesota Vikings‘ George Paton and the Kansas City Chiefs‘ Chris Ballard. Those and other interviews with different candidates will occur throughout the week.

Overall, Irsay owns the Colts so he is perfectly entitled to hire whoever he wants. Unfortunately, his personal decision-making is the reason why the Colts are currently in this situation. As a result, many people are concerned he could make the wrong hire again.

Next: Colts: Ryan Grigson’s Firing Will Not Overshadow Team’s Issues

Finding the right general manager is a complicated dance for everyone involved in the hiring process. For this reason, Irsay personally taking on the task may not be the best idea.

He does not need a huge committee, but one more person involved in the hiring process could be very beneficial.

Home/Indianapolis Colts