Tanks a lot, Colts: Latest moves seem fishy

Tanks a lot, Colts: Latest moves seem fishy,None of what the Colts have done this season makes any sense when it comes to trying to win right now.

Tanks a lot, Colts: Latest moves seem fishy

Are the Indianapolis Colts tanking to position themselves for a quarterback at the top of the 2023 NFL Draft?

It is a question worth asking given the recent decisions surrounding the lineup and coaching staff, as well as their continued need for a franchise quarterback.

After shockingly hiring Jeff Saturday as their interim head coach on Monday, the Colts made another curious move on Tuesday by reportedly appointing Parks Frazier, an assistant quarterbacks coach who is just two years removed from being a quality control coach, as their new play-caller.

None of it makes any sense when it comes to trying to win right now.

Let’s consider the facts here.

The Colts are 3-5-1 and on the outside of the AFC playoff picture.

They have the worst offense in the NFL and have gutted every aspect of their coaching staff, firing offensive coordinator Marcus Brady two weeks ago and then dismissing head coach Frank Reich on Monday. Both have been replaced by people with no NFL experience in their current roles.

They also benched veteran quarterback Matt Ryan and are continuing to roll with Sam Ehlinger as their starter, even though he seems to be in way over his head. He also has little help in the form of pass protection or wide receivers.

All of it looks like a recipe for disaster on paper, especially with a very difficult schedule still remaining.

There is also this very important factor: The Colts desperately need a long-term solution at quarterback.

The franchise has never really recovered from the abrupt retirement of Andrew Luck, going through a revolving door of quarterbacks that has included Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Ryan and now Ehlinger. It has produced a steady run of mediocrity and disappointment, and it is holding the franchise back.

The best way to find that solution is at the top of the draft, and the Colts should know that. The franchise’s best runs of success over the past two decades have come after they bottomed out and picked franchise quarterbacks at the top of the draft, landing Peyton Manning in 1998 and Luck in 2012.

The 2023 class has three highly regarded quarterback prospects with Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Alabama’s Bryce Young and Kentucky’s Will Levis all projected to be high first-round picks. It would not be a stretch to think that the Colts front office and ownership might try to position themselves to land one if they already see this season as a lost cause (and it might already be).

The important thing to keep in mind in any tanking discussion is that players do not tank. Coaches do not tank either.

The players on that roster are going to compete as best they can the rest of the season, and there is no way that Saturday is going to waste what might be his best — and perhaps only — chance as an NFL head coach by trying to lose. Players and coaches are not wired for anything else.

But ownership and management? They can certainly position things to get the desired result in the form of a higher draft pick, even if they refuse to admit it.

Either Jim Irsay and Colts management are taking that path, or they have completely lost the plot on how to build a winning team.