Breaking News: Colts QB1 Matt Ryan Has Been Benched
HOUR WITH ERYN ROGERS AND THE GREEN BAY PACKERS. THEY ARE 3-4. WE HAD A MAJOR QUARTERBACK SHAKEUP MOMENTS AGO IN INDIANAPOLIS. >>> MATT RYAN TO THE BENCH AND SAM EHLINGER TO THE STARTING LINEUP. IT IS A GRADE 2 SHOULDER SEPARATION FOR 37-YEAR-OLD MATT RYAN. HE WILL NOT PLAY THIS WEEK FOR THE COLTS AGAINST THE COMMANDERS. THIS IS NOT JUST A ONE WEEK MOVE. >> HE IS A PRO’S PRO. THIS GUY IS SPECIAL, SPECIAL. WE KNOW AT THE QUARTERBACK POSITION THAT IT IS NOT OUR POOR PRODUCTION ON OFFENSE IS NOT ON ONE PERSON, NOT ON MATT
RYAN, BUT WE ALSO KNOW, AS MATT AND I TALKED THROUGH, AS HEAD COACH AND QUARTERBACK, ULTIMATELY, DOES NOT MATTER, I AM JUDGED ON WINS AND LOSSES, QUARTERBACK LARGE OR JUDGED ONE REDUCTION IN TURNOVERS. WE UNDERSTAND, THAT IS HOW IT IS IN THIS LEAGUE. MATT WILL BE A PRO. I WILL SAY THIS, AS YOU GUYS SO , MAYBE SO, HE DID GET BANGED UP IN THE GAME, HE DID HAVE A GRADE 2 SHOULDER SEPARATION. PRACTICE THIS WEEK WILL BE INACTIVE, NICK WILL BE NUMBER TWO. MATT IS COMMITTED TO HELPING THIS TEAM IN EVERY WAY HE CAN.
HE HAS GOT A LOT OF YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. YOU’VE ALWAYS GOT TO STAY READY. YOU NEVER KNOW. I STILL BELIEVE MATT WILL HELP US GET TO WHERE WE WANT TO
IS ONE SMALL PART OF THIS STORY, NOT BEING THERE TO BE THE BACKUP IS A THING. THE MAJOR THING IS THE MINNEAPOLIS COLTS NOW HAVING A NEW STARTING QUARTERBACK. SAM EHLINGER, WHO I KNOW HAS BEEN VERY INTRIGUING AROUND THE LEAGUE, OTHER GM’S HAVE BEEN WATCHING, MONITORING, I WONDER IF THAT GUY WILL BE AVAILABLE AND MAYBE WE CAN TRADE HIM UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES BECAUSE HE IS SO CHALLENGING. HE IS NOW THE STARTING QUARTERBACK FOR THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS. I SPOKE WITH THE GM WHO TOLD ME AMONG OTHER THINGS, MATT RYAN IS A. MISSILE MAN, I MIGHT
HAVE MESSED UP THE QUOTE, BUT ALSO TOLD ME HE WAS AS GOOD OF A LEADER AS HE HAS SEEN SINCE PEYTON MANNING. REGARDLESS, MATT RYAN NOT GETTING IT DONE. THE COLTS’S OFFICE HAS BEEN A MESS. NOW, SAM EHLINGER, DESPITE THE FACT THAT MATT RYAN IS FULLY GUARANTEED ON HIS CONTRACT THE NEXT TWO YEARS, IS NOW THE STARTER. >> THIS IS A MOVE THAT THE COLTS NEVER COULD HAVE CONTEMPLATED WHEN THEY ACQUIRED MATT RYAN AS A THIRD ROUND PICK FOR THE FALCONS IN THE SPRING. I TALKED TO FRANK A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER AND HE SAID,
HE HAD GONE THROUGH ALL THE TAPES AND FELT LIKE MATT RYAN COULD MAKE ALL THE THROWS. IN TERMS OF LEADERSHIP AS WELL, MATT RYAN CHECKED ALL OF THOSE BOXES. SOMETHING THAT CHECKS OUT, ESPECIALLY IN RECENT WEEKS, MATT RYAN, IN TERMS OF HAVING THE ARM TO MAKE ALL THE THROWS, SEEMED TO BE STRUGGLING. THAT WAS ONE FACTOR IN WHY DOES COLTS’ OFFENSE WAS REPEATEDLY STRUGGLING TO SCORE. FOR SAM EHLINGER, A GUY WHO THEY LIKED. THEY DRAFTED HIM OUT OF TEXAS BECAUSE OF HIS TOUGHNESS AND HIS MAKEUP, EVEN THOUGH HE DOES NOT NECESSARILY HAVE THE PHYSICAL TRAITS
OF A QUARTERBACK, NOT THE TALLEST GUY, NOT THE BEST ARM ME BUT HE HAS A KNACK FOR MAKING THINGS HAPPEN. YOU’RE TRYING TO JUMPSTART A TEAM THAT IS SUPPOSED TO GO THROUGH THE RUNNING BACK, THE OFFENSE OF LINE HAS NOT PLAYED WELL ENOUGH THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE SEASON. THE DEFENSE HAS NOT HAD ITS LEADER IN SHEKEL LEONARD BUT ALL BUT A COUPLE OF QUARTERS SO FAR THIS SEASON. MATT RYAN TO ME THEY ARE PAYING HIM ABOUT $24 MILLION THIS SEASON, ANDREW, $12 MILLION OF HIS BASE SALARY FOR NEXT SEASON ALSO GUARANTEED. THEY ARE COMMITTED
FINANCIALLY TO MATT RYAN. SHOULDER SEPARATION OR NO SHOULDER SEPARATION, FRANK WRIGHT SAYS, THIS WILL BE THE MOVE. THIS IS A CHANGE RIGHT NOW IN INDIANAPOLIS, THEY HOPE, FOR THE BETTER. >> FOR THE MOST PART, MONEY ASIDE, COMPARED TO SAY WHAT THE BROWNS DID, OR WHAT THE BRONCOS DID, THE COLTS ONLY GAVE UP THE 82nd OVERALL PICK FOR MATT RYAN , BUT THEY DID SO FIRMLY BELIEVING– THEY PULLED A FAST ONE ON EVERYONE. THEY HIRED A GUY TO TAKE THEM TO THE NEXT LEVEL BECAUSE IT WAS CARSON WENTZ’S FAULT LESTER. WE KIND OF SLID HIM IN,
SOLD HIM FOR A THIRD, AND BAM. NOW, THEY GET SWEPT BY THE TITANS. THEY WILL NOT BE A WILDCARD. THEY SHOULD WIN THE DIVISION. THEY GET SWEPT BY THE TITANS, THEY HAVE LOST FIVE IN A ROW TO TENNESSEE. WOW, THAT WAS UGLY. >> BUT, IN TRAINING CAMP, TOM MENTIONED THE INABILITY OF MATT RYAN. I TALKED ABOUT JUST MATT RYAN’S ARM, AND HE TOLD ME THEY WATCHED 50 THROWS. HE WAS SURE THAT MATT RYAN HAD THE ARM STRENGTH TO GET IT DONE. THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN TRUE THEN, BASED ON LAST YEAR. I WAS THERE IN CAMP,
HE LOOKED OKAY. CLEARLY, THE ARM STRENGTH NOT WHAT IT IS. UNFORTUNATELY, MATT RYAN HAD SOME INCREDIBLE MOMENTS IN HIS CAREER. JUST PHYSICALLY, IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. FOR THE COLTS TO SAY, WE MADE A MISTAKE, INSTEAD, IT WILL BE THIS GUY, ON ONE HAND, IT IS ADMITTING A MISTAKE. ON THE OTHER HAND, THEY ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH A REALLY FASTING FASCINATING NEW QUARTERBACK IN A TIME WHERE ORGANIZATIONALLY, THEY REALLY NEED SOME WINS. MET THEY DO. THERE GOES THAT IT HAD TO HEAD FIVE STRAIGHT WITH DERISION DIVISION RIVAL TENNESSEE. THANK YOU,
A STUNNER HERE ON MONDAY. >>> HERE IS THE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE COLTS. SAM EHLINGER, WHO FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH, AND A DATE FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH, WAS THE HIGHEST RATED QUARTERBACK IN THE PRESEASON FROM ANY TEAM. HE HAD A PASSER RATING OF 147.8. BIG DEAL. HERE ARE THE NUMBERS IN THE PRESEASON. AGAIN, IT IS THE PRESEASON. SAM EHLINGER HAS MADE SOME PLAYS WHEN GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY. THIS IS– THIS MARKS A MOVE, IN MY EYES, THAT IS DESPERATE BY FRANK WRIGHT. I MEAN, YOU ARE DESPERATE TO DO ANYTHING NOW TO SAVE YOUR SEASON. >>
FOR SURE. IF SAM EHLINGER WAS A GUY, WE ARE BUILDING HIM UP NOW, HE WOULD HAVE STARTED FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON. GOING BACK TO MATT RYAN, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T EVALUATE WHAT YOU SEE ON FILM AND GIVE THESE OLD CORDED ACTS THAT BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT BECAUSE OF THEIR LEADERSHIP AND HOW GREAT THEY ARE IN THE LOCKER ROOM AND PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND YOU DON’T REALLY EVALUATE AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, MATT RYAN CAN’T PLAY ANYMORE. WHEN I EVALUATED MATT RYAN THE PAST FEW YEARS, HE JUST COULD NOT DO THE THINGS
YOU NEEDED HIM TO DO. GET THE BALL DOWN THE FIELD, A LOT OF MISTAKES, HE COULD NOT GENERATE THE OFFENSE. YET, IT WAS TOLD BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE SUPERLATIVES OFF THE FIELD, THAT HE COULD BE RESURRECTED. I SAY IT’S AGONIZING, WE JUST TALKED ABOUT IT EARLIER WITH RUSSELL WILSON IN SEATTLE, THAT IS ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS TO DO, MOVE ON. NOW, HE GOES TO THE COLTS THINKING HE CAN REHAB MATT RYAN BECAUSE OF THE GREAT THINGS HE DOES OFF THE FIELD. IN THE FIELD OF PLAY, YOU SAW A VERY LIMITED MATT RYAN WITH
SUPPOSEDLY THE GAME MANAGER. NOW HE IS MAKING MISTAKES. HE FUMBLES THE BALL. THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO FOR THE COLTS’ OFFENSE. TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE. I THINK THE EVALUATION PROCESS WAS MISSED BECAUSE TOO OFTEN TEAMS DON’T EVALUATE THE FILM. THE BIGGER PICTURE, YOUR AND AND YOU’RE OUT, THEY DON’T COME OUT OF REHAB. WE WENT FROM RIVERS, QUINCE, BACK TO RYAN, NOW WE HAVE A LEDGER. WHEN WILL IT STOP FOR THE FUTURE? >> I WILL NOT TALK TO YOU ALONE. YOU WENT THROUGH THIS WITH ELI MANNING. YOU TALK ABOUT A QUARTERBACK AT THE END
OF HIS CAREER. WE DON’T USUALLY SEE THIS WITH OLDER QUARTERBACKS WHO GET TRADED. WE ALL THOUGHT THE COLTS WOULD BE SUPER BOWL CONTENTION BECAUSE THE MATT RYAN ELEMENT WOULD SETTLE DOWN THIS ROSTER. EYSTER COVERED THE ATLANTA FALCONS. SINCE 2007, 2008, ALL OF THOSE YEARS WITH MATT RYAN. A GUY WHO NEVER HAD THE BIG ARM , BUT HAD ALL OF THE OTHER TANGIBLE ELEMENTS. KYLE SHANAHAN WAS THE OFFENSE OF COORDINATOR THERE. TO SEE HIM GET PINCHED IS A LITTLE STAGGERING. YOU LOOK AT GUYS WHO PLAYED, BEN ROETHLISBERGER WAS NOT THE SAME GUY HE WAS AT THE
END OF HIS CAREER. BRETT FAVRE. THEIR TEAMS STILL HUNG ONTO THEM BECAUSE OF WHO THEY WERE. IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE IT IS A LITTLE BIT DESPERATE. WE JUST SAW THEM GO TO THE OWNERS MEETING AND POP OFF. MAYBE THEY ARE FEELING THAT IN THE BUILDING AS WELL. TO RECOGNIZE THIS, TO MAKE THIS MOVE. I KNOW THE INJURY ATTRIBUTED TO THAT. MAN, THIS IS A VERY DAMNING, LIKE YOU SAID, EVALUATION. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS KIND OF STAGGERING AND MIND BLOWING WHEN I LOOK AT THIS. IF WE HAVE TIME, YOU WENT THROUGH THIS WITH ELI MANNING. YOU
KNOW HOW DIFFICULT THIS IS. >> AND WITH SMITH. >> TO ACTUALLY MAKE A MOVE LIKE THIS. >> I AM SO SENSITIVE TO THE SITUATION BECAUSE YOU KNOW IT IS THE OTHER THING. YOU CAN LOOK AT HIM EACH WEEK AND SAY, MAN, CAN PLAY ANYMORE. YOU LOVE THE GUY SO MUCH, YOU MAKE EVALUATIONS WITH YOUR HEART, INSTEAD OF YOUR EYES. YOU WILL SEE IT YEAR AFTER YEAR. WE JUST TALKED ABOUT BRADY AND ROGERS, THEY ARE DONE, BUT TEAMS WILL HANG ONTO THEM BECAUSE OF THE OTHER TANGIBLE ELEMENTS THAT GO ALONG WITH THEM. >> I MENTIONED THEY
GOT SWEPT BY THE TITANS. THEY LOST TO THEM WITH FOUR AND AGAIN IN WEEK SEVEN. THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LITTLE TOO AGGRESSIVE HERE BECAUSE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE AFC WEST, BUFFALO, KANSAS CITY, NO ONE IS REALLY RUNNING AWAY WITH ANYTHING. THERE ISN’T A DIVISION LEADER WITH FIVE OR MORE WINS, OTHER THAN THE JETS. THE COLTS HAD THREE WINS, COULD STILL LEGITIMATELY MAKE A WILDCARD HERE, BUT IT IS NOT AN EASY SCHEDULE. WASHINGTON, TAYLOR HEINICKE E, NEW ENGLAND, VEGAS, PHILLY, PITTSBURGH, DALLAS, MINNESOTA, THE CHARGERS, THE GIANTS. THERE ARE NO EASY OUTS ON THIS SCHEDULE,
WHATSOEVER. AND YOU ARE TALKING THE KEYS TO SAM PIERCE >> I MEAN, THE INSTABILITY IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I THINK THE FALCONS ARE FEELING THAT NOW. WE GOT RID OF MATT RYAN FOR A THIRD ROUND DRAFT PICK. WE ARE DOING OKAY WITH MARCUS MARIOTA. >> YESTERDAY, NOT A GREAT EXAMPLE OF IT. THE OFFENSE COULD NOT DO ANYTHING, BUT CREDIT TO THE ANGLES. 87th PICK IN EXCHANGE FOR MATT RYAN TURNED INTO D’ANGELO MA
