Jim Irsay wants us to believe there isn’t any funky business going on behind the scenes between Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson. The owner calls reports to the contrary “completely false” and says everything is just hunky dory.
Speaking after the team’s blowout loss on the road to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Irsay shot down rumors that his franchise was experiencing any kind of power struggle between the his coach and general manager.
“That could not be farther from the truth,” Irsay said, via the Indianapolis Star. “Ryan and Chuck work hard together. …They have a great relationship.
“That report is completely false. I guarantee you. There is not one shred of truth to it at all, honestly. …When I heard the report, I was as shocked as anyone. We have so many reports that go around the league these days with Twitter and all the different people who publish reports who are so-called journalists. Couldn’t be further from the truth.”
The report Irsay speaks of comes by way of Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, who has compared the “growing rift” between Grigson and Pagano to the 2014 San Francisco 49ers, when Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke couldn’t co-exist and the team fell apart.
It’s worth noting that La Canfora is more than a “so-called journalist,” and that San Francisco’s top brass all denied anything fishy was going on with the 49ers last year, just as Irsay is doing now.
That said, nobody should expect the Colts to tank in similar fashion to the way the 49ers self-destructed. Pagano isn’t Harbaugh (who is extremely volatile), and fans would be wise to realize one bad loss on the road to open the season doesn’t spell doom for the rest of the season.
Still, given the fact that Pagano was reportedly “insulted” but Irsay’s last contract offer—a one-year extension, per La Canfora—it certainly appears the successful head coach will be leading a different franchise in 2016.