One NFL team made a coaching change halfway through the season. This weekend, the Indianapolis Colts announced they have fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady. This comes shortly after the Colts lost to the Washington Commanders, and they have now dropped three of their last five games.
“This was an incredibly hard decision, but one I felt needed to be made in the best interest of the team,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said in a statement. “I appreciate Marcus’s commitment to the organization, and he made a significant contribution to our offensive success over the last five seasons. I wish him the best moving forward.”
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Brady joined the Colts in 2018 as an assistant quarterbacks coach. He was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2019 before being named offensive coordinator in 2021. Before joining the Colts, Brady spent time coaching in the CFL. He was the wide receivers coach for the Montreal Alouettes from 2009-2011 before becoming the offensive coordinator in 2012. He then joined the Toronto Argonauts in 2013 to be the team’s offensive coordinator.
The Colts offense has not lived up to expectations as the team is averaging 16.1 points per game. Along with firing the offensive coordinator, Colts announced that Sam Ehlinger will be the team’s starting quarterback over 2016 NFL MVP Matt Ryan, a player the team traded for during the offseason. On Sunday, Ehlinger threw for 201 yards and had a passer rating of 100.1 in the loss against the Commanders.
Ryan spoke to reporters last week about being benched for the first time in his NFL career. “As a player, you just always anticipate, you’re getting ready, you’re going to go,” Ryan said, per ESPN. “And so that’s where your mindset’s at. There is a little bit surprise and shock at the beginning, but it’s a decision they had to make and, as a player, as a teammate, you have to move forward and you’ve got to help out where you can.” The Colts have had five different starting quarterbacks since Andrew Luck retired in 2019. Jacoby Brissett was the team’s start in 2019, Philip Rivers took over in 2021 and Carson Wentz was under center last year.
