Colts center Ryan Kelly reflects on the team’s “rough” season and weekly quarterback rotation that resulted in Nick Foles starting for the holiday season for the first time!
- There have been six different QBs in action for the Colts since Andrew Luck retired in 2019
- Kelly said it’s “harder” to play different QBs week-to-week than year-to-year.
- Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger & Foles all played under center for Indy this year
- The Colts also fired Frank Reich in November and hired club legend Jeff Saturday
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Colts center Ryan Kelly has admitted he’s found this NFL season particularly “tougher” than usual due to Indianapolis’ constant rotation under center this season.
Since Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement in 2019, six different quarterbacks have played for the Colts, including their most recent addition in 33-year-old Super Bowl champion Nick Foles. Kelly, 29, has played among them all since she was drafted by the team in 2016.
“It’s tough when it’s different from year to year,” he told FOX59. “Certainly it’s even harder if you do it differently from week to week.”
Colts center Ryan Kelly described the Colts’ weekly changes at quarterback as “tough.”
Nick Foles, 33, started his first NFL game this season with two games left against the LA Chargers
On Monday, Foles — the team’s third-string quarterback — played with Kelly for the first time this season against the LA Chargers with just two league games left. The 29-year-old described the timing of the opportunity as “insane”.
The Colts lost the game 20-3 at home, although Kelly praised Foles for playing “in difficult circumstances” despite throwing for 143 yards overall. Three of his 29 pass attempts were also intercepted.
It was far from a memorable season for Indy, aside from the sacking of Frank Reich after four seasons at the helm. Owner Jim Irsay replaced him with franchise legend Jeff Saturday, who had no experience as an NFL head coach before accepting the interim job.
His only win came on his debut as head coach in November against the Las Vegas Raiders (25-20). The team’s experiment with veteran quarterback Matt Ryan has also hurt their chances of making this year’s postseason.
The Colts’ partnership with veteran QB Matt Ryan, 37, has failed to inspire a successful season
Colts interim coach Jeff Saturday (right) was hired in November to replace Frank Reich
Overall, Ryan has played under nine different quarterbacks since joining the NFL six years ago, including Sam Ehlinger, who replaced Ryan for two straight weeks before Reich lost his job. Other notable players who haven’t had much success under center at Lucas Oil Stadium include Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Brian Hoyer, Scott Tolzien and Jacoby Brissett, among others.
Next season promises to be different at Indianapolis and there are expected to be a number of changes in the team’s player and coaching staff, with the exception of a few key players, including Kelly.
“I think every single guy knows the situation that we’re in,” the Colts center said. “You have two games left and you are not guaranteed anything in this league. This team still has two games together. After that, it will never be the same again.”
“We go out there and do our best. If you’re a pro and you want to stay in that league, you go out there and play hard no matter what the circumstances. When you’re out of the playoff situation, you go out there and don’t try and don’t try, everyone else in the league sees that,” he added.
Colts owner Jim Irsay could dive into the free agency market to sign a better QB in the offseason
It’s safe to say that the Colts will be looking for a new signal caller in the offseason, and there could be some attractive options to potentially pull the two-time Super Bowl champion out of a slump.
Seattle’s Geno Smith and San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo will both be free agents and have yet to sign new contracts with their respective teams.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr could also become available after his Las Vegas future was recently put in doubt.