Andrew Luck already has a blueprint for his month away from the Colts.FORT WAYNE – Ryan Grigson is from Indiana and played football at Purdue. So he has a sense of the Colts’ past.
And he’s drafted some of the NFL’s best talent and made splashy free-agent signings while working with the Philadelphia Eagles for nine years. So he has the experience to rebuild the Colts.
“I felt that he had a vision, that he had an intelligence, that he had a depth of perception and awareness and that he was capable of taking it up to the next level,” said Colts owner Jim Irsay, who hired Grigson as his general manager Wednesday. He was given a four-year contract.
The selection of Grigson, 39, came nine days after Irsay fired vice chairman Bill Polian, the architect of 11 playoff berths and two trips to the Super Bowl over 14 seasons, and vice president and general manager Chris Polian.
After the Colts went a league-worst 2-14, Grigson must decide what to do with the first overall pick in the upcoming draft, whether to keep four-time MVP quarterback Peyton Manning, whether coach Jim Caldwell should be retained and what do to with stars Reggie Wayne, Robert Mathis and Jeff Saturday, all of whom are about to become free agents.
“I am confident based on where I’ve come from, how I came up in this business, making every little step along the way, and learning valuable lessons with every one of those steps,” Grigson said. “All of those little things along the way and all of that time staying at the lowest levels of scouting and personnel are going to serve me well, because I’ve learned through trial and error. I’ve learned from mistakes that I’ve made, and I’ve learned to learn from my mistakes and not be proud about making one in front of everyone. So I think that creates a healthy atmosphere if people aren’t afraid to tell you that they are wrong, because we are human and we’re going to be wrong.”
Grigson, a native of Highland in Lake County, was an offensive linemen at Purdue from 1991-94, captaining the team as a senior. Aside from talent that made him a sixth-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, he showed grit returning from kidney failure, pancreatitis and pneumonia – suffered from a hit on the field – that cost him most of the 1992 season.
His only NFL games were with the Detroit Lions, and he played in the CFL, where he began his post-playing career as a scout. After five years scouting for the St. Louis Rams, Grigson began with the Eagles as a scout in 2004. He was director of college scouting from 2006 to 2009 and director of player personnel the last two seasons.
He factored largely in the drafting of LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson and Brent Celek, as well as the free-agent signings of Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins.
In 12 NFL seasons, Grigson’s teams have been to the playoffs eight times and the Super Bowl three times.
“He has been a great adviser to me and somebody I have leaned on to bounce ideas off of many times over my career,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. “He leaves no stone left unturned in his efforts to find good players and we were lucky to have him here in Philadelphia.”
Grigson must decide by March 8 whether to pick up the $28 million option on Manning, who didn’t play last season after three neck surgeries in 19 months.
By the middle of next week, Irsay would like Grigson to make a decision on Caldwell, 26-22 in the regular season and 2-2 in the playoffs over three seasons.
Irsay said he will largely let Grigson make the calls, though the team owner plans to be involved in the early decisions and could exercise his veto power.
