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Stephen HolderESPN
INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts‘ anemic offense has claimed another victim.
One week after the team benched veteran starting quarterback Matt Ryan, the Colts on Tuesday announced that offensive coordinator Marcus Brady has been relieved of his duties.
“This was an incredibly hard decision, but one I felt needed to be made in the best interest of the team,” head coach Frank Reich said in a statement. “I appreciate Marcus’ 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.”
Reich has been calling the plays for the Colts’ offense this season, while Brady’s responsibilities included game-planning and play design.
Brady was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2021, shortly after the departure of Nick Sirianni, who was a longtime associate of Reich’s and held the job before becoming head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Brady joined the Colts’ staff as the assistant quarterbacks coach in 2018 and had gotten two promotions since 2019 — to quarterbacks coach in 2019 and then last year’s bump to offensive coordinator.
The Colts have been among the biggest offensive disappointments in the NFL this season, with the high hopes expressed by the team entering the season followed by gross underperformance. Indianapolis ranks 30th in points per game (16.1), is tied for the most turnovers in the league (16) and is 31st in offensive EPA (minus-36.54).
The failures of the team’s once-vaunted offensive line has been stunning, and the poor start to the season by Ryan — who was sacked 24 times in seven games — was also shocking. Reich, in a decision influenced in part by owner Jim Irsay, made the move to second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger last week.
Tuesday’s announcement was just as surprising, especially considering Reich’s zest to elevate Brady last year because of the positive impact he was said to have had on the team’s offensive preparation.
Brady, a former record-setting quarterback at Cal State Northridge, is a former Canadian Football League player who got his start in coaching in the CFL. He went from backup quarterback to receivers coach, an idea conjured by then-Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman. Brady went on to become Trestman’s offensive coordinator in Montreal and with the Toronto Argonauts before coming to Indianapolis.
Source: www.espn.com