Colts owner Jim Irsay used to expect the best; now it sounds like he's embraced mediocrity

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay had a message to deliver about his teams 2024-25 campaign.

So, after his team pulled off an overtime victory against the Jaguars in the regular-season finale, he met his players in the locker room.

He began his speech by thanking head athletic trainer Dave Hammer and assistant video director John Fuzzy Starliper, both of whom worked their final game after 40-plus-year tenures with the team.

Then, Irsay pivoted to the state of the franchise.

Advertisement Lets find a way back to our greatness, Irsay said.

Thats what my goal is.

After that, however, Irsay put himself in a tough spot.

Were committed to winning, and so far, I know this year has been a disappointment, he continued.

But, Im proud of you guys that you fought back and won in overtime to get us to 8-9.

Very proud.

Proud? Of an 8-9 season? Thats not the Irsay many Colts fans remember.

Jim Irsay, speaking in the locker room at the end of the season: Obviously, were disappointed.

But we are 1-0 in 2025.

And we have a lot of work to do.

But were still proud of the effort you guys put forward.

Lets find a way back to our greatness ...

#Colts pic.twitter.com/XJV12orYmR James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) January 8, 2025 While Irsays debrief was understandably positive, it also came across as slightly tone-deaf, depending on which audience you view his words through.

Keep in mind that while his end-of-season speech was shared via the team website, he wasnt speaking directly to disappointed fans.

He was speaking to his players who, less than an hour before, put their bodies on the line for the 17th time this season 20th if you count the preseason in an otherwise meaningless regular-season game.

The Colts had been eliminated from contention in Week 17, yet free safety Julian Blackmon still played with a torn right labrum in the finale, and wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.

played through a lower back fracture.

Blackmon recorded five tackles and snagged an interception, while Pittman recorded six catches for 72 yards.

This isnt a fair-weather sport, Pittman said.

Guys like Quenton (Nelson), Jonathan Taylor, (DeForest Buckner) they deserve my best even when maybe I dont feel up to it.

Its also a privilege to play in this league, and I dont take any game lightly.

...

Football is really my life.

Advertisement Knowing what Pittman, Blackmon and others dealt with physically to even play, it would have been wrong for Irsay to enter the locker room and tell them to pack their bags and skip the farewell hugs.

But where he went wrong, at least from a fan perspective, was when he proudly patted the Colts on the back for being 1-0 in 2025, as if it was a significant achievement.

Its not.

GO DEEPER Colts, Jim Irsay could have made major changes.

Heres why they chose continuity instead First, Indianapolis barely beat the Jaguars, who finished 4-13 for their worst record since 2021.

Jacksonville didnt win consecutive games all year and will select fifth in the upcoming NFL Draft.

So, no matter how Irsay tried to spin it, that wasnt a meaningful win.

That game marked the end of Indianapolis fourth straight campaign without a playoff berth, a feat that seemed impossible during the Peyton Manning era and even throughout the Andrew Luck years.

In fact, the Colts four-year playoff drought is their longest since a seven-year hiatus from 1988 to 1994, four years before Manning joined the franchise.

Thirteen years after Mannings last season in Indianapolis and six seasons years after Lucks retirement, it appears the championship standard Irsay once raved about remember the upper quartile speech? with his two star quarterbacks has been lowered.

Heck, its even been lowered from Irsays standard five months ago.

To me, its the best team weve fielded in a while, Irsay said in July.

Ever since Andrew retired, weve been kind of trying to kind of catch up with ourselves and be consistent and be a playoff-type of team.

And I think now thats finally in the rearview far enough where were on to a new day.

But the Colts never turned the corner in 2024.

They fell flat on their faces.

GO DEEPER Colts defensive coordinator search: 10 potential candidates to replace Gus Bradley Everything general manager Chris Ballard said about his team-building philosophy during the preseason when he dismissed what the world wants you to do and defiantly stuck to his own plan can be thrown back in the GMs face.

His plan didnt work.

It almost never has.

He is 62-69-1 through his first eight seasons in Indy with just two playoff berths, one postseason victory and zero AFC South titles.

Advertisement Coach Shane Steichen is not blameless, either.

He is 17-17 through his first two seasons amid a litany of significant injuries to key players like Richardson, Pittman, Taylor and Buckner, so perhaps he deserves some grace.

But Richardsons lack of development falls on him to a degree.

And Steichens inability to effectively communicate regarding the direction of his team and more specifically its young quarterback has made his words ring hollow to many fans.

Giannis (Antetokounmpo) said this, and I thought it was a great quote.

He said, Theres no failure in sports,' Steichen said earlier this week.

Theres no failure in sports.

Theres frustration, disappointment.

If you dont win the Super Bowl, the 31 (other teams), did they have failed seasons? No.

You learn and you grow from those experiences.

For proper context, Antetokounmpo said, Theres no failure in sports, after losing in the first round of the NBA playoffs in 2022-2023.

But two years prior, he led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA championship in 50 years.

Antetokounmpo earned the right to say that.

Steichen, whos yet to win a playoff game (as a head coach), has not.

The Colts beat just one opponent during the 2024 season that finished the year with a winning record (the 10-7 Steelers in Week 4) and lost 45-33 to the lowly Giants in Week 17 to be knocked out of playoff contention.

Just how bad was that Giants squad? They lost the following week to the Eagles backups.

So, yes, this Colts season was a failure.

Perhaps Steichens hesitancy to admit that comes, in part, from his owner thinking the team was on the brink of a breakthrough.

I wish we could have a couple different plays, Irsay said.

Couldve been a different year.

A different year, indeed, but it goes both ways.

All eight of the Colts wins were by one possession, and they were outscored by 50 points this season, which was was 12th-worst point differential in the NFL.

So, while a few more positive bounces may have pushed this team into the playoffs, a few more bad bounces couldve pushed the Colts into a top-10 draft pick.

Advertisement Instead, theyre picking 14th, which is what they earned.

When youre 8-9, theres probably a ton of spots where you could look and convince yourself that, We were almost there,' backup QB Joe Flacco said after the season finale.

I dont necessarily think thats the right mindset.

Starting QB Anthony Richardson would be wise to listen to his elder, especially since he like his teams owner and coach believes the Colts are very close to being a great team.

That is not the case, and Richardson is arguably the biggest reason.

Richardson, the 2023 No.

4 pick and the Colts highest-drafted player since Luck, was named a team captain for the second straight year, but his immaturity in 2024 led to a midseason benching.

Captains on great teams dont get benched for not working hard enough.

Additionally, Richardsons injuries and inaccuracy greatly jeopardize his ability to become an NFL-caliber QB, let alone the face of a franchise.

Hes missed 17 games due to injury, and his 47.7 completion percentage this year was the lowest among qualified QBs since Tim Tebows 46.5 completion percentage in 2011.

But even after reflecting on his poor play and missing the playoffs, Richardson still appears to be in a bit of denial.

The record doesnt show how great our team is, he said.

Some of the plays that we put out there this season doesnt really show how great the team is.

That mentality is a problem.

The Colts 8-9 finish shows exactly who they are and who theyve been for nearly a decade a middling team.

Except now, it seems they truly are embracing that mediocrity.

It was a fine gesture for Irsay to uplift his team at the end of another tough season.

Every owner should thank the players, regardless of the outcome.

But the danger lies in Irsays diluted messaging, which regardless of his intentions during his year-end locker room speech, could have a trickle-down effect on the other pillars of his franchise: GM, coach and quarterback.

If the Colts plan to get back to the high standard Irsay once held them to, he cant get too comfortable celebrating mediocrity.

And those who work for him cant either.

(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.