Colts owner Jim Irsay asks fans for patience during rebuild process

ORLANDO – Jim Irsay is willing to be patient.

Granted, it’s taken him some time to get here, but he’s finally wrapped his head around the idea of taking a more protracted view of reaching the NFL’s pinnacle. Now, the Indianapolis Colts owner just needs to convince his fans the payoff will be worth the wait.

The Colts, who have eschewed big-money free-agent signings and remained steadfast in their build-through-the draft approach, are taking a long view. But that can be a lot to ask of perpetually impatient NFL fans.

Irsay, speaking with reporters at the NFL’s annual meetings, openly acknowledged as much.

“I think our fans, they always want to win more, sooner and as much as possible,” Irsay said, accepting a reality he can’t avoid.

Irsay could not and did not promise this would be a painless process. The Colts are on track to be one of the youngest teams in the NFL. There will be growing pains.

“But,” Irsay said, “through it all, good things come out of the difficult things.”

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The patience Irsay is asking of fans must, at some point, pay off because this probably isn’t the most exciting time to be a Colts fan. The Colts have been an under-the-radar team during the free-agent signing period despite their deep pockets and robust salary-cap space. That’s not the kind of thing that puts rear ends in seats at Lucas Oil Stadium, even if it is a proven method of building a team.

“I think in the end, it’s about draft picks and it’s about accumulating high draft picks if we can,” Irsay said, doubling down on what General Manager Chris Ballard has been preaching. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to see which directions we can head into. Free agency, it truly is fools good. It’s Barnum and Bailey.”

Regarding Ballard’s deliberate plans, Irsay said, “We want to give our fans excitement. We want them to have a chance to revel in big signings and things like that. But it’s something that, to me, we’re very cautious (about). Chris and I have had endless conversations.”

So, now that we’re clear that Irsay and Ballard are very much on the same page with the team-building process, here are Irsay’s comments on several issues discussed during a more than 30-minute interview in his hotel suite:

>> On Andrew Luck’s rehabilitation and outlook, Irsay said, “We all know the importance of Andrew and the health of his shoulder coming around. Can we get (things) done if it’s an extended period where we’re still working our way through and it’s still taking longer than we thought? Sure, we can. But all indicators are (that) healing is going very well and we feel really optimistic that he’s turned the corner and has a full decade ahead of him of excellence. And that’s a long period of time. I think the best is yet to come.”

Luck, Irsay said, has been burdened by years-long saga of shoulder issues.

“It’s been far from the normal course of business,” Irsay said. “It’s been frustrating for us all, no more frustrating than it has been for (Luck). I’ve been as supportive as I can be because I know the weight that the franchise quarterback feels.

“People made a big deal (when) I said something about it’s a competitive playing field (in) the four inches between your ears. That’s an old saying and that’s just a given. That’s not anything that’s shocking or anything like that.”

>> Of the upcoming draft, Irsay was elated about the trade the Colts swung to move from No. 3 overall to No. 6 overall and netted the team three additional second-round picks (one coming in 2019).

As for what the Colts will do with the pick, Irsay removed all doubt the Colts are focused squarely on Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, North Carolina State pass rusher Bradley Chubb and Notre Dame offensive lineman Quenton Nelson.

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“We can go a lot of different directions,” Irsay said. “We have a lot of needs. We could go pass rusher, we could go franchise running back, we could go offensive lineman. We don’t really feel the pressure to go any direction except the one that helps us have the longest sustained success going forward for greatness.”

Ballard, Irsay said, “quietly shocked the world. It was happening kind of behind the scenes and the trade was made. That was exciting and I think our fans started to get a little glimpse of what our plans are in terms of going forward.”

>> Irsay addressed the Josh McDaniels situation for the first time, commenting on the Patriots’ offensive coordinator’s last-minute decision to abandon an agreement with the Colts and remain in New England last month.

“I felt mostly bad for (Ballard),” Irsay said. “He had put a lot into it. I know he kind of felt he let Colts Nation down, he let me down, let the family down. I was much the opposite. I just tried to say, ‘Hey, it happens.’ But it was really painful, it really was.

“But Chris remained very much Chris throughout the process…(He said) ‘Are you in or out? Ok, you’re out? Well, onward we go.’ He didn’t want to do any forensic analysis or any of that stuff. He really didn’t. If you’re out, then onward we go. We’re interested in the Colts and what we’re going to do to make ourselves better. You always have to have a Plan B and a Plan C. You just always do. That’s what makes it so exciting. You just don’t know what might go down. It’s crazy.”

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Irsay said during a visit to Massachusetts for what had been described as a follow-up interview shortly during the AFC playoffs, the sides were down the road toward making a deal.

“When I got to Foxborough and went there to see Josh, I really was more interested in meeting the family and making sure his wife felt comfortable about the schools in Indianapolis and all those sorts of things,” Irsay said. “Did I ever think that there potentially could be something awry, that something could drift in the wrong direction?

“Making that shift and being able to come up with Frank Reich, we were really blessed. I feel as a franchise it’s been something that’s been a real plus.”

Follow Colts Insider Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.

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