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Colts' Ryan Kelly says it 'tougher' to play under different QBs 'week-to-week' than 'year-to-year'
Colts center Ryan Kelly has admitted to finding this NFL season particularly 'tougher' than usual due to Indianapolis' constant switching under center this season.
Since Andrew Luck suddenly retired in 2019, six different quarterbacks have featured for the Colts, including their latest new starter in 33-year-old Super Bowl champion, Nick Foles. Kelly, 29, has played under all of them since being drafted by the team in 2016.
'It's tough when it's different year-to-year,' he told FOX59. 'Certainly when you go different week-to-week, it's even tougher.'
Colts center Ryan Kelly described the Colts' week-to-week changes at quarterback as 'tough'
Nick Foles, 33, started his first NFL game this season with two games left vs. the LA Chargers
On Monday, Foles - the team's third-string quarterback - played with Kelly for the first time this season against the L.A. Chargers with only two league games left. The 29-year-old described the opportunity's timing as 'crazy'.
The Colts ended up losing the game, 20-3, at home though Kelly praised Foles for playing 'under tough circustmances' despite throwing for a total of 143 yards. Three of his 29 passings attempts were also intercepted.
It's been far from a memorable season for Indy, barring the firing of Frank Reich after four seasons at the helm. Owner Jim Irsay replaced him with franchise legend Jeff Saturday, who had no NFL head-coaching experience prior to accepting the interim job.
His only win came against the Las Vegas Raiders (25-20) on his head-coaching debut in November. The team's experiment with veteran quarterback Matt Ryan has also hampered their chances of reaching this year's postseason.
The Colts' partnership with veteran QB Matt Ryan, 37, has failed to inspire a succesful season
Interim Colts head coach Jeff Saturday (right) was hired in November to replace Frank Reich
In total, since entering the NFL six years ago, Ryan has played under nine different quarterbacks, including Sam Ehlinger, who replaced Ryan under center for two straight weeks before Reich lost his job. Other notable players who've not found much success at under center at Lucas Oil Stadium include Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Brian Hoyer, Scott Tolzien, Jacoby Brissett among others.
Next season promises to be different in Indianapolis and a ring of changes on the team's playing personnel and coaching staff are expected to be made except for a few key , 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're not guaranteed anything in this league. This team has two games together left. After that, it will never look the same.'
'We'll go out there and give it our best. If you're a professional and you want to stay in this league, you go out there and no matter the circumstances, you play hard. If you're out of the playoff situation, you go out there and don't give effort and you don't try hard, everybody else in the league sees that,' he added.
Colts owner Jim Irsay could dip into the free agency market to sign a better QB in the offseason
It's safe to say that the Colts will be searching for a new signal-caller in the offseason and a few attractive options could emerge to potentially drag out the two-time Super Bowl champions out of a crisis.
Seattle's Geno Smith and San Francisco's Jimmy Garoppolo will both be free agents and have yet to sign new deals with their respective teams.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr could also become available after his future in Las Vegas was recently casted in doubt.