Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard delivered a fiery press conference the day after the franchise was spurned by head-coach-to-be Josh McDaniels.
Ballard confirmed that he received a phone call on Tuesday night from McDaniels that he'd changed his mind and was "going in a different direction."
"He said he had bad news for me. I said, 'Just give me a yes or no answer, are you in or are you out?' We went around for a minute and he said no. I said, 'OK and we're going to move forward,'" Ballard told the media.
Ballard said he conducted two interviews with the New England Patriots offensive coordinator and felt very confident going forward. He had no indication McDaniels was getting cold feet.
And though he's been on the job in Indianapolis for only one year, Ballard left no doubt that he and the organization will move forward and leave the McDaniels saga in the rear-view mirror.
"Let me make this clear, I want and we want a coach for this organization that wants to be here," he said. "I'll say this and I've said this since Day 1, it's never about one guy. It's about the team."
Ballard confirmed that the new assistant coaches the Colts had already agreed with on the assumption McDaniels would be their head coach will remain with the team. There will also be no timetable for the renewed head coaching search.
But he wanted to leave Colts faithful with one message: He will find the right leader for the team.
"Just because you're the first choice doesn't mean you're the right choice," Ballard said. "It's about getting the right guy."
Ballard finished with a parting shot at Foxboro.
"The rivalry is back on."
