Colts Request 3 More Impressive Head Coach Candidate Interviews

The Indianapolis Colts have requested to interview three more impressive head coaching candidates.

The Indianapolis Colts are furiously setting and conducting interviews to see who will be their next head coach.

After a brutal 2022 season, many names could fit well for a team that’s poised to draft a new quarterback for the future in April. As of Monday, three new names reportedly will have been requested to interview with Indianapolis: New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, and Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.

With these names potentially poised for a sit-down with the Colts’ brass, let’s break down what each one has done to qualify for this chance.

Mike Kafka, New York Giants Offensive Coordinator

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A former player in the league for the Philadelphia Eagles, Kafka played the quarterback position and was the quality control officer and quarterbacks’ coach for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2017-21. Now, in 2022, he has revamped the Giants and helped quarterback Daniel Jones maximize his talents, leading them past the Minnesota Vikings, 31-24, in their wildcard matchup to advance to the divisional round in the playoffs. Kafka will be a high-level hire and would be a nice fit for a rookie Colts quarterback.

DeMeco Ryans

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A former 10-year pro at the NFL level, Ryans is defense personified. Through his 140 games played at linebacker for both the Houston Texans and Eagles, Ryans put together 970 tackles, 46 passes defended, and two Pro-Bowl nominations to accompany the 2006 Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Shortly after he retired from playing on the gridiron, he joined San Francisco in 2017 as their defensive quality control, then quickly started ascending, as he coached the inside linebackers from 2018-20. One season later, he’d find himself running the defense for Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers are a highly efficient group on the defensive side, which is why he is so sought-after to run a team in the NFL. He would provide an entire team balance for the Colts and would bring a different attitude to the defense.

Don “Wink” Martindale, New York Giants Defense Coordinator

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Wink has been coaching since 1986 when he was running Defiance University’s secondary. Fast forward to 2004 and he would have his first NFL gig as the inside linebackers coach for the Las Vegas Raiders (then Oakland). However, it was his time with the Baltimore Ravens that would put him through the stratosphere, coaching the inside linebackers and defense for a total of 10 years. Now, with the Giants, he has given them a gritty and tough type of presentation, which is helping them progress through the postseason. Martindale is old-school, but he also knows the game inside and out and would have plenty of knowledge and wisdom for a Colts team that was completely bled dry of both in 2022.

With three more coaches being considered to run the Colts in 2023, the search is true of the highest importance. General manager Chris Ballard and owner Jim Irsay are fully aware that they cannot miss this chance to pair a strong rookie quarterback with the right coach to push the Colts back into the playoff race. 

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