First-time NFL general managers who ultimately get fired always have a long list of things they would do different if given a second chance. That applies to Ryan Grigson.
He made the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft (quarterback Andrew Luck) for the Colts. Seven years later, Grigson is out of the league and will be watching this week’s selection process on TV.
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In his first interview since he was fired by the Colts in January 2017, Grigson said he is most proud of the 52-34 record Indianapolis posted while he was at the helm. Grigson also has spent plenty of time reflecting on the mistakes that led to his ousting. While a number of his roster moves failed to make the impact hoped, Grigson believes his biggest error did not come from personnel decisions, but rather his shortcomings as a person.
Among them: Grigson’s relationship with coach Chuck Pagano became so toxic that team owner Jim Irsay unsuccessfully hired counselors to try and mend fences between the two. Grigson also was criticized by some inside the organization for his gruff manner.
Such a demeanor was a far cry from the friendlier one exhibited by Grigson for almost two decades previously as both an NFL player and scout.
"What I really think that I wasn't able to ever do in that time I was there was really get to be a human at times," Grigson told co-host Phil Savage and me Tuesday night on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "I hunkered down and just was laser-focused. I probably should have pressed pause and took some time to breathe for a second and communicate better to let people in more. I was only like that with my inner circle."
Grigson initially could get away acting in such an icy fashion because Indianapolis became progressively better in his first three seasons. When the Colts began falling back into the pack after Luck was hurt during the 2015 campaign, Grigson became a lightning rod for heavy criticism stemming from first-round draft busts (edge rusher Bjoern Werner and wide receiver Phillip Dorsett), free agents that didn't prove worth the money (wide receiver Andre Johnson and defensive end Trent Cole among them), a trade of a first-round pick to Cleveland for running back Trent Richardson and the team’s inability to field even a decent offensive line.
Ryan Grigson (Getty Images)
Grigson thinks he could have done a better job controlling the narrative by finding a way to get his message and explanations across in public.
"Maybe I blew it because I just never took the time to really establish relationships with the media," Grigson allowed. “I came up in kind of an old-school way. I thought you just have to win football games and you don’t have to worry about doing those types of things. And I just never was a politician in that way. I just never felt like I had to.
"I think I paid a handsome price for when I was on my way out."
Another different aspect for Grigson as GM was having full responsibility for making the team’s picks as opposed to the hierarchy of the previous teams he worked for (St. Louis and Philadelphia), where the head coach had more sway or a committee approach was used.
"I had to really learn that dynamic on the fly from those around me that had been with the prior regime," said Grigson, who was relatively young (40) for an NFL general manager at the time of his hiring. "It was just kind of foreign to me even from the get-go. There were so many things to learn. A lot of that was done through trial and error."
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Grigson, who jokes that his beard is now prematurely white “Kenny Rogers-style” partially because of the stress that came with being an NFL general manager, was hired as a Browns college scouting consultant during the 2017 season. Game scouting, visits to college programs and film study shaped some of his thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses in this year’s draft.
"Obviously, the quarterback position is one that a lot of people are talking about because there is a core group of guys who are very interesting with all different types of skill sets that can produce in the NFL," Grigson said. "And I really thought the interior offensive line position group was as strong as I remember with just top, top guys and some who are interchangeable in there (between guard and center).
"As far as the defense goes, there were some D-linemen here and there. There were some linebackers I absolutely loved. But the DB group, no one ever really jumped out as a premier guy that I saw."
How much the Browns will use Grigson's evaluations is anybody's guess, as he was dismissed in January by incoming general manager John Dorsey.
Grigson since has turned his focus to spending more time with his wife and six children — a part of his life that he laments received short-shrift while handling general manager responsibilities. His returning to a full-time position in an NFL front office seems likely, but not necessarily a given.
No matter what happens in the future, Grigson takes pride in knowing Indianapolis never finished under .500 during his time there and enjoyed three straight playoff appearances highlighted by a spot for the 2014 Colts in the AFC title game.
"You're judged by your record — I always hear (Bill) Parcells said that," Grigson said. "That’s why I (can) put my head on the pillow at night no matter what people say.
"Yeah, we fell short and we didn't win a championship. I would have bet my life we would have."
Alex Marvez can be heard from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET Wednesday and 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET Thursday and Friday from the NFL draft on SiriusXM NFL Radio.