Quenton Nelson has been traded to the defending Super Bowl Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.

That feels light to me, like pennies on the dollar, especially for an eight-time Pro Bowl player who is going to end up in the Hall of Fame. But if that’s the market for elite left guards, that’s the market. I’m sure Ed Dodds didn’t turn down better deals.

The Colts are saying goodbye to a player who didn’t give up a sack for all of 2019 and has a clean sheet again this year through seven games. He’s committed one penalty all season and is ranked third best guard in the league by Pro Football Focus (for whatever that’s worth).

The return seems minimal, but let’s face it, the Colts aren’t exactly operating from a position of power here. Everybody knows the franchise’s plan. Hate to disappoint, but I’m guessing any trade the Colts make in the next few weeks will be accompanied by some moaning and groaning from Colts fans who don’t believe the team got good value.

Repeat after me:

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Right…good luck.

Understand, Kelly Krauskopf, the now-former president of the Indiana Fever, didn’t just step down Friday because she wanted to retire (she doesn’t) or because she wanted to walk away after 28 years of good work with the Fever, the Pacers and then the Fever again. While she’s been planning to walk away after just a few years after re-joining the Fever, my sources tell me she was pushed to action by all the madness the next president/GM will have to face.

For Krauskopf, it all started to become about everything other than basketball – dealing with those threats, listening to the vitriol and the hatred, presumably from Caitlin Clark loonies who’ve tainted everything that goes on with this franchise, and even defending the Fever fans from other players who say that Indy is the WNBA’s epicenter of racist comments and inappropriate behavior.

And those threats to her well-being…well, she was hardly the only one. Head coach Stephanie White and assistant coach Briann January, who had the temerity to raise their voices in the direction of Clark, also received chilling feedback from overwrought fans. (They call this coaching, last I checked.) And they’re not alone as targets of the public’s ire.

You heard what Kelsey Mitchell said at her exit meeting.

Well, Krauskopf can relate.

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Sure, Jonathan Taylor failed to hit the century mark for the 13^th game in a row – and it’s not his fault with defenses loading the box and focusing on him – but both Taylor and the run game at large had a very representative game against arguably the best defense in the league. (Seattle might argue.) JT went for 95 yards on 18 carries, a 5.3-yard-average, and popped a 38-yard touchdown run in the first half. Taylor tied Lenny Moore (47) for the third most 100-yard-plus scrimmage yard games in Colts history. Seth McGowan, who may soon be seeing a lot more carries if the Colts are able to trade Taylor at the Nov. 10 deadline, had 46 yards on 11 carries, a 4.2 average. The run-game effectiveness allowed the Colts to convert on 53.3 percent of their third-down conversions, the best mark of this season. The 154 rushing yards were the most the Vikings allowed all year.

Grade: B

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Let the garage sale commence.

Everything – well, everybody – must go.

If interim general manager Ed Dodds can move Jonathan Taylor, or DeForest Buckner, or Grover Stewart or any one of the team’s tradeable commodities by the Nov. 10 deadline and get some first- (maybe) and/or second-day picks in return, that would mean mission accomplished.

You want to know something? It’s a good thing the Colts lost, 16-10, to the punchless but undefeated Vikings Sunday. Sounds crazy, I know, but if they had won this eminently winnable game, and if they had stolen another victory in the next two games at Jacksonville and home against Dallas, there may have been some thought to playing out the season with the current crew and fighting for a long-shot playoff spot. Which would have been a mistake.

But with this loss at US Bank Stadium, the die is cast and the Colts, now 2-5 and heading to haunted Jacksonville next Sunday, are officially in garage-sale mode.

And that’s for the best.

Now Dodds can go to work.

In my mind, nobody is untouchable.

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People keep asking me, “So who are they going to hire as GM?”

My honest answer is, “Not a clue.”

I don’t go to the Combine and hobnob with NFL executives over dirty martinis at Prime 47 while discussing front-office personnel. I know a handful of NFL executives, but I’m not nationally oriented, never have been. I pay attention to what’s going on in my market.

That said, I did talk yesterday with a current long-time NFL executive and asked if he would provide me with a short list of worthy candidates.

This is who he mentioned, in no particular order:

• Jon Ferrari – He’s the Eagles’ assistant general manager and has cut his teeth with arguably the best GM in the league, Howie Roseman.

• Adam Berry – He’s also an Eagles assistant GM (two of them?) who has a non-traditional background, having come up working in the financial world. Berry joined the Eagles in 2023 as director of football operations and strategy.

• Terrence Gray – He’s long been considered a rising star in NFL circles and is currently assistant GM for the Buffalo Bills. He was once a college scout for the Vikings.

• Glenn Cook – He got his start with the Colts as a scouting assistant, became a pro scout for Green Bay and is now assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel for the Cleveland Browns.

• Jeff King – He joined the Chicago Bears in 2015, then climbed the ladder to assistant general manager.

• Dawn Aponte – Yes, a woman, a very accomplished woman. She’s currently senior vice president of football operations and strategy for the New York Giants. She’s worked in the league office as well as the New York Jets, the Browns and the Miami Dolphins.

Not for nothing, I’ve heard the name of another women: Catherine Hickman, who is assistant general manager and vice president of football operations for the Browns.

Can you imagine Irsay-Gordon, in her first major move as owner, hiring the first female general manager in league history?

Would that be a story?

All things are possible.

I can say without hesitation that the Colts’ player do not care about saving Shane Steichen’s job beyond this year.

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Then I heard from a friend and a subscriber (we’ll call him “Ed”) who told me that season-ticket renewals went out last week and the first payments are due in November and, well, it all made perfect sense.

Look, at 2-4 and looking more hopeless with each passing week, it was quite apparent that Ballard was toast at season’s end, and prospects weren’t any brighter for head coach Shane Steichen. But with season ticket renewals coming due, Irsay-Gordon had to do something significant. She had to appease the fan base one day after very audible “Fire Ballard!” chants were heard at Lucas Oil Stadium in the latter moments of Sunday’s 26-20 loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans. The message was heard, and Irsay-Gordon acted.

Now? Time to tear it down.

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RUN OFFENSE

Well, they did a few things well: For one, they ran the ball effectively against a Tennessee defense ranked fourth in the league against the run. Jonathan Taylor still failed to reach 100 yards rushing for the 13^th straight game, but finished with 94 yards on 21 carries, a 4.5 yards-per-carry average. Daniel Jones ran as well as I’ve seen him run this year, gaining 30 yards on three carries. In totality, the Colts rushed for 165 yards on 30 carries, a 5.5 average. Of course, all of that good work was negated by Taylor’s untimely fumble on the first play of the second half, which set the table for the Colts ultimate second-half collapse.

GRADE: B-

RUN DEFENSE

If you’re looking at pure stats to tell the story of this game, you’re out of luck. The Colts dominated in yards gained (399-186), time of possession (38:32-21:28), first downs (24-11) and anything else you can think of. But three turnovers, including a pair in the red zone, doomed them. They kept Tony Pollard in check, limiting him to 76 yards on 19 carries, a 4.0 average. And they kept elusive quarterback Cam Ward under control; he had three carries for seven yards. Yay.

GRADE: B

PASS OFFENSE

Oh, boy. Granted, Daniel Jones was terrible, throwing two horrendous picks and finishing with a 60.5 pass rating. But I’ll say this, too: The offensive line got absolutely worked, surrendering six sacks. The receivers stunk; Josh Downs dropped two or three passes, depending on how charitable you want to be today. (And I don’t feel charitable today). They gave up 11 – yes, 11 – quarterback hits. No wonder Jones was skittish Sunday. He got no help from anybody save for Keenan Allen, who had eight catches. The Titans had nine pass breakups, which suggests to me the receivers weren’t getting any separation. Without Alec Pierce (and Tyler Warren Sunday), the Colts are hosed. The growing question is, how long do you stick with Jones? I say you give him a long leash. You paid him way too much money to stand on the sidelines and, frankly, I don’t trust Anthony Richardson Sr. I stand by my conviction that Jones needs more time to fully recover from that Achilles tear, but if he’s still stinking out the joint three, four games from now, I take a look at Richardson. For now, it should be status quo. That’s not what most of you want to hear, but again, six sacks, 11 hits and dropped passes; it wasn’t all on Jones. If the Colts had one job Sunday, it was to control Jeffery Simmons, a fabulous player on a bad team. So what did Simmons do? How about six tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He was in Jones’ face all afternoon. Reminded me of the old days when J.J. Watt used to terrorize the Colts.

GRADE: D

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PASS DEFENSE

Zero sacks. One quarterback hit. That’s pathetic and astonishing. Well, check that; not so astonishing. This is the worst pass rushing team in the league, so it doesn’t come as a surprise of any kind. Laiatu Latu had one tackle. That’s not to say that Cam Ward did any damage; he was 11-of-22 for a paltry 102 yards, but the Colts’ complete lack of a pass rush continues to be problematic. Cam Bynum had an interception and an interesting celebration; just don’t ask me what the celebration was. I’m 66 and not up on current cultural trends. I’ll ask my press-box neighbor James Boyd next time.

GRADE: C

SPECIAL TEAMS

Oh, my goodness. Last week, they were terrific. This Sunday, they were one of the primary reasons why the Colts managed to lose this game. Return man Chimere Dike had a back-breaking 58-yard punt return and was effective on kick returns. The real killer was the blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown. You could see it coming; the Titans nearly blocked two previous Rigo Sanchez punts. John “Bones” Fassel, the Titans experienced special-teams coach, saw his unit steal this game. The Colts special teams have been a strength all season under Brian Mason, but this was a complete disaster. I’ll be interested Tuesday to hear Indy’s coach explain what happened when we talk to coordinators Tuesday.

GRADE: F

COACHING

I’ve heard from some fans who are upset that Shane Steichen wasn’t more aggressive at the end of the first half, when they kicked a field goal to go up 13-0 at the half. I don’t understand the criticism. After Cam Bynum’s interception, the Colts took over at the Tennessee 49-yard line. They ran twice, got a first down. Then, at the 34-yard line, Jones threw incomplete, followed by one of Tennessee’s six sacks, pushing Indy back to the Titans’ 40. On third and 16, Jones threw an 11-yard completion to Keenan Allen, leaving them with a fourth-and-5. Of course, you take the field goal, don’t you? You take the points, right? You have to think, 13 points might be insurmountable for an anemic Tennessee team that hadn’t exceeded 20 points in a game all season. Tell me, what am I missing here?

GRADE: C-

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INTANGIBLES

The news just broke as I was writing this (I will have another column later in the day): Chris Ballard is out. Got to say, I’m surprised at the timing; thought he’d be given the entire season. But Carlie Irsay-Gordon wanted to start the process of finding a new GM right away, and I can’t blame her. It should also be noted that season-ticket renewals went out last week and the first payment is due in November, which may more fully explain the timing on this. Stay tuned for more as things begin to unfold. As for the game, well, it was so bad, Carlie reached her wit’s end. This performance guaranteed that somebody was going to pay with their job. Just an awful performance, a soft and gutless performance. But what more can you expect from this group?

GRADE: F

This was Steichen as you’ve never seen him, and for good reason: This was, without question, the worst loss of his coaching era. Losing to a winless team, a winless divisional team, losing at home, losing on a day when several Colts legends returned to celebrate Adam Vinatieri…what could be worse? I would argue it was the franchise’s worst loss since the Carson Wentz-led collapse in the win-and-in game at Jacksonville in January of 2022. And here’s the scary thought: Before long, they’ll be 2-6 with games at Minnesota and Jacksonville coming up.

Like I said, he was pissed. His words may not have reflected that, but trust me, as someone who was there at the press conference, you could see he was seething.

Asked about Daniel Jones, who continues to throw the ball to the other team: “I’m not going into…” He paused. “I love Daniel, but we’ve got to clean up the turnovers, for sure.”

Asked about pulling Jones and giving Anthony Richardson Sr. a chance, he said, “He (Jones) is our starting quarterback.”

Which tells me one thing: He’s got zero faith in Richardson.

I would stick with Jones for another two games and then take stock. If this season is completely lost at 2-6 and Jones continues to play like he did during the lean years in New York, I’d seriously consider yanking him. I mean, how could it hurt, right? At least find out if there’s any hope with Richardson, no?

Asked about Jones’ play, Steichen came as close to criticizing his beloved quarterback as I’ve ever heard: “I think he knows he’s got to play better…”

This, though, was a strong bottom-line question:

Do you have the talent to win?

Not that he was going to be honest and throw Ballard under a bus, but he said, “I believe we do.”

I believe he’s wrong. I believe Ballard has failed this franchise. Should we talk about all the edge rushers he’s missed on? His quarterback whiffs? His roster-building blind spots? OK, maybe another day, another column.

After a few minutes of interrogation – no, we didn’t water-board him, as much as fans would like us to – he was asked to describe his tone with the team: “About the same as I am with you guys right now. Pretty pissed off.”

And the boos, including the “Fire Ballard” chants: “Yeah, we’ve got to give them something to cheer about. I don’t blame them for booing one freaking bit.”

At this point, I’m hearing from a lot of fans who are actively rooting for them to lose, solely because it would be the nail in the coffin for Ballard and Steichen. That’s a bad place to be as a franchise.

What do you suppose Carlie Irsay-Gordon wrote in her notebook Sunday afternoon?

Reminder: Fire Ballard and Steichen at season’s end.

By now, it’s painfully apparent, isn’t it? Hell, I wasn’t even on board with giving Ballard a 10^th year, but Irsay-Gordon bought into the idea that last year’s 8-2 start was a sign of things to come and not a mirage. So, after taking over as the owner after her father’s death, she gave Ballard another year – has anybody ever had a longer rope in this league? – and here they are, sitting at 2-4 after giving up 20 unanswered points in the second half after leading 13-0 at half. Without question, this was the loudest rendition of “Fire Ballard” I’ve heard during his endless tenure.

Special teams, so good most of the year, fell apart, giving up two long kickoff returns and a punt block returned for a touchdown. And there were nearly two more punt blocks but Rigo Sanchez made athletic plays and eluded the on-rushing defender.

And guess whose defense forced three turnovers – a Jonathan Taylor fumble and two more Daniel Jones’ interceptions – and limited the Colts to one touchdown in the second half but our old Colts buddy and current Tennessee defensive coordinator Gus Bradley? Think he enjoyed watching his defense, considered too remedial when he worked for the Colts, shut down and fluster Jones and the offense? Six sacks, three turnovers and a game-wrecking performance by the magnificent defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. (Oh, and zero sacks by the Colts.)

Now, I’m hearing from absolutely everybody that the Colts should blow it up right this minute and believe me, I understand the white-hot anger from the fans, who peppered the home team with boos through most of the second half. Everybody wants heads on a stick; I get it. But I’m going on the record here saying that mid-season firings never, EVER work in football – anybody remember the Jeff Saturday era? – and honestly, what purpose would it serve to blow out both the GM and the coach? I’ve talked to Rick Venturi about this in the past – he was an interim head coach twice in his career, including once in Indianapolis – and he’s always been opposed to mid-season firings. (Although he may have changed his mind in the last 12 hours.)

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I will say this: Unless Mike Tomlin wants to return to the sideline and spend less time messing around on Minecraft – I mean, right this minute -- I’m opposed to giving both men their pink slips this Monday or any time during this lost season. Just telling you: It’s not going to get any better with an interim. And anyway, who fires GM’s in the middle of the season – OK, besides the dysfunctional Titans -- and what purpose would it serve? I say play it out and then clean house. Completely. Scorched earth. Nobody survives.

At this point, I’d be approach DeForest Buckner and Jonathan Taylor and contemplate trading one or both of them. Get back some draft capital for the next guy.

Buckner, for one, sounds like he’s at his wit’s end.

“I’m sick and tired of the same song and dance every year,” he said.

You’re not alone, Buck.

This was the day the Ballard and Steichen Era ended, for all practical purposes. And not a moment too soon.

As Robert Mathis tweeted after yesterday’s game, “Somebody definitely gettin (sic) fired.”

All in good time, Robert. All in good time.

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Until now, I’d …

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I don’t know if that’s true.

Clearly, these are the two highest-rated teams to face off on 17^th Street in the school’s history, but when it comes to larger stakes, I’m not sure the Nov. 25, 1967 Old Oaken Bucket isn’t the biggest game ever at the aging facility.

What was on the line?

Simply the Rose Bowl – for the first time in IU’s mostly dreadful history -- and a chance to win the Big Ten regular-season by knocking off the No. 3 Boilers, who were led at the time by running back Leroy Keyes. The Hoosiers under John Pont were a Cinderella story at 8-1 and needed to beat Purdue to realize their post-season dreams for the first time in program history.

That day, the Hoosiers jumped out to a 19-7 lead, led by quarterback Harry Gonso. Purdue pulled within 19-14 late, but a final, desperate Boilers drive got stopped at the IU 22-yard line as time expired. That set off an all-campus celebration, the likes of which had never before been seen at a school where those kinds of parties are usually related to the basketball team.

There’s no question, No. 5 IU versus No. 4 Ohio State ranks as a massive game, and certainly no worse than the second-biggest game in Memorial Stadium history. In many ways, it’s a bigger game for a one-loss Ohio State team, which can’t lose many more games if it wants to be eligible for the college football playoff. For IU, a loss would be painful, but they’d still be in a solid position to reach the playoff, assuming they keep their sheet clean the rest of the way.

Most likely, the losing team Saturday – and I’m taking IU, winners of 22 straight games – will remain in a favorable post-season position, which is why I’m disinclined to call it the biggest game ever at that venue. Both teams can lose and still win the Big Ten. Both teams can lose and still make the college football playoff, even win it. In the old days, a regular-season loss virtually guaranteed you weren’t going to make the playoff, but the way the playoff is set up these days, two losses, even three, can get you into the CFP.

It means a lot, without question, and No. 4 versus No. 5 ranks as the best matchup in Stadium history, but there was more on the line back in 1967. Or course, after IU won that Bucket game, they went to SoCal and lost to USC and O.J. Simpson, 14-3, in the Rose Bowl.

But for that moment in ’67, the Bucket was and remains the biggest game ever at Memorial Stadium — even though it was the Seventeenth Street Football Stadium before being renamed in 1971.

The stakes are high Saturday, but nothing like the stakes back in ’67.

As you know by now, IU quarterback Josh Hoover, interception-prone during his three years at TCU, has thrown 17 touchdown passes and no interceptions. As Curt Cignetti said while responding to TCU coach Sonny Dykes‘ cheap shot about Hoover’s mistake-prone ways, now he’s in a system where the running game and defense are his best friends, and you’ve seen the results.

And it’s not like Hoover has been risk-averse, consistently checking down to his hot receivers.

On Saturday, Hoover could start to make a name for himself, perhaps even gain some ground in the Heisman Sweepstakes. He’s a long-shot now – for good reason – but a brilliant performance against mighty Ohio State could significantly alter the narrative.

Remember, Fernando Mendoza didn’t morph into a top-tier Heisman Trophy contender until later in the season; he didn’t have his “Heisman Moment” until he found Omar Cooper Jr. on the backline of the end zone in the miracle victory over Penn State. And it’s not like Mendoza blew absolutely everybody away. IU had its fraught moments, beating both Iowa and Penn State with late heroics, much like the come-from-behind victory this year over Nebraska.

This is IU’s moment and, more specifically, it’s Hoover’s moment. If IU can run the football, Hoover and his two stud receivers, Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker, can give the Buckeyes the business. Remember, Ohio State surrendered 199 rushing yards (a 6 yards per carry average) to Illinois back on Sept. 26. Folks look at IU’s rushing difficulties versus Nebraska and wonder how in heavens they’re going to puncture Ohio State’s defensive front, but again…Illinois. One-hundred-ninety-nine yards. It can be done, and it will be done. And don’t be surprised if Hoover, a highly athletic player, uses his legs to help IU move the football.

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Well, that was mildly pathetic. The Colts, historically a solid running team, went nowhere quick Sunday in Pittsburgh. Jonathan Taylor averaged three yards per carry but worse, the Colts consistently got stuffed in the red zone, where they finished 1-for-3 and were forced to settle for five field goals. Difference in the game? I’d say so. Without Alec Pierce’s deep threat, defenses are loading the box, daring the Colts to run, and the results have been mixed at best. Do you see that turning around anytime soon? I don’t.

GRADE: D

RUN DEFENSE

Jaylen Warren is a nice running back, but he’s not a cross between Walter Payton and Earl Campbell – even if the Colts made him look like a Hall of Famer. Aside from DeForest Buckner, who would be excused if he demanded a trade out of Indy, the tackling was abysmal. That was especially true on Warren’s 80-yard catch-and-run early and the 50-yard touchdown run. Tackling is all about desire, and this team lacks the raw desire necessary to win football games like this one. Inexcusable.

GRADE: C-

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Even on a day when Daniel Jones didn’t turn the ball over a single time and played one of his more complete games this early season, the Colts took yet another step in their unceasing pursuit of mediocrity. When you can’t do what you’re supposed to do best, namely run the football and have success in the red zone, the die is going to be cast, and Sunday was the perfect example, the Colts losing to the Steelers in Pittburgh, 34-22, their 18^th loss in 20 trips to the confluence of the Three Rivers.

Tell me, besides kicking field goals, where Shrader is making the Colts coaching staff look smart for choosing him after a wonky early portion of training camp, what are the Colts’ great strengths?

Tell me…I’ll wait.

They’re supposed to be a terrific running team, but on this day, Jonathan Taylor rushed 15 times for just 45 yards, a 3-yards-per-rush average. They’re supposed to be very good in the red zone, but Sunday, they were one-of-three in the red zone and were forced to settle for five Shrader field goals. They’re also one of the least penalized teams in the league and have been since Shane Steichen took over, but Sunday, they were flagged nine times for 59 yards.

Let’s just be honest: This is not a good defensive team. You can scream and yell at DC Lou Anarumo all you want, but the talent, brought to Indianapolis by lame duck general manager Chris Ballard, is severely lacking. Who are the playmakers? Besides DeForest Buckner, who nearly retired this summer, there’s nobody. Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward, Jr. were supposed to be game-changers, but we haven’t seen them make any kind of a significant impact thus far.

In the first half Sunday, the Colts had one quarterback hit on Aaron Rodgers, whose age is determined by carbon dating, and made him look like vintage Rogers, navigating the pocket, throwing accurately and executing big plays all over the field. He came into the game having been sacked a league-leading 13 times and was only completing 57.5% of his passes, but the Colts, whose failure to find an edge rusher since Robert Mathis ranks as the second-greatest failure of the Ballard Era (behind finding a QB), made Rodgers look like the vintage version.

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“Obviously I saw Kelsey’s comments and as her teammate, it makes you upset because you care about your teammates so much and you don’t want any of them to go through something like that,” Clark said Thursday morning at her exit interview. “…Obviously there’s such a microscope on me and that kind of comes with everybody else that I’ve been teammates with. Whether that was my time at Iowa, whether that’s here, and it comes with a lot of really great things. And then there are times when some of it can be negative.

“I think as far as people that have used me to, you know, demonstrate racist rhetoric or hate or discrimination, that’s not something I stand for. For those of you who know me, it’s never been something I stand for. It’s not what I’m about, not the way I was raised. So that’s really disappointing when people do that. I think it kind of gets into this larger discussion in mainstream sports of what people go through. I recently saw where (tennis star) Coco Gauff came out and talked about her experience as well. So anytime I see something like that, it makes me mad and upset, makes me sad, makes me really disappointed…

“I think for my teammates, there’s a lot of really great things that come with playing here, too. And as far as Kelsey and our future with her with the organization, I think she knows how much I love her…and there’s nobody I would want to share the backcourt with other than her…We’re going to work our butt off to get her back. We’re going to recruit her as hard as we can. We need her, we love her and more than anything, Kelsey’s a really great person and I love getting to be in the locker room with her.”

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Really?

I’m talking about Carlie Irsay-Gordon‘s habit of standing on the sidelines and wearing a headset before and during Colts games.

I don’t argue that it’s somewhat unconventional. I remember how Mark Cuban sat on or near the bench when he owned the Dallas Mavericks, but it’s surely a rarity in sports and certainly in the NFL, where owners tend to sit in their well-appointed luxury suites.

Here’s my view of it, and I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again:

I’m glad she’s on those sidelines. If I’m a Colts fan, I want my team’s owner to be fully invested and as knowledgeable about the business as humanly possible. Male, female, no matter. Would you prefer a meddling egomaniac like Jerry Jones? Or an abject dope like the Jets’ Woody Johnson? Would you prefer Carlie’s late father, Jim, who struggled terribly with his health his last five years and was not always in his right mind (see: the Jeff Saturday hiring).

Especially this year, a wildly important year for the Colts that could very well conclude with a complete housecleaning in the front office and on the coaching staff. Don’t you want your team’s owner to be immersed in the day-to-day functions of the franchise, including game-day and sidelines operations?

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It took a while, but eventually, Jonathan Taylor, the Colts’ Europe hand, took over Sunday’s game against the Commanders in London. Not only did he rush 20 times for 95 yards against a highly rated rush defense, but after scoring his first of two touchdowns, he celebrated by sitting cross-legged and, pinky extended, sipped a spot of tea. Good thing Taylor and the offensive line were on their game because Daniel Jones, who still may not be fully recovered from the torn Achilles, played miserably. More on him later.

Grade: B

RUN DEFENSE

The Commanders, who were down to their third-string quarterback, Athan Kaliakmanis, after an early-game injury to Marcus Mariota, didn’t have a lot of offensive options. They ran reasonably well – an early 35-yard Mariota run skewed the numbers – but they finished with 100 yards and a 5.2 yard-per-carry average. Akeem Davis-Gaither and Justin Walley, the latter having gotten home on a blitz to knock Washington out of field goal position, both finished with eight tackles. Grover Stewart had six. Huge fourth-down play by Jerry Tillery. Another impressive showing by DeForest Buckner, who is playing lights out after major off-season neck surgery.

Grade: B

PASS OFFENSE

It’s only been 280 days since Jones returned to the lineup after suffering a torn Achilles last year, so it remains an open question: Are his early-season bobbles – namely, fumbles and interceptions – a function of not being fully back from such a major injury, or were the first 10 games last year a mirage? I’m not sure we’ll have an answer within the next month. His ball security is abysmal – he fumbled when a Washington defender pushed offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann back into Jones’ lap and frequently threw off his back foot into heavy coverage. He threw one pick and could have had a few more. To his credit, he settled down as the game wore on, but that first half…yikes. He finished 19 of 34 for a measly 143 yards against a pass defense that was ranked 31^st in the league coming into the game. Is it too early to start talking about benching Jones? Of course it is.

Grade: D

PASS DEFENSE

It’s still a relatively small sample size, but thus far, Sauce Gardner has not yet performed as expected at the corner spot. He got beat deep twice, once for a touchdown on what appeared by be a double move and has not yet been a dominant force in the Colts’ secondary. Solid game from Walley, who struggled quite a bit earlier this season. The important stat, though, is this one: The Commanders went 2-of-15 on third-down conversions. I thought the edge rushers made more noise than usual, specifically Laiatu Latu, who’s had pressures this year but came into the game with just a half-sack this season. Washington passed for 217 yards, but 130 of those yards came on three plays. That’s more production than you might expect from a team missing Jayden Daniels, Mariota and Indy native Terry McLaurin, the dynamic wide receiver. Another solid break for the Colts, who didn’t see Houston’s Colts-killing receiver Nico Collins last week. Excellent interception by Jaylon Carlies on a day when the Colts linebackers played their best game of the season. Another impactful day from Adetomiwa Adebawore.

Grade: B-

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SPECIAL TEAMS

You know you have a special weapon when the broadcast marks the 50-yard line as being within Spencer Shrader’s field goal range. Another perfect week for Shrader. Otherwise, not a whole heck of a lot to say about special teams. Sorry.

Grade: A

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COACHING

There’s no telling how this game would have unfolded if Mariota, one of the league’s better backup quarterbacks, could have remained healthy. But once he left the field in the first half with an injured leg, Shane Steichen knew he could play it close to the vest, rely upon Taylor and the running game and largely take the ball out of Jones’ unsteady hands. Also worth noting, the Colts had just one penalty for five yards; Washington committed 10.

Grade: A-

INTANGIBLES

If nothing else, the Colts have this Europe trip down, having won all three times they’ve made the transatlantic trip under Steichen. Good thing they didn’t use Sean McVay as their travel agent. They looked miserable to start, falling behind 6-0 early – and it could have been worse – but the Mariota injury changed everything. At that point, all the Colts had to do was stop beating themselves, which they did after an early fumble and interception. Now 2-2, they travel to Pittsburgh next week, a locale where they never win. Let’s just say, they need a different Daniel Jones if they’re going to walk away from that game victorious.

GRADE: A-

No wonder she was so confident:

The Aces’ Big Three – Chelse Gray, Jackie Young and soon-to-be five-time MVP A’ja Wilson combined to have played in 169 WNBA playoff games. The Fevers’ Big Three – Caitlin Clark (4) , Kelsey Mitchell (11) and Aliyah Boston (13) – played in 28 WNBA Playoff Games.

The result in Game 3, a 94-83 Aces victory over the Fever, was not the least bit surprising. Pedigree matters. Experience matters. And mostly, Wilson, the best player in the league, matters, finishing with 36 points and 10 rebounds.

As disappointing as the outcome was, especially for a Fever team that established itself the highest scoring team in WNBA history, it was something of a fait accompli.

Listen, the Fever are not yet ready to make a championship run just yet. Sure, they reached Game 5 of the WNBA semis last year, pushing the Aces to five games with an injury-riddled roster, but experience matters. And let’s be honest: The Aces’ Big Three badly outplayed the Fevers’ Big Three in Game 1 and 3. In Game 3, Clark shot 6-for-18 (3 for 12 on 3’s) and scored 18 points while Mitchell had 23 points on 7-of-23 shooting and 3-of-11 on 3’s. Clark also had six turnovers and just four assists, an un-Clark-like stat line. The Fever also couldn’t guard without fouling, the Aces going 28 of 35 from the line while the Fever was 14 of 20.

It’s going to happen for the Fever. If they continue to build around the Big Three – or the Big Two; Kelsey Mitchell is going to be a free agent, and we have no idea just now what her plans are – their window of championship contention is wide open. But this was an unusual year, very top heavy, where a team like the Fever can go 28-16 and still finish with the sixth seed and lose out on home court. (They also blew some home games during the regular season, most recently to Washington.) That’s got to be the goal next year, earning home-court advantage in the first round and perhaps beyond.

Now, we have to ask, what about Wilson and her ugly act during Game 2 when he stepped up on a fan standing who took one small step toward Wilson, pointed at her and said, “That’s on you,” referring to a foul committed by Sophie Cunningham?

Should the league have suspended her, or any of the Aces players who came off the bench, for Game 3? By the letter of the law, probably. But sometimes you have to use common sense in the adjudication of these matters, and let’s face it, the league would have taken major grief for putting Clark in a more favorable position to win Game 3. Favoritism, they would have howled.

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I’d have fined Wilson and some of the Aces players who sprinted from the bench to the baseline, but no more of that. This wasn’t he Malice at the Palace, for crying out loud.

Bottom line, if I’m a Fever fan, I’m not feeling like I got the short end of the stick.

To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.ge

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The Aces have won the WNBA title three times in four years, including last year. And now, with the Minnesota Lynx having been eliminated in a sweep by the New York Liberty, the Aces are the odds-on favorites to win the whole thing.

The Fever? They have to improve their defensive commitment (they need better defensive players), they need more size and they need to retain a Big Three, whether that’s keeping Mitchell or adding free agents like Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier or the Aces’ Jackie Young.

A first-round elimination is surely a deep disapointment but given the opponent and the difference in experience and pedigree, it was no great surprise. Not really.

The big news, the ultimately important news, was that the Fever saved their season Tuesday night, knocking off the Las Vegas Aces, 99-89, to tie the first-round series at a game apiece. The two teams will seek to advance to the next round when they play at 9 p.m. Thursday in Vegas.

It wasn’t all Caitlin Clark, although a lot of it was as she finished with 27 points, 15 rebounds and, at the risk of being negative, five turnovers. It wasn’t all Kelsey Mitchell, although a lot of it was, who continued to hear “MVP! MVP!” chants from the crowd, scoring 26 points in her usual electric style. It wasn’t all Aliyah Boston, although a lot of it was, who had 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. Indiana’s Big Three outplayed Vegas’ Big Three.

On a night when the post-game talk centered on the baseline contretemps between Wilson and a Fever fan, the Fever got production from some of the unlikeliest places. There was Myisha Hines-Allen, whose physical play set the tone, especially in the second half. There was rising rookie Raven Johnson, who played 23 ½ solid minutes, scored six points and defended with force. There was Lexie Hull, who defended on the wing, scored four points with seven rebounds and played to a +9 in the plus-minus category.

This is the way the Fever can play – we’ve seen it often during the regular season – and this is the way the Fever must play if they’re going to have a puncher’s chance back in Vegas Thursday.

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How Does Tyrese Haliburton look after missing the entire season with an Achilles surgery and a painful outbreak of the shingles (which, as someone who has dealt with the malady, I can tell you it’s absolutely miserable)?

I’m not worried about Haliburton, not in the least. He’s had eight months to recover from the torn Achilles, quite a bit longer than Daniel Jones of the Colts and the Celtics’ Jason Tatum.

I don’t sense Haliburton, the perpetually upbeat face of the franchise, is terribly concerned, either.

“So before you ask a question, I’m healthy,” Haliburton said before answering Media Day queries Monday. “I’m 100%. There will be no restrictions. That is not news. There is no source. I am the source. I’m ready to go for the year.”

Well, that settles that.

There will be no load management, no ramp-up period to get Haliburton’s legs under him, although Rick Carlisle said the medical group will watch him closely. He’s full-go from Day One of camp Tuesday.

That said, it’s been a full year since Haliburton’s devastating injury in the early minutes of Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and as much as you want to scrimmage, play full-court five on five and all the rest, there’s no true way to replicate the speed and physicality of NBA basketball without experiencing it once again. What I’m saying is, it might take a while before Haliburton is completely up to speed.

“When you get to the NBA game, there’s always going to be some adjustment period in terms of conditioning or some of the things you can’t simulate in practice,” Pascal Siakam said of Haliburton. “So I think there’s going to be some of that. We expect him to be great, but at the same time, we’ve got to give him some grace.”

Said Rick Carlisle: “You don’t realize how important one player can be until you are without that player for a significant period of time. Our team is very much built as an ecosystem with all the parts dependent on one another.”

The most important part is Haliburton, the head of the snake for a team fully reliant on many skills. It’s no wonder the Pacers fell off the cliff last season, playing short-handed, utilizing no less than seven players on hardship contracts.

It was a brutal offseason for Haliburton, who was thrilled this summer to take vacation in Cabo San Lucas, only to break down in tears when he realized what a struggle it was to navigate the condo stairs and other limitations.

“It was hard for me to move around, get on the board, do all these things and I just broke down in the shower one day because I was like, `God, this just sucks.’ But there were a lot of days like that where there’s just like random thouhts and feelings. The whole last 16 months have been hard to see my teammates have the year we had…and it was difficult because you know I wasn’t able to be out there helping, so it was frustrating.

“…But I wouldn’t change any of it. I’m excited to be where I am and I feel like all those things have kind of helped me to get where I am today. I’m thankful for that.”

How will Big Zu, Ivica Zubac, fit into the Pacers’ up-tempo style?

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What, you were expecting a productive afternoon in the rushing game? Not against the Houston Texans. Jonathan Taylor, who has run exceedingly well the first two games, couldn’t find any place to go, finishing with 68 yards on 23 carries, a measly 3.0 average with a long run of 11 yards. I thought the most telling run came from Daniel Jones, who showed surprising burst when he scrambled around the edge, lowered his shoulder as he approached the sideline and muscled his way for a short first down. It still blows me away that the Colts lost the turnover battle, 3-0, couldn’t run effectively and saw Jones have a substandard game…and won. It was the first time the Colts have lost the TO battle by three and won a game since 1999. I had hair in 1999. That’s a very long time.

GRADE: D

RUN DEFENSE

The Texans have two strong runners, David Montgomery and Woody Marks, but because of that offensive line, they haven’t established themselves as a productive running team. Houston managed 70 yards on 21 carries, a 3.3 yards-per-carry average. The tone, as usual, was set by DeForest Buckner, who’s having an amazing season after a serious neck surgery that had him thinking retirement this summer. All I know is, I had a neck fusion 20 years ago and still can’t play golf without pain. This guy is out there dominating, even on a team that stunk out the joint the first two weeks. Sunday, Buckner had seven combined tackles (two solo, five combined), 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss and two quarterback hits. He had company with Adetomiwa Adebawore, who had 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss and three quarterback hits. A yeoman’s performance by the whole group.

GRADE: A

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They almost blew it, as they’ve been wont to do in recent times, Shane Steichen again turning oddly conservative – scared? -- in the final minute before he was bailed out by Spencer Shrader’s 53-yard game winner.

The Colts were up 16-7 with 12:43 left in the game, holding C.J. Stroud to just 54 yards passing to that point, only to give up two late scoring drives that put the Texans ahead 17-16 with 1:48 remaining and two timeouts.

But the Colts, who rarely “find a way,” having lost six straight one-possession games going back to last season, finally made a play – a couple of them, actually — specifically a 20-yard completion to Laquon Treadwell (who?) and a six-yard pass to the suddenly revitalized Keenan Allen with just 24 seconds left. That set up Shrader, who was listed as questionable with a tweaked groin in the minutes leading up to the game.

We should all have tweaked groins, is what I’m saying.

He blasted a 58-yarder earlier and the game-winner from 53. Four-for-four on the day. Not bad.

He didn’t kick off – that responsibility fell to punter Rigoberto Sanchez, who did a fine job – but he had plenty of leg when it counted.

Shrader said he felt a minor tweak in his groin during pre-game warmups, and wondered later if his knee injury, which sidelined him most of last season, impacted the groin. He was listed as questionable and the Colts chose to have Sanchez kick off in the hope it would save Shrader’s leg.

“That decision was made for me,” he said with a smile.

That’s when the medical staff went to work, including some dry needling work, and needles to the groin area sound like no fun at all.

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