National Football League

New Colts GM feels butterflies before 1st game

Published Aug. 10, 2012 7:13 p.m. ET

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New Indianapolis general manager Ryan Grigson concedes he has more than a few butterflies as the Colts wrap up preparations for their preseason opener with the St. Louis Rams.

Grigson, who has spent the last nine years serving in a variety of front-office and scouting positions with the Philadelphia Eagles, will be watching his own team take the field for the first time Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Hired as the Colts' general manager Jan. 11, replacing Bill and Chris Polian, Grigson is one of several new faces in the team's front office and coaching staff.

''It's excitement. There's always the fear of the unknown, so to speak,'' he said Friday. ''I feel confident that, at this point, I know that we'll come out and play hard.

''I have butterflies. I'm not going to lie. We've come such a long way in this whole process. To actually see the product on the field against another team, a different color jersey, is exciting. I can't fake that.''

There's been a near complete culture change in Indianapolis since Grigson took over the reins of the franchise seven months ago.

Longtime veterans, such as quarterback Peyton Manning and tight end Dallas Clark, have moved on. Former coach Jim Caldwell is now the Baltimore Ravens' quarterbacks coach. Chuck Pagano, the Ravens' ex-defensive coordinator, is now the Colts' coach.

And Indianapolis selected former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the first pick in last April's draft.

That wasn't the only change. There are about 50 players on the Colts' training camp roster who weren't with the team at the end of the 2011 season.

Owner Jim Irsay gave Grigson the responsibility of rebuilding a franchise that had made 10 straight postseason appearances under Bill Polian's guidance.

The Colts, however, went 2-14 last season, tied for worst in the league, after Manning got hurt.

''I'm not really following anybody's template. I'm really just kind of keeping it simple. I will always explore anything that makes us better,'' Grigson said. ''And I think my actions speak to that. We need to keep doing that.''

The Colts' revival depends largely on the maturation of Luck, who has been impressive during the first two weeks of training camp.

''He really is what we thought he was. We just have to get him in front of some other folks and see how he responds,'' Grigson said. ''The one thing that you can tell from his body language, from how he reacts on the field, from how he does things, he's his harshest critic. Nobody is going to be able to push his buttons as hard as he pushes his own buttons. That's evidence that he wants to be great. He wants to make every completion. He wants to complete every pass. And that's good to see.''

Indianapolis' first-team offense is tentatively scheduled to be on the field for 20 to 25 plays Sunday, although offensive coordinator Bruce Arians has hinted that could change.

''I'm so looking towards Sunday, just to see everybody come together and do things. The offensive line. The defensive line. See how they play and see how we do against the run. There's a lot of little things in the back of my mind,'' Grigson said. ''I'm looking forward to see. But it's still brand new. It's just a blank piece of paper and we're just filling every line in as we go here day by day.''