Howard Mudd steps down as Colts senior offensive assistant

In a bit of a surprising announcement today, Colts Senior Offensive Assistant Howard Mudd has decided to return to step down from his role with the team.

Mudd spent many years on staff with the Colts and has been an NFL coach in some capacity for the better part of the Super Bowl era. His work with the Colts offensive line during Peyton Manning’s time here kept the quarterback upright and effective, and it was a certainly a win to get him on staff out of retirement after 6 years out of the league.

Mudd joined Frank Reich’s staff after they hired offensive line coach Chris Strausser. Reich and Chris Ballard were talking with Mudd during that process and finally asked the question, why not bring him in? We’ve written about the impact on the line that Mudd can have in terms of technique and style, and Zach Hicks wrote a piece here about how he might improve Braden Smith’s game.

The good news is that the offensive line has been working under Chris Strausser all offseason, supplemented by Mudd’s guidance. The two have a strong relationship and are likely to continue communicating throughout the season. Strausser brings 31 years of coaching experience to the table himself, so he’s no slouch.

What seems likely is that Mudd simply didn’t want to endure the rigors of the regular season and what that means for an NFL coach. At 77 years old, it is tough to blame him. Having a legend involved in the offseason preparation for the line likely provided a great deal of insight and benefit to the coaching staff and players. Now, Mudd can return to retirement and watch this line from afar.