Why Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds had an axe in the draft room
INDIANAPOLIS — The photo, tucked deep into the team gallery of Day 3 of the NFL Draft, certainly catches the eye.
Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds in a white dress shirt.
A long-handled axe in his left hand, resting on his shoulder, with markings inscribed on the handle and signs of wear and tear on the blade.
The Colts scouting staff’s version of Miami’s famous turnover chain, the long, golden necklace with a sparkling helmet attached that Hurricanes defenders donned the past five years after forcing a turnover.
“Whoever has a good player in draft meetings or something like that, they get the axe for a while,” Dodds said with a smile.
The axe was an impulse buy.
Dodds was in a Best Buy after the 2017 season, looking for a new TV. There, right on the end of the aisle, was the axe.
Chris Ballard’s right-hand man didn’t have to spend a whole lot of time contemplating the purchase.
“Yeah, I’ll buy that,” Dodds remembered thinking.
An impulse buy turned into a staple of the Indianapolis front office.
“It’s been in there ever since,” Dodds said. “It’s foam, it’s not like we’re going to hurt each other with it.”
Good thing.
Because it has been used in some creative ways over the years, hence the wear and tear on the “blade.”
“It’s been thrown around and used like an axe by some people,” Dodds said. “It’s got some damage to it, but it’s been there a while. It just kind of gets passed around.”
And now it can be a part of Indianapolis draft lore.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds had an axe in the draft room
