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Stephen Holder
INDIANAPOLIS — With his bumps and bruises still fresh, and while still coming to grips with the frustration that comes with an ugly loss, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones did what he does after every game.
He sought out the trusted voice that has guided him for the past decade-plus.
In the aftermath of the Colts’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9, in which a grass-stained Jones was sacked five times and was responsible for five turnovers, waiting until the following day to confront the carnage was not an option.
That very evening, Jones dialed up David Cutcliffe and got to work.
«We did a bit of a deep dive,» said Cutcliffe, Jones’ coach at Duke and, to this day, his closest football mentor and confidant. «It was mostly me listening to him.»
Some of the conversation centered on elements Cutcliffe has always stressed with Jones, like reminders to keep two hands on the football when in the pocket to avoid the strip-sacks that befell him in Pittsburgh.
But much of the conversation was about keeping perspective. Jones was beating himself up over his performance, easily his worst of the season, and Cutcliffe offered some needed balance. He referenced poet Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem, «If,» as a reminder.
The stanza of note: «If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same»
It was just one recent example of how Cutcliffe has been, perhaps, the most important voice in Jones’ ear throughout his years in college football and the NFL, including during his struggles with the New York Giants. Just as Cutcliffe played a similar role in the careers of Super Bowl-winning quarterback brothers Peyton and Eli Manning — both of whom he coached in college — he has been a stabilizing force through the ups and downs in Jones’ career.
And there have been plenty of both.
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«I think it’s helpful to have someone you really trust, someone who’s seen you kind of grow on the field and off the field as a player and knows what you are at your core,» Jones said. «And you’ve got to go back to that.
«A lot of those tougher years in New York, he helped me a ton through that, giving me coaching points and things I needed to work on, but also encouraging me and helping me realize a lot of things that I needed to do to improve and help build confidence. He’s been a huge, huge help for me for 10, 11 years now.»
Cutcliffe’s conversations with Jones this season have had a much different context than many of those they had during Jones’ six mostly tumultuous seasons with the Giants. The No. 6 pick in the 2019 draft, Jones often found himself playing with underwhelming supporting casts and dealing with unreliable pass protection.
He rarely expressed any frustrations publicly. Even now, Jones still talks about the experience mostly in a neutral fashion. But, all along, it was Cutcliffe who was helping Jones process it all.
«I think it prepared him for everything he’s going to face throughout his career,» Cutcliffe said of Jones’ time in New York. «There were times I would go up to New York and we’d just sit down and watch film and he could just be one-on-one. He could say what he was feeling. And I said, ‘You have to express that.'»
The conversations between the pair this season have been much more positive. Jones has been among the league leaders in passing yards and completion percentage in 2025, making him one of the most surprising stories of the season. The Colts lead the AFC South and are in play for the conference’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
«He’s happy,» said Cutcliffe, 71. «He had some good times in New York, but look at the list of coaches and coordinators and different offenses. And, then, it’s been pretty documented, all the issues at receiver and the issues with the offensive line. So, he’s surrounded by a good football team and I can tell you he’s happy.»
The relationship between Jones and Cutcliffe was born out of trust, and that trust has shaped it ever since.
It began with a phone call from Jones’ Charlotte, North Carolina high school coach to Cutcliffe, the coach at Duke at the time. Cutcliffe was alerted to Jones, who was being lightly recruited. Jones was committed to Princeton, but the more prominent programs had shown little interest.
Cutcliffe watched Jones’ game film and was immediately intrigued.
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Cutcliffe wouldn’t have it any other way. But while he continues to pour into Jones, Cutcliffe is also benefiting from this relationship. He watches every Colts game with great anticipation and said talking about Jones’ performance this season is «my favorite topic.» On Sundays, Cutcliffe said, «My wife knows not to talk to me when the Colts are on TV.»
Meanwhile, Jones and the Colts (8-2) roll on, heading into a key AFC matchup on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Jones will take center stage, and he bring with him the lessons imparted by Cutcliffe through the years.
It’s that wisdom that has helped make him who he is, Jones said.
«There’s no doubt I wouldn’t be here without him and the influence he’s had on me as a player and as a person,» Jones said. «I think what I learned on the field from him at Duke was huge. And then going into the NFL, him advocating for me as someone who NFL executives and coaches trust and know his pedigree, know his background, went a long way for me.
«And, then, in the NFL, he’s continued to coach me and help me and always support me.»
Jeff Legwold contributed to this report.
