Personal disclaimer: I always loved Eric Fisher. Let me rephrase that: I loved Eric Fisher. Even from the outset, he was always an underdog of sorts in his role as the left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs and that only served to endear me over the years to a guy who grew into a very good and consistent performer at a very important position for the Chiefs.
As we all know, Fisher suffered an unfortunate and untimely Achiles injury in the AFC Championship win over the Buffalo Bills last winter, which meant the team would be without him in the biggest game of the year: a Super Bowl showdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. From there, Fisher faced a long offseason marked by rehabilitation and recovery for an injury that that might not even allow him to return to the field—one made even more complicated by the fact that Fisher had recently turned 30.
In response to the questions surrounding Fisher on the left (and Mitchell Schwartz’s back injury on the right), the Chiefs wiped the slate clean at offensive tackle and went to work replacing both with the eventual additions of Orlando Brown Jr. and Lucas Niang (and maybe Mike Remmers and Kyle Long if you want to get into the nuances of it all). That left Fisher facing free agency for the first time in his NFL career.
When the 2021 season rolled around, a familiar face for Fisher in Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard came calling with major needs along the team’s offensive line. Fisher was signed to a one-year deal to man the left tackle role when and if he became ready. By the end of September it turns out Fisher was ready and he’s started four game ever since.
However, a quick scroll down Twitter lane shows that Fisher isn’t exactly working out as the Colts hoped it would—at least so far. Perhaps that’s understandable given that he’s returning from such a devastating injury. He’s also learning a new offensive system, only his second one after playing eight years under Andy Reid. Then again, it doesn’t sound like Colts fans are ready to give him more time to grow into the job or get healthier as the season goes on.
Check out what Twitter thinks of Eric Fisher’s play so far:
I seriously was never on the Quenton Nelson to LT train until I saw Eric Fisher play…
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) October 17, 2021
Eric Fisher pic.twitter.com/aIM4dajyeL
— Diegø (@Kelle4Three) October 17, 2021
Eric Fisher has to be the most disappointing move of the offseason.
— Nathan (Curious Colt) (@Curious_Colt) October 17, 2021
Eric Fisher has not looked too good so far in Colts blue--almost got Wentz hurt that last drive.
— Luke Schultheis (@LuckAtLuke) October 17, 2021
Still waiting for his 'quick twitch' athleticism to return.
Fair to wonder whether we'll be waiting all season right now.
Prepare for all the Eric Fisher Replacement scenario talk these next 4-5 weeks.
— Collin (@cmccollo) October 17, 2021
Eric fisher is god awful…literally killing this team
— Colts Thoughts #AR#Juju#Downs#freeland#ade#rush (@ThoughtsColts) October 17, 2021
Eric Fisher is an absolute disaster at left tackle. Called for tripping and almost got Wentz's knees destroyed.#ForTheShoe#WeAreTexans#HOUvsIND #Colts#Texans
— Chris Shepherd (@NFLscheme) October 17, 2021
📺via CBS pic.twitter.com/u8buPwRfu0
How do the Colts Coaches and Chris Ballard expect for Wentz to stay healthy when Eric Fisher is playing this bad. Constantly needs help #colts
— Jon McClane (@Jon__McClane) October 17, 2021
“Here comes Eric Fisher!”
— Chris Lambert 🆑 (@lambertman) October 17, 2021
Heenan: “yeah, but whose side is he on?!”