Indianapolis Colts resume New England Patriots rivalry after Josh McDaniels snub

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard says the franchise’s rivalry with the New England Patriots has been renewed after they were shunned by Josh McDaniels.

The Patriots offensive coordinator had agreed terms to become Colts head coach on Tuesday, but performed a surprise U-turn after New England's owner Robert Kraft reportedly offered him an improved contract.

McDaniels was a key figure for the Patriots under head coach Bill Belichick, whose team fell to a 41-33 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday's Super Bowl.

Ballard, who was due to introduce the 41-year-old in a press conference on Wednesday, addressed the media alone and vowed to challenge the Patriots' domination of the AFC.

"The rivalry is back on," he said.

Revealing he had a brief exchange with McDaniels after hearing of his uncertainty, Ballard added: "I just said: 'I need a yes or no answer. Are you in or out?'

"We went around for a minute and he said he's out and I said, 'OK, we're gonna move forward. I wish you the best of luck.'

"There was no persuasion. We have work to do. I want someone that's 100 percent committed to partnering with us and getting that work done."

The Colts are now reviewing their options once more, but Ballard remains confident of hiring a new head coach soon.

"You can bet we're going to get there," he said. "Unquestionably, we're going to get there.

"We have a list of candidates. We've had them from the get-go.

"We'll move forward with them and we will get the right leader for the Indianapolis Colts - one that believes what we believe and wants to go where we want to go."