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DeadlyDynasty
01-17-2012, 06:17 PM
I'm sure Colts fans are real heartbroken over this.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7471905/indianapolis-colts-fire-jim-caldwell-nfl-worst-2-14-season


INDIANAPOLIS -- Jim Caldwell endured everything thrown at him during his first two seasons as the Colts' coach -- replacing a friend, rebounding from losses and fighting through injuries.

Not having Peyton Manning around in 2011 was just too much.

Caldwell was fired Tuesday, a little more than two weeks after the Colts' worst season in two decades.

"This is obviously a big transitional time for us, but I know we're excited moving forward and it's hard when you say goodbyes to some people," team owner Jim Irsay said. "But it's part of the business."

In Indianapolis, the last two weeks have hardly been business as usual.

The day after a season-ending loss at Jacksonville assured Indy of the No. 1 draft pick in April with a 2-14 mark, Irsay fired team vice chairman Bill Polian, the architect of the Colts' success, and his son, Chris, the hand-picked general manager.

Irsay's nine-day search for a replacement ended last Wednesday when he chose 39-year-old Ryan Grigson as Indy's new GM.

Since then, Irsay and Grigson have met almost non-stop, debating what direction the team needed to go, whether staff changes would fix the problems or whether the team needed to bring in a new coach and possibly a whole new staff.

Things were so clouded Monday that Caldwell even met with former Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo about possibly becoming the Colts' new defensive coordinator, and as late as Tuesday morning, the conventional wisdom was that Caldwell would stay.

Then things changed almost as suddenly as the Colts' fortunes in 2011.

Irsay said he informed Caldwell of the decision about 2 p.m., shortly before the team confirmed the move.

"We just came to the conclusion that this is best moving forward for the franchise," Grigson said, referring to his first major decision in charge of an NFL team. "Mr. Irsay is the steward of this franchise and I'm here to help him wrap his head around these types of decisions. We've been in football our whole lives and a lot of it is about instincts."

Caldwell ends his Colts' tenure 26-22 overall with one AFC title, two division crowns and one bleak season that has left him unemployed just three years after replacing close friend Tony Dungy, the first black coach to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

"This was a difficult decision," Irsay said. "I wanted to make sure we took all the time we needed to make sure it was the right decision. ... And just like 14 years ago, it's a big change for the franchise and at the same time, there's players, coaches, many people on the staff that will go into the new day and get on with the work of 2012."

Back in 1998, the Colts brought in Manning, Bill Polian and coach Jim Mora. The team got better fast and, though Mora was gone after the 2001 season, the franchise became one of the league's model franchises.

And it is now headed in a different direction, even if Manning comes back as expected from Sept. 8 neck surgery.

Caldwell -- who won his first 14 games, an NFL record for a rookie head coach, and became only the fifth first-year coach to take his team to the Super Bowl -- won't be there when the Colts resume practice. With fans complaining about game management and clamoring for a change since midseason, Irsay didn't have much choice.

Caldwell was one of 11 coaches hired after the 2009 season and becomes the latest to get fired. The only two coaches still in their jobs from the Class of 2009 are the New York Jets' Rex Ryan and the Detroit Lions' Jim Schwartz.

With Manning, the Colts won a league-record 115 regular-season games over the previous decade, tying the league mark for most consecutive playoff appearances (nine), winning two AFC titles and one Super Bowl trophy, the Colts lost their first 13 games in 2011, then won twice in five days and nearly lost the No. 1 draft pick, too.

Without Manning, Indy started 0-8 and was the heavy favorite to win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes at midseason. Caldwell's team lost the next five games, too, before finally winning two straight to avoid becoming the second 0-16 team in league history.

A season-ending loss at Jacksonville, officially gave the Colts the top pick, which is expected to be used on Luck.

Players never gave up on Caldwell and many cited their preference to keep playing for him next season. Manning was one of Caldwell's supporters, calling the coach that helped him win a record-setting four MVP Awards a "friend."

But the disastrous 2011 season was too much for Caldwell to overcome after winning AFC South titles in each of his first two seasons in Indy.

After overhauling the front office, Irsay last week hired Grigson as his new general manager, then wanted to wait until Grigson had time to evaluate Caldwell's performance.

The decision came Tuesday, setting off the second major search of the month.

"Change sometimes isn't always the easiest transition to make but it's part of this game, part of this league and part of the direction we need to get going in this new era of Colts football," Grigson said.

Kirk Nowitzki
01-18-2012, 01:50 AM
Rex Ryan's gotta be pissed, now who's gonna rest their starters and call terrible timeouts at the end of the game against his team?

Honestly though with Polian gone and now Caldwell, everyone who played a role in quitting on perfection in 2009 is gone. Hopefully all the bullshit that came with it (losing SB, Manning injury, 2-14, etc.) is too, but I have this bad feeling that Caldwell being gone means Manning is next to go. If they let him go now is probably the best time, they're clearly in rebuild mode and he deserves to go out a winner if he can still play.

NewcastleKEG
01-18-2012, 02:18 AM
Yet another sign the end is near for Peyton in Indy

ducks
01-19-2012, 12:12 AM
I think the colts are not going to sign the old players and totally rebuilt
it is smart
rebuild with a new coach with luck and start over
let luck and the new wide outs grow up together
trade peyton for high draft picks for wide outs and tight ends and running backs

Pelicans78
01-19-2012, 12:20 AM
Peyton ain't getting traded. His contract is way too high and it won't happen. He's either gonna be kept or get released.

Huey Freeman
01-19-2012, 03:43 AM
Peyton ain't getting traded. His contract is way too high and it won't happen. He's either gonna be kept or get released.

Yep, I wouldn't be surprised if he retired. The neck is nothing to play with.

Greg Oden
01-19-2012, 10:07 AM
I think the colts are not going to sign the old players and totally rebuilt
it is smart
rebuild with a new coach with luck and start over
let luck and the new wide outs grow up together
trade peyton for high draft picks for wide outs and tight ends and running backs

ducks