Colts Fire Caldwell

Added on Jan 18, 2012 by Scott in

NFL

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay is cleaning house after finishing 2-14. First to go were vice chairman Bill Polian and general manager Chris Polian the day after the season concluded. And yesterday the axe finally fell on head coach Jim Caldwell, who was strung along for over two weeks before being dismissed. The fate of injured quarterback Peyton Manning still hangs in the balance.

Irsay justified dragging out the decision in Tuesday’s press conference announcing the termination.

“This was a difficult decision,” Colts owner Jim Irsay said during a Tuesday news conference. “It was based on the feeling that this was a direction the franchise needed to go. I wanted to make sure we took all the time we needed to make sure it was the right decision.”

New general manager Ryan Grigson, late of the Eagles, likely wanted to bring in his own guy which ultimately made Caldwell expendable. Grigson preached patience in searching for a replacement. With Jeff Fisher off the market and big names like Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden out of the running, whoever the Colts bring aboard won’t be a coaching veteran.

In three seasons walking the sidelines, Caldwell went 26-22 in the regular season and 2-2 in the playoffs, including a loss in Super Bowl XLIV. Prior to his promotion to head coach after Dungy’s retirement, Caldwell served as Indy’s quarterback/assistant head coach from 2002-2008.

The Colts hold the number one pick in April’s draft and it seems like a foregone conclusion that Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck will be the choice. If this scenario unfolds, the immediate future of Peyton Manning must be decided. According to Grigson, Manning’s long-term health remains the sticking point.

“In regards to Peyton, we’re not even there with anything involving Peyton Manning quite yet,” Grigson said. “We have to know about his medical, there are so many things. I’m not there yet.”

Next on the docket is finding a new head coach. Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who is scheduled to interview for the Raiders’ vacancy, is a potential candidate due to his connection with Grigson.

Source: NFL.com