Solutions In Progress But Complex In Nature

[oldunclemark]

The problem seems to be that the coaching staff wants the players to "self-coach". An example is Freeney and Mathis - obviously very talented players - but they have become ineffective because they are just doing whatever they want to do, and doing that consistently (playing naturally only works on sand lots). This problem has been with the Colts for years. There hasn't been any real coaching for a long, long time. We need a coach, not a philosopher.

If Peyton Manning were to come back, I wouldn't expect much improvement (maybe we'd be 2 - 5 instead of 0 - 7). It will take years.

what worked for 7 years is invalid because of 7 games?

Veteran players ALL self-coach to some extent...

I dont accept that this is a 2-5 team with Manning, Bracket Bullitt and our top 3 draft choices...

Let's just ride this 'titanic' out..

[FanFromtheWasteland]

what worked for 7 years is invalid because of 7 games?

Veteran players ALL self-coach to some extent...

I dont accept that this is a 2-5 team with Manning, Bracket Bullitt and our top 3 draft choices...

Let's just ride this 'titanic' out..

This titanic has been sinking for a while now but everyone only wanted to listen to the music. Now that the water is up to the poop deck..........time to do something.

[No 1 Manning Fan]

I wouldn't turn down Tressel as a replacement to Caldwell, but I would still rather have veteran NFL coach and preferably one with a little fire. I like the fire and passion of Cowher and Fisher. Players feed off of that energy and in turn play with fire and passion. I'm not saying that. Tressel can't be successful, but I hope he hires coordinators and assistants with a lot of energy, because he seems to be made from a similar mold to Dungy in my opinion. Not to disrespect Dungy, but I just want to see me energy on the sideline.

[FireJimCaldwell]

With Manning and a healthy team we are 5-2 at the worst. We should be 3-4 or 2-5 as it is with the horrible staff and injuries to the GOAT and a few others. A competent coaching staff would be 3-4 or 2-5 at this point. We don't have that.

[John Waylon]

I don't want Tressell. Maybe as an assistant or something, but we need a guy like Jim Harbaugh. Youth, fire, and testicular fortitude.

[coltfaninnewyork]

Agreed i do not want tressel,harbaugh would have been perfect.

[Case]

Just a heads up if your in Indy wthr 13 is airing Colts presser any min. Should be fun

[Thewholefnshow28]

This titanic has been sinking for a while now but everyone only wanted to listen to the music. Now that the water is up to the poop deck..........time to do something.

Well when you have Manning playing that music its hard for fans, coaching staff, and front office not to listen to the music while the entire ship sinks.

Looking back on it this has always been a glaring issue, but we just got luck because Manning has stayed healthy.

[John Waylon]

Just a heads up if your in Indy wthr 13 is airing Colts presser any min. Should be fun

Same old crap.

[chad72]

Complex concoction of 'shrooms is all I can decipher for Irsay

[Rblake]

We just need to get back to basics. Focus on fundamentals. Go out and execute. Make plays on both sides of the ball. Play the game of field position. Stick to our game plan. Start winning in the trenches. Get the D off the field on 3rd down. Keep our offensive drives alive. Punch it in there. And just win, baby!

[WSO]

we need a defensive minded head coach, heck we need a new defensive coordinator and we need an entire new defense!!

Yes the offense played poorly but the defense might as well have not shown up. Our O line did good in pass blocking. Few mistakes outside of that 1 fumble with the whole Saturday/Painter exchange. The running game looked good tonight (Carter averaged 8.9/carry).

The defense just looked atrocious. I have never in my life seen a team be pushed around like that. The Saints were men, the Colts looked like boys.

I am sick and tired of spending money, picks, on offense. It's not getting us anywhere, its gotten us 1 and done in the playoffs nearly every year and 1 super bowl in this past decade. Not even the 0-16 Lions lost this bad. I have never witnessed a loss like this from any team. Even those teams that the Pats ran over in 07 put up some fight, we didn't put up any!

[mahagga73]

what worked for 7 years is invalid because of 7 games?

Veteran players ALL self-coach to some extent...

I dont accept that this is a 2-5 team with Manning, Bracket Bullitt and our top 3 draft choices...

Let's just ride this 'titanic' out..

no they are 4-3,maybe 5-2 fighting at the top of the division.

[Bill Smith]

I did something last night that I haven't done since the 90's. I turned off my TV at half time and went to be.

[doogansquest]

we need a defensive minded head coach, heck we need a new defensive coordinator and we need an entire new defense!!

Yes the offense played poorly but the defense might as well have not shown up. Our O line did good in pass blocking. Few mistakes outside of that 1 fumble with the whole Saturday/Painter exchange. The running game looked good tonight (Carter averaged 8.9/carry).

The defense just looked atrocious. I have never in my life seen a team be pushed around like that. The Saints were men, the Colts looked like boys.

I am sick and tired of spending money, picks, on offense. It's not getting us anywhere, its gotten us 1 and done in the playoffs nearly every year and 1 super bowl in this past decade. Not even the 0-16 Lions lost this bad. I have never witnessed a loss like this from any team. Even those teams that the Pats ran over in 07 put up some fight, we didn't put up any!

You mean like the 59-0 fight the Titans put up against the Patriots two seasons ago? That was even in the snow.

Again, Cowher won't coach, because he doesn't want to. He even shouted, "please, stop asking!" during a post-game on CBS. Harbaugh is already coaching. This could also be a case of beginners luck for him. Once a few teams get some film of his coaching style after this season, reality will set in and we will see what he's made of.

[GoColts8818]

This titanic has been sinking for a while now but everyone only wanted to listen to the music. Now that the water is up to the poop deck..........time to do something.

What are they going to do right now? I doubt there any many better players to go get this late into a season after the trade deadline so they can't do much on that front. About the only thing they can do is fire the head coach and If they fried Caldwell today they aren't going to get their next coach to come in the middle of the season unless they hire from within which is not a good move right now. It's not going to fix the real problem which is a lack of talent coupled with younger players who don't have the experience they need.

[HGRekks]

A coaching change right now would be weird, but I think it sends the right message. The problem you run into is that you don't want to turn the whole system over midseason, so you really aren't going to get absolute change.It'd be way to early to hand it over to Tressel, and it'd be pointless without an offseason to install his systems. What you can get, however, is a change in gameplanning and potentially just better coaching, but you'll typically end up in house in the interim. My assumption would be Clyde would move to head with perhaps Ron Turner taking over the title (but not all duties) of the OC job. If Coyer goes (which wouldn't surprise me if he went and Caldwell stayed) I imagine Teerlinck would be the DC in the interim. After the season, they'd evaluate the coaches.

Then again, I'm getting ahead of myself even thinking coaching changes will happen.

[FanFromtheWasteland]

What are they going to do right now? I doubt there any many better players to go get this late into a season after the trade deadline so they can't do much on that front. About the only thing they can do is fire the head coach and If they fried Caldwell today they aren't going to get their next coach to come in the middle of the season unless they hire from within which is not a good move right now. It's not going to fix the real problem which is a lack of talent coupled with younger players who don't have the experience they need.

I agree that there is really nothing that can be done for this year. This season is shot. What I don’t want is “well Peyton will be back next year so everything will be fine” and keep the status quo. I am worried that nothing substantial can even be accomplished with the time Peyton has left assuming that he plays out the remainder of his contract. This team needs to start making changes as soon as practical for the future instead of waiting till Peyton is gone and then trying to patch together something to put on the field until new players can be brought in.

[Peyton and Eli fan]

A coaching change right now would be weird, but I think it sends the right message. The problem you run into is that you don't want to turn the whole system over midseason, so you really aren't going to get absolute change.It'd be way to early to hand it over to Tressel, and it'd be pointless without an offseason to install his systems. What you can get, however, is a change in gameplanning and potentially just better coaching, but you'll typically end up in house in the interim. My assumption would be Clyde would move to head with perhaps Ron Turner taking over the title (but not all duties) of the OC job. If Coyer goes (which wouldn't surprise me if he went and Caldwell stayed) I imagine Teerlinck would be the DC in the interim. After the season, they'd evaluate the coaches.

Then again, I'm getting ahead of myself even thinking coaching changes will happen.

The Cowboys changed coaches mid -season last year. They did have more success once the Wade was out.

[HGRekks]

The Cowboys changed coaches mid -season last year. They did have more success once the Wade was out.

Yeah, and I don't think it's a bad idea. I just think people think that a midseason coaching change will change everything. It won't. Typically, they don't change the system that much, but that doesn't mean a new coach can't turn it around. Better adjustments, game planning, and perhaps even using different people to fill different roles can change everything. For example, the team might run less Tampa 2, but they likely won't scrap the system entirely. The biggest change will most certainly be in the offseason, if there is one at all.

I'm all for the change, I'm just not sure it'll happen.

[FireJimCaldwell]

We don't have anyone else on staff that would be a realistic interim head coach. Tressel likely would be the best choice.

[Jason_]

What are they going to do right now? I doubt there any many better players to go get this late into a season after the trade deadline so they can't do much on that front. About the only thing they can do is fire the head coach and If they fried Caldwell today they aren't going to get their next coach to come in the middle of the season unless they hire from within which is not a good move right now. It's not going to fix the real problem which is a lack of talent coupled with younger players who don't have the experience they need.

A coaching change right now would be weird, but I think it sends the right message. The problem you run into is that you don't want to turn the whole system over midseason, so you really aren't going to get absolute change.It'd be way to early to hand it over to Tressel, and it'd be pointless without an offseason to install his systems. What you can get, however, is a change in gameplanning and potentially just better coaching, but you'll typically end up in house in the interim. My assumption would be Clyde would move to head with perhaps Ron Turner taking over the title (but not all duties) of the OC job. If Coyer goes (which wouldn't surprise me if he went and Caldwell stayed) I imagine Teerlinck would be the DC in the interim. After the season, they'd evaluate the coaches.

Then again, I'm getting ahead of myself even thinking coaching changes will happen.

I asked this question a while back in another thread but never saw an answer....if the Colts were to fire Caldwell now, then I also assume Clyde would be named interim coach. The question....do they then have to wait until the end of the season to interview candidates that are not currently within the organization. Obviously I know that they have to wait in order to interview someone who is currently on staff with another team, but guys like Billick, Cowher, Fisher etc are currently not on any team's coaching staff so could they be brought in mid-season for interviews and be hired if one was decided on? I'm not saying this should be done because it would be best to consider all possible candidates and that would include guys who are currently employed as coordinators and/or head coaches for other teams. So I hope I'm making this clear...I'm not suggesting this is what the Colts should do, and I say that even considering Billick has always been atop my wish list....I'm simply curious if they would even be allowed because I honestly am not sure at this point what the rule is for this type of situation.

[FanFromtheWasteland]

We don't have anyone else on staff that would be a realistic interim head coach. Tressel likely would be the best choice.

True, but at least it would show that Irsay is actually trying to do something now instead of later, and besides can it really be any worse than what is happening at the moment?

[coltfaninnewyork]

We don't have anyone else on staff that would be a realistic interim head coach. Tressel likely would be the best choice.

What about Blue?

[FireJimCaldwell]

I asked this question a while back in another thread but never saw an answer....if the Colts were to fire Caldwell now, then I also assume Clyde would be named interim coach. The question....do they then have to wait until the end of the season to interview candidates that are not currently within the organization. Obviously I know that they have to wait in order to interview someone who is currently on staff with another team, but guys like Billick, Cowher, Fisher etc are currently not on any team's coaching staff so could they be brought in mid-season for interviews and be hired if one was decided on? I'm not saying this should be done because it would be best to consider all possible candidates and that would include guys who are currently employed as coordinators and/or head coaches for other teams. So I hope I'm making this clear...I'm not suggesting this is what the Colts should do, and I say that even considering Billick has always been atop my wish list....I'm simply curious if they would even be allowed because I honestly am not sure at this point what the rule is for this type of situation.

I'm pretty sure they could interview, but they would also have to interview people that met the Rooney Rule. I'm not sure about coaches active on other teams, but Billick, Cowher, Gruden, throwing Dennis Green out there to meet the Rooney Rule, I'm guessing they could come to an agreement with one of them, and have the current staff stay in place until the end of the season, but I would want to be able to interview eveyrone I wanted, active OC/DC, etc. College coaches if they wanted to, etc.

[FireJimCaldwell]

True, but at least it would show that Irsay is actually trying to do something now instead of later, and besides can it really be any worse than what is happening at the moment?

I agree with that point emphatically. If they make a change in season, I would prefer the interim job to go to someone like Teerlink. I wish Caldwell hadn't run off Moore & Mudd, and either one of those could have handled it. But I agree making a statement needs to be done, because there is no reason this team should be winless at this point.

[John Waylon]

They could interview NOW if they wanted to so long as they adhere to the Rooney rule.

Which is why doing it now makes so much sense. Declare the intent, let the guys on the market know the job is open.

What's the harm in changing the system now? We have a 0.000% chance to make the playoffs, we're unlikely to even win this season, and thing's can't get any worse. If we wanna hire a guy like Bill Cowher and tell him to fix our defense, isn't the time he has left this season only going to help him? Everyone flies off the handle and freaks out at the prospect of a mid-season coaching change, but seriously, at this point, what could it hurt? Why wait?

[dn4192]

I really hope Irsay was embarrassed by the product on the field last night. He should be. He stands to lose a lot of money if the changes that need to be made are not done soon. Personally, I think (no suprise here) that the entire coaching staff needs to be removed posthaste, and certain players need to be cut. Perhaps not now, since we will undoubtedly get a decent draft pick with our current group, but certainly after the last game, the proverbial axe needs to come down.

Really? Are Colt Fans that jaded that 1 losing season will cause total disbandenment from the team that no one will show up next year? Colt fans are to jaded to sit in an outdoor stadium, or sit in the sun when it's hot, Colt fan is upset when after a decade long of football domination they have a bad season and want to moan and complain. Colt fan is upset when players are sat in non meaning games....Maybe Irsay should have gone west where fans are not so jaded....

[John Waylon]

Really? Are Colt Fans that jaded that 1 losing season will cause total disbandenment from the team that no one will show up next year? Colt fans are to jaded to sit in an outdoor stadium, or sit in the sun when it's hot, Colt fan is upset when after a decade long of football domination they have a bad season and want to moan and complain. Colt fan is upset when players are sat in non meaning games....Maybe Irsay should have gone west where fans are not so jaded....

Spin it Polain. Spin it!

[FanFromtheWasteland]

I agree with that point emphatically. If they make a change in season, I would prefer the interim job to go to someone like Teerlink. I wish Caldwell hadn't run off Moore & Mudd, and either one of those could have handled it. But I agree making a statement needs to be done, because there is no reason this team should be winless at this point.

I was thinking the same thing the other day. It would be great to know the true circumstances for their departure.

Edited October 24, 2011 by FanFromtheWasteland

[dn4192]

we need a defensive minded head coach, heck we need a new defensive coordinator and we need an entire new defense!!

Yes the offense played poorly but the defense might as well have not shown up. Our O line did good in pass blocking. Few mistakes outside of that 1 fumble with the whole Saturday/Painter exchange. The running game looked good tonight (Carter averaged 8.9/carry).

The defense just looked atrocious. I have never in my life seen a team be pushed around like that. The Saints were men, the Colts looked like boys.

I am sick and tired of spending money, picks, on offense. It's not getting us anywhere, its gotten us 1 and done in the playoffs nearly every year and 1 super bowl in this past decade. Not even the 0-16 Lions lost this bad. I have never witnessed a loss like this from any team. Even those teams that the Pats ran over in 07 put up some fight, we didn't put up any!

This Saint team has a pretty decent offense, I mean they did put up 34 on the Superbowl champs and then 30 on the Bears and 40 on the Texans...

[dn4192]

Spin it Polain. Spin it!

Truth is what it is...

[thetigerfox]

Really? Are Colt Fans that jaded that 1 losing season will cause total disbandenment from the team that no one will show up next year? Colt fans are to jaded to sit in an outdoor stadium, or sit in the sun when it's hot, Colt fan is upset when after a decade long of football domination they have a bad season and want to moan and complain. Colt fan is upset when players are sat in non meaning games....Maybe Irsay should have gone west where fans are not so jaded....

Really, I mean they are only 0-7, and have been pummeled by the texans and the saints... They don't even have a defense that should be on a pro field, I don't see why everyone is so upset. I mean we've been talking about the same problems for several years, I really don't see why everyone is so upset? calm down guys, Peyton will be back in full strength next year and we'll waste the rest of his career with the worst possible defense we can put together. I mean come on guys chill out, its not like you pay thousands of dollars every year to see this team play. I just don't understand why everyone is getting so upset?

[dn4192]

They could interview NOW if they wanted to so long as they adhere to the Rooney rule.

Which is why doing it now makes so much sense. Declare the intent, let the guys on the market know the job is open.

What's the harm in changing the system now? We have a 0.000% chance to make the playoffs, we're unlikely to even win this season, and thing's can't get any worse. If we wanna hire a guy like Bill Cowher and tell him to fix our defense, isn't the time he has left this season only going to help him? Everyone flies off the handle and freaks out at the prospect of a mid-season coaching change, but seriously, at this point, what could it hurt? Why wait?

Zero chance Cowher would come here, he wants to be Coach and GM and no way the Polians allow that.

[Rich Cannon]

I don't want Tressell. Maybe as an assistant or something, but we need a guy like Jim Harbaugh. Youth, fire, and testicular fortitude.

We'd prob hire a nobody before those guys you suggested, a nobody who plays Tampa 2 , when will it end John when will it end...

[coltfily]

You can not fire a team, but something needs to happen. If we are not going to fire Caldwell midseason we need at least to fire Coyer our Defense is attrocious. There were times in last night game that a Colt player wasn't even in the same TV shot with the New Orleans receivers, and our heralded pass rush was non existent! We looked totally unprepared for last nights game which is inexcusable.

[dn4192]

You can not fire a team, but something needs to happen. If we are not going to fire Caldwell midseason we need at least to fire Coyer our Defense is attrocious. There were times in last night game that a Colt player wasn't even in the same TV shot with the New Orleans receivers, and our heralded pass rush was non existent! We looked totally unprepared for last nights game which is inexcusable.

With the present system we are using and the depleated talent we have, I doubt if even the great defensive coaches could do much this year. You can't go and change schemes because you don't have the talent and the coach can only do so much, at some point players have to make plays.

[thetigerfox]

With the present system we are using and the depleated talent we have, I doubt if even the great defensive coaches could do much this year. You can't go and change schemes because you don't have the talent and the coach can only do so much, at some point players have to make plays.

and we don't have the talent because?????

oh thats right Polian is in charge of that.

[John Waylon]

Truth is what it is...

Exactly what Bill would say.

[dn4192]

and we don't have the talent because?????

oh thats right Polian is in charge of that.

No some of our talent is hurt, there were some bad picks and we don't have the money to get into the FA market that much due to high contracts to key players and we have been drafting in positions like 28 - 31 for how long?