The Colts Coaching Staff [Mega-merge]

[dn4192]

Of course not. He has his team atop his division and is going to make the playoffs. And if you don't think the offense has changed to fit Tebow's style, you are sorely mistaken. You think they were running option plays when Orton was QB? Geez man, we get it, you love Caldwell and want him back next year. Quit making yourself look dumb by posing asinine hypotheticals.

Yea they changed their offense to fit Teabow...and OMG it's horrible. their offense is hike Teabow the ball and get open or get out of his way. How did that work against a good team like Detroit? Heck if the Bears had an offense they would have blown Denver out. So sure they changed, but their offense didn't get better.

[Superman]

I just don't see the rush. First off, it is a real possibility that Caldwell returns anyway. Secondly, I think it is a bad idea and precedent to fire someone as a reaction to what other teams are doing. Frankly, even as bad as this season has been, I don't want my team acting in such a rash, reactionary manner.

I would call firing him after 62-7 rash and reactionary. Firing him at 0-13? A measured response.

[coltsblue1844]

Gee another thread beating this dead ole horse......

No one forces you to click on every one of them and read them...if you have so many problems with the posts on here, why waste your time reading them?

[IndyTrav]

-They signed Kerry Collins

-They wanted to draft Dalton

-They wanted to draft Yates

But there was no reason to suspect Peyton wouldn't be back?

Funny how Bill has only mentioned he thought about drafting the 2 rookie QBs who happen to be playing right now. Cover that booty Billy boy, don't want to look like a fool now do we?

[Buck Showalter]

No harm. This team, coaching staff included is doing everything possible to win games.

[JColts72]

^{How many wins do they have? and many do we have? Who is heading to the playoffs?}

[GoColts8818]

^Proof???

^{I don't thinkYou need proof that these guys are multi-millionaires???}

^{You need proof that these guys have been playing football their whole life???}

^{Guessing that changes & adjustments aren't being made???}

^{Coyer himself said he wanted to game plan & call more aggressive plays, but was told to maintain the soft cover-2}

^{I think the coaching staff & F.O. are tanking the season, not the players.}

If that were the case wouldn't they bench guys like Saturday, Freeney, Bethea, Angerer, Conner, Wayne, and Garcon? Also if that were the case why not kick the extra point and not go for 2 vs. the Panthers to give yourself a chance to win that game or why not just kick off or try to get a last second come back vs. the Pats in New England? Sorry I don't buy the tanking idea. Why fire Coyer in the middle of the season? If they were tanking why would you fire the coaches for doing exactly what you wanted them to do?

[Smitto]

What cheap? I bought two tics for this sunday night's game in teh nose bleed and cost me $25 per ticket. If you want to sit down low you are going to pay big bucks. There is something like a 7000+ waiting list for ST, trust me, the stadium will be sold out again next season. Now if the Colts go say 3-4 seasons of losing football maybe, but 1...not a chance especially if Peyton comes back.

Mate 25bucks is super cheap lol... this season cannot even compare to the 3-13 season the colts had and there are more glaring holes that cant be patched up by peyton going 11-5... unless they win the superbowl, there are problems and it will be mended in some way, if its not then the colts WILL lose money.

[Superman]

Fisher is overrated in my opinion. Would he bad a bad coach? No, but he's not my first choice. I'm starting to think people are riding the Fisher bandwagon just to ride it.

Me three.

[Buck Showalter]

This team, coaching staff included is doing everything possible to win games.

[JColts72]

Good Point Superman, I think they had enough time to sleep on it after that Saint mismatch game. Have a feeling it will same old song next season with the Polians, Caldwell, and assitant coaches. Remeber the Colts stand for blandness and no change.

[IndyTrav]

Haley was a product of having Kurt Warner on the team. I think even Jim Caldwell would look good as a OC if Kurt Warner was throwing to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquin Bolden. You see what happened to the Cards once Warner retired. He was a terribly overrated coach.

And you don't see any correlations between this and Manning/Caldwell why?

[JColts72]

If not Fischer who then? Cowher and Gruden are pipe dreams. Perhaps, Raheem or Frazier? How about Norv or Andy? Frazier or Raheem are same clone of Polians being able to control on a puppet string.

[KyFan18]

Yea they changed their offense to fit Teabow...and OMG it's horrible. their offense is hike Teabow the ball and get open or get out of his way. How did that work against a good team like Detroit? Heck if the Bears had an offense they would have blown Denver out. So sure they changed, but their offense didn't get better.

Denver's offense: 20.7 ppg, 317.1 ypg

Indy's offesne: 14.2 ppg, 283.4 ypg

[dn4192]

Of course not. He has his team atop his division and is going to make the playoffs. And if you don't think the offense has changed to fit Tebow's style, you are sorely mistaken. You think they were running option plays when Orton was QB? Geez man, we get it, you love Caldwell and want him back next year. Quit making yourself look dumb by posing asinine hypotheticals.

It has nothing to do with if I think Caldwell back or not. It's this idea that "Joe Fan" has the slighest clue on the day to day operations of an NFL team. We DON'T and never will. Bill Polian and Jim Irsay have that knowledge and background and track record that shows they will do what is best and we as fans need to just accept that.

[dn4192]

Mate 25bucks is super cheap lol... this season cannot even compare to the 3-13 season the colts had and there are more glaring holes that cant be patched up by peyton going 11-5... unless they win the superbowl, there are problems and it will be mended in some way, if its not then the colts WILL lose money.

I guess to someone who makes good money it is. For $25 I can go to 3 Indianapolis Indian's games.....

[Larry Horseman]

Again you have no proof to back that up, you are guessing at best.

And so are you. By your logic on this and other topics we know nothing and therefore cannot have an opinion. I suppose maybe you are just an argent skeptic (like the school of philosophy), but your logic negates all your points because you are just as unaware as us. Maybe instead of arguing that we cannot argue that the Colts should change because we are ignorant of the situation, you should argue why we should not change...I'm not sure what you really think other than we have no idea what is really going on.

I agree I have no idea what goes on during practice, player, and coaching meetings. What I do have an idea about is the product that is being put on the field. If the coaches have determined that the schemes we are currently running are the only option because they best fit with the talent on the team, then that is a serious indictment of the FO's and staff's ability to evaluate talent and should result in their immediate dismissal. We are a joke of a team this year and will go down as one of the worst in NFL history. I refuse to believe that the players are that untalented but maybe I'm just an optimist.

[JColts72]

Accept it? We don't have to accept it- We have a right to voice our unhappiness and not be taken for fools like the way Polian does.

[FireJimCaldwell]

If John Fox would have refused to alter his offense and have Tebow run the same offense he ran with Orton then he would look as dumb as Caldwell does by asking Painter & Orlovsky to run Peyton Manning's offense.

Fox did what a good coach would do. Alter the offense to the talents of the players that he has, and to the strengths of the team that he has. Caldwell has failed to do that, Christensen has failed to do that and both should be fired at the end of the season.

[IndyTrav]

Bill Polian and Jim Irsay have that knowledge and background and track record that shows they will do what is best and we as fans need to just accept that.

And 0-13 disproves your point.

At one point did they know what was best? Yes it would appear they did.

Do they still know whats best? Not really looking like it.

[dn4192]

Good Point Superman, I think they had enough time to sleep on it after that Saint mismatch game. Have a feeling it will same old song next season with the Polians, Caldwell, and assitant coaches. Remeber the Colts stand for blandness and no change.

If that gets you the type of seasons we had over the past 10+, bring on more blandness and no change....

[KyFan18]

I guess to someone who makes good money it is. For $25 I can go to 3 Indianapolis Indian's games.....

I can't go to a college basketball/football game in Lexington, Ky for 25 dollars, even if I buy the cheapest seats.

[Buck Showalter]

1. The Colts front office won't make any decissions till after teh final game

2. The ego's involved are just to big, no shot Polian hires someone like Fisher.

Where's the proof, you are guessing at best...

[dn4192]

And so are you. By your logic on this and other topics we know nothing and therefore cannot have an opinion. I suppose maybe you are just an argent skeptic (like the school of philosophy), but your logic negates all your points because you are just as unaware as us. Maybe instead of arguing that we cannot argue that the Colts should change because we are ignorant of the situation, you should argue why we should not change...I'm not sure what you really think other than we have no idea what is really going on.

I agree I have no idea what goes on during practice, player, and coaching meetings. What I do have an idea about is the product that is being put on the field. If the coaches have determined that the schemes we are currently running are the only option because they best fit with the talent on the team, then that is a serious indictment of the FO's and staff's ability to evaluate talent and should result in their immediate dismissal. We are a joke of a team this year and will go down as one of the worst in NFL history. I refuse to believe that the players are that untalented but maybe I'm just an optimist.

Yes the FO made some bad decisions and it is impacting us this season no question. Same thing is happening in Chicago now, in Miami, KC and other NFL cities. No FO is perfect. However what you have to look at is the overall performance of the FO during their tenure. You also have to look at the Colts in that the entire franchise was built around HOW the offense played and with Peyton operating it. Now you can argue it was a bad way to build a team, but you can't argue with the results. So now with Peyton down we suffer....

[dn4192]

Where's the proof, you are guessing at best...

No, Polian and Irsay both have said they will sit down at the end of the season and talk with Caldwell and make a decission at that point, so I am just going by what they said.

[Superman]

Let's say Caldwell is fired today. Who would you like to see brought in as the new HC?

My short list is Brian Billick, Chris Peterson, Chuck Pagano and Mike Mularkey.

But that's not my point. I don't know if we hire any of those guys. I don't even know if we interview any of them. I just don't want us to do what we did the last two times: decide on our guy before we do our due diligence.

Irsay handpicked Dungy as soon as he got fired in Tampa Bay. I like Dungy, but there's some things about his coaching style that I think were problematic. Even still, we could have done a lot worse. But could we have done better? To my memory, we didn't even interview anyone else. He's the guy Irsay wanted, and that was that.

We allowed Dungy to appoint Caldwell as his successor. Never interviewed anyone else. The season we appointed Caldwell as the successor was 2008. You know who else was available in 2008? John Harbaugh. Mike Smith. Rex Ryan. Leslie Frazier. Steve Spagnuolo. Ron Rivera. Chan Gailey. Those are just some of the NFL assistants that have gone on to be head coaches since then. We didn't interview any of them. We didn't interview any college candidates (Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh were both available). We allowed Dungy to appoint his heir, and I hate to say it, but Dungy seemed more concerned with making sure a black man got the job than making sure a qualified candidate got the job. (I'm a black man. It's not about race.)

Look at what the Steelers and Ravens did when they made coaching changes. The Steelers thought they had their guy, but ironically, their Rooney Rule interview wound up impressing them, and next thing you know, Mike Tomlin is the coach. They've been to two Super Bowls since then, winning one of them. The Ravens thought they had their guy with Rex Ryan, but John Harbaugh impressed them, and he got the job. Rex Ryan leaves a year later, they hire Chuck Pagano, and their defense doesn't miss a beat.

All I really want is for us to do an exhaustive search for the best available guy. We have an opportunity to make our team better by hiring the right guy. Rather than falling in love with one candidate because he's desirable from afar, or appointing from within, we should take as many meetings as we reasonably can within a two or three week period (which is part of the reason we should start now, I think), and then whittle it down to two or three guys, re-interview them, and make the best choice we can. If that leaves us with Jeff Fisher, I'll be okay with it. He wouldn't be my choice, I don't think, but if we approach the decision like that, and he's the guy, I can get on board with that.

[dn4192]

I can't go to a college basketball/football game in Lexington, Ky for 25 dollars, even if I buy the cheapest seats.

Basketball I can understand...but UK football? Really? wow....

[JColts72]

and 1 superbowl, good thing it was against Grossman.

[dn4192]

And 0-13 disproves your point.

At one point did they know what was best? Yes it would appear they did.

Do they still know whats best? Not really looking like it.

It's 1 season. There is ZERO pattern of bad choices, it's one season. It's called over reacting fans. This idea that you can go from smart to dumb in 1 season is laughable...

[Superman]

If that gets you the type of seasons we had over the past 10+, bring on more blandness and no change....

Nothing lasts forever.

[GoColts8818]

And 0-13 disproves your point.

At one point did they know what was best? Yes it would appear they did.

Do they still know whats best? Not really looking like it.

He said track record...Track Record means more than one season and frankly if you look back Polian's time in Indy and the Colts since Irsay took over as the owner life has been good. They have both proven they know how to rebound quickly from down seasons. Like I've said before while their track record doesn't excuse this one season this one season doesn't mean everything else they have done didn't happen either. Rather people like it or not there is a major * that is going to go next to this season in that we didn't have Peyton Manning who is the guy who makes EVERYTHING go in Indy. I still say give this team Peyton Manning they are are probably like 9-4 right now and looking at the playoffs.

Also do they still nkow what's best? The most recent draft class looks like one of the Colts best in recent years. That would seem to suggest maybe that they are starting to come out of their slump. When you hit on first round draft picks for as long as the Colts did sooner or later you are going to miss on a few. With that said, I don't think Polian can afford another major miss in the first round or yes it will probably lead to him losing his job.

[Buck Showalter]

you've said you can't take everything polian says to heart...

The ego's involved are just to big, no shot Polian hires someone like Fisher.

That's like your opinion man

[GoColts8818]

Peyton manning jerseys have dropped and colts tickets are going for cheap and in some cases free, if caldwell is back i can guarantee you there will be no sold out stadium... so yea they will lose money...

The ticket sales this year are cheap and in some cases free are on tickets being resold. The Colts sold out their tickets a long time ago so the people taking it on the chin are the people trying to resell their tickets. The Tickets the Colts put up for sale are the ones returned by the other team.

Also if Peyton Manning comes back and we are winning again next season the place will be sold out regardless of who the head coach is. People care about winning not who the head coach is.

[The Peytonator]

It's 1 season. There is ZERO pattern of bad choices, it's one season. It's called over reacting fans. This idea that you can go from smart to dumb in 1 season is laughable...

Nobody is saying he went from smart to dumb in one season!!!!

He has been in a downward spiral for a while now. People have been talking about how soft the defense is for the past 5 years. Even the 14-0 start we had two years ago, our defense was pretty friggin' soft. Remember that Miami game??? 45 minutes to our 15 in the time of possession battle. Good defenses don't stay on the field for 45 minutes!!!

Your defense is laughable.

[dn4192]

Stop vacating the underneath zones. Stop playing eight yards off. Let your corners engage the receiver as they get into their routes, and redirect them just a little.

That's it. That's all I want the defense to do differently at this point. I'm not asking for aggressive blitzes, or bump and run coverage. Just make those two or three adjustments, and see what happens.

And when said defenders get blown away because they can't play that style you will wine and complain.....Our defense is what it is this year, you can't change them to play a style they are not able to play.

[supremecoltsfan300]

1. The Colts front office won't make any decissions till after teh final game

2. The ego's involved are just to big, no shot Polian hires someone like Fisher.

have to sadly agree. polian is not going to relinquish his iron grip. he likes his puppet hc.....polian would have to be fired for a strong coach to come to indy.

[The Peytonator]

And when said defenders get blown away because they can't play that style you will wine and complain.....Our defense is what it is this year, you can't change them to play a style they are not able to play.

How do you know they can't play that style, it hasn't even been tried?!?!?!?! As a coach you have to make adjustments when something isn't working. It is not hard to knock somebody off their route. You mess it up for one second and they have to readjust. It's Football 101. Our DEs are good enough to make plays if we don't allow the QB to play backyard catch with his receivers.

[dn4192]

you've said you can't take everything polian says to heart...

That's like your opinion man

No Polian has a huge ego, trust me my family has had to deal with him with family issues.

[Larry Horseman]

Yes the FO made some bad decisions and it is impacting us this season no question. Same thing is happening in Chicago now, in Miami, KC and other NFL cities. No FO is perfect. However what you have to look at is the overall performance of the FO during their tenure. You also have to look at the Colts in that the entire franchise was built around HOW the offense played and with Peyton operating it. Now you can argue it was a bad way to build a team, but you can't argue with the results. So now with Peyton down we suffer....

Chicago had bad breaks losing Cutler and Forte so closely together and so deep into the season... obviously they are going to struggle.

Both Miami and KC have lost their starting QBs and KC lost their best offensive playmaker. They both have adjusted and have multiple wins. The Colts have had 14 weeks to figure out how to adjust and win and have failed to do it. In no way did I have delusions that the Colts would be a playoff team this year without Manning because of the points you are making. I also didn't think we would be 0-13...

Polian said himself that the defense was not meant to play with a lead (e.g., built for Manning)...the Bears run essentially the same D, and have a lot of success with it. 2007 was the last time the Colts had a top 5 defense. We have been drafting players to continue that scheme, and have apparently failed miserably. I'm not one to trash the Polians, but your point is invalid because if you look at the historic numbers of the defense, the FO and/or coaching staff has failed to bring in the talent needed to field a respectable unit. Obviously what we are doing now isn't working, and we are not successfully bringing in players to fit our scheme, so what the heck does it hurt to put some wrinkles in? Case and point: look at NE...they have struggled all year and D and are tweaking it each week to try and figure out something that works. Since we fired Coyer, we are essentially running a prevent defense for all four quarters. There is not a starting QB in the NFL that would not be able to drive the ball up and down the field on the Colts.

[GoColts8818]

Nobody is saying he went from smart to dumb in one season!!!!

He has been in a downward spiral for a while now. People have been talking about how soft the defense is for the past 5 years. Even the 14-0 start we had two years ago, our defense was pretty friggin' soft. Remember that Miami game??? 45 minutes to our 15 in the time of possession battle. Good defenses don't stay on the field for 45 minutes!!!

Your defense is laughable.

People have been talking about how bad the defense has been since Polian got here, not just the last five years. The Colts have made the choice to build a team with as much fire power as they can around Peyton Manning and build a defense on the fly with a good defense coach to coach players up. I think part of the problem is when Dungy left we didn't replace him with a good defensive coach we replaced him with an offensive coach in Caldwell.

The salary cap makes you build a team with holes. Every team has one. The trick is to build a team where you can over come those holes and for the most part since Polian has been here the Colts have been able to over come the holes on defense. Now that we don't have Peyton Manning the system isn't working because the system was built based on having him. Despite what people are saying that matters. Like I said at the start of the year when people were saying it's time for the defense to step up just because Manning went down didn't mean our defense magically became a strength of the team. They were still an okay at best defense based on having the other team having to take risks to keep up with Peyton Manning. The difference is now we don't have the star QB. If we fix the star QB part I think the defense will improve back to the level it was with Peyton. I do think the defense needs to be improved though but I don't think we need the best defense in the NFL to win either and frankly if it does I think our offense is going to start to struggle and people are going to start to complain we are wasting having a franchise QB by not putting talent around him.