Maybe We Should Keep Caldwell.

[MyBeautifulChineseDoll]

After all its not entirely his fault.He had to work with what our former GM(The twoheaded polians)gave him.And now he should be able to gain his freedom from the puppetmaster.I also believe that peyton has a very strong relationship with Jim(Caldwell),if i'm not mistaken.So it could've been another reason that the polians were fired.I think caldwell as coach;tressel as 'OC' and either murphy or another as 'DC' sounds okay to me.But we need a solid ST'S coach.I'm not in favor of a complete overhaul this late in manning's career.However,with that being said,we must change our defense and become younger and more aggressive.We need a defensive minded GM with a knack for scouting defensive talent.And with this draft a new GM could feast with all our picks(after the 1# overall trade)and totally give it a facelift.We must become bigger,stronger and more aggressive on 'D'.I wouldn't retain mathis,diem,brackett,bullit or wheeler.I would also either trade or cut freeney(i like him alot).His caphit is huge and he doesn't play everydown,so 19 million is far too much IMO.We must draft smart this time around,because it will change the course of our team.

[IndyTrav]

It will be up to the new GM. The one in a trillion chance JC is the coach the GM wants, then he stays, but I'd have to imagine Irsay wanted his new GM to have a say so in the HC, therefore Caldwell is staying put for the time being. He won't be the coach in my opinion, the new GM will bring in 'his' guy.

[Truckin Sanders]

Caldwell is a hologram and needs to go. He was Polians puppet and everyone knows it.

[JColts72]

you on jc kool-aid

[smittywerb]

I don't like Caldwell and want to give him the ax, but I feel we should feel him out. If the team's philosophies drastically change and we change some of our ways (ideas on defense, offense, types of players, etc.), then we know that it was more of Polian influence than Caldwell. But if Caldwell continues on with the same flawed concepts and players, then he needs to go. Regardless if it's mid-season or whatever. Hopefully Peyton is healthy because he can coach the offense while we look for another coach lol.

[No 1 Manning Fan]

In response to the OP. I get what you're saying, but to get rid of Freeney and Mathis would cripple our pass rush. We don't have anyone to step up into ther shoes and we might not be able to get two guys of that caliber in the draft. So, if we are going to be competitive now while we have Manning, I don't think we afford can let both of those guys go. I could get on board with the other guys you mentioned, just not Frathis.

[LUVTHESHOE]

After all its not entirely his fault.He had to work with what our former GM(The twoheaded polians)gave him.And now he should be able to gain his freedom from the puppetmaster.I also believe that peyton has a very strong relationship with Jim(Caldwell),if i'm not mistaken.So it could've been another reason that the polians were fired.I think caldwell as coach;tressel as 'OC' and either murphy or another as 'DC' sounds okay to me.But we need a solid ST'S coach.I'm not in favor of a complete overhaul this late in manning's career.However,with that being said,we must change our defense and become younger and more aggressive.We need a defensive minded GM with a knack for scouting defensive talent.And with this draft a new GM could feast with all our picks(after the 1# overall trade)and totally give it a facelift.We must become bigger,stronger and more aggressive on 'D'.I wouldn't retain mathis,diem,brackett,bullit or wheeler.I would also either trade or cut freeney(i like him alot).His caphit is huge and he doesn't play everydown,so 19 million is far too much IMO.We must draft smart this time around,because it will change the course of our team.

I pray you are either insane, or just kidding!

[Jaric]

It will be up to the new GM. The one in a trillion chance JC is the coach the GM wants, then he stays, but I'd have to imagine Irsay wanted his new GM to have a say so in the HC, therefore Caldwell is staying put for the time being. He won't be the coach in my opinion, the new GM will bring in 'his' guy.

Lots and lots of "this."

Not firing Caldwell was a pretty savy move that hadn't even occured to me was that it lets the new GM know that it's up to him, and that he has whatever options he wants available to him.

That said, I still think Caldwell goes. I wish him well in whatever he does next, since by all acounts he's a great person (just not a great HC)

[MyBeautifulChineseDoll]

Jerry Angelo as 'GM'...are you game?He seems to be a defensive minded GM.

[Rich Cannon]

After all its not entirely his fault.He had to work with what our former GM(The twoheaded polians)gave him.And now he should be able to gain his freedom from the puppetmaster.I also believe that peyton has a very strong relationship with Jim(Caldwell),if i'm not mistaken.So it could've been another reason that the polians were fired.I think caldwell as coach;tressel as 'OC' and either murphy or another as 'DC' sounds okay to me.But we need a solid ST'S coach.I'm not in favor of a complete overhaul this late in manning's career.However,with that being said,we must change our defense and become younger and more aggressive.We need a defensive minded GM with a knack for scouting defensive talent.And with this draft a new GM could feast with all our picks(after the 1# overall trade)and totally give it a facelift.We must become bigger,stronger and more aggressive on 'D'.I wouldn't retain mathis,diem,brackett,bullit or wheeler.I would also either trade or cut freeney(i like him alot).His caphit is huge and he doesn't play everydown,so 19 million is far too much IMO.We must draft smart this time around,because it will change the course of our team.

I told myself this year would be a telling year for Caldwell, without Manning. I said if he can go 8-8 without him or even 6-10 i could respect him and deal with him as a coach. The lack of in game adjustments, sticking with a qb who can barely throw 50 percent completion, to allow your d coordinator to continously call passive zone defense every play is simply unexceptable. Good coaches make adjustments, Caldwell failed in every aspect. Why go away from running the ball when that was our best asset especially when Painter was qb? Instead lets make Painter throw the ball 40 + times a game and watch him thow 50 percent completion with 2 picks and no tds....great coaching Jim. And we wonder why we only have 2 wins. We have some great talent on our team. Mathis, Freeney, Wayne. Collie, Powers, Bathea Etc. These guys just didnt forget how to play over night. Theres no reason to just get 2 wins with this roster. He needs to go. I would be very surprised to see Irsay keep him now.

[CR91]

i wanna a coach that will put his own stamp on the team, not just follow every instruction given to him like a child

[Rich Cannon]

i wanna a coach that will put his own stamp on the team, not just follow every instruction given to him like a child

i want a coach who can coach, and bring in a good defensive staff

[torgodog]

After all its not entirely his fault.He had to work with what our former GM(The twoheaded polians)gave him.And now he should be able to gain his freedom from the puppetmaster.I also believe that peyton has a very strong relationship with Jim(Caldwell),if i'm not mistaken.So it could've been another reason that the polians were fired.I think caldwell as coach;tressel as 'OC' and either murphy or another as 'DC' sounds okay to me.But we need a solid ST'S coach.

Thank you. Someone finally mentions our desperate need for a good ST coach.

Finding a replacement for Ray Rychleski would do more for this team than replacing Caldwell. (And yes, I know some would say why not do both.)

We've been bitten by the injury bug big time these last two years. It's limited what Caldwell could do. (That and the Polians) And yet he held this team together. Morale was still good. That's no small feat. Compare that to Mr. Emotional Rex Ryan whose team completely imploded this season.

Yes, we ended 2-14. Yet I'm not feeling as uncertain about our future as in past seasons when we were 1-15, 3-13. or even 6-10. Fill a few missing pieces in the O line, and I strongly believe we could be playoff bound next season.

A lot depends on Manning's health and how many veterans we retain.

Disagree with me about Caldwell, but I think we can all agree that Ray Rychleski needs to go.

[Peter Harter]

I think Irsay fired the Polians because they wanted to keep Caldwell. What I'm most worried about is that Jim Irsay may end up not hiring another GM--but might take the job back himself--"ouch". What I most want to see is Jim Tressel promoted to some other capacity. He is tremendously talented and could make a good GM, coordinator, or head coach in my view. He is unproven, but so is everybody before they prove it. You think he doesn't know football talent enough to be a GM, or how to build a great football team? He does--he would be good at whatever job he was put in.

Our special teams (kick coverage) has been terrible the last several years, and its not because the special teams coach can't coach, its because we don't put elite athletes on the field for kick coverage. The best college coaches put their best athletes on the kickoff and punt teams. In the pros we don't do that cause we don't want to get em hurt. Changing the coach is not going to help if we don't put elite athletes on the field.

[JColts72]

I want a coach who has fire in their belly, not Mr. Flat Affect, yeah he's nice this, nice that, so what, want someone who can actually coach a team and make adjustments

[Knuckles79]

Please no more Caldwell Dungy no more please a time for change meens a time for change please dont keep him.

[Tsarquise]

Caldwell is a hologram and needs to go. He was Polians puppet and everyone knows it.

Tell me the advantage of getting super excited when things are going good and super mad and sad when things are going bad as a leader? Tell me when it is ever good to be super emotional like that in life? Isn't it better to be stoic and stay calm at all times? Especially in the unpredictable NFL? You could be winning by thirty points in the first half but then lose at the end of the game. So why is it better to stay calm and steady in times of defeat and failure.

It takes much more discipline in life to stay stoic than to react to positives and negatives in life. Try it.

[Tsarquise]

And besides a couple of time game management mistakes (Mistakes that every coach makes) Why is Jim Caldwell such an inadequate coach? It's like everyone acts like they have inside knowledge of the Colts and know what he does and doesn't do.

The ignorance just permeates from every anti Caldwell post I read

[Coltsagent]

Here is the thing...you want Manning to learn a whole new system or tweek the one he has been using for 15 years? I say the name of the game is execution which takes details.

[JColts72]

Why can't Manning be the one to adjust if a new system is put in place. He does not like it, tough then; time to move on. So what if his ego gets a little brused- His salary is crushing the team. Let's all tip toe around Manning as we don't want to offend him now. Let him decide the GM and Caldwell to stay also while we are at reviewing future plans. His like Kobe with Lakers. They finally got tired of his involvemnet, and hired a coach he did not exactly give a ringing endorsement.

[Knuckles79]

And besides a couple of time game management mistakes (Mistakes that every coach makes) Why is Jim Caldwell such an inadequate coach? It's like everyone acts like they have inside knowledge of the Colts and know what he does and doesn't do.

The ignorance just permeates from every anti Caldwell post I read

I have no inside thoughts on the matter . I just want somebody else a change ! Was hoping for that change when Dungy retired but didnt get it

[sfergson727]

Well, I suppose the team does still need a water-boy, Caldwell can do that, and then we bring in a real coach.

[GoGoColts]

I am not really sold either way with Caldwell. I don't think that he is the best coach in the NFL, but he did get the team to a Super Bowl.

The issue at hand is gettting some talent on the field.

[Truckin Sanders]

Tell me the advantage of getting super excited when things are going good and super mad and sad when things are going bad as a leader? Tell me when it is ever good to be super emotional like that in life? Isn't it better to be stoic and stay calm at all times? Especially in the unpredictable NFL? You could be winning by thirty points in the first half but then lose at the end of the game. So why is it better to stay calm and steady in times of defeat and failure.

It takes much more discipline in life to stay stoic than to react to positives and negatives in life. Try it.

Because Caldwell stands their clueless on the sideline at all the games. He was Polians puppet and everyone knows it. It isn't about showing emotion its about having a blank stare and looing like he has no idea what is going on. The image is just a funny.

[torgodog]

It isn't about showing emotion its about having a blank stare and looing like he has no idea what is going on. The image is just a funny.

Key words: looking like. Sure, he's got this pudgy babyface that might not be the most camera friendly at times. But I don't think he's clueless.

Stressed, but not clueless.

[ALuck12]

I get tired of hearing people say that Caldwell got us to the Super Bowl. He was the coach, yes, but it was Dungy's team. Caldwell inherited a SB contending team and look where we are now. We have the #1 pick in the draft and a 2-14 record. Caldwell has driven this team to the ground with his poor leadership and terrible coaching. I see him on TV and he is never coaching, he's just standing there watching the game like a fan. We need a coach that will get involved in the game and actually make adjustments during the game.

It's plain and simple........FIRE Caldwell

[IndyTrav]

And besides a couple of time game management mistakes (Mistakes that every coach makes) Why is Jim Caldwell such an inadequate coach? It's like everyone acts like they have inside knowledge of the Colts and know what he does and doesn't do.

The ignorance just permeates from every anti Caldwell post I read

I don't like Caldwell because I don't think he brings anything to the table. No schemes, no bright ideas, he's not a leader, he has no pedigree, he's had zero 'career' moments in 3 seasons, and the something like 101 to 19 points in the first quarter this year tells me he is getting 150% out coached Monday-Saturday, and he was -63pts in the 3rd quarter this season, 2010 he was -47 telling me he's getting outcoached at halftime as well....and this is without getting into time management.

Now, that I've answered you question, answer mine, why do YOU feel Caldwell IS a the man for the job?

[Tsarquise]

DN!?

I don't like Caldwell because I don't think he brings anything to the table. No schemes, no bright ideas, he's not a leader, he has no pedigree, he's had zero 'career' moments in 3 seasons, and the something like 101 to 19 points in the first quarter this year tells me he is getting 150% out coached Monday-Saturday, and he was -63pts in the 3rd quarter this season, 2010 he was -47 telling me he's getting outcoached at halftime as well....and this is without getting into time management.

Now, that I've answered you question, answer mine, why do YOU feel Caldwell IS a the man for the job?

I never said he was the man for the job. I'm actually pretty ambivalent towards Caldwell as the coach. I'm just tired of the ignorance of the posts that I read about Caldwell. It's like people have created this perception of caldwell that he is an incompetent fool.

But why are you saying he has no bright ideas?. Why is he not a leader? Where is your proof for this? You're not in the locker room. What are you basing this on? And as far as schemes... Why would you change the offensive or defensive schemes that were in place? We have the personnel for a particular type of scheme and we were successful with that for a decade.

Perhaps the perception of Caldwell being such a puppet stems from the fact that he inherited Dungy's position, acts a lot like him as far a his demeanor , and hasn't changed much to the team. As far as him bringing anything to the table. I think he was meant to bring continuity. Why would you change the recipe for success?

No pedigree? He was with the organization for a long time. He is a derivative of Dungy.

And the lopsided points scored vs points allowed stat has more to do with not being able to sustain drives and score, which means the opposing teams offense gets an abundance of opportunities to score. The Colts had no offense in 2011. They were missing the heart of that offense. it doesn't matter what coach would have been coaching. We weren't going to be winning 10 games this season. Every game, with the exception of the Saints game, the Colts have been competitive with Curtis Painter, Kerry Collins and Dan Orlovsky,

Also what exactly are the duties and goals of a coach? How do you judge them? Is it based on wins and losses? If that's the case he has a winning record. If one says that the 09 team was Dungy's team, it's basically the same team this year. It's just that Jim Caldwell didn't have that one guy named Peyton Manning.

It seems people are coming to conclusions about Caldwell's competency as a coach based off of the lack of change that he is made to the Colts, his emotionless side line demeanor, and the abysmal 2011 season. The season with out Peyton Manning AND many other players.

NO ONE was going to win with this team... Thus Bill Polian was fired for putting it together.

[Case]

After all its not entirely his fault.He had to work with what our former GM(The twoheaded polians)gave him.And now he should be able to gain his freedom from the puppetmaster.I also believe that peyton has a very strong relationship with Jim(Caldwell),if i'm not mistaken.So it could've been another reason that the polians were fired.I think caldwell as coach;tressel as 'OC' and either murphy or another as 'DC' sounds okay to me.But we need a solid ST'S coach.I'm not in favor of a complete overhaul this late in manning's career.However,with that being said,we must change our defense and become younger and more aggressive.We need a defensive minded GM with a knack for scouting defensive talent.And with this draft a new GM could feast with all our picks(after the 1# overall trade)and totally give it a facelift.We must become bigger,stronger and more aggressive on 'D'.I wouldn't retain mathis,diem,brackett,bullit or wheeler.I would also either trade or cut freeney(i like him alot).His caphit is huge and he doesn't play everydown,so 19 million is far too much IMO.We must draft smart this time around,because it will change the course of our team.

Are you serious???!! Keep Caldwell and cut Mathis and freeney????

[MyBeautifulChineseDoll]

Are you serious???!! Keep Caldwell and cut Mathis and freeney????

I like freeney alot,but his caphit is HUGE,and he can't assist on run support,so i would try to trade him.I would roll with hughes over mathis and PRAY he can deliver.Yes,that's a big gamble,but if we resign brayton and anderson,i would feel better about it.I also think the colts really like addison alot too.

[Case]

I like freeney alot,but his caphit is HUGE,and he can't assist on run support,so i would try to trade him.I would roll with hughes over mathis and PRAY he can deliver.Yes,that's a big gamble,but if we resign brayton and anderson,i would feel better about it.I also think the colts really like addison alot too.

This is a horrible idea. I agree we can let freeney go but to let both go is crazy. We have to have some sort of pass rush

[MyBeautifulChineseDoll]

This is a horrible idea. I agree we can let freeney go but to let both go is crazy. We have to have some sort of pass rush

We need a youth movement on defense.And its time to stop the run game.

[Marquis Maahrque]

Tell me the advantage of getting super excited when things are going good and super mad and sad when things are going bad as a leader? Tell me when it is ever good to be super emotional like that in life? Isn't it better to be stoic and stay calm at all times? Especially in the unpredictable NFL? You could be winning by thirty points in the first half but then lose at the end of the game. So why is it better to stay calm and steady in times of defeat and failure.

It takes much more discipline in life to stay stoic than to react to positives and negatives in life. Try it.

Stoic and calm ? Super emotional in life ? We're talking about football, not all situations in life.

Anybody who has ever played competitive football will agree that football is a very emotional, as well as a very physical game. The head coach must be a leader and motivator, one who sets the examples for his players. At the high school & college levels, coaches are "teaching" football skills in addition to being motivators and strategists. By the time players are at the pro level, they have learned most of their football skills and coaches are doing much more motivating and strategizing than they are teaching technique & skills to their players.

Caldwell's comments after each loss "we've got to get better" (ya think ?!) "we made some improvements" (really?). "I think we played well today"(you think so ?). Does this fire up his players and motivate them to win ? Does the front office set their goals on "improving"?... When is Caldwell, after a loss, going to say "we didn't get the job done, we we're terrible today". Where is his speech about winning ? His players follow his attitude, demeanor and intensity. If he's calm, they're calm. If he's happy with their progress, they'll never rise above & beyond that level. This game is about winning. NFL coaches need to display and excercise that intensity and emotion toward winning if they expect their players to follow. Jump up & down, scream at the refs once in a while, fire up your players on the sideline.

Love him or hate him, but Rex Ryan, the character that he is, is great for football; his players get excited about playing for him and he excites them to play with intensity. Watching Colts games on TV, the camera hardly shows Caldwell because he's boring on the sidelines...he show's no emotion.

Yes, super excitement and super emotional play a huge part in the game of football.

[FireJimCaldwell]

There is no circumstance in which Jim Caldwell should be retained as Head Coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

[That Guy]

There is no circumstance in which Jim Caldwell should be retained as Head Coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

Not even if pre-game coin tosses are replaced with head coach staring contests?

[Restored]

You know, I was probably one of the biggest supporters of getting rid of Caldwell this year but after this whole Polian debacle, I think I'd give him one year. IF and i mean thats only IF we can't get Fisher. If we can't get fisher then keep Caldwell one more year and see what he does when he actually gets some talent.

[FireJimCaldwell]

Not even if pre-game coin tosses are replaced with head coach staring contests?

No, and not even if they are have post game doughnut eating contests either..

[BIGugly]

And besides a couple of time game management mistakes (Mistakes that every coach makes) Why is Jim Caldwell such an inadequate coach? It's like everyone acts like they have inside knowledge of the Colts and know what he does and doesn't do.

The ignorance just permeates from every anti Caldwell post I read

In 16 games we scored 19 points in the first quarter. That is a lack of preparation.

In 16 ganes we scored 26 points in the third quarter. That is a lack of adjustment.

[BOTT]

Jerry Angelo as 'GM'...are you game?He seems to be a defensive minded GM.

man, your ideas get worse and worse. first you wanna keep jim "radio" caldwell a head coach, then hire tressel as OC...yeah, his offenses at osu were so spectacular. and know u want jery angelo to be gm.

Edited January 5, 2012 by shecolt
personal insult

[JoKeR]

Caldwell is the last person that should remain, IMO Polians should still be here with Caldwell being fired. Perhaps its related, I don't know.

Im not going to be a very positive fan of the team if its cornerstones are completely scraped with Caldwell remaining.

IMO scrap the weaklinks and keep the players that can play. Draft picks will fill the spots of the weaklinks. Im ok if they get rid of the good but often injured players but keep players that can still remain healthy and play.