You never want to see this type of thing happen to good, nice people. The Indianapolis Colts had to cut bait in firing Jim Caldwell earlier today.
Fresh of a 2-14 season, the Colts had to clean house. They made a great, but controversial move, in breaking off both the Polians – team executive Bill and general manager Chris. The Colts then hired a general manager from the Philadelphia Eagles – another good move. And finally, the canned the last piece in the puzzle in Caldwell.
Again, I like Caldwell – a lot. I met him in the hotel lobby during the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston last March. He was a nice man and had an even better temperament. I just thought he was in a situation where things were done above his head.
Keep in mind it was not Caldwell’s decision to sit Peyton Manning and co. when they were chasing an undefeated season in the end – it was Bill Polian’s. And Caldwell really never coached that team – it was Manning. In short, he was neutered from both ends and could not effectively lead the team when it mattered the most.
I’m sure Caldwell will land on his feet somewhere, either as an offensive assistant or a TV analyst.
As for the Colts, it’s clear that they are moving on and starting a new era – perhaps without Manning? I personally think that Jon Gruden may be the person to guide them through it.
Categories: NFL, sports story
I just blogged about the exact opposite!! Haha. I don’t like the firing, I think Peyton’s absence fogged the heads of the execs
Dude,
Peyton bascially ran that organization (especially the offense) for over a decade. With all the house cleaning going on, don’t be surprised to see Peyton released…