Very happy to see Caldwell out as head coach in Indy. The Colts needed a fresh start, and someone with a much stronger football IQ. I think it was a monumental mistake and he was certainly not ready to take over the Colts, SuperBowl favorites and a team full of veterans and pro-bowlers, as his first head coaching duty. Much like Playfair with the Flames, I don't like the idea of "grooming" an assistant over the years and handing everything over to him like that. The Colts have had some glaring holes in their game season after season that were not addressed by the coach or GM. Peyton Manning made up for all of that, and almost had an undefeated season and SuperBowl win with a truly awful defense, no offensive line and the leagues worst ranked running game. Caldwell was given the job because he had a relationship with Duny, Manning and a group of Colts players. With how soft this team has been year after year, it became glaringly obvious the needed a tough coach and someone who could crack a whip.
Will be interesting to see what direction the Colts take in looking for a head coach. A lot of big name candidates will be lining up to interview for this job if it includes 3-4 years with a healthy Peyton Manning. I'm not sure if those same coaches would be interested if the Colts go into full re-building mode and do not have Peyton Manning behind center next season.
|