The Indianapolis Colts entered this season as potential Super Bowl contenders behind MVP-favorite quarterback Andrew Luck. Simply put, things have not gone as planned.
Luck got off to a rocky start, posting five multi-interception games before going down with a lacerated kidney. Indy's defense was then exposed for a startling lack of depth and the Colts now sit at 7-8 in the so-so AFC South. In situations like this, the blame is normally reserved for the head coach, which is why Chuck Pagano should start packing his bags now.
"This is an easy one," ESPN Colts reporter Mike Wells wrote when asked about Pagano's job status. "Pagano, whose contract expires at the end of the season, turned down a one-year extension from the team during the offseason. The Colts are on the brink of missing the playoffs for the first time in four years with him as coach. His relationship with general manager Ryan Grigson has deteriorated as the season progressed. And perhaps most telling, Pagano talks like a coach who knows his time is running out with the organization."
Pagano is an impressive 40-23 in the regular season since taking over the Colts in 2012. Indy posted three straight 11-5 seasons before this year. Though the team has made incremental progress in the post-season each year (losing to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game in 2014), they sit just 3-3 during the Pagano era. An improvement on that record does not seem likely this year.
With as many injuries as the Colts have suffered at key positions, it's understandable to expect a regression. But Indianapolis has fallen off the map in major areas. The team finished 2014 ranked third in offensive yards per game (406.9), sixth in points (28.6), and 11th in total defense. This year, they rank 29th (321.0), 25th (20.2), and 28th, respectively.
Given the bad blood between Pagano and Grigson and the team's underwhelming season, it's fair to expect a head coaching change this offseason.
