Colts head coach Chuck Pagano issues statement on Ryan Grigson
After the firing of Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson on Saturday, head coach Chuck Pagano has issued a statement.
Despite having Andrew Luck, who fits the franchise quarterback label, the Indianapolis Colts have now missed the playoffs in two straight seasons. A little over two years since appearing in the AFC Championship Game, on conference championship weekend, the Colts fired general manager Ryan Grigson on Saturday.
The atypical silence of Colts’ owner Jim Irsay drove speculation about the status of Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano, with rumors of a Peyton Manning-Jon Gruden general manager-head coach tandem.
As the surviving member of the duo, and clearly without great job security, Pagano issued a statement regarding Grigson on Saturday night.
Chuck Pagano's statement on Ryan Grigson: pic.twitter.com/ID1g0Ybbz1
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) January 22, 2017
Grison was hired by the Colts in January of 2012, and he hired Pagano as head coach soon after. The duo lucked into the No. 1 overall pick that year (pun intended), but Grigson struggled to assemble capable talent around Luck and the on-field results have finally deteriorated over the last two seasons.
Pagano and Grigson got matching contract extensions roughly a year ago, which further tied them to each other if Irsay felt compelled to make changes.
But the owner has chosen a side of the poor coaching or lack of talent on the roster equation, or he doesn’t want to pay two guys not to work for him. Or there’s a very strong, third possibility. Irsay probably had a much easier time finding a suitable replacement for Grigson at this point, whereas the head coaching cycle is essentially over.
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Irsay essentially confirmed Pagano is still on the hot seat heading into next season, by fairly carefully saying “he’s our coach for 2017.” A new general manager will surely want to hire their own head coach, but Irsay delaying a decision for as long as he did left no options if Pagano were let go too. But if another disappointing season ends around 49 weeks from now, Pagano will be seeking employment elsewhere.