The Indianapolis Colts were supposed to be one of the best teams in the National Football League this year. It turns out they are one of the worst, and it is time to fire both head coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson because of it.
Pagano came in before the 2012 NFL season, hired by Grigson who came in just weeks earlier. The duo walked into a beautiful situation, holding the first-overall pick in the NFL Draft and knowing that it would be used on phenom quarterback Andrew Luck. The rest of the roster had talent on it, ranging from Reggie Wayne to Robert Mathis.
Flash forward three years later, and the Colts have advanced a round deeper into the playoffs each season. Last year, Indianapolis made it to the AFC Championship Game, only to be blown out by the New England Patriots, 45-7. Going into this campaign, the Colts were not only projected to be elite, they were an overwhelming favorite among experts to reach the Super Bowl and perhaps win it.
Instead, Indianapolis is 3-3 and on Sunday, is being blown out by the New Orleans Saints. The fans are lustily booing at Lucas Oil Stadium, and for good reason. In the second quarter, the Saints, who are 2-4, are winning 20-0. Luck is having another atrocious game behind the Colts’ embarrassing offensive line, completing 0-of-5 passes with an interception.
At some point, Pagano and Grigson need to be held responsible. Pagano has not been able to draw anything out of the offense, despite having Luck, Andre Johnson, Frank Gore, Phillip Dorsett, Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen. The defense is also a sieve, even with the talents of Trent Cole, Robert Mathis, Vontae Davis, Henry Anderson and Jurrell Freeman.
Conversely, Grigson has done a deplorable job of adding to the offensive line and the defensive secondary. Outside of Davis, the defense is largely old and slow in the back seven. Grigson has seen the same poor secondary for years, and does nothing to invest in it. Grigson also has a horrible track record in free agency, signing players like LaRon Landry, Ricky Jean-Francois, Todd Herremans and more.
Having a player like Luck should all but ensure multiple trips to the Super Bowl. All he needs is a good offensive line and a decent defense. The weapons can be average, because Luck will make all of them better by his presence alone.
Luck is starting to regress, a terrible sign for the franchise and quarterback. In his fourth year, Luck should be becoming Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. Instead, Luck appears to be more like Eli Manning on an awful day.
Over the next two weeks, Indianapolis visits the Carolina Panthers before hosting the Denver Broncos. Those games are followed by a BYE week. At that point, two pink slips should be handed out.