Colts rumors: Jim Harbaugh, David Shaw rumored to replace Chuck Pagano
It’s only a matter of time before Chuck Pagano is fired by the Indianapolis Colts, and two college coaches are emerging a candidates to replace him.
Chuck Pagano is firmly on the hot seat as head coach of the Indianapolis Cots. A blowout season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Rams turned up that heat, apparently so much so that Pagano forgot who his team played. Andrew Luck’s absence is an overriding shadow on the season until further notice, and there is now some indication he’s not thrilled with the direction of the franchise and may want out.
The Colts have made a long-term investment in Luck, but former general manger Ryan Grigson finally paid the price for a lot of personnel mistakes. New GM Chris Ballard is taking on the task of rebuilding the roster, and he obviously did not hire Pagano.
On the Tuesday edition of The Herd, host Colin Cowherd cited reasons Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh would jump to the NFL. It’s an easy fit for Harbaugh in Indianapolis, as he coached Luck for three years at Stanford and would presumably come with a stamp of approval from the quarterback.
10 reasons Jim Harbaugh could leave Michigan for Andrew Luck and the Colts pic.twitter.com/Q0yPoQFwem
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) September 13, 2017
On Wednesday, Cowher started his show with a mention of Stanford coach David Shaw as a candidate for the Colts’ job. Apparently Ballard was in attendance at the USC-Stanford game last Saturday, which Cowherd deemed to be a mission to scout a head coach.
Shaw moved up the ladder at Stanford when Harbaugh left for the San Francisco 49ers’ job, and he coached Luck as offensive coordinator for one season (2010) and then that one season as head coach in 2011. Shaw also has a lot of time as an NFL assistant on his resume, which has made him an easily rumored candidate to become a head coach at that level on an annual basis.
Unless the Colts pull off something miraculous, Ballard will surely fire Pagano and hire his own permanent head coach immediately after the season. An in-season firing can’t be ruled out, but it won’t change the situation for 2018.
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Harbaugh and Shaw will be the two biggest, and frankly convenient, names mentioned as candidates for the Colts’ job. It remains to be seen if either guy will consider leaving a college job he can probably have as long as he wants it, but Luck’s presence is a point in the Colts’ corner.