Coach and GM Hot Seat Report: Will disappointing Colts make changes?
On Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts played the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. The Jaguars came into the game winless and in desperate need of a win (particularly for the job status of coach Gus Bradley), but the Colts, who were coming off a victory against the below-average San Diego Chargers, needed one too. And what happened? Indianapolis was down 23-6 after three quarters, had to fight to make things interesting in the fourth, but lost, dropping its record to 1-3.
And instead of the spotlight shining on Bradley, it now is focused squarely on Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson.
In the season opener, the Colts were up 35-34 on the Detroit Lions with 37 seconds to play but the Indianapolis defense gave up three straight passes – of 19 yards, 9 yards and 22 yards – that quickly put the Lions in field-goal range, and Detroit made the game-winning kick. In Week 2, the Colts played competitively with the Denver Broncos for the majority of the game, down 23-20 with four minutes to play.
Again the defense let Indianapolis down, with Winston Guy picking up a 21-yard pass interference penalty early in the Broncos’ possession, then giving up an 11-yard pass on third-and-11; Denver went on to convert a field goal to take a six-point lead. Luck and the Colts got the ball back with 1:51 to play and no timeouts to go for the potential game-winning touchdown, but Luck was strip-sacked on first down by Von Miller and the Broncos returned the fumble for the game-sealing touchdown.
Indianapolis was able to get a come-from-behind win in the closing minutes against the Chargers in Week 3, and then came last week, when they fell behind and couldn’t climb all the way back.
One of the root issues for the Colts is poor drafting. Grigson was hired in 2012; in his first two drafts, he made 17 picks – and only three of those players, all on offense, are currently on the 53-man roster. Fourth- and fifth-year players should be the core of a team, well-versed in the playbook, and with a good amount of playing experience, and the Colts just don’t have that. Moreover, Pagano is a defensive coach and Grigson has not paid much attention to that side of the ball: of the 38 draft picks he has made, only 16 were defensive players, and only six of those 16, all taken in the past two years, are currently on the 53-man roster.
With most clubs, that would be enough to earn Grigson a pink slip, but surprisingly he and Pagano each got four-year extensions earlier this year. And then Luck got a monster contract extension, which was a given. But to this point, Grigson has let Luck down in terms of building a good team around him.
On the Hot Seat
Ryan Grigson, Indianapolis: The offensive line is thin, the defensive line is thin, the secondary is thin. But hey, do NFL teams really need those things?
Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis: Pagano and Grigson may not be fired in-season, but they may not have jobs come mid-January either unless something turns around quickly.
Mike McCoy, San Diego: The Chargers held fourth-quarter leads in all three of their losses and could not finish out the games. This is McCoy’s fourth year as head coach, and San Diego’s record hasn’t gotten any better on his watch – the team was 9-7 his first two years and 4-12 last year.
Jim Caldwell, Detroit: Another club that can’t win close games. The Lions beat the Colts in Week 1, but lost at home to the Titans by a point in Week 2, in Green Bay by a touchdown in Week 3, and by three points in Chicago. First-year general manager Bob Quinn opted to keep Caldwell for this year, but as penalties mount (the Lions have 42, third-most in the NFL) and if Detroit continues to flounder, Quinn may be looking to make a move.
