Thread: Colts fire Jim Caldwell

It's about damn time. They waited too long.

It was a little shocking to see how bad a coach he really was. With Manning Indy wins, without him..not so much. Manning (when he can play) seems to make the coaching position a bit obsolete.

Maybe with a new and better coach and if Manning gets healthy they will become a good team again.

Tony Dungy hand picked him when he retired........REALLY bad move from the start.

I like that they are cleaning house and starting new. They will trade Peyton Manning, draft Andrew Luck and begin the rebuilding process. They have always been a "soft" team for all of the Manning years, they need to get younger, bigger, faster and stronger. I'd like to see where they are in 3-4 years.

One thing is for sure, if you're trading Peyton Manning, the guy that is going to replace him BETTER be that good of a pick. I think he is.

Originally Posted by XYZ

Tony Dungy hand picked him when he retired........REALLY bad move from the start.

I like that they are cleaning house and starting new. They will trade Peyton Manning, draft Andrew Luck and begin the rebuilding process. They have always been a "soft" team for all of the Manning years, they need to get younger, bigger, faster and stronger. I'd like to see where they are in 3-4 years.

One thing is for sure, if you're trading Peyton Manning, the guy that is going to replace him BETTER be that good of a pick. I think he is.

He's not being traded and he never was. It just wouldn't make sense. I mean you don't replace a veteran quarterback, one who is arguably top 3 in the league, with some rookie. Heisman or no Heisman. Luck will stay behind the scenes minus pre-season for a couple years just like 90% of the other first round draft picks to ever grace the earth with their presence.

Mortensen: Irsay Will NOT Trade Manning - Stampede Blue

That is... if manning stays healthy. As long as he does he isn't going anywhere.

Look for Jim Tre$$el to be the next coach.

Originally Posted by GreatWhiteTruth

He's not being traded and he never was. It just wouldn't make sense. I mean you don't replace a veteran quarterback, one who is arguably top 3 in the league, with some rookie. Heisman or no Heisman. Luck will stay behind the scenes minus pre-season for a couple years just like 90% of the other first round draft picks to ever grace the earth with their presence.

Mortensen: Irsay Will NOT Trade Manning - Stampede Blue

That is... if manning stays healthy. As long as he does he isn't going anywhere.

Manning is 35 years old, how many "good years" do you think he has left? The Colts are rebuilding do you think he really wants to end his career in a rebuild? He is also due $23-28M next year which is a huge number against the cap. There is also the possibility that he never plays again. This is also his third neck surgery.

Reggie Wayne is leaving as a free agent as is Garcon and maybe Dallas Clark as well. Who is he going to throw to? Anthony Gonzalez or Austin Collie? They aren't even a second good receiver on a different team. No running game and the defense is horrific. Why come back to all of that?

Even if they don't trade him they're going to have to let him walk, he counts too much against the cap. All of the cap space he eats could be used elsewhere, AND they could pick up extra draft picks when some stupid team gives up a fortune for his services. I don't think a first and second are out of the question or hell maybe even two firsts. The Colts could then reload REALLY quick.

This is a business and a business decision, nothing more. He hurts thier cap which in turn leaves less to sign free agents or quality players still under contract (RFA). The days of a player spending his entire career with one frachise is over. If Manning comes back with a re-structured deal then yeah, I can see it happening.

A rookie? Look at what Cam Newton did last year.......as a rookie. Andrew Luck is the best prospect to come out of college at the QB position in the last 20 years. YOU DON'T PASS THIS GUY UP. He ran a pro style offense at Stanford, was coached by a pro coach in Jim Harbaugh and has a completion percentage of over 71%.....when most "elite" QB's (in college) barely are at 60%.

Originally Posted by XYZ

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A rookie? Look at what Cam Newton did last year.......as a rookie. Andrew Luck is the best prospect to come out of college at the QB position in the last 20 years. YOU DON'T PASS THIS GUY UP. He ran a pro style offense at Stanford, was coached by a pro coach in Jim Harbaugh and has a completion percentage of over 71%.....when most "elite" QB's (in college) barely are at 60%.

Fact. Somehow I saw this comment coming. Of course, but this is the 10% we are talking about here. Tebow doesn't count because he is god awful. "The curse of the heisman" or "the curse of the first round draft pic" comes to mind.

IF (big if) manning recovers 110% he has at least 3 good years left and that's worth keeping him around.

Anthony Gonzalez maybe, but Austin Collie??? Even with the garbage that was being tossed to him this season, he still put up decent numbers this year and was well above the league average for receiving yards. But you're right, he'd be the only one manning would have to throw to successfully right out of the gate.

With so much NOT being said about the situation it's easy to guess and speculate. You bring up a good point about it being a business decision and looking at it from that standpoint, but from what is being said right now it doesn't look like the franchise is looking to completely overhaul. It could turn out to be BS though who knows...Just like Theo Epstein and Franco leaving Boston after their collapse at the end of the season. Pap and riddick even followed... (FML )

Regardless, they have a lot of work to do in the off-season.

Hypothetically speaking here, IF Manning stays they aren't even close to competing for a Super Bowl with him. The question then becomes would they be further ahead by trading him for picks, the answer yes, by far.