Swimming With Sharks
By tophatal ……
Well it would appear that the NFL coaching carousel has now reached unimaginable heights of ridicule with the latest victim being Indianapolis Colts’ coach Jim Caldwell who was summarily fired by Colts’ owner Jim Irsay . With the Irsay having already made the decision to jettison former team president Bill Polian and his son Chris Polian , two former executives within the organization . Now as we all know the team had its worst season in the NFL finishing at the bottom of the AFC South and they did in fact bear the worst record in the league , posting a 2-14 mark.
FILE – In this Dec. 11, 2011, file photo, Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, left, speaks with injured quarterback Peyton Manning before an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. The Colts fired Caldwell on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Caldwell just finished his third and worst season as head coach of the Colts, who stumbled to a 2-14 finish without Manning. AP Photo/Gail Burton …
And though the Indianapolis Colts shared the same record with the St Louis Rams by virtue of better conference record it will be the Colts who will have the privilege of taking the first pick in the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft . The consensus appears to be that the front office will stake Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck number one overall. Now the firing of Jim Caldwell has struck me by surprise as I felt that he was not the problem concerning the woes of this team throughout the course of the season ! The loss of Peyton Manning prior to the start of the season was one of the many issues that faced the team . But herein likes the real issue the team acquiring Kerry Collins and then with aged veteran performing poorly it was left to backups Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky to steer this team over its schedule. Suffice to say , that all three were a shadow of what Manning on his worst day would appear to be .
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, left, speaks during a news conference as general manager Ryan Grigson listens at the NFL football team’s headquarters Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Indianapolis. The Colts announced the firing of coach Jim Caldwell. AP Photo/Darron Cummings
Jim Caldwell and his coaching staff tried their level best to get this team to play with any amount of resolve and zeal that it might possess. And the team’s cause certainly wasn’t helped with the very fact that their secondary was amongst the worst performing in the league and the offense lacked real penetration. From my own perspective the firing of Caldwell along with what now appears to be the ever-growing uncertainty as to the immediate future of four-time league MVP Peyton Manning . The player is owed a $28 million roster bonus that is due by 8th March 2012 . Manning will of course have to prove his fitness but at the same time should the team choose to cut the player they are still liable for a great part of his salary due for 2012. The 96 million five year contract signed by the player in conjunction with input provided by his agent Tom Condon says a great deal about the willingness of the front office to secure the player to long term future with the organization. But it would now appear that Jim Irsay in light of the mea-culpa by Bill Polian, now looks to rid himself of the last remnants of Polian and it might now include the quarterback that his guided the franchise to a great deal of success over the past decade . One should note , that prior to his being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 1997 , success for the organization was rarely seen and there were scant rewards for the fans.
In the fifteen years that Manning has been with the franchise he has simply rewritten the franchise’s record books as well as number of NFL records along the way as a quarterback.
Now any search that is said to be taking place that will no doubt be overseen by Polian’s successor will have to be done with a great deal of expediency . Granted , the postseason prohibits any approach to the coaching staffs of the teams still involved in NFL playoffs . So for now teams such as Baltimore Ravens , New England Patriots , New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers their coaching staffs remain off-limits until the culmination of the postseason on 5th February , the night of the Superbowl (SBXLVI).
Names that will no doubt be a matter of conjecture and speculation as it relates to this particular vacancy will doubt have the likes of Jon Gruden , Bill Cowher , Mike Sherman and perhaps Brian Billick interested . The Indianapolis Colts know that if they are to make a prudent choice that it would have to be a coach with name recognition and some who can be a lure to potential free agents . One can either view this decision as a monumental mistake by Jim Irsay or simply a situation where the owner felt it best to clean house . Given the sheer and utter irrationality of the firing of Hue Jackson by the Oakland Raiders’ front office led by team owner Mark Davis and the team’s newly installed GM Reggie McKenzie , it begs the question are the NFL coaches now swimming in shark infested waters , wherein the team owners are liable apportion blame elsewhere for the misjudgment made themselves and that of their general managers ?
It should come as no surprise that former Tennessee Titans’ coach Jeff Fisher is back amongst the coaching ranks of the NFL , with him having accepted the position to coach the St Louis Rams . Team owner Stanley Kroenke made the announcement public and it will now be left to Fisher along with his new coaching staff to assess the merits of the team as they move forward. Jeff Fisher succeeds Steve Spagnuolo whose three years at the helm of the Rams the team’s former coach guided them to a 10-38 record , a meager return over that period of time .
Fisher may well have more to work with in terms of the talent on hand with the St Louis Rams with 2009 top draft pick …… Sam Bradford at the quarterback position. Apart from Bradford the team also can call upon the talents of running back Stephen Jackson who seemed to have re-found the form that made him one of the most potent running backs in the NFL . Granted , this season we have seen the rise of Ray Rice and LeSean McCoy and Maurice Jones-Drew simply lighting up the NFL this season with their prowess.
The biggest issue facing Jeff Fisher may well his concerns the health of Sam Bradford with the player having recurring injuries throughout much of the St Louis Rams’ season along with a concussion which obviously has to be a major concern for the front office of the Rams and the league hierarchy as a whole , given the misplaced stupidity shown by the Cleveland Browns and their dealing with the same issue concerning the team’s quarterback Colt McCoy . I will continue to maintain that something that borders on being the incapacity of player such as one of the league’s major quarterbacks before they will actually do something proactive concerning the treatment of players suffering a concussion during a game . So ridiculous has the situation now become that they now see fit to have only a physical trainer up in the booths where adjudicating officials preside over calls that are not cleared by the sideline officials. One would have thought will the millions of dollars spent on team salaries the very least that could be done by the NFL is to have a neurosurgeon on hand up in the booth , rather than a mere physical trainer who may not be able be truly cognizant of the game time effects of a concussion on a player at the time.
Added to this whole charade by the NFL hierarchy has been the very fact that there has been clear evidence that points to the cause and effect of blunt head force trauma caused by repeated helmet to helmet hits during a game . Punitive fines to players certainly hasn’t deterred the actions of a number of players . What is even more asinine is that the players themselves are not too clear as to what is said to be legal in terms of a legitimate or illegitimate hit . It has been this sort of lack communicative skill from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell , who to my mind at times is simply posturing to the owners , rather than doing what it is the best interest of the game and the safety of the players. Never mind the fact that the players’ own representative the NFLPA led by DeMaurice Smith has truly done little over the years to abate this glaring crisis within their midst . Instead , both Goodell and Smith have spoon fed the public a great deal of fecal matter for their consumption and unfortunately the fans have actually bought into the feces being shoveled their way !
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Picture gallery for your perusal .
With the NFL postseason now in hand what thoughts if any do you have concerning the firing of Jim Caldwell ? And are the Indianapolis Colts capable of resurrecting their fortunes without Peyton Manning at the helm as the team’s quarterback ? By all means do take time to leave a comment on this topic and anything else you feel to be pertinent to the subject matter .
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Picture and slide show details .
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(1) Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay , left, speaks during a news conference as general manager Ryan Grigson listens at the NFL football team’s headquarters Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Indianapolis. The Colts announced the firing of coach Jim Caldwell. AP Photo/Darron Cummings ….
(2) Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, left, speaks during a news conference as general manager Ryan Grigson listens at the NFL football team’s headquarters Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Indianapolis. The Colts announced the firing of coach Jim Caldwell. AP Photo/Darron Cummings …..
(3) INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FILE: Jim Caldwell the Head Coach of the Indianapolis Colts watches the game action in the Colts 17-3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 13, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was reported that the Indianapolis Colts have fired coach Jim Caldwell who was 2-14 this season, 2 weeks after firing vice chairman Bill Polian. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images …..
(4) FILE – In this Dec. 11, 2011, file photo, Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, left, speaks with injured quarterback Peyton Manning before an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. The Colts fired Caldwell on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Caldwell just finished his third and worst season as head coach of the Colts, who stumbled to a 2-14 finish without Manning. AP Photo/Gail Burton …
(5) Jon Gruden could the former Bucaaneer’ coach and present ESPN NFL analyst be atop of the list of candidates that the Colts’ front office will seek out to gauge his interest in their vacant head coaching position ? Courtesy of US Presswire ……
(6) St. Louis Rams’ team owner Stan Kroenke speaks during a news conference where Jeff Fisher was officially introduced as the new head football coach of the St. Louis Rams NFL team, in St. Louis, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2012. AP Photo/Tom Gannam ….
(7) St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford and teammate James Laurinitis watch a news conference where Jeff Fisher was officially introduced as the new head football coach of the St. Louis Rams NFL team, in St. Louis, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2012. AP Photo/Tom Gannam ……
(8) EARTH CITY, MO – JANUARY 17: (L TO R) St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke, new head coach Jeff Fisher and Executive Vice President of Football Operations & Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff take questions from the media during a press conference at the Russell Training Center on January 17, 2012 in Earth City, Missouri. Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images ………
(9) Cleveland Browns general manager Tom Heckert , left, talks with team president Mike Holmgren during practice at the NFL football team’s training camp in Berea, Ohio. After a tumultuous 4-12 season and at the start of a critical off-season, Holmgren and Heckert have to decide who will be their quarterback and what else they can do to fix the Browns. AP Photo/Tony Dejak ………
(10) FILE _ In this Oct. 23, 2011 file photo, Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur , left, talks with quarterback Colt McCoy during the second quarter in an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Cleveland. After going 4-12 in his first season as Cleveland’s coach, Shurmur said McCoy improved in his first full year but would not commit to the 25-year-old as his starter for 2012. AP Photo/Amy Sancetta …….
(11) Colt McCoy (12) of the Cleveland Browns lies on the ground while speaking to athletic trainers after a helmet to helmet hit from James Harrison (92) of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the game on December 8, 2011 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images ……..
(12) Colt McCoy (12 ) of the Cleveland Browns lies injured after being hit by James Harrison (92) (not pictured ) of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the game on December 8, 2011 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers won 14-3 . Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images ….
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