Coach-hiring phase of Indianapolis Colts so called rebuilding over, owner waited to make next move – NFL News
The Indianapolis Colts said on Tuesday, February 14, 2012, that they are done with their coaches hiring drive and that their coaching department now has full strength of assistant staff led by their head coach, Chuck Pagano.
Colts’ campaign of signing of a new head coach and co-ordinators to various positions had started about a month ago, soon after they let go their former head coach, Jim Caldwell, and about a dozen of his assistants.
First of all, they have recruited the new head coach, Pagano, who was a defensive co-ordinator at the Baltimore Ravens, and now confirmed to have added eight assistant staff to their coaching department.
These singings are in addition to few holdovers from the era of their former coach. The side has either retained them in their former roles or assigned new positions to them.
Those who have been hired are Jeff FitzGerald, the linebackers coach, Mike Gillhamer, secondary coach, Joe Gilbert, assistant offensive line coach, Gary Emanuel, defensive line coach, Frank Giufre, offensive quality control, Alfredo Roberts, tight end coach
and Brad White, defensive quality control.
Clyde Christensen, who has spent past two years at Colts as an offensive co-ordinator under the reign of Jim Caldwell as the head coach, has been retained as a quarterbacks coach.
He has been confirmed after the team disclosed to have included Bruce Arians to their side. He has come out of his controversial retirement from the Pittsburgh Steelers to join Colts as an offensive co-ordinator.
Colts’ owner, Jim Irsay, has parted his ways with all his managers, head coach and a majority of assistant staff following his team’s poorest performance in the 2011 National Football League (NFL) season.
His so called rebuilding drive did not spare any of those officials who had worked with their quarterback, Peyton Manning. The player himself now awaits a decision on the chances of his comeback to the side. He missed the entire 2011 NFL season due to his
neck surgery in September 2011.
The QB is lucky in a sense that he, in case of his comeback, will have an opportunity to work with Bruce Arians and Clyde Christensen, who are his former coaches and he had enjoyed a good relationship with them in their previous stunt at the Indianapolis.
This for the second time that both coaches have joined Colts and their hiring is seen as a way-paving for the player, who as a result of a rather positive statement from his employer, Irsay, recently, stands a chance to rejoin his team any time in the future.
An amicable solution to Peyton Manning’s issue is one of the major challenges before Colts’ new general manager, Ryan Grigson and head coach, Chuck Pagano, among the hiring of new staff and players for their side.
It is yet to be seen how the head coach is going to handle the Manning issue, and how well they will get along on possible return of the player.
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