Post-Jim Caldwell Era: Indianapolis Colts need more than a coach
When Jim Caldwell joined the Indianapolis Colts as a coach more than a decade ago, a number of tasks were awaiting him before hand.
The most challenging of the all was the rebuilding of the team to make it a winner on the field in which he remained successful during a majority of the seasons.
The only lowest point of his career at the Colts was the 2-14 in the 2011 National Football League (NFL) regular season.
It brought his career at the Colts to its end as he was fired by the team’s owner, Jim Irsay.
With Caldwell gone, Indianapolis are in search for a new coach. So far, no name has been tipped to be leading the prospects.
There are hints that the team might target offensive coaching staff as their future’s head coach with the priority of their choice will be confirmed only once they take a new coaching official on board.
Irrespective to their choice, the new coach will be facing same challenges as Caldwell did in the past.
First of them is their poor salary cap.
Indianapolis is over with the regular season and one of the issues confronting their pay roster is the payment of $28 million in bonus to their injured quarterback, Peyton Manning.
The March 08, 2012 deadline of the payout is quickly approaching and the team is looking for drastic solutions. There is no confirmation if the team management will pay the amount or seek negotiation and even extension on the date.
The team is also eligible to sign new prospects in the next draft later on this year. The player, who has so far rated to be one they look forward to, Andrew Luck, is a prominent player in the college league.
It is yet to be confirmed by the team if they will sign him or now and if they do, there is a possibility that he will get a top level deal with the team.
The team faces the choice of keeping Manning on their roster or let him go agent free after the bonus payment. It will be another challenge for their new coach.
Peyton Manning is the most critical issue in the team. It was described to be reason costing them the entire 2011 league season.
The new coach will be part of their strategy to keep Peyton Manning and also sign a new draft prize, keeping both them of on their roster or either letting one of them go.
If they decide to let one go it will most likely be Manning since the QB is nearing to end of his career and it will be an opportunity for them to seek to replace him with their future QB, who can be Luck.
It will also be tough for the new coach to agree with the approach of their new general manager, Ryan Grigson.
The absence of Manning and coincidental loss of 14 games reflects on the poor quality of talent at the Colts.
This should be another challenge for the new coach to either groom the talent or get away with it. The latter task should be rather difficult for the coach given the salary cap problem facing the team at the moment.
The job of redeeming the team from their lowest mark of the history to put it back on the winning ways will be the biggest of the challenges in front of the new coach.
The task will be even more difficult if the coach has an approach different to their new GM or does not fit within the ambitions of their owner.
A majority of commentators are unanimous in the view that the Colts decision of sacking Jim Caldwell could have a long-term effect on the team.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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