INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jim Caldwell endured everything thrown at him during his first two seasons as the Colts’ coach -- replacing a friend, rebounding from losses and fighting through injuries.
Not having Peyton Manning around in 2011 was just too much.
Caldwell was fired Tuesday, a little more than two weeks after the Colts’ worst season in two decades.
“This is obviously a big transitional time for us, but I know we’re excited moving forward and it’s hard when you say goodbyes to some people,” team owner Jim Irsay said. “But it’s part of the business.”
In Indianapolis, the last two weeks have hardly been business as usual.
The day after a season-ending loss at Jacksonville assured Indy of the No. 1 draft pick in April with a 2-14 mark, Irsay fired team vice chairman Bill Polian, the architect of the Colts’ success, and his son, Chris, the hand-picked general manager.
Irsay’s nine-day search for a replacement ended last Wednesday when he chose 39-year-old Ryan Grigson as Indy’s new GM.