When the Colts made the Super Bowl two years ago, coach Jim Caldwell was viewed as an accessory. When they won 10 games last year with a banged up roster, there was some chatter Caldwell should lose his job.
Now Caldwell is seemingly stuck in a no-win situation. Without Peyton Manning, the best the Colts can probably hope for is mediocrity. Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star has an intriguing column Friday in which he looks at Caldwell’s difficult predicament.
"[Caldwell] is working for a franchise that has become mildly dysfunctional, the old we-speak-with-one-voice mantra turning into a cacophony of varying voices and disparate agendas,” Kravitz writes.
It’s a great point. There is wacky owner Jim Irsay, breaking news on Twitter with obscure song lyrics.
There is Bill Polian, whose radio show seems like a weekly “State of the Colts” address. His son G.M. Chris Polian is the one ostensibly putting together the roster. (Both Polians have struggled to draft lately, especially early. That’s not helping Caldwell.)
There is Peyton Manning, who wields as much control over his team as any player.
Buried beneath all this noise is Caldwell, who doesn’t say much. His press conferences make Bill Belichick’s media sessions look like a Broadway show. Caldwell is almost an afterthought. None of this is fair to Caldwell, but that’s often the case for NFL head coaches.
This may be a no win situation for Caldwell. If the Colts can win -- even 7 games without Manning -- perhaps then Caldwell will get his due.