Colts Gab

Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders, due to injury, had to bow out of the 2008 Pro Bowl; he was replaced by Denver Broncos safety John Lynch.  But the Colts will be represented by a member of their secondary, after all.  Due to an injury to Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, Colts safety Antoine Bethea will make the journey to Honolulu.  A 6th-round selection in 2006, Bethea registered 95 tackles and had 4 interceptions this season; Bethea will be the 6th Colts player named to the 2008 Pro Bowl.

As expected (at least I expected), Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy will remain as head coach for at least the 2008 season, according to Adam Schefter of NFL Network.  In a news conference which took place at 4:30 EST (televised on ESPN News) and included Dungy, team owner Jim Irsay, general manager Bill Polian and assistant head coach Jim Caldwell, Dungy told the audience at the news conference, “I wouldn’t shortchange my family.  I wouldn’t come back if my wife or my children were not for it.”

The Colts – specifically Polian –  also announced that Dungy would remain as head coach through at least the 2008 season then would hand over the reins to assistant coach Jim Caldwell when and if Dungy finally retires from the team.  The big factor in the decision was Dungy’s desire to balance football and family, especially after the family moved to Tampa earlier this month.  Irsay’s willingness to allow Dungy to spend more time in Florida was a big factor in Dungy remaining the Colts’ coach.

Prior to this decision being made, Dungy spent a week having discussions with family, close friends and colleagues while deciding whether to remain with the Colts for a seventh season.  After digesting everything, Dungy informed Irsay on Monday of his decision.  Dungy’s record as Colts head coach is 80-28, including a NFL championship (Super Bowl win); he has 136 career wins as head coach of the Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Personally, I am glad that Dungy will remain as head coach.  He provides the stability that’s necessary for this club and you can rest assured that the team is extremely happy that he is returning.  This is not a knock on Caldwell whatsoever; Caldwell is a major asset to the club and a reason the Colts are successful.  And when and if the time comes that Dungy is ready to step aside, then Caldwell will inherit a team that will be in place that will make him successful.

But even with Dungy returning, you have to be impressed with team owner Jim Irsay.  Very few owners would have made the accomodations that Irsay did in order to keep his head coach.  That speaks volumes about the type of man Irsay is. Most owners would’ve basically said, “See ya” if the incumbent head coach made those requests to management.  But Irsay is allowing Dungy to be able to balance his football and family lives, and he should be commended for that act.  Now that the Colts have their head coach, they can now get down to business as usual – in this case getting the team back to the Super Bowl.

While no one has heard from Colts current coach Tony Dungy for the past few days, there are more indications that he might be ready to hang it up as coach of the Colts. The team has signed current assistant head coach Jim Caldwell to a multiyear extension that will pay him about $2.5 million this upcoming season – head coaching money. The team would pay about $7.5 mil between both Dungy and Caldwell if they are both on the staff, leading one to believe the team is starting to think that Dungy will NOT be coming back in 2008.

If Tony Dungy does what a lot of people expect him to do, which is step down as the Colts head coach, their new head coach is already in place. Owner Jim Irsay confirmed on Thursday night that Jim Caldwell will be the teams new head coach when/if Dungy calls it quits. That could be as early as Monday as Dungy said after the teams playoff loss to the Chargers he would talk with his family in Tampa Bay and then make his decision known.

Caldwell, the teams current assistant head coach, may already know Dungy’s decision, as he has taken himself out of consideration for head coaching jobs in Atlanta and Baltimore. He was thought to be in the final running for the job with the Falcons, who also were turned down by Jason Garrett who instead decided to return to Dallas. Irsay stated directly that “Jim Caldwell would be the guy” if Dungy walks away.

The only head coaching experience that Caldwell has was when he was at Wake Forest. He spent eight seasons as the coach of the Demon Deacons. He did though coach the Colts through the tough stretch when Dungy missed a game when his 18-year-old son died back in 2005. It seems with him taking himself out of the running for two other jobs that its a “for sure” that Dungy is walking away and Caldwell is going to be the next head coach of the Colts.

The Indianapolis Colts have re-signed starting linebacker Tyjuan Hagler to a one-year extension through 2008; the signing keeps Hagler off the restricted free agent list.  The deal is wqorth an estimated $1.417 million; without the signing, other teams could pursue Hagler and maybe sign him to an offer sheet, which would have forced the Colts to either match it or allow Hagler to depart.

Barring another extension, Hagler will become an unrestricted free agent in 2009.  Signing Hagler also ensured that the Colts retain their entire starting trio of linebackers from last season.

The reports of current Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy retiring have been many; however, according to SportsTicker, Dungy told ESPN Wednesday that he has not yet made a decision on his future as of yet.  Initially, ProFootballTalk.com circulated a report that Dungy had decided to retire and was going to be replaced by assistant Jim Caldwell.

Dungy further told ESPN, “My wife and I will continue to discuss it and pray about it.  We should have some type of decision by Saturday or Sunday.  The first person outside my family that will know about it is (Colts owner) Jim Irsay, and nobody else will know about it before Jim.”

The talk about Tony Dungy stepping down is getting hotter, and now Profootballtalk.com is reporting that indeed, Dungy will announce his stepping down on Monday. The site is quoting a league source as saying that with Dungy stepping down, Jim Caldwell will be taking his place. Caldwell has already gotten interviews with some other teams around the league, and is held in high regard in the Colts locker room. We reported yesterday that it was a done deal that Dungy would be stepping down, and now it looks closer than ever.

I think it is safe to say that no matter who the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts  – and I still say Tony Dungy returns – is for 2008, he will inherit a team that isn’t markedly different than the team in 2007.  Seventeen of 22 starters, along with the kicker, punter and long-snapper, are under contract for 2008.  One of the exceptions, tight end Dallas Clark, will be here – either long-term or will be given the “franchise” tag.  Also count in defensive tackle Ed Johnson; he is the exclusive property of the Colts and as such will sign a contract fairly soon.

One thing that you can count on as well is that the Colts will probably not use the free agency route; the Corey Simon experiment is a good example why this won’t happen.  Colts president Bill Polian, by signing safety Bob Sanders long-term, ensured some stability on the defensive side of the ball; however, the team has some decisions to make regarding some offensive linemen.  Polian will have to face the dilemna of retainiung either Jake Scott or Ryan Lilja.  My best guess is if one of them is kept, it would be Scott, just based on the experience factor alone.  But no matter which one he keeps, the team is in relatively good shape for 2008.

Now that the 2007 season is over and the Colts will not get their second shot at the New England Patriots, all the talk has turned to if head coach Tony Dungy will be back for the 2008 season.  My guess, after 12 years as a head coach and 6 with the Colts – Dungy is set to walk away.  Yes, while the Colts ownership headed by Jim Irsay would like to have Dungy back with the team moving into a new stadium, I find it very unlikely to happen.

Seems that Dungy has the same syndrome that former Steelers coach Bill Cowher had – that being the burnout as well as the need and desire to spend more time with his family.  The Dungy family to this day continues to deal with the tragedy of losing a young son two years ago, and now you get a sense that Tony has a burden more than ever to move on from being a head coach.

While he has a contract with the Colts through the 2009 season, this is by far bigger than money.  It’s a man with a great appreciation for family and his faith that simply needs to get away and start a new chapter in his life.  Mark it down, by the end of the week Dungy will have walked away and the Colts will be looking for a new coach.

The Indianapolis Colts’ quest for a repeat trip to the Super Bowl game in Glendale, AZ apparently wasn’t in the cards Sunday; despite the Chargers’ loss of running back LaDanian Tomlinson and quarterback Philip Rivers to knee injuries, their defense picked it up a notch and reserve QB Billy Volek would guide the Chargers on a drive which would prove to be the game-winner.  Volek’s 1-yard QB sneak would be the difference as San Diego upset Indianapolis 28-24 in what will be the final game at the RCA Dome and could also be the last game that Colts head coach Tony Dungy coaches for the team.

The first series by Indianapolis was what you’d expect from quarterback Peyton Manning, with short passes to wide receiver Reggie Wayne and running back Joseph Addai, capped by a 25- yard touchdown pass from Manning to tight end Dallas, making it 7-0 Indianapolis. A 14-yard TD pass from the Chargers’ Rivers to WR Vincent Jackson would knot the score at 7 at the 8:38 mark of the first half; the Colts would regain the lead on kicker Adam Vinatieri’s 47-yard field goal.

In the final seconds of the first half, Manning would throw an interception that appeared to be returned for a score by San Diego cornerback Warren Cromartie; however, a flag negated that opportunity as a holding call against the Chargers’ Eric Weddle wiped out the touchdown. Chargers head coach Norv Turner, as expected, was not pleased with the call as it seemed that Weddle made a simple push.  Indianapolis went into halftime holding a tenuous 10-7 lead.

San Diego’s Rivers found WR Chris Chambers for a 30-yard score, giving the Chargers a 14-10 lead to open the second half. But the Colts would come back with a Manning-to-Wayne 9-yard TD pass that was initially ruled out of bounds; Indianapolis would challenge the call and the call was reversed, giving Wayne the touchdown, giving the Colts a 17-14 lead. San Diego’s Rivers would come back with a TD pass of his own, a 56-yard toss-and-run to Darren Sproles, giving the Chargers a 21-17 lead. The score proved costly as Rivers injured his right knee on the play; he would be replaced by reserve QB Billy Volek.

Manning and Co. would rally back with a 55-yard TD pass from Manning to WR Anthony Gonzalez, giving the Colts a slim 24-21 edge with 10:07 left to go in the game; however, San Diego’s Volek would go on a 5 minute driver that would be capped by a Volek 1-yard QB sneak, giving what would be the winning advantage to the Chargers. Rivers, despite leaving in the third period, had a decent outing, going 14-of-19 for 264 yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception while the aforementioned Volek was 3-of-4 for 48 yards with a rushing TD.  Running back Michael Turner led a somewhat average Chargers running attack with 71 yards on 17 carries; Jackson led all Chargers receivers with 7 grabs for 93 yards and a TD, while Chambers caught 3 passes for 67 yards and a score; Sproles caught only one pass for 56 yards, but for a score.

Manning, despite the final outcome, had a very good game in his own right. He went 33-of-48 for 402 yards with 3 TD’s and 2 INT’s; but to be fair, both picks were tipped by Colts’ receivers. RB Joseph Addai had 110 yards of total offense – only 43 on the ground while catching 9 passes for 67 yards. Clark would lead all Indianapolis receivers with 6 receptions for 95 yards and a TD; Gonzalez would catch 4 passes for 79 and a score, while Wayne caught 7 balls for 76 yards and a TD.

While the Colts are eliminated from further postseason action, San Diego moves on to New England to face the 17-0 Patriots next weekend. The Chargers have some issues to address between now and then – how costly is the loss of Tomlinson and Rivers’ knee injury going to be for the team? The Colts have some issues of their own: will head coach Tony Dungy return for another season?  The rumors have it that he may retire after this season; but like last season, Dungy will talk it over with his wife then make a decision. But Colts team owner Jim Irsay has a sense of urgency in keeping Dungy aboard for next season and beyond. This postseason, as opposed to postseasons past will definitely bear watching as it may change the future of the Colts.