Chuck Pagano’s Days Reportedly Numbered In Indy

Seven games into the 2015 season, the Indianapolis Colts find themselves in both new and familiar territory.

On the one hand, the team many expected to challenge for a Super Bowl this year is sitting at an unexciting 3-4 record. On the other, the Colts still lead the dismal AFC South and firmly control their destiny in potentially earning a home playoff game.

The team’s polarising start appears to rest on the shoulders of head coach Chuck Pagano, who it is rumoured will be relieved of his position during Indy’s week 10 bye. Under Pagano’s lead, the Colts’ season has to date been characterised by inconsistent offense, awful defense and arguably the worst play in NFL history executed before a national audience last week.

Bleacher Report’s NFL insider Jason Cole broke the news, revealing that the team’s top four in-house candidates for replacement are defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen and assistant head coach Rob Chudzinski, who could earn his first head coaching gig since being unceremoniously booted off the Browns in 2013 after only one season as the man in charge.

It’s rare to see such internal turmoil from a division leader, but when a sub 8-8 record is looking more and more likely to constitute the trip to the playoffs with each passing week, one has to wonder what sort of hope the division winner would have against the heavy hitters of the AFC.

Indy’s next two games will be a Monday night affair at undefeated Carolina, and a return home to face Denver and their elite defense. The Colts could realistically enter their bye week at 3-6 and just barely clinging on to a playoff berth with a tough final stretch awaiting.

Any better record by week 10 and Pagano may just last out the season, but things don’t look promising for this franchise carrying high expectations in 2015.