The Indianapolis Colts announced Tuesday that they have fired head coach Jim Caldwell after the team went 2-14 this season without Hall of Fame-bound quarterback Peyton Manning.
Caldwell led the Colts to a 14-2 regular season andSuper Bowl appearance in the 2009 season, his first after being hand-picked by Tony Dungy to take over the team’s head-coaching duties. The Colts lost Super Bowl XLIV to the New Orleans Saints. They were upset in the 2010 wild-card round by the New York Jets, following a 10-6 regular season.
Caldwell was the Colts quarterback coach/assistant head coach from 2002-08.
Colts owner Jim Irsay met with the media following the end of the season and discussed Caldwell’s future with the team.
“Right now, that’s still under evaluation,” Irsay said at the time. “This is something that will be a more extensive search. It will take more time. At the same time, I anticipate the general manger being here when I make a final decision on the coaching staff and head coach.”
With the Colts’ head-coaching position now open, there could be speculation that the Colts might approach Dungy about a possible return. NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora said Tuesday on “Around The League,” that there’s no reason to believe Dungy could return to the coaching ranks.
“Everything I’ve heard is he’s perfectly happy doing what he’s doing,” La Canfora said of Dungy, who has been working for NBC’s “Football Night in America.” “There’s really been no smoke there for a couple of years now. He’s been pretty equivocal with his stance on this.”
