When the Internet rumor broke last week that the Indianapolis Colts planned to keep head coach Jim Caldwell around for the 2012 season, I have to admit that I was pretty bummed out by the implications. I'm sure that Caldwell is a fine fellow, but the fan in me wanted to see some big changes for this organization after the ugly season that they just completed. With Caldwell still in the fold, though, it looked like the rest of the coaching staff would probably be back, too, and the prospect of drafting Andrew Luck actually started to look a bit shaky. I guess I need not have worried, as Caldwell was fired on January 16; three days later the bloodletting has continued unabated, with owner Jim Irsay and new general manager Ryan Grigson essentially gutting the existing coaching staff. Defensive line coaches John and Bill Teerlink, who are father and son, are the latest victims, but the list of casualties is long and likely to grow even longer.
The Teerlinks' departure is not surprising given that the defensive line has been an area of concern for years, at least for those who follow the Colts closely. Though there has been a lot of flash up front, courtesy of defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, the Colts' defense against the run has been pitiful, as evidenced by the 2303 rushing yards that they surrendered in 2011, ranking them 29th in the NFL. Even though the entire onus of stopping the run doesn't rest with the defensive line, it's a good, or bad, place to start.
The Teerlinks weren't alone in coaching units that consistently fell short of expectations, especially in 2011. The Colts have also been terribly porous on the offensive line for years, and O-line coach Pete Metzelaars paid with his job, joined in the unemployment line by receivers coach Frank Reich. Isn't it funny how Indy's vaunted wideouts, even Reggie Wayne, looked much more human this season without Peyton Manning directing their play?
Perhaps the most symbolic firing of all, even if it was also the quietest, was that of strength and conditioning coach Jon Torine. The 2011 Indianapolis Colts started the season with a monumental injury, to Manning, and fell apart from there. The defense stayed on the field too long and couldn't handle the punishment. Without Manning, the offense was, in a word, weak. The whole team, it would seem, was just totally unprepared for the rigors of an NFL season.
Now, they're all paying a price.
Adam Hughes was raised, and still lives, in rural Indiana. He has been a Colts fans since the team arrived in Indianapolis on a snowy morning in 1984. The Blue and White eventually replaced the Chicago Bears as his #1 team, and Super Bowl XLI was a dream come true.
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