Charles Edward Pagano will likely be relieved of his duties at the conclusion of the Colts season. That’s not exactly breaking news considering how close he came to being jettisoned last year (which would’ve been unjust) and considering the final report card this season will be in the neighborhood of 4–12 in terms of wins and losses. That’s unacceptable by any standard, including Pagano’s, and ultimately should lead to a change in his professional ZIP code this coming off-season. Often when you have a coaching change in the NFL, there are a lot of reasons for a terribly bad season, and there are certainly a number of factors that played into this debacle.
Looking back to the end of last year’s disappointing season, one doesn’t have to be an NFL talent scout to surmise that the Colts roster wasn’t brimming with talent and, on its best day, was a team that was below average in terms of the caliber of personnel necessary to compete for a championship. With that being the case, one would logically look to both free agency signings and the draft to bolster the roster in an attempt to take that next step toward fielding a more competitive squad. When owner Jim Irsay sent general manager Ryan Grigson packing and replaced him by plucking Chris Ballard away from the Kansas City Chiefs, there was a sense of renewed optimism that comes with a regime change, and Colts fans were once again hopeful for the upcoming season. While Ballard had plenty of salary cap dollars to work with, the Colts were unable to attract a heavy hitter in free agency and had to settle for a plethora of what can only be deemed second-tier acquisitions. The draft produced Malik Hooker, a talented safety from Ohio State, but he fell by the wayside in week seven with serious injuries and spent the rest of the season watching from the sidelines. And then there was the 2 million-pound elephant in the room known as starting quarterback Andrew Luck.
The Colts strategically withheld information pertaining to the seriousness of Luck’s surgically repaired shoulder to keep hope alive, and it compounded the situation when Irsay went on a preseason broadcast assuring everyone that his franchise player was close to being ready and would be available soon. Week four quickly became week eight, and eventually the Colts came clean and stated Luck had “experienced” a setback and would not be taking any snaps in 2017. Sore and confused, Luck traveled to Europe for procedures and treatments not approved in the United States and is still in limbo.
Additional surgery may be necessary, and his future is certainly speculative at best. Facing the season without his stud signal caller, Pagano would also have to endure a tremendous number of injuries to other players starting in training camp and continuing through the regular season. Suddenly a team without a ton of talent and very little depth was forced to start players from the practice squad and the waiver wire, and you knew things would get ugly. An embarrassing blowout on opening day coupled with several blown leads in weeks to follow started the downward spiral, and while it’s easy to write the ending to this season, there are a few things worth mentioning in terms of Pagano’s performance.
First of all, he’s never thrown one player under the bus with the media, and he has taken full responsibility for every shortcoming that occurred. That’s beyond admirable, as he has had plenty of legitimate opportunities to pass the blame. He had virtually no input in terms of free agency signings and the draft, so in essence it was, “Take what we give you and make something out of it.” That’s hardly a recipe for success. But he swallowed his pride along with his future and went to war with a roster that had no chance from day one.
Before someone accuses me of being his agent and his PR representative, let’s get one thing straight: The guy certainly compounded the situation with some of his own mistakes, but those numbers pale in comparison to the aforementioned lack of personnel and the bungling of the quarterback position, which should have been addressed long before the acquisition of Jacoby Brissett, who deserves a medal for his performance this season. In interest of full disclosure, I like Chuck Pagano on a personal basis, and I’m eternally grateful to him for reaching out and showing compassion to one Jerry Davee, a gentleman I grew to know well in the later stages of his terminal leukemia diagnosis. Those things, as Pagano told me, are far more important than football. The time that he gave Jerry educated me about him as a man, and if you want to call me biased, then have at it. That doesn’t change the fact he was doomed from the start this season and never had a chance. Five of the losses this year were by a total of 15 points with a ragtag roster. There has been some good football played, and while the bad results clearly outweigh the good, it seems odd to me that virtually no one takes into account how the deck was stacked against him to begin with back in July.
So as the Colts play out the string these last two games and pray that Luck’s shoulder will heal, Chuck Pagano will no doubt remain positive and take the high road out of Indianapolis. The next coach will have his hands full on day one, and Pagano will find employment again in some capacity in the NFL. He inspired us all with his fight against leukemia, and he handled a botched situation with class and dignity. I don’t mind saying I’ll miss him, and hopefully his successor will have some of his same qualities. Yes, he’s out the door here soon, and I wish him well. A lot of people around here won’t know what to do without him to kick around anymore, but I’m sure they’ll find someone to blame. Just don’t tell me it was all his fault.
Danny Bridges, who finds Chuck Pagano to be a special human being, can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at Bridgeshd@aol.com.
