Colts win, reflective Pagano awaits axe

Although the Colts were able to win their final outing against the Tennessee Titans, the ridiculous amount of things that needed to happen for the Colts to make the playoffs didn’t happen. Pagano, though, carved his own place in IN sports legend by signing on for another four years – even with the curious wrinkle of Ryan Grigson receiving an extension as general manager for the same length of time.

The Colts had a tough season, but there was a sense of relief and excitement at a news conference with Pagano, Irsay and Grigson (whose job security was also in question) on Monday night. Colts head coach Chuck Pagano’s future with the team has been the focus of intense speculation, with most observers, including WTHR’s Bob Kravitz, holding the belief that Pagano coached his last game for Indianapolis on Sunday.

Pagano’s fate was up in the air all day on Monday.

Pagano noted in his postgame press conference that he will meet with owner Jim Irsay on Monday.

Irsay made it clear that Pagano and Grigson have ironed out any differences they may have had in the past.

The seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver is in his thirteenth National Football League season and his first with the Colts (he was an early first-round draft pick by the Houston Texans where he played every season up until this year).

“When your best players don’t show up on the field everyday, you’re obviously going to be not be as good of a team as you could be”, she said.

Pagano and Grigson expressed the same excitement, with Pagano calling it “absolutely the best day of my life”.

If Pagano had to argue his case for staying to Irsay, he had a strong one.

BACKUPS MATTER: The Colts won five games this season with 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck and this time with Freeman.

“The reality is that it was careful consideration given to what we’ve accomplished and where I feel we can go”, Irsay said.

No one can argue that Pagano would not have been a highly sought out coach on the market.

Indianapolis entered 2015 with Super Bowl hopes yet endured injuries to starting defensive end Arthur Jones, starting left tackle Anthony Castonzo and quarterback Andrew Luck, among others.

“When I look at the old regime, the old era”, Irsay said, “you look at those first four years and you have two out of four seasons that were losing seasons”.

The move comes as a surprise after the Colts went 8-8 and missed the playoffs. Players declined to say what specifically was discussed, but many acknowledged Pagano expressed “love” for each of his players.

Linebacker D’Qwell Jackson echoed that sentiment on Monday.

“At the end of the day, whether we have hard decisions to make or he has a differing opinion than I do, I think we both know what both of us are made of at our core and we work to resolve anything to make the best decision for the franchise”, Grigson said. They just couldn’t get the Colts into the playoffs by themselves. If an off year is 8-8, some teams would give their right arm to go 8-8. “I don’t see a need for change”.

“I wouldn’t trade this season for nothing”, Pagano told reporters. “It’s great. There is nothing I would rather be doing and if I can compete at a high enough level, why wouldn’t you”.