Colts Rumors: Chuck Pagano On The Hot Seat?
By Corbin Lewis
According to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, the Indianapolis Colts are not expected to extend Chuck Pagano’s contract before the 2015 season begins.
#Colts coach Chuck Pagano enters a make-or-break 2015: Sources say the team is not expected to extend before the season. He’ll play it out
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 26, 2015
Pagano is in his final year of his four-year contract that he signed back in 2012 when he took over the “infamous” 2-14 Colts team and Andrew Luck was still clean-shaven.
Since then, Pagano has led the Colts to three straight 11-5 seasons and playoff appearances in each of those three years. Also, each year, the Colts have progressed further into the playoffs making to the AFC Championship game.
Now, Pagano did miss a good size of his rookie head coaching season battling cancer and his team rallied with now-head coach of the Arizona Cardinals Bruce Arians where the interim head-coach won “Coach of the Year” in 2012.
This means Pagano has coached only two full seasons and maybe the Colts are wanting one more year to fully evaluate the coach before giving him an extension.
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Pagano is not a perfect coach. I think everyone in “Colts Nation” can agree on this. He does make some questionable in-game calls and sometimes his team looks woefully unprepared in some games, but you cannot deny the three-straight 11-5 seasons, three-straight playoffs appearances and the team continuously moving closer to the Super Bowl.
Many teams would love to have one 8-8 season and sniff the playoffs. One thing that makes Pagano special is also that he is loved by his players and many consider him to be like a “father figure.”
I understand that Jim Irsay wants to win multiple Super Bowls as quickly as possible and who doesn’t? Pagano was one game away of leading the Colts to the Super Bowl and now the Colts are favored and look ready to take that next step.
I believe Pagano will get his extension eventually. Unless the Colts absolutely crumble in 2015, then I can see them look deeply into the head-coaching market but Pagano has proven he deserves an extension and I believe he will make his case strong as the Colts embark on their journey to the Super Bowl.