Colts Press Conference: Bill Polian Fired; Jim Caldwell Not Fired Yet

The Indianapolis Colts today made a somewhat surprising move, firing general manager Bill Polian and his son Chris Polian. "We're moving in a different direction in regards to Bill and Chris Polian. It was a very tough decision for me. This is the tough part of this business," Colts owner Jim Irsay said in his press conference today. "There is always a great loyalty in this business. It was time, it was the right decision to make. Fourteen years is a long time in this league. It's an intuitive decision. A lot goes into it. This was a tough decision, and I made the decision this morning."

Bill Polian had been responsible for building the Colts teams with Peyton Manning, including making the choice of picking Manning over Ryan Leaf, and built a Super Bowl winning team and a team that won at least 10 games a season for a decade. "I expressed to Bill the appreciation this franchise has for what he did. Bill is a Hall of Fame General Manager, certainly a Ring of Honor individual," Irsay said of Polian's job with the franchise. Ultimately it came down to the product on the field, and the Colts rapidly declined from their Super Bowl appearance against the New Orleans Saints and it was not just due to the loss of quarterback Peyton Manning. Polian's drafts the past few seasons have left a lot to be desired.

Many expected that head coach Jim Caldwell would follow Polian out the door, but that decision is still being evaluated according to Irsay. "Coach Caldwell is still under evaluation. Jim Caldwell could very well be back next year. That's not out of the realm of possibilities. GM will be here when decision is made on coaching staff most likely," Irsay said. It looks like until a new general manager is found, Caldwell's position is safe with the team.

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