INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has scheduled a Monday afternoon news conference amid multiple reports he has fired team vice chairman Bill Polian and general manager Chris Polian.
The announcement came a few hours after coach Jim Caldwell told reporters he was going through his regular routine and less than 24 hours after the Colts finished the season at 2-14, their fewest wins since 1991.
Chris Polian waved to two security guards as he left the team complex Monday but was not available to comment.
Fans have been clamoring for changes, calling on Irsay to fire Caldwell and both Polians. Earlier Monday, Irsay tweeted that the fans’ concerns had been “heard and noted.”
Bill Polian was the architect of Super Bowl teams in Buffalo and Indianapolis, and an NFC championship finalist in Carolina. He came under fire in 2009 after dismissing fans’ concerns when the team decided not to play for a perfect season. He drew more criticism in the Colts’ locker room this season, most notably from Peyton Manning, who questioned some of the comments Polian made on his weekly radio show.
Caldwell won his first 14 games as an NFL head coach and took the Colts to a Super Bowl in 2009. But this season turned into a nightmare after Manning was lost for the year following Sept. 8 neck surgery. He never played a down and the Colts lost their first 13 games.
Manning has been rehabbing and throwing the ball, but there are questions about his health and the team must still decide whether to use the first overall pick in April’s draft on Stanford’s Andrew Luck or another quarterback to groom as Manning’s replacement.
There are also big questions about the futures of former Pro Bowlers Robert Mathis, Jeff Saturday and Reggie Wayne.
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