By now you’ve all heard that Jim Irsay fired Bill and Chris Polian yesterday from their posts of Vice Chairman and General Manager respectively. So, now it’s time for an expert fan’s take on this “shocking” turn of events.
I don’t claim to have any inside information that allows me to formulate this expert opinion of the situation but I do perform many hours of detailed research and consider myself an informed source. My one source of entertainment/stress release from August through February every year is Football and sometimes I spend 2-3 hours a week reading commentary, listening to the “talking heads” and absorbing stats, so “I know what I’m talking about”.
Based on all of my research, I believe that this was the best possible time for both of the Pollians to go. While it is true that Bill has done wonderful things when it comes to changing the Colts from the bottom dwellers that they once were to perennial contenders they they now are. However, it cannot be ignored that football is a team sport and the loss of one player (albeit the best QB ever to play he game) should not result in a one year turnaround from 10-6 to 2-14.
It was the job of these two executives to plan for this contingency such that the team could survive the loss (look at New England a few years ago). The core of this team was left intact, so where was the plan for a backup QB, a scaled down play book for the offense, change of play by the defense? Instead, this team was built entirely around one player, basically set up for failure if that one player went down.
There is the aspect of the apparent rift between ownership and the Pollians as shown in the media. Recently there were several arguments aired out in the local media between Bill and Mr. Irsay or between Bill and the media themselves.