Andrew Luck is a big fan of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s decision to keep head coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson.
“I think [owner Jim] Irsay showed a lot of guts keeping coach Pagano and Ryan,” Luck said, via Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. “I think the easy thing is to start all over, I really do. I think that was an awesome, gutsy move. I think it surprised me, but then again, I think any decision would’ve surprised me.”
Truly, the decision was a shock to most who cover the NFL. Rumors had swirled throughout the 2015 season that one or both of them would almost certainly be fired. Not surprisingly, Nick Saban’s name was floated as a potential replacement for both of them.
At one point, Grigson and Pagano got into a heated argument in the locker room stemming from the fact that the team’s many excellent players weren’t playing well together.
In the end, Irsay chose to keep his front office/coaching nucleus together to see if Grigson and Pagano could work out their differences.
He also secured Luck’s services through the 2021 season, signing him to a record-breaking contract (details here) that makes the quarterback the richest player in NFL history.
It will be interesting to see how the Colts perform this upcoming season. There is enough offensive talent at Luck’s disposal to put huge points totals on the board every week. But as usual, it’s going to come down to whether or not the Colts can protect Luck and keep opposing teams from running roughshod over their defense.
Time will tell if Irsay’s move to keep both Grigson and Pagano will end up being awesome, but we can all agree it was gutsy.