Selling: The growing feud between Chuck Pagano and Ryan Grigson will sink the Colts
Just like we saw in 2014 when rumblings of a Jim Harbaugh/Trent Baalke feud were developing before the season began, whispers of discontent are emerging from the Indianapolis Colts franchise in similar fashion.
Head coach Pagano and general manager Grigson are reportedly butting heads, and people are beginning to wonder if the 2015 Colts team will tank the same way Harbaugh’s 2014 San Francisco 49ers did. Of course the team’s brutal opening-day loss to the Buffalo Bills only further fanned the flames of this theory.
It would be a mistake, however, to assume one bad game against a really good team on the road means the season is doomed.
Pagano is in lame-duck status in the final year of his current contract and was reportedly “insulted” by owner Jim Irsay’s one-year extension last year, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
“Given their differences of opinion on staff matters, personnel issues, a growing inter-personal strain and the minimal attempt made to extend Pagano, it’s created a culture where any coach would feel as if his future is elsewhere.”
There are major differences when you compare this situation to the one in San Francisco last year.
First off, Pagano isn’t Harbaugh, who is the kind of person who eventually eats away at your soul if you are around him long enough. Pagano is an easy-going guy who isn’t going to rock the boat, despite his differences with Grigson.
Secondly, Andrew Luck isn’t your average franchise quarterback—he’s the best young passer the league has seen since Peyton Manning. Though he had a poor outing against Buffalo’s terrifying defense, you’d be a fool to bet against him in Week 2 when the Colts host the New York Jets.
The Colts will be fine. They’ll win the weak AFC South, and there is plenty of time for Pagano and his staff to get the roster playoff-ready. This is still a team capable of winning big playoff games, and any discontent going on between Pagano and the front office will not have any bearing on the team’s fortunes.