Colts Owner Jim Irsay Surprisingly Fires Bill, Chris Polian Following Disappointing Season

Colts Owner Jim Irsay yesterday announced his "stunning firing" of Vice Chair Bill Polian and his son, VP & GM Chris Polian, following the team's 2-14 season, according to Phil Richards of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Irsay "reached his conclusion Monday morning," and called it an "intuitive decision" made in the best interests of the team. It was Irsay's "determination that new leadership was required" with the team possessing the No. 1 pick in April's NFL Draft. Richards notes Bill Polian "ran the show for 14 years." Chris Polian "came with his father from the Carolina Panthers and was joined this season by a second brother, Dennis, who became the club's director of football administration." Irsay said that Dennis Polian "will stay on," as will Dir of Player Personnel Tom Telesco. Colts Dir of Football Operations Steve Champlin, a Bill Polian "lieutenant," will not have his contract renewed "when it expires at the end of the month." Irsay said yesterday that he has "spoken to no candidate to succeed the Polians but that the search has begun." He added that the process is "likely to require 'multiple weeks' and the fate of coach Jim Caldwell and his staff is unlikely to be determined until the new general manager is in place." Richards notes in recent years, Bill Polian "became a more and more divisive and polarizing figure" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 1/3).

SHOCKING ANNOUNCEMENT: In N.Y., Judy Battista notes Irsay "upended the brain trust that transformed the Colts from league laughingstock to perennial contender, and back again." Irsay acknowledged that the decision was "painful because he is close to Bill Polian." However, Irsay indicated that his decision was "not based exclusively on one season, but on a sense that it was time for a culture change" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/3). SI.com's Don Banks wrote the move was "stunning for the sweeping width and breadth of the clean break it signaled." The job security of the Polians was "not thought in jeopardy in recent weeks, and both men seemed to be heavily involved in plotting out the future of the organization's pivotal months ahead." But yesterday's "blockbuster developments likely signal that Irsay and the Polians were no longer on the same page" (SI.com, 1/2). In L.A., Sam Farmer writes the move would have been "unimaginable a few months ago" (L.A. TIMES, 1/3).
ESPN’s Trent Dilfer said, "We need to take a step back and recognize the legacy of Bill Polian and what he did for the Colts. ... I think it's worthy to say this is one of the great football people that's ever been in the NFL.” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said of Polian, “You’re talking about someone who won the NFL Executive of the Year six times. That tells you everything you need to know about Bill Polian’s credentials" ("NFL 32," ESPN2, 1/2).

MAKING THE RIGHT CALL: In Indianapolis, Bob Kravitz writes, "This was the right call." There is that "phrase again that captures the essence of why this was done and why this had to be done: 'It was time.'" Kravitz writes, "Interesting to note, Irsay didn't say a single word about Chris Polian at his Monday news conference." In the end, wins and losses and draft grades "didn't do in Bill Polian." Kravitz: "Bill Polian did in Bill Polian. He just became too difficult, too divisive, too dismissive of anybody and everybody who didn't share his NFL world-view. Too often, he became a sideshow and an embarrassment, whether it was screaming at Jay Mohr on the radio or railing about 'rats who spread lies.' This franchise needed new eyes. It needed a new direction, a new culture, a new everything" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 1/3). ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky noted as the season "frayed, Polian flailed in defending some moves rather than admitting errors." There were "more rifts in the franchise and less unity" (ESPN.com, 1/2). CBSSPORTS.com's Mike Freeman notes as great as Polian was at "building winners he was equally skilled at constructing walls within his own organization." He ran his teams with an "iron hand and was an unrepentant bully both to people who worked for him and the press." When you look up the "phrase scorched Earth in the dictionary there's a picture of Polian with a lit match and can of kerosene." Freeman writes, "Polian is gone but my guess is we haven't seen the last of him. He'll consult or possibly take over another franchise" (CBSSPORTS.com, 1/3).