Chuck Pagano, Ryan Grigson Expected To Stay As Colts Head Coach And GM ... But Why?
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Patriots fans will have to wait a little longer for their next bit of DeflateGate schadenfreude.
The Indianapolis Colts are reportedly going to keep Chuck Pagano around as their head coach in 2017, according to a tweet by Alex Marvez of The Sporting News. Pagano reportedly "received assurance" from Colts owner Jim Irsay that he will return next season.
The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport later tweeted to "expect the same" for Colts GM Ryan Grigson. If you'll forgive me for refreshing your DeflateGate memory ... it was Grigson who emailed then-senior NFL Football Operations officials David Gardi and Mike Kensil to tip them off about the Patriots possibly letting air out of their footballs after inspection. Grigson's infamous email is credited as one of the main factors in sparking the entire DeflateGate fiasco.
But that's not even the real reason that this decision is so absurd. For the GM to keep his job after two straight 8-8 seasons, despite having one of the more talented, high-upside quarterbacks in the league in Andrew Luck, is a major head-scratcher. Since drafting Luck first overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, Grigson has utterly failed to build a representative team around him, save for a small handful of pretty good players. It's borderline offensive that he isn't being shown the door.
Say what you want about Luck and his flaws as a player, but take him off the roster for the 2015-16 Indianapolis Colts, and they are ... the 2011 Indianapolis Colts, who went 2-14 to end up in the top draft slot in the first place.
Since 2012, the Colts have drafted exactly zero players who have since earned Pro-Bowl or All-Pro selections. 2013 first-round pick Bjöern Werner is currently a free agent, while 2015 first-round pick Phillip Dorsett started only seven games in 2016 and has been unable to pass 2014 third-round pick Donte Moncrief on the wide receiver depth chart.
Speaking of the 2014 draft, Grigson traded away his first-round pick that year for running back Trent Richardson, who has been out of the league since the 2014 season.
So tell me again why Grigson still gets to keep his job? Pagano hasn't exactly endeared himself to Colts fans either, with the way he prepares for games, but he's not exactly squandering a great roster.
The Colts, however, are squandering Luck. Without him, they are down there with the Cleveland Browns. With him, they should be an annual playoff contender. But it's been Grigson's failings that have kept the Colts away from where they should be every season.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.