Indianapolis Colts Formally Announce New Coach

The Indianapolis Colts took another step toward the attempt to regain the glory of the past decade by hiring Baltimore Ravens Defensive Coordinator, Chuck Pagano as their new head coach.

Pagano fills the void left by Jim Caldwell whose was fired a couple of weeks ago after three years as head coach. Several of Caldwell's assistant coaches have also been shown the door in an effort to give the team a fresh start.

To say the past several months have been rough on the Colts and their fans (like myself) is a gross understatement. From Peyton Manning's health and questions on whether he'll finish his career as a Colt to a 2-14 season that saw the organization clean house from top to bottom with the aforementioned firing of Caldwell as well as long-time Vice Chairman and architect of Indy's highly successful run as a Super Bowl contender the past decade, Bill Polian and his son Chris who served as the Colts General Manager for the past two years.

Pagano takes over as head coach after serving as the Ravens Defensive Coordinator last season. Before his promotion to coordinator, he coached the Ravens secondary for three years meaning he was in charge of cornerbacks and safety's. From what I've read, he's an outspoken and charming guy with a sharp sense of humor which would be a stark contrast to the generally quiet and seemingly lacking-any-semblance-of-emotion-at-times Caldwell and his predecessor Tony Dungy.

Personally, I like this hire. The Ravens defense have routinely been one of the best and most feared in the league for years, relying on big, quick, and aggressive players. The Colts on the other hand have always had a "bend but don't break" mentality when it comes to defense using smaller than average players who were quick on their feet. A strategy that has consistently landed them in the bottom of the league in stopping their opponents running game.

There's no doubt Pagano has a tough task in front him. If he chooses to install his style of defense, which only makes sense, it will require getting players that fit the mold, something I'm not sure many of the current players on the roster can do. Regardless of what happens from here, there's no doubt it will be a different looking team than what we've been used to the past 10 years, and that excites me.

The Colts are scheduled to hold a press conference at 3pm Eastern, 2pm Evansville time to formally announce the hire.