Less than 24 hours after a season-ending loss at Jacksonville gave Indianapolis the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, Irsay fired the team’s vice chairman and general manager and decided to keep coach Jim Caldwell at least until he finds a replacement for the father-and-son team.

“It was a very tough decision for me,” the Colts owner said Monday. “I had a chance to talk to them both, I had a chance to express to them, and Bill in particular. You know how hard it was and the appreciation the franchise has for all that has been done by Bill, and obviously, him and I go back 30 years. So this is difficult, this is the tough part of this business.”

For more than a decade, the Polians and Irsays seemed to operate in lock step.

Irsay sided with Polian after the 2001 season when the then team president and coach Jim Mora clashed. He thought enough of Chris Polian to begin the transition from father to son and he repeatedly supported Polian publicly even when fans were unhappy with Polian’s decisions and reactions.

But after 13 straight losses, a 2-14 record without Peyton Manning and the second-fewest wins in the franchise’s Indianapolis era, Irsay had no choice.

“I’m grateful for all the support the fans have shown us in good times and bad,” Polian said in a statement issued by the team. “Indianapolis has been a wonderful place to live and work. Most of all, I would like to thank the players, coaches and staff who have played the pivotal role in this magnificent journey. I will miss them all.”

Nobody ever doubted how much influence the elder Polian had on the game or the Colts.

He helped create the league’s salary cap structure and was a longtime member of the league’s rule-making competition committee.

He was the architect of four Super Bowl teams in Buffalo, the rapid ascension of Carolina’s expansion team and the Colts’ resurgence. Six times, he was named NFL executive of the year by The Sporting News. He drafted the Colts’ career leaders in passing (Manning), rushing (Edgerrin James) and sacks (Dwight Freeney), and the No. 2 receiver in franchise history (Reggie Wayne). His teams won two Grey Cups in the Canadian Football League, played in eight NFL championship games and five Super Bowls, and the 10-game improvement from 1998 to 1999 set a league record. In 2006, Polian finally got his elusive Super Bowl ring.

The cornerstone for all that success in Indy, though, was Manning, and the inability to find an adequate backup proved Polian’s undoing.

Manning missed the entire season with a neck injury after signing a five-year, $90 million deal in July. The Sept. 8 procedure was his third neck surgery in 19 months, and the Colts went through three different quarterbacks before getting their first win.

Players also became increasingly dismayed by the comments Polian made on his weekly radio show. The most vocal critic was Manning, probably the only person in the organization with more leverage than the team’s vice chairman.

INDIANAPOLIS —
The game — Indianapolis Colts (2-13, 1-3 AFC South) at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11, 2-3 AFC South), EverBank Field (Grass), Jacksonville, FL, 1 p.m. (EST).

Coverage ­ CBS Sports (Spero Dedes, Steve Beuerlein); Colts Radio Network (Bob Lamey, Will Wolford, Kevin Lee); Sirius NFL Radio Channel 113 (Colts), Channel 112 (Jaguars); XM NFL Radio Channel Channel 233 (Jaguars).

The coaches — Colts: Jim Caldwell (26-21, 3rd year); Jaguars: Mel Tucker (1-3, 1st year). Jim Caldwell has a 3-2 career coaching record against the Jaguars. Tucker is Jacksonville¹s interim head coach and has never faced Indianapolis in his current role.

The series — 22nd regular-season meeting. Colts lead series, 15-6. The Jaguars have posted wins in two of the last three matchups. Indianapolis, though, has won four of the past six and six of the past 10 meetings. The Colts have a 7-3 record against Jacksonville in road games. Six of the last eight games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Seven of the last eight meetings have been decided by 10 points or less. Eight of the last eight matchups have been decided by 14 points or less. Jaguars PK Josh Scobee has provided the margin of victory for Jacksonville in three of the series meetings (53 yards with 0:38 left on 10/24/04; 51 yards with 0:04 left on 9/21/08; and 59 yards with 0:05 left on 10/3/10).

Noting it ­ QB Dan Orlovsky has completed 34-of-58 passes for 326 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions over the past two weeks in wins over Tennessee and Houston. Orlovsky has a 95 passer rating in fourth quarter as a Colts starter in 2011ŠRB Joseph Addai had two rushing touchdowns in his last meeting at JacksonvilleŠWR Reggie Wayne needs 113 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the eighth consecutive season. Wayne has 887 receiving yards this seasonŠWayne has caught two touchdown passes in his last two games, wins over AFC South rivals Tennessee and HoustonŠWR Austin Collie has hauled in four touchdown receptions in his past four meetings with the JaguarsŠDE Robert Mathis has registered three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in his last two gamesŠMathis needs 1.5 sacks to reach 10 for the fifth time in his NFL career.

Did you know? ­ With Minnesota winning last Saturday against Washington, it’s down to Indy and the Rams as to who will get the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. But draft positioning is the farthest thing from the mind of the Colts.

Did you know 2? ­ The Colts have never been swept by an AFC South opponent since the division came into existence in 2002. The Titans and Texans fell the last two weeks and Jacksonville is up next.

Did you know 3? ­ WR Pierre Garcon needs 75 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the first time in his NFL career. Garcon has six touchdown receptions this year, which ties his single-season best (2010).

Did you know 4? ­ DE Dwight Freeney has recorded nine career sacks against Jacksonville. DE Robert Mathis is aiming for his third straight game with a sack against the Jaguars.

Stat of the week ­ Reggie Wayne has 1,599 receiving yards against the Jaguars, the most against any opponent.

The game plan –  Finish. That’s the goal heading into the Jacksonville game on Sunday.

Finish with a sweep of AFC South teams after knocking off Tennessee and Houston the last two weeks. Finish on offense when you’re in the red zone.

Find a way to punch the ball into the end zone. And finish on defense. Finish the turnaround that started in the second half of the loss to Baltimore.

Simply put, the Colts must be able to have a sustained running game while taking advantage of passing situations. Defensively, Indianapolis has to be able to slow down the Jaguars running game. And they must find a way to force mistakes by a rookie quarterback.

Key matchups –  Colts WR Reggie Wayne vs. the Jaguars secondary. Wayne usually plays well against Jacksonville and he has played well over the last two weeks in wins over the Titans and Texans. Depending on how his offseason contract negotiations go, Sunday’s game with the Jaguars could very well be Wayne’s last in an Indianapolis uniform.

Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert vs. the Colts’ pass rush. Indianapolis didn’t do a bad overall job against Gabbert earlier in the season, although there were some crucial breakdowns in the second half of that game that allowed the rookie signal caller to break free of the pocket and make some plays downfield. That can’t happen on Sunday.

Colts run defense vs. Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew is considered to be the best running back that Indianapolis’ defense faces on a regular basis. He has been tough for the Colts to stop completely. They’ve slowed him down some on occasion, but Indianapolis — who came very close to drafting Jones-Drew in 2006 and teaming him with RB Joseph Addai — has yet to completely shut him down.

Read More: Matt Hasselbeck (QB – TEN), Dwight Freeney (DE – IND), Jake Locker (QB – TEN), New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans

The Tennesse Titans’ veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was questionable heading into Sunday’s game at the Indianapolis Colts. Hasselbeck left last week’s loss to the New Orleans Saints with a calf injury, giving way to rookie quarterback Jake Locker.

The young Locker is far more athletic than Hasselbeck, creating a different type of play-making ability by adding a run threat. As a rookie though, Locker is inconsistent and with a playoff spot still in play, the Titans would rather rely on the steady hand of the veteran Hasselbeck on the road.

Well, it appears Hasselbeck has given the calf a test on Sunday morning and will indeed lineup behind center for the Titans in Lucas Oil Stadium. According to Adam Schefter, Hasselbeck will give it a go against the Colts.

Despite a calf injury, Titans QB Matthew Hasselbeck will start today vs. Indianapolis.

At least Dwight Freeney won’t have to chase a moving target when he’s coming off the edge for the Colts and looking to make a play on defense.

I get paid to watch the Indianapolis Colts. I don’t know how anyone else does it.

Don’t get me wrong. You have to admire Colts fans who stick by their team, which is now stuck at 0-13 after a 24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in Baltimore.

Loyalty in sports often ranks as a low priority among professional athletes as they jump from team to team, but it’s a requirement for true fans. Your team is your team whether it’s good, bad or Colts ’11. You don’t abandon it for another bandwagon, no matter how frustrating; just ask Cubs fans.

So, kudos to Colts fans who have persevered from Collins to Painter to Orlovsky, a football version of Tinkers to Evers to No Chance.

Still, this latest Colts exercise was more torturous than ever, almost impossible to endure and a cinch to mentally dispose of five minutes later.

By my unofficial count, there were two moments worth watching:

1. Dwight Freeney’s 100th sack. The great defensive end devoured Joe Flacco like he was engaged in some sort of salute to classic Pac-Man. Freeney just swallowed him whole. For Freeney, who was shut out in his attempt to make Tom Brady his 100th victim, it was a week late but sweet nonetheless.

2. Reggie Wayne’s one-handed grab. The greatest catch of the season didn’t count since Dan Orlovsky’s pass was a sliver too wide. Wayne went up with one hand, his arm stretching like made of elastic, and pulled in the pass. He was out of bounds. And, in a way, that captured Wayne’s season: Supreme talent wasted.

Beyond that, the only suspense was whether the Colts would break their 1954 record for fewest offensive yards in a game. They tried their worst, but failed when a fourth-quarter Orlovsky completion to Wayne put them well past the 67 yards set 57 years ago. Maybe next week.

Colts coach Jim Caldwell likes to say things are never as good or as bad as they seem, although we haven’t had to contemplate any good illusion for a while. In that light, Orlovsky is not as good as he looked against the Patriots [team stats]’ bend-and-crack-and-sometimes-break defense nor as bad as he looked against the Ravens’ Super Bowl-worthy defense.

But, wow, was Orlovsky discombobulated by Baltimore. Toward the end, before he threw a touchdown pass to Jacob Tamme as time expired – a personal moment of semi-excitement as it cemented my predicted 24-10 final score – he seemed to be taking the snap and throwing a pass simultaneously. And then he’d still get hit by a minimum of two Ravens.

On the bright side, Anthony Castonzo now has some good film on the difference between being a consistently strong left tackle and being a human blocking dummy for Terrell Suggs. I’m sure it was not a fun learning experience, but should be a valuable one moving forward.

Speaking of moving forward, and other good news, the Colts have three games left, including their final two home games in a five-day span. They play the Titans at home next Sunday, followed by the Texans on NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football on Dec. 22. Then it’s off for Christmas. (Dear Santa, we’d like two lock-down corners and some luck. Or some Luck, depending on Peyton Manning’s health.)

The end finally arrives on Jan.1 on the road in Jacksonville. The Colts’ New Year officially begins Jan. 2.

Colts fans will keep watching for three more weeks. It’s become a test of devotion now. The reward remains the prospect of the most entertaining NFL Draft since 1998. Now you couldn’t pay me to miss that.

———

By Alex Boeder

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Dec 14, 2011 – While Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has been cleared to throw according to head coach Jim Caldwell, he is still not practicing with the team.

Manning, who has already been ruled out for the entire season, was just one of seven Colts who did not practice on Wednesday, along with tight end Dallas Clark (burner), defensive end Dwight Freeney (not injury related), defensive end Roger Mathis (knee), linebacker A.J. Edds (ankle), defensive end Jamaal Anderson (groin) and linebacker Phillip Wheeler (foot).

Meanwhile, wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez (groin) did participate fully in practice on Wednesday.

Two players on the opposing Tennessee Titans have already been ruled out: running back Javon Ringer (hand) and safety Anthony Smith (groin).

Manning will be throwing as part of his rehabilitation from neck surgery, which he underwent on Sept. 8.

The Colts, 0-13, have just three more chances to avoid the 2008 Detroit Lions in the infamy of an 0-16 season.

Read More: Jamaal Anderson (DE – IND), Dallas Clark (TE – IND), Dwight Freeney (DE – IND), Peyton Manning (QB – IND), Indianapolis Colts

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