By Hal Habib

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Updated: 11:34 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012

Posted: 6:03 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012

Plenty in the NFL were surprised to hear that Bill Polian was a casualty of the Indianapolis Colts’ disastrous season, but Marv Levy’s reaction went beyond that.

“Surprised isn’t the word,” he said Tuesday. “Stunned. Stunned, definitely.”

Before Polian enjoyed Super Bowl success as the architect of the Colts, he and Levy reached similar heights as general manager and coach, respectively, of the Buffalo Bills. And it was Levy who gave Polian his break into the league by hiring the magazine ad salesman to scout for Levy’s Kansas City Chiefs three decades ago.

“I don’t think he’s the best general manager in football, I think he’s the best general manager ever in football,” Levy said.

But Monday, Colts owner Jim Irsay began cleaning house after a 2-14 season by firing Polian, the club’s vice chairman, and son Chris Polian, the general manager, which likewise left quarterback Peyton Manning “stunned.”

It raises questions, including how the Colts deal with their situation at quarterback. They can draft Stanford’s Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick but also have a March 8 deadline to pay a $28 million bonus to Manning, who missed the season because of neck surgery and is uncertain to play again. They could avoid paying the huge bonus by cutting him.

Monday, Manning told The Indianapolis Star he was confident he could “coexist” with Luck. What this means for Dolphins fans dreaming of Manning won’t be clear for months, but Star columnist Bob Kravitz predicted that Luck will be the Colts’ quarterback in 2012 and that Manning might be a Washington Redskin or – get ready – a New York Jet.

That’s not the only tidbit coming out of Indy that Dolphins fans won’t want to hear. Irsay plans to let the new general manager decide the fate of coach Jim Caldwell, and if Caldwell is done, a likely candidate would be Jeff Fisher, who interviewed with the Dolphins on Tuesday.

NFL Network reported that Fisher wants a team with a strong quarterback, making the St. Louis Rams and Colts logical destinations.

Kravitz, who had predicted Polian could be gone Monday morning, called Fisher “a perfect fit” for the Colts. The same cannot be said for Tony Dungy, the former Colts coach who told Kravitz he has no interest in filling Bill Polian’s former role.

“Most people seem happy the Polians are out,” Kravitz said of the atmosphere in Indianapolis. “They didn’t make a lot of friends, especially in recent years with the substandard drafts” and by not going all-out for a perfect season late in 2009.

Kravitz called Chris Polian’s lone season as GM “an unmitigated disaster.”

Manning was meeting with Bill Polian on Monday afternoon to outline an off-season rehabilitation plan when Polian was summoned to see Irsay.

“What’s that all about?” Manning asked Polian, according to The Star.

“I have no idea,” Polian replied. “I’ll let you know.”

An emotional reunion between the two soon followed.

“I’m sorry that it went down this way,” said Manning, who was drafted by Polian in 1998. “I always thought Bill and I might retire around the same time. You kind of hoped for that fairytale ending, after winning a Super Bowl.”

Manning added, “I’d be the first to tell you that had Bill not been here when I was coming out for the draft, I’m not sure how I would have felt about coming to Indianapolis.”

By then, Polian had established himself as a builder of Super Bowl teams in Buffalo and Carolina. Levy recalled a day in 1987 when Polian asked if Levy and the Bills would like to have linebacker Cornelius Bennett, the unsigned Colts draftee. Levy, naturally, was interested — until hearing it would cost two No. 1s and a No. 2 pick.

“I said, ‘Oh, Bill, no. Way too much,’ ” Levy said. “He talked to me for six hours. Finally, I said, ‘Bill, you’re so convinced, go ahead.’ And Cornelius was, I thought, the best ‘backer in the league for several years.”

Levy keeps in touch with Polian but hasn’t spoken to him since the firing, so he’s not sure what the next move might be for him.

“Whoever gets him is going to get the best,” Levy said. “He’s probably the person in football I’m closest to, the one I have unmitigated regard for. The successes we enjoyed were so tied to what he was able to contribute and do.”

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.

Team owner Jim Irsay fired team vice chairman Bill Polian and his son, Chris, the Colts’ general manager on Monday. He said there was a good chance coach Jim Caldwell will be back next season, but his evaluation was not over.

He also must still decide whether a healthy Peyton Manning and a new quarterback can co-exist in the same locker room, and which veteran free agents come back next year, if any.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a year in the NFL where a team went 2-14 and there’s not been changes,” defensive captain Gary Brackett said Monday, less than 24 hours after a season-ending loss at Jacksonville.

Outsiders had expected the first order of business to be the firing of Caldwell, who won 14 straight games and advanced to the Super Bowl in his first season as Colts coach. Caldwell said he simply went about his business Monday, speaking with Irsay following the 19-13 loss at Jacksonville and with both Polians on Monday, part of his usual routine.

“You lose as many games as we lost in a year, there’s a problem, there’s an issue,” Caldwell said. “But when we were 14-2, the way you guys put it, my job was in limbo then, right?”

The elder Polian had constructed Super Bowl teams in Buffalo and Indy, and an NFC title contender at Carolina.

But troubling signs emerged this season as the Colts lost time and time again — 13 straight at one point — with Manning sidelined to recover from Sept. 8 neck surgery. And it was Manning who suggested he and Bill Polian were not on the same page.

Polian said on one of his weekly radio shows that he and the four-time league MVP had discussed the possibility of establishing a transition plan at quarterback and that Manning was OK with it. Manning later said the two had never discussed the 2012 draft plans, which include the No. 1 pick amid speculation that the Colts will take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck to groom as Manning’s successor.

Then, just before Christmas, Polian told local reporters that Manning would fail his exit physical, a move that would actually help the Colts because it would allow him to continue working out at the team complex during the offseason.

“That was kind of news to me,” Manning told reporters Sunday, then said he probably could pass the physical.

Fans have been clamoring for the ouster of Caldwell and both Polians. Irsay, a frequent poster on Twitter, has been listening.

“I want 2 thank all ColtsFans..here,throughout the country n abroad,4ur tremendous,loyal support all year long. Ur feedback is heard n noted,” he tweeted Monday morning.

For their part, players offered support for Caldwell, who just wrapped his third year as head coach in Indy.

“One thing about Jim is that he’s a stand-up guy, and guys respect that,” cornerback Jerraud Powers said. “He’s a great coach, a good guy, and it was unfortunate situation this year. But he never lost the locker room.”

The longer and, perhaps, more critical debate is how to rebuild this team and what to do at quarterback.

Manning never played after undergoing his third neck surgery in 19 months, a fusion of two vertebrae.

He did, however, start throwing to teammates in mid-December and received good reviews from both Bill Polian, who was watching, and running back Joseph Addai, who was catching balls. Doctors familiar with the procedure who did not treat Manning say he should return to a high level of play now that the fusion has healed.

If he is healthy, Irsay has promised to bring back Manning regardless of the $28 million bonus he is owed in March.

But after posting the NFL’s worst record without Manning, the Colts also have won the Luck sweepstakes, potentially putting two franchise quarterbacks on the same roster.

“I think I can co-exist with any player I’ve ever played with,” Manning said Sunday. “I think I’ve always been a good teammate in that way.”

If Manning returns, Irsay might be more likely to bring back former Pro Bowlers Robert Mathis, Jeff Saturday and Reggie Wayne, all of whom are now in their 30s, and keep other key high-priced cogs in the Colts’ success such as Brackett and safety Melvin Bullitt.

“I think when you’re playing, you’re so entrenched with the people you go to work with every day,” Saturday said. “It’s different for us to go out and think like an owner. But whatever decisions, we’ve got to take it as a community and move on.”

He’d clearly had enough of the Polians, though.

Bill Polian drew the wrath of fans in 2009 when he pulled the starters in the third quarter against the New York Jets, costing the Colts a chance at a perfect season after going 14-0. At the time, Polian told listeners that the team’s goal was to win the Super Bowl, not go undefeated. Indy wound up losing the Super Bowl, too.

When Manning went down this season, Polian came under fire for not having a capable backup in place, signing Kerry Collins out of retirement and fueling speculation that the team was interested in Brett Favre. He told radio listeners that he accepted the blame.

Updated Jan 3, 2012 10:19 AM ET

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Bill Polian plans to keep Peyton Manning on the active roster all season – even if it means he’ll only be back to practice.

While the Colts’ vice chairman isn’t completely ruling out a late cameo appearance by the four-time MVP this season, he’s hoping Manning will be able to throw at the team’s complex before the season ends.

“I think it’s important for him to feel like, `Hey I’m back, I can do the things that are necessary to say I can play like I want to,”‘ Polian said Monday night on his weekly radio show. “The bottom line is he needs to feel good about being back and doing the things he wants to do.”

Manning has not practiced with his teammates much since January’s playoff loss to the New York Jets.

He worked out with some Colts players during the lockout before scaling things back after having May neck surgery to repair a damaged nerve that caused weakness in his throwing arm. Just about everyone, including Manning, thought he’d be ready by training camp.

When the recovery didn’t go as planned, Manning opened the season on the physically unable to perform list, missed all four preseason games and wound up having another procedure, an anterior spinal fusion to clear up the problem just three days before the season opener at Houston.

The fusion normally involves making an incision in the front of the neck, removing soft disk tissue between the vertebrae and fusing the bones together with a graft.

It was Manning’s third neck surgery in 19 months, and doctors who were not involved in the procedure said Manning wouldn’t be cleared to practice for at least two months.

Since then, Manning has been seen walking briskly around the team’s practice fields, teammates have said he attends meetings and provides advice and Polian has told listeners that Manning has gradually “ramped up” his activity.

On Oct. 6, Manning told reporters he’d finally been cleared to stand on the sideline, a major sign of progress because he could take an inadvertent hit.

But at 0-8 and with the playoffs seemingly out of reach, there’s one big reason to push Manning to practice – finding out how close Indy’s franchise quarterback is to 100 percent.

“That is much more important to us because we know he’s not going to play six or seven more years,” Polian said, reiterating that Manning is nearing the end of his career and again pointing out that Manning needs to feel he can still play at a high level.

Manning signed a five-year, $90 million deal in late July, just before camp opened. The team can opt out of the deal after this season, though nobody in the organization has discussed the possibility.

And if they have the No. 1 draft pick, many believe they will take Andrew Luck as Manning’s eventual successor.

But it’s unlikely the Colts would play Manning in meaningless December games when they haven’t played him much in previous Decembers after the Colts traditionally clinch their playoff seed, and there’s another reason for keeping him on the bench this year, too.

“I’m not sure we would necessarily play him in ballgames with our offensive line as beaten up as it is right now,” Polian said.

Indy was already trying to rebuild the line this season after using a first-round draft pick on tackle Anthony Castonzo and a second-round pick on tackle Ben Ijalana. Injuries, however, have forced the Colts to replace three opening-day starters along the line and move a fourth to another position.

Earlier Monday, when coach Jim Caldwell was asked for an update about Manning’s status, Caldwell said: “He’s still working and making progress.”

Polian also understands the best-laid plans don’t always work out, and it nearly happened just last week.

“We got real close to that (Manning’s) spot when (offensive lineman) Seth Olsen broke his hand,” Polian said.

But Polian said his son, Chris, the Colts’ general manager figured out a way to keep the spot open.

The Colts placed quarterback Kerry Collins, who was signed in August to be Manning’s backup, and fullback Chris Gronkowski on injured reserve and re-signed two veteran offensive linemen to the active roster.

Polian also has declined to discuss taking Luck in the draft.

“I can’t tell you now, at this point in time, who we would draft just like I couldn’t tell you 14 years ago, in February,” Polian said referring to the choice he had between Manning and Ryan Leaf.

“We didn’t make the decision then till the second week of April, and we won’t make this decision till the second week of April, so when you ask me what we are going to do, we haven’t even begun the process yet. Our focus will be on the draft when it is appropriate to be on the draft.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Polian’s word of the day is “fluid.”

That pertains to Peyton Manning’s contract negotiations, the state of the roster, the signing of other Colts free agents and the opening of the 2011 NFL calendar year in general.

Everything’s changing by the day, hour or even minute. Everything’s fluid.

Manning had not reported to the Colts complex by midday Tuesday, but Polian said that’s not unusual, as about one-third of the players have been in the building so far. Players are to report to training camp Sunday at Anderson University, with practices beginning Monday.

Who will be on the roster by then is, well, fluid.

“We are talking to some of our own guys (free agents),” Polian said. “We will not have the ability to retain all of our free agents. We will try to retain as many as we can, but I would not expect that to be 100 percent across the board.”

While the focus is on signing some of the Colts’ own free agents, including franchised player Manning, Joseph Addai, Melvin Bullitt, Adam Vinatieri, Charlie Johnson and Clint Session, the Colts have apparently discussed a contract with former Ball State quarterback Nate Davis. Davis told the Muncie Star-Press that he will sign a two-year deal with the club.

Considering Manning might not be ready for training camp, another quarterback or two will be needed to join Curtis Painter in throwing drills and scrimmages during camp. Whether the Colts will keep more than two quarterbacks on the roster for opening day is uncertain.

Polian could not comment directly on Davis.

“At this point, Curtis is coming back, and we’re excited about him getting a lot of work in the preseason,” Polian said. “We’re continuing to work to put the rest of the roster together, whatever avenue that may be.”

The Colts announced they will relinquish the rights to restricted free agents Mike Hart, Mike Richardson, Gijon Robinson, Tom Santi and Jamie Silva.

Polian said there is no timetable on reaching a new contract with Manning, who would earn $23 million this season if he remains under the franchise tag. Colts owner Jim Irsay said he is committed to making Manning the highest-paid player in the NFL, but does not believe it is feasible for that amount to reach higher than $25 million a year. The hit on the salary cap would be too prohibitive, Irsay said, in the Colts’ ability to surround Manning with quality teammates.

“It is organized chaos,” Polian said of the scramble to assemble a roster this week. “We have had the general parameters of what we want to get done, but we weren’t able to address anything with agents in the interim, so you didn’t know what their thoughts were. You didn’t know what the cap was until last week. We are still continuing to get interpretations on signings, calendars, eligibility rules and all those kinds of things.”

Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian said he is not concerned about a second neck surgery undergone by franchise quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning had what was termed a “minimally invasive” surgical procedure on his neck to repair a disk-related problem. “We’ve got little or no worry,” Polian told Sports Illustrated. “This was just a minor procedure to relieve a little pressure on the nerve. I told them (Colts officials) to call me if there were any further problems, and no one’s called.” The most recent surgery was not related to the neck procedure Manning underwent more than a year ago, which relieved pain from a pinched nerve. Manning is expected to recover quickly from his latest surgery, though there is no timetable on when he can resume football activities. The 35-year-old QB had another sensational season in 2010, passing for 4,400 yards with 33 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

NEW ORLEANS (WISH) – Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian has plenty on his mind these days — the NFL labor dispute, a pending antitrust lawsuit filed by the NFL Players Association, Peyton Manning’s unsigned contract and the upcoming rookie draft in April, just to name a few. But on Tuesday at the NFL meetings in New Orleans, Polian wanted to talk basketball — Bulldog basketball.

“Oh man, am I excited,” Polian said. “I don’t know what my pulse rate was over the last minute of that (Pittsburgh) game last week, but (Brad Stevens) and his guys keep us all on edge. We’ll be rooting hard this weekend. Go dogs!”

The Colts president also spoke with WISH-TV about the stalled contract situation for the team’s franchise quarterback.

“Right now (Peyton Manning’s contract negotiations) are at a standstill because of the lockout,” Polian said. “But at some point, this is going to end. (NFL Executive VP) Jeff Pash said it best yesterday. This is a labor dispute and labor disputes ultimately get settled. So at that point in time, when it’s appropriate, we’ll get back at it.”

During the meetings, NFL owners approved a few new rules changes that will go into effect next season, whenever that may be.

Teams will kick off from the 35-yard line as opposed to the 30, which will likely result in more touchbacks.

The owners also voted to allow the replay official to review all scoring plays instead of just the final two minutes of the first half and overtime.

Coaches will now receive a third challenge if they win the first two.

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts executive Bill Polian is continuing his transition – a slow transition – away from the No. 1 decision-making role in his organization. Polian has assumed a new title, going from president to vice chairman, the Indianapolis Star reported today. Polian has been grooming his son Chris to take over for him. Chris Polian became vice president and general manager of the Colts in December 2009. Bill Polian has a home in Charlotte, N.C., and will spend a bit more time there now that he has a new title. But Colts owner Jim Irsay told the Star that the new title won’t be a significant change and that the elder Polian, 68, still will play a major role in the team’s decision-making. Irsay said he envisions Bill Polian receding into a consultant’s role in two to three years.

—Mark Gaughan