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Jim Irsay ‘Seriously Discussing’ Letting Go of Chuck Pagano

By Luke Schultheis

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According to NFL Bleacher Report Insider Jason Cole, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay is reportedly “seriously discussing” whether he’s going to let go of head coach Chuck Pagano during the season, and that the most logical time for the move could be during the team’s Week 10 bye week:

"“According to an ESPN report, the Indianapolis Colts have had internal discussions about replacing Chuck Pagano,” said Cole on Tuesday. “The source I talked to said that Jim Irsay is seriously discussing whether he’s going to let Pagano go during the season.”“If that happens, it’s expected that the most logical time for the Colts to make a change would be during the Week 10 bye,” added Cole. “That is after the play their next two games against Carolina and at home against Denver.”"

With the team set to face the undefeated Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos in back-to-back weeks, the Colts could fall to 3-6 on the season which would prompt Irsay to make the coaching change during the following bye week. This would give the team an additional week to adjust to a new coach.

Sep 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano reacts during an NFL football game against the New York Jets at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

However, Cole insists that the Colts are still hoping the team can turn things around under Pagano to prohibit the team from having to make an in-season change:

"“The hope is that the Colts are able to turn things around and prevent (them) from having to fire Pagano,” said Cole. “But if the team continues to lose the way it has so far, expect a change to be made as they try to save the season.”"

If the Colts indeed make a change, the team would likely promote an in-house candidate from among their top assistants and coordinators such as defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, assistant head coach Rob Chudzinski, and longtime quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen:

"“If they make that change, there are 4 candidates in-house that the Colts would consider,” said Cole. “The first one would be defensive coordinator Greg Manusky then offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. Another is assistant head coach Rob Chudzinski then finally quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen, who is a longtime assistant with the team.”“Among those four, expect one of them to be elevated to this position to take over for the rest of the season before the Colts ultimately decide what they want to do in the future,” concluded Cole."

However, while the Colts’ top brass may be contemplating Pagano’s future with the team, the one thing that Pagano still has going for him is that he hasn’t lost the locker room and still has the players’ support:

Nevertheless, Pagano is clearly on the hot seat right now and his team has to start winning games sooner rather than later if he wants to continue as Colts head coach.

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