Indianapolis Colts' Pierre Garcon Talks WR Position Battle, Coaches, & More

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The 2009 offseason for the Colts has been one of the most dramatic in the past decade, and has everyone asking questions like...who the heck are all these new coaches?  Where the heck is Marvin?  Is Vinatieri going to be okay?  Who the heck is going to step up and step in to fill the slot receiver position?  And how is all this going to affect the Colts' offense?

Well don’t worry Colts fans, I was able to speak with Colts receiver Pierre Garcon, and he had some interesting answers for us on all these questions and more. 

The Colts' coaching staff is probably the unit that has seen the most changes this season, both expected and unexpected. 

Head Coach Tony Dungy had planned his retirement from the team and had a successor named in Jim Caldwell at least a year in advance, but the losses of Offensive Coordinator Tom Moore and Offensive Line Coach Howard Mudd has most Colts fans a little worried...even if they are coming back as consultants. 

The Colts filled those open positions from within the current staff by promoting Clyde Christensen (Wide Receivers Coach) to Offensive Coordinator, and Pete Metzelaars (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) to Offensive Line Coach.

But that left open spots to be filled at the Receiver’s Coach position and the Assistant Offensive Line Coach position.  All that and I haven’t even mentioned that the Colts have a new Defensive Coordinator, Larry Coyer.

So what does Pierre have to say about all the changes?  He doesn’t seem too worried.  “There is not a lot of new coaches, it’s just a lot of guys moving up...moving around, but nothing’s changing really.  Still the same playbook...still the same offense.”  

When asked about the Colts promoting from within the current staff and how he felt about Jim Caldwell, Clyde Christensen, and Pete Metzelaars taking control of the offense, Pierre said, “That’s real good!  They know the system very well, so there’s not going to be (any) growing pains.  They’ve been around for a while, the guys know them, the guys respect them and all.  And there’s not going to be much of a change from what Coach Dungy used to do.” 

Early on in this offseason’s OTA’s though, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning had made comments that expressed his dissatisfaction with the communication of the Colts organization, and also about the fill-in coaches, Ron Johnson (Receivers Coach) and Frank Winter (Assistant Offensive Line Coach). 

So are these issues behind them now and are the interim position coaches working out better?  This doesn’t seem to be the case.  Pierre said that, “We still have the same wide receivers coach, Clyde (Christensen).  He’s still helping us out, and doing the Offensive Coordinator job.  He’s doing both.” 

So it appears that Christensen has either taken over the job until the position coaches are up to speed, that he has taken over the job until they can hire someone else on, or that he is going to hold that position throughout the season. 

In any case...it doesn’t seem as though the issue has been resolved.  It should also be noted that on the Colts official NFL website (Colts.com), neither Ron Johnson nor Frank Winter appear on the Colt’s coaches roster.

In regard to Tom Moore’s role in the offense as a consultant, Pierre is out of the loop just as much as we are saying, “I couldn’t tell you, I really don’t know.”  Any chance of Tom Moore calling plays up in the booth this year?  “I couldn’t tell you, I really don’t know.”

This is also the case when you speak to Pierre about the defense.  “Well, the defense is different (this year), but I don’t worry about that at all.”  Pierre’s sole focus right now is on the offense and how he can get into the starting line-up.

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