Why Jim Irsay Should Be Applauded for Firing Bill, Chris Polian

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay shocked many today by firing vice chairman Bill Polian and general manager Chris Polian. Frankly, after a 2-14 season in which the Colts' roster was exposed as woefully thin and undermanned, Irsay did the right thing.

The Polians simply got complacent after years of success, and they wasted several opportunities to improve the roster, add depth and make smart personnel decisions. It couldn't have been easy for Irsay to fire Bill Polian, who had been with the franchise since 1998, but it was simply the right move. 

The Colts need a fresh start, whether that means severing ties with quarterback Peyton Manning and moving on to select Stanford's Andrew Luck with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, I'm not sure.

Indianapolis simply needs a new voice and a new perspective at the top. The team has a group of aging stars like Manning, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Dwight Freeney and Jeff Saturday. The Colts need an infusion of new, young talent badly.

For some reason, the Polians never focused on rebuilding the team's offensive line, and even admitted that drafting defensive end Jerry Hughes out of TCU in 2010 was a mistake. While his honesty was refreshing, when a general manager admits to his mistakes, that's a bad sign. 

Polian had a great run in Indianapolis, taking a moribund franchise all the way to the top of the AFC for a long time and helping it earn a Super Bowl title. Still, sometimes relationships just run their course, and this one had. 

The Colts' performance this season wasn't just a result of Manning being out. It was evidence that the roster had serious holes that should have been addressed via the draft or free agency. The Polians failed to do that and now they are out in Indianapolis.