Why Hiring Jim Tressel to Replace Jim Caldwell Would Be Terrible Move for Colts

The Indianapolis Colts officially parted ways with head coach Jim Caldwell yesterday, and the franchise has already turned its attention to hiring his replacement. A report from Tom James of the Terre Haute Tribune-Star claims that the Colts plan to interview former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel for the job.

Hiring Tressel would be an awful move.

While Tressel certainly saw success as the head coach at both Youngstown State and Ohio State, he also left a trail of disgrace at both places. His career head coaching record of 241-79 looks nice on paper, but considering what happened at each school after he left, many believe he is not worth the trouble.

Tressel always did well on the recruiting trail, and that led to a large portion of his success. On the field, his offense has always been considered far too conservative and his teams often underachieved and were knocked for not winning big games.

Is this the guy the Colts want leading their franchise?

Tressel is a guy who had a lot of success at the college level, but he has no meaningful NFL experience. I don't understand why the Colts would even consider bringing him on board.

Indianapolis may have just finished a 2-14 season, but it is a new day in the Circle City. Ryan Grigson is on board as the team's new general manager, and right now, most signs point to the team selecting Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. 

Things are likely changing for the better for the Colts, and they need to make a positive statement with their coaching hire. Bringing Tressel in would leave everyone scratching their heads and would only bring up all of his past transgressions again. The talk would be negative. 

Indianapolis deserves better than the sweater vest.