Why Jim Caldwell Can't Last Beyond Indianapolis Colts' Bye Week

We’ve got to say at the top that it’s not Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell’s fault that Peyton Manning is injured and that the Colts are completely rudderless without their quarterback, the man who is the face of the franchise.

Indianapolis, a 27-10 loser at Tennessee Sunday, has two games left before its bye week rolls around. Both games are at home, against a good Atlanta team and a so-so Jacksonville unit.

It’s hard to see the Colts coming out of the bye week with Caldwell still calling the shots.

This isn’t a franchise that has a history of losing, having won at least 10 games for 10 years running. Somebody’s going to have to take the fall, and in situations like this, it’s almost always the coach.

Caldwell’s team has lost its first eight games of the season, and his grip on his job is starting to slip away.

The Colts have finally settled on Curtis Painter at quarterback, and in his first five starts, he’s done about as well as could be expected, although if he’s going to have to throw 49 passes a game, as he did Sunday against the Titans, his arm will fall off.

Caldwell is the man in charge, and he’s the man whose scoring defense is ranked 32^nd (i.e., dead last) in the NFL. And Manning in all his glory wouldn’t be able to do anything about that.

This is a defense that was in the Super Bowl two years ago with half of the starters from that team still around.

Indianapolis Colts are wondering what is missing—pretty soon Caldwell will be among the missing.