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From our friend Kent Sterling:
Rumors began swirling around Indianapolis late this morning that Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell had been fired. Those rumors are false, according to a Colts official high enough up to know.
Caldwell’s coaching is held in high regard by the important people in the Colts front office, and they won’t fire a guy who has a 24-8 record with two trips to the postseason, and one to the Super Bowl in his only two years on the job.
...
Those not enamored with Caldwell’s style better get used to it because he is as solidly entrenched as the coach of the Indianapolis Colts as any coach is in the NFL.
I've said this before: The only way Jim Caldwell is getting fired is if Iim Irsay decides to clean house and 'not retain the services' of Bill and Chris Polian as well. The Polians and Caldwell are now intertwined, and the only reason to get rid of them would be Irsay wanting to hand total control of the franchise over to someone like Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden.
That's unlikely to happen in 2011 unless Peyton Manning, while negotiating his new contract, says he no longer has faith in Caldwell.
Still, the fact that rumors like these are popping up, coupled with people's very negative image of Caldwell as a coach, could make 2011 a very treacherous year for Caldwell. If the Colts get on any kind of losing streak, as they did in November of last year, the 'whispers' for Caldwell's dismissal will turn into full fledged screams.