Report: Chuck Pagano will not be fired during the season

After a disastrous season like the one the Colts are currently in the midst of, people get fired.  That's the way the NFL is, and the changes began for the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday night as they fired offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.  The changes won't stop there unless there is a miraculous turnaround, however, and the questions right now are not about whether head coach Chuck Pagano will be fired but instead when it will happen.

With the bye week coming after this Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos, that has long been the time circled as to when a change could happen.  Then, however, Hamilton was fired a week before that, prompting questions of whether that was the only move the Colts were going to make in-season or whether there would be more - like Pagano.

This afternoon on his radio show on 1070 the Fan, John Michael Vincent (known as "JMV") mentioned that he has been told that Chuck Pagano will not be fired during the season.  "I have been told that Pagano is going to be there for the entire season regardless of what happens," JMV said.  "That's what I've been told."

JMV went on to ask the question of who would be the guy to replace Pagano and concluded that there are no great options.  "He's going to be the coach the remainder of the season," he said again.  "Now the only checkmark I'll put next to that is an emotional, owner decision after an embarrassment, [but] I still don't see that happening."

So basically, unless Jim Irsay makes an immediate, emotional, spur of the moment decision motivated by his embarrassment by getting beat handily at home this Sunday (if that even happens), it sounds like Chuck Pagano will stick around for the rest of the season.  I've long said that if the Colts wanted to make a move mid-season that firing Hamilton made more sense than firing Pagano, and with the firing of Hamilton last night it made many (including myself) wonder whether that could mean that Pagano wouldn't be fired a week later.

Again, no one is saying that Pagano will be around after this year and no one is arguing that he should be, but JMV today reported that he's been told Pagano won't be fired mid-season but will instead stick around (which is probably the right thing to do, too).  Last night, FOX59's Charly Arnolt reported that general manager Ryan Grigson will not be fired during the season, so it could wind up being only Pep Hamilton fired mid-season - though other changes will surely follow after the conclusion of the year.