Chuck Pagano Leaves Baltimore for Indianapolis

Pro Football Talk reported earlier on Wednesday that the Indianapolis Colts had tabbed a new head coach to succeed Jim Caldwell. Jim Irsay will have to run through his Twitter comments to find a winner for those Super Bowl tickets he offered.

Chuck Pagano, defensive coordinator of the Ravens, moves into the top spot to usher in the new era of Colts football. He served as the team’s secondary coach before ascending to the coordinator role. Pagano’s hiring speaks to the rebuilding process underway in the Super Bowl host town and a shift in identity.

The Colts have a number of high-priced veterans on both sides of the ball set to hit free agency (Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Robert Mathis and offensive line mainstay Jeff Saturday among them). It is presumed, particularly given his recent comments, that there is no decision to be made concerning Peyton Manning in terms of his future in Indianapolis. Rather, it’s just a matter of timing and how much fanfare goes into the announcement of his departure.

I’ll have more on this shift and other league developments from the floor of the media center next week from Indianapolis.