The 2011 Indianapolis Colts season was the franchise's 59th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 28th in Indianapolis and the third (and last) under head coach Jim Caldwell. The Colts were coming off a 10–6 record in 2010 and a second consecutive AFC South championship, as well as a ninth consecutive playoff appearance.
The Colts had placed their franchise tag on star quarterback Peyton Manning before the season started but he sat out the entire season due to neck surgery. Also, Manning was never placed on injured reserve, but instead was on the Colts inactive list for each game. The Colts turned to retired quarterback Kerry Collins and then to Curtis Painter, neither of whom could fill Manning's void.[1]
The Colts’ offense weakened rapidly in 2011. They were 30th in the league in yards gained (compared to 4th in 2010), 27th in passing yards (compared to 1st in 2010), 29th in receiving yards (compared to 2nd in 2010), 28th in scoring (compared to 4th in 2010), and 28th in total touchdowns (compared to 2nd in 2010). The Colts set a dubious NFL record on pass defense, by allowing 71.2% completed passes by opposing passers.[2]
As early as the seventh week of the season, media discussion of whether the Colts might become the second team after the 2008 Detroit Lions to finish winless in a 16-game season began.[3] With Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck regarded as a can’t miss franchise player in the upcoming draft, there was discussion of whether the Colts should “Suck for Luck” (aim to finish winless) in order to get the first overall pick and draft him. The Colts became even less competitive in the second half of the season,[4] with some critics comparing them to the 2008 Lions.[5] The Colts finished the season with a 2–14 record, their worst record since 1991, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
On January 2, 2012, one day after the final game of the season, Colts owner Jim Irsay fired team Vice Chairman Bill Polian and his son, team Vice President and general manager Chris Polian. Irsay stated that the fate of head coach Jim Caldwell was still under review. On January 17, 2012, Irsay announced the firing of Caldwell as the head coach of the Colts.[6] On March 7, 2012, Manning was released by the Colts. These moves marked the first major rebuilding of the team since the Polians joined.[7][8][9]
^"Peyton Manning: Firing "very tough"". January 2, 2012.
^Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1978 to 2011, in the regular season, sorted by descending opp Pass Completion % as of 2011 season
^Arthur, Bruce (October 29, 2011). "The Colts, Rams and Dolphins Lead the Race to Draft a Can't-Miss QB". National Post. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. p. 69.
^Arthur, Bruce (November 25, 2011). "Colts Pursue Winless Season, also in Running for Worst Team Ever". Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. p. 27.
^Morwick, Rick (December 13, 2011). "Colts in Running for Worst Ever". The Republic. Columbus, Indiana. pp. 11, 13.
^"Colts fire coach Jim Caldwell". January 17, 2012.
^Klemko, Robert (March 6, 2012). "Colts to release Peyton Manning on Wednesday". USA Today. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
^Chase, Chris (March 6, 2012). "Report: Peyton Manning will be cut by Indianapolis Colts on Wednesday". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
^Perez, Luis (March 7, 2012). "Colts part ways with Peyton Manning after 14 seasons". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
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