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The 6-8 Indianapolis Colts, coming off a crushing 16-10 loss at home to the Houston Texans take on the floundering 5-9 Miami Dolphins, coming off an abysmal 30-14 loss at San Diego. The Colts are trying to keep their playoff hopes alive and need help from the Texans. The Dolphins are just playing out the season, and if you are a Dolphin fan, you are wanting to see the Dolphins get as high a pick as possible, either to use of the trade down to acquire additional picks.
The game is a 1:00 kickoff in Miami on CBS, and it could very well be HC Chuck Pagano next to last game with the Colts, as he is without a doubt on the Hot Seat in Indianapolis. I saw his name linked with Miami in the last few days, and he would be an interesting candidate. He has had success with the Colts, but for him, there is some major friction between him and GM Ryan Grigson. Here is an article from Conor Orr of NFL.com on the situation.
If Colts coach Chuck Pagano ends up being fired, will he really be in Boise, Idaho, playing with his granddaughters like he promised?
Per NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, Pagano will be a hot coaching candidate if he hits the market. The Miami Dolphins, who likely are searching for more than just the next promising coordinator, could be looking outside the box for their opening.
While this would mean that Miami owner Stephen Ross and executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum would both pass over some coaches with Bill Parcells ties -- which would be a fairly significant development -- it shows that Pagano might be more coveted than we think.
This will be Pagano's first season as a head coach in which he did not win 11 games, which is a plateau that more than half of the NFL would sign up for in a heartbeat. The fact that he has clashed with general manager Ryan Grigson in the past and the fact that Andrew Luck has yet to produce a Super Bowl are working against him, as is the fact that his deal will run out at the end of the season.
Per Rapoport, Pagano is still coaching for his job and while signs point to an eventual breakup, it could turn into a situation where the Colts realize the grass is not always greener.
Perhaps Pagano can resist those bucolic afternoons in Boise for just a little longer.