Andrew Luck already has a blueprint for his month away from the Colts.FORT WAYNE – Jim Caldwell is in his third season as the Colts’ head coach. He’s been to a Super Bowl, and owner Jim Irsay has said that he likes continuity, suggesting Caldwell has a chance to keep his job after today’s season-finale at Jacksonville, even though the Colts are 2-13.
But Caldwell doesn’t feel as if he has any level of job security.
“No such thing,” he said. “Not in our business.”
Caldwell is 26-21 in the regular season and 2-2 in the playoffs. His team has won its last two games – 27-13 over Tennessee on Dec. 18 and 19-16 over Houston on Dec. 22, both at Lucas Oil Stadium – and they may not wind up with the worst record in the NFL.
If the Colts win today and St. Louis (2-13) defeats San Francisco (12-3), the Rams will get the top pick in the upcoming draft.
The players have stated firmly they don’t care about the draft scenarios and want to finish the season on a three-game winning streak, and they may be playing for Caldwell’s job, too.
“Everybody understands that (playing for jobs) is just kind of the way it is,” said Caldwell, 56.
“Whether you are coaching or playing, it is always the same, and that doesn’t matter if it is in Week 10 and you’re 9-1 or whatever it might be. Nothing is promised to you, and there are no guarantees. So I think everybody that has played the game understands that, … and everybody that has coached it, we all coach on one-year contracts for (our) entire career.
“You (know) at any point in time that you could be looking for a job someplace else. But like most people in America today, that is the way it is. There are no guarantees.”
The Jaguars (4-11) are one of three NFL teams, along with Kansas City and Miami, who have fired their coach this season, replacing Jack Del Rio on Nov. 30 with defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. Since then, the Jaguars have gone 1-3.
“They still look like a pretty talented team that has good, young players, the leading rusher in the league (Maurice Jones-Drew) and are still playing good, solid defense,” Caldwell said.
“Oftentimes, you can see in the games that there is just (a small) difference between ending up on the positive or negative side of the ledger. They are still just as dangerous in every single phase, so I think they’ve gotten better to be honest with you.”
The Jaguars defeated the Colts 17-3 on Nov. 13 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“Collectively and individually, it has just been a trying year for everyone,” Colts tight end Dallas Clark said, “and I hope to think that everyone is going to be better from it. Time will determine that, but it hasn’t been our typical year.
“It is frustrating, but I think a lot of guys have grown from it.”
