Owner Jim Irsay basically rebuilt all of the major pieces of the Indianapolis Colts' organization last offseason. The team won two games in 2011, had the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2012 and was ready to move on from the Peyton Manning era.
Ryan Grigson was hired as general manager. Chuck Pagano was tabbed as coach. New bodies littered the front office and coaching staff.
It was a rebuilding process that was expected to take a few years.
Then the Colts won 11 games, made the playoffs and blew up the timeline. Suddenly Grigson has to replace key figures he expected to work with for years. Vice president of football operations Tom Telesco was hired by the San Diego Chargers for their general manager opening. Now the Arizona Cardinals have poached offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.
Telesco was part of the decision-making brass that redesigned the Colts' roster with rookies Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton, Vick Ballard, Coby Fleener, Dwayne Allen. Arians led the Colts to a 9-3 record as interim coach with Pagano out for leukemia treatment. Luck gives Arians a lot of credit for his development.
Two issues immediately come to mind for the Colts. The first is continuity. Successful programs keep good people working together for as long as they can. Irsay and Grigson obviously put together a good crew. Now it has to be tinkered.
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Second, Luck will need to work with another coordinator next season. That doesn't help the progress of a young quarterback.
These things happen to successful franchises. The Colts probably didn't expect to deal with them so soon.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
