To quote the great Thomas Earl Petty, the Colts officially are free fallin' out into nothing.
Sunday night's 62-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints hammered home that reality. It was a defeat so hideous that coach Jim Caldwell's job security now is up for debate.
Jim Irsay isn't accustomed to this. The Colts owner watched Peyton Manning quarterback his team to nine consecutive seasons of at least 10 wins. That won't happen this season -- the 0-7 Colts are an undeniable, likely unsalvageable, mess.
In his typically disjointed Twitter prose, Irsay addressed Sunday night's slaughter at the Superdome.
"Titanic collapse, apologies 2 all ColtsNation," Irsay tweeted. "Problems identifiable; solutions in progress but complex in nature/ better days will rise again"
Problems identifiable? Solutions in progress but complex in nature? We're not sure when Irsay was replaced by a cyborg, but none of this sounds promising for Caldwell.
In perhaps an even more damning statement, Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday said the Colts were "out-coached" by the Saints, according to StampedeBlue.com.
Saturday, a respected veteran and players' union leader, isn't known for loose lips, so you can bet his comment will resonate within the Colts' organization. Popular thinking had Caldwell surviving the season based on Manning's absence, but that might be changing. Losing by 55 points on national television makes everyone connected with the Colts look bad ... well, except for Peyton Manning.