It appears that the Colts may be looking to bring the sweater vest magic back to their sidelines in 2012. Owner Jim Irsay took a flight down to Sarasota, FL for a second chat with the former Buckeyes head coach about potentially helming and NFL team. Tressel came on last season as an assistant coach to help advice the Colts on instant replays after he was ousted from Columbus for a number of scandals. Tressel began the season by sitting out a few games because of those violations, but was able to watch from the booth as the Colts finished the season 2-14. Since the end of this disappointing season, Irsay has cleaned house by firing vice chairman Bill Polian, GM Chris Polian, head coach Jim Caldwell, and much of Caldwell's staff.
I can understand the appeal of hiring Tressel on paper, but I have to say that this seems like an awful idea. Sure, Tressel is a coach with midwestern appeal, a record of success, and a notable name. Unfortunately, his success was never quite as much as it should have been (remember how many times the Buckeyes spent a season getting hyped up only to get trounced by the SEC? I sure do), and his style is anything but "NFL-friendly." Tressel has always been conservative to a fault, even when he began loosening things up in his last few seasons. That really doesn't fit the modern NFL climate.
It's also an awful match for the Colts personnel, whether that means Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck. Whether or not Manning comes back to Indy, they're going to be centering their offense around an elite passer (or at least someone they think could be an elite passer). That isn't a role that has ever been a part of Tressel's offensive repetoire. Sure, Troy Smith and Terrelle Pryor could pass, but they were also pretty mobile - that's not Manning or Luck. Furthermore, if Irsay is trying to convince Manning to return, hiring Tressel sends the wrong message. I don't see Tressel staying out of Manning's way like Jim Caldwell did, partly because Tressel is used to running a college program and might not be as good at handling professional egos. Bringing on Tressel as head coach seems like a good way for the Colts to push Manning out, bring Luck in, and then enjoy a season of running Donald Brown up the middle three times and then punting for field position.
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