The Colts suddenly have no head coach after Josh McDaniels backed out of their agreement at the very last minute (or the first, considering Indianapolis had already announced his hiring), and are now staring down the barrel of disaster unless they move decisively.
Indianapolis reportedly already has three candidates lined up for interviews, hinting that the front office had reason to believe McDaniels would return to the New England Patriots.
Those candidates remain unknown, so here are three options who Indy would be smart to pursue:
Frank Reich, Eagles OC
If you can't get the offensive coordinator of the losing Super Bowl team, you might as well go after the OC from the team that beat them.
Doug Pederson calls the plays for the Eagles, but Reich is still an integral part of the offensive game-planning and was lauded for his role in Philadelphia's dominant Super Bowl LII performance and for developing Carson Wentz.
Reich is a former longtime NFL backup quarterback, and the Colts have seen how successful Pederson - a fellow ex-clipboard holder - has been at turning a franchise around quickly. Reich could also attempt to bring over Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo - a rising star who was linked to head coaching openings - as his OC, a prospect that will likely have Colts fans salivating with Andrew Luck set to return.
While the connections with the current Indy regime aren't significant, Reich did begin his coaching career as an intern for the Colts in 2006.
Dave Toub, Chiefs ST coach
Toub was rumored to be the front-runner for the Colts all season long when it was clear that Chuck Pagano's days in Indy were numbered. The hashtag "DisrobeForToub" even made the rounds on social media, as fans clamored for the highly regarded Kansas City Chiefs special teams coach.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard spent 2013-16 in the Chiefs' front office, and Toub joined the team the same year. After being forced to keep Pagano for an extra season, it was assumed Ballard would be given license to pick his guy - and his history with Toub, along with the coordinator's sterling reputation around the league, made connecting the dots easy.
It's unclear if Toub was spoken to regarding the position when the Colts were doing their first round of interviews, but even if he wasn't, he is likely the man Ballard would be most comfortable handing the reins over to after being blindsided by McDaniels.
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan HC
This one is a pipe dream. But after being so spectacularly embarrassed by McDaniels, why not chase after Harbaugh knowing they can't make things worse with other vacancies already filled? The Colts need to move quickly, but fans would likely be willing to wait if Harbaugh was a possibility.
Harbaugh recruited Luck to Stanford and coached him for three seasons, so the connections are obvious. Jim Irsay is all about making splash hires, too, and after McDaniels, he'll presumably want to show he can still land a big fish - there are few bigger than Harbaugh.
Harbaugh's tenure with Michigan hasn't been the success story many predicted it would be, and while it's highly unlikely he can be convinced to jump ship from his alma mater before truly making his mark, he could be looking for a way back into the NFL.
In his four seasons as 49ers head coach, Harbaugh took San Francisco to three straight NFC Championship Games, won 44 regular-season contests, and made one Super Bowl. His personality might be abrasive, but McDaniels was always a wild-card too. Harbaugh's record of success in the NFL is far more impressive.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
