Chuck Pagano joined an exclusive club Wednesday, becoming just the fourth Ravens defensive coordinator to become the head coach of another team.
The Colts announced Pagano would become their new head coach just three days after the Ravens lost to the Patriots in the AFC Championship.
The Ravens defense he coached in 2011 ranked among the best in the league in every statistical category including sacks, rushing and passing yards against and points against. Pagano was only defensive coordinator for the 2011 season, serving as the Ravens' secondary coach from 2008 to 2010.
Previous Ravens defensive coordinators turned head coaches include Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, former San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Nolan and New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan.
All three found relatively unfortunate fates in their new positions.
Lewis record with the Bengals stands at 69-71-1. Nolan went 18-37 with the 49ers and was ultimately fired. And Ryan, the most successful among the group, has been to the AFC Championship twice but is coming off an 8-8 season with his team in disrepair.
Pagano can certainly hope for more than the mediocrity of his predecessors. Unfortunately, Indianapolis may not be where he finds it. In an interview with the Indianapolis Star, Colts future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning described the franchise as "not the best environment."
With trade and retirement rumors surrounding Manning's future, Pagano is stepping into a mess that could very well involve a rookie quarterback at the helm of a team that went 2-14 in 2011.
Good luck with that.
