Playoff Berth Not Enough To Save Marchibroda’s Job

Ted Marchibroda brought the Indianapolis Colts a measure of success and respectability, although not enough to save his job as coach.

Marchibroda, who took the Colts within one play of the Super Bowl, said Friday he will not return next season.

Bill Tobin, the team’s director of football operations, said two days ago that Marchibroda had rejected a one-year contract extension, which was then withdrawn. The pair met briefly on Friday, and Marchibroda said he was told “they were going to go in a different direction.”

“I had hoped to be a part of next season and I expected the Colts to be in the Super Bowl,” Marchibroda said at an evening news conference. “It was not meant to be.”

In a statement issued by the team, Tobin said Marchibroda was relieved of his duties “due to an inability to reach a contract agreement.” But Marchibroda, who described himself as “disappointed,” said he thought Tobin had decided to replace him long ago.

“I think this was Bill’s idea right from the beginning,” Marchibroda said. “I think this isn’t something that just happened within the last couple of weeks. I think this is something that has been planned for a while.”

In an interview with Indianapolis radio station WIBC, Tobin said he has not yet chosen a successor.

“There’s no timetable, probably the sooner the better,” Tobin said. “I have not talked to anyone, I have not had a list together. You always have things in your head, but anybody, whoever I hire, will have nothing to do with what happened today.”

There have been persistent rumors the job might go to offensive coordinator Lindy Infante, the former Green Bay coach, who was out of football for three years before joining the Colts this past season.

With Marchibroda, Infante and defensive coordinator Vince Tobin, who was named head coach of the Arizona Cardinals earlier this week, the Colts went 9-7 and reached the playoffs for only the second time since they moved from Baltimore in 1984. After victories over San Diego and Kansas City, they lost 20-16 to Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game when a desperation pass went incomplete in the end zone on the final play of the game.

Marchibroda, who also coached the Colts to three AFC Eastern Division titles in Baltimore, was not happy with the one-year contract offer at $600,000, the same pay he earned last season, and had sought a new contract for two years at a higher salary. But after Tobin withdrew the one-year offer, Marchibroda had admitted he didn’t think he would be back,

General manager Jim Irsay, who is attending the NFL owners meeting in Chicago, said he had hoped something could have been worked out with Marchibroda. But he agreed with Tobin that a one-year offer was appropriate.

“Bill and I have looked at this thing down the road in 1996, ‘97 and beyond, and just feel we should take it one year at a time,” Irsay told the Indianapolis Star.

Marchibroda, at 64 the NFL’s second-oldest head coach, said he is keeping his options open.

“I have no immediate plans whatsoever,” he said, adding he had not yet spoken to any coaches or players about leaving the team.

Marchibroda had a 73-71 record with the Colts in two stints.