The Indianapolis Colts failed to make a statement on the field in a loss to the Carolina Panthers on Monday night. Off the field, the team clearly made a statement the following day. 

Colts owner Jim Irsay announced Tuesday evening that the team has fired offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. He will be replaced by associate head coach Rob Chudzinski for the remainder of the season. 

Head coach Chuck Pagano had this to say in an obviously coordinated statement from the organization following the announcement: 

“Through the first eight weeks of the season, we have felt our offense hasn’t performed at the consistent level that we need. Because of this we’ve decided to go in a different direction and relieve Pep Hamilton of his duties as offensive coordinator. As head coach of this team, it’s my responsibility to make sure I’m doing everything we can to put us in the best position to succeed. We thank Pep for his service to the team and wish him all the best.”

At a disappointing 3-5 on the season, Indianapolis finds itself tied with the Houston Texans for first place in the AFC South.

While the organization laid the blame on Hamilton here, the issues go much further than that. Andrew Luck has turned the ball over a league-leading 13 times in just six games. More than that, the Colts offense simply can't get out of its own way. This is a unit that has committed a league-leading 30 penalties through eight games. 

Of course, the scapegoat will be the man heading this disastrous unit. That's only magnified by the fact that Pagano himself is said to be on the hot seat. 

Chudzinski does bring a nice amount of experience to the offensive coordinator position. He acted as the offensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricans from 2001-03 before taking over in the same capacity for the Cleveland Browns (2007-08) and Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Chud also served as Cleveland's head coach in 2013. 

Indianapolis' offense currently ranks 20th in scoring and 16th in total yards heading into the team's Week 9 bye.