Since making Manning the top overall selection, the Colts have celebrated 141 regular-season wins, 11 playoff appearances, six division titles, two AFC championships and one Super Bowl title. During that span, there have been only three head coaches, two offensive coordinators and one family making the personnel moves.

"I used to think nobody hated losing more than I did or was more miserable after a loss. I decided it was a tie between me and Bill," Manning told Mortensen. "And I stay in the building pretty late and he was always here working, too. Personally, my goodness, so many thoughts. He was one of the last guys to leave my wedding with Ashley (his wife). This is very, very tough."

But without its franchise quarterback and star player at the helm this season, the losses came in bunches for Indianapolis.

"I felt that it was time for a change, that there was a need for a change," Irsay said Monday, flanked by his three daughters. "Bill had entered a role where he was less involved, but still quite a bit involved because of the lockout and Peyton's injury and the losing streak. He was around a lot more than he probably anticipated or I did. But it really was a question about both situations. I thought that it was time to change the personnel department on the football side of things that wasn't involved with the coaching."

Bill Polian declined to comment when The Associated Press contacted him by phone, but did issue a statement through the team.

"I'm grateful for all the support the fans have shown us in good times and bad," Polian said. "Indianapolis has been a wonderful place to live and work. Most of all, I would like to thank the players coaches and staff who have played the pivotal role in this magnificent journey. I will miss them all."

In the end, it was the Polians' inability to find a suitable backup for Manning that doomed the Colts.

With Manning struggling to come back from May surgery on his neck, Indy brought 17-year veteran Kerry Collins out of retirement in late August with a $4 million contract. He didn't last a month.

Collins was replaced by Curtis Painter, who started well but struggled badly after Bill Polian said he felt "vindicated" by Painter's success.

The Colts lost their first 13 games, finished with the second-fewest victories since the team moved to Indianapolis in 1984 and wound up with the No. 1 draft pick.

Bill Polian repeatedly said he should be blamed if there was a talent deficiency.

Chris Polian, who was named the team's GM four years ago but didn't start making the day-to-day decisions until this season, got caught in the crossfire. He was seen leaving the team complex Monday afternoon, just about the time word leaked of the firings.

"To think that just less than less than two years ago we were getting ready to go to Miami and play in a Super Bowl, and we were cleaning off the confetti from the turf in Lucas Oil Stadium, it has been a very sharp decline," Irsay said. "Even after going 10-6 last year, if people had said you would have the No. 1 draft pick and go 2-14, nobody would have believed it."

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is the presumed No. 1 pick in April's draft and there has been question as to whether Manning and Luck could co-exist on the same roster.

For his part, Manning said Sunday, "I think I can co-exist with any player I've ever played with. I think I've always been a good teammate in that way."