The 51-year-old Pagano replaces Jim Caldwell, who was fired after the Colts' 2-14 season in which quarterback Peyton Manning never played a single down as he recovered from neck surgery.

Pagano spent three years as the Ravens' secondary coach before being named defensive coordinator in January 2011. He also spent two years as defensive backs coach in Oakland (2005-06) and four years with Cleveland (2001-04), in addition to college jobs at Miami and North Carolina among others. He began his career in 1984 as a graduate assistant at Southern California.

The Colts will hold a news conference today to make the official announcement.

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Irsay said fans have one guess only and must guess by midnight tonight.

Fans must follow Jim Irsay via Twitter to participate.

Irsay said the winner will be a "hat pick".

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Colts owner Jim Irsay confirmed Wednesday morning that the Colts have hired Ryan Grigson, who had been director of player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Grigson has been in Philly for the last nine years in various positions. He's from Highland, Ind., and was an offensive lineman at Purdue University in the early 1990s.

Irsay said he had interviewed seven candidates for the post by Monday night. Grigson was one of those said to be in the running for the job.

Grigson had a 12-year career in the NFL and played in the Super Bowl three times.

He had been the Eagles' director of player personnel since 2010.

The Colts plan a news conference at 4 p.m. to discuss the hire.

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Bill and Chris Polian, the team's vice chairman and general manager, respectively, have been ousted, Irsay confirmed at a news conference Monday evening.

Saying it was a tough call to make, but sentimentality could have no place in the decisions he had to undertake to make the team as strong as it could be.

Bill Polian released a statement after the announcement, saying: "I'm grateful for all the support the fans have shown us in good times and bad."

He also thanked Irsay and his family, and he had high praise for the team: "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."

As for head coach Jim Caldwell, Irsay said he would remain in the lead for now, but noted that his role remained under evaluation, and any decision on his status would likely involve the new GM.

Irsay said the search for a new GM would begin immediately, noting he may be making calls as soon as Monday night.

Irsay still had high praise for Bill Polian, who has been with the Colts since 1998. He called him a hall-of-fame-caliber GM and noted that he had a "magical talent" for evaluating players.

During Bill Polian's tenure, no team has had more playoff appearances than the Colts. His son, Chris, took over the role of GM in 2009, and Bill was named vice chairman.

The Colts finished the season Sunday with a 2-14 record. It was only the second time since the franchise moved to Indianapolis in 1984 that the team managed fewer than three wins.

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Maurice Jones-Drew ran for a season-high 169 yards, clinching the NFL rushing title and breaking Fred Taylor's single-season franchise record, and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Colts 19-13 in Sunday's season finale.

The Jaguars (5-11) became the first AFC South opponent to sweep Indianapolis (2-14) since 2002 and gave outgoing owner Wayne Weaver a victory in his final game.

The Colts may have been the big winners, though. Indy would have dropped to the No. 2 spot in the draft with a victory in Jacksonville. Instead, owner Jim Irsay will have the choice to draft Luck and give the team a young quarterback to join four-time MVP Peyton Manning.

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The Colts (2-13) have now won two straight, both against division foes, behind Orlovsky, the former Texans quarterback who lost his first nine NFL starts.

AFC South champion Houston hardly looked playoff-ready. It settled for two red-zone field goals, didn't convert a third down until getting a lucky bounce late in the fourth quarter, its running game was stymied late and the defense helped the Colts with three penalties on the decisive drive.

The Texans fell to 0-10 in Indianapolis.

Arian Foster had 23 carries for 158 yards and scored on the Texans' only touchdown on the third play of the game.

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On Bill Polian's radio show Monday night, the team's vice chairman acknowledged that even if Indianapolis took a quarterback with the No. 1 draft pick, presumably Luck, the only way to turn things around next season would be with a veteran.

Polian did not specifically discuss Luck, citing NFL rules that bar team officials from commenting on underclassmen who are not officially in the draft.

There are remarkable similarities between Manning and Luck.

Both had fathers who were NFL quarterbacks, and both were teammates with the Houston Oilers in the 1980s. The two second-generation quarterbacks also were Heisman Trophy runner-ups despite being projected as the best NFL prospects in their respective draft classes. And, just like 1998 when the Colts took Manning No. 1 overall, Indy is in position to have the top pick again.

The big question over the past week has been whether the two could co-exist as teammates?

If Indy pays Manning a $28 million bonus before free agency begins, he will remain with the Colts. If not, he could become a free agent. Or the Colts could redo Manning's contract to make it more manageable against the salary cap.

But with questions about Manning's neck, some believe it's time for the Colts to plan for the future and take Luck.

Manning, the NFL's only four-time MVP had his third and most complicated neck surgery in 19 months on Sept. 8. He has been cleared to increase his rehabilitation regiment, but has not yet practiced with his teammates, leaving the Colts in a tricky predicament — gamble on Manning, rebuild with Luck or dress both in Colts' jerseys.

Some believe the Colts would be smart to follow the model established by Green Bay, which made a relatively smooth transition from three-time NFL MVP Brett Favre to reigning Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers even though Rodgers went 6-10 in his first season as a starter.

Others, including Peyton Manning, have insisted rookies learn more by playing right away.

The Colts haven't made any decisions yet.

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The addition was announced Monday during vice chairman Bill Polian's weekly radio show.

Harrison caught most of his passes from Peyton Manning in a career that spanned from 1996 to 2008.

He ranks No. 3 in NFL history with 1,102 receptions, No. 6 with 14,580 yards and No. 5 with 128 receiving touchdowns.

The three-time first-team All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl selection set a league record with 143 receptions in 2002.

Harrison caught more than 100 passes in four straight years from 1999-2002, hauling in a total of 469 passes in that span.

He helped the Colts win the Super Bowl after the 2006 season.

The Colts will play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

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The NFL announced the move online saying CBS would carry the matchup.

The league has not yet identified which Sunday afternoon game will be moved into the prime-time slot that evening.

The NFL says it will make that decision no later than Nov. 22.

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Clark injured his lower left leg when he tried to make a sliding catch in the second quarter of Sunday's 31-7 loss to Atlanta. Eldridge left early in the first quarter to have X-rays on his hand. Neither returned to the game.

Coach Jim Caldwell says the Colts will have to sign another tight end this week because Jacob Tamme is the only other player they have at that spot on the active roster.

Asked if Clark's injury could be season-ending, Caldwell said he wasn't "certain."

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