Bruschi's take on the Colts wussing out

[samikeyp]

I hear what you're saying, but personally, I disagree.
Those players looked PISSED to be on the sidelines. There is no way they're feeling good about yesterday's loss today.

I also disagree about not looking back 20 years from now and talking about how they could've gone undefeated. Announcers have a way of dragging things like this back up.

If they go on to win the SB, it'll be like, "YAY! We won...but we could've had the SB and possibly an undefeated season."
It's not as if the Jets won that game straight up playing against the Colts starters. There will always be that "what-if" factor now.

I agree they were pissed and if I were one of them, I would be too.

I disagree otherwise. I think if Indy wins the SB...all those players will be happy as and not thinking about anything else. I don't know that for certain and not being in that locker room, none of us can be, but that's my opinion.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Just forfeit the games after you've locked up the seed.

Essentially, they've skewed the entire playoff system by playing full-tilt against the Jags and giving the half-assed effort against the Jets. Both games were meaningless.

[samikeyp]

Just forfeit the games after you've locked up the seed.

Essentially, they've skewed the entire playoff system by playing full-tilt against the Jags and giving the half-assed effort against the Jets. Both games were meaningless.

Even though I understand why Indy did it, I agree with DLF. I don't really have a problem with it but yes, it does have an effect on other teams.

[SpursFanFirst]

I agree they were pissed and if I were one of them, I would be too.

I disagree otherwise. I think if Indy wins the SB...all those players will be happy as and not thinking about anything else. I don't know that for certain and not being in that locker room, none of us can be, but that's my opinion.

We have 2 players that come in weekly for our sports show, and I was told that, off cam, they still gave the company line..."we just do what coach tells us to do" and whatnot. I doubt they will ever express their *real* opinions. I wish I could've been a fly on that locker room wall (or be an insider).

I just have to think they may never be in that position again.
But if they get another shot, say next year, would or will they make the same choices?

[samikeyp]

We have 2 players that come in weekly for our sports show, and I was told that, off cam, they still gave the company line..."we just do what coach tells us to do" and whatnot. I doubt they will ever express their *real* opinions. I wish I could've been a fly on that locker room wall (or be an insider).

I just have to think they may never be in that position again.
But if they get another shot, say next year, would or will they make the same choices?

An insider position would be fun.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Even though I understand why Indy did it, I agree with DLF. I don't really have a problem with it but yes, it does have an effect on other teams.

I guess I just don't get it. Winning the game isn't important but numbers or streaks being kept alive are?

Does anyone really think that Manning won't start the game next week?

It's a disservice to the fans and gives the NFL a serious credibility issue. And it will only get worse once they go to an 18 game schedule.

Seriously, what's the difference between tanking a game when you've locked up a playoff spot and tanking games to solidify draft position? Should STL pull their starters to guarantee first dibs on Suh? You think the league would sit back and allow STL to do that?

[SpursFanFirst]

I guess I just don't get it. Winning the game isn't important but numbers or streaks being kept alive are?

Does anyone really think that Manning won't start the game next week?

It's a disservice to the fans and gives the NFL a serious credibility issue. And it will only get worse once they go to an 18 game schedule.

Seriously, what's the difference between tanking a game when you've locked up a playoff spot and tanking games to solidify draft position? Should STL pull their starters to guarantee first dibs on Suh? You think the league would sit back and allow STL to do that?

I was all pissed off just seeing it from a fan's perspective, but you make some very valid points outside of the Colts.

[J.T.]

Apparently Addai was hurt in the game yesterday. Caldwell looked rather pissed off when talking about it at his news conference today. He likely didn't receive conclusive evidence until around the time when he pulled starters in the third quarter. Garcon was hurt in the Jacksonville game, so that puts the Colts at two injured skill position players who, Manning's greatness aside, will be needed come playoff time.

I wanted 16-0 as much as any other Colts fan but when you have writing on the wall glowing that brightly, you have to go with the decision that makes more sense. It doesn't help that Bill Polian the PR guy (not Bill Polian the draft and personnel genius) has pretty much slapped fans in the face in the aftermath of the game, but it's the truth.

Look at it as the Colts giving up on 16-0 if you want. I certainly don't like the way they went about it, especially because apparently none of the players saw it coming either, but if you've injured two skill position players in consecutive "meaningless" games, then it's probably time to revert to the contingency of resting players for the playoffs.

Yes, it sucks, but the Colts goal is to win a trophy, not a record.

[JoeTait75]

What's funny is that the Colts have done this at least twice before (in 2005 and '07) yet it's a big deal now. And they were 13-0 at one point in 2005, although IIRC they lost to the Chargers before they started pulling their headliners in games.

AFAIC the issue here isn't the Colts going for/not going for an undefeated season- it's the effect their decisions have on the rest of the playoff race.

[IronMexican]

They were 9-0 in 2007 before losing to the Pats. But yes, they went through this in 2005

[SpursFanFirst]

What's funny is that the Colts have done this at least twice before (in 2005 and '07) yet it's a big deal now. And they were 13-0 at one point in 2005, although IIRC they lost to the Chargers before they started pulling their headliners in games.

AFAIC the issue here isn't the Colts going for/not going for an undefeated season- it's the effect their decisions have on the rest of the playoff race.

2 THINGS...
Colts did this before, but it was a different coach. I was hoping for a different philosophy with Caldwell.

And two, the Colts were truly in a position THIS year to achieve the undefeated record + playoffs. I don't know that you can really say that about the past.

[JoeTait75]

2 THINGS...
Colts did this before, but it was a different coach. I was hoping for a different philosophy with Caldwell.

You'd know better than I would, but I've heard the late-season personnel decisions in terms of playing and sitting guys are ultimately in the hands of Bill Polian.

I do know Indy's decision to sit guys in the 2007 finale against the ans got a lot of ink in Cleveland. Had the Colts won that game the Browns would have been in the Playoffs.

[monosylab1k]

Another reason the Colts should have gone for it is because everyone would have been rooting for them.

The 07 Patriots were probably the single most hated team in the history of sports. The media hated them, ESPN really hated them, every non-Patriots fan hated them, every other team in the league hated them. Nobody wanted to see them go 19-0.

These Colts are absolutely beloved by everybody, as the media takes turns chugging on Peyton's . Everybody in the media wanted it to happen, most opposing fanbases were hoping for an Undefeated vs. Undefeated Super Bowl. , a coach for a rival team WORE PEYTON MANNING'S DAMN JERSEY earlier this year. There would have been no adversity whatsoever for the Colts to go against. 19-0 could have been a cakewalk as far as their dealings with the media and fans.

[SpursFanFirst]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/i...gret-giving-up

A good coach and a smart organization never take the responsibility of winning off the players.

When a team loses, the coaches and executives want the media, fans and players asking the men in uniform to explain the failure.

All the pressure now is on Jim Caldwell and Bill Polian, the architects of the Colts’ one-game losing streak, the masterminds of Indy’s 29-15 loss to the Jets -- the geniuses who pulled Peyton Manning and several other Indianapolis starters early in the third quarter on Sunday.

You never give a compe or an excuse. Even the best ones might take it.

That’s the potentially fatal flaw in Indy’s decision to take a pass on perfection in pursuit of a Super Bowl. Fifty-three players now have an excuse for losing.

Let’s agree that Manning, Reggie Wayne, Jeff Saturday, Dallas Clark, Dwight Freeney and most of the Colts' other top-line players won’t take it. The problem is, all it takes is one.

Along the way to winning 14 straight this season, the Colts secured half of those victories in the fourth quarter, winning seven games by four points or less. These Colts were not the 2007 New England Patriots, who reeled off 18 straight victories while playing just four one-possession games.

These Colts reached 14-0 by repeatedly making clutch plays in the closing moments. They stared down adversity and proved to be more mentally tough than their opponent.

So what happens in the fourth quarter now? What happens when the Texans, for instance, jump to a 17-0 lead, or the Jaguars, for instance, take a three-point lead and are driving for a two-possession lead in the fourth quarter?

What happens when playoff adversity strikes? Will all 45 active players remain calm and confident, or will one or two or three players question Caldwell’s leadership and the decision to abandon immortality?

We won’t know until or unless it happens. What we do know is if the Colts lose a playoff game, Caldwell and Polian will face the toughest scrutiny. If Manning tosses five interceptions, the blame falls on Caldwell and Polian. If Wayne drops the game-winning TD pass, the blame falls on Caldwell and Polian. If Indy’s defense surrenders 40 points, the blame falls on Caldwell and Polian.

You don’t give players an out. They’re immature. They’re moody. They’re easily distracted.

Sunday’s loss, the way it happened, is a gigantic distraction. The conversation about the 2009 Colts has been changed. They gave a game to an inferior opponent, allowing the Jets to keep their reasonable playoff hopes alive. Worse, the Colts cheated their fan base, taxpayers who anted a ridiculous sum for the new palace where the Colts play. Those fans wanted to witness and be a part of history.

Most damaging, the Colts backed away from a challenge. They ducked Manny Pacquiao.

You think Bill Belichick, if given the opportunity to slay the Colts in the playoffs, won’t get some emotional mileage out of the Indianapolis Cowards and Peyton Manning being unworthy of the Patriots and Tom Brady’s throne?

“They don’t want it as much as you do!” Belichick will preach. “They’ve always had more talent, but they’ve never had our heart.”

Caldwell, a good coach, and Polian, the league's best GM, made an asinine decision.

Going undefeated has never once stopped a team from reaching the Super Bowl.

“The perfect season has never been one of our goals,” Caldwell claimed after the game. “It’s never been anything we focused on or anything we talked about.”

Knocking boots with Beyonce has never been one of my goals, but if presented the opportunity, you best believe I won’t labor through 20 minutes of foreplay and signal for Curtis Painter to finish the job.
There are stated goals and there are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities only fools pass up. You put Beyonce on your resume and it opens unforeseen doors. Tom Brady is married to Gisele because he dated Bridget Moynahan first.

Caldwell’s players were focused on perfection. They recognized the spoils that go along with an undefeated season. Mercury Morris (4,133 career rushing yards) is a household sports name because the ’72 Dolphins won every game. Don Shula’s 17-0 Dolphins are the most relevant team in the history of the league.

There’s no downside to running the regular-season table. Two teams have done it and both advanced to the Super Bowl. It took the greatest catch and luckiest QB scramble of the decade for the Patriots to lose the Super Bowl vs. the Giants.

What’s the playoff record of one- or two-loss teams? Not as impressive as the ’72 Dolphins or the ’07 Pats.

By losing on Sunday, the Colts actually increased the pressure on their playoff performance. They’ll be under more pressure to reach the Super Bowl than the ’07 Patriots. And if they get to the big game and win it, they’ll be the first world champions to have an asterisk placed by their accomplishment.

Owner Jim Irsay should’ve overruled his general manager and head coach.

So, I had to post this. If for no other reason, the bolded part made me laugh.