Call it what you will.
In Tony Dungy style the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach Jim Caldwell played the part of nanny and snatched away a victory from Colts’ fans, while handing an undeserved shot at the playoffs to the Jets. Dungy sat starters every time we saw the light at the end of the tunnel, but only made it into the Super Bowl once.
You can be a namby-pamby and tell me it’s all about preserving the team for the playoffs, but we all know that’s a load of crap. This isn’t little league. You play to win.
Manning was unapologetic after the game. Of course he was, he’s the de facto leader of the team. That didn’t matter yesterday. His comments also didn’t erase the expression we all saw on his face and the other starters as they watched Painter and the bench warmers hand a victory to the Jets.
Colts’ fans are feeling remorse, betrayal, anger and sorrow. Can you imagine being a rabid fan and plunking down $200-$500 or more per seat for the game yesterday? Greatness is defined by effort. The 2007 Patriots and the 2009 Saints had leaders that weren’t all about the endgame. They went for it. They wanted Don Shula’s and the Dolphins place in history.
We lost tossed the game. We’ll lose next week against Buffalo. Whoever we face in the playoffs will be pumped at the prospect of taking on a team that lost the last two games and are bringing out rusty starters.
Many are blaming Caldwell, but the blame really needs to be placed with Colts president Bill Polian. Polian acts like a nervous cow with a bucktooth calf every time we’ve cinch a playoff slot.
We had a shot at the most elusive mark in pro football history. Polian handed us a skidmark.
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Tags: Bill Polian, Jim Caldwell, Peyton Manning Indianapolis Colts, Tony Dungy
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When the leaders play it safe, everyone loses.
Fans who paid $$$$ for tickets.
Fans who devoted their Sunday afternoon to watching the Colts win again.
The Colts place in the record books.
The team morale.
The support of the city and the entire state.
Now there is only one way to salvage what was a historic season, and finish the season on 2-7-10 with a ring on every Colt players hand.
That’s the end of my Monday morning Quarterbacking.
Thus Indy learns once again not to trust in a Purdue QB. Jim Sorgi could have probably taken care of business, but he’s too busy getting hurt without benefit of game action. Oh, and one more thing for all you Colts fans- ‘72 DOLPHINS ROCK!!!!!!!!!
I’m w/ CW Martin on ths one…
Take a lesson from other dynasties.
Coach Shula wouldn’t have let THIS happen.
(and didn’t in his day)
I’m just sayin’…
What happened to one game at a time? Peter King of SI is asking why be surprised when you all knew this was coming? But in this case we were just hoping it was something that was being “talked about” because that’s what you do… appearing to consider all the options… but not actually doing it, preferably.
The crowd was not booing Painter. They were booing a management decision.
CW, it wasn’t the Purdue QB’s fault. He hasn’t been allowed to play all year, and then you throw him into this? AND take away all the starters. It was BS that they threw him to the wolves, it also showed everyone that the Colts will continue to be disappointing in the playoffs. They are their own worst enemy. Painter is a good guy that has sat all year. Jim Sorgi has never been good either because they never let them play until it is in a dire moment. You can’t take a young kid and do that to them. But in the bigger picture this is why DUngy was fired in tampa, and why Polian is a fool for replacing him with another Dungy clone. The Colts will lose and then everyone can point to this moment and say yep, you took the air out of the sail in week 15.
I know it isn’t all Painter’s fault, I was just having fun at the expense of my two “favorite” institutions, Purdue and the Colts. If the Colts could have woke their dead a$$e$ up before the 4th quarter in any of their games, Painter might have gotten more of a chance to figure out what he was doing. Just sliding along till the last 15 minutes is what cost them sunday, and that’s a team problem.
If the Dolt management wanted to rest players, they should have done so during the blowouts this season, 31-10 (Cards), 34-17 (Seahawks), 31-9 (Titans), 42-6 (Rams) – all in successive weeks. This would have provided the added benefit of giving the backups some valuable playing time in a winning cause. Instead what the coach did is unthinkable, he stuck the scrubs with the onus of losing a game AND losing a perfect season. Bad MoJo.