Not really sure what this means, but here are the totals: Miami committed 95 fouls and Indiana committed 110 fouls. Playoffs: Game 1: Miami committed 22 fouls, Indiana committed 31 fouls. So, the average foul difference in the 4 regular season games was an average of 4 more fouls per game was called on Indiana. The first game of the playoffs, 9 more fouls were called on Indiana than Miami. At some point in the game, our entire starting lineup was in foul trouble. It will be interesting to see how this progresses throughout the series. There is nothing that will upset a team's game plan and chemistry more than foul trouble.

I am an Indianapolis Colts fan. I have followed Manning's entire career here. While I can't guarantee that Manning will be 100% healthy, I can tell you that nobody will work harder to do what is necessary to get there. If you get Manning, you will get the consumate teammate and a professional football player that will do whatever it takes to make or help his team win. The circumstances that caused his departure from the Colts was beyond his control and Irsay's control. To many questions (health) and to little time (option date and the draft) and to little time for answers. He did so much for his team and our city and he will be sorely missed in this town.

Some things about Manning:

The neck operations: His injury really came from a high low hit he incurred in the Redskins-Colts game in 2006. If he wasn't so concerned about showing up for every game, every practice, and every off season workout, he would have had the neck fusion done right away and it only would have been one surgery.

The playoff record: The Colts were built with several key players (Manning, Saturday, Clark, Brackett, Sanders, Adaii or James, Harrison, Wayne, Freeney, and Mathis). The rest were fill in players. The year we won the Super Bowl was the only year we entered the playoffs with every one of those players healthy. We literally had no margin for error if we were missing any one of these players. Couple that with the fact that the last 4 playoff losses by the Colts, the defense blew 4th quarter leads. In at least 2 of the losses, Manning walked off the field with the lead and never had an opportunity to respond as the other team won on the last series (Jets and Chargers). Other games that were lost also were lost under unusual circumstances that you would not know about unless you were a Colts fan and followed the team closely.

Is Manning declining: In the playoff loss to the Jets, the Colts had 7 possessions. The first 3 possessions ended on 3rd and 1 failures (2 running and one pass behind the line of scrimmage that was complete and the receiver did not follow his blocking). The last 4 possessions resulted in scores (1 TD and 3 field goals). The Jets had a possession that lasted almost 11 minutes in the second half and of course there was the Caldwell timeout. The Colts had to win the last 4 games of the season to win the division. They did. I realize that age catches up to everyone. The feeling around here was that Manning could play effectively here into his early 40's. He has not taken a lot of hits and he plays with his head as opposed to his body. He can walk up to the LOS, diagnose the defense, and get his offense into the right play virtually 100% of the time. Nobody else can do that.

Manning on another team: Manning knows every team's offense in the NFL. He studies film in the offseason and knows the strengths and weaknesses of every NFL team. When teams throw new things at him, it usually takes him a quarter to a quarter and a half to figure it out and attack it. In Indy, we have been saying for years that this team would be lucky to win 2 games if Manning was not on it. We have been saying for years that if the Colts had any kind of defense that Manning would have 5 Super Bowls. The reality of the situation was that Manning was so good for so many years that the lack of high draft choices and 2-3 years of questionable drafts finally caught up with the Colts.

What does the future hold for Manning: If he is healthy (the question that was always asked in every scenario about how to structure the team this year), and he is on a team with an average to good defense, he could very well win a Super Bowl(s). If that team were able to sign Wayne, Garcon, Clark, and Saturday or any combination of those, there would be literally no (or a very small) adjustment period. The offense Manning creates puts constant pressure on the opposing offense to score. He is the only QB in the game that creates this. Ask Bill Bellichek.

I wish the Colts still had Manning. As bad as we were last year, if we had Manning, we would have at least been in the playoffs. He can mean that much to a team. The decline in his numbers is as much of a result as the team around him and his injury than it is on age. The question on age will be answered when he plays again. If Manning can play one year at peak level, he can probably play for 5 more years. He would like to set the passing records for yardage and touchdowns (another reason for leaving Indy) as that will take 4-5 years.

This post is not to defend or praise Manning. He doesn't need that. Whoever gets him will immediately become a team favored to at least win their division and probably more. No athlete in sports has meant as much to his team as Manning has to the Colts. He saved football in our city and he will be missed. There are a lot of Colts (or Manning) fans that will become fans of whichever team he goes to. The only question about Manning is IS HE HEALTHY. If he is, look out, he has something to prove.

Let's be realistic.  Painter and whoever are not even good backup QB's.  Maybe, their reasoning is this.  This is probably the first time that the Colts have come to the conclusion that they MUST have someone behind Manning that is going to log some minutes that could mean something.  They gave Painter and the other backups a chance to see what they could do.  They have concluded that they cannot trust them to hold even a reasonable lead late in a game.  So, they decided it would be best to find someone that could come in and at least hold onto a lead and use some clock to maintain a late game lead and run out the clock.  This way, if Manning is able to build say a 10 or 17 point lead with 10 or less minutes left in a game, they could put in a servicable backup QB that will be able to hold onto a lead.  This way they can shield Manning from further risk in a game that is well in hand and not worry about putting in a backup QB that would be capable of blowing a big lead.  Just a thought. 

 

Interesting tidbit from Easterbrook's column.  Kind of sounds familiar.

Tucker Mitchell of Florence, S.C. writes, "Regarding Jim Caldwell and the mystery timeout that helped the Jets defeat the Colts, his antics are no surprise to long-suffering Wake Forest fans. When Caldwell coached at that school (1993-2000, 25 victories in eight seasons) he did a lot of things right, including seeing to it that his players graduated. But it was apparent then that game day was not a strength. He regularly stumbled with late-game situations. Calm demeanor aside, he was also thin-skinned in his college days, sometimes punishing players who criticized his coaching choices in the press. So, the nutty timeout and his incoherent postgame explanation are exactly in character."

In what has become a staple of Colts coach Jim Caldwell, he managed to do what none of the Colts players could do, which was to extend the Colts season beyond a point few of us thought imaginable.  Faced with the prospects of the Jets having only 1 timeout, 34 seconds, 3rd and 6 and the clock running and seemingly willing to settle for a tough 51 yard field goal, Caldwell called a time out to bring his team together and reflect on what a trying season it had been.   While Caldwell was reminisicing on "what might have been", he was shocked to find out that the Jets were on the other sideline plotting to pass the ball instead of running the ball like they were planning to do.  He was appalled to find out that the Jets were trying to find a matchup that they could expose against the Colts depleted secondary.  Said Caldwell:

"It never occurred to me that the Jets would use my time out to their benefit.  No sir.  Never occurred to me for 1 second.  Props to them for doing a good job using my timeout for their benefit.  But I would do the same thing all over again regardless of the fact that I had been burned once before.  Now twice.  I will still do it again because it has to work sooner or later.  People don't understand, you can't just let something happen.  If there is any decision to make, good or bad, you just have to make it.  I want people to know that I am doing everything I can to let you know that this team has a head coach.  I can't wait to make my next call where I take the ball out of my franchise QB's hands and run out the clock.  Sooner or later, that strategy will work also."

Some coaches would be trusting of a QB that excels in the clutch and is feared by every opposing player and coach in the league.  Said Caldwell,

"Just because you have a player of that caliber doesn't mean you have to use him in situations that he excels in.  I know he prepares studiously for those occasions and everybody on the team has confidence in him and I know that the other team fears him, and I might add, for good reason, you can catch the other team off guard by not using him in that situation.  Did you see the look of bewildwerment on the Jets faces when we ran out the clock in the first half.  They were totally unprepared for that in that situation."

Caldwell hopes that other coaches don't start copying him.  He feels that this is the blueprint to job security.  He also said that he feels that this blueprint will only work if you have a franchise QB.  He stated that he would alter his blueprint if he had say a Ryan Leaf as QB.

Why did Caldwell call time out with 40 seconds on the clock.  The Jets had the ball on the 30-35 yard line with 3rd and 6, 1 time out, and the clock running.  They would have been forced to run a hurry up play and  hope they get a first down.  Otherwise, they would have had to attempt a long field goal, which would have been much more difficult.  Caldwell's time out basically allowed them to discuss a play, and gave them the ability to pass the ball and still be able to stop the clock to set up for a field goal.  This is the second time this has happened this year. Am I seeing this right or am I missing something.  Everybody at the game around me was in agreement that this was another dumb Caldwell move.

The Colts still control their own destiny.  They MUST win the last 4 games.  If they do, they will have the 3rd tiebreaker (common games).  They will split head to head, they will have the same division record as Jacksonville, and they would have a 9-5 record in common games vs. Jacksonville's 8-6.  Jacksonville went 2-0 against Buffalo and Cleveland, the Colts went 1-1 against Cincinnati and New England.  This isn't really much consolation based on how the Colts have played, but it is better than needing help.  We can now say that the Colts have no margin for error, and if we have any injured players that are close to being ready, we have got to use them starting Thursday.

I, for one, can't wait for the discussions at the end of the season.  I remember last year how ridiculous it was that we were discussing why we should not have given up the UNDEFEATED season and how our football savy fans were booing a 14-0 football team at home.  I am so "happy" that we won't have to relive that this year.  We all got our wish.  We will now have to play all 16 games, unless we go on another long winning streak.  We won't have to worry about fans (who normally wouldn't) that bought tickets to a game so they could see an undefeated team.  We won't have to worry about when the Colts will rest players.  We don't have to worry about fans calling into Polian's show and asking him why we "quit" on the season.  In the last games this year, we can have serious discussions about what we can do to win games and what it will take to make the playoffs.

Don't worry, all is not lost.  We have lost 2 road division games.  Any team can be expected to lose 2 road division games.  Playing teams in your division are always tough games.  All we have done is reduced our margin for error.  We have been here before.  My biggest concern is the in-game decisions by Caldwell.  The time out was ridiculous.  I think he was outcoached.  He clearly was not aware of how the defense was outplayed, what they needed for a first down and what their chances of getting it were.  The defense has been inconsistent so far, but they have played well at home.  They have to realize that, on the road, they are going to get everybody's best shot and they need to raise the level of their game.

We are still only one game behind in our division and one game behind the best record in the league, despite our bad start.  If we beat KC and Washington, we will be 4-2 (with 4 road games played, 2 division road games), and the bye week will allow us to rest and get healthy.  If we then beat Houston, we will be tied for the division lead (at worst) and in good shape to finish out the season strong.  Not a time to panic, but we do have a tough road ahead of us.

Not sure if this is true or not, but I can't think of any other QB besides Elway or Farve that could have done this.  Can anybody help?

Manning has won at least 13 games in a season under 3 coaches, Mora in 1999, Dungy in 2006, and Caldwell in 2009.

Manning has also had a winning streak of at least 11 games under all 3 coaches.  11 games under Mora in 1999, 13 games under Dungy in 2006, and 14 games under Caldwell in 2009.

Is there any other QB that has done one or both of these?

 It's time to finish what we started on December 27th.  Unfortunately, we have to start over.  But we also have seen everything the Jets have to offer, and we played the game without several starters.   This could not have turned out better for the Colts, but it means nothing if we lose.  This game will play out very similar to the Baltimore game.  We just cannot let the Jets hang around to long, we need to jump on them early.  Go Colts!

Dear Bill Polian:

We (Colts fans) are sorry for the way we have treated you the last 2 days.  You see, part of this is your fault.  We have been so used to winning games since you came here that we have forgotten what it is like to lose.  We didn't realize that only 1 team led the decade in wins.  We also didn't realize how hard it is to win 23 games in a row.  We didn't realize that every NFL team hasn't won a Super Bowl.  We didn't realize that drafting players like Manning, Wayne, James, Mappes, Freeney, and finding free agents like Saturday, Brackett, and Lacey requires more than luck.  We took the high character and integrity the organization and its players have showed over the years for granted.  You would think that we would understand that losing a meaningless game today so our players and team would be in the best possible position to win the Super Bowl is in the best interests of the team.  Apparently, some of us didn't.  We are sorry about that.

We realize that you have been saying for the last 3 weeks how the undefeated season wasn't one of our goals.  We just weren't listening.  Then, we reacted badly when the inevitable happened.  Some of us aren't happy about when it happened, but we'll get over it.  We realize you are not a PR person.  But, frankly, we don't care if you are or not.  We just want you to continue to do what you do best.  We realize you don't like guys like Kravitz and have treated them badly.  I would encourage you to continue to do that.  Their agenda is to create controversy, and yours is to win football games.  I like your agenda better.

When you came here, we never dreamed this 10 year run would happen.  When a certain player wearing #18 said to you that "If you don't draft me, I will be kicking your ass for the next 18 years" you listened to him and drafted him.  Some GM's might have been offended by that.  As a matter of fact, there is no organization that trusts a player and gives a player as much control as we have given Manning.  Most teams would be uncomfortable with that.  Kudos for the Colts for recognizing a special once in a lifetime talent and letting him do what he does best.

As a write this, I hear a politican wants your team to refund ticket money.  You don't owe us anything.  I would bet that neither he or any of us fans have spent time around the players and have looked at an injury and an IR list.  He probably doesn't know about the general health of the 45 or 53 players on the team.  As a matter of fact, neither the politician or the fans have ever played in the NFL and have seen or felt the toll these games can take on players over the course of the season.  Shortening a season not only helps players heal and puts them in the best position to win the Super Bowl, it also extends their careers.  We obviously weren't thinking about that, and we are sorry.

We (the fans) hope this doesn't affect the team.  Our guess is it won't.  The team you assembled has so much professionalism that we couldn't imagine that happening.  It is hard to believe that we said you quit on the game.  Imagine that.  We forgot about the Tampa Bay game, the Minnesota game, the Houston game, and all of the comebacks in games this year and in previous years that your team could have easily quit on and we wouldn't have faulted them.  Because of those games, we can't leave our TV sets or leave games early because of what might happen.  Is it possible you were giving us all a break and we didn't realize that?

You see, all we really want is another Super Bowl win.  It didn't occur to us that this game really meant nothing in the big picture, and all you were trying to do is make sure that our players were healthy going into the playoffs.  We hear about former NFL players with concussions  and crippling injuries and we just assume all teams have no regard for their players health and will do anything to put their players on the field, regardless of their situation.  Your team has always put the players welfare first and for that we are thankful.

We can't wait for the playoffs to start.  We will be there for our team just like we have been for the last 20 years.  Remember, any comments about Sunday's game are made by fans who only want the very best for the Colts.  They may not know how to express themselves correctly.  Whatever you do, DO NOT STOP.  It has worked for 11 years and we are grateful for it.  After the Buffalo game, it is time to start the quest for the real "perfect season" that we want, and that is the playoffs and the Super Bowl.  GO COLTS.

I understand fans anger, but let's be realistic.  First of all, I am a season ticket holder.  I paid good money to watch the games, and what happened yesterday does not bother me.  I bought season tickets to watch the Colts win a Super Bowl(s) and we are on track to do that.  It is refreshing to see a team that actually puts its players first, instead of franchise records and dreams.  Does anybody here think that Caldwell hasn't thought about how neat it would be to go undefeated as a rookie coach in the NFL?  Do you think that Polian knows that if his team goes undefeated and wins a Super Bowl that he would go down as the greatest GM ever?  Does anybody think that Irsay has thought that if his team went undefeated how great he would look as an owner?  All these guys have thought that and are aware of it.  But they choose to do what is best for the players.  How many stories have we read about players leaving the game with horrible injuries and concussions (Ted Johnson)?  Here we have a group of guys that put their players welfare above their own personal ambitions.  I know the players want to play and want to win and go undefeated.  We would all be dissappointed in them if they didn't.  But football is a brutal game and injuries can happen any time (Tom Brady).  All it takes is one play, one fluke hit, and a season could be over.

I think it is great to see such passionate fans.  Most of us are dreading the day that 18 retires.  I know I am.  But putting Manning and other players at risk in a meaningless game just isn't smart.  We have bigger goals.  What the Colts did yesterday was to avoid a feeding frenzy in Buffalo next week.  The drama of putting a team in the worst possible environment (cold icy field, night game, team putting everything on the line to go undefeated against a team with nothing to lose) would be just what the big network executives would want for ratings to end the NFL season.  Yes, NBC would have flexed this game for just that reason.  Fortunately, the braintrust of our team saw this trainwreck about to happen and pulled the plug on it.  If the game had been in a more weather friendly environment, maybe they would have done something different.  Or not.  Who knows.

The point I am trying to make is that we may not like what happened yesterday, we may not agree with it, and it may not work in the end.  But it was the right call.  It took more courage by these guys to make this call than it took to go ahead and risk players welfare to keep everybody happy.  I myself have never played football, and I don't see how these guys take so much punishment week after week, and play as fearless as they do, just so we, as fans, can watch these games every Sunday. 

After we won the Super Bowl, I had so much fun with it that I wanted another one.  We now have that opportunity thanks to some guys that we are about to run out of town because they put the team and players welfare above their own personal ambitions.

1.  Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Manning removed after the first series of the second half.  If so, that would be consistent with what they would normally do.  The Colts, in these situations, like to keep their in game routine intact, which is to have the starters play 1 series in the second half to take advantage of halftime adjustments.

2.  Manning almost took a big hit in the second half.  A block by Donald Brown prevented that potential big hit.  I'm tired of hearing people say that it was highly unlikely that Peyton would get hurt.  As long as you are on the field, you are one big hit away from a season ending injury.  And don't bring up the practice argument.  I am fairly certain that Manning is not exposed to low hits, blind side hits, and hitting his throwing hand on opposing players helmet in practice (unless the Colts management really is stupid).

3.  There is a possibility they could still face the Jets in the playoffs and didn't want to show them very much.  Unfortunately, the Jets are still alive.  As a matter of fact, the Jets are ahead of Pittsburgh in the tiebreaker scenarios.  If they beat Cincinnati and Baltimore wins, the Steelers (and a healthy Troy Polamalu) will not make the playoffs.  Does that really bother any Colts fans?

4.  I noticed the Cincinnati-New York game was flexed on Sunday night.  Let's see.  If the Colts were 15-0, they probably would have been flexed for Sunday night.  Wow, being forced to play your regulars on national TV on Sunday night in a cold Buffalo stadium against a team that had absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain sounds like a great scenario to me (not really).  If your goal is to win the Super Bowl and keep your players healthy, that would not be a good way to finish the season.  Now if your goal is to have an undefeated regular season, then you have to play anywhere, but, once again, that isn't the Colts goal, that is the Colts fans goal (nothing wrong with that, by the way).

5.  Remember Cornelius Bennett in Buffalo in Manning's 2nd year.

6.  I was at the game.  The Colts did not seem as sharp as they had in previous weeks.  The kickoff return was a good example.  Offensively, they had no rhythm.  To the people that say that rust would develop, I maintain that if you play just to play, you will lose your edge and complacency will set in (not that I see that as a problem with this team).

7.  We will see what Curtis Painter has next week.

8.  The starters were given 2 1/2 quarters to win the game.  They didn't get it done.  I would rather be in our position than New Orleans.  They have lost 2 in a row since they stated their quest for an undefeated season.  I wonder how much confidence they have now?  The Colts are mad now at losing their undefeated season, but they still have confidence that they can win games.

9.  We HAVE NOT lost the Super Bowl.  If one of our front line starters got hurt in a quest for an undefeated season, and we lost a playoff game because of it, we will not have accomplished anything.

10.  The Colts are a team of core veterans and young players.  By shortening this and other seasons, you can extend the 'life" of the run we are having.  When the Pats made their undefeated run, they used up the remaining life of their defense.  It will take them a few more years to rebuild their defense.  This team plays with so much energy, that it only makes sense to play when we have to, not to create goals that will interfere with winning Super Bowls.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20091126/SPORTS03/311260001/Polians-contracts-with-Colts-extended-through-2012

Chris Polian was named the Colts GM today.  He has worked his way up through the ranks to the front office, and will succeed Bill Polian when he leaves.  This insures a smooth transition when Bill Polian leaves.  I cannot think of a better person to continue what Polian has done than someone who was trained by Polian.   Hopefully, when the time comes, they will find a capable replacement for # 18.  If we are able to accomplish that, we can continue our level of excellence for the next 10 to 15 years.

It's been a while since Tennessee has recorded a win.  The last win they had was when they beat Pittsburgh at the end of last season.  Why is that so significant?  That was the game where Lendale White stomped on the "terrible
towel" at the end of the game.  Since then Tennessee has done nothing.  I guess that is what happens when you don't treat your opponents with respect.  Looks like the football gods have taken their revenge on the Titans.

Seriously, this is an excellent opportunity for the Colts to start eliminating the options for the other teams in the division.  While we cannot eliminate anybody next week, we can make their path to a division title very difficult.  This team is getting better in every area each week, and our offense has the potential to be as good as any offense the Colts have ever had. 

One thing we might look out for is Tennessee turning to Vince Young.  They really have nothing to lose, as a loss will pretty much end their shot at a division title and make a wild card shot a long shot possibility at best.

A win in Tennessee and a 5-0 record going into the bye week would be sweet.

Sources at WTHR are saying that Dwight Freeney will be out at least a month.  This is really not bad news and means that Freeney's season will be shorter.  We don't have any critical games coming up (except for the Tennessee game), and it will just same him from further injury.  Hopefully, the defense will not suffer while he is out.  My feeling is they won't, as they have been putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the QB with their blitz packages.

 

Interesting read from Bill Simmons on the Patriots.  The part that he finally gets is the part after undeniable truth # 5 about Manning.  In fact, we as Colt fans are shocked when we see Manning not come through in the clutch.

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/columns/story?page=simmons/patriots/090925

After reading this article, he raises some very valid points about the Pats, especially the part about the Jets trash talking and the Pats not responding.  Can't wait for the Colts-Pats game this year, but there is a lot of football to be played before then.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4206440

According to ESPN and the NFL, Moore and Mudd can return to the Colts immediately as paid consultants as long as they are not employed by the Colts. 

Apparently, Mannings comments lit a fire under the NFL anf forced them to clarify the situation.  Now, we will see what the Colts will do since they now know what they can and cannot do. Can't wait for training camp.

 Once again, Kravitz has stuck his foot in his mouth.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090515/SPORTS15/905150326/1034/SPORTS15/Anonymity+of+blogosphere+is+turning+us+into+a+culture+of+weenies

With the retirement of both Moore and Mudd, Kravitz chooses to write an article attacking ... bloggers??  Now, to put this incredibably stupid editorial in perspective, let's talk about Kravitz's recent interview with Peyton Manning.  For years, Kravitz wrote how Peyton choked in the playoffs, how Peyton wasn't a big game QB, etc.  So when Kravitz interviews him on the radio, he doesn't ask Manning about any of this.  Why?  Because he wants to talk to Manning again.  Kravitz prefers to use the safety of his column to do his dirty work, and when he has to talk to someone in person, he puts on a different face.  However, bloggers are wrong for hiding their name, he is right to act nice to someone in person when he has attacked them in print.  Sounds to me like a double standard.

However, he has just given Stampede Blue and 18-to-88 a big publicity boost.  You guys just got some free advertising and will likely see many new readers.  Because, after reading Kravitz's 2 times a week column about nothing in a lot of cases, more people will now see what insightful commentary on the Colts really is.  When you start a business you plod along and survive until your name gets out and people really want your product over a competitors product.  But in order for that to happen, people have to know about your product.  Thanks to Kravitz, people will now know about your product.  So, while this post didn't start out looking favourably on Kravitz, we should all thank him for giving us advertising that we couldn't have purchased on a "shoe" string budget.

While it is never good to have turnover in coaches, especially as good as the Colts coaches have been, we need to remember the philosophy of the organization which is "next man up".  We have had Caldwell in waiting behind Dungy for 2 years.  We have understudy's for both Moore and Mudd for 5 years.  We have a Quarterback who is almost a coach on the field, and we have a Center who understands and calls the blocking assignments.  Obviously, both Moore and Mudd were going to leave within the next 2 years.  It would have been great to see them stay another year to help in Caldwell's transition, but if it doesn't happen the team will have to move on.

We have to remember, the offense and the offensive philosophy will not change if Moore's and Mudd's understudys are promoted.  They might be some minor adjustments from the change, but everything else will remain the same.  Had we not resigned Saturday, then I believe there would be cause for concern.  This team has excellent veteran leadership, has a winning attitude, doesn't quit in games, and understands what it takes to win in the NFL.  The Colts, as an organization, have set a very high standard since the arrival of Polian and Manning, and will continue to carry that winning attitude even with the coaching changes.  We may experience some rough spots this year while the new coaches adjust, but we will be OK.  If I had to choose between veteran players or veteran coaches, I would take veteran players.  Both Christensen and Metzelaars know the system, and our on field leadership should buy them enough time to adjust to their new roles.

So, Colts fans, while there may be cause for concern, I believe we will be OK at the end of the day.  Other teams have made coaching changes and went from losers to winners.  If the Colts can make the transition this year to a new coaching staff, we have an excellent chance to win at least one and maybe 2 Super Bowls in the next 5 years.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/maryland-raises-the-stakes-on-preakness/

Do these guys ever learn.  If the Preakness was considering leaving Maryland, they are certain to leave before this bill passes.  Do these politicians even have a clue as to how their actions affect businesses and people. 

Honestly, I wouldn't even read this.  But there is nothing going on in the NFL right now, and all of the other sports are boring.  Can't we have a NFL spring league so we wouldn't have to wait so long for football season to start.

The Colts get a 4th round draft pick (# 136) this year.  Most people thought they would get just a 6th or 7th round pick.  Might be a good pick to use on Nate Davis, if they are interested.  Getting a plan in place for Peyton to leave would be a good thing.  Since the Colts were the only team to be at Nate Davis' workout, they obvoiusly have some interest.  He could play behind Manning for the next 6 years and then settle into a long pro career.

 

Channel 8 news is reporting that Darrell Reid has signed a 3 year contract with the Denver Broncos.  Apparently, Reid is "no longer an Indianapolis Colt".  If he is trying to get into a bar in Indianapolis after 1:00, he should probably use a different line.  This is a loss for our special teams, but maybe the change in coaches will make up for it.  I don't really think the Colts were interested in resigning him, becaus they didn't make him an offer.

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/Colts_to_hire_Coyer

 

WISH-TV is reporting that the Colts have hired Larry Coyer as defensive coordinator.  He last worked with Tampa Bay and Denver.  BIG BLUE Shoe reported this as a possibility earlier. 

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OK Colts Fans.  Here is a question.  We won one Super Bowl in the Dungy era (7 years).  Some fans believe we should have won more, some believe that is average.  So, here is my question.  Would you give up that one Super Bowl win for an opportunity to win more.  If you give up that win and don't win 2, you will end up with zero.  Or you can stay where we are with the one win.

Fortunately, this is only a hypothetical situation.  I will take the 1 Super Bowl, which is more than we had when he came here. 

http://www.bobgretz.com/chiefs-football/a-personal-look-at-tony-dungy.html#more-6339

Just saw this article on the Kansas City blog.  Worth a read for Dungy fans.  Hopefully, we will continue the great play that we have seen from the Colts under Dungy with Caldwell.  While we, as fans, wish the Colts could have won another Super Bowl with Dungy, we should be grateful we got at least one.  The NFL playoffs are the biggest crapshoot in sports.  In a one and done situation, anything can happen from injuries, turnovers, referees calls, mistakes, great plays, fluke plays, and any number of unforeseen events in a 60 minute game.  I was hoping when Tampa let him go that we would pick him up.  I know whatever he decides to do he will be great at, and Indy has truly lost someone very special.  Thanks for the memories, Tony, and good luck.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AjT3RQStwHsAc6EC9sXAiPg5nYcB?slug=ms-morningrush010509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns Good column by Michael Silver about the game and some inside information. Apparently, we should never trust anybody else on the team to do something that Peyton can do himself. There is an interview with Dungy and also some comments from Freeney on the way to the bus. Our season ended way to early. Next year should be interesting. Here's hoping that Peyton will be in training camp and we can get everybody on the same page.

This season was basically determined by 2 plays.  The first play was the call at the end of the Jacksonville game when they called "holding" on 4th down after the Colts had stopped them at the end of the game.  The second call was on the "holding" call on Jennings after we had stopped San Diego in overtime.  It seems ironic after watching Freeney and Mathis being held play after play that we end up losing this way.  The Colts fate was sealed when the NFL decided that they would only call holding when it would alter the outcome of the play.  Basically, they made holding a judgement call.  So, if you put your hand in Freeney's face mask or grab his jersey on every play, you can't call holding because it would not be likely that a defensive player could get to the QB every play, would it?  So, don't call holding at all.  The referees in this league are a joke.  You can't tell me that we don't hold for an entire game, but on the most critical drive we hold 3 times.   They call defensive holding on the Colts in the center of the line but they can't see a defensive lineman ram his hands in Freeney's face mask for 5 yards on an outside pass rush on a critical Charger drive.

Now, this may seem like complaining, but these are the facts.  I realize the Colts had plenty of opportunities to put this game away and we didn't do it.  But the offficiating in this league is very unreliable.  They call nothing for the entire game, then make critical questionable calls that decide the game at the most inopportune times for one of the teams.  This hasn't just happened to the Colts, other teams have had issues to.  If the NFL does not fix this, they will be compared to the NBA, and any sane sports fan knows how much creditability the NBA has.

I expect more of the NFL.  It is hard to watch a game, be a fan for your team, and go away from the game being mad because of referees calls deciding the game.  I should be mad because my team lost, not because my team lost from bad calls or calls that were different from calls made throughout the game.  When the integrity of the game is in question, it stops being about sports and becomes show business.  (Sounds like the NBA).  The league has been changing rules for years to speed up the game to fit it into TV time.  They also have fans in the stands who are paying good money to watch these games.  They don't care if a game is 3.5 hours as opposed to 3 hours.  If they did, they wouldn't buy season tickets.  They are buying tickets to see a sporting event whose outcome should be decided by players, not officials who are making judgement calls.

Again, I can accept my team losing, but it is difficult to watch my team lose by RANDOM enforcement of the rules at critical times of the games.  This is happening to often to to many teams.  Charger fans (congrats on the win) think this is payback for the Hochule call.  We lost the Jacksonville game by a bad call.  By my math we are down one.  But is that the attitude an NFL fan should have.  Of course not.

Again, I realize we had several opportunities to put this game away.  But so did San Diego.  They just got more help than we did at just the right time.  Competitive games should not end like this.

Fair disclosure, I am a Colts fan.  I see a very interesting scenario developing in the final week.  If New England beats Buffalo (and I assume they will) and Baltimore wins, then the Miami-Jets game will become a meaningless game for the Jets.  In other words, Mangini will be able to determine which team makes the playoffs (Miami or New England).  In other words, does Parcells or Belichick make the playoffs.  My question is, based on their history, does Mangini have more contempt for Parcells or Belichick?

How did we get ourselves in this position.  Next week, while our main guys will be playing a reduced amount of plays or not playing at all, San Diego and Denver will be playing an elimination game just to be getting to the playoffs to play us.  These teams do not have the luxury of resting their injured players and must do anything to win that game.  I am so jealous of these teams.  Why can't we be like them.  Why can't we play all of our injured players so we can win a must game to get into the playoffs.  It looks like we have made it to the playoffs with both Freeney and Mathis healthy.  It only makes sense to risk injury to these guys in a meaningless game.

Since we are going to have this discussion all week, this is the argument that the people who want Dungy to play our players sounds like.  The main reason we won the Super Bowl was because our players were healthy, not rested.  If we can get guys like Brackett back, we can make a run deep into the playoffs.  After watching Tennessee and Pittsburgh today, Pittsburgh seems less of a threat to me.  No matter what happens next week or who we play or don't play, our goal should be to reach the playoffs as healthy as possible.