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Around SBN: Please, Someone Make Bob Sapp Stop Already

Stop. Whining. Cleveland.

Blaming us for your team not getting in makes no f**king sense, Cleveland.
I love Chris Pokorny over at Dawgs By Nature. I consider him a friend and one of the better football bloggers out there. It's easy for morons like Michael David Smith or his buddy Mike Florio to be cynical, take pot shots at losing teams, and act like general ass heads. It's much, much harder to write a blog focused on a team that is perceived as a perennial loser. Compared to Chris, my job is easy. Peyton Manning is everywhere. Tony Dungy is a coaching icon. Bob Sanders is the flavor of the year, and Marvin, Freeney, Reggie, and Vinatieri are household names. If a Colt player sneezes, I have something to write about. With Chris, no one cares about the Browns because they haven't won a playoff game since Vinny Testaverde was young, which was sometime around the Hoover Administration. So, to blog the trials and tribulations of a bad (or re-building) franchise, and make it interesting, is extremely hard. Chris accomplishes this, and it is why I read Dawgs By Nature often.

That said, the whining from Chris, and most fans in the Cleveland area, has gone beyond the point of pathetic. It's approaching Patriot-like levels.

Chris finally posted an article regarding last week's Titans game, and I really hoped he'd take the high road and not fall into the loser trap that Cleveland writers, like this idiot, have. Sadly, Chris is now taking the side of known schmucks like Gregg Easterbrook, a man so vapid he needs multiple "g"s in his first name to make him feel special. In Chris' article, he follows the line that the Colts had an obligation to the integrity of the league to play their starters last weekend. By "starters" they mean "Peyton Manning." If Peyton Manning had been out there throwing to Craphonso Thorpe and Luke Lawton, and still lost the game, Browns fans would not be bitching as they are now. However, because Peyton Manning sat, Cleveland proper groaned and started pointing fingers at others rather than look at themselves.

The other point Chris trumpets, echoing the Lord of Douchebaggery, is that Tony Dungy was obliged to call a timeout after his offense turned the football over on downs in its own territory with less than half and minute left in the game:

It was inexcusable for him not to use a timeout towards the end of the game. If you don't want to risk injuries to your starters, I understand that. But when you have your backups in the game, you still need to protect the integrity of the game. Did the potential exist for the Colts to block a potential Rob Bironas field goal and return it for a touchdown? Yes. Did the potential exist for the Titans to go for it on fourth down, not make it, and then have Sorgi heave a miracle play? Yes. Instead, Dungy jogged to mid-field with a stupid little grin on his face as he congratulated a division rival for making it into the postseason.
I agree, there was the potential for the Colts to block a potential Rob Bironas FG. There was the potential for a last minute heave from Jim Sorgi. Actually, no, I take that back. Sorgi's arm sucks. And blocking a Bironas FG? Unlikely, since it hasn't happened yet this season. And while it is fashionable to say the Colts only had backups in the game (so why not just throw them out there to get hurt because who needs back-ups in today's NFL), but the fact of the matter is many "starters" for that game were back-ups. The Colts only dress 43 players, late into the fourth quarter guys like Kelvin Hayden and Bryan Fletcher were still playing. So, this whole thing regarding back-ups is simple ignorance.

Let me spell this out clearly so that Browns fans can understand: The Colts were under no obligation to help you get into the playoffs, and not calling a timeout with 20 seconds left did not question the integrity of the game. I'm so sick of hearing this from people I want to tear someone's throat out Patrick Swayze-style. The game itself was meaningless for the Colts. The only obligation the had was to show up and not get hurt. That's it. Two years ago, when Indy sat its starters against Arizona, nobody said anything. Three years ago, when Indy sat it's starters against Denver, nobody cared. When New England brought in Doug Flutie to pooch kick just for sh*ts and giggles a few years ago, nobody complained. In fact, many cheered.

But, for some dumb ass reason, people are pissed this season that Tony Dungy dared to sit his starters, thus killing Cleveland's season.

If Cleveland fans are still mad about this, then I now know why their team has sucked for over 10 years. Rather than looking inwards (at, say, your sh*tty head coach who is supposed to be a defensive guru, but whose defense was the worst in football AGAIN), Cleveland fans want to blame others for their team just not getting it done. Cleveland had multiple opportunities to solidify their playoff positioning, and blew it (most notably against the horrid Bengals). As a Colts fan, and as an NFL fan, I have absolutely no problem with how Tony Dungy handled the Titans game. It was a hard fought, physical game (unlike most of Cleveland's games this season) that was ultimately decided by Kerry Collins playing better than Mr. Excuse (Vince Young). You can if, and, or but all you want with what Dungy should have done or not done.

Bottom line: Anyone complaining about how Dungy handled the final seconds of the Titans game is a loser, and their opinion on the subject means next to nothing.

When you find your opinions agreeing with noted schmucks like Greggggggg Easterbrook and Mike Florio, it's time to look in the mirror and ask yourself What the f*&k is wrong here? And if Cleveland fans want to circle their calendars for next season, desiring some kind of "pay back" for Indy "killing" their 2007 season, fine. For poetry's sake, I hope Dungy pulls his starters and has his back-ups kick the crap out of the Browns. After watching last Sunday's game, it was evident Indy's third and fourth stringers played with more pride, more passion, and more physicality than Cleveland's starters did all season long. That, my friends, is why Cleveland is home for the playoffs and the Colts are working on winning two championships in a row.

I'm going to be unapologetic in this because I'm just tired of all the bitching and whining. I'm just f*&king sick of it, already. It's not just from Cleveland fans, but from idiots like Greggggg Easterbrook, Tom Curran, Florio, and the like. In a season that featured teams cheating, running up the score, and players like Randy Moss insulting immortals like Jerry Rice, this is what people are pissed off about? Not using a timeout with 20 seconds left in a meaningless game?

F*&k the cheating, the HGH use, and all that jazz. It's Tony Dungy not calling a timeout that questions the league's integrity. Are you f*&king kidding me?

I knew, prior to the game, that there was no way for Indy to look good in this scenario. Regardless of the outcome, fans and media hacks (like Gregggg) would have cried foul if Dungy had rested starters (questioning game's integrity) or played starters the entire game (running up the score in a meaningless game). Since there is no way to "win" this supposed argument, I say screw it! Screw whiny Cleveland fans and idiot media hacks who simply can't rationalize the fact that Cleveland's team was not good enough to make the playoffs. Screw it all! I'm tired of addressing issues that are total and complete fabricated bullsh*t: Piped-in crowd noise, faked injury reports, and now Tony Dungy and Jeff Fisher conspiring against the Cleveland Browns.

I'm so mad right now I want the Colts to physically destroy any and all opponents in their way, and after they've annihilated each and every team they need to face in the playoffs, they walk away with the dignity and class that defines them. And before people starting complaining that I am "insulting" another SB Nation writer, I remind people that this is not a corporate-owned blog network like AOL Fanhouse. Here, we write what we want, unfiltered and uncompromising. There are no lawyers breathing down my neck telling me to "tone it down." It's why SB Nation blogs like Dawgs By Nature and Stampede Blue kick the shit out of Fanhouse and the annoying back-slapping that goes on over there. This post isn't "insulting" Chris or his Browns fanbase.

This is tough love. This is football.

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And if we had played peyton late in the game
and if the colts had played peyton and other starters longer people would be accusing dungy of just doing it to screw a division rival... why wouldn't you sit your starters in a meaningless game... and if he had used the timeout, people like florio would talk about how useless it was and why would dungy prolong it, when they weren't playing for anything anyways.

damned if you do... damned if you don't .. cleveland fans are taking it out on the colts because they blew it at the end of the season... and the bengals were out to screw a divisional rival, whereas dungy was worrying about the playoffs in two weeks...

geez cleveland be happy your team is IMPROVING and you have something to build on  and look for next year... lot of teams would like to be in your spot...  

by bluegirl on Jan 4, 2008 1:07 PM EST reply actions  

OUCH!
I bet Cleveland fans' new assholes hurt after that one. :S

by bleedingblue @ Stampede Blue on Jan 4, 2008 1:09 PM EST reply actions  

Dawgs by Nature
I read the comments at the bottom of the page, and the most telling one was where one guy pointed out that if the Colts had played the Titans in week 10, and the Browns had played the Steelers in the final week (and the Steelers sat their starters as they did in the final week), I would bet you wouldn't hear any Browns fans bitching about the integrity of the game.
The Shogun of Harlem

by shonuff on Jan 4, 2008 1:10 PM EST reply actions  

Morons
Any Browns fans (or anyone else) bitching and moaning about the game Sunday night and the oooooooooooh so controversial ending is an IDIOT and does not deserve to be able to express their opinion. Yes, I am saying they should be banned from spewing forth their stupidity since it serves no purpose other than to show that most humans, despite this being 2007/08 have not advanced anywhere and can't use simple logic.

I am so sick of this crap and it embarrasses me people like that enjoy the same sport I do.

Fug the browns and fug their shitty whining fans. I hope Indy destroys them next year so they can cry a little more.

It's a slap in Dungy's and the teams face to criticize him for this shit. Tony is easily THE most classy coach/person in the nfl and for him to get questioned is an insult. Morons.

The internet is great for having all the info and for the ability to have at times good discussion but it is shit for letting every moron be able to freely express their useless opinion like these lame browns fans and the jackass media monkeys.

The only problem with being a football/sports fan is you are basically dealing with a huge % of people who have very low or average IQs and they basically are the majority voice.

by Rob L on Jan 4, 2008 1:22 PM EST reply actions  

Integrity
Chris at Dawgs By Nature says it was Tony Dungy's obligation to "...protect the integrity of the game".  As timeouts remain permissive, not mandatory, Tony exercised his perogative.  That's good, professional coaching--making a choice among options and living with it.  Here, living with the choice meant ending the game, sure, but it wasn't like calling a timeout was anything like a guarantee of a victory.  At best it would have set in motion a sequence of events (a Bironas FG, a kick return, and one or two plays)that had no chance of working to score the 9 points the Colts would have needed.  The Colts are not a good kick- or punt-blocking team, so arguing for the slight chance of that occurring is silly.

If the Colts did let Bironas kick the FG and took a kickoff, the potential for injury was greater for the Colts than mounting the most improbable of comebacks.  Everyone on this site knows how many injuries the Colts have had this year.  What if TJ Rushing was hurt, or Luke Lawton, or one of the up men (Guzman, Boiman, etc.) on a play that meant nothing?  Or, even further, what if the Colts did get a play or two off, and Fletcher or Jake Scott or Clifton Dawson--all contributors and all still playing--got hurt on a last-ditch meaningless heave?

This is why Tony Dungy is a great coach:  the intergity of the game ("game" in the bigger sense) demanded he shield his players from injury, not take some  infinitesmal shot at a miracle victory the Colts didn't need, and he saw that and acted.  Leadership is seeing the big picture.  Tony consistently sees the big picture.

The NFL (by that, I mean the collective ownership and the commissioner's office) want the most competitive possible playoff tournament.  The Colts and the Pats--especially their eventual matchup--are the league's best drawing cards.  Anything the Colts would do to foul that up--taking an injury while not advancing their team's cause--would be against the entire league's interest.  That would have been acting against the integrity of the game.  In my view, Tony acted with integrity, as always.  If it indirectly cost the Browns, well, tough.

Chris should be careful what he wishes for.  The match-up with the Colts in Cleveland might not be so advantageous for the Brownies.  After all, we have Bob Sanders.

The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in the stars, but in ourselves.

by Coltsfan58 on Jan 4, 2008 1:37 PM EST reply actions  

Browns have nobody but themselves to blame
for not making the playoffs. They beat Cincy a few weeks ago they're in, its that simple, case closed.

It doesn't happen too often BBS, but I totally agree, Colts had absolutely no duty to do anything but physically show up for the game and thats its.

by Terry @ Stampede Blue on Jan 4, 2008 2:00 PM EST reply actions  

May sound dumb...
But what about Sorgi?  I know he didn't play well, but he's the only other person on the roster who knows the playbook.  I was scared for him Sunday night.  He was playing against a top defense with back-ups not only at the skill positions, but along the O-Line as well.  Injury was almost imminent the way our backup offense played.

We as Colts fans gave Peyton a pass a few weeks ago when he stunk up the joint playing with B- players, and I don't think it's fair to pile on Sorgi for playing his first significant playing time of the season in a situation like that.

As a side note, I like the Browns and I hate the Titans, but the Colts have no obligation to do anything as regards to the Browns.  These players get paid millions of dollars, but they nearly put their career on the line every snap.  It's unfair to ask them to go give 100% in a game that has no bearing on the regular season.

If the Browns feel this way, then the NFL should force them to play their starters the whole game during the 4th preseason game next year.  We'll see how they like it when they lose a key player in a meaningless game.

by the21eraser on Jan 4, 2008 3:40 PM EST reply actions  

Glad to hear someone echo ...
my thoughts on Sorgi. Everyone here has been quick to blame him for poor play. I think he managed the game well for what he had available.

by PaytonMenning on Jan 5, 2008 12:21 AM EST up reply actions  

Here are more game results
Week 1:  Pittsburgh 31, Cleveland 7 (10-6)
Week 3:  Oakland 26, Cleveland 24 (4-12)
Week 10: Pittsburgh 31, Cleveland 28
Week 13: Arizona 27, Cleveland 21 (8-8)
Week 16: Cincinnati 19, Cleveland 14 (7-9)

By my calculation, that is 2 losses with teams with losing records, 1 a .500 record, and 2 losses to Pittsburgh.  They had 5 chances to get into the playoffs.  They had more than enough opportunity to win games.  So, Cleveland didn't play hard enough to win games critical games during the season when they meant something, and the Colts are now obligated to risk their post season hopes to try to salvage Cleveland's season.  Something about that doesn't sound right.  I wonder what Cleveland would do if they were in the Colt's situation.

by Blueisgood on Jan 4, 2008 3:56 PM EST reply actions  

Agitators
That is all Florio and the others are. They literally sit around and think, "Gosh you know we can get Cleveland fans mad at Colts fans! And then Patriot fans can join in and pile on Colts fans too! Man this is going to be great!"

That's right people like Florio get paid tons of money to spew dung out of their mouths. The sad thing is that it worked because Cleveland fans are mad at us and Pats fans are joining in to hitch a ride on the "hate train."

F*ck these people!

by MasterRWayne on Jan 4, 2008 4:19 PM EST reply actions  

49er Fan
Niner fan here, and I'd say perennial loser is better than has-been dynasty (speaking of course about the Raiders- j/k).

Besides that, Brown fans are ridiculous for making this their big argument, and would be better served turning their feigned outrage onto their own lame team. Even if this progresses past a bunch of whiny babies projecting jealously onto innocent parties, they should know better than to accuse one of the most highly respected coaches in the league. TD is all class; the only coach you'd have a harder time of pinning to a charge is the most slimy coach in the league, Billy Belichick.

Try harder next time, Browns. Do like we (the Niners) do and just blame it on injuries.

by LA49er on Jan 4, 2008 7:32 PM EST reply actions  

BROWNS FAN VIEW
Geesh!  You Colts fans are starting to sound like Browns fans.  

Don't you realize that the Cleveland media spends the football season undermining every Browns' coaching decision.  We are fed second guessing continuously.  The biggest concern prior to week 17 seemed to be whether Brady Quinn should see action, since the 49'ers game was "meaningless".  And they weren't worried about "resting" Anderson, he wasn't our future.

In reality, the Colts-Titans game wasn't meaningless to the Browns or the NFL.  A playoff spot was in play here, so sitting the starters in a close game shouldn't have been an option.  It is an integrity issue that should have been addressed by the NFL before the game was played.  

But it wasn't, and the Browns are out.  This Browns fan is disappointed, but such is life.  Life isn't fair.  Get over it!

And as for your comments about "whiney Cleveland fans", you'd better toughen up and develop some thick skin.  Maybe this old quote will help you....... "Opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one and most of them stink!"

Go Buckeyes!    

by danf on Jan 5, 2008 8:23 AM EST reply actions  

Playoffs
I think the point everyone here is trying to make is that the Colts had nothing at stake in this game.  

The goal of every single one of the 32 NFL teams is to win the Super Bowl.  Whatever helps you to do that and is whithin the bounds of the rules, that's what you do.  For the Colts, this meant to rest some of their starters for the second half, and also give the backups some much needed experience.  

A lot of people say any team is only one injury away from not being good enough.  That's why we have backups.  Backups need gametime experience.  When better than during a game that doesn't mean anything to your team (since we already have a playoff spot...we earned it by winning, not by letting other people win for us). Romeo doesn't coach the Colts, so he has no say in how we run our roster.    Thick skin?  I'd rather have a super bowl ring and a championship level team, thank you very much. You can keep your thick skin.

Check it to pancakes! Pancakes!

by Picky on Jan 5, 2008 11:52 AM EST up reply actions  

soo...
"It is an integrity issue that should have been addressed by the NFL before the game was played.  "

What you are saying is that in specific games the NFL head office should mandate what players play and for how long? You do realize how stupid that is, right?

by jdb on Jan 6, 2008 10:50 PM EST up reply actions  

Weighing in late
but I can't believe rational people are actually having this argument. Seriously? Colts haters act like nobody has ever rested starters before! Get a clue people, it HAPPENS EVERY YEAR.

Anybody who has ever played fantasy football knows that most leagues end their seasons before week 17. This is specifically because of the unpredictable and random nature of the week 17 games, due to teams with nothing to play for resting their starters.

Dungy has a responsibility to himself, to his players, and to his fans to take the strongest, healthiest team that he can to the playoffs. He has no responsibility to risk injuries in a meaningless game for the sake of the Browns.

As for the non-called TO at the end of the game: kick returns are the most dangerous plays in football (as Darrell Reid showed). An injury on a punt or kickoff return is much more likely than some kind of miraculous finish that the Browns were hoping for. Dungy rightly said "no thanks, I'd prefer not to take the chance."

by ctnyc on Jan 5, 2008 12:51 PM EST reply actions  

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