WHAT THE COLTS REALLY NEED IS....
by masonzbt on Oct 21, 2008 12:08 AM EDT
12 comments
For the fairweather fans to abandon this team now. All of you who whine and moan about the failure and success of the Colts, I ask of you, I plead of you, I beg of you..... adopt another team.
Having an NFL franchise in your city is a PRIVLEDGE. I can tell you Indianapolis without the Colts is an entirely different city. No downtown nightlife, less events, etc etc. I just recently returned from the Packer game, what I took away more than anything was PACKER fans are FANS. They care about their team winning and losing, just like we do, but they were gracious hosts and are professional tailgaters, partiers, and UNDERSTAND the privledge and respect the history of the game. There are Packer fans who will NEVER see season tickets in their families for 500 years. You can even pass your name on this list down to a first cousin, still wont see tickets in 5 lifetimes.
Colts fans can take a lot from this. I loved this team when they were 3-13 and I was there when they won their SuperBowl title. It is a privledge for them to be in my city, and I am aware the taxes I pay help support this team, and Indianapolis without a NFL team is souless.
We need to develop the sense of tradition and history, though it may be short, and create a Colts Experience. Right now, especially with the new stadium, we do not have this anymore. We really only began to get one at the RCA Dome....do your part to help create one, and less time whining. It's embarassing.
Finally, this team will be just fine. If they don't make the playoffs, it is certainly underachieving, but I am proud to call myself a Colts fan all the same. To those of you asking Dungy to "leave" simply do not understand the game of football. Dungy is doing his job, his team is not, and that man has brought more diginity, respect, and honor to this city that anything most of us could ever accomplish.
Do the city proud, do your job as a fan. Show up. Be loud as hell, get out of your seat, and NEVER boo anyone but officials and Patriots.
To our Gracious Packer hosts, thanks for showing us what we can be once the "fairweather" fan disappaears.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.
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I love this team
and my love for them is currently being expressed as frustration because I’m so DISAPPOINTED in them. I KNOW they’re better than this, and I’m just disappointed. Everyone here has gotten this from their parents at one time or another, “I love you, I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed”.
Good post.
I agree. Bandwagon fans reveal yourselves so we know who is true blue. However, I don’t think that frustration is a sign of being a fairweather fan. If anything, it is the sign of a true fan. It’s like family blood. I’ll gripe about my relatives, but if you run them down I’ll break your nose. (Not advocating violence here. Well, okay, yes I am.)
Thanks for the Dungy defense. He is a good coach. He is handling this the right way, instead of like an armchair qb fan screaming to “throw the baby out with the bathwater”. Good post.
And please, bandwagon fans, leave so we can dismiss you when you come running back to the Colts again (hopefully this season). Through thick and thin, blue is thicker than blood…
So the jist of this is to be a fanboy and not be honest with criticism and act like a group of millionaires underachieving should be treated like they’re your 5 yr old children. Gotcha. People do this with politics too and pretty much everything and it just boggles my mind why. IMO it doesn’t make the people doing it any better and just pretty much makes me discount their opinion since they are saying they are biased and will refuse to see reality.
How about this- people who are upset are simply frustrated and are not bandwagon fans. Fans have the right to vent about reality just as much as some want to live in la-la land acting like there are no problems. Fans can be critical of dungy because he isn’t doing the job for free. If none of this is any fault of Dungy then why is he there? What I mean is if he gets none of “blame” when things are going poorly then logically he can’t get any of the credit when things go well so what is his point? Might as well have no coach.
I’m obviously sticking with the team but that doesn’t mean I am happy with the way they have played this year BECAUSE of the expectations coming in. If this were the Dolphins then hey, cool, 3-3 and this type of play would be an improvement but we’re talking about what is arguably the best roster in the NFL who for the last 5 years have been one of the top teams in the nfl. I know they can turn this around and play like how they SHOULD play but until that happens I am not going to be defending these guys like they are my children and if people wish to rag on them then that is fine with me as long as there is merit in the complaints.
Maybe the fans who can’t handle critical comments over this team should leave because they refuse to face reality.
Give me a break!
Just because people vent and make comments that disagree with your ‘love’ of the Colts, doesn’t necessarily mean their bandwagon fans. I supported this team when the mighty Mike Pagel was taking snaps and I was venting then at times too to my friends. That’s what this forum is for. And, you’re right, it IS a privilege to have an NFL team. Nobody’s disputing that. If I want to voice my opinion about Dungy and his lack of aggressiveness and choice of judgement, that’s my right. Personally, I think he got pretty lucky to be riding the Peyton Manning express for these past few years. Any of us could have looked good coaching the team with Peyton and Moore already in place. I think the Colts were successful in spite of him, not because of him. And, I still have yet to see him put together any kind of a consistent quality defense …..even though that’s his supposed forte. Some of you obviously disagree with that, but just because some of us choose to comment on it and voice an opinion different than yours, doesn’t make us any less of a fan. I’m always for the Colts regardless who is playing or coaching! Go Blue!
As I believe you said somewhere else,
we are just going to disagree about Dungy. But while you defend your right to rip him and believe he is not a good coach, I also defend my right to defend him as a coach and support him.
The team pre-Dungy did not see things such as five consecutive 12+ win seasons, though they already had Peyton. They have now. They also hold the current streak for most consecutive playoff appearances with six so far (NE and SEA are tied for second, I believe, with five). That is a playoff appearance for every season Dungy coached this group, something his predecessor failed to do half of his seasons with Manning!
Dungy’s consecutive playoff seasons as head coach goes back further to his days at TB, giving him a first place tie with Tom Landry with ten straight postseasons. I am sure his detractors will give him zero credit with either team for the success, but blame for all the bad. I call that bogus.
I also admire Dungy for refraining from doing what many NFL coaches do when they take over a team. Dungy saw a good offensive system in place here, and he left it alone. Also, he was right two years ago when we all freaked about the worst rush defense in the league. He didn’t reinvent the wheel (read: scheme), just made a couple adjustments and suddenly worst became first in postseason. People were saying it was impossible to win with that defense, but win it all we did. And it was largely the defense that won it that year!
So Dungy is great. And I claim my right to stick up for him.
by coltsfanawalt on Oct 21, 2008 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions
More Talented
Our team has been much more talented, since Dungy arrived, as well Manning has entered the prime of his years, and is playing his best football. I for one believe Dungy is a good coach, and believe he has been good for Indy, but the talk of how great his Defense is should be quieted down. He had great talent in Tampa on D so he used it to win. In Indy he has great talent on Offense, so he makes the most of it to win.
loregnum and ayrshire
Agreed on both accounts. Do not think this e-mail was aimed at many people on this forum. I was the one who just choked out $500 to watch the Colts suck horribly in Green Bay. To say I am not frustrated would be a lie, and I am NOT saying you cannot be critical. It’s your right as a fan to be critical. We pay the dollars to go watch this team perform (or underperform).
My point is that as a whole we are not true fans. On and in this forum, I would say we all are. When I watch people do crosswords during a football game, it tells me this city has a long way to go before we get what having an NFL team is all about.
I always appreciate a Mike Pagel reference. Go Pat Beach.
I wil single out one group of people though – TO ANY OF YOU WHO BITCHED ABOUT GETTING “HOT” AT THE LAST HOME GAME. SELL YOUR TICKETS NOW!
That’s just unbelievable to me, and such a “Dome team” mentality.
Happy to provide
a Mike Pagel reference. And, I appreciate your comment. Regarding the dome and retractable roof stadium, I would have preferred an open air stadium. But, I realize, for a variety of reasons, it wasn’t done. But, you got to love the open air football stadium mentality. It just seems more like football! I can’t stand the ‘dome team’ mentality! In my opinion, real football is played outside!
Bandwagoners.
They are always going to be there…with any team that plays well over a period of time. I have been a fan of this team only since Peyton started playing…yes, they were 3-13 that year.
I live in So Cal, where the only team is the Chargers…you don’t even know what bandwagoners are until you’ve been here.
I am going to cough up over $600 to watch my beloved Colts in San Diego(yes, I adore ALL of them, not just Peyton)..I hope they play up to their ability…however if they don’t I will just consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to see them play in person.
For anyone who truly believes the Colts need to move back to Baltimore (and I know that King doesn’t, nor does anyone on this site) – I’d be more than happy to see them relocate here…I’d love to have the opportunity to see them play at least 8 times a year.
GO COLTS!
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Oct 21, 2008 11:05 AM EDT reply actions
Do you really think that Bandwagon Fans read this site?
I highly doubt it, and as such who exactly was your rant directed at? I’m sure the person doing crossword puzzles at the game was the spouse of a REAL Colts fan who probably should just stay home but feels some obiligation to attending the games with their significant other. The people that complained about the Heat will get over it, and be better prepared next time. It was the first time it happened and no one even knew if they’d be in the Sun or not so cut them a break. If they keep complaining about it then fair game.
I don’t consider myself a bandwagon fan. Until this year my family has had season ticket from year 1. I sat through more losses to the very last snap then I’ll ever want to admit. This year we sold our season tickets to someone else because our seats were so HORRIBLE that we could enjoy the game anymore (we’d could barely even see the game for that matter). It has been a real blow to us but we still gather round the HD TV every Sunday (or whenever they are on) together and watch the game. I blog, I comment, and I read up on the Colts pretty much every day almost year round. But does not being happy with something we are dealt by the Organization, Team, or Players make us bandwagoners? I don’t think so. I’d be willing to bet if Peyton and boys had put a shellacking on the Packers this weekend you would have heard plenty of bitching and moaning from the “Superior Packer Fans”. I’ve never seen our fans being anything other then gracious, and though we might not have quite the Tailgating tradition, or the long history of the Pack. I’d put the Colts fans in the upperechleon of NFL fans and cities any day.
So step down from the high horse and let’s talk about how this team can turn things around instead of bashing our fans and city because we don’t measure up in your opinion to a city that hasn’t nothing to do except follow the Packers.
thoughts appreciated Rob...
The high horse I am on is completely related to idiots who call in uninformed (obviously ones who do not frequent this site) talking as if they know football. I got to talk to Howard Mudd on Friday before they left for Green Bay. The man could not be more gracious, especially to talk to a nobody like me. He spent 30 minutes talking about Lambeau, the tradition, the fans, and he actually compared them to Colts fans. I acknowledge we are in the upper echleon of the NFL, winning has helped us do that. Howard enjoyed watching us turn from a Pacers town to a Colts town, and I think we now have at least a core of fans who are with this team no matter what! Also, Manning leads all of the NFL in kids jersey sales, which translates into future Colts fans.
As far as turning the team around, I don’t suit up, all I can do is cheer these men to do their job. I don’t know Bill Polian personally, so I cannot persuade him to add some D help!
I think most people get what I am trying to say. Be a football fan.
A couple of us are taking this fanpost too personally.
I understand why. It’s because it comes at a time when all of us are both complaining about the season and also clinging to hope still. It would be easy to be too defensive when someone bashes the bandwagon fans, thinking that means us for our frustrations. But that is not the point here.
I have been griping about a couple of things, and optimistic over others. I did not, however, take this fanpost personal in any way. As I stated above, “I don’t believe that frustration is a sign of being a fairweather fan”. Nor does the author, imo. A couple people here are so ornery over the Colts struggles that, while you are dumping on them, you are also getting sensitive with any post that you perceive crosses you.
Again, the point that at least I am making in this discussion is that there are genuine bandwagon fans who didn’t like the Colts when we were 3-13 and such. Now that the Colts have been hot, they are #1 fan. I am glad to see them jump off the bandwagon when things go bad for a bit. Then I’ll know who is really with me in being pro-Colts.
Does this mean that any negative comment makes you a bandwagon fan? No. You might be like the family I mentioned above, who is frustrated over their problems, but still loves their own and would punch an outsider for ripping them.
Then again, someone might be mad at this post because they are indeed a bandwagon fan. They didn’t care for the team before ’99, and they are departing soon after a fairweather decade. They may be mad and defensive over their right to be a bandwagon fan. But I agree with the author on those types. Go away.
If you are a true fan, whether frustrated or not (most of us are), agree with the premise that we won’t miss the phony fans. If you are a bandwagon fan, then like it or not, some of us don’t mind seeing you take your hike.
Again, good fanpost, masonzbt. Go Colts! (please)
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