So kind of a hypothetical...

I wonder if Peyton is offended. I don’t think this is a big deal. That’s all.

Media guys voting on the Heisman are much more susceptible to a geographic bias than in professional football. Everyone knows who Peyton Manning is. Every game is on television. The NFL is the biggest sport in the country. I’m not worried about some east coast bias against him.

If some reporter is going to not vote for Manning for MVP because Dungy says he’d vote for Harrison, said reporter wouldn’t vote for Manning anyway. No coach lobbies for his player to be MVP. Can you find a quote where a coach has done that? Most will always find an opposing player. It’s a slow news day in the NFL world that makes this a new story. It will be gone by 8:00 tonight.

‘I wouldn’t vote for Manning’ (which is what the headlines say when you look em up)

I agree, when you look at the headlines its infuriating. However, knowing these media types the way we do, I am almost 99.9% sure that headline was made up to get hits or viewers or whatever.

I’m just saying that I bet if we knew what the acutal question and response were – in the correct context, it would be nothing close to what the headlines are reading.

On November 10, 3:23 pm

I don’t want to sound like a homer… but if the team can continue to build on what they’ve done the past 2 weeks on offense and past 5ish weeks on run-defense, I think there’s still some chance that the Colts can win the division. I know, I know… NIdeak, you’re the weirdo that likes Rhodes! Nideak, you don’t like Dungy! Nideak, you sleep with a teddy bear. All valid points, but hear me out!

On November 13, 5:36 pm

Well, shake… how much great coaching is required when you have Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Edge, Addai, Dom, Saturday, Freeney, Mathis, Brackett, and Sanders.

Its a system defense. You know that. It’s not like Dungy is bringing the holy grail of coaching to the Colts and its not like he’s changed the offense since he’s been here. My point would be this: Caldwell may very well be the best person for the job, but people aren’t exactly beating down his door to offer him coordinator jobs, let alone HC jobs, so why the rush to name him the next HC? I would have had little to no problem with Dungy retiring, the Colts interviewing people, and then deciding that Caldwell was the guy. To me this just seems like Dungy using leverage to get a guy he wanted as HC>

On November 7, 1:52 pm

The article is half right, in my opinion. I think the fact that Dungy’s successor has been named is having an effect on the team, but not so much on the players actions. I don’t think a team with players like Jeff Saturday, Peyton Manning, Gary Brackett, D-Free, etc… would allow a team to mentally check out. That being said I know I’m not the only colts’ fan that feels like the head coach has mentally checked out from time to time. Now, before you rip me to shreds for this, just think about it for a minute. Think about some of the challenges he’s made and some he hasn’t made. Think about some of the activation/deactivation choices he’s made. Think about the scheme they’ve been playing and how its been attacked the same way in almost every game this year. Now, I had given up a long time ago on Dungy being the kind of ‘on the bench with a dry-erase board’ type coach that Belichick is. And yes, ‘do what we do’ always annoyed the bajeezus out of me. But the one thing I always knew in prior years was that no matter what happened in the first half, the Colts would come out with some decent adjustments. Now, no, they never won them all, but this year, where are the adjustments? Our team seems better prepared in the FIRST quarter than the third. How many games have we had this year where we’re able to get a lead, but the other team adapts to what we’re doing on O and D, and our O is done and our D just can’t hang anymore. The jacksonville game? The Houston game? Titans?

I wish that Dungy would either retire or not retire, but not hem and haw. I realize he does it after teh season, but if you have to take friday’s off, your heart isnt in it. And I think the organization should have been allowed to pick their own head coach after Dungy leaves. I don’t think more of the same is what the Colts need.

MY PERSONAL FAVORITE November 21, 9:21 am

Ungrateful? You need to get off whatever high horse you’re on. The Colts fans pay for the product, they have funded two stadiums (gladly, for the most part). When I was living in Indianapolis, I had season tickets, now that I’m in canada, I pay for Sunday ticket, so that I can see the Colts’ games. That affords me the right to be criticial.

I expect more from a man making 3-5 million a year than signing autographs before the game. I expect more from said man that going home when he should be preparing for a game. I expect more than this person using his position as a to be a minister. I don’t want Dungy to be a preacher, I want him to be a FOOTBALL COACH. I go to church, I pray, I believe in God. I do this on my time, with my actions. Dungy may think of himself a minster of God, but he’s paid to coach football. If you don’t want to coach football, if you want to do other things with your time, thats fine, do them, but don’t steal a pay check for something you don’t want to do. You said ’i’ll take quality of quantity’… How was the quality in the games vs pitts and ne? Good quality? You had the double whammy: Poor quality and LOTS of it!!

You said, "for years everyone comaplins about the defense not showing up in the post-season, and they did just that…’ And as you and shake seem to be magically forgetting: The colts don’t SNIFF the playoffs in 2006 if not for Manning carrying them on his forehead. They won’t SNIFF the playoffs this year without Manning willing them to the post season. Do you catch the drift? The only constant with this team is Manning.

You said, "what more do you people want?’ HEY, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU PEOPLE? Joke… Anyhow, I dont mind not winning super bowls, i don’t. I’m not spoiled in that regard. Ive endured enough ‘loserness’ that I’ve come to expect it (cubs, colts, buckeye, cavs, penguins fan…). What I can’t accept or tolerate is someone not giving 100% to his job. And I’m sorry, you’ll never convince me that Tony Dungy IS giving 100%. His family, his religion, his desire to be a vocal proponent for social change (and I’m not debating the relative merits of ANY of these, I have 2 boys, they are more important to me than anything…) take away from his focus as a head coach.

Let’s test my theory… Today, go to your boss and tell him: Boss, I’m off every friday, so that I can see my family. Also, I’d like to be able to print a company letter about my thoughts on religion. I’d also like to hold weekly prayer sessions. Etc…

He’s a football coach, he gets paid very well to be a FOOTBALL coach. No other football coach has gotten the extremely friendly boundries that he has, and there have been a ton of coaches MORE successful than he.

November 21 12:43 pm

I’m not sure what you’re having trouble with here… I was giving my reasons about why I don’t like Dungy as a football coach. There are football reasons (which I’m mentioning) and there are football (but not necessarily on the field) reasons. This brings me back to my earlier point about you having no sense of a topic. This is how things are usually done. First, you state your opinion or thesis or posit, and then you state your reasons for feeling it. Thats what I was doing, pretty simple thought structure. When I cheer for a team, I want the head coach of that team to be coaching the team. Not writing books. Not signing autographs. Not doing God’s work. Coaching football. When you go to work, does your boss want you to do your job or does he want you to do anything but?

So, yes. I think that your bias against Dungy is a fact. And a factor to consider in this discussion!