Why the Colts Shouldn't Tank

This is mostly a rebuttal for the fan post "Yes the Colts should miss the playoffs and why."

The Colts should not give up or tank this season. Calling for such an action is cowardly and despicable. The beauty of the National Football League, and I pardon for using a cliche, is that "on any given Sunday..." The NFL, especially in 2010 is parity at it's finest. Teams are extremely close when it comes to talent level, and any team can fall to another. Especially in the playoffs when one team can get hot and make a run to the Super Bowl. That is why you so rarely see the #1 seeds meet in the Super Bowl (only 8 times in the last 35 years). As dmstorm22 referred to in the comments of "Yes the Colts should miss the playoffs and why"

Hell, we saw a 9-7 team host a Title Game two years ago. We saw a 10-6 team beat a 13-3, 14-3 and 18-0 team back-to-back-to-back.

(This of course referring to the Cardinals of 08-09 and Giants of 07-08)

They play the games because the winner is not inevitable. We should have won the Super Bowl in 2005. But instead we saw a #6 seed race through the playoffs, beating a #3, #2, and two #1 seeds. During the playoffs and end of the season teams can finally put it together, get a bit of luck, and start winning. We saw it last year when the Jets squeak into the playoffs because of our choice to rest players. They then proceeded to get to the AFC Championship Game! Our own Colts were a mess going into the playoffs in 2006, but the defense got Sanders back and started clicking. Our defense, the very thing holding us back in the regular season, was what won the first two games of the playoffs for us! And we went on to win the Super Bowl!

Now, this team has talent. This team has Peyton Manning, whose god-like abilities give us the opportunity to win any game. While the Offensive Line is bad, it is possible for this group to put together a good game (Giants game?). With Joseph Addai coming back, that gives us a huge boost in our blocking, running, and passing. Collie coming back, our receivers will look much more competent coming out, especially if Pierre can continue to play like the first half of the Dallas game. The Defense, though it will greatly miss Powers in the secondary, will become become much better with a healthy linebacking core, Hayden and Lacey back, and most of all Sanders replacing the worthless safety known as Aaron Francisco.

The Colts can beat any team in the AFC, as every team has looked extremely beatable. Some people have questioned this:

Do you want to see them get DESTROYED by the Pats, the Steelers, or the Jets? How about Baltimore?

This is ridiculous. The Colts were in position beat the Patriots, who have "DESTROYED" the Jets and Steelers, who destroyed Baltimore. Every team can be beaten, and giving up at this point is somewhat laughable.

I was at a loss for words when I read the "give up" article, mostly because I've seen Detroit Lions fans call for their team to tank for years, and was always disgusted by it. I've also seen even more Detroit fans stick with it and watch their team play every week, rooting them for a win. Why do you ask? Not because 3 wins versus 2 is so much more to be proud of, but because, as a fan of a team, you root for your team to win. You piss your pants when Peyton makes a miraculous throw on 3rd and 17, and bang your head against the wall when Ryan Diem whiffs on a DE (AGAIN). Colts fans do not call for their team to lose. Fans call for the Patriots and Chargers to lose because they hate them.Tanking by a team is ALWAYS looked down upon. Year after year, we watch the bottom two teams to see who will get the #1 seed. But whenever we see clear signs of teams tanking, we condemn them. ALWAYS. The reason teams play the game of football is to win. There's no "forfeit" option. So, when people say that the team should stop trying to win games, that flies against everything competition is built on. And it sure does fly in the face of the Indianapolis Colts. Try and tell Peyton Manning that his team needs to lose the next four games for better draft position. That would be a very amusing exchange... I'll leave it up to the readers to imagine that one. 

As strooster has said in several comments:

You play. To win. The game.

Yep. And the Colts have a very good shot at winning any game. If you don't believe that, fine. But the Colts don't need fans that call for them to lose. They need fans that will get the Luke rockin when Tennessee and Jacksonville come to town. If you call yourself a fan, then root for a win, root for a playoff spot, root for a championship. Never root for a loss.

Go Colts!