It's Time To Seriously Talk Regime Change With The Indianapolis Colts
by Brad Wells on Oct 11, 2011 12:21 PM EDT
in 2011 Colts Analysis
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For the first time since 1997, the year before Peyton Manning got drafted No. 1 overall, the Colts have started a regular season 0-5.
For some of you, you might not have even been born the last time the team was this bad. For others, you were either too young to remember, or you just didn't start caring about the team until No. 18 came on board. This has been a long, fun, very memorable run of success for a franchise that, as recently as 2002, was talking about possibly moving to Los Angeles.
It's worth noting, for the sake of history, that after the Colts started 0-5 in 1997 (and wound up finishing the season 3-13, the worst record in football), Jim Irsay sent the team's head coach and front office leadership packing. The vice president of football ops at that time was a man named Bill Tobin, a well-respected personnel guru known for his hot temper and uncanny ability to draft quality players. Tobin turned a team that was the laughing stock of the NFL into a playoff contender. They made the post-season twice in four years, including a trip to the AFC Championship Game in '95.
It was Tobin who drafted Marshall Faulk, stood by the embattled Jim Harbaugh, and brought in quality free agents like pass rusher (not the singer) Tony Bennett. Prior to arriving in Indy, Tobin was instrumental in the moves that built the 1985 Chicago Bears, considered one of the greatest teams of all time.
Still, despite his success in both Chicago and Indianapolis, it was obvious that, after a very disappointing 3-13 season, due in large part to injuries to the team's then-35-year-old quarterback (Jim Harbaugh), it was time for a change. Tobin and head coach Lindy Infante were let go, and were replaced (respectively) by Bill Polian and Jim Mora Sr.
Flash forward fifteen years.
The Colts are 0-5 once again. Their 35-year-old QB is hurt. Injuries have decimated a flawed roster, and just like in 1997 (when the team invested their two early round picks on offensive linemen Tarik Glenn and Adam Meadows), the Colts used their first and second rounds picks in the 2011 NFL Draft on offensive tackle tackles Anthony Castonzo and Ben Ijalana.
Like Infante in '97, Colts head coach Jim Caldwell has not only lost the fans, he's lost the media. Beat writers are openly questioning his competence, and fans are fairly united in their opinion that 2011 should be his last as a head coach in Indianapolis. And while not all fans think that Bill Polian is as incompetent as Caldwell, the general sense many are expressing is that, like with Tobin in '97, it's time for change. It's time for a fresh set of eyes to evaluate this roster.
With the 2011 season lost and the franchise in complete disarray, it's time to talk about regime change again in Indianapolis. It's time to start advocating that the Colts to fire Bill Polian, and purge the organization of anyone with his last name. This type of advocacy is a shift in the way we at Stampede Blue have covered the Colts. Despite my personal dislike for Bill Polian and the incredibly disrespectful way he treats fans, media, and employees of the team, I've never openly advocated that he be fired. My hope was that, by calling him out and drawing attention to the mistakes this front office has made, that it would apply pressure to them and motivate them to, you know, do their jobs better.
After this 0-5 start, and the colossal mistakes this front office made during the off-season, we see now that it's time to hold the Polians (Bill and Chris) completely accountable. It's time to send them packing.
Many might not have noticed this, but regardless of my personal dislike for Bill Polian and his son Chris (who is little more than a younger, less accomplished clone), I never openly advocated for their removal from the front office. First and foremost, I'm a Colts fan. I don't enjoy trashing the front office or the coaches. Overall, I want them to succeed, even though I dislike them as people.
After Sunday's game though, I can't root for these guys in the front office anymore. I no longer have any faith in Bill Polian, his obedient son, or the spineless whelps that pass for coaches within this organization. It's time to blow it up. It's time to turn a page.
I really, truly, genuinely hope you readers know that I don't make statements like 'fire this guy' lightly. Firing Bill Polian is like the Patriots kicking Bill Belichick to the curb. But, as a fan, I just don't see how this team can win another Super Bowl with Bill and his son Chris in charge.
I could go through the laundry list of mistakes, but I'd just be rehashing everything we've written about over the last two years. We all know about the poor drafting, the refusal to bring in quality free agents, the bad hires in the coaching staff, and their utter refusal to even acknowledge obvious mistakes. Add to this their brutish behavior towards fans, and their backwards approach to new media, and it's just not worth dealing with them anymore.
I can accept that they hate me personally. I can accept that they have contempt for fans and media. I can accept all this as long as they are good at their primary job: Building great teams.
But, since 2006 (the year they won the Super Bowl), this franchise has regressed. They've been one-and-done in the playoffs three of their four trips, and their 2009 run to the Super Bowl seems more like a fluke now than the by-product of great front office work. Bill Polian should not have won Executive of the Year in 2009. That's obvious now. If anything, Peyton Manning should have gotten that award, along with his MVP and, heck, give him Coach of the Year too! Peyton makes all the turds Bill Polian has brought into this organization look like tulips. And while Peyton is indeed Bill's first pick as president of the Colts, the reality is that Peyton at No. 1 in 1998 was a no-brainer, even at the time.
I want to post an excerpt from a recent Michael Wilbon article that I think is fitting here. I've removed the name of the GM he's talking about because I'd like the sentiment to appear more universal rather than specific to any one person:
GMs always want players to be accountable; wouldn't it be nice for [name removed] to stop covering his rear end and simply say, "Fellas, I needed to have done better." Executives shouldn't be immune from accountability. It won't help this team get better, but it might take some of the pressure off guys who shouldn't be shouldering it in the first place.
The GM that Wilbon is talking about in his article is Chicago's Jerry Angelo, but he could just as easily have applied his sentiment to Bill Polian or his son, Chris. GMs and other personnel execs should be held accountable, just like coaches and players are. And if we hold the Polians to the same standard we hold players and coaches to, then there is no defense for them to stay in their current capacities.
The other factor in this shift for us is that the Polians are just too divisive to keep anymore.
As a fan blogger, I'm just tired of listening to people argue with each other over whether or not Bill Polian is worth keeping. I'm tired of seeing Colts fans fight each other. The fanbase is divided. It has been since Week 16, 2009. Indy radio personality Jake Query of 1260AM suggested to me last week that it would be 'fitting' that the Colts go 0-16 two years after they threw away a chance to go 16-0.
He's right. If you step back and look at the big picture, it would be fitting. And that's sad.
I really, truly feel now that Bill Polian's decision to throw the last two games of that regular season created the toxic atmosphere that currently engulfs the Colts fanbase. We spend more time arguing for or against Polian than we do anyone else associated with the team. He's as dividing a figure for the Colts now as Bobby Knight was for Indiana University ten years ago.
And like Knight in 2000, the Polians have overstayed their welcome.
Now, I'm sure there are a few I.U. fans out there who are quick to quip, 'Well, look at I.U. basketball since Knight left.' My response is I.U. was pretty much irrelevant in the final years of Knight's tenure, and immediately after he left, they went to the NCAA Championship Game. Their mistake was in hiring Kelvin Sampson a few years after Knight was jettisoned. But, I'm not one to mistake the decision-making of Rick Greenspan with Jim Irsay. It was Irsay who tapped Bill Polian to be Colts team president in 1997, and it was Irsay who pushed hard for the Colts to hire Tony Dungy as head coach in 2002.
Polian, as some recall, wanted Nick Saban, who he'd tried to hire as head coach in 1998, but had to settle on Mora Sr.
I know some of you out there are likely to start screaming that firing a man who led the Colts to seven straight twelve win seasons is insanity. I suspect Colts blogger Nate Dunlevy, a longtime Polian apologist (to the point where he still does not acknowledge that Tony Ugoh was a bust), would be first in line to dismiss talk of 'pink slips for Polians.' But, I cite the slow and steady decline of this organization since Tony Dungy and longtime personnel guru Dom Anile left. The current state of the Colts is one of dysfunction and chaos. The head coach clearly doesn't have control of who starts and who doesn't, and the draft record for the player personnel department has been putrid the last five years.
Perhaps Dungy's calming presence helped mask the insanity often associated with Bill Polian's temperament. Perhaps Anile's skills as a talent evaluator were just as important, if not more important, than Bill's or his son Chris'. It was Chris who was reported to have pushed Anile out the backdoor in 2009. The Colts called the firing a 'cost-cutting move,' which is ridiculous when you consider the Colts were estimated to be worth $1 billion in 2010.
Then-Colts writer John Oehser (now a writer at Jaguars.com) said that Anile was instrumental in the Colts draft room from 1998-2006. However, after '06, his role had been diminished while Chris Polian was moving up the ranks. It was at that point, when Anile's role was reduced in the Colts War Room, that the Colts started busting first and second round draft picks on a regular basis.
So, while it is common for people to associate all the good fortune in this organization with Bill Polian, the facts are that he is not THE reason this organization went from a league joke to a league standard. He is one part. An important part, but not the sole reason for the team's success. It was a culmination of several great football people, and, sadly, most of those people are no longer associated with the Colts, having since been replaced with relatives of Bill Polian.
Again, I don't write all this to dismiss the accomplishments of Bill Polian as team president (and later, vice chairman) of the Colts. Sure, I dislike him because he's an assclown and treats people like dirt, that doesn't take away all the amazing things he did for this organization since 1998. But, just as I used to get on Broncos fans for their silly 'loyalty' to Mike Shanahan, a coach and team president whose success in Denver mirrors Polian's in Indianapolis, at some point it is just time to turn a page and go in a different direction. Ten years ago, Carl Peterson was considered the best team president in the NFL (along with Polian). Peterson ran the Kansas City Chiefs, and was considered untouchable.
He was fired in 2008, two years removed from the Chiefs making the playoffs.
Like Polian today, Peterson and Shanahan outstayed their welcomes in KC and Denver, respectively. Both did wonderful things for their franchises. But, it was time for them to go, just as it is now time for Polian to go.
Two things before I close this out (and thanks for reading it, I know it's a whopper):
- I don't expect Jim Irsay to make the kind of change we will advocate for at the end of the 2011 season. Irsay is too chummy with Bill Polian, and has ceded too much responsibility to him. A change is likely to happen when Jim steps down and his daughter, Casey Irsay-Foyt, takes over. For us at Stampede Blue, we think waiting for that is wasting the time and money of fans. Bill Polian and his kin need to go, and it's best to do it at the end of this season rather than stalling for two or three more years.
- The downfall of the 2011 season is not the fault of the players. As we have all witnessed this season, every single member of the 53-man roster has played their guts out each week. It really is impressive to see these guys playing so hard for a season that is truly lost. 2011 isn't on them. It's on the front office. They are the reason this club is the worst in the NFL, not the players.
I hope this article effectively explains our shift here at Stampede Blue. As we often say, we are Colts fans. No one person is above the team. Not Irsay. Not Manning. Not Polian (or his kids). If we want our organization (which we fans and taxpayers invest $27.7 million per year in operating costs for the stadium the team plays in) to be on par with the Steelers and Cowboys, we need to stop putting individuals above the symbol of the team.
Landry was not above the Dallas star. Noll did not define Steeltown. They were a part of an intense lore surrounding their respective franchises. They weren't above or superior to it. And, just like everyone else, Tom Landry and Chuck Noll were let go because it was just time to do so. By the way, the men who replaced them did pretty well.
Obviously, anything can change. Maybe the 2011 Colts will go on some kind of miracle run and win 11 games in a row to make the post-season. But, that would be a fluke, not a result of great work done by the front office. It's time for regime change. It's time for a new direction.
Thanks again for reading. Hope you understand where we are now coming from. We just don't think this team can win another championship with the current regime in charge.
It's time for Jim Irsay to step up, take charge of his franchise, and pink slip the Polians.
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Amen
This is why I read this blog. Thanks BBS. The blurb about Anile being pushed aside so Bill’s son can play with a billion dollar franchise like a sit n’ spin toy is just disgusting to me. We pay these bastards’ bills. We keep that roof a’ movin’. We deserve better. We deserve CHANGE! GO COLTS!
#pinkslipthepolians
by pattymac on Oct 11, 2011 12:42 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
AGREED!!!!!!!!!!
" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "
I would rather have a 80 year old Anile....
Than a 40 YO lottery winner in Chris Polian. Im pretty sure Chris Polian couldn’t manage a Wendy’s drive through….imagine how many busted burgers would go out that window>?!
Here are the first round picks from 1998 to 2006….damn what the fu#$ happened to those days?
1998 1 * Peyton Manning QB Tennessee
1999 4 Edgerrin James RB Miami (FL)
2000 28 Rob Morris LB Brigham Young
2001 30 Reggie Wayne WR Miami (FL)
2002 11 Dwight Freeney DE Syracuse
2003 24 Dallas Clark TE Iowa
2004 — No Pick — — 17
2005 29 Marlin Jackson CB Michigan
2006 30 Joseph Addai RB Louisiana State
The Polians gave you the best QB in the game who's been
a model of consistency for 15 years along with Freeney, Mathis, Bethea and a long list of quality players. The team has ONE bad year and you want to ship them off? For who? Who are you going to replace them with? This is idiotic Colts fanaticism at best and a prime example of how you guys make decisions off of emotions instead of logic. I’ll take a GM that gives me 15 years of solid contention with ONE bad year over a new GM who we have know knowledge of what he’ll bring to the table. You guys are spoiled. The Colts have been a great team for a long time and are due for an off year just like every other team. You name one team with a QB like Peyton who can lose him for the season and still make the playoffs. Didn’t think so.
by deywalka on Oct 11, 2011 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Here comes the idiotic 'spoiled' rhetoric again.
Funny how people forget about the Patriot’s 11-5 season. That actually should be the benchmark for a team that loses it’s HOF quarterback.
by Ayrshire on Oct 11, 2011 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Forget about the 11-5 Pats
What about that awesome greatest show on turf? They lost their starting QB in Trent Green. No problem, here comes the Arena Leaguer QB who, with great coaching staff support, takes the team not to respectability, but to win the freakin’ Super Bowl. Period. It can be done if you have an outstanding organization.
Yeah...Curtis Painter is gonna be
Kurt Warner. Rrriiigghhtt…….
You're right that Painter isn't Warner
but the difference between them isn’t even close to as great as the difference between 0-5 and Super Bowl Champs. With how Painter has looked in his few starts, he could have taken that team to the playoffs.
"It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better."
— Tony Dungy
Painter looked good against mediocre
competition. He did exactly what a halfway decent QB is SUPPOSED to do against a cellar dweller team like the Chiefs. He looked good against an old Steelers team that is past their prime. He won’t look good against a team like the Saints or Packers or New England for that matter.
Funny how people like you forget that not every team
has a Belichek on there team who actually has the freedom coach unlike Caldwell.
Most coaches have the "freedom to coach"
You think it’s normal for someone other than the coach to do things like decide who is starting?
Then why did Tryon make the comments he
made regarding Caldwell not having the freedom to decide who plays and who doesn’t? Players don’t make comments like that without some level of merit. Try to pay attention to details like that “fatdt” before you run off at the mouth about things you have no clue about. It makes you look stupid (If you are stupid my apologies. Stupid is what stupid does).
How are you even able to operate a computer?
Hello? McFly?! Are you serious with this shit?
Caldwell is the EXACT EXCEPTION that we are talking about, dumbass! I said MOST coaches have the freedom to coach. To do things like decide who starts, who sits, who gets cut, who will play QB in the 2011 season. But Caldwell DOESN’T. Polian makes those decisions. THAT IS THE PROBLEM.
Do you get it yet? Try to keep up, sport.
Yep and the Polians have OBVIOUSLY
jumped on the “Suck for Luck” campaign. Like I said before, if the Colts draft Luck all the nay sayers will be jock ridin Polian for the next 14 years. Including your non-football illiterate ass. At this point fatdt you should just STFU. You sound a lot more intelligent with your mouth closed homey.
Well said.
All good things must come to an end, Bill’s time ended a couple of years ago. Bill is a hall of famer and has had a great career but I agree 100% that it is time for a change!!!!
It is very important that Irsay doesn’t lose total control of this franchise and we fall back to the early days. I personally don’t feel that this team has enough “diehard” fans to support this team through very many down years. This is a fan base that has emerged throughout this last decade and a lot of them will disappear as quick as they came in.
Get your arms around this mess Jim!
by Blue Report on Oct 11, 2011 12:44 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
The time for change
was when Dungy left. They missed a big opportunity to reshape the team to support Manning in the 2nd half of his career. to build a stronger defense, OL, coaching staff that would take winning to heart rather than take it for granted because Manning was there to do everything.
It is beyond time for Bill to go. I am not as against Chris being the GM (his 2011 draft was exactly what the team needed, and needs more of going forward) but if he stays he needs to ONLY be the GM. Not the guy that decides who starts, who is 2nd string, etc. Not a dictator. He and the HC need to work together as a team instead of as a boss and employee. Or, in the current case of Polian and Caldwell, puppet master and puppet.
BBS I don’t see this as a huge shift as I thought you were on board long ago with letting both go. I agree with what you say. Question for you though: who would you like to replace Polian? I’m sure there are better men for the job. Look at the 07-10 drafts, there have to be better options. But as a fan it’s hard to know who the top front office guys are around the league.
Maybe you could use the connections you’ve developed to present potential candidates. I think a big part of many fans’ fear of firing Polian is because they have no clue who would replace him and what that would mean for the direction of the team. An idea for future posts would be to highlight candidates and project what changes such a person would make.
Example: Reggie McKenzie at Green Bay. Director of Football Operations for the Packers. Presumably he would bring his scouting staff and also assistant coach Winston Moss with him to be the HC. GB had the 2nd most guys on IR last season and STILL won the SB. Their depth is unmatched in the NFL. McKenzie appears to have a key eye for either talent or for talent evaluators.
by FatDT on Oct 11, 2011 12:46 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
'BBS I don’t see this as a huge shift as I thought you were on board long ago with letting both go.'
I never though he should be fired until this past Sunday.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
Also
Reggie McKenzie at Green Bay is an excellent suggestion.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
Really?
They all should have been sent packing in 2009, week 16.
by braveheartcolt on Oct 11, 2011 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Really? And who would you
replace them with who? Most of you so Called “Colts fans” have never sat through a losing season and are voicing your opinion of emotions, not common sense. The same GMs you wanna get rid of are the same ones who put this team on the map in the 1st place. The Colts weren’t sh!t before the Polians got here. You make absolutely no sense at all and have no clue of a suitable replacement. Idiocrisy at it’s finest.
by deywalka on Oct 11, 2011 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You're "obviously" dilusional.
Hey are you related to Caldwell? You two sound alike “obviously.”
I'm delusional? lol
Have you read your own comments?
Yep and they happen to be the ones that
actually make since. When you write one that does I’ll let you know Ayshire. Until then happy trails.
Your dumb ass makes me wish there was an Ignore List on SB
You haven’t said a single rational thing yet. I’m going to ignore your posts from here on out.
Like the way I'm ignoring you?
You wouldn’t know Football 101 if it was a 2×4 in 3D fatdt which is why you resort to insults. You can’t think of anything that remotely resembles a logical assessment of any football conversation. Thanks for the laughs homey. :)
"LOL" let me guess, you just
finished looking at yourself in the mirror? That is funny homey.
Good one.
You never answered me. Are you 13, or just retarded?
Why do you ask?
Do I need to be so you can better understand me? Sorry. Can’t turn back the clock for you.
i'm glad you're back
i’ve missed this kinda shit.
its funny.
i don't give autographs
by muncie_in_this on Oct 13, 2011 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions
If you reply to him,
how are you ignoring him?
"Cat in the wall, eh? Ok, now you're talking my language. I know this game."
-Charlie
by Addai Another Aday on Oct 12, 2011 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions
That is a good point
It’s easy to pick on him but I doubt he realizes it’s happening.
I was referring to him
I know why everyone else replies to him. I get excited when I see new comments on this thread. He makes me laugh.
"Cat in the wall, eh? Ok, now you're talking my language. I know this game."
-Charlie
by Addai Another Aday on Oct 13, 2011 9:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Wrong...Wrong
I used to sit in my living room as a kid and listen to blacked out Colts games on the radio. I know what 3-13 feels like and I know what 1-15 feels like and 4-12, etc. But if you look at the management of the franchise since the Superbowl, it has been poor and that all there is to it. Add to that the insertion of Caldwell as coach (an obvious poor choice) and the seeming handling of coaching decisions from the front office and it is time for a new direction.
by Can't Wait!! on Oct 11, 2011 7:17 PM EDT up reply actions
That "new direction" needs the hiring of
Gruden, not the firing of Polian.
Uhhhh
I’m fairly confident I can find a capable replacement for Jim Caldwell and Larry Coyer.
And I understand that some people appreciate Bill Polian for turning around this franchise – but that doesn’t give him a free pass for the rest of his life.
This isn’t just one bad year. You think it’s a coincidence that the first time Peyton Manning misses games, is the first time the Colts look like shit?
Open your goddamn eyes and realize that Peyton Manning has covered up so many of Bill Polian’s mistakes.
www.Coltsider.com
check out the new Colts blog!
You're wasting your breath
At this point if anyone defends Polian as a good GM it’s because they want to keep liking him and keep believing that the team is being run appropriately, not because evidence suggests he’s still good at his job.
Hmmm lets see: "Colts before Polian era? 3-13 perrenial cellar
dwellers. Colts after Polian regime started: 14 years of consistent Playoff makers, 2 SB appearances, One SB ring vs one bad season (due to Manning being hurt). I’ll take those odds over being on the island of futility reserved for teams like Arizona, the Chiefs, Dolphins, and Lions (prior to this season).
Do you know what a logical fallacy is?
Probably not. Look it up. Or don’t, you probably won’t understand.
I'm not the one with "imaginary friends"
who agree with me. That would be you homey.
Oh really? Tell me this kmbryant09-
Where was all your wining and criticism of the Polians BEFORE this season? You are just as spoiled as the rest of Colts nation who had no problem buying tickets to the games and supporting the team before this season. None of you clowns were crying about the regime until this season so GTFOH with the fair weather friend BS please. BTW if you could find a viable replacement you would have Polian’s job, but instead you’re on this blog blowing nothing but hot air about "woulduh coulduh shoulduh garbage that I couldn’t care less about.
I'm with you BBS!!
People might think this an overreaction from a spolied fan base but its definitely not!! WE NEED TO SHAKE THINGS UP AROUND HERE, and it starts at the top. Caldwell cant go soon enough. I’d bury him alive right now if I thought I could get away with it!! The Polians also need to go. Keep the articles comin, hopefully you just started a revolution!!
GO COLTS
by bigpony on Oct 11, 2011 12:49 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Spoiled Fanbase
I hate that term. What is wrong with fans, especially the ‘fans and taxpayers invest $27.7 million per year in operating costs for the stadium the team plays in’, demanding excellence, accountability and answers?
I never see Steelers fans, or Cowboys fans, or Patriots fans being called spoiled.
What do I really have left in life but this place? It ain't much of a home, but it's all I got. Well, g******it. I'll be damned if I let some foreign, graffiti writin', soul suckin', son of a bitch in an oversized cowboy hat and boots take my friend's souls and sh** 'em down the visitors toilet!
by Guy LeDouche on Oct 11, 2011 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree
Saying Colts fans are “spoiled” is like saying the only true football fans are fans of teams that perpetually suck ass.
It's never made sense to me either
The type fan that is convinced he’s too stupid to know anything, and is just happy that he’s allowed to spend money and time on the team, is the type that complains that anybody wanting accountability or excellence is “spoiled”. As if failure and incompetence should be acceptable.
by FatDT on Oct 11, 2011 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Or better yet... the fan who spouts off about being with the Colts since their losing ways.
As if winning a bunch of regular season games makes it okay to start losing for inept reasons.
by SoCalHoosier on Oct 11, 2011 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
max lulz for burying caldwell alive
i don't give autographs
by muncie_in_this on Oct 13, 2011 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Tressel
Anyone else think that Jim Tressel could replace Jim Caldwell at the end of this season? I highly doubt that a college coach somewhere between good and great wants to “review” things for a head coach in the NFL. Just a thought…thanks for the article to btw. It is nothing new to us that no longer live in Indy Denial.
I really, really hope not
What do I really have left in life but this place? It ain't much of a home, but it's all I got. Well, g******it. I'll be damned if I let some foreign, graffiti writin', soul suckin', son of a bitch in an oversized cowboy hat and boots take my friend's souls and sh** 'em down the visitors toilet!
by Guy LeDouche on Oct 11, 2011 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
i really, really, really hope not
i don't give autographs
by muncie_in_this on Oct 13, 2011 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions
They will not be fired
15 years ago the colts were a bad team, coming from bad seasons
Since Polian, we won 1 superbowl, been to another, and set records for winning.
Ask a Buffallo Bills fan how he feels about sending a Polian packing.
My response
The Buffalo Bills went to another Super Bowl the year after they fired Polian, and built some good playoff teams following that 1993 season with John Butler in charge. Butler was Buffalo’s GM from 1993-1999.
Their mistake was not in firing Polian. Their mistake was in ditching Butler for Wade Phillips after the 1999 season. Butler and A.J. Smith then went to San Diego. There, Butler drafted LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees.
Butler died in 2003.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
Sure they went to another superbowl
It was basically the same team, just like Grunden won a SB with Dungy’s Bucs.
Their mistake was firing polian. The man is good. They fired him because he had some trouble with a guy inside the organization, Jeff Litman I think ( NOT Ralph Wilson). Read it here.
http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/121608-ralph-and-polian/
Wilson
Wilson was quoted as saying to Marv Levy that he was tired of dealing with Polian and just didn’t like him.
Again, John Butler built quality teams in Buffalo and in SD. He was just as good a GM as Bill was.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
PFW
Pro Football Weekly has a blurb in this weeks issue commenting on how Wilson is an extremely ’meddlesome" owner who is really difficult to work for. Polian built some great Buffalo teams and should be given the credit he deserves. Since Polian and Butler left that team has been a mess. Do Buffalo fans miss Polian?
Not as much as they miss Kelly.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
Polian fired from Buffalo
I didn’t know that Buffalo sent him packing, what was their reasons?
Ralph Wilson
Owner Ralph Wilson got tired of dealing with him.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
I'd argue the supporting cast of that 1997 team was better than the current cast
Marshall Faulk
Marvin Harrison
Ken Dilger
Tarik Glenn
Adam Meadows
Marcus Pollard
Sean Dawkins
Zack Crockett
Quentin Coryatt
Ellis Johnson
Tony Bennett
Would all represent upgrades on this current roster.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/clt/1997_roster.htm
" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "
They should have been booted out the door
after wiping their ass with the Indy fanbase and the Colts players after the 2009 Jets debacle. I can still picture the horror on the players’ faces when Manning, et al were pulled from the game. And, of course, there will be a few nimrods coming on here spewing how we won one superbowl and went to another because of Polian. What fools.
by Ayrshire on Oct 11, 2011 12:58 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
This was my moment
That Polian should have been shown the door – that utterly cowardly decision to not got for 16-0.
That was a total and complete slap in the face of the players and fans and I think it is fitting that this team has a shot a 0-16.
The talent on the field is always debatable, but as BBS pointed out that week 16, 2009 was the beginning of the end for this front office in the eyes of this fan.
What do I really have left in life but this place? It ain't much of a home, but it's all I got. Well, g******it. I'll be damned if I let some foreign, graffiti writin', soul suckin', son of a bitch in an oversized cowboy hat and boots take my friend's souls and sh** 'em down the visitors toilet!
by Guy LeDouche on Oct 11, 2011 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
It wasn't just shameful...
it was so ridiculously gutless and beyond stupid that there are almost no words to even describe it. I agree with you. That was by far his worst moment and, in my opinion, the worst decision in the history of sports. The Colts became a laughing stock across the league after that. The blown draft choices, horrible personnel moves, poor coaching hires, arrogant refusal to take advantage of free agency, etc. are just icing on the cake. If there’s ever been a person who needs to get kicked out of an organization, it’s Polian. And, he needs to take his kid with him. I don’t want Polian DNA anywhere near the Colts.
by Ayrshire on Oct 11, 2011 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
What would be the parallel to the Jets game this season?
0-14, down by 10, and then trot out our starters against their third string?
or if they bring peyton in after the half to try and win the game
i don't give autographs
by muncie_in_this on Oct 13, 2011 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions
The Jets game was the last game I went to
And I will not go to another until Bill Polian is out of the organization entirely. Beyond the money it takes to invest in even just ok seats at LOS, there is the cost of parking, food, drink, and time 8 Sundays a year. There is no way I’m going to waste my time and money going to games if the team is going to quit at halftime. I like watching at home with friends in HD more anyway.
by FatDT on Oct 11, 2011 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
You guys did benefit from that decision.
I mean, you let the Jets in, they knocked out your playoff nemesis and walked over the Jets en route to the SB.
by Revenge of the Fallen on Oct 12, 2011 8:59 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree
No Colts fans wanted to play the Chargers that year. If we didn’t let in the Jets, it’s likely we would have and never made it to the SB. I hated the decision at the time not to go 16-0, and would have really despised it had we won the SB, but when I look back at that season the SB loss plays in my mind…Not the Jets loss where we took out the starters.
by Coltsfan1345 on Oct 14, 2011 9:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Who missed out for the Jets,
He Steelers or Texans?
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
For what it's worth
I like what I’ve seen/heard from Chris so far. I’d feel a lot more comfortable if I were certain that Chris Polian could sever the umbilical cord from the man who gave birth to him.
Either way, a change is warranted, that much is painfully obvious.
Just what I'm thinking. Chris stays Bill goes. Won't happen, though.
Except for the Bill Polian Chris Polian umbilical cord connection and the male birthing. But not sure how I should have known that.
by ActionOxford on Oct 11, 2011 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Great article.
I’m sure it was hard, but good job refraining from immature insults, it really takes your writing to another level.
It was so alarming to hear the parallel situations between 1997 and this past season – with the 35-year-old injured QB, the terrible record, and the 2 offensive lineman in the draft. Hopefully that doesn’t signal the end of Peyton Manning, because he’s slightly more valuable to this team than Jim Harbaugh ever was.
But I’m all for a change. If one person must go, it’s Larry Coyer. If two people must go, it’s Coyer and Jim Caldwell. But my vote would be to clear house, including the Polians. And as crazy as it sounds, re-build on the fly for Manning’s remaining 4 seasons.
www.Coltsider.com
check out the new Colts blog!
Everyone has to keep in mind.......
Polian is directly responsible for hiring THIS coaching staff. Irsay pushed and demanded Dungy when he was hired but my understanding is Caldwell and the rest of this joke staff was hand picked by BP.
If I recall correctly
The succession plan was in place before Dungy left. The Colts agreed in terms with Caldwell to take over at HC to keep him away from other teams. Stew on that for a moment.
That is correct...
my point was Polian pushed to lock Caldwell up and hand picked this staff, not Irsay. At least that is my understanding.
WHINE WHINE WHINE
If Peyton Manning was healthy they’d be 4-1 and we’d be wondering how we match up with New England.
by javen on Oct 11, 2011 1:04 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
...and well on our way to going one and done in the playoffs.
Glad that’s acceptible to you. But, I expect more out of a team with Peyton Manning on it.
by Ayrshire on Oct 11, 2011 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
ONE AND DONE
How many teams have done better than 2 Super Bowl appearances with a title? Let’s see Pittsburgh, New England and……….
How many of those teams
had the greatest quarterback of all time?
by Ayrshire on Oct 11, 2011 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
WELL
Although I think Manning is the best, this year sure proves a lot, a lot of people think Brady is the greatest. As for Pittsburgh they have one of the eras best defenses and a very good quarterback.
I think folks on this board need to get a little perspective. There are teams all over the league that would kill for the sustained success the Colts have had. The NFL is the most competitive professional league around and winning just one championship is a major accomplishment.
I think you still miss his point.
Patriots minus Brady = 11 – 5
Colts minus Manning = 0 – 5 +
Surely they could’ve surrounded Manning with better talent and coaching staff. One championship with a player of his caliber is actually sad.
by SoCalHoosier on Oct 11, 2011 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions
There is a lot of luck involved in winning an NFL game,
and the single elimination nature of the NFL playoffs allows for some flukey things to occur. Quite frequently, the winner of the Super Bowl is not the best team that year, but rather the winner of the NFL postseason tournament.
That said, with all the chances the Colts have had by virtue of making the playoffs more times than anyone this decade and possessing the greatest QB ever, better than 1-for-2 in the Super Bowl is certainly reasonably expected.
MARINO
Marino never won a Super Bowl and although Elway one 2, those Bronco teams were run first with Elway past his prime. In the salary cap era its hard to win a championship even with a franchise quarterback.
Marino is no Manning. Manning changed the way the QB position is played.
Marino had an arm but he wasn’t the on-field general that Manning is/was.
by SoCalHoosier on Oct 11, 2011 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Dan Marino is the greatest passer to ever play.
Peyton Manning is the greatest quarterback to ever play.
I hold these truths to be self-evident.
You mention salary cap and the 97-98 Broncos?
Unintentional LOLs abound.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
I hear what you're saying,
but I’m still going to disagree. I believe Manning is the best. I think he’s better than Brady and better than Rothlisberger. Yet, both of them have more championships. I agree that winning a championship is a major accomplishment, but, bottom line, I don’t think one championship in 13 years is reaching the potential of this team, considering Manning is at the helm. And, I blame bad management decisions for the team not reaching that potential. If Manning didn’t perennially have the worst defense and worst special teams, who knows what might have been possible. At some point, even the best of all time needs some help. Too bad he never got it.
by Ayrshire on Oct 11, 2011 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
2 SUPER BOWLS
The Colts were within one or two plays of beating New Orleans. Had they won would your opinion on their legacy change? Maybe luck, or, more accurately, randomness, has something to do with it. My takeaway is that they put themselves in a position to win it all for many seasons and one time they did it and other times they didn’t.
The point is javen,
they did NOT win it. And, one of the main reasons they lost it was the bad decisions made by the head coach,… the head coach which management hired. Their first clue should have been his college coaching resume of 26-63, but they overlooked it, unfortunately. You can always break down any game and say ‘what if’. The truth is that if it wasn’t for some amazing superhuman heroics of Manning in the AFC championship game against New England, we may have zero championships. The point is, there should be multiple championships. I think that’s a reasonable expectation….due to the Manning factor. And to answer your question about two superbowls,… no, my opinion of management wouldn’t have changed. Because all of the Colts success is due largely to one player, not management. If Manning had been able to overcome the idiocy of Polian and win two, it doesn’t change the failings of Bill Polian, it just means Manning is great enough to win 2 superbowls. With a decent GM, it may have been 5.
by Ayrshire on Oct 11, 2011 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I HEAR YA
So when the Colts succeed its because of Manning but when they fail its because of their management.
I think Manning is great, maybe the best but their Super Bowl playoff run was very much a team effort. A team Polian put together.
The Colts have succeeded once
in the last 13 years. That’s unacceptible. That was in 2006/2007. The run defense was horrifyingly bad for most of that season, yet miraculously stepped it up in the super bowl run. Yes, some of those players (who sucked all season) helped the super bowl cause, by playing well in the playoffs. Not every pick Polian has ever made sucks. But he’s made mistakes that are so bad in the last several years, that it has definitely hurt the team and chances for championships. I’m going to say this once more, because I don’t think I’m ever going to get through to you. I believe the Colts limited success is because of Manning, not Polian. I say ‘limited’ because it should have been way more successful. The team failed to reach their potential, not because of Manning, but because of Polian failing to surround Manning with consistent support. How do you explain what’s happening now that the team lost Manning? By comparison, how does New England go 11-5 after losing their star? Explain that one to me.
Agreed, and to add to that thought
Put Peyton Manning on ANY other NFL team and what kind of success do they have? Switch QB’s with any team in the league and where would this Colts roster sit?
My guess is bottom 1/3rd.
" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "
I get your frustration and admire your pasion
but what mistakes has he made and what should he have done differently. It is easy to second guess.
"what mistakes has he made and what should he have done differently"
LOL
by FatDT on Oct 11, 2011 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
At some point, you just have to laugh.
by Ayrshire on Oct 11, 2011 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah "laughing" is the best way for
you to cop out of a conversation in which you can’t back up any of your own bullshit. There’s a reason why you are not a GM Ayrshire. You don’t know shit about properly running a team. I wouldn’t trust you or fatdt to be ball boys for the Colts. I think if you two turn your PCs off now you might make it in time to catch “Family Guy.”
If you even had
a thimble full of brains, you would understand what I’m saying, but you’re clearly too stupid for that. Every time you write something, you make it even more obvious how completely mentally challenged you are. Everybody’s on to you and your 18 minute time-traveling, pathetic attempt at supporting your own past idiotic statements. Listen Indyshockwave, Deywalka, or whatever your name is, I’m only responding to you because you’re mildly entertaining. I’m sure your household is being very lenient with the computer time today, aren’t they? You have got to be the most ignorant, illiterate fuck I’ve ever encountered on here. None of your points even have a hint of coherency to them. lol I’m sure you don’t know what that means. Look it up if you know how to use the dictionary. I doubt you do. LMAO Are you going to call me ‘homey’. Oh no,… not that.
by Ayrshire on Oct 14, 2011 8:02 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
For instance
Who should he have drafted besides Hughes and Brown? Both were rated low first high second round picks. Would you rather have Saffold, who isn’t very good, or maybe Beanie Wells. Gonzalez was clearly a good player is is unlucky, is that Polians fault?
Look he’s clearly made some personnel mistakes. but so has every gm. Polians gotten way more right than wrong. New England screws up draft picks all the time and I’m sure Richard Seymour would have been useful to them last year. They’ve been one and done 2 years in a row. Think they should can Belicheck?
gonzo was clearly a 3rd talent.
and i don’t mean that as diss to gonzo. nice talent, but not a first rounder.
as far as donald brown goes…polian should have never wasted another first round pick on a running back.
by BLOODontheTRACKS on Oct 11, 2011 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Belichick had an 18 win team,
Several players retired/were shipped out once it was clear the era was over, and took 2 drafts to get one good enough to go 14-2. Yes, the poor drafts between 06-08 stopped the Pats from probably winning another couple of SBs between 07 and now, but the point stands – he had a dominant team (like the Colts pre 06), players retired, and now he has another very good to great team.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
by ISN on Oct 12, 2011 1:48 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd Javon and a big THANKYOU. That's exactly
what I’ve been saying. Be careful arguing with idiots like “Ayrhsire” and redmid17. They might accuse you of being me with “multiple accounts.” That’s there cop out against anyone who has a different viewpoint than theirs. The thought that there might actually be other people out there who think differently than they do is immensely mind boggling! Oh my!!! LOL
no the wouldnt
if Peyton was healthy and playing, they’d be 1-4 now and chirping in Irsays ear, bitching moaning and complaining behind the scenes… 18 is a NOTORIOUS control freak and is really the only person who can get rid of the Polians and Caldwell
TTYL,
Big Blue Dawg
1-4?
They would’ve beat Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City with PM, no problem, and probably would have beat Tampa.
now that is a true statement
Manning is probably the only one who can get the Polian’s fired. Nuff said.
by GrizzColt on Oct 11, 2011 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
that's funny
peyton had one of his worst seasons in awhile and still led the team to the playoffs last year.
by BLOODontheTRACKS on Oct 11, 2011 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions
If the team wasn't thin on talent beyond our superstars
Losing Peyton Manning wouldn’t instantly mean that the Colts lose every game
by DeepThought on Oct 11, 2011 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Exactly
Losing a great QB, even the best QB of all time, should not immediately make a SB contender a bottom 3 NFL team. But that is exactly what has happened. And many of these losses cannot even be blamed on the offense! Would Manning have kept the Chiefs from throwing to Bowe over and over again? Would Manning somehow have kept the Indy defense from letting a 17 point lead evaporate?
by FatDT on Oct 11, 2011 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
6'5"
Maybe we should put a new number on Manning and let him play DB. He could knock down some of those passes.
It would be like high school football
where your best player plays the whole game and is your running back, defensive tackle, and punter.
End the debate right now. Peyton Manning – Hall of Fame Quarterback, Free Safety, Long Snapper.
I'm not faulting them for bad performance
Hughes, Gonzo, and Brown were considered home run picks when the Colts picked them up. They were thought to be perfect additions to the Colts at the time. The fact that the Cotls had so many good picks in the first round had to catch up to them and like you said they lost Anile.
The Anile decision came from grooming a replacement for Bill which is where the bad decisions and what I think they should be fired for. There is no freshness to this organization.
Polian is a great GM and will probably be great for the next team he GMs for and it’s because he will be held accountable there and meet resistance. He has too much control and the fact that Caldwell rose up the ranks with the same thinking and Chris did as well means that the same thought process repeats itself over and over
The Cotls need a new GM and coaching staff to bring freshness. While this lack of freshness has helped the Colts by fine tuning the well oiled machine, all it took were a couple slips (major and minor including 18 getting hurt and a few bad early draft picks and injuries after major contracts) to send that machine in a spiral.
The fans deserve fresh ideas and I hope the Polians step down similar to what Terry Francona did with the Red Sox. He said after so many years with the team there wasn’t anything really new he could bring them and that being there so long he had lost some power. I think the same thing happened here and that’s why it’s time for something new. Hopefully it’s good new.
"It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better."
— Tony Dungy
Brown was not a home run pick
I liked the Hughes pick, so I’m less critical there. But Brown was not considered a 1st rounder and RB at the time was at the bottom of the list of needs. He was neither best player available nor a need pick. He was a BAD pick.
I just remember saying
Who the hell is that!? Then Mel Kiper comes on and says how the Colts got a steal. Then everyone else and their dog’s dog talks about how he is such a great fit and he is going to be a major contributor to the Colts and exactly what the Colts need. The only reason I remember all of the praise is because I had no idea who the guy was prior to the Colts drafting him.
"It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better."
— Tony Dungy
I knew the name
But hadn’t paid him much attention because I didn’t think he was a guy the Colts would target. I wanted either Nicks (1st choice) or Britt (close 2nd).
Donald Brown went to HS with my sister
And he wasn’t highly recruited out of HS I will tell you that. I don’t recall anyone thinking that Brown was a good 1st round pick at the time, he just wasn’t at all.
by Coltsfan1345 on Oct 14, 2011 9:21 PM EDT up reply actions
gonzo and brown were considered home runs??
ok…..
by BLOODontheTRACKS on Oct 11, 2011 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Nor did I
And Hughes was considered a homerun? I remember asking, why do we need another DE?
by Coltsfan1345 on Oct 14, 2011 9:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Francona was gone because of the carefree attitude of the locker room.
Seems the Sox just got tired of listening to him. Parallels?
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
once again BBS
posts an absolutely BRILLAINT blog! I couldnt agree more with you bro, keep them coming
TTYL,
Big Blue Dawg
Change
This is beating a dead horse but the poor drafts alone are enough to say goodbye. That is the reason we are a team with below average talent with the exception of 1/2 doz. players.
POOR DRAFTS
Take a look at the draft picks at the bottom of the first round and you will find that most of these players are average, a few are terrible and a few make it big. Happens to every team. The important part is that you bring in good players regardless of the round.
If the Colts had drafted Angerer in the first round and Hughes in the second how would Colt’s fans rate the draft? An impact linebacker and a developmental defensive end, I’m guessing everyone would feel better about it.
You can't look at one rd.
Look at rds. 1-4 for the last 3 or 4 yrs.( not 2011), these should be your starters for the most part and your best players. The lower rds. and UDFA shold provide dept and special team players. I don’t include FA’s because he doesn’t bring them in. That record is more than enough to say goodbye.
by MrBoJangles46 on Oct 11, 2011 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions
NOT TRUE
In a really good draft you will be lucky to get 2 or 3 starters. Most of the guys drafted will be out of the league in 2-3 years and few will be backup “journeymen” types. After the late first round getting “impact” players is a crap shoot.
Not when you depend entirely on the draft and refuse to buy free agents
You have to hit on more picks when you act like free agency doesn’t exist. This is simple logic. Polian stopped hitting on his picks. 07-10 are TERRIBLE drafts.
FREE AGENCY
almost never works. Philly is learning this the hard way.
which
of their key players was acquired though free agency? Haynesworth, Ochocinco, Woodhead. All of their key guys were drafted.
not this year
but New England has notoriously picked up discarded and forgotten free agents and made them stars. Watch some football.
well
Corey Dillon is one
Randy Moss (although not technically a free agent pickup, they still shopped to get him)
Junior Seau was instrumental to their Super Bowl teams, I’m pretty sure.
Wes Welker was also thieved from the Dolphins in a trade where they gave up nothing and signed them to a deal.
Mike Vrable
Rodney Harrison
Roosevelt Colvin
All of these players were key to the success of the pats over the last decade. Not bonified stars, but not players that were drafted by the team that played absolute key roles in the success since 2001.
and that's just off the top of my head
We’re splitting hairs, my friend, but all good teams draft well and find some gold in free agents/talents from other teams. That has sustained the Pats while the Colts falter this year.
GOOD DISCUSSION
I agree that good teams draft well and acquire players through other means but the reason the Colts have slipped this year is because Manning is out. If he plays we are 4-1 and in first place in the division. He is that critical. The massive amount of injuries is also a factor.
PFW
There is a good article on the Colts in this week’s Pro Football Weekly about the Colts and their front office. It’s not a puff piece and gives some good insight as to their mindset with Manning and now.
BTW, in the article an unnamed GM is quoted as saying Lilja , saturday and Devan was the worst interior o-line in the league. Really slams Howard Mudd.
Plus
Shawn Springs
Chad Scott
Ben JarvisGreenEllis
Reche Caldwell
Jabar Gaffney
All contributed to differing extents
" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "
FREE AGENCY
If I recall Vrabel, Moss and Welker were acquired through trade. I suppose we could argue about the relative contributions of each guy but I’ll agree they were contributors to some very good teams. Hardly stars and didn’t last very long. (I think all Colts fans owe a debt of gratitude to Caldwell and Gaffney.)
The Colts would argue that guys like Saturday, Lilja, Pollard Mookie, Booger (trade), Harper, Keith and Rhodes were also contributors.
I think its important to note that the Colts are a small market team that had, until the Luke, an inferior stadium and a franchise quarterback eating up much of the cap. These factors, to some extent, forced them to operate the way they did.
Shawn Springs-Old Vet CB. Wasn’t signed for much. Cut after 1 yr.
Chad Scott-
Ben JarvisGreenEllis- Rookie UDFA
Reche Caldwell-Bug eyed idiot. He was a semi bust before he came to NE.
Jabar Gaffney-Semi bust before he came to NE. Revitalized his career at NE. He became a FA again in 2009.
by Revenge of the Fallen on Oct 12, 2011 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I certainly am not advocating busting the salary cap to sign free agents
I’d be happy to go the NE route of siging 5-7 mid priced guys to help the depth and compete for PT on the weaker parts of the roster.
Most of the Manning prime has seen us.
1.Draft our picks.
2.Lose 75% of our free agents.
3. Overpay most of them ones we don’t lose
4. Never even attempt to bargain hunt the FA market.
Not surprisingly we have a bottom 5 roster in the NFL now.
" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "
Seau only played 06/07 seasons in NE.
Welker was a RFA with Miami, cost a 2 (and a 7, but that’s nothing) to bring in.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
kinda
Corey Dillon – Most nfl teams knew he was a locker room cancer. He was traded in exchange of a 2nd round pick.
Randy Moss -No one wanted him..except NE and Brett Favre. I say Brett Favre b/c Ted Thompson (Packers GM) didn’t want anything to do w. him and didn’t bother even calling Oakland.
Junior Seau
was instrumental to their Super Bowl teams, I’m pretty sure..
Not really. He retired from the Fins…and only when Bill Belichick called him, did he pull a Favre and come to NE. He hasn’t a huge part. He joined in 2006.
Wes Welker
was also thieved from the Dolphins in a trade where they gave up nothing and signed them to a deal.
Wes was tendered a 2nd round deal by the Fins. No one bothered to call the Fins or offer a 2nd rounder except NE. They didn’t steal him. Fins and NE agreed to a deal where NE gave up a 2nd rounder and a 5th rounder in exchange for Wes Welker. Wes, w. the fins, used to bother the crap out of BB. He would burn the secondary and ST units in every game. They gave up an extra draft selection.
Mike Vrable
Vrabel, was behind two stud 34 OLB in Pitt and he contemplated retirement. Bill Cowher told him that he would release him and he also said that Vrabel should give it a shot one more time. And one more time was all it was needed. (sorry, he is my fav Buckeye).
Rodney Harrison
SD cut him. They thought he was done. I wouldn’t say he was a high price FA.
Roosevelt Colvin-Him..yeah. He was a high price FA.
You did forget one of the high priced FA Bill got, Adilus Thomas. Worked out well for 2 years till he became a nut case.
by Revenge of the Fallen on Oct 12, 2011 9:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Prove it
It’s a device other teams use regularly. Why would the overwhelming majority use free agency if it “almost never works”. Why did the Colts bring in guys like Jamal Anderson if it never works?
Adam Vinateri
I don’t have a strong stance for/against free agency. I just wanted to take a shot at Vince Young.
Role Players
Nothing more than that and they got them cheap. Which of the leagues best teams acquired their key players through high priced free agency?
Someone already went through the Pats
I’m not going to pile on, you are wrong and your take on this is silly.
yeah
that charles woodson signing by the packers sure backfired. fact is, many free agents work out great for the their teams, but people only remember the busts….and many of those busst were given horrible contracts by meatball ownership.
by BLOODontheTRACKS on Oct 11, 2011 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions
i'd still be pissed b/c we paid gary brackett crazy money and then wasted a 2nd round pick on his replacement and now you're trying to make it wasting a first round draft pick on his replacement
if we don’t hit on draft picks then you gotta go to FA and we don’t and that’s why i think he should be fired
by PeytonIsGOAT on Oct 11, 2011 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions
BRACKETT
No one on this board complained when Brackett was signed because he was a key part of the defense. He gave them good play at the position and his contract, by NFL standards was modest.
Losing Sanders is what killed the Colts defense. When he was healthy it was a good unit.
Yes they did
There are plenty of people who have never been high on Brackett. He went from slightly underrated to massively overrated in record time.
by FatDT on Oct 11, 2011 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
and massively over paid
for being an average pass defender and very poor run defender
TTYL,
Big Blue Dawg
you don't seem to understand my point, we had deficiencies that needed to be addressed before adding a 3rd pass rusher, or back up middle linebacker, and we didn’t address them (oline or DT) so now your saying angerer being a 1st round pick makes it all b
by PeytonIsGOAT on Oct 12, 2011 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions
ONE AND DONE
I know, two Super Bowl appearances a with one titleisn’t that impressive because so many more teams have done better.
As has already been explained to you
other teams don’t have the best QB of all time. This is not difficult to understand.
Apparantly its hard for you because
you keep trying to make a point where there is none. Oh look at this! Someone else on this blog who disagrees with you! Are you gonna accuse them of having multiple accounts and impersonating me too? LOL
Many years from now, the entire NFL will be wondering how the Colts only won one Super Bowl
Despite having a ridiculously talented offense (AKA a ridiculously talented QB and for several years Edgerrin James).
We talk about the Colts a lot on the Seahawks blog (mainly due to QB debates) and we’ve pretty much seen this coming.
Colts haven’t had a solid 1st round draft pick since Reggie Wayne. Polian gets away with this because he drafted one guy that any idiot with the #1 pick could’ve drafted.
By building an entire team, including defense in special teams, around one guy, you set yourself up for failure. The defense normally plays with a lead and even when they fall behind 17-0 Manning is there to be the rescue guy. I can’t remember the last time the Colts had good punt and kick returning. It’s all because Peyton can do everything.
I pretty much equate what’s going on with the Colts to what happened when the Cavaliers lost LeBron James. The world found out they’re a one-man band and chances are Cleveland will be bad for a long period of time. It’s up to the Colts to figure out what they want to do post-Manning.
Peace y’all!
I respect your opinion even though it's wrong.
I agree with some of that, except
Dwight Freeney, Dallas Clark, and Joseph Addai are all successful 1st picks.
Freeney and Clark yes
Addai is above-average.
Forgot the years in which these guys were drafted.
I respect your opinion even though it's wrong.
don't you put joe addai in with freeney and clark
by PeytonIsGOAT on Oct 11, 2011 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions
I said they were all successful.
I didn’t say they were equal. I’m not saying Joe is going to the Hall. Obviously he is not.
I wouldn't even put Clark in with Freeney
Freeney is going to be an all-time great player. Clark is a good player made great by Manning and the system. I thought when he was re-signed he got too much money and this season has proven just how much he is a Manning-made player. Some players have stepped up, like Garcon. Others have shrunk, and Clark is one.
True
Regardless, Dallas Clark is a ring of honor player for the Indianapolis Colts. He’s had a great career.
No
Clark has been excellent, and not just because of Manning. Excellent route runner, excellent hands, excellent after the catch. I have seen too many unbelievable catches to agree with that. How many times have we seen Clark catch a ball off of his shoelaces? Anybody remember the one-handed TD catch? Not one of the trap-the-ball-against-the-body one-handed catches, I’m talking about the back of the end zone pass that settles into Clark’s upturned palm and stays there catch.
As for this year, at least half the time Clark has to stay in to block due to the general suckitude of the OLine, and when he doesn’t, the timing patterns that this offense is built on are no longer there without Peyton. The mistake was to try to run the same Peyton-tailored offense without Peyton, but that’s not Clark’s fault. Remember how many times in the TB game that Reggie ran his route, made his cut, looked for the ball, and it was nowhere near him? Did Reggie suddenly become a bad WR? Clark may or may not be worth the amount of his contract, but that’s a separate issue from whether or not he has been a great player. He clearly has. And while any receiver would benefit from having the GOAT throw to him, what we’re seeing right now with Clark is not evidence that he’s always been a good player made better by Peyton, it’s evidence that his role has changed and that the offense in general is not a fit for the personnel currently running it.
Nothing's complicated if you understand it.
Edge
As the years go on I start to wonder if Edge was overrated and the OLine was underrated. Everyone likes to compare how Edge was the home run and Ricky Williams was the flop. Ricky is still in the league and Edge couldn’t put together a good season after leaving Indy. Some call this good roster management by the Cotls, but I think players like Tarik Glenn had a lot more to do with Edgerrin’s success. Look at how Addai had to come back after losing Glenn and has performed well again. PM and the system of being pass heavy had a lot to do with Edge doing so well IMO.
"It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better."
— Tony Dungy
EDGE
was great and an all time great running back. He had a devistating knee injury that took away much of his explosion.
Aren't we talking about injuries here?
We fault Polian for drafting Gonzo who was instrumental in the Super Bowl run. I again feel his success would have much less with another team. Colts passed the ball so much that teams had to prepare their defense for Peyton and there wasn’t much left to try and stop James. They were begging the Colts to run the ball during that time period.
"It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better."
— Tony Dungy
edge was great for 2 years
after the knee injury he was just good….
by BLOODontheTRACKS on Oct 11, 2011 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions
they didn't build the defense and special teams around peyton
by BLOODontheTRACKS on Oct 11, 2011 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm confused at what you're saying
"It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better."
— Tony Dungy
responding to "ssreporters"
who claimed the defense and special teams were built around peyton. i don’t know how u build a special teams around a qb…..
by BLOODontheTRACKS on Oct 11, 2011 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions
To add to our discussion
Andy Reid’s success in Philly is very similar to Polian’s in Indy. Yet, media and fans are calling for his head today after a 1-4 start.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
by Brad Wells on Oct 11, 2011 1:17 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
In fairness they call for his head literally every year. ;)
I respect your opinion even though it's wrong.
Not the media
Fans, yes. Media, not so much.
Now, the media want him gone.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue and editor of SB Nation Indiana.
It's quite different
Reid’s team is filled with all kinds of talent. He has all his players available.
Indy, well, doesn’t have PM.
and a half-dozen other frontliners
Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game and dumb enough to think it's important. -- Eugene J. McCarthy
This the change you were referring to yesterday?
I would only be onboard with a change in the front office if it were to enable a change at head coach. If the Polian’s refuse to bring in a legitimate heavy hitter as HC, then they have to go. If they’re willing to compromise and let go some of their control, excellent – they can stay.
And for the record, absolving every player of responsibility like that is something I can’t agree on. ‘Every player has played their hearts out every week’, my ass. Easy thing to say as a jingoistic booster, and whilst it might be the case for some of the vets (Reggie, Free/Math), to say it for the whole roster just doesn’t sit with me.
Antoine Bethea - the most underrated safety in the NFL.
A lot of the players on the roster are doing the best they can...
…despite the fact that they are put in impossible situations and called upon to contribute at a level that they simply cannot achieve
No. That type of shit just excuses incompetence.
‘Next man up’ obviously doesn’t apply with the Colts, hmm? I’m well aware of the schematic inadequacies of our football team, but i’m not giving certain players who’re playing terribly each week a free pass. Sorry, simply not doing it.
Some players have earned the benefit of the doubt, others have not. That defensive performance on Sunday was an absolute joke, and to say that it’s purely schematic is a load of nonsense. Note – I’m mainly talking about our secondary when I say I’m not giving players a free pass. That and our ST units.
Antoine Bethea - the most underrated safety in the NFL.
I agree with you, but
the area of which you speak, the secondary, has a few guys playing huge roles who have no business being back there. Players like Lacey who are just whipped and abused, I’m not apologizing for. He was a UDFA but he was also tabbed as a starting CB. I’m not apologizing for him.
However, when you’ve got guys playing DB like Brown, Caldwell, Johnson, and they’re repeatedly victimized, you can’t sit there and act surprised. Ronnie Lott and Jack Tatum they are not.
Step up or step off is my mentality.
Some would say Tryon ‘had no business being back there’ because he wasn’t a high pick – and despite him not having any physical attributes that truly set him apart from the rest of the guys at corner, he was the best of the lot. Hard work and good fundamentals.
Though it doesn’t help that when a guy like that does step up, he gets cut. (And people should remember that he was a Polian trade, so the lord giveth and taketh away etc)
Antoine Bethea - the most underrated safety in the NFL.
And how do they step off?
Are you saying players should bench themselves? Who signed these JAGs to the team in the first place? Who decided x should start and y should sit or be cut?
It harsh, but
I agree that the players are playing their guts out, but it’s pretty clear that most of the players on the field just aren’t NFL caliber talent.
The FO has been busting big time in the draft. This combined with stubborn and gutless coaching is why we are 0-5 on our way to 0-16 without 1 player.
What do I really have left in life but this place? It ain't much of a home, but it's all I got. Well, g******it. I'll be damned if I let some foreign, graffiti writin', soul suckin', son of a bitch in an oversized cowboy hat and boots take my friend's souls and sh** 'em down the visitors toilet!
by Guy LeDouche on Oct 11, 2011 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, 0-16 looks very likely.
A good organization, when they lose a HOF quarterback, may not win as many games, but at least they’re competitive and win games. New England went 11-5 with their back-up quarterback a few years ago! Think about that for a minute. If that fact doesn’t show the difference between competent management and incompetent management, nothing does.
Did you blog to yourself?
Is there anyone here with the credentials to diagnose Aryshire as having Multiple Blogging Personalities Disorder? (Better known as MBPD)
"It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better."
— Tony Dungy
Most people (those with a brain)
can figure out I was talking to Guy LeDouche.
Just making light of things
No offense intended. I did understand you were talking to Guy, it just looked funny when I read who wrote the reply to your reply…
"It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better."
— Tony Dungy
great minds
What do I really have left in life but this place? It ain't much of a home, but it's all I got. Well, g******it. I'll be damned if I let some foreign, graffiti writin', soul suckin', son of a bitch in an oversized cowboy hat and boots take my friend's souls and sh** 'em down the visitors toilet!
by Guy LeDouche on Oct 11, 2011 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Injuries etc
Colts fans are in for a rough season, a fact that difficult to stomach after years of double digit-win seasons, can’t over-react to a lost season though.
Indy is losing for three reasons – injuries to many key players, a bad head coach and to some degree, no foresight by the GM. All NFL teams miss in the draft – this is not a failure particular to Polian. Polian’s real sin was his inability to find a suitable replacement (in the draft) for his aging franchise quarterback.
Next season, the Colts (if healthy) will return to their winning ways but, the need for a quality, soon-to-be-starting QB will be greater than ever.
After using that excuse 3 straight years
It gets old. Someone has to be held accountable for these injuries happening every single season and having to rely on players like Jerry Hughes and Terrence Johnson to step up when they clearly don’t have it. Packers had similar injuries to key players last year, how’d they do?
"It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better."
— Tony Dungy
Good point about GB
The good teams are prepared (at least to some degree) for the loss of starters and stars.
If I remember correctly, the Patriots went 11-5 without Brady.
What do I really have left in life but this place? It ain't much of a home, but it's all I got. Well, g******it. I'll be damned if I let some foreign, graffiti writin', soul suckin', son of a bitch in an oversized cowboy hat and boots take my friend's souls and sh** 'em down the visitors toilet!
by Guy LeDouche on Oct 11, 2011 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Coaching
Good coaching is also instrumental in overcoming injuries, which the Colts don’t have that either.
What do I really have left in life but this place? It ain't much of a home, but it's all I got. Well, g******it. I'll be damned if I let some foreign, graffiti writin', soul suckin', son of a bitch in an oversized cowboy hat and boots take my friend's souls and sh** 'em down the visitors toilet!
by Guy LeDouche on Oct 11, 2011 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions
No Brady
Answer – the Patriots have a real coach.
by profootballfan on Oct 11, 2011 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Brady should be kissing his coach for helping him look like a superstar.
Add Cassel in there as well.
by SoCalHoosier on Oct 11, 2011 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
The GB analogy is a little weak
Just because they had incredible luck to get in to the playoffs and got healthy at key positions just before they made their run.
The fact does remain, they won the Super Bowl, and were technically the most injured team.
I don't expect a Super Bowl out of the Colts
I do however expect them to beat one of these 3 teams: Cleveland, Kansas City, or Tampa Bay. Did you see how bad Tampa got drilled by the 49ers? Up until that game I was hoping Tampa was just a contender than hadn’t been given their due yet and that the Colts lost to a quality team.
"It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better."
— Tony Dungy
This is a great point
Tampa looked like a playoff team against us. But it was a matter of two little fish fighting hard in a tiny pond. I don’t consider the 49ers a top 5 NFL team but they decimated the Bucs. No excuse for losing to them, or the Browns AT HOME, or to the Chiefs again AT HOME, and with a 17 point 1st half lead. A lead that was 21 points with a minute to go before halftime! Ugh! The picture gets bleaker the more I keep typing!
the colts
were actually more injured than BG. Still, BG’s talent depth was and is WAY better than the Colts
TTYL,
Big Blue Dawg
Every team need luck at some point
Remember that AFC championship game against NE. Wasn’t there a receiver for NE that dropped several big passes, including one where he was completely uncovered??
He caches any one of those and the Colts don’t go to the Super Bowl that year.
But what is luck??
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”
The good teams are prepared.
What do I really have left in life but this place? It ain't much of a home, but it's all I got. Well, g******it. I'll be damned if I let some foreign, graffiti writin', soul suckin', son of a bitch in an oversized cowboy hat and boots take my friend's souls and sh** 'em down the visitors toilet!
by Guy LeDouche on Oct 11, 2011 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions
I just get a little tired of the extrapolation
“Green Bay won the Super Bowl and had 67238 players on IR so every team should be able to win a title with 4th stringers at 16 of 22 positions”
Green Bay did get a little help from some players coming back from injuries right before the playoffs.
It’s still amazing what they did and is a shining example of team depth.
Everyone is so literal today!
This article certainly lit a fire under everyone.
What do I really have left in life but this place? It ain't much of a home, but it's all I got. Well, g******it. I'll be damned if I let some foreign, graffiti writin', soul suckin', son of a bitch in an oversized cowboy hat and boots take my friend's souls and sh** 'em down the visitors toilet!
by Guy LeDouche on Oct 11, 2011 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I, for one, approve
It’s given me a grand opportunity to procrastinate from the duties for which I originally sat down at the computer. Plus, with the on-field Colts stinking it up, it feels like there’s been less to discuss.
Now I get it. The Colts season is in flames as a result of the think-tank at SBNation trying to drive up traffic at Stampede Blue. I can see them now, red phone in hand: “Polian, get rid of Tryon. Bring in Collins. Caldwell, a little less emotion please. Coyer, we need some more cushion. GMC is offering us 7 cents a click over here!”
Great Article
Honestly, this might be your best article yet, BBS and not just because of the subject, but because of the way it was written. Very nicely done and, yes, it’s time for a change!!!
great article
this is why i read.
by coltsfanbeforemanning on Oct 11, 2011 1:36 PM EDT reply actions
I'm also interested in seeing the Defensive scheme be put to rest
This man to man Tampa 2 isn’t working. The corners aren’t solid enough to force mistakes and questioning the scheme has to be revisited. Even if the corners were good enough, there is still the struggle of stopping the run. The defense has played well outside of pass coverage, but I think that has a lot to do with the effort. They ran out of effort vs the Chiefs and got gashed…
"It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better."
— Tony Dungy
I suddenly like your posts a lot more lately
I agree the scheme is garbage. If we had the right players, like we did in 05 or 07, then yeah it can work. But you don’t force square pegs into round holes. ADJUST (I know, in Colts land that is an evil word) to the talent on the team and make reasonable changes. Like, for example, NOT having Jacob effing Lacey fail to cover Dwayne Bowe all game long. Or, not having Pat Angerer (you know, that guy making tons of tackles at the line of scrimmage the previous week) drop 15 yards pre-snap and then keep running backwards WHEN THE BUCS HAVE BEEN TOSSING AN 8 YARD COMPLETION OVER THE MIDDLE ALL GAME LONG!!!!
Tony Dungy was well known for his halftime adjustments
Look at the Indianapolis Colts 3rd quarter statistics from his time as coach.
Anecdotal evidence, but I’d say with certainty Jim Caldwell’s 3rd quarters don’t pass the eyeball test.
I'm guesing they've flip-flopped
It used to be the Colts were the ones stealing a TD with 50 seconds to go in the 1st half. Now, if there’s any time at all, it’s open season for offenses to march down the field and at least get a field goal.
Tobin was shown the door because Polian became available.
Polian and Irsay have been buddies since Bill’s Buffalo days. Yea, I know, a nit pick. I’m not trying to undermine your point, just emphasize the bond that would have to be broken for a change. You are dead on right about Infante however.
Banking a drum for change is fine, but going forward you (and the writing staff) need to provide real world alternatives to the current situation. Otherwise, you will just sound like every other fan simply wanting change and it will get really old quick. I am a solutions oriented person, if this blog is going to take this bent, make sure you provide options for us to discuss.
Please take this post as constructive. It is in no way a knock against you or this blog.
Oh, and sorry I’ve not posted in over a year. My work load got alot heavier.
by vintagephoenix on Oct 11, 2011 1:50 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I agree
It is going to be best for the blog and the fanbase to have others to discuss. I brought up McKenzie and Moss of the Green Bay staff. Surely there are other up-and-comers out there that would appreciate the opportunity to send Manning out with a couple SBs AND the 1st or 2nd pick in the ’12 draft.
I'm all for getting in on a piece of that GB action
They’ve put together quite a talented young team, very, very quickly.
Yes, their depth is unmatched
And they’ve put together a pretty good coaching staff too. And I don’t think McKenzie wears ridiculous bowler hats or quotes Shakespeare regularly, which is another point in his favor.
I was happy to see that
Indy would be a very good destination for a GM right now. Particularly if we end up with a top 5 pick (which seems very, very likely). There is the potential to win quickly (if Manning returns, and is even 85-90% of what he has been), or the opportunity to solidify long term sucess for the franchise (Luck, or some stud that shores up the team in another need area). You can’t ask for a better situation no matter how it pans out.
by vintagephoenix on Oct 11, 2011 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions
BBS, please just do me a favor
Stop calling 40 year old men “kids” (polian kids). It’s condescending, and is not necessary.
If he was drafting like a MAN...
He would be taken seriously like a man. The guy is completely inept ,and is being enabled by his dinosaur of a father and a drug addict of an Owner. It’s worse than giving a fat kid the keys to a candy store. This team is FU#%ED.
Is he that inept?
I liked the 2011 draft. I am not convinced yet that Chris isn’t the right guy for the job as long as Bill gets the hell out. It’s not like Bill has never made good moves. Maybe Chris learned from both the good and the bad and is the right guy. Hard to know when his blowhard dad has a finger dipped in every piece of the organizational pie.
What is wrong with the 2011 draft?
"If they want me to be a crazy, emotional, frenzied fan in section 603, then they can't expect me to be reasonable about the business of football"
Not the players' fault
Great point about the players playing their guts out. It isn’t their fault that they are over-matched. They shouldn’t be out there to begin with. Jacob Lacey is not an NFL talent, yet he is being asked to play single coverage on a Pro Bowl caliber receiver in Dwayne Bowe. Insanity. Even Jerry Hughes deserves a break. The scouting consensus was that he was best suited to playing linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, but Polian and his massive ego stepped in and assumed they could teach him to play defensive end in a 4-3. It hasn’t worked out. Shocker.
I would rather have a 73 yo Anile....
Than a 40 YO lottery winner in Chris Polian. Im pretty sure Chris Polian couldn’t manage a Wendy’s drive through….imagine how many busted burgers would go out that window>?!
Here are the first round picks from 1998 to 2006….damn what the fu#$ happened to those days?
1998 1 * Peyton Manning QB Tennessee
1999 4 Edgerrin James RB Miami (FL)
2000 28 Rob Morris LB Brigham Young
2001 30 Reggie Wayne WR Miami (FL)
2002 11 Dwight Freeney DE Syracuse
2003 24 Dallas Clark TE Iowa
2004 — No Pick — — 17
2005 29 Marlin Jackson CB Michigan
2006 30 Joseph Addai RB Louisiana State
#1 pick
if we get the number 1 pick we need to trade it for some serious value andrew luck will never be able to learn under manning due to the fact that manning take all the reps. If you have 2 starting qbs u have none. what we need is to go into the middle of the round nd get an offensive lineman or draft (what we really need) a defensive tackle, safety, or corner back
by NewYork ColtsFan 9212 on Oct 11, 2011 2:44 PM EDT reply actions
Who said Luck would even want to play for the Colts?
Remember what happened the last time the Colts drafted a Stanford QB?
Manning can't play that game anymore
He is still a player and if the coaches give Luck some reps in practice, Manning shouldn’t overrule that. It’s not the same as not giving reps to Painter, who at best will be a career backup.
People it is NOT a good thing that Manning runs practices! Coaches should do that!
when the head coach is jimbo and the offensive coordinator is clyde
he prolly didn’t have much choice.
by BLOODontheTRACKS on Oct 11, 2011 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions
andrew luck
he will be a great qb but this team needs defense badly this team is losing on d-fense alone nd lets do say painter has a good year( which i doubt but lets be hypothetical) would u still want luck for the future who is still un proven in the nfl or win now
by NewYork ColtsFan 9212 on Oct 11, 2011 2:55 PM EDT reply actions
but thats also saying
no future qb can replace manning if its not luck
by NewYork ColtsFan 9212 on Oct 11, 2011 2:59 PM EDT reply actions
im all for drafting a replacement
but with the top five pick we can get a kings ransom and other replacements can be found nd if the team does draft luck i will not be upset but its just hard for me to see how he wins with no support because like it or not he is not manning
by NewYork ColtsFan 9212 on Oct 11, 2011 3:02 PM EDT reply actions
That kings ransom won't help us if we don't have a QB
" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "
Andrew Luck is a slam dunk
The Colts have to take Luck or this team could be the worst team in the NFL for a while. If you think fans are upset now if they pass on him and he becomes a superstar it will get real ugly.
JMV on 1070
is talking about this post BBS made! I torment JMV (I like him tho) about him being Caldwell Nation!
TTYL,
Big Blue Dawg
Dakich put major props
on this post too on his show. I figured BBS would get some run after such a quality FACTUAL article
TTYL,
Big Blue Dawg
but as u can see
luck would be a smart investment but the qb position is not the only reason why we aren’t winning games this year
by NewYork ColtsFan 9212 on Oct 11, 2011 3:11 PM EDT reply actions
worthy
is a first rounder i been hearing about him being around the top 20 since last year
by NewYork ColtsFan 9212 on Oct 11, 2011 3:12 PM EDT reply actions
its a QB driven league
Get the next thing to 18 and build around for the next 10 years
TTYL,
Big Blue Dawg
If the last ten years have shown the Colts anything, you don't build around the QB.
You build a team that can win with a good QB (defense, good OL/running game), and then hope you have a great QB to slide into the lineup. That’s the recipe for championships.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
i was just gonna ask that
but i see your willing to let this team suck for another 2 years
by NewYork ColtsFan 9212 on Oct 11, 2011 3:15 PM EDT reply actions
best player in this yrs draft is a QB
going into a QB driven league, taught by one of the greatest of all time… Nahhh, we won’t suck but a year, albeit after this year…
TTYL,
Big Blue Dawg
drafting luck would not be bad
because isray and the polians already want him plus the rookie wage is lower but if he ends up like matt leinart aww man
by NewYork ColtsFan 9212 on Oct 11, 2011 3:20 PM EDT reply actions
the difference is
that the packers were already young if luck is drafted the whole purpose of resigning mathis or wayne would be redundant this team is built to get to the playoffs now we should just stop playing if we draft luck or end manning’s contract because we are planning to suck ass might as well give luck him the experience or better yet fire the qb coach nd replace him with manning
by NewYork ColtsFan 9212 on Oct 11, 2011 3:26 PM EDT reply actions
If Manning coaches anywhere it's the University of Tennessee.
Let’s just get this whole “Manning coaching the Colts” thing out of the way right now.
no way
18 coaches college ball and and leave the NFL… He’s an instant, OC QB coach and sure fire HC in the next 5-6 years. Hell, he coaches when he plays
TTYL,
Big Blue Dawg
I don't like Tennessee
But those people are crazy loyal to their own. When you are a part of that school, you stick around.
It obviously wouldn’t be about the cash, the man has more money than God, and if it were about the cash, I could see them paying more than any NFL team would be willing
its not about the $$$
its about the highest level of play and competition for Manning. 18 going to the college level is sort of like him “dumbing himself down” IMO. I’m not doubting the man loves his college team, but he has achieved way more in the NFL and still would be the face of the NFL if he was a head coach
TTYL,
Big Blue Dawg
I have my doubts
that Manning is interested in going straight into coaching. He has twins and will have any analyst opportunity with any network working whatever hours he wants. He might eventually jump into coaching somewhere but I doubt it’ll be right away.
Very nice BBS - I think you will see more posts responding with a reasoned discussion instead of reacting to the veracity of your opnion. So I will
If Manning is gone, then change. If Manning remains, then we need to keep in place as much as we can that is familiar and keeps him comfortable. If that upsets some of those fans inclined to be all macho and declare that we are kowtowing to Manning, so be it. If it is the most effective course then who cares?
How about Bill P is gone, and Coyer is gone? Again, if Manning is not returning, I say gut the place and start over. Go Colts!
"If they want me to be a crazy, emotional, frenzied fan in section 603, then they can't expect me to be reasonable about the business of football"
Identity crisis.
The Colts are a team built on Dungy’s defensive Cover 2 scheme and an offense based on Manning’s pick your poison scheme. Right now, neither of them are there. We have no identity and it shows when we play. Are we a pass first team or run first? Are we still a Dungy cover 2 team? If so, who is the cover 2 expert, Coyer? Caldwell isn’t a master of either one. We are LOST right now. We have an identity crisis. Even with Manning back, we need that Cover 2 guru or we need to change defensive philosophy.
thats y i believe
gruden would be better coach for the colts he knows how to run a tampa 2
by NewYork ColtsFan 9212 on Oct 11, 2011 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Outstanding post, BBS
Hopefully Irsay reads this and quietly begins his research for a new GM. I want Jeff Fisher, a quality OC and, of course, Andrew Luck. I’ll have 5 shots of tequila when the Polian Mafia is gone.
Absolutely retarded
9 straight seasons in the playoffs, a feat matched only by one other team in NFL history, 2 super bowl appearances and 1 victory and you want to get rid of the guy after 1 bad season when we are missing the lynch pin of the entire organization.
He drafted some of the greatest players in Colts history and built a team that dominated year in and year out.
The Colts fan base is a bunch of spoiled brats at this point. This is the downside of success. The first hint of failure and everyone starts freaking out. Manning will come and will win a super bowl or two before he retires. Yall need to calm down.
What a terrible fan base the Colts have.
by boothman11 on Oct 11, 2011 5:38 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Please don't post anything again.
Your comment is embarrassing to the ‘thinking’ fanbase.
by Ayrshire on Oct 11, 2011 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I used actual facts and not emotion and somehow I am an embarrassment to the “thinking” fanbase. Wow.
Your reasoning is beyond skewed and fairly comical.
On second thought, keep posting. I could use the laugh.
Go drink some of your rancy beer you know so much about
"If they want me to be a crazy, emotional, frenzied fan in section 603, then they can't expect me to be reasonable about the business of football"
...and why don't you go pull your head out of your ass.
I’m sure that project will last a few weeks.
What facts?
The fact that the Colts played in the weakest division in football most of those years? That they constantly signed injury prone guys to massive contracts like Bob Sanders? That the last few 1st round draft picks most likely won’t be on the team next year?
We’re not bitching about the Colts having a losing record, we’re bitching about the Colts blowing a game to a team that most of us though was the worst in the league. The Colts appear as if they may be headed to 0-16. All the teams left on the schedule appear better than the Chiefs. There’s reason to be pissed. One player should not make that big of a difference and since he did the rest of us sit around an wonder, if this team was a little better, how many Super Bowls would the Colts have?
Winning seasons mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. People remember Super Bowl Champions and cities celebrate Super Bowl Champions. No one has a parade for the team that has the best regular season record.
If the Colts were that close with this type of talent around Manning, it makes me sick to my stomach to wonder what could have been if the supporting cast was better. I’m not talking about the Reggie Wayne’s or Dwight Freeney’s, I’m talking about the Jacob Lacey’s and the Mike Pollak’s.
"It's about the journey--mine and yours--and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave, and the world we can change for the better."
— Tony Dungy
WTF - I wonder if I hadn't skipped that test in 8th grade algebra - maybe I'd be a brain surgeon
This is all way to easy in the rear view mirror. Other teams don’t make many and massive mistakes just like the Colts.
"If they want me to be a crazy, emotional, frenzied fan in section 603, then they can't expect me to be reasonable about the business of football"
I doubt anyone's going to mistake
you for a brain surgeon any time soon.
Wreck'd
because you GET IT.
Try to kick me while I'm down...I'll break your leg
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Is your opinion still the same
if the Colts go 0-16? 2-14? Would you change anything in the front office or coaching staff?
Creator and developer of the Winning Stats.
WINNING
I love the Colts and will always be a fan. I would gladly take 1-15 and restock through the draft. This is a mulligan year. Go get Luck or give Manning an infusion of young talent. Should I be rooting for 7-9? One step back two steps forward.
most of that success
can be attributed to manning. it’s like giving credit to jerry krause the credit for the bulls dynasty…
by BLOODontheTRACKS on Oct 11, 2011 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions
I appreciate all feedback
Please, be critical.
by hoosierstudent on Oct 11, 2011 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Sins of the Father...
I can honesty say that I tend to agree that it is probably time for Bill to move on. However, please resist from lumping Chris Polian into that. Because Bill is so overbearing, it is tough to get a gauge on exactly who Chris really is. Remember that Robert Irsay was considered an absolute JERK by almost everyone. It wasn’t until he moved on that we really realized what kind of great owner Jim Irsay would be.
I think that the last 2 Colts drafts (which he has had a higher degree of say on) have been better. Yes, in 2010 they missed on Hughes. I’m sure you can’t find a GM of any age, especially a young one, that wouldn’t want a pick or two back. This year it looks like 3 of the 5 picks are great (Castonzo, Ijalana, Nevis) and the other 2 (Carter and Rucker) could develop into contributors given time. (remember they were 4th and 6th rounders). It’s not that he’s perfect, I just don’t know if I’m ready to condemn him yet.
Yeah, I'm Shure.
Well, and you can't run a stable organization
If you keep yanking people out and replacing them. This would be Caldwell’s third year. His first year he took the Colts to the Super Bowl (yes, with Dungy’s team, yes yes). He was outcoached due to an onside kick. Manning rushed a pass to Wayne and that was that.
The second year the team had disastrous injuries but Manning took them to the playoffs where they almost beat a very good team. But because they lost, Caldwell stinks.
This year the team lost its franchise QB, and quickly injured some very good drafted players. The team has gone 0-5 but has played pretty well considering. Yes, blast me for that sentence.
And the response is, fire them all. Yes, makes perfect sense.
I feel for the players the most
A lot of the colts players out there have been playing their heart out and that makes me appreciate every game even though it’s a heartbraker seemingly every time. I can only imagine what it’s like for those guys on the field. I’m all for even just a new coach that wont be a puppet and a conditioning coach who wont get half the team IR’d by week 8. I mean Hughes, we all basically think he’s a bust right? We’ve heard how he’s had flashes of brilliance from standing position, or that while brown isn’t a bruiser he shows great moves in space sometimes. Why can’t we see those little dump off passes or little screens that let Addai make plays back in the days. I feel like our decision-makers on the field are content to be vanilla in a league that is always changing. Let’s make some things happen and give players a chance to make a win happen. I believe most of our draft-ees, even some of those busts could be made at least passable if not good if we just had coaches and the creativity to make the best of our players.
But then again, the cover two has been working wonders with a lead these past couple weeks…
Quality of Draft
If you look at our regular draft position every year. We havent had a top ten pick since Dwight Freeney in 2002. And the two out of the 5 years we drafted dead last in 2007 and next to last in 2010. In 2008 we didnt even have a first round pick. All these other teams have a bad year and get to load up by being at the front of the draft while the colts get rubish from the bottom. Im excited to see what we can get from having such a good draft spot handed to us this year.
I agree that Caldwell and his assistants are garbage
But I don’t agree that Polian needs to be fired because Manning isn’t playing right now and that’s the biggest reason why the team is so bad. If Manning was playing and they still missed the playoffs or went 5-11 or something I would be much more worried about the future of the team.
I think Caldwell and all of the assistant coaches need to be let go and would like Polian to hire an accomplished coach with an actual resume worth reading.
I don't always drink beer....but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.
So, because Manning isn't playing,...
is it reasonable for a team to go 0-16? What you are seeing with the Colts now, is the failure of management to draft quality players (outside of a few), the failure to make competent personnel decisions with the players they do have, the failure to hire competent coaches, and a variety of other bad decisions. That’s all on Polian. He’s is and has been the one pulling the strings for this organization. This years performance will prove he’s incompetent and should go.
by Ayrshire on Oct 12, 2011 2:43 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Don’t kid yourself
Manning has been the perfect alibi for Polian’s crimes – He has helped Polian cover up all the management mistakes he made throughout the years
Look where we are now without Manning? Isn’t football a team sport? Doesn’t it take a roster of 53 players to win? Why then, has the loss of Manning made us so terrible?
Maybe if Polian had done his job better, we wouldn’t be in this mess
You want to blame the coaches? Go ahead…Caldwell is Polian’s puppet – you want to fire the puppet? You gotta get rid of the puppetmaster first
by manningtoharrison on Oct 12, 2011 3:35 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hear hear
Bill Polian should have been fired 5 years earlier
He didn’t win us that SB – Peyton Manning won us that SB
Seriously…The crew from Sesame Street running the show could’ve won at least ONE SB with Peyton Manning
Polian’s failure lies with the fact that he never won more SBs with Manning – Drafting 1st rounders like Gonzalez and Donald Brown when we all know Manning is the one that makes these skill players better is just plain idiocy – Just look at this season’s Clark, Collie and Wayne without Manning!!!!
Polian is a fucking moron – and if Irsay had any sense or basic intelligence, he would’ve gotten rid of him by now
But unfortunately for us, the inept and bumbling Irsay was given this team by his daddy – he’s not a self-made successful businessman like Kraft (gasp!!) that made his fortune on sound/wise business decisions
So we can stop hoping for him to fire Polian because I think deep down, Irsay still views Polian favorably simply because of the one SB we won while he was in charge
And to Polian – Please don’t draft Luck and fuck up another potentially great QB’s career
by manningtoharrison on Oct 12, 2011 1:52 AM EDT reply actions
Getting rid of Bill Polian
Is not blowing up the whole front office. It’s getting him out of the way. And it’s not like the front office has done anything (other than 2011, but it appears Chris was more in charge then than he is now) to make people confident they themselves won’t completely eff up the “biggest draft since ’98”.
BBS is calling for the firing of the PolianS, not just Bill but Chris AND firing Caldwell
Who is left? The secretaries?
True
But not everyone agrees about Chris. I liked the 2011 draft. If we can have more drafts like that, and know that he would bring in a real coaching staff and not a bunch of puppet yes men, then I am fine with Chris taking over.
People get upset about the whole nepotism thing and I get that. But Polian is also a former top-tier GM. I’m sure Chris learned some of the good things. Maybe, because he’s younger and has a different perspective, he can see the bad things his dad has done (or not done) and has learned from those things as well.
I have supported Polian as GM for many years...
…but, one of the things that has always made me roll my eyes about his “record” with the Bills is that his biggest acquisitions were raiding the USFL for Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith, and stealing Chuck Biscuit from us in ‘87 (Lord I hated Bob Irsay). It’s just like the Red Wings raiding the Red Army for the players that made them great for over a decade, and how the Cowboys dominance of the 90’s was caused by the Walker trade.
The truth is, most teams are simply run better than they were even 7-8 years ago. Back then, the Colts didn’t have to compete for UDFAs (perhaps a few teams, but not MOST teams), and teams reached on picks alot more. The things that we make fun of the Raiders for doing over the last several years used to be the norm in the NFL. Guys like Polian feasted on these mistakes. The truth is, the only reason we got Castanzo was that so many teams reached for quarterbacks in the first round.
The Colts front office has been held up as an example of how to properly run a team for many years, but the problem is, the rest of the league caught up, and old guys don’t innovate, they continue to use what they innovated 10 years ago.
by vintagephoenix on Oct 12, 2011 12:55 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Interesting take
I had not thought of it in terms of the rest of the NFL catching up. A lot of what you say makes sense.
I don’t like Polian but it’s not as if he has always been a bad GM (or vice chairman, whatever). He’s definitely done a good job in the past. But it should be clear now he’s lost his touch, or lost the staff that helped him to achieve greatness, something. The results of the drafts from ‘07 – ’10 speak for themselves. Maybe the rest of the league finally did catch up and the players Polian used to easily pick up in later rounds just aren’t there anymore.
'an example of how to properly run a team for many years'?
Who has held them up as that? So, the formula is to draft the best quarterback ever, and then fail to surround him with a competent support system, outside of some good receivers…and hope for the best? That’s the formula? lol….because that’s exactly what’s happened.
I'll try to respond more fully when I get time tomorrow, but...
Since ’07 I would agree with you, pre ’07 I would not.
by vintagephoenix on Oct 12, 2011 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Seriously, BBS, if the Colts were to go 11-0 the rest of the season, you would give Polian
no credit for that accomplishment. That woud be “just a fluke.” But, going 0-5 to start the season, without Manning, is enough to conclude that we should fire both Polians and Caldwell. Right.
That's a useless argument
because it isn’t going to happen.
That’s like saying “If Vince Lombardi came back as a zombie and called a press conference to declare that Bill Polian is good at his job, well man you wouldn’t even believe then! Ur just a h8er lulz!”
Zombie Lombardi????
The end is nigh.
"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West
Feeling a little overly self-important are we, BBS?
This article reads like it was written by the NY Times editorial board. “We” have decided, after great study, that our editorial stance is…blah, blah, blah. Bill Polian is condescending? Perhaps. But he has accomplished a great deal. What’s your excuse?
Leaf v. Manning. Edge v. Ricky. Bowie v. Jordan
Anyone thought about how Polian has drafted in the past? Especially with Ricky. Everyone said draft him. Heisman winner and we get Edge? I had to look that one up.
So it’s clear cut with the first pick we draft Luck, right? I fully expect Polian to pull that Bill-Shit and draft someone like Kellen Moore instead.
Down here in Houston, people are STILL crying that the Texans didn’t take Vince Young or Reggie Bush. How are those picks working out now? It’s such a freakin crap shoot. NO ONE knows how good Luck will be. Maybe he has a freak injury his first year and never plays again…..
Remember, Michael Jordan wasn’t drafted with the first pick either…….
Sam Bowie went ahead of him (oh and some guy named Hakeem Olajuwon went first)
Dear Diary, Kevin is so hot. Today he was raking the yard. God I wish he'd throw me into that pile of leaves.
Has any post
Made it to 500 comments? Other than gameday posts that is.
I think this is a really well thought out article and I largely agree
1. Nepotism is bad. It’s a very, very rare occasion that the son is better than the father. When it does happen, the son has usually gone out and made his own way (For instance, Archie can’t go out and play QB for Peyton, so it’s obvious he made his own way). In coaching, there are plenty of guys who started out as assistants for their dads, but they generally go off and coach on their own to show they can be successful (or not) on their own merits. Chris Polian has never done this. He’s more like Mike Brown than anyone else I can think of.
I’d keep Bill Polian before I’d keep Chris Polian.
But the Nepotism problem doesn’t actually end with Chris Polian. He’s just the most obvious example. But look at effectively replacing Anile with C. Polian, and it’s the same as the other main brain trust changes to the Colts over the last few years. The common thread is that an experienced guy who was established before his relationship with the Colts was replaced with a guy who has no meaningful NFL experience outside of the Colts.
- Howard Mudd is coaching in the NFL, but the Colts are have Pete Metzelaars, whose only coaching experience is with the Colts.
- Tom Moore is consulting in the NFL, but the Colts are going with Clyde Christensen, whose does have some experience outside the Colts, but that was with Dungy, and the general rationale for firing that staff was that the Bucs offense stank. Dungy kept him on staff with the Colts, but as WRs coach.
- Caldwell, of course, was Christensen’s subordinate at Tampa Bay for one year before that staff was fired. He never ran an NFL offense or defense. He was QB coach to a hall-of-fame QB who by all accounts is himself the real brains of the offense, very independent, and a coach on the field.
So you’ve got five guys that are gone – Manning, Moore, Mudd, Anile, Dungy – who were accomplished professionals with an independent voice and experience. Their four replacements are the boss’ son and three guys who have done absolutely nothing of note and especially nothing independent of their relationship with Bill Polian. In short, yes-men.
Like I said above, I’d replace Chris Polian before I’d replace Bill Polian. But let’s diagnose the problem correctly. Bill Polian doesn’t make every decision, but he’s responsible for lowering standards, and letting go a slew of talented guys and replacing them with comfortable mediocrities.
BullsTwo > Back up and running!
Intelligent, Reasonable Article
Wow. Very impressive. Thank you for taking the time (and the courage) to write this.
by seasontixholder on Oct 14, 2011 9:05 PM EDT reply actions
Good Article
A few things:
2009 wasn’t a fluke at all. The only fluke was not winning the SB because we were the best team in the NFL that year, because of Peyton.
I’m thinking Polian should be fired as well. The whole coaching staff needs to go too. I think Mike Zimmer would make a good head coach for us. We need to get far far away from this Tampa 2 BS. It doesn’t work, I’m sorry. We’re supposed to be able to play with a lead and we can’t even hold onto a huge halftime lead against Kansas City. Sad.
by Coltsfan1345 on Oct 14, 2011 9:44 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I concur
Nice response to a good article. I agree pretty much wholeheartedly.
I would like to add a few things…
• While I think BBS was calling 2009 more of a fluke than a front office success, I don’t think the word "fluke" should be used at all with that team. If we’re going to be upset with pulling Manning and other starters at the end of the regular season because they could have gone undefeated, that team must have been at least good enough for a Super Bowl run.
• While I wouldn’t lose sleep or anything over it, I don’t think Bill Polian ever gets fired. I think (and am hoping) he "decides" to step down after this season. The wheels are in motion for Chris to take over for his dad like Caldwell did for Dungy – only with hopefully much better results. Based on the last draft and what I have read about his appearance on the radio show, this may not be a terrible thing.
• I do think as a fan base, we Colts fans are indeed spoiled. I have been a fan of the Colts since the mid-70s, so I do remember a lot of really bad teams, bad head coaches and just bad, bad football. That said, I don’t think being spoiled is necessarily the worst thing ever. We expect this team to perform at the highest possible level and that expectation is not ridiculous. We, as the fans of the Patriots and Steelers, have come to expect nothing short of a certain level of excellence that has never been fully realized. I know what it’s like to hope a seriously bad team can win a game or two. This season has reminded me of how painful that can be. That said, as hard as it has been to watch this year (and I am reminded not only every Sunday but also monthly when my DirecTV bill comes – why couldn’t Manning’s surgery have been disclosed two days before rather than after I bought Sunday Ticket? Then again, who am I kidding? I would have bought it anyway), it is not nearly as hard as watching my favorite team get outcoached and outplayed in the playoffs. I know/hope the team will be better because of it next year.
• If the Colts end up getting the number one pick in the draft, they can’t trade it. They have to take Andrew Luck. The NFL is a quarterback driven league. People can reference Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson all they want, but truth be told, other than those two, a top level QB has won every Super Bowl since 1992. Not to mention that Dilfer was up against Kerry Collins and Brad Johnson’s Buccaneers beat a Raiders team that’s former coach knew inside and out. The year the Colts took Elway and traded him, they ended up with the best offensive lineman out of that draft, Chris Hinton (someone who went to seven Pro Bowls in his career), and the end result was 45 wins and one playoff appearance in the seven years he played for the Colts.
• My last point is whether you like him or not, I find it hard to believe that the Colts hired Jim Tressel to just be a replay review guy or whatever his title is. I think we can all agree that the Colts are always thinking ahead when it comes to succession planning. I’m not saying it’s the right move, I’m just saying it fits the thought process of this leadership team. Whether I’m right or not remains to be seen, but either way, we need some changes in the coaching staff. A lot of changes.
Anyway, BBS, I don’t always agree with what you have to say (although it’s almost always a good read), but this was an excellent post that certainly was thought and opinion provoking.
"You do not win on emotion. You win on execution." - Tony Dungy
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