Jim Caldwell Out-Coached In Week 1, Again
by Brad Wells on Sep 12, 2011 8:58 AM EDT
in 2011 Colts News
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It is true what they say: Loses are never as bad as they seem. Granted, anyone who said wins are never as good as they appear was a fool. A 'W' is a 'W,' no matter if it's by 2 or 20.
This past Sunday, as the Colts embarked on their first regular season without Peyton Manning, many of us were interested in seeing how this team would respond to the lose of their 'coach on the field.' As I noted in this article last week, I personally was interested in seeing how head coach Jim Caldwell would handle the adversity. How prepared would the team look? What wrinkles would he add adopt in the gameplan? How would he lead this team, sans Manning?
The result was a 34-0 halftime deficit, the worst in Indianapolis Colts franchise history.
All three phases of the team looked sluggish, sloppy, and uninspired as they walked into the halftime lockerroom. Meanwhile, the Texans were armed with a great gameplan and, despite two turnovers by Matt Schaub, were able to effectively end the game before the start of the third quarter.
Just like last year, at the start of a new regular season, Jim Caldwell did not have his team ready to play. And, just like last year, he was embarrassed in Week 1.
After the game, Jerraud Powers talked about how the Colts didn't come out early with the right energy, and suggested that they found it in the second half. Personally, I don't but this. The second half was a formality, and the Colts, particularly the defense, had no pressure on them because the game was essentially over.
One thing I'd like to point everyone's attention to is how other coaches deal with difficult loses. Take, for example, Mike Tomlin of the Steelers. His team was utterly and thoroughly dominated on the road by their division rivals, the Ravens. After the game, Tomlin spoke of the Steelers accepting the lose and vowing to improve. He conveyed that he was not happy with the team's effort or the execution.
Chiefs coach Todd Haley, after his team was utterly humiliated at home by a score of 41-7 at the hands of the Bills, said:
"It’s the coach’s job to have the team ready to go, and we weren’t ready …,"
After the Colts thrashing at the hands of the Texans, all Caldwell would mutter is the old 'Marathon, not sprint' mantra. He even smiled while answering a questions and reminded everyone that Houston dominated Indy last year, and it was still Indy that won the division.
The reality is last year was last year, and it means nothing now. Last year, the Colts had Peyton Manning. Now, they don't. Last year, the Texans defense was putrid. This year, it isn't (again, free agents can make a big difference).
I know it's just Week 1, and things might improve. But, if we are to keep with Caldwell's theme of looking back at last year as a guide, then I shall argue that last year, just like this year, Gary Kubiak out-coached Jim Caldwell during Week 1, and it's not like Kubiak is some kind of great coach. The man is fighting to keep his job this year. Last year, Peyton Manning bailed Caldwell and his staff out of numerous blunders. Last year, the Texans dominated the Colts defense and ran the ball at will, just like this year.
At some point, you have to expect the coach to correct the mistakes of last year, and if he doesn't, if you see the same, repetitive pattern of ineptness, how can the coach remain the coach?
Caldwell is now 1-2 in home openers, and very nearly lost the Week 1 game against the Jaguars in 2009, his first game as a head coach.
A good gauge for how dire things are for Caldwell is his former boss, Tony Dungy on NBC's Football Night in America. Dungy used his final two minutes on the NBC pre-game show prior to the Cowboys v. Jets game to talk about the Colts and how bad things looked. He brought up how certain players did not step up and perform in Manning's absence, and that it was not all on Kerry Collins. At the very, VERY end, Rodney Harrison stated that, once again, Jim Caldwell got out-coached. Those were the words he said: 'Out-coached.'
Shockingly, Dungy did not voice disagreement with that statement.
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All true.
I heard that the team was really going to go into this game with an attitude to really prove to everyone that they could do it without Manning. Let’s see…34-0 at halftime. Good thing they had an attitude. And, did you really expect Jim Caldwell to take ownership of anything? He never took ownership of his idiotic time-outs last year. He never took any responsibility for the super bowl loss. Why would it be different now? Jim Caldwell wouldn’t even be hired as a ‘towel boy’ on any other NFL team.
by Ayrshire on Sep 12, 2011 9:14 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
why would he take ownership
Nobody in the organization does. Polians always blame the worthless people they draft on bad coaching
I'll always support the team
and root for them. But, it really becomes a challenge because there are complete fucking idiots running this team.
by Ayrshire on Sep 12, 2011 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I love the Colts
But I cannot stand the idiots running the organization, and the soft way they choose to play football 75% of the time. I don’t necessarily include Irsay, yet, but I am disappointed in him for letting the front office and coaching staff get to this point.
by FatDT on Sep 12, 2011 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
It's reached the point of absurdity.
They do the same insanely stupid things every year and nobody is ever held accountable. Take our ridiculously pathetic porous defense. This defense is a conservative, prevent-the-big-play, play-with-the-lead worthless defense. Except now we don’t have a competent offense to get the lead, yet they still stick with this garbage. This team has always been guilty of doing the same crapola when it doesn’t work, yet they keep repeating it. That’s the true definition of insanity. Now that Peyton’s not here to cover up the idiocy, the team is finally being exposed.
by Ayrshire on Sep 12, 2011 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Took you guys a while huh?
I got bashed on here after the superbowl loss to the Saint where Caldwell did his worst coaching job to date, for saying that Caldwell was a terrible coach and that Polian’s drafts are completely worthless and he’s surrounded arguabley the best QB of all time with subpar talent. Funny how what 3 years later you guys are waking up a little bit? The “Suck 4 Luck” motto is nice, but unless Polian’s and Caldwell are out we will always over pay people that they draft because they are so full of themselves. Caldwell couldn’t coach superbowl talent like the Patriots, much less Pee-wee league talent like the Colts. Notice how Polian wouldn’t cut Gonzales, Hughes, or Brown. They all suck, but he didn’t want to look bad knowing the took them in the first. Funny part is Gonzo was a #2 receiver on a college team. I’ll stop now even though I could go on for days. I don’t want you guys getting mad at the truth again!
well said
Yea we got killed yesterday, but I found myself more angry at the front office and Caldwell than the players. They put this debacle together and now they’re getting exposed. I feel awful for gamers like Reggie, Clark, Bethea etc etc…they deserve better than this!
Suck 4 Luck sounds great…but if Caldwell is his coach and the Polians try putting a team around him he’ll be awful too. He wont have a chance
Not everyone's just waking up,
I’d said these exact things for years. As BBS has said, a lot of people around here can’t handle anything but ‘sunshine and puppies’. As soon as you get into even a hint of reality, they freak out.
by Ayrshire on Sep 12, 2011 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
cadm832
I fell off the Caldwell and Polian wagon after they intentionally threw the game against the Jets two seasons ago. In my mind I had been questioning the draft picks Polian had been making, and some of the decisions Caldwell had made on the field, but wasnt ready to voice them out loud until after Polian let all of the fans know how ignorant we were about football when we questioned the reason for pulling the starters late in the third quarter of a game we should have won. Polian’s condesending attitude toward the fans and Caldwell’s inability to express a coherent thought put me right over the edge. Caldwell’s ill-timed timeout against the Jags cost us a chance of winning that game last season, and Caldwell’s very poor coaching nearly cost us wins against the Chiefs and the Bengals last year too, but Peyton and the boys made up for his incompetence. But when the man demonstrated that he lacked any ability of learning from past mistakes by calling the stupid timeout at the end of the playoff game last year that allowed the Jets to run one more play (preserving their last timeout) and move the ball 19 yards closer to the endzone for an easy chip shot to win, that was when I knew that we would never win another Superbowl as long as Caldwell was the coach. Polian and Caldwell both need to go and that includes Polian Junior too. Clean house and start over with some young and capable people dedicated to building a winning franchise.
by First Sergeant on Sep 12, 2011 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Hang on minute......
…………Caldwell just used another time out.
by Blue Report on Sep 12, 2011 10:20 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Right again
Come on Irsay show some leadership, Colt fans deserve more. I don’t want to return to the Dolts. of the 80’s
by Colt Blue Blood on Sep 12, 2011 11:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I hate Jim Caldwell
TimeOut
by Jim"TimeOut"Caldwell on Sep 12, 2011 9:22 AM EDT via mobile reply actions 2 recs
What kills me about Caldwell...
He never does anything on the sidelines. He’s never speaking with his coordinators about strategy, he’s never yelling/praising at a player, hell – I’ve only ever seen him move his mouth about 3 times over his first 2+ seasons. I know it sounds silly, but really – what can he possibly bring to the table on gameday if he literally isn’t conversing with a single member of the Colts’ organization.
And he never shows emotion. I watched the end of the Steelers/Ravens game, and Mike Tomlin was pissed – visibly pissed at the team’s effort, careless-ness, and even with his star QB Ben Rapestcheeseburger. Caldwell? Nothing. No pep talk to his defense. No yelling at Joe Reitz & Jeff Linkenbach who sucked. Not a word said to Dallas Clark who let Mario Williams dance around him untouched twice in the 1st half (why was he assigned to Williams on his own in the first place?).
This team isn’t going anywhere with Jim Caldwell as the head coach, with or without Peyton Manning.
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Were you upset with Dungy for the same reasons? Dungy never showed any emotion, never got upset/“pissed” at the game. He focused on the next play. So is it really the lack of emotion that you’re upset about?
TN Sports fan in Hoosier Country....
He was involved
I don’t need a hard-ass coach…But I do need one who at least “appears” to be involved with the team. Dungy wasn’t the most expressive guy, to say the least…But he was constantly involved on the sidelines. With players, coaches, speaking to “the guys upstairs”.
And he almost always had his team ready to play. And if he didn’t he took blame for it.
Caldwell SHOULD know what his public perception is: as a Dungy guy who looks clueless in the NFL. Now that shouldn’t change his coaching style – how he runs day-to-day practices, film schedules, teaching methods, etc. etc. But you’d think by now that he’d be a little more active on the sidelines after being outcoached BADLY in the SB, and calling 2 timeouts which nearly directly cost the Colts 2 victories.
So far, his actions as a coach seem to show that he’s dumb, by coaches standards. And his looks, his (lack of) involvement, his overall attitude doesn’t do anything to dismiss his ‘dumb-ness’.
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by kmbryant09 on Sep 12, 2011 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!!........
Caldwell just called another time out!!!!!
by Blue Report on Sep 12, 2011 10:16 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Caldwell.........
….might be the worst coach in football history but you know what I don’t blame Caldwell, I blame Bill Polian for hiring him. I knew back when they first announced he was the next head coach and would take over for Dungy where we were headed. Caldwell is not a head coach and will never be a head coach.
Like most other decisions the Polians have made over the last several years it was based off the mentality that we have Peyton and can win games with anyone at any other position including head coach. Polians are to blame for this mess and its time for a change at the top.
by Blue Report on Sep 12, 2011 9:41 AM EDT via mobile reply actions 2 recs
This is a good point
What was Caldwell supposed to say when they picked him to be the next HC? “No”? Of course not. It’s not necessarily his fault he is so bad. He is out of his depth. It was a mistake to hire him. The Colts had a good opportunity in 2009 to start fresh, with a new coach, new staff, new strategy. Instead they tried to hold it together and obviously can’t without Dungy. I was not even Dungy’s biggest fan, but he was still a motivator and kept players accountable.
Is it too early
for me to start www.firejimcaldwell.com ?
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by coldy4goldy on Sep 12, 2011 9:47 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
it wasnt to early.....
the day they hired him
nope
Should have started it last year. It’s time to start www.firethepolianfamily.com now.
by Blue Report on Sep 12, 2011 9:54 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I think Chris might be fine
If his dad wasn’t running around screwing everything up. This is one of the biggest problems. Uncle Bill has no real title but has the power to do whatever he wants.
According to Bill himself, the 2011 draft was Chris’s draft. I liked this draft. I want to see more of what Chris can do. Bill needs to stop meddling, retire, and let Chris do his fucking job. And if he won’t, Irsay needs to force the issue instead of letting Bill continue to have decision-making power.
All three of them need to go.
by Blue Report on Sep 12, 2011 10:12 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
couldn't agree more
i’ve said these very same things to a very popular radio show host via email to challenge him to address Caldwell’s bad head coaching since 2009 on his show, only to get involved in a sorta flame war with him. The local media are such homers because the Polian Regime would black list them if they become critical.
To quote Bill Polian, “You are what you are”…
The decline of this team started with Caldwell and coaching staff in 2009, couple with bad high draft choices, cutting players that are are clearly good enough to make the team, keeping high draft choices that can’t play, failure to plug needs on team with FA’s and lastly for ALL of Bill Polians greatness, the last 4 seasons his record for bringing in UDFA’s is NOT very good.
Now that 18 is out, the magnifying glass is so large Polians and Caldwell and staff cannot escape the scrutiny thats well DESERVED!!!
The Colts “Are what they are”…
TTYL,
Big Blue Dawg
This game was a forfeit from the beginning
When the Colts signed Collins (any vet QB name might be inserted here), and then blinked and pencilled him in as starter with two weeks of prep, they sealed their fate for this opening game. Note the sequence. They had to bring in a veteran QB to provide depth at the position, but they did not have to start him in this game if he was not ready.
Is Caldwell in charge of this? Although I doubt it would be contractual, did the Colts have to shake on a promise to Collins that he would start, no matter what? If game three comes and goes and we still have this kind of performance from Collins, will Caldwell have the authority to pull him and insert Painter? If Hartline had been here last year, I would just as readily point to him, or any other young QB’s that are back ups on other teams, but it happens to be Painter.
My question here is how much authority Caldwell has, and if it is not 100% then we are truly doomed. Coaching with constraints of anything other than the talent on the field is a recipe for disaster.
The mere mention of Painter causes bizarre irrational reactions so I might as well address it here. With this football team, there is no QB in the NFL, including those starting for other teams, that could have walked in here won this game with two weeks of prep. This offense is mostly about timing, rhythm, and momentum. I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the team the Polians created, but that IS what is on the field. Some call it a finesse team. This requires a QB that knows the receivers, and has worked enough with Manning that he can even make an occasional adjustment at the line.
Watching the entire football world acting as apologists for Collins was laughable. When he threw where a receiver wasn’t, or seemed out of synch with the line, it was “he’s only had two weeks to prep”. When he threw errant balls, or fumbled, it was “well, he was sitting on his couch a few weeks ago so he is rusty”. Well guess what folks, supposedly, it took four weeks for walk on water Manning to work out the rust when he came back from the knee maintenance, Again, I think that is due to the finesse team assembled here. We expect Collins to take………???……. how about 6 weeks.
There are many calls for jettisoning some recent draft picks prematurely in order flail around and try and grab cast off’s from other teams. I have a strong sense that those calling for this will stand by Collins into the 5th game even if it isn’t coming together at all. Many of these are even calling for yet another vet QB, to what… start the clock over again?
All the prep, and rhythm developing repetition with the team was switched over to Collins, so even if Painter is called on, the mistake has been made. All right calls on X’s and O’s won’t change that. I think that Reggie and other players, Manning, and Caldwell were overruled by the office (Irsay, Polian) when they blinked and panicked. We have entered into Raiders territory.
If Caldwell is not in charge then that is the biggest indictment on him, not all of this adjustment stuff. We don’t have the team for the adjustments necessary to make Collins work. If he’s not in charge he should fight to be in charge, even if that fight takes him right out the door.
"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"
Painter sucks
You need to accept this.
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by kmbryant09 on Sep 12, 2011 10:16 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
as much depth of thought as a paper plate left out in the rain
I will happily take the shots carrying this mantle because everyone else is just following the crowd. Painter is not going to come in an save the day, but the choices being made now are plain stupid.
"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"
A lot of choices being made are stupid
Re-signing Brackett to that huge deal was stupid.
Drafting Donald Brown turned out to be stupid.
Drafting Jerry Hughes is looking like a stupid move.
Not bringing in a veteran QB earlier was stupid.
But starting Curtis Painter would trump all of these things. It doesn’t take a lot of analysis and depth of thought to see how bad of a QB C. Painter is at this point in his career. He’s had 1 good quarter in his entire NFL career, and that came in the preseason, and 1/2 of that was on a simple blown coverage. I haven’t seen any bit of hope that he can be a starting QB – hell, even a quality backup.
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What NFL career?
Holding a clipboard is not a career. Go find interviews with Aaron Rodgers about his first three years and where his play and head was at. This is not a claim that Painter = Rodgers, but there is NOTHING like real play in a real game to progress. Heck, that’s what everyone is prescribing for Collins, a 10+ year vet. That is a complete contradiction.
"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"
First off...
There’s a reason he’s only had a chance to hold a clipboard – and it’s not because of Peyton Manning. If Painter was in Cleveland, Seattle, or any other QB-deprived team, he’d be holding a clipboard…if he even made the final roster.
Painter was a 6th round pick that was also considered a bit of a reach. Rodgers was a 1st round pick expected to go as a top5 player, but fell down the draft board.
Painter has had ‘real game’ experience, and he’s sucked. He sucked against the Jets and Billis in 2009. He was a combined 8-28, for 83 yards and 2 INT’s.
He’s sucked in every preseason game except the 2nd quarter against the Packers – which even that was aided by a blown coverage.
The guy sh!ts his pants anytime a defender comes near him. He doesn’t have great arm strength, and isn’t impressive with his accuracy either. He has zero (possibly even negative) pocket skills and awareness, and doesn’t go thru any progressions. He locks onto receivers, and still leads them into trouble.
He’s been outplayed the past 2 offseasons by NEWLY-ACQUIRED Tom Brandstater, Dan Orlovsky, and Kerry Collins.
Is that enough depth of thought for you?
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Yes, that is enough depth to reveal the flaws.
I’ll avoid calling them lies. Orlovsky did not outplay him with or without considering that Orlovsky had 14 real season games under his belt. He has improved on his progressions, and there is no way Reggie Wayne defends him if he was constantly leading receivers into harm.
The point Rodgers was BECAUSE he was a first round pick, and he STILL struggled as a back up. Go ask Rodgers via documented interviews. Again, based upon draft position and the evaluation that is part of this, college play, and Rodgers mobility, I would never expect Painter to be Rodgers, that was not my point.
And absolute proof you are making it up or totally lost is the arm strength claim. Painter’s arm strength and physical ability are probably the only reason he even found his way onto an NFL roster. It was plastered on all of the pre-draft assessments, and if he didn’t have it the Colts wouldn’t have kept him.
I hope Collins turns the corner and leads us to 10 wins. If leads us to 6 wins and Painter doesn’t play a down then it is a waste.
"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"
So that Painter can lead us to 2 wins?
And Curtis Painter absolutely does lead his WR’s into trouble. I saw 3 or 4 throws in the GB game alone where he lead a WR into a linebacker over the middle, which resulted in a collision or the WR letting up. He doesn’t go thru progressions, if you think otherwise – you clearly haven’t watched him close enough.
He also has zero pocket presence and awareness. I know K. Collins is immobile, but Painter sh!ts himself with the first sign of pressure.
And comparing Painter to Rodgers is flat out stupidity. Just because 1 QB struggled early in his career as a backup, only to succeed as a veteran does not mean that every struggling back-up gets a free pass. If the team really made the final cuts based 100% on performance, Painter would still be looking for a job. Whether you like it or not, draft selection carries over into an NFL players’ career. It was okay to see Rodgers struggle, because you at least knew he was a top10 talent coming out of college – who had protypical size & strength, tremendous athletic ability, a quick release, and an NFL arm.
Yes, Painter’s prototypical size & arm made him at least “draftable”, but that was about it. He doesn’t read defenses well, doesn’t make quick decisions, can’t make all the throws, and still can’t handle pressure. I’d argue his “arm” hasn’t translated well into the NFL – maybe he can throw the ball far, but I don’t see any zip on his short & medium length passes.
I really don’t know why you have so much man-love for Curtis Painter. I’m sure he’s a very nice guy and helps the team out in practice & in the film room. But your belief that he can be a starting NFL QB is dumbfounding. It really is. I don’t mean to disrespect you, because everybody is entitled to their own opinions, and you’ve clearly stated yours without being an illiterate child (like some people on the internet). But I think your assessment of Painter is flat out wrong. Nobody in or around the NFL ever believed that the guy would be an NFL QB, and all Painter has done in his 3 year career is prove everybody right.
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I truly don't care if they cut Painter today and he never plays another snap in NFL
I just can’t ignore mindless jump on the wagon criticism of anyone drives me nuts. That is why I am not compelled to question the idea of cutting Brown. It seems he has been given enough leash to show what he has.
It is not fortunate or unfortunate that we will not discover whether Painter will be able to progress further with 4-8 quarters of real game, 1st team football under his belt. I understand that decision cannot be made to indulge my curiosity, but until that happens, neither of our contentions can be proven.
You know what – scratch that last sentence, because it has not been my contention that he WILL perform. All I’ve been saying is you can’t claim he can’t until he is thrown out into the deep end with all the equipment. The statements have been absolute rather than “we think” that he can’t.
"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 understand your logic
That we can’t claim to know Painter can’t get the job done until he’s thrown under fire….
But can we assume the same about myself? I haven’t been given the chance to run an NFL offense, maybe I can be a starting QB. Of course not…
My point is, that in this line of business (the NFL), you don’t get the privilege of KNOWING how things turn out before you make big decisions. You’re forced to rely on your observations – your practices, preseason games, mop-up duties, film studies, off-season conditioning, etc. etc. to make informed personnel decisions. And after analyzing Painter’s practices, preseason games, mop-up duties, film studies, offseason conditioning, etc. etc. – no one in their right mind would come to the conclusion that he’s an NFL-quality starting QB.
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Then he should not be on the team
Which you will agree with which is hilarious in itself because the folks being paid to make that decision, and who immerse themselves in all the details of such a decision to the point of not have a personal life for 10 months of the year think he deserves a spot where he is a single play waltzing out onto the field in prime time.
"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"
Agreed completely...
I wrote an article on Coltsider.com spelling out why I think they kept Painter. The gist of it is this:
The Colts have never kept a backup QB behind Manning that can step in and compete if Manning was injured. Manning never got injured. So the team developed backup QB’s to know their system inside & out – 2nd only to Peyton. This helps the team in the offseason, it helps 2nd and 3rd stringers get accurate reps in practice, and helps everybody (Peyton included) in film preparation. Afterall, since Peyton always played – we didn’t need a Matt Cassel, Jon Kitna, etc. etc.
There are certainly other factors (cost, no veteran wanted to sign with Indy to be a permanent backup), but you get the gist of it. The bottom line is, Curtis Painter isn’t an NFL QB.
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btw, I'm not contending we would have won with Painter being the starter
going into the game. I suspect we might have even lost that game with a healthy, practiced, Peyton under center. But we are not going to win any more games with Collins than we would with Painter. As it is playing out now, if Peyton returns, we will jettison Collins, and, oh,,,, we still have young back up with no real game experience. Just great.
Of course this assumes Collins will make it past mid October, which may not be likely if he continues taking those shots and has to run around like he is playing sand lot football. He’s freaking 39, and was never mobile to begin with.
"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"
Collins is actually getting a good look
at what’s it’s like to be a qb behind the putrid Indy offensive line. Inside of two months, he will be destroyed most likely. He’s immobile as hell, fairly inaccurate, and aging. If nothing else, Kerry Collins will have developed even added respect for what Peyton has accomplished.
I don't agree he is inaccurate
I think with a great OL Collins could still help a team win games. He has strength, touch, and throws a good ball.
I also think this OL is better than last year’s. But they are not very good yet, and Collins doesn’t make decisions fast enough. Especially with so little experience with these receivers and the offense in general. He can’t put his skills to use because he doesn’t have 4 seconds to throw.
I agree that he needs more time
and he can’t compensate for the lack of protection like Peyton Manning can. But the throws he made yesterday didn’t look extremely accurate from my perspective. We’ll see what happens the next couple of weeks.
"""""think with a great OL Collins could still help a team win games.""""
So could any number of QB’s. That has been at the heart of the Manning v Brady debate. Brady most often (not always) has had time to make a sandwich, call home, check down, and then throw to the 4th receiver. Most teams have serviceable O lines. I hope you are right about ours progressing early this year.
"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"
Some QBs
have lots of time and still make bad throws. My point isn’t that Collins is secretly great or misunderstood. He is just a guy that can make plays if he has time, but can’t do much if he’s under pressure all game. I never was and still am not convinced he is that much better of an option than Painter. Neither is going to win many games with this OL and defense.
I agree with much of your post however...
if you think Painter is a better option than Collins…
A) You are sniffing glue.
B) You are being held at gunpoint to type this and I will send help immediately.
C) You are Curtis Painter’s mom.
by SoCalHoosier on Sep 12, 2011 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
His mom - ha ha....ha............ha..........................................ha....................
…………………………………………………………………………………ha………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….ha…………………………………….ewww boy
"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"
His best work to date was playing the lead role in the movie "Weekend at Bernie's"
"Peyton Manning came to LA and didn't even call me"
by PV Mike on Sep 12, 2011 10:08 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
His post game comments seemed disconnected from reality
I’m not sure what I expect him to say or how to react, but geez
"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"
My thoughts (not because of this weeks thrashing)
I would also like to see a change at head coach. It also might be time for a GM change. It’s not just this latest loss that concerns me but the body of work over the last 3 years. I believe BBS is very accurate when he states that PM has bailed the coaching staff out of a lot of mistakes. Everyone is entitled to screw up once in a while, but the GM, Caldwell and staff are abusing the priviledge.
by DaveColts on Sep 12, 2011 10:32 AM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Agreed
IMO, if they keep getting destroyed, it is time to make the change NOW, so a new coach can assemble his staff and work out the kinks during a season that no longer matters. Get a real HC, OC, and DC, develop a running game and a defense that plays well because they’re good at defense and not because the offense scores a lot of points. When Manning returns he’ll come back to a better team than he left, and will be ready to really push hard for a couple more super bowls before he retires.
Out coached or not -
If you go to the Colts site and view the video of Caldwell going into halftime, he’s not happy. He says some pretty negative things about the team. You have to remember, Dungy preached (literally!) a “if you have nothing good to say, say nothing” attitude. He did it in the locker room, to the press, on the field, on the sidelines. No negativity. Caldwell does the same. He got caught off guard and I think you can tell he was not a happy guy. His team is also coached so that little negativity leaks out. The team never has bad things to say about the other team, win or loss. Dungy not saying anything on TV is a good example of the “be kind” (rewind) attitude. I remember when we lost football games (I was a defensive end in High School) and the coached ripped us, I would think “what a jackass”. I was out there busting my tail, and what I really wanted is some explanation of what to do differently.
You can say that he was out coached, or makes mistakes, but this need for him to scream and yell at press conferences or on the sideline is sort of silly. I was watching the game last night, and Rex’s brother was mad mad mad at the conclusion of the game. You could read his mouth: F-this, F-that. But to me it was the usual Cowboys throwing away the game. Does his anger make his fans feel better, maybe. Not sure it solves the problem.
If this season turns around starting next week (a big if, I admit), then it looks like the first game of the season each year, if against an opponent out for blood, is going to be a loss. That, and when we play the division using the same offensive and defensive technique for 12 years, go gotta believe they are ready for it.
Screamers
People who are yellers and screamers and over reactors want coaches who are like they are. People (like me) who don’t normally panic, well, we like people like Dungy and Caldwell. Yelling at Dallas Clark isn’t going to make him able to block Mario Williams. He shouldn’t be in that position to begin with. The idea is to get your point across in the locker room and make half time adjustments(Dungy was great at that), which they must have done because the Texans never scored again. If the Steelers can get “whooped” with a full arsenal, then it should be okay for the Colts w/o Peyton Manning to get whooped, too. It will get better and Caldwell won’t have to burst a lung doing it.
Understandable
But how about consulting your Offensive Coordinator, or Offensive Line coach to try and figure out how Dallas Clark was single-handedly matched up against Mario Williams numerous times? How about a word of advice for Kerry Collins after his terrible start. How about consulting our D. Coordinator or our LB coach after consistently not holding containment on countless PA roll-outs by the Texans. Or how about going over to our defensive line and challenging them to actually stop the run and avoid embarrassment like they did week 1 of last season in the same building. How about addressing our offense and waking them up with the realization that #18 isn’t walking out of the tunnel to save this team.
Nope, nothing. Just a blank stare. Shouldn’t he be doing SOMETHING? ANYTHING? To try and fix this team? Isn’t a coach responsible not just for halftime adjustments, but on-the-fly adjustments throughout the game – especially when your original gameplan resulted in a 34-0 halftime deficit? Shouldn’t a coach have the responsibility to motivate his players? Pick them up when they look out of it? Consult with coordinators to fix obvious problems in play-calling??
Nope. Nothing. Again – just a blank stare.
You can sit back and not panic while Jim Caldwell “calmly” watches his players, and coaches, get destroyed week in and week out. The rest of us will panic until the front office brings in a real head coach. Without Peyton Manning, it’s about time we get one.
www.Coltsider.com
check out the new Colts blog!
I'm not sure I follow -
He should tell you and the press everything he’s doing to correct the situation, all of the time? Otherwise we should assume he’s doing nothing? He should open up this blog and post unedited streams of consciousness comments about his frustration with the O-Line, or Kerry Collins? You really think a coach should do that? Name any other leader who does that. Take the opposite example, Bellichick. What does he say when his team gets blown out? Nothing. And everyone agrees Bellichick is one of the best coaches around.
I’m suggesting this desire for him to call out his players and coaches on national TV and press conferences could not lead to anything positive happening. Remember when Manning stopped talking to the press because no matter what he said, he was blasted for it?
by buymymonkey on Sep 12, 2011 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Uhhh
I’m not talking about to the media. I’m talking about on the sidelines.
I’ve seen Mike Tomlin yell at Ben Rapestcheeseburger.
I’ve seen Bill Belichick showing instant game film to his defensive backs during a game.
I’ve seen Bill Belichick challenge his front 7 when they’ve been soft.
I’ve seen Rex Ryan get fired up when he’s displeased with his team’s performance; and also be ecstatic with his team’s performance.
I’ve seen any number of coaches consult with their coordinators/coaching staff during games to make in-game adjustments.
I’ve seen Mike McCarthy take over play-calling abilities.
I’ve seen guys like Jeff Fischer get visibly upset at referees when he disagrees with a certain call.
I’ve seen Sean Payton take chances during a SB.
You know what all of those guys have in common? They’re all great coaches.
You know what I’ve seen Jim Caldwell do on the sidelines the past 3 seasons? Nothing. Nothing but a blank stare. No play-calling, no consulting, no motivating, no adjustments, NO COACHING.
So please enlighten me – what exactly does Caldwell bring to the Colts’ organization during their games?
www.Coltsider.com
check out the new Colts blog!
by kmbryant09 on Sep 12, 2011 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Well said...
I’ve always been impressed to see Bill B. call a quick meeting with his defense after a bad series. He gets them together, makes his points, and gets the problem fixed. He doesn’t care what it looks like because he’s not going to watch them fail for another series or half or game before making the correction. The same goes for countless head coaches who immediately deal with issues by getting in the grill of the position coaches.
Acting like Dungy does not make Caldwell into Dungy anymore than acting like Chuck Noll made Dungy into Chuck Noll. You have to back up the demeanor with coaching, decision-making, and leadership. Caldwell just seems like a nice assistant coach.
he brings a dog shit coaching staff.
What more could you ask for?
by Blue Report on Sep 12, 2011 10:01 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
..and don't say..
…and don’t say they took it easy in the 2nd half. NFL starters don’t take it easy in meaningful games. The Pats would have gone for 55 points. If Schaub and Tate and Mario and all those guys played the 2nd half, then they were trying to move the ball and score.
Agreed -
This team (Texans) is sick and tired of losing to the Colts. If they could have scored 40 more points, they would have. But they couldn’t get even 3 more.
by buymymonkey on Sep 12, 2011 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Cleveland will tell
We’ll see if Collins can take a hit without fumbling, the line can do its job and maybe if Caldwell can coach a little against the Browns.
It was not Caldwell who gave up the sacks and fumbles, the punt return or the 167 yards.
Realistically (hard for this board), we were not suppsoed to win Game 1 without PM (altought it would be nice to win one we were not supposed to once in a while). We now had a bit of a better handle on what this team is. Not a horrible run nor pass game but need a team effort to win. We better win the ones we are supposed to (Browns game at home) and learn to coach with the new realtiy of this team or …
Good Bye Jim Caldwell
oh, have you not learned how things work in colts land?
caldwell will be the coach next year
by BLOODontheTRACKS on Sep 12, 2011 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions
you blame the coach for the D line gettin blow
off the line and linebacker runing into them at some point the player have to man up and not get man handled
by silverback85 on Sep 12, 2011 9:02 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Jim Caldwell Out-Coached........
WTF is new?
by Blue Report on Sep 12, 2011 9:57 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
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