Before we get into picking apart the game and the season, let's just get one small item of business out of the way. As you probably know, the Indy Star's Bob Kravitz has written (essentially) three hit pieces in a row aimed straight at Tony Dungy, Peyton Manning, and Bill Polian. With the Colts losing to the Chargers, he is now calling for Dungy's head.
Now, if you were hoping for some grand, masterful tirade from me that would end with me calling Bob Kravitz a "schmuck," I'm sorry to disappoint. The truth is, I stopped reading Bob Kravitz a long time ago. His columns are just to ill-conceived and ill-informed that I felt my soul was getting sucked away. If you want to see a complete and utter Kravitz beat down, check out 18 to 88. They pretty much slaughter the guy and discredit him for the hack we always knew he was, which is why I stopped reading him a long time ago.
I mean, there only so much stupidity I can read before I start feeling stupid for reading said stupidity.
If you are curious as to why Kravitz has been so venomous of late, please know that is has nothing to do with football. I know many people who work for or have worked for the Star for many years. I know people who currently work for the Colts. Colts players routinely ignore Kravitz when he requests interviews. Bill Polian won't even mention Kravitz's name or acknowledge his existence when asked about him. Kravitz is completely and utterly shunned by the Colts organization. After years of Kravitz bashing and berating them, the organization has simply decided to not give Kravitz access. Sure, he can attend press conferences and ask questions, but the answers he gets are pretty generic and not very "juicy." The only way that Kravitz can be relevant again at the Colts complex is if there is... wait for it... a coaching and management change.
So please, don't buy the fake anger or supposed "independent" point of view Kravtiz claims to bring. The Indy Star is circling the drain. They laid off 62 people last month. Kravitz knows that if he doesn't start getting access to the Colts soon, the Star will replace him with someone who can. Thus, the hit pieces.
If you really want to "prove Kravitz wrong" on his opinion, the best thing to do is simply ignore him. He writes these things so people will get all worked up and frustrated in the hope that is pressures the Colts to either A) Grant him more access, or B) Make a coaching and management change which will hopefully grant him more access. This guy is not interested in reporting or presenting insightful information. He has his own agenda and uses his columns to push that agenda. Most other columnists (like Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ron Cook) saw the game as we did, and are not using it as a platform to get back at the Colts and their management. You can get much more insightful and interesting opinions from folks like them, or those of us who are fighting the good fight as we type away in mom's basement armed in nothing but our underwear.