I'm still seething over Caldwell's decision to bench Tony Ugoh. 18to88 thinks it's a ploy, a motivating tactic to get Ugoh upset (or something) so that he can play better. They may be right, but such tactics, in my opinion, are foolish and silly. Children and third world dictators play mind games. NFL head coaches are supposed to coach, and since we all know that Tony Ugoh is better than Charlie Johnson, it is Jim Caldwell and Howard Mudd's job to coach Tony Ugoh, not play games with his head. Aggravating the situation even more is that Johnson hasn't even earned the right to start. He hasn't out-played Ugoh. He hasn't out-performed him in camp. If Caldwell thinks Johnson has, then Caldwell is a complete idiot.
It's a stupid, stupid move that undermines the credibility of Caldwell.
I hope I'm wrong, but it is really hard for me to defend a coach who makes decisions like this based on... well, nothing. Yes, I know it is early. Yes, I know it is likely Ugoh will "win" his job back. But such silly distractions are unnecessary. Ugoh is better. Ugoh should get the job. I see no reason for this side show, circus silliness.
Also, few remember that it was Ugoh who beat our Charlie Johnson two years ago after Tarik Glenn retired. Ugoh was better than. He's better now.
I want to make something clear about this decision: This news stunned everyone. The consensus from people like John Oehser, Eric Hartz, and others at camp was that Tony Ugoh looked very, very good. Paul Kuharsky just did a piece on Ugoh's change from last year to this year. I'm willing to bet money that several players and other assistant coaches were stunned.
The general opinion was that Ugoh had the job, and that he knew he had the job. It was his desire to excel at the job that caused him perform better at camp. So, this B.S. from Caldwell that it was their plan from the beginning to move Charlie to LT most likely was not a plan they shared with Johnson and Ugoh. It certainly wasn't something they shared with the press, the fans, or even other players. You'll notice that Ugoh was not quoted by anyone yesterday, but Johnson was.
To summarize, regardless of the Caldwell's intentions, this situation was bungled. One better have a damn good reason for benching one's best LT, and so far Caldwell's reasoning doesn't make sense to anyone. Caldwell will continue to look silly if Charlie Johnson goes out there on Friday and struggles to contain Vikings DE Jared Allen. I shutter to think what would happen to Caldwell if this decision resulted in Peyton Manning getting hurt. The man literally would need a 24-hour armed guard throughout his remaining tenure as coach of the Colts.
I know several of you have chimed in on this, and your opinions have all been very good. Feel free to tear my opinion apart in the comments.