All of you are going to get a little testy with me on this, but I found this quote from Bill Polian's radio show last night and it kind of pissed me off (via John Oehser):
"We don't need any apologies," Polian said Monday on his weekly radio show that airs on Hank 97.1 FM in Indianapolis. "(Former Colts Head Coach) Tony Dungy had a great saying that he immortalized and memorialized in very large print in our locker room both at our practice facility and down at the stadium. It says, 'No explanations, no excuses.'
Bill, no offense, but winning one playoff game (a game your team was supposed to win) does not get you out of the weeds. You gave up and quit on a meaningful game back in December not because you simply wanted to beat the Ravens in the Divisional Round. You did it to win the Super Bowl, and anything short of that means the "quitting" strategy was a failure. By benching starters in the way it was done in a game fans, media, and players very much wanted to win, the excuse you gave afterward was that rest was more important for the long haul; the long haul obviously being the Super Bowl.
Also, if anyone is supposed to be apologizing, it's you. Drafting well and developing a great roster does not excuse you from acting like a total horse's ass to your fans. When you essentially call fans who criticize you liars, or when you twist words around and lash out at people for simply calling you out on your own BS, the classy, respectful thing to do is apologize. And while the Colts are indeed a classy organization, that class comes from people like Jim Irsay, Peyton Manning, Gary Brackett, etc.
It most certainly does not come from Bill Polian.
And if the above quote was prompted by a fan calling into the show and offering an apology to Polian, no offense but whoever that was needs to have their head examined. Winning is expected. It does not entitle the team president of the team to act like conceded one having an exaggerated sense of self-importance.
I'm very happy the Colts beat the Ravens. Beating a good team the way the Colts did will always bring a smile to my face. Resting players allowed that to happen, but the issue was not necessarily with resting players. It was how it was done and the lack of respect given to fans after the fact. The situation prior to Saturday was as follows: Had the Colts lost, I likely would have called for Bill Polian's and Jim Caldwell's resignations. And I would not have been alone. Irsay could have then hired Tony Dungy as the president and he would likely have hired Leslie Frazier as the head coach. I would have zero problem with that... had the Colts lost. They didn't, and I have in fact said that Bill Polian was right in saying "momentum is over-rated."
However, it was against the Jets that Polian, essentially, ordered his coach to lay down against. The Jets are who the Colts play next in the AFCCG. Like the Ravens game, this is a game the Colts absolutely must win. If not, Bill Polian will indeed look foolish.
So please Bill, knock off the asshatery. Just. Shut. Up. when it comes to talking about the fans. Stick with the game, the players, strategy, etc. I realize I will never get a "I'm sorry for calling you fans liars," apology from you, Bill. You're too arrogant and full of yourself to admit error on that. However, if there is one thing you owe me and every other Colts fan, it's closure. The closure I refer to comes in the form of beating the Jets in the AFCCG. It was against them that you created this whole silly distraction. It was after that game that you insulted and demeaned your own customers.
Beating them gives closure to all this, Bill. Now shut up and make sure it happens.
Cue someone in the comments posting a GIF of a dude beating a dead horse.