For the first time since October 27, 2008, the Indianapolis Colts have lost a regular season game. It was the New York Jets that pulled out a 29-15 decision at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis on Sunday.
Losses happen. But the way they lost this game will have Colts fans around the country wondering "what could have been" for years. Leading 15-10 in the third quarter, head coach Jim Caldwell pulled Peyton Manning and a number of other starters. The Jets quickly took the lead and easily held on.
Rookie QB Curtis Painter was awful in relief of Manning. He had more turnovers (2) than first downs (1). His third quarter fumble was returned for the go-ahead touchdown. So much for going for 16-0. I guess the Colts really meant it when they said that 16-0 means nothing and the real goal is later on.
That's fine. But how does sitting your best players on December 27 help you win the big game in February? Do the Colts really need three weeks of doing nothing to prepare for the first playoff opponent?
Caldwell's decision was conservative, but if history says anything, he was wrong. In years in which the Colts had their seeding already locked up with regular season games still to play (2004, 2005, 2007,2008), the Colts have lost all but one playoff game. In 2005, they took the same approach, resting players the final two weeks, and lost their first postseason game to Pittsburgh.
The one recent year in which the Colts did not clinch anything prior to the last games (2006), they rode the momentum they had to a Super Bowl title.
I know each year is a different set of circumstances, but why not and go for it if you are undefeated? Caldwell, were you that afraid someone would get hurt? If it was so important to get rest, why did the starters play against Jacksonville last week and why did they play more than a half Sunday?
All of this is puzzling.
Caldwell's decision did not help Painter. Him and the second team were booed loudly almost each time they got on the field. It wasn't fair to a rookie, who was drafted in the 7th round and had never played before, to be put into a game against the NFL's number one defense.
Manning wanted to play. Caldwell cheated his players out of the chance of a perfect season (if starters played, Colts would likely have won and beat Buffalo next week too). Worse, he cheated the loyal fanbase out of something special.
And for what? Just in case Peyton got injured they needed to rest him? Peyton has been playing every game for 12 years and was never injured during a game. Why would you think that was likely in the fourth quarter against the Jets? He hadn't been touched all day.
The first half of the game was filled with almosts. The Colts almost connected on a number of long pass plays, but drops and overthrows prevented them from taking a big lead into halftime. Now I know why they wanted that big lead.
They should have tried to win the game - with the players that were most likely to win that game. The Jets are in the middle of the playoff race and Caldwell and the Colts have tainted that race by giving the NYJ a win they more than likely would not have had if the starters had played.
Although I am against the decision against the Jets. Caldwell and I agree on something: 16-0 is not the primary goal. The primary goal comes in the postseason. The story of the 2000s Indianapolis Colts comes down to this year's playoffs.
No one will knock them should they win it all twice in a decade. If they don't, they will seem more and more like the 1990s Atlanta Braves, the 1980s Chicago Bears and the 2000s Detroit Pistons. How in the world did they only win one?
It's all about playoff match-ups now for the Colts. They anxiously await their opponent of the Divisional round of the AFC playoffs. Hopefully it will be a good match-up for Indy.
No comments:
Post a Comment