patriot lifer
In the Starting Line-Up
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2007
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Losing Dungy is a big question mark, but I've noticed around here that for years Pats fans were saying the Colts would go nowhere until "One-And-Dungy" left. Or that Dungy was the "most overrated coach ever", "an average coach with a great team", etc etc etc.
Now that he leaves suddenly Dungy was holding the Colts together around here and they're going to fall apart without him. It's Colt hate and I get it, but every team changes coaches at some point.
Like I said, Dungy leaving is a question mark, but the Colts knew this would happen and groomed Caldwell as his replacement. Caldwell knows the team and he knows the players.
Anyway, the point is anyone writing off the Colts are going to be in for a rude awakening. The D line is much improved and the O line is healthy which were their biggest problems last year. Brown and Addai are a damn good RB tandem and the receiving corp looks strong. Gonzo will have a big year and there is a fight for the 3rd spot. But Wayne, Gonzo and Clarke are a great threesome.
Seriously, the Colts are looking as good as they have in years talent wise. Dungy leaving is the only negative, and nobody knows how that's going to play out. Personally I don't think Manning is going to be affected and as long as he's playing at a top level the Colts are going to be a contender.
as for the flip-flopping on Dungy's impact on the team, of course that was just typical fan behavior towards a rival and their coach (he was the self-annointed moral arbiter of the universe afterall). the talent is definitely there. I think their decline will be rooted more in an increased focus on the short-term (drafting and such) and the culture. Dungy created an environment where players wanted to and did work very hard, and they wanted to play for Indy. For example, Detroit has a sh*tty culture while the Eagles it's strong.
There will be a lag for this to take effect (if ever, maybe this guy turns out to be a great coach), but I suspect a strong year out of the Colts nevertheless. As for the increased talent on the team, i think most would say that every team (and fans) feels that way this time of year.