NFL Live: Tedy Bruschi on the Colts giving up on 16-0

Patriot_dynasty said:

How is that a "great quote"? Colts fans are doing everything they can to rationalize what Colts Ownership/Management/Coaching did on Sunday. There is no silver lining behind the "lay down". Calling the Pats "Evil" for keeping the pedal to the medal all 2007 season is straight up pathetic. They didn't play college teams, they played professional NFL teams paid to game plan and execute. The Giants won the Super Bowl because they came up with a game plan that worked. I'm not going to say that the Pats played like crap, or that we would have won for one reason or another, but what's for sure is...they played every game and gave the fans their money's worth...the Colts did not. The Colts consecutive win streak is hollow because they only count regular season games and NOT the playoffs. If the Colts and their fans think that record is so great, so be it, but it is minimal compaired to what they could have had. As a Pats fan, I payed little attention to the Pats "regular season" win streak...but the actual "21 game win streak" which still stands is VERY impressive. Like Bruschi and Mark Schelereth (Retired Bronco...but must have been an ex-Patriot at some point of his career for not agreeing with the Colts) said...NOBODY IS GONNA REMEMBER NOR CARE WHO HAD THE MOST WINS THIS DECADE!!! The Colts robbed their fans of what could have been...AND did the opposit of what the wanted to prevent...added a whole lot of distraction.

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Agreed. Another "great quote" from that blog:

"You don't think they [the Colts] could go for this [an undefeated season] whenever they want?"

Apparently, the Colts could have an undefeated regular season any time they want. For some reason, they just choose not to, every year. This sounds a lot like Seinfeld's "I choose not to run" excuse.

L Bizzle said:

It wasn't about the W/L column. It was about that the Patriots played at Full strength, full throttle. The Giants sensed they could play with and beat the Pats after this, and they had zero fear going into the SB

Now this is speculation of course, but not much more than you Pats fans trying to argue that resting starters is the reason the Colts lost in the playoffs in 07, or really even 08, when rest/rust had very little to do with it

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Do you really believe that grown men and professional athletes are going to go into a superbowl fearing another team?

The 2001 Patriots didn't fear the 2001 Rams even though the 2001 Rams smoked them in the regular season. It's complete rubbish to believe that there was any mental disadvantage by going 16-0.

Whether the Giants smoked us in the regular season or we smoked them in the regular season, they weren't going into the playoffs or superbowl moping around not trying their hardest. Let's get real here.

The Colts are cowards, absolute cowards.

I think L Bizzle has gotten enough attention for one day.

What the Colts did was like pulling your pitcher when he is in the 9th inning of a perfect game. Sure pulling him might be the best thing for him and the best chances of winning the game, but damn, its a PERFECT GAME. There is a superbowl winner every year, there is nobody that has gone 19-0.

As for the 2007 Pats team, I wouldn't change a single solitary thing they did for the first 18 games of that season. The idea that a loss to the Giants in week 16 would have somehow made the Giants less likely to win the superbowls is probably one of the most illogical statements one can make. How does that make any sense to anyone?

And finally regarding the "unsportsmanlike" behavior of that team, that is another load of garbage. The only thing one can accuse them off is playing hard all the time. They never talked trash to other teams, they didn't showboat and they didn't show up other players. Probably the most unsportsmanlike act a team could do is throw a game like the Black Sox. That essentially is what these colts did, although the Black Sox at least did it for money. These Colts threw the game because they were afraid. I'll take what the 07 Pats did 100x over the 09 Colts purposely throwing a game. And don't give me this crap about saving Manning and the starters. The guy was hardly touched all game as he is every game, especially when he had already played almost three quarters of the game. If you were that worried about him, why even play him at all this game? Its a total load of crap. They purposely threw it. Yeah, that's sportsmanship.

L Bizzle said:

Great quote from 18to88 on the 2009 Colts being the Anti-2007 Patriots 18 To 88 - An Indianapolis Colts Blog

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The 2007 Pats were not noble. They were perhaps the least honorable, least sportsmanlike team in history. Their "quest for perfection" was not born of any great love and honor of sport and the essence of competition. They also wound up as the biggest chokers in the history of football. So save me interviews with those guys. Their opinion is utterly irrelevant. If nothing else, I'm glad the Colts have tried to be the opposite of that team. They were evil. They were not sportsmen. If you don't think the arrogance got them in the end, just rewatch Brady's smug press conference before the Super Bowl. They thought they were invincible and they took the Giants lightly. They paid for it and will live in history as choking dogs. So shut it, Teddy Bruschi. I don't give a flying fart what you think about this.

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Yeah, that was such a smug press conference by Brady. Saying the Giants should be confident in their team. First rate arrogance on his part.

The only real reason Colts fans find the 2007 Patriots evil is because Brady broke Manning's touchdown record.

Brady had the gall to show whatever Manning could do, Brady could do better.

The truth about whether it was a good move or not won't come until the playoffs are done. If the Colts win the SB, they can say whatever they want.

But Bruschi's right. They were afraid of it, and they didn't want the pressure, so they threw the game. And if I were a Colts fan, I wouldn't feel too good about the front office basically admitting they didn't think the team could deal with some pressure.

convertedpatsfan said:

The truth about whether it was a good move or not won't come until the playoffs are done. If the Colts win the SB, they can say whatever they want.

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It was a bad, and gutless move regardless of the outcome of the playoffs.

convertedpatsfan said:

The truth about whether it was a good move or not won't come until the playoffs are done. If the Colts win the SB, they can say whatever they want.

But Bruschi's right. They were afraid of it, and they didn't want the pressure, so they threw the game. And if I were a Colts fan, I wouldn't feel too good about the front office basically admitting they didn't think the team could deal with some pressure.

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It makes it worse if they win the superbowl actually. There is no way that pulling the starters mid way through the 3rd helped them.

L Bizzle said:

Well considering the fact that the Patriots played all 16 games through, and the confidence they gave the Giants in the 16th game is very likely a huge reason they got beat in the 19th....... Your saying you'd take the 16-0 if it cost you 19-0 and a SB which it did?

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Do you think the Pats would have been a better team if they lost that game? Does losing a game help you become more confident when you are a heavy favorite?

L Bizzle said:

Great quote from 18to88 on the 2009 Colts being the Anti-2007 Patriots 18 To 88 - An Indianapolis Colts Blog

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LOL WTF

I can honestly say whoever wrote that is the least intelligent NFL fan I've ever seen.

16-0 is not notable? Way to try and rationalize your team blowing a chance at history. I like how, because the Colts have gone 12-0 or 10-0 a time or two they could then go 16-0 any time they choose

emoney_33 said:

It was a bad, and gutless move regardless of the outcome of the playoffs.

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BSR said:

It makes it worse if they win the superbowl actually. There is no way that pulling the starters mid way through the 3rd helped them.

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I agree with both of you, but the media will shower Polian with credit if they win it. Which I don't think they will after their cowardly showing at the end of the Jets game.

Not only did Bruschi get the facts right - no one remembers who won the most games in a decade or which team had the most consecutive regular season wins and thus made Polian look like a liar or fool for saying these were actual goals - not only that, but maybe the best part was seeing Bruschi's competitive belly burning and his eyes go into his old death stare as he delivered his condemnation. Boy, the dude still has the heart...

I have to LOL at the statement about the Colts going 16-0 whenever they feel like it. These people must think the rest of us just aren't paying attention. The last time I remember the Colts seriously threatening 16-0 (remember that stupid kid who did the rap video?) it all ended rather unceremoniously thanks to San Diego in week 14. A team that has the Colts number. And the starters were indeed playing to win. Except they couldn't.

BSR said:

What the Colts did was like pulling your pitcher when he is in the 9th inning of a perfect game.

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Give me a break. It was the middle of the 3rd quarter! That's more like the top of the 6th. And he was on a pitch count (i.e. it was known going in that this is about how long he was going to play).

If you're going to use an analogy, make it a reasonable one.

I think all this talk of the Colts laying down is ridiculous. The players that were in there played their best (as backups always do when they're trying to get noticed). Admittedly, they stunk. And the regulars who had to sit out didn't like it one bit. This may or may not help them win the Super Bowl; Colts management has decided that it will and they're sticking to their guns. It's a reasonable decision - not one that I would have made, but there are good reasons for choosing what they did. And it's not that big a deal.

Fball said:

It is all speculation, but I have absolutely no doubt that if the Pats had lost one of those "close ones" they had at the end of the regular season in '07, they still would have finished 18-1, easily....

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Then your faith is misplaced because there is absolutely nothing to back this up. The Giants played better than the Patriots in the Super Bowl and got the victory. The Patriots losing a game during a regular season wasn't particularly relevant no matter how much you tell yourself it is.

TruthSeeker said:

Then your faith is misplaced because there is absolutely nothing to back this up. The Giants played better than the Patriots in the Super Bowl and got the victory. The Patriots losing a game during a regular season wasn't particularly relevant no matter how much you tell yourself it is.

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Nothing can back it up but Bruschi has said several times playing for 19-0 was like having a gorilla on your back

Imagine the frustration they felt when the Giants kept it close and wouldn't lay down. I think they would have been much more at ease if only the super bowl was on the line

TruthSeeker said:

It's a reasonable decision - not one that I would have made, but there are good reasons for choosing what they did. And it's not that big a deal.

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I disagree. I don't see a single good reason for choosing what they did. Every year there is a superbowl winner. Very rarely do you find yourself in a situation to chase history. Also resting starters for THREE weeks is a detriment to the team. Even if you throw out the perfect season chase, a bye week is sufficient rest, anything more than that and you run the risk of the team being rusty.

Now speaking purely as a fan, although I imagine players would feel the same way. If I were posed with the choice between being 16-0 going into the playoffs, vs. a guaranteed superbowl, I'll choose the 16-0 and take my chances every single time.

not one that I would have made

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So you do agree that it was the wrong decision. There is no fine line between going for it and resting, as the rest of your post tries to explain. I'm not attacking you, but just using you're comment as a flagship for what the NFL fanbase is saying.

Imagine the frustration they felt when the Giants kept it close and wouldn't lay down. I think they would have been much more at ease if only the super bowl was on the line.

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No, I believe they wanted it all, regardless of who they played. The Giants got lucky in having to face them again, in a sense. People forget, the Boston Media reached an all time low during that period too. Coaches were busy answering Walsh/TomaseGate questions during the final practices for the SB one day before.

Tom Caughlin did a great job of attacking Brady, and he kept it up the entire game. But, to me, the belief that the fact that Goodell burned the tapes, there was a cover-up, and that the Pats got of scott free was amended by the Tyree "catch." How in this day and age can you rule that a catch, after your Qb is in the grasp is beyond me. But, It is what it is.

Time to let the games be played on.

Mayday Malone said:

So you do agree that it was the wrong decision. There is no fine line between going for it and resting, as the rest of your post tries to explain. I'm not attacking you, but just using you're comment as a flagship for what the NFL fanbase is saying.



No, I believe they wanted it all, regardless of who they played. The Giants got lucky in having to face them again, in a sense. People forget, the Boston Media reached an all time low during that period too. Coaches were busy answering Walsh/TomaseGate questions during the final practices for the SB one day before.

Tom Caughlin did a great job of attacking Brady, and he kept it up the entire game. But, to me, the belief that the fact that Goodell burned the tapes, there was a cover-up, and that the Pats got of scott free was amended by the Tyree "catch." How in this day and age can you rule that a catch, after your Qb is in the grasp is beyond me. But, It is what it is.

Time to let the games be played on.

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I play a lot of Halo which most of you won't truly understand my reference but whatever

When I was good my friends and I would string together long win streaks and decimate other good people. (in Halo you are ranked to level 50 by beating people) So we would play people all day at level 50, beating them to hell and going on with these long streaks and there was pressure to maintain that. We would face the same people more than once and they would trash talk us and while we may have been the better team, our frustration if we got down would force us into making poor, reckless decisions.

This was on Halo. Something nobody cares about but the people in the games. Imagine being on the national scale, where every football fan in the nation is potentially putting you under the microscope. The Giants went into that game with nothing but their desire to win. They had confidence since they kept it close on us and rolled through the playoffs.

As the underdog the pressure was off, if they lost then they fulfilled peoples expectations of them. None of us will ever know how those players felt on that field, but I can imagine the thought of 19-0 didn't help them

TruthSeeker said:

Then your faith is misplaced because there is absolutely nothing to back this up. The Giants played better than the Patriots in the Super Bowl and got the victory. The Patriots losing a game during a regular season wasn't particularly relevant no matter how much you tell yourself it is.

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The Pats players made uncharacteristic plays in that game, and the coaches certainly made uncharacteristic calls.

They looked like a team with the weight of the world on their shoulders coming through that tunnel.

That said, I think the Colts were doomed either way. If they were going for perfection, there is that pressure, but they put another world of pressure on themselves to win it all by making the call to lose the Jets game. They probably didn't anticipate that, but with the fan & media reaction, it has become its own animal.