Why the Colts run up the score

Why do the Colts run up the score on the "sisters of the poor"? I have a theory. I believe there is an organizational belief that they lack the "killer instinct". I believe they feel they have to nurture this "killer instinct" throughout the season, to develop a merciless streak in their players in preparation for the Big Game at the end of the year, likely against you know who you know where. So, this merciless streak is really the product of fear born of failure. They KNOW it's unsportsmanlike, and wrong, but they flaunt it, hoping to develop this single trait, thinking it the missing link to Super Bowl glory. So this desire to run up the score, this merciless destruction of a helpless foe, is really a window into a frightened mind, and possibly a deranged one in Polian. An example of this bizarre trait was going for 2 against the Pats last year up 40-21, while Polian loudly exhorted his team from the press box to "break Flutie's legs". What is ironic is that the "killer instinct" is not what they lack at all, they misjudge themselves. What they lack is grace under fire, also known as courage. And courage isn't fashioned by obliterating the helpless.

Interesting sports psychoanalysis... but I think the answer is less interesting.

Peyton, Polian & co. want to be rich media darlings just as much as they want to win a Super Bowl. Inflated stats = more media/fan attention = more marketing dollars for the players and the team.

IMO Manning who is a likely Hall Of Famer probably gets most of his passing yards and TD passes either against crap teams or when the games are out of reach and instead of running the ball the FO wants Pay-A-Tons stats to accumulate to achieve elite QB status

The reason Indy runs up the score is really quite simple....they have a QB who is the defato Offensive Cordinator calling the plays he sees fit when he sees fit and how he sees fit.

Even TB would sling it every down and run up the score given the opputunity as he has stated on more then one occasion.

It is the nature of NFL QBs to want to throw the ball.

Peyton is given the opputunity and because he is not under control he just keeps slinging it,,,,because ......well its fun.

Running up the score is simply another example of Indy's lack of control over the monster they them selves have created.

Well Peyton is a stat man. I truely believe he wants to eclipse Dan.

Archie is the man behind the man, behind the man.

Archie didn't stay in NO to win anything but fame. He was thier high light film.

He is now trying to win the ring, and more glory, through his sons.

Mores the pitty. Hype is what it is, money is what it is, Mannings are what they
are. I think Eli is cool though, he's not part of the Manning hype, just a kid
trying to do his best for the TEAM. In the end I think Eli will win, the rest will
be hangers on, again mores the pitty.

But what do I know.

I think they run up the score because they know they will never win the SB and in its place they like big statistics to inflate their egos and to add to their already huge cadre of endorsements... I was thinking how unpatriotlike this would be, if we had the game comfortably in hand we would never do this.. what the Colts gotta remember they can play any team more than once on the way to the playoffs and payback is a *****.

As much as I will probably get bashed for this.... I think it is because Manning calls a lot of his own plays and he just doesn't know how to play any other way. He reminds me of a boxer who has the fight won but still goes for the knockout in the last round. I just don't think he knows how to cruise or turn it down.

He isn't the best in the league (Brady is) but he is a true student of the game. When he is on the field his job is to get points no matter what the score or time remaining in the game. If they are so far ahead that they don't need any points they should have pulled him. If he is in he will go for the TD every time.

PATRIOT64 said:

IMO Manning who is a likely Hall Of Famer probably gets most of his passing yards and TD passes either against crap teams or when the games are out of reach and instead of running the ball the FO wants Pay-A-Tons stats to accumulate to achieve elite QB status

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I know it's most of your jobs around here to hate Peyton and the Colts, but the only reason the Colts kept scoring on Sunday was the Texans started calling time outs when the Colts were trying to run out the clock.

I did some brief checking from last season's stats. Peyton had one 4 TD game (Tenn) and four 3 TD games (NE, Hou, Cin & Tenn again). So 3 of 5 were against crappy teams. But when it comes to 300 yard passing game, he had 4 (Ne, Cin, Jax, & SD). It would seem odd that a guy that you think is a stat padder only had 4 300 yard games and all came against quality opponents.

workhorse said:

I did some brief checking from last season's stats. Peyton had one 4 TD game (Tenn) and four 3 TD games (NE, Hou, Cin & Tenn again). So 3 of 5 were against crappy teams. But when it comes to 300 yard passing game, he had 4 (Ne, Cin, Jax, & SD). It would seem odd that a guy that you think is a stat padder only had 4 300 yard games and all came against quality opponents.

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I challenge you to do the same analysis from 2003 and 2004. Manning is a stat padder. But one thing he is not, nor ever will be, is a champion. He couldn't win in college - but TN won the national championship the first year Manning left when the immortal Tee Martin took over - and he can't win in the pros.

Come on guys, the real reason the dolts run up the score is becuase they have themselves in their own fantasy league

workhorse said:

I know it's most of your jobs around here to hate Peyton and the Colts, but the only reason the Colts kept scoring on Sunday was the Texans started calling time outs when the Colts were trying to run out the clock.

I did some brief checking from last season's stats. Peyton had one 4 TD game (Tenn) and four 3 TD games (NE, Hou, Cin & Tenn again). So 3 of 5 were against crappy teams. But when it comes to 300 yard passing game, he had 4 (Ne, Cin, Jax, & SD). It would seem odd that a guy that you think is a stat padder only had 4 300 yard games and all came against quality opponents.

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Typical Colt excuse. They called timeouts. They have three. Run it twice and throw for one first down and there are their timeouts.

I don't even blame Peyton, it's just his nature. Dungy has no control over his own QB and that ******** Polian will do anything to look good. His Bills used to like to score a lot too and they never won when it counted either.

I can't believe I'm going to defend the Colts here, but I have no problem with them (or any other team) running up a score against an opponent. The object of the game is to score points when your team has the ball and to stop the other team from scoring when they have the ball.

If I'm the opponent and I don't want them scoring all those points, it's my job to stop them, not to insist they should stop trying.

TNPatsFan said:

I can't believe I'm going to defend the Colts here, but I have no problem with them (or any other team) running up a score against an opponent. The object of the game is to score points when your team has the ball and to stop the other team from scoring when they have the ball.

If I'm the opponent and I don't want them scoring all those points, it's my job to stop them, not to insist they should stop trying.

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I actually feel the same way. THe object of the game is to score points and stop the other team. If you dont want a team to run up the score on you, find a way to stop them.

QuiGon said:

I challenge you to do the same analysis from 2003 and 2004. Manning is a stat padder. But one thing he is not, nor ever will be, is a champion. He couldn't win in college - but TN won the national championship the first year Manning left when the immortal Tee Martin took over - and he can't win in the pros.

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In 2004 he had 6 300+ games against GB (10-6), Jax (9-7), KC (7-9), Hou (7-9), Ten (5-11), & SD (12-4). That was the one year that Houston was half way good, so only one of those teams was really a dog. In the playoffs he had another 300+ against Denver.

As far as TDs go GB, KC, Hou all with 5 TDs. Only the Houston game was a blow out, they lost the KC game. He had 6 against Detriot all of which were in the first three quarters, 5 were in the 1st plus first 2 minutes of the 3rd quarter. Against Min and Chi he had 4 TDs. Chicago was a blow out, but Min was a 3 point game. He also had 4 against Den in the playoffs. He had three 3 TD games against Oak, Ten, and Jax. Two of those were blow outs and they lost to Jax.

They can't run out the clock because they don't have a running game. When they lost edge, there window was shut.

Return of the Nizz said:

I don't even blame Peyton, it's just his nature. Dungy has no control over his own QB and that ******** Polian will do anything to look good. His Bills used to like to score a lot too and they never won when it counted either.

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I agree Dungy has no control. Does anyone remember last year in the Pittsburgh playoff game when Dungy sent out the punting unit and Peyton told them to get back to the sidelines...? I can't remember ever seeing a QB completely emasculate a coach like that in the middle of a game, and the coach just sit there and take it. But my criticism of Manning is tempered by the fact that going for it was the right call.

Oh, by the way, not only did Tennessee win a national championship the first year after Manning, but Tampa Bay won a Super Bowl the first year after Dungy. Ouch.

Because they have yet to realize that putting meaningless points on the board only gives Belichick and other coaches more opportunities to view footage and come up with remedies at the end of the season.

workhorse said:

I know it's most of your jobs around here to hate Peyton and the Colts, but the only reason the Colts kept scoring on Sunday was the Texans started calling time outs when the Colts were trying to run out the clock.

I did some brief checking from last season's stats. Peyton had one 4 TD game (Tenn) and four 3 TD games (NE, Hou, Cin & Tenn again). So 3 of 5 were against crappy teams. But when it comes to 300 yard passing game, he had 4 (Ne, Cin, Jax, & SD). It would seem odd that a guy that you think is a stat padder only had 4 300 yard games and all came against quality opponents.

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2nd-and-11 on the Houston 30 -- already in field goal range with an opportunity to bleed the clock down to the 2-minute warning and kick the figgy to make it a FOUR SCORE GAME -- and don't forget they now have the GREATEST KICKER OF ALL TIME who is supposed to be a difference in the W/L column -- Peyton instead chucks a 27 yard pass down to the 3 yard line...apparently the thinking being that a mere 20 or 23-point margin of victory WAS NOT ENOUGH for the Colts.


it's either stat-padding or it's called running up the score...take your pick

slam said:

Because they have yet to realize that putting meaningless points on the board only gives Belichick and other coaches more opportunities to view footage and come up with remedies at the end of the season.

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Excellant Point!

the taildragger said:

2nd-and-11 on the Houston 30 -- already in field goal range with an opportunity to bleed the clock down to the 2-minute warning and kick the figgy to make it a FOUR SCORE GAME -- and don't forget they now have the GREATEST KICKER OF ALL TIME who is supposed to be a difference in the W/L column -- Peyton instead chucks a 27 yard pass down to the 3 yard line...apparently the thinking being that a mere 20 or 23-point margin of victory WAS NOT ENOUGH for the Colts.


it's either stat-padding or it's called running up the score...take your pick

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ok...first of all, AV was out of the game

secondly, peyton threw 4 times in the 4th quarter...the colts ran it 12 times.

how is this "stat padding" OR trying to "run up the score?"

obviously i need a remedial english lesson