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

[PatsFan24]

They had a real shot and they threw the game, they should get hammered for being gutless cowards because that is how they acted.

 

[mayoclinic]

Jim Irsay lauded Polian and Caldwell for having the "courage" to do what was best for the team:

"For anyone to attack the virtues, the intentions or the integrity of what we're trying to do, I think, is misguided because our goal is to win a world championship. As owner, I take everything into account, and I could have, as I have on occasion, overruled some things. But in this case, that was not the case, and it was the right direction to go, and it was really a close call. I'm a fan, and it was tough to watch because you knew you had an excellent chance to win the game. At the same time, you're trying to do what's best for the franchise. But you have to have the courage to do it."

Colts owner Irsay OK with resting starters, losing out on perfection

 

[nashvillepatsfan]

Jim Irsay lauded Polian and Caldwell for having the "courage" to do what was best for the team:

"For anyone to attack the virtues, the intentions or the integrity of what we're trying to do, I think, is misguided because our goal is to win a world championship. As owner, I take everything into account, and I could have, as I have on occasion, overruled some things. But in this case, that was not the case, and it was the right direction to go, and it was really a close call. I'm a fan, and it was tough to watch because you knew you had an excellent chance to win the game. At the same time, you're trying to do what's best for the franchise. But you have to have the courage to do it."

Colts owner Irsay OK with resting starters, losing out on perfection

But havent they rested starters before in this situation? How did that turn out for them? They can defend it all they want, but i'm not sure there's anyone listening to them

 

[RhodyPatriot]

Jim Irsay lauded Polian and Caldwell for having the "courage" to do what was best for the team:

"For anyone to attack the virtues, the intentions or the integrity of what we're trying to do, I think, is misguided because our goal is to win a world championship. As owner, I take everything into account, and I could have, as I have on occasion, overruled some things. But in this case, that was not the case, and it was the right direction to go, and it was really a close call. I'm a fan, and it was tough to watch because you knew you had an excellent chance to win the game. At the same time, you're trying to do what's best for the franchise. But you have to have the courage to do it."

Colts owner Irsay OK with resting starters, losing out on perfection

An Irsay is using the words "integrity" and "courage"???

 

[Lansdowne]

It's going to be hilarious when the Colts are bounced from the playoffs AGAIN.

Look up the Colts' playoff history. Particularly, 1999, 2005, and 2007.

first round bye = second round BYE-BYE!

 

[RobertWeathers]

Jim Irsay lauded Polian and Caldwell for having the "courage" to do what was best for the team:

"For anyone to attack the virtues, the intentions or the integrity of what we're trying to do, I think, is misguided because our goal is to win a world championship. As owner, I take everything into account, and I could have, as I have on occasion, overruled some things. But in this case, that was not the case, and it was the right direction to go, and it was really a close call. I'm a fan, and it was tough to watch because you knew you had an excellent chance to win the game. At the same time, you're trying to do what's best for the franchise. But you have to have the courage to do it."

Colts owner Irsay OK with resting starters, losing out on perfection

Looks like Irsay is back on the the oxycontin again....

 

[rbh24]

It's going to be hilarious when the Colts are bounced from the playoffs AGAIN.

Look up the Colts' playoff history. Particularly, 1999, 2005, and 2007.

first round bye = second round BYE-BYE!

Hopefully history will repeat itself.

 

[Yehoodi]

Personally, I think the Colts might have put even more pressure on themselves now. The Colts will be watched over and second guessed if they come out flat in their first division game. The media are waiting for them to lose a game in the playoffs so they can jump all over them and trash them for taking their foot off the throttle.

If the Colts win it all, the criticism will subsided. In fact, they might get some undeserved props by some media who will state that they would have gone 19-0 if they kept their starters in and went for it like the Pats did.

If the Colts don't win the Super Bowl, they will be piled on even more than they are now.

I come from the camp you try for history, but if they win it all I can't argue their strategy. The goal is to win the Super Bowl at all costs and that includes sacrificing a shot at history. If it pays off, we really can't argue with them.

This is the part that worry me the most, and perhaps it coming from the colts players and fans. They will say, yah we coulda gone for 19-0 and we didn't and had we not pulled our starters we would be 19-0 cuase we won the SB. Problem is, when they play in the PO, and even had they played to finished the Jets game and Bill games, they were not playing under the underfeated pressure, so no one knows if they would of won any of those game, NYJ, bills or the three PO games.

I hope people don't do this or the colts players try to make a side remark about the above, simply because they were just playing "normal" playoff games without any of the distractions of the undefeated season.

A small part of me wonders if the colts, given their PO difficulties, wanted to eliminate this distraction so as to not make things even tougher, put up the company line that we don't care about it, then come out and say we could of done it if we choose to do it, and we simply choose not to do it as opposed to being beaten, thus we are better than the pats . . . the cynical part of me sees this happening from some in the media and perhaps some in the colts organizations and fans

 

[RobertWeathers]

A small part of me wonders if the colts, given their PO difficulties, wanted to eliminate this distraction so as to not make things even tougher, put up the company line that we don't care about it, then come out and say we could of done it if we choose to do it, and we simply choose not to do it as opposed to being beaten, thus we are better than the pats . . . the cynical part of me sees this happening from some in the media and perhaps some in the colts organizations and fans

I made that point earlier. You have a rookie HC in place here and a team, for whatever reason (pressure, health, etc.) whos PO sucess this decade is mixed.

I think if Polian had stayed neutral and said, "Going 16-0 is certainly an outstanding achievement, but we felt as an organization this was the best decision at this juncture for our football team.", I think there would still be controversy, but the backlash, in paticular on Polian would not be so bad.

With that said, they were still gutless.

 

[L Bizzle]

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

5. 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.

 

[PatsSox363804]

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

I'd rather be an evil choker that tried, than a raging ***** who didnt.

 

[Patspsycho]

This is the part that worry me the most, and perhaps it coming from the colts players and fans. They will say, yah we coulda gone for 19-0 and we didn't and had we not pulled our starters we would be 19-0 cuase we won the SB. Problem is, when they play in the PO, and even had they played to finished the Jets game and Bill games, they were not playing under the underfeated pressure, so no one knows if they would of won any of those game, NYJ, bills or the three PO games.

I hope people don't do this or the colts players try to make a side remark about the above, simply because they were just playing "normal" playoff games without any of the distractions of the undefeated season.

A small part of me wonders if the colts, given their PO difficulties, wanted to eliminate this distraction so as to not make things even tougher, put up the company line that we don't care about it, then come out and say we could of done it if we choose to do it, and we simply choose not to do it as opposed to being beaten, thus we are better than the pats . . . the cynical part of me sees this happening from some in the media and perhaps some in the colts organizations and fans

You know it is going to happen. You know they will talk like this for years to come.

 

[L Bizzle]

I'd rather be an evil choker that tried, than a raging ***** who didnt.

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?

 

[PatsSox363804]

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?

Don't be stupid, the "confidence" the Giants had or did not have isn't the reason they won the game. The Pats didn't execute well and played their worst game of the season and still would have won if not for a dropped INT and the flukiest of fluke catches. Winning or losing the first Giants game had no bearing on the second game unless we are to believe that the Giants made all of the adjustments while the Patriots made none.

 

[mosslost]

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?

Any speculation on what would, could, or should have happened is just that.

 

[L Bizzle]

Don't be stupid, the "confidence" the Giants had or did not have isn't the reason they won the game. The Pats didn't execute well and played their worst game of the season and still would have won if not for a dropped INT and the flukiest of fluke catches. Winning or losing the first Giants game had no bearing on the second game unless we are to believe that the Giants made all of the adjustments while the Patriots made none.

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

 

[Fball]

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....

 

[Yehoodi]

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

I don't think the "we can play with them" was much of a factor. I do think tho. a factor was the point of the NYG wanted another shot at the pats in the PO, to make up for what they were not able to do the first time around. I do think that the team that lost the first time around does have "we gonna get them next time" factor in their corner . . .

 

[Patriot_dynasty]

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

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.

 

[tombonneau]

Would there be a more satisfying playoff scenario than having the Jets go to Indy in round 2 and beat the Colts, then come to Foxboro and get trounced in the AFCC? Could it get any better than that, to have the Colts beaten by the team they laid down for and let into the playoffs?