RIP Indianapolis Colts

[PatriotsInGA]

What an absolutely idiotic thread. As long as the Colts have Peyton Manning, they are always going to be a threat.

Well if you go back to the 2006 AFC Championship Game, who did Brady have to throw to? Gaffney, Jackson, Brown, etc. You can get far, but have almost no chance of winning the SB. So technically, they have a chance, but they're not gonna win the SB.

 

[Kontradiction]

Well if you go back to the 2006 AFC Championship Game, who did Brady have to throw to? Gaffney, Jackson, Brown, etc. You can get far, but have almost no chance of winning the SB. So technically, they have a chance, but they're not gonna win the SB.

LOL, that's a given.

 

[maverick4]

What an absolutely idiotic thread. As long as the Colts have Peyton Manning, they are always going to be a threat.

Like Dan Marino and his Dolphins dynasty... right?

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Like Dan Marino and his Dolphins dynasty... right?

Yeah, only with 20 more wins a ring already in his first decade...

 

[coltsfan]

They did pull about 3 games out of their lucky arses last season. That team very, very easily could have finished 9-7 last year.

The Peyton Manning decline is now turning towards the downside of the slope and after all that, only one championship to show for it in 11 seasons.

Unlike Polian, we draft and prepare for the present AND the future. We've already drafted and are grooming Brady's replacment down the road. The same can't be said for the Colts.

Soon, with the Colts on the decline, Polian's referee corruption will also be taken care of for games played in Indy as they won't have the same pull they used to now that they're heading towards mediority.

They're still obviously good, but not like they used to be and it's going to be a downward trend with each passing day as Peyton ages from this day going forward.

Explain how we aren't as good as we used to? We don't have Harrison on offense, but we could be better on defense and in other areas. Plus, you would think Donald Brown would upgrade our RBs, if he's as good as some say.

Unlike the Patriots, we rely on new blood every year, and are usually better than the offseason pundits predict bc of it. This is far from the first offseason we've been counted out. I remember two years ago we were no longer going to be as good bc we lost Glenn, McFarland, June, Harper, David, etc. Or the year before, Edge. But we rely on drafted talent to replace those guys, and they usually come through. This year, let's see what guys like Brown, Garcon, Moala, Antonio Johnson, Taylor, etc can do.

Also, I doubt we have to pull so many "lucky games" out next year considering Manning, Saturday, and DTs will be healthy this year.

 

[coltsfan]

The problem in Indy is they are losing their emotional leader in Dungy at a time when they are also losing both coordinators, their legendary OL coach and the second of the legenday triplets (Harrison, who has kinda been going for a while now...). I do think they will struggle, but they like us are promoting coaches from within. Just a lot tougher to make it all work when you lose your anchor, which was what Dungy was.

You don't need an anchor as much when you are an experienced team made up of a bunch of self-motivated players like Manning, Wayne, Clark, Freeney, Mathis, Brackett, Sanders, etc. Those guys don't need an emotional leader to motivate them. If there is one thing that is pretty evident with Polian's drafts, he drafts guys who are total clean cut characters who don't need much pushing.

Oh, and our legendary OL coach's OL was terrible in many of the playoff losses we've had.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

You don't need an anchor as much when you are an experienced team made up of a bunch of self-motivated players like Manning, Wayne, Clark, Freeney, Mathis, Brackett, Sanders, etc. Those guys don't need an emotional leader to motivate them. If there is one thing that is pretty evident with Polian's drafts, he drafts guys who are total clean cut characters who don't need much pushing.

Oh, and our legendary OL coach's OL was terrible in many of the playoff losses we've had.

If you believe all that you're pretty naive. Tony wasn't there to motivate 'em, he was their to balance egos and create the illusion of team. If the going gets rough in 2009, there won't be a saintly HC to tell everyone to just calm down and trust in the lord. The media will eviscerate the rookie HC and bait the ever frustrated Manning into commenting on some aspects of the game that are better left to coaching...and that is when things could get really shaky. Moore, Mudd and Dungy had a lot of cache with the players and the media that allowed them to manage issues in house as well as in game. Polian is by nature somewhat hotheaded (to say the least) and Dungy's patented "Quite Strength"(TM) came in pretty handy when bruised egos needed soothing.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

If there is one thing that is pretty evident with Polian's drafts, he drafts guys... who don't need much pushing.

Didn't he draft a defensive lineman who decided he didn't really like to play football and decided to quit, then Polian whined "it was through no fault of our own"

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/10/02/polian-deflects-blame-for-pit****-johnson/

There is a reason why some teams try hard to gauge how much a player really likes the game and considers it important to him.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I believe you're thinking of 2007 3rd rounder Quinn Pit****, who started 9 games as a DT and then on his way to camp in 2008 abruptly decided to retire...

If there is one thing that is pretty evident with Polian's drafts, he drafts guys who are total clean cut characters who don't need much pushing.

They added former UDFA Johnson to the roster AGAIN this season...he will be in the pee in a cup program so could be unavailable at any time...

“We will, effective tomorrow, waive defensive tackle Ed Johnson," team president Bill Polian said. "We consider every violation of a team rule or NFL policy on an individual case-by-case basis. If club discipline is appropriate, we consider the past record of the individual involved and the extent to which team rules were violated when imposing penalties.
"In this particular case, Ed was well aware that his past history required him to be in complete compliance with Club rules. He was repeatedly told this during the off-season. Along with his teammates, he was reminded as recently as yesterday of Coach Dungy’s rules of behavior. Unfortunately, he chose to violate those rules. Given the circumstances surrounding Ed’s original employment with the Colts, we feel in this case that we have no choice but to take this action.”

The "circumstances" mentioned by Polian were in reference to his troubled career at Penn State — where he was expelled from school in 2005 and kicked off the team before the Nittany Lions' bowl game in 2007.

Then of course there was Doss' gun charge, and Marvin's mystery shooting, and it turned out Rhodes 4 game suspension after signing with Oakland (which meant he was in the program while at Indy).

So like I said, either our visitor is naive or...

 

[coltsfan]

If you believe all that you're pretty naive. Tony wasn't there to motivate 'em, he was their to balance egos and create the illusion of team. If the going gets rough in 2009, there won't be a saintly HC to tell everyone to just calm down and trust in the lord. The media will eviscerate the rookie HC and bait the ever frustrated Manning into commenting on some aspects of the game that are better left to coaching...and that is when things could get really shaky. Moore, Mudd and Dungy had a lot of cache with the players and the media that allowed them to manage issues in house as well as in game. Polian is by nature somewhat hotheaded (to say the least) and Dungy's patented "Quite Strength"(TM) came in pretty handy when bruised egos needed soothing.

The Indy media doesn't bait or eviscerate anyone. Outside of a total bafoon in Kravitz, it's made up of a bunch of softees used to covering basketball, who know next to nothing about the intracies of football, and who are too mild mannered to ever confront the Colts on anything. It is nothing compared to a city like Boston.

And again, the Colts have fewer egos than just about anyone. There is Manning, and who else besides maybe Wayne? Manning will be fine bc he gets to call the plays. Wayne will be fine bc he'll get the ball. Everyone else is basically a bunch of choir boys.

The coaches you mentioned, none of them ever talked to the media besides Dungy; and heck, Dungy didn't even have a radio show!

What other team besides the Colts only has the GM with a radio show? That right there speaks to the influence that Polian has with everything Colts. As long as Polian is here, you can bet his influence will be all over almost everything with the Colts. Heck, in some ways, I think the coaches are pawns for him. You would never see him hire a strong opinioned guy like Parcells or someone like that.

 

[coltsfan]

Didn't he draft a defensive lineman who decided he didn't really like to play football and decided to quit, then Polian whined "it was through no fault of our own"

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/10/02/polian-deflects-blame-for-pit****-johnson/

There is a reason why some teams try hard to gauge how much a player really likes the game and considers it important to him.

That's hard to blame considering he was a team captain at Ohio State.

Here are some examples. Drafting Addai over Lendale White. Gonzalez over Dwayne Jarrett. Brown over Hakeem Nicks. I could go on and on. It is obvious to someone who closely has followed his drafting for 10 years, I can't remember one player that he has drafted that had a work ethic question coming out.

 

[coltsfan]

They added former UDFA Johnson to the roster AGAIN this season...he will be in the pee in a cup program so could be unavailable at any time...

“We will, effective tomorrow, waive defensive tackle Ed Johnson," team president Bill Polian said. "We consider every violation of a team rule or NFL policy on an individual case-by-case basis. If club discipline is appropriate, we consider the past record of the individual involved and the extent to which team rules were violated when imposing penalties.
"In this particular case, Ed was well aware that his past history required him to be in complete compliance with Club rules. He was repeatedly told this during the off-season. Along with his teammates, he was reminded as recently as yesterday of Coach Dungy’s rules of behavior. Unfortunately, he chose to violate those rules. Given the circumstances surrounding Ed’s original employment with the Colts, we feel in this case that we have no choice but to take this action.”

The "circumstances" mentioned by Polian were in reference to his troubled career at Penn State — where he was expelled from school in 2005 and kicked off the team before the Nittany Lions' bowl game in 2007.

Then of course there was Doss' gun charge, and Marvin's mystery shooting, and it turned out Rhodes 4 game suspension after signing with Oakland (which meant he was in the program while at Indy).

So like I said, either our visitor is naive or...

Was Johnson drafted by the Colts? NO. And I never said they cut players if they have an incident.

All I said is they draft guys who were choir boys coming into the league. You see a ton of team captains like Doss was. You quite often see more talented players passed on, for guys with no work ethic question.