Friend of the blog Fantasy Pros asked many of their experts (as yes, I am considered an expert) what will happen with the Indy situation now that Dallas Clark and Austin Collie have gone down with injuries.
As expected, the other six spouted the usual "I live Pierre Garcon and want to marry him and have his kids" cliche dribble. But I took a stand! While I do have unnecessary love for Anthony Gonzalez where I want to marry him and have his kids, I predicted that Gonzalez will be Indy's best receiver behind Reggie Wayne (assuming health, which is a BIG assumption for A-Gon). While my head and the rational world says Garcon should be awesome now, my heart says it will be Gonzalez.
You can read my "full" review here. And I just want to point out, that out of EVERYONE, I am the 5th best predictor of WR fantasy talent. Just sayin'
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Since the release of this post, my reviews regarding the New Orleans running back situation and the non-Wes Welker New England offense situation have also been posted
Showing posts with label Indianapolis Colts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indianapolis Colts. Show all posts
Blame Jim Caldwell For The Loss
We can all agree that football is the one sport where the coach plays a significant role in deciding whether his team wins or loses. Scouting, scheming, and practicing are the main responsibilities of an NFL coach and often is the difference between winning and losing. Hence, if you are hiring a coach to run your franchise, it would be advantageous to hire someone with a history of winning games. I have been skeptical about Jim Caldwell's pedigree of running a winning franchise such as the Colts, btu have refrained from speaking up due to the great success the team displayed during the regular season. Oh, and his quarterback is Peyton freakin Manning. But looking back at all the late quarter comebacks, weak conference playoff opponents, and the poor performance in the super bowl, I have to speak the truth.
Here is Jim Caldwell's career coaching record in Wake Forest University. This was reported on SportsbyBrooks several months ago and is even more relevant today.
Wow, that's really bad. I know that Wake isnt exactly a football powerhouse, but since Caldwells departure, Jim Grobe has coached the Deamon Deacons to a 59-51 record. That's slightly better than Caldwell's .292 winning percentage as a coach. How does a guy with a .292 winning percentage get to coach Peyton Manning in the NFL? Not wanting to play the race card, but him and Dungy seen to have a bunch of melanin in common. Heck, Jim Grobe deserves to take over for Bill Belichick if he can double Caldwell's winning percentage at the same university in the exact same conference
Here is Jim Caldwell's career coaching record in Wake Forest University. This was reported on SportsbyBrooks several months ago and is even more relevant today.
Wow, that's really bad. I know that Wake isnt exactly a football powerhouse, but since Caldwells departure, Jim Grobe has coached the Deamon Deacons to a 59-51 record. That's slightly better than Caldwell's .292 winning percentage as a coach. How does a guy with a .292 winning percentage get to coach Peyton Manning in the NFL? Not wanting to play the race card, but him and Dungy seen to have a bunch of melanin in common. Heck, Jim Grobe deserves to take over for Bill Belichick if he can double Caldwell's winning percentage at the same university in the exact same conference
To Go For 19-0 or To Not Go For 19-0, That Is The Question
This was the big debate when both teams were 13-0. The Colts said (of course after they locked up home field advantage) that they would rest their players (which they did) in the games leading up to the playoffs. The Saints on the other hand, said they they were not going to rest their players and instead try and go 16-0 in the regular season.
Unfortunately for us, we will never knew which approach in better.
The Saints ended up losing to the Cowboys in a game they went all out for and didn't rest any players. After that loss, the Saints ended up resting their key players and the Colts acted like pussies and rested their stars and starters in the last one and a half games of the regular season.
It would have been nice if the Colts rested their players and the Saints didn't so this Superbowl can probably really decide once and for all which approach is better: resting or trying to go 19-0.
But of course, just another reason to hate the Colts.
Unfortunately for us, we will never knew which approach in better.
The Saints ended up losing to the Cowboys in a game they went all out for and didn't rest any players. After that loss, the Saints ended up resting their key players and the Colts acted like pussies and rested their stars and starters in the last one and a half games of the regular season.
It would have been nice if the Colts rested their players and the Saints didn't so this Superbowl can probably really decide once and for all which approach is better: resting or trying to go 19-0.
But of course, just another reason to hate the Colts.
The Colts Taking Heat For Protecting Players
On Sunday the Indianapolis Colts benched their starters like Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai, and company. They lost and their coach is taking a lot of heat for doing it from the fans and media. I know they were undefeated and everyone wants to see the perfect season, but if they would have gotten injured, especially Peyton Manning, the Fans and everyone else would have been on Jim Caldwell for not making the move.
I can see the argument for both sides. The fans at the game payed a lot of money to see their team win. Every fan wants to see their team do the impossible (it has happened twice though) and no fan wants their team to give up in a game. If this was a team that I followed and was a fan for I would be disappointed. I would be frustrated the team didn’t give it their all, play hard, and gave up a chance for the perfect season. I would be fine with it though and not boo the coach and team. I would respect that decision, because Jim Caldwell has to make it. If he went the other way and someone got injured, no would support him in that move to play them.
If a key player would have gotten injured, especially manning the season and superbowl hopes would be gone for the Colts. Football is a physical game where many players do get hurt. I can’t remember a game where a coach did play his star players after they clinched and the player got injured, but it could easily happen. On Sunday we did see the Bears loose three players in the game due to injuries. The Colts are nothing without Peyton Manning and the players Caldwell did bench to keep healthy for the playoffs. By benching Manning we did see the rookie back-up quarterback play and he isn't ready.
It is disappointing to see your team lay a egg, but sometimes you need to plan for the prize and forget the unnecessary steps to get there.
I can see the argument for both sides. The fans at the game payed a lot of money to see their team win. Every fan wants to see their team do the impossible (it has happened twice though) and no fan wants their team to give up in a game. If this was a team that I followed and was a fan for I would be disappointed. I would be frustrated the team didn’t give it their all, play hard, and gave up a chance for the perfect season. I would be fine with it though and not boo the coach and team. I would respect that decision, because Jim Caldwell has to make it. If he went the other way and someone got injured, no would support him in that move to play them.
If a key player would have gotten injured, especially manning the season and superbowl hopes would be gone for the Colts. Football is a physical game where many players do get hurt. I can’t remember a game where a coach did play his star players after they clinched and the player got injured, but it could easily happen. On Sunday we did see the Bears loose three players in the game due to injuries. The Colts are nothing without Peyton Manning and the players Caldwell did bench to keep healthy for the playoffs. By benching Manning we did see the rookie back-up quarterback play and he isn't ready.
It is disappointing to see your team lay a egg, but sometimes you need to plan for the prize and forget the unnecessary steps to get there.
Should The Colts Rest Their Players?
This has been a huge topic during a slow news week over at ESPN. There is a simple answer to the question- NO!
I understand the logic behind resting players, coaches want their stud players healthy enough to win a few games so they can win a Superbowl. However, there are so many flaws with this principle if you don't look at other factors.
1) This strategy has NEVER worked for the Colts in the past. The year the Colts won the Superbowl was the year they had a 3 seed and were still fighting and trying towards the end of the year. The years in which they locked up home field advantage were years in which Dungy rested his players. Those years the Colts never even made it to the Superbowl
2) This is a causality thing and not a correlation thing either. When players are rested towards the end of the season, they obviously don't play. This screws up the timing and chemistry when these players do come back. Historically, Peyton Manning and his offensive line have not been on the same page during playoff runs. This is because the players are rested and have gone out of sync with each other. The reason you rest players is so you can get optimal performances out of them. But you get the optimal performance out of these players by starting them every week, not by resting them
3) Recent history has pointed towards Superbowl winners still trying towards the end of the season. The Giants played the Patriots hard in Week 17 the year they won the Superbowl. The two times the Steelers have won Superbowls recently were years in which they needed to win games down the stretch.
4) Why not go for 16-0? Jesus, that's a historic fucking milestone and starting your starters will help you achieve that milestone! Plus, if you go 16-0 AND win a Superbowl, you'll be hailed as the greatest team of all time. Nobody really remembers a singular Superbowl team. Everyone would remember a 16-0 team, or even better, a 19-0 team. Even though the Patriots lost, they are still remembered for going 16-0.
I understand the logic behind resting players, coaches want their stud players healthy enough to win a few games so they can win a Superbowl. However, there are so many flaws with this principle if you don't look at other factors.
1) This strategy has NEVER worked for the Colts in the past. The year the Colts won the Superbowl was the year they had a 3 seed and were still fighting and trying towards the end of the year. The years in which they locked up home field advantage were years in which Dungy rested his players. Those years the Colts never even made it to the Superbowl
2) This is a causality thing and not a correlation thing either. When players are rested towards the end of the season, they obviously don't play. This screws up the timing and chemistry when these players do come back. Historically, Peyton Manning and his offensive line have not been on the same page during playoff runs. This is because the players are rested and have gone out of sync with each other. The reason you rest players is so you can get optimal performances out of them. But you get the optimal performance out of these players by starting them every week, not by resting them
3) Recent history has pointed towards Superbowl winners still trying towards the end of the season. The Giants played the Patriots hard in Week 17 the year they won the Superbowl. The two times the Steelers have won Superbowls recently were years in which they needed to win games down the stretch.
4) Why not go for 16-0? Jesus, that's a historic fucking milestone and starting your starters will help you achieve that milestone! Plus, if you go 16-0 AND win a Superbowl, you'll be hailed as the greatest team of all time. Nobody really remembers a singular Superbowl team. Everyone would remember a 16-0 team, or even better, a 19-0 team. Even though the Patriots lost, they are still remembered for going 16-0.
