The idiotic move by the Colts management to remove Peyton Manning and their top defensive players midway through the third quarter was made under the guise of ‘resting’ their big guns for the playoffs.
These guys are professional athletes for Christ’s sakes! They should be able to play all sixteen games of the regular season. The New York Jets are fighting for their playoff lives; you didn’t see Rex Ryan giving Dirty Sanchez the fourth quarter off.
What a terrible message this decision sends to Indy fans. Thousands of them spent their hard earned money to come watch the team’s quest for perfection and they were forced to watch the Colts give away a victory.
And that’s all it was. A complete giveaway.
Yesterday’s defeat doesn’t ‘get rid of the pressure of a perfect season’, nor does it ‘alleviate the strain on your first string’; or even ‘give your scrubs some playing time just in case’ (who gives a shit about the playing time of backup players anyway; this isn’t peewee. A disgruntled father isn’t going to pull little Jimmy off the team because he’s not getting any action).
All the loss does is eliminate any momentum the Colts had heading into the New Year. The positive mojo Indianapolis acquired over their impressive regular season win streak has been destroyed with one bone-headed managerial decision.
It would be one thing if the Colts played the scrubs for the entire game and still lost. But Indy was clinging to a tenuous lead when they decided to throw in the towel and, for a lack of a better word, quit (and that’s what they did; you can’t convince me otherwise).
I’m glad Colts fans voiced their displeasure so vehemently. Because I was feeling all warm and fuzzy from the Christmas season, I almost felt bad for the derisive booing fostered upon Indy’s backup quarterback, Curtis Painter.
Then I put myself into the position of a paying customer and realized, ‘Would I want to pay 50 bucks a ticket to watch some guy who should be bagging groceries at Wal-Mart instead of playing quarterback in the NFL?’
Indianapolis was on the precipice of greatness and was feared by every team in the AFC. Now, they’re going to play their second string again next week, have a bye week after that, and then face a hungry opponent on a hot streak in the divisional round.
Peyton Manning and the high-octane Colts offence won’t have another meaningful snap for three weeks. That does not bode well for a team which depends so greatly on the machinations of a well-oiled passing game.
Posts
1 comment:
i was particulary miffed by the removal of peyton from the game because of the fact that the jets were getting zero pressure on him in the first half. he was knocked down once on a borderline late hit, but that's it. on any given play, he had enough time in the pocket to film another witty and inspired visa ad. weak, weak decision.
Post a Comment