Colts Give Up Perfection

Apparently the Indianapolis Colts are so good they can afford to give games away. & in doing that, they stole something from fans, their players, & the history books, while complicating the playoff scenario for various teams. What the Colts also gave away, was respect for the game.

It's one thing to get out played, but it's another thing to wave a white flag in the middle of the game basically giving your opponent a win & a chance at the playoffs that they likely didn't deserve. Last week Rex Ryan basically said the Jets playoff chances were dead (& they were). Little did he know...little did anyone know, that Colts Coach Jim Caldwell would gift wrap him a win, disrespecting the tradition of the game in the process, & foolishly giving up on a once in a lifetime opportunity. With 5:36 left in the 3rd quarter & a 15-10 lead, Caldwell turned his back on perfection. For the Jets, it was like taking candy from a baby. Scoring 19 unanswered & through no fault of their own, being credited with the most disgraceful win in NFL history.

If you watched the game, Manning & Co had the Jets defense on their heels, even Darrelle Rivas looked confused. It was a very winnable game. But Jim Caldwell, being precautions I guess, decided to punt the game. As if to say, "we'll get em next week guys." In an era where guys like Randy Moss get eaten alive for not giving 100% on the field, I'm not ready to forgive a coach who basically decided to do the same & disgracefully lose purposely. I've seen plenty of players lay down, but nothing compared to the disgust I felt Sunday, as I saw Peyton Manning standing on the sideline as Curtis Painter took snap, after snap, after snap. After the 3rd quarter ended, my viewing of the game ended. Hey if the Caldwell gave up on the game I figured I could as well.

I understand that you need to protect players from injury, but didn't Tony Dungy do this with the Colts in 2005? The Colts started out 13-0 & after a loss to San Diego, Dungy basically decided to give Manning the rest of the season off. The Colts then met the Steelers, who quickly ended their season, giving them the rest of the year off. Now I'm hoping history repeats itself & the very same teams Indy foolishly gave a glimmer of hope in the playoff race, comes back to haunt them in January & eliminate them. Because they aren't worthy of wearing a Super Bowl ring this year.