Kyle Johnson Where I talk about anything

We Gave It Our Best

I'm sorry, Mr. Polian, but you did not give it your best. Sunday's loss to the New York Jets made me really rethink the people we have running the Indianapolis Colts organization. With a shot at a 15-0 regular season record, one shy of a perfect regular season, Coach Caldwell decided it would be in the best interest of the team to pull Peyton Manning and the other offensive starters (minus the offensive line, mind you) and let them rest up. They didn't want them to get hurt. Now don't get me wrong, I do not in anyway want any of our players to be hurt. Without those players, we wouldn't have won the first 14 games of the season. So they are vital to the success of the team.

But when will we ever have a chance to run the table in the regular season again? Sure, the ultimate goal IS to win the Super Bowl. No question about that, you will not hear an argument from me. But is not the purpose of playing games to win? Last I checked it was.

Now I don't mean any disrespect to the young Curtis Painter, but the best chance we had to win that game was for him to be on the bench, and Peyton Manning behind center. Yes, Painter needs to get game experience so we can see what he is capable of doing in an NFL game. But isn't that what preseason football is for when you have a very dependable quarterback like Peyton Manning? When the New England Patriots ran the table in the regular season, I didn't see them pulling starters to prevent possible injury to them. I didn't see Tom Brady on the sidelines while Matt Cassel went out so Bill Belichick could see what he's capable of doing (although they found out the following season after Tom Brady's season ending knee injury).

I'm sorry, but I absolutely can't stand it when I'm sitting here listening to The Bill Polian Show, and he's sitting there telling the listeners that they "gave it their best." If that's their best effort at winning a game, then I'd like to know who the hell was playing the first 14 games of the season. Because it obviously wasn't the team that showed up yesterday.

The Colts have put themselves in a situation that they cannot win. If the team ends up winning the Super Bowl, they will be criticized for pulling the starters during this game yet again because then they'd of had the chance at what's never been done before, 19-0. But on the opposite side of the coin, if they end up not making the Super Bowl, whether they lose in the second round or conference championship round, or even if they do make the Super Bowl and end up losing the game, they will then be criticized because they pulled the starters during this game and ruined their rhythm.

Only time will tell on which way they will be criticized. I just hope all the commotion dies down here in the Indianapolis area over what happened, because the obvious focus should now be on how we are going to handle the game against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday.