THROWING GAMES TO REST STARTERS--AGREE or DISAGREE

[MOBB DEEP]

I think if you give the guys a half you will keep them sharp enough.....

its about MINDSET too though; Colts dont play another meaningful game til Jan 17. so you're talkn a long time to be on cruise control...no feeling of invinceability; which a 16-0 record may have given them since they had SO many near-losses this year

as a player i would vote to put proverbial foot on opponents' neck. as a coach i dont want players who dont feel the same. As worrisome fans some ppl display unfounded fear. maybe the stance that ppl take in this matter directly correlates with the way they view life in general...

i dont want no whimpy, cautious, buzz-killing philosophies that GUARANTEE nothing!

Wifey and her fam (staunch Colts fans b/c their RB coach coached her brother at Nebraska and 49ers) were LIVID!

since ALL the players wanted to go for it, is it possible a schzism has been created b/w coachn staff and squad?

Now we gota listen to mercury morris...DAYUM...!!!

[sharpe1027]

Re: THROWING GAMES TO REST STARTERS--AGREE or DISAGREE

IMO, it was the correct decision, but it was handled poorly. Keep the pulled players involved in the game and don't let them pout on the bench like little grade schoolers. Those guys could have been encouraging their backups to win the game and in doing so stayed involved and pumped up.

[sheepshead]

Clearly the best decision. The objective of any team is to win in the post season. Its how everyone is measured. I applaud the guy. I understand it was part of his game plan and he stuck to it. Somebody gets dinged up or worse in every game. If Manning was lost for the season what would the talking heads be saying?

[mngolf19]

I think the basic premise here is that the NFL is ENTERTAINMENT!!! This is all for the fans. If your team hasn't won the SB or been there in awhile, fine rest the guys and "protect" them. But if you've won recently, then it's BS. I as a fan want my team to set new and bigger goals now. Go for undefeated, etc, etc, until you can't anymore. I'd be pissed. My relatives that live in Indy and are Colts fans are pissed. Take a poll of their fans and they are all PISSED. "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME" and you play to please your fans ultimately.

As for what if, in the situation above I'd be understanding of the injury if it happened trying to get the new goal set. And I don't really care what the idiot talking heads think. They too forget this is entertainment and done for the fans sake.

[Smidgeon]

I think the basic premise here is that the NFL is ENTERTAINMENT!!! This is all for the fans. If your team hasn't won the SB or been there in awhile, fine rest the guys and "protect" them. But if you've won recently, then it's BS. I as a fan want my team to set new and bigger goals now. Go for undefeated, etc, etc, until you can't anymore. I'd be pissed. My relatives that live in Indy and are Colts fans are pissed. Take a poll of their fans and they are all PISSED. "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME" and you play to please your fans ultimately.

As for what if, in the situation above I'd be understanding of the injury if it happened trying to get the new goal set. And I don't really care what the idiot talking heads think. They too forget this is entertainment and done for the fans sake.

It's more than just playing to please the fans. This isn't the WWE. This is the NFL. The players' primary concern isn't to put on a good show. It's to cement their own legacy within a team and on special occasion rise even above that. They want to cement their legacy by being a part of a Super Bowl winning team. If they can't do that, then by personal achievement (sometimes the reverse). But to say the NFL is solely for entertainment is short-sighted. For the fans it's entertainment. For the players, it's an attempt to do something they love and, if they succeed, become immortalized after a fashion.

[sharpe1027]

I think the basic premise here is that the NFL is ENTERTAINMENT!!! This is all for the fans. If your team hasn't won the SB or been there in awhile, fine rest the guys and "protect" them. But if you've won recently, then it's BS. I as a fan want my team to set new and bigger goals now. Go for undefeated, etc, etc, until you can't anymore. I'd be pissed. My relatives that live in Indy and are Colts fans are pissed. Take a poll of their fans and they are all PISSED. "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME" and you play to please your fans ultimately.

The NFL is a business. A fan's only voice is with their wallet. Some fans might be pissed, but I doubt it affects the Colts bottom line much, if at all.

[mngolf19]

I think the basic premise here is that the NFL is ENTERTAINMENT!!! This is all for the fans. If your team hasn't won the SB or been there in awhile, fine rest the guys and "protect" them. But if you've won recently, then it's BS. I as a fan want my team to set new and bigger goals now. Go for undefeated, etc, etc, until you can't anymore. I'd be pissed. My relatives that live in Indy and are Colts fans are pissed. Take a poll of their fans and they are all PISSED. "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME" and you play to please your fans ultimately.

As for what if, in the situation above I'd be understanding of the injury if it happened trying to get the new goal set. And I don't really care what the idiot talking heads think. They too forget this is entertainment and done for the fans sake.

It's more than just playing to please the fans. This isn't the WWE. This is the NFL. The players' primary concern isn't to put on a good show. It's to cement their own legacy within a team and on special occasion rise even above that. They want to cement their legacy by being a part of a Super Bowl winning team. If they can't do that, then by personal achievement (sometimes the reverse). But to say the NFL is solely for entertainment is short-sighted. For the fans it's entertainment. For the players, it's an attempt to do something they love and, if they succeed, become immortalized after a fashion.

Which to me is also why you play for the bigger goal of undefeated. That's also how it is not the WWE. Your not asking someone to take it easy, your asking them to play hard every game and do their best. That would help what your saying above as well.

And if they want to do it the way you stated, then they shouldn't have a problem with all their fans being pissed either should they. And the Colts are getting lambasted in Indy this morning on all media. Not every decision they make should be based on what the fans want, but if the fans just want you to win...

[Smidgeon]

I think the basic premise here is that the NFL is ENTERTAINMENT!!! This is all for the fans. If your team hasn't won the SB or been there in awhile, fine rest the guys and "protect" them. But if you've won recently, then it's BS. I as a fan want my team to set new and bigger goals now. Go for undefeated, etc, etc, until you can't anymore. I'd be pissed. My relatives that live in Indy and are Colts fans are pissed. Take a poll of their fans and they are all PISSED. "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME" and you play to please your fans ultimately.

As for what if, in the situation above I'd be understanding of the injury if it happened trying to get the new goal set. And I don't really care what the idiot talking heads think. They too forget this is entertainment and done for the fans sake.

It's more than just playing to please the fans. This isn't the WWE. This is the NFL. The players' primary concern isn't to put on a good show. It's to cement their own legacy within a team and on special occasion rise even above that. They want to cement their legacy by being a part of a Super Bowl winning team. If they can't do that, then by personal achievement (sometimes the reverse). But to say the NFL is solely for entertainment is short-sighted. For the fans it's entertainment. For the players, it's an attempt to do something they love and, if they succeed, become immortalized after a fashion.

Which to me is also why you play for the bigger goal of undefeated. That's also how it is not the WWE. Your not asking someone to take it easy, your asking them to play hard every game and do their best. That would help what your saying above as well.

And if they want to do it the way you stated, then they shouldn't have a problem with all their fans being pissed either should they. And the Colts are getting lambasted in Indy this morning on all media. Not every decision they make should be based on what the fans want, but if the fans just want you to win...

Well, they don't give out trophies for going undefeated and losing the Super Bowl. You get a ring for winning the Super Bowl and your team gets a trophy. So far all you get for going undefeated in the regular season and winning the Super Bowl is a bunch of champagne...

Seriously though, the Patriots who lost the Super Bowl after winning every regular season game aren't considered the "team of destiny". That was the Giants who beat them. Legacy isn't just about winning every game. It's about winning the right game. The Super Bowl. It's about cementing long-term legacy. I would easily trade a perfect season for a Super Bowl. Especially when you consider how few teams have more than two or three Super Bowl trophies. That's a legacy: a dynasty. One or two Super Bowls over the course of several decades isn't a legacy. Doing it again and again is a legacy.

[sharpe1027]

Which to me is also why you play for the bigger goal of undefeated. That's also how it is not the WWE. Your not asking someone to take it easy, your asking them to play hard every game and do their best. That would help what your saying above as well.

And if they want to do it the way you stated, then they shouldn't have a problem with all their fans being pissed either should they. And the Colts are getting lambasted in Indy this morning on all media. Not every decision they make should be based on what the fans want, but if the fans just want you to win...

WWE? Poor analogy. Substitution of one player for another is not asking anyone to take it easy on the field. Everyone is still be expected to play hard.

You're arguing that a single game is all that matters, and fail to account for the big picture. Teams make decisions that sacrifice short term chances for long term benefits all the time.

I am reasonably certain that the Colts organization is not very worried about fans being pissed. What they are worried about is losing in the playoffs.

[mngolf19]

Which to me is also why you play for the bigger goal of undefeated. That's also how it is not the WWE. Your not asking someone to take it easy, your asking them to play hard every game and do their best. That would help what your saying above as well.

And if they want to do it the way you stated, then they shouldn't have a problem with all their fans being pissed either should they. And the Colts are getting lambasted in Indy this morning on all media. Not every decision they make should be based on what the fans want, but if the fans just want you to win...

WWE? Poor analogy. Substitution of one player for another is not asking anyone to take it easy on the field. Everyone is still be expected to play hard.

You're arguing that a single game is all that matters, and fail to account for the big picture. Teams make decisions that sacrifice short term chances for long term benefits all the time.

I am reasonably certain that the Colts organization is not very worried about fans being pissed. What they are worried about is losing in the playoffs.

Not a single game, every single game. And yes if you are not playing your best available every game, then you are laying down. Nothing says they are now going to win the SB either. I guess I have a different expectation out of my team than some of you. That's fine. This isn't a "I'm sitting so and so because he's hurt", it's pulling your best players when they aren't hurt.

[sharpe1027]

Not a single game, every single game. And yes if you are not playing your best available every game, then you are laying down. Nothing says they are now going to win the SB either. I guess I have a different expectation out of my team than some of you. That's fine. This isn't a "I'm sitting so and so because he's hurt", it's pulling your best players when they aren't hurt.

Then you must really be pissed about the preseason games. Those games count just as much as the Colts last two games.

[wist43]

There should be another option in your poll...

Momentum and psychological downside.

The Saints have had things wrapped up for a while now... but psychologically, they're not in good place.

The Colts... maybe they're in a little different position b/c so much of who the Colts are is Peyton Manning. If he's okay, they're okay...

But when a team shuts it down... players body language changes, you see your team out on the field getting kicked around, you're losing games... none of that bodes well.

[Jimx29]

Pulling Manning and the rest of the starters showed more class than brady and belacheat will ever have.

[sharpe1027]

There should be another option in your poll...

Momentum and psychological downside.

The Saints have had things wrapped up for a while now... but psychologically, they're not in good place.

The Colts... maybe they're in a little different position b/c so much of who the Colts are is Peyton Manning. If he's okay, they're okay...

But when a team shuts it down... players body language changes, you see your team out on the field getting kicked around, you're losing games... none of that bodes well.

Interesting point. Is playing your starters and still getting kicked around better or worse than pulling your starters and getting kicked around? Perhaps the other benefit of pulling your starters is that they won't be responsible for a possible loss.

Here's another thing. Are the Colts going to show some of their best plays in games that don't count? Do they want other teams to have more film on them? If not, then why play your starters if you're not going to go full-bore on game planning anyway?

There's more than just injuries that go into the decision.

[pbmax]

i don't like it. it backfires on teams all the time.

WWLD

But does it backfire more often than playing out the string and then losing in the first round? Half the teams lose in each round of the playoffs (slight adjustment needed for Wild Card Round).