What was it that Herm Edwards famously said? Something about playing to win the game? Apparently Jim Caldwell didn’t get that memo.
Perfect seasons aren’t easy to come by. Matter of fact, it has only been done twice. The Indianapolis Colts had two cupcake games remaining on their schedule to accomplish the feat; one against a team led by a rookie quarterback, and the other against a team with 10 losses. A 16-0 record was right within reach, and staring the Colts in the eyes. It should be business as usual, right?
In one of the most frustrating losses football fans have seen in some time, Coach Caldwell and ownership had other plans. They chose to do without the undefeated record, throw in the towel, let down the city of Indianapolis and other fans around the country, and give up.
Spare me the Super Bowl talk, players needing rest, the risk of injury, and any other pansy excuses. The player that matters most to this team rarely gets touched, as he has only been sacked 10 times all year.
The Colts also have a first-round bye. The team can get their rest then… unless they enjoy three weeks worth of R & R (rest and rust in the world of football).
A perfect season meant a great deal to a lot of people. You owed it to the fans that pay to watch you week in and week out. You owed to yourselves to finish off the season on a high note and head into the playoffs as the hottest and most feared team in football. Instead, you now have a distraction, as well as thousands of disappointed people. It was painfully obvious that even your star player didn’t like what was taking place. No one enjoys losing, I don’t care who you are.
So here’s to you, Jim Caldwell; you are a moron. You are a first-year coach that inherited a gold mine, and forgot that. You don’t mean more than the city, or the team. You show me a coach that can sit on the sideline and feel comfort in watching his team suffer, and I’ll show you a loser. Congratulations, coach, winning the ring is now no longer hoped for, but expected. If not, what else do you have to show for?
Perfectly put, no pun intended.
“So here’s to you, Jim Caldwell; you are a moron”
Ya know what, Luc?
Caldwell is getting a LOAD of heat for this and deservedly so.
It’s a no-win situation. Don’t win the Bowl and you’ll never hear the end of it. Win the Bowl and go 18-1 and they’ll want to know why you couldn’t have had the perfect season.
Agree with all of you guys. As Luca alludes to, the extra rest may ironically turn out to be detrimental.