Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell is sick of hearing about his decision in Week Sixteen to bench quarterback Peyton Manning and other top players, surrendering a shot at a perfect season in an effort to keep his team healthy for the playoffs.
And Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com reports that Caldwell asked Colts players to deflect media questions about the decision, because Caldwell wants all the focus to be on the playoffs.
“The real key is what you do this time of year,” Caldwell said. “That’s how everybody is judged in this league. I’d like to be judged that exact same way. Can you get your team to the biggest game and vie for the most coveted trophy in professional team sports? And can you win it?”
Caldwell is right that what really matters is what a team does in the playoffs: If the Colts come out looking sharp and win on Saturday, the idea that they’ve lost momentum will be largely forgotten, and everyone will be talking about the Colts as the favorites to win the AFC Championship next weekend and get to the Super Bowl.
But if they lose to the Ravens, Caldwell instructing his players not to talk about Week Sixteen won’t stop him from being questioned about it for a long, long time.