APAs talk heats up in Indianapolis that it could be time for the Colts to clean house, team president Bill Polian is coming to the defense of coach Jim Caldwell.
“How you evaluate [Caldwell] is what you do with what he has,” Polian said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “You can’t hold him responsible for injuries. You can’t hold him responsible for an unforeseen surgery [to Peyton Manning] that no one anticipated would happen. The things that he can control, I think he’s done a terrific job of, given where we are from a standpoint of personnel.”
Polian is right that you can’t blame Caldwell for Manning’s injury, but can’t you blame him for the complete failure of the team to respond to Manning’s injury? Teams have lost key players before and not go into the tank. The Patriots went 11-5 in 2008, the year Tom Brady was lost in Week One. To go back a ways, Barry Sanders was arguably the most indispensable player in the NFL in the 1990s, but the Lions still managed to go 3-2 in the five games he missed in 1993. Lots of teams have been hit hard by injuries, and they aren’t all losing by 55 points, as the Colts did to the Saints on Sunday.
So what’s the problem with the Colts if it’s not coaching? Polian doesn’t seem to know.
“The players are playing hard, and it’s hard for me to believe that Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney and Pat Angerer and Kavell Conner, and people who, on and on — Fili Moala — people who have played well in the past have all of a sudden fallen off the cliff,” Polian said. “That’s not been the case. That isn’t the case. So we’ve got to figure out what’s wrong and get it corrected.”
If the coach is doing a great job and the players are playing hard and yet the team is 0-7, it sounds like the team doesn’t have very good players. And that’s on Polian.
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0-6 is a terrific job?? I need a job with the Colts!!
If he Colts can’ win a single game without Peyton, the NFL should retroactively award him the MVP Trophy for every year he lead that team to winning seasons.
“And that’s on Polian.”
All I can say to that is Amen, brother!
Means he’ll be gone by Thanksgiving………
Caldwell hasn’t done as bad a job as Polian. Caldwell coaches Polian’s guys who consist of Peyton Manning and everyone Manning has made look better than they are. Polian must have the easiest job on the planet, you’d think at some point he would have invested in a back-up plan for Manning I mean, it IS football Bill and injuries DO happen…ask Joe Montana and Steve Young
And the joke of the day goes to….
BILL POLIAN!
lol….i lost all respect for this idiot caldwell when he gifted the jets into the playoffs two years ago….i was so happy to see his team lose to the saints in the SB. it was only fitting that it was the saints who totally embarrassed the colts this week.
the players have quit on their coach….no team that’s actually trying gets beat 62-7 in the nfl.
Peyton should definitely win MVP this year. By not playing he is showing that he is the most valuable by far.
Polian:’I think he’s done a terrific job’, I’m the one that should be fired.
Well, if Polian thinks he’s doing a great job, he probably thinks Caldwell is too.
Fire both of these clowns.
yeah this is why both of them need to be fired. although i’ve been saying polian has needed to be fired for 6 years now, but thankfully everyone is finally figuring that out as well. Bill Polian is a terrible GM probably the worst one in the NFL. And Jim Caldwell is a terrible coach probably the worst one in the NFL. and Jim Irsay, well, he’s just a drug addict.
Polian should be taking a hit as well. Manning’s outrageous contract amount causes major holes in depth across the roster.
Belichick has found a recipe for finding role players. Polian has found a recipe for filling roster spots cheaply.
Polian would be nothing without Manning. Mannings injury shows how much garbage Polian put around him for years.
There’s condescending, there’s patronizing and then there’s blatant stupidity. No matter how bad off your NFL team is-an NFL team should NEVER lose by a score of 62 to 7!
If the goal is to suck for Luck, then yes, he’s done a wonderful job.
No doubt about it, a perfect job.
Bill Polian on Jim Caldwell: “I think he’s done”—Fix’d
And since we’re on the subject, WTF is up with Caldwell’s rat whisker mustache?
The NFL/Colts need Bill Polian to go away. He not only changed the WR/DB contacts rules which fans and players alike hate in today’s NFL, but also demonstrates no clue how to do his job. A well run organization doesn’t fall off a cliff like this. I hope when the Irsays do clean house, Polian is the first to go.
Just fire him and sing Manning to be HC, OC and QB. First Dungy and now Caldwell. Manning makes coaches.
I have to wonder if the next Indy HC will be black. If Indy goes out and finds a black coach w/o interviewing a white coach, someone should sue them for racial discrimination.
Even with Manning, this isn’t a .500 team. They were 10-6 last year, after a 6-6 start, only because they played a crappy divisional schedule. I agree that the roster stinks and that’s on Polian. Caldwell is doing a great job in terms of Suck for Luck.
Good job Jim! We’re well on our way to Peyton’s replacement, Andrew Luck.
“……….and if he goes 0-16 he will have accomplished our ultimate goal.”
0-7 is a terrific job. Sounds like Polian has been consulting with Matt Millen.
This is why people appreciate (coach) Al Davis and not a corporate american type of GM that said one thing and does another.
and really? you Colts fans are pathetic. looking so desperately for an edge to give to Peyton to say he’s better than Brady. that’s just sad. you should just stop embarrassing yourselves.
They just lost by 55. That’s “playing hard?” Granted, it was the typical Saints steam-roller offense, but still…
I think a lot pf people are forgetting the fact that the Colts would still have been the most injury-plagued team this season even if Manning had been healthy…
To take an example; this upcoming Sunday, 5 out of the best 7 o-lineman will be out with injury.
Would the Patriots still go 11-5 with Cassel at QB and 5/7 o-linemen out?
This season puts the end to the question of who’s better, Tom Brady or Payton Manning? Obviously Payton is far superior. Looking at their career numbers Payton leads in average yards per game, TD passes per game, and completion percentage. Brady throws about .2% less interceptions per game but fumbles .4% more. The most telling number though is that the Patriots went 11-5 without him and the Colts are not even competitive without Payton. Brady is a system QB in a great system. Payton is just the system. Payton would turn any team he played for into a competitor whereas Brady needs to be surrounded by a good team that knows how to follow a great system put in by a great coach.
Bill Polian, you spelled Horrific wrong.
Hard to be critical of Polian with all his success in Buffalo, Carolina, and Indy- but even in a VP role there is some danger when you have 31 million in cap dollars for one position and neither guy is playing.
Making the Saints look good?
Going winless, getting absolutely humiliated on National television, a pathetic performance allowing over 60 points to be racked up on you, and then making excuses is a terrific job???????
George Costanza has been searching for that dream position for years.
Bill Polian should be the one in question about if he did a good job with the roster…
How is Jim Tressell doing Mr. Polian?
Bill Polian also believes that he himself has done a “terrific job”
The Colts are quitters. They quit vs NE in the playoffs, they quit when 16-0 was in their sites and they quit when their recievers couldnt get open until they had to change the rules for them. Now they are quitting again. This has nothing to do with Manning. The organization is always looking for the easy way out. Quitters.
the owner of the colts needs to fire polian and caldwell. polian’s better days are behind him and caldwell has no clue.
And before we start saying Manning is the next Brady, remember the Pats won 18 games in 07, 11 in 08 and missed the playoffs. Not bad, but a 7 game drop off.
How Can a team lose this bad without manning?
A good College team can be the Colts. Don’t worry if the colts start having losing seasons. They will blame it on the fans or the city government and then they will move the team.
I think some people are missing the point when it comes to a massive drubbing like that from the Saints. The Colts defense was never top tier, just pretty decent. They might be mediocre now, as in they could have held an offensive dynamo like the Saints to 30 [i]if they had an offense that could sustain drives.[/i] They haven’t had a good running game in years, and without Manning, the offense turns it over quickly, and the defense is back on the field, over and over and over.
So yeah, remove that vital cog and the flaws that were there before pile one atop the other.
Oh oh… That means he’s getting smoked.
You’re a fool if you don’t see THEY WANT 0-16. “Terrific Job” – there’s one and only one reason to say that. They WILL get Andrew Luck!
Did some people think that Polian was going to say that Caldwell is not doing a good job and is not a very good coach to the media?
as a pats fan i agree the pats did go 11-5 but they didnt beat any of the top teams in the afc that year. colts jets steelers even miami was good that year etc. which is why they didnt make the playoffs. brady beat all of them the following year. but the surprising thing for the colts is the defense. just shows when they dont have the lead in games the defense slows down
Manning injury = OK for D to give up 62 points? Brees had more TDs than incompletions.
It was clear to me Caldwell was a no-good coach when he called that timeout against the Jets in the playoffs.
Where are his draft picks? This is still largely Dungy’s team and Caldwell hasn’t proven a lick.
patslaya says:Oct 27, 2011 2:00 PM
This season puts the end to the question of who’s better, Tom Brady or Payton Manning
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No, the only question answered is which organization did a better job of team building around their great QBs, which gave a higher % of the $ to the stars or which built a team with better players 12-53.
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Brady comp 64%, TD/gm 1.85. Manning 65%, 1.92. Wow, what a diff.
Colts and Pats have been @top of league in W/L going into the playoffs Brady’s whole career, with similar records. Yet Brady is 14-5 in postseason w/3 rings, while Manning is 9-10 with 1. How do explain that. Teams are equal in reg season but Pats much better in post. It’s because Brady’s better when it counts.
.
@patslaya
“Brady is a system QB ”
First, when you’re 0-7 and your team lost it’s last game by 62-7, your Brady criticism privileges are automatically revoked.
Secondly, which current NFL QB’s would be an improvement over Brady if put in the Patriots “system “?
Thirdly, if it’s just “a system ” that produces 30 points a game, then why don’t all teams utilize it?
Fourthly, to your contention that Brady’s team’s have always been loaded with talent. When’s Anthony Pleasant’s induction ceremony? Tebucky Jones? Reche Caldwell?
Keep your typing hand in good shape for bashing Brady after the Patriots play that 0-7 squad.
.
Regarding Brady’s postseason w-l ratio; I think most people would agree that Brady over the last five years have been a vastly better QB than he was over his first 5 years.
Yet, he has a better W-L ratio when he was a worse player. How can one explain that?
Polian is just being polite and saying the PC thing to the media… he has to be, right? What other explanation could there be?
Aw, don’t you worry. Jim Tressel’s probably going to see an upgrade from “Game Day Consultant” real soon.
I haven’t heard people in the media questioning whether the Colts would have been all that good even with Manning this year. Obviously he makes a huge difference and is absolutely vital to what they do on offense and how they’re built. However, I wasn’t sure they were going to be as good of a team with him this year. Manning would make a massive difference with this team, more than any other player with any other team, but even with him, I’m not sure they would have been more than an 8-8 team this year.
Polian is the primary person for fault with the dismal performance of the Colts because he is in charge of personnel, and for the pat few years he has allowed the talent to fade. Also, he wasted a first round pick on the DE from TCU when he had somle other positions, like Oline, that needed to be addressed.
Also, allowing the Peyton Manning saga to progress to the point where Manning’s surgery caught the coaching staff totally unprepared without sufficient back-up players falls on Polian.
Maybe Caldwell is not as “front page” and as high profile as Dungy, but what would Dungy be doing with this same talent and injury situations?
Well let’s see, Polian decides the lineup. Peyton calls the offense. The players run the defense (horribly). So what exactly DOES Jim Caldwell do?
To solve your Tom Brady debate? The answer is always Cam Newton.
“Terrific”…HAH!
Honestly, I have a hard believing that most of us who frequent this site would do a worse job than Jim Caldwell has.
Who knew that a 26-63 career record at Wake Forst was the fast track to being an NFL Head Coach?
“A terrific job?” of course he has, the colt are sitting nicely in the Luck Sweepstakes..
You actually kind of cemented my point here. Peyton is better because his team failed to put a better team around him and they are terrible with out him whereas Brady goes down for the season and Cassell is able to take his team to 11-5. You are correct that Brady has a better postseason record and I will point to the fact that his team is not as good as Brady’s have been as the answer to that.
Other related news, Bill Polian believes in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.
Polian thinks Caldwell’s done a terrific job? At what?? Certainly not at preparing his team to function without Peyton Manning. Bill Belichick had the same challenge when the Pats lost Brady for the year coming off a Super Bowl loss, but the team still managed to go 11-5. Of course, it’s Polian’s job to provide what Parcells calls “the groceries.” But if Caldwell can’t cook up a defensive answer for 62 points with Freeney and Mathis on hand, the problem’s in the coaching.
I’m not a Polian fan. And I’m stunned he’d make noises like he’s willing to fall on his sword for Caldwell (though he’d probably never have to follow through). But the complete failure of that team to step up has got to be on the coach.
Mr. Polian stop that! A reliable source told me Caldwell is getting tattooed behind closed doors and Jim Tressel is covering it up.
Polian has more excuses than points scored by New Orleans last week. Only we (Colts fans) are used to hearing Polian’s excuses in January not October. How many times did Colts have great regular seasons and lose 1st game in playoffs? 6 out of last 9 years? Change is not in his vocabulary – let’s keep doing what we did before. Expect 9 more losses, fellow Colts fans!
Not a fan of Caldwell. I would be shocked if he is coaching the Colts next season. I know the entire team is based around Peyton and his injury is a killer, but this is a disaster.
Everyone within that organization deserves blame for the pathetic state the team is in now.
Terrible+horrific=Terrific.
Polian was tweeting and needed to save some character space.
Colts are tankIng for Luck…plain and simple.not the players, but the coaches and front office people that matter are.
You dont go from winning 10+ a season for 10 years to not being able to win a game. Its borderline criminal.
2011 Colts “The Will to Lose”
Pathetic heartless franchise.
Jim Caldwell now has a 23-70 record as a headcoach when he doesnt have one of the greatest QBs on the planet. At some point you have to show that you can lead a team to some wins, despite injuries. This is the NFL, and if ur waiting for that magical year when no one gets injured so that you can finally be competitive, then ur the wrong guy for the job.
“So what’s the problem with the Colts if it’s not coaching? Polian doesn’t seem to know.”
Bill Polian knows exactly what the problem is….He just doesn’t have the balls to admit it. He’s quick enough to take credit for anything that goes right or throw others under the bus when they go wrong, but when it is so obvious that this team sucks because he is an awful evaluator of talent and relies on his kid and his kid’s buddies to make up his scouting staff. No one there has a clue how to find talented football players. Hopefully Jim Irsay will understand what this phony has done to his team and will wipe the slate completely clean
Caldwell is doing exactly as he’s been told. Get Andrew Luck. And it’s actually a very intelligent thing to do. Who wouldn’t sacrifice one season to get the next Payton Manning??? Especially when your team is down this year anyway.
The Colts have been drafting horrible as of late and big problem here. Where is the back up QB? Huh! This team has no depth. New GM is in order.
The Colts’ owner already dropped a hint that they were tanking on purpose to get Luck. Now the 2nd hint. Actually Its a very smart move. But I hope the NFL goes to a lottery to prevent this. It’s not fair to have Manning and then Luck. Very smart, but not fair.
Jim Caldwell started losing this team when he pulled the starters when the team was 14-0. (Ask any Colts player what they thought about tanking their chance for a perfect season!)
Caldwell continued to lose confidence of the team when he called a time out in last years Jets playoff game to allow Ryan and the Jets to regroup and win. (Did you see Manning’s body language on the sideline as the timeout was called?)
After the playoff loss Polian said he would correct the bad decision making, but due to the lockout he wanted continuity into 2011 so they kept Caldwell around – and now Caldwell will be fired after he does his job of getting Luck.
It’s not a smart move..it’s a weak move. Anybody can lose on purpose. Patriots finding brady in the 7th round is a smart move. Bill Walsh finding Montana on the 3rd round is a smart move..Raiders trading for Jason Campbell who provided leadership of the Raiders resurgence was a smart move….
Losing on purpose to land a franchise QB is a weak move that any team can do it was weak enough to choose too.
Polian is a joke who had the greatest QB of era and was only able to win one SUPERBOWL, and had to face Rex Grossman to win that SUPERBOWL.
Tell me the last time you saw Caldwell speak on the sideline.
Why does he wear a headset?
Why is he a headcoach?
Look I’m sure he’s a good guy and all and I wish him well but some people are simply not head coaches and I think that there is a strong case that he isn’t a natural born leader.
Tanking for Luck…..Suck for Luck….. Luck for Luck….. how about What the Luck?
A:) This kid hasnt taken an NFL snap yet, any team that is actually playing, or not playing, in week 7 of the season for the rights to draft this kid are idiots….straight up.
and B:) Assuming Peyton is coming back…… He has just signed an extension to play for the colts for awhile. This is the NFL, as in not for long, nobody is going to plan that freakin far ahead for the next dynasty QB especially one that “has never taken an NFL snap” If he is the next football messiah he isn’t going to sit for the next 2 to 3 years behind Manning and learn.
You think the Colts looked bad against the Saints? Wait til the Patriots get their shot to kick them while their down…on Dec 4th…SCHEDULED for prime time. Pats will attempt to outdo the Beatdown the Saints laid on them. It’s gonna be brutal.
What we have is a 2010 Dallas Cowboys situation in the making. The GM might support the coach, the owner might too. But just like Jerry Jones didn’t want to fire Wade Philips, he HAD TO do something after one embarrassing performance after another. And such will be Caldwell’s fate. If the Colts don’t play with a pulse against the Falcons and Jags, Caldwell will be fired by the week 11 bye week.
If Caldwell has done a terrific job then Polian has done a terrible job and should be given the gate.
“Mr. Polian, we really appreciate all you’ve done but, I’m sorry, but we’re just going in a different direction.”
Only a fool would believe Caldwell is doing a good job coaching…oh, wait-nevermind! Seriously, the Colts have already quit. There’s no excuse for not having a single win, and ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE to lose that badly to the Saints. All I can say is that I’m praying the dolphins suck worse than the Colts….as a Texans fan, Manning has been a thorn in our side ever since we joined the AFC South! The last thing I want to see is Andrew Luck drafted by the Colts and have to see him twice a season for the next 10 years!!!
“How you evaluate [Caldwell] is what you do with what he has,” Polian said on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
***********************************************************************
Dwight Freeney, Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai, Robert Mathis, Austin Collie, Jeff Saturday, Adam Vinatieri to name a few. They have plenty of talent.
Record: 0-7
I think Caldwell is a horrible, passionless, brain dead, puppet coach….and that is exactly what Napolian wants for this season. I think Napolian will do absolutely nothing to try to change the fortunes of the team this year because he’s going for the Suck for Luck sweepstakes. Napolians’ son is now taking over as GM and I think Napolian would love nothing better than to set him up for a generation of success by getting Luck in next years draft. I definitely believe it’s happening and I don’t think Napolian has any problem manipulating that clown owner Irsay into doing/believing whatever he wants him to.
Polian just explained to everybody exactly why he’s also toast here in Indy. It was kind of understandable to watch them to lose some to start the season while they figured out the O, but I honestly can’t think of a time I’ve ever seen even a mediocre team go down by 55 points. Polian’s poor decisions got exposed Julian Asange style. The man has made one right choice in his entire tenure with the Colt’s: Manning over Leaf.
I give Peyton Manning all of the kudos he deserves. Absolutely one of the best that ever played the game; definitely will be in the Hall Of Fame.
But what kind of general manager allows a team’s destiny be controlled by one player?
Manning only plays one position on offense; any other well coached team would step up and win some games. Look at the Ravens – they have never had a quarterback, and still win some games. Hell, we’ve even won a few with Flacco.
Winning and losing starts at the top.
In case there was ever any doubt that Peyton Manning was the coach of this team. Caldwell has no business being a HC at this level.
That being said, his awfulness is not why the Colts gave up 62 points. That defense is a horror and its because Polian hasnt had a decent draft in a while. they focused on Manning and Freeney and figured they could plug in whatever spare parts and it would work. A true formula for fail when an injury hits
The problem here is that we are assuming the Colts want to win. Maybe they want Andrew Luck.
In that case, he’s doing a masterful job.
@backindasaddle –
The point is that Polian has built a one trick pony based on knowing Peyton Manning can engineer 28-35 points a week. Get up, pass rush like hell.
Perhaps if he’d had planned to be versatile the way other teams do, this team could handle some adversity…
patslaya says:Oct 27, 2011 3:30 PM
You actually kind of cemented my point here. Peyton is better because his team failed to put a better team around him and they are terrible with out him whereas Brady goes down for the season and Cassell is able to take his team to 11-5. You are correct that Brady has a better postseason record and I will point to the fact that his team is not as good as Brady’s have been as the answer to that.
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No, you missed the boat. Once again, I pointed out that your statistical analysis was meaningless. They’re close. OK, ignore that. My other point was, despite the fact the two teams were neck and neck during the regular season, in the post-season, Brady smokes Manning. Can’t blame the team around them. In reg season Colts usually had a better record than the Pats, yet Manning was one and out 7 TIMES in the playoffs. So don’t give me that better team BS. Also, Manning had the advantage of having better skill players, as well as playing in a dome or good weather most of his career. No contest. If the Pats had not blown a big halftime lead in 2006, Manning would have a goose egg.
@Deb:
On the money
Anyone who knows Polian :” The things that he can control, I think he’s done a terrific job of” means Caldwell has done EVERYTHING I have asked of him”
Caldwell is only doing what he is told to do.
yankees2009 : Bill Poliaan could care less about being politiccally correct.
slammincamnewton:
to answer your q: Caldwell just does as he is told.
@tedmurph …
You, too!
rodgerthat : “especially one that “has never taken an NFL snap” If he is the next football messiah he isn’t going to sit for the next 2 to 3 years behind Manning and learn.
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Just shows how much you know about football: He will do whatever it takes: Money talks, he has no choice, it is the way the draft is set up.
tedmurph: help me understand why you give more credit to Brady for winning 5 more playoff games than Manning with the Patriots, despite the fact that Brady is asked to take a an otherwise 11-5 football team and win playoff games, and Manning is asked to take an 0-16 or a 2-14 team and asked to win Playoff games.
Considering their supporting facts, the idea that Manning has taken his dumpster fire of a team to 2 Superbowls, and Brady has been to 4 with a FAR superior team and coach… I’d give the edge to Manning.
Brady has won 14 post-season games with his stacked team, and Manning has won 9 with his trainwreck of a team and coaching staff. Not to shabby considering what each of them are working with…
Plus he’s actually much better statistically than Brady in manny post season stats on top of it… I’d give the edge to Manning.
Sucking for Luck may blow up in the collective faces of Irsay, and Polian’s! Luck doesn’t have to come out this year, and may not want, or have the ability to carry the franchise the way Peyton has for sooo long. Polian’s attempt to set up Boy Wonder for the next decade may alieniate the fan base, and destroy the competitive nature of the few quality players they have on the roster. I wouldn’t put it pass Oliver and his boy pulling an Archie.
@badtimeoutcaldwell:
I’ll try this one more time. You can’t just cherry pick one year stats to support your argument. Brady’s regular season W/L record is almost the same as Manning’s regular season W/L record 2001-2010. All of a sudden the Pats are stacked and the colts are garbage? Pro Bowl voting would seem to indicate otherwise. Logic would dictate the post-season records would reflect the same W/L ratio. Yet, Brady not only has 5 more wins postseason, he has 5 less losses. Doesn’t seem like Brady’s done either. Two NE expressions come to mind. First, the fact that Manning is better statistically in most post season stats is “wicked pissa”. God for him. I told you the most important stat. Ask DMarino. ‘How do ya like them apples?’
@tedmurph… you may have to try a couple more times.
You’re right… I won’t “Cherry Pick” just one year. The Colts stink at Running the Ball, Stopping the Run, Stopping the Pass, Special Teams, and Coaching.
If you paid any attention to football, you’d notice this is not “cherry picking” a single year. This is a CONSTANT that Manning has been playing with his entire career. In fact, this team is actually a little better at running the ball and stopping the run than most years. And all those “Pro-bowl” players you referred to… they’re still on this team aren’t they? Clark, Mathis, Freeny, Wayne etc… They’re playing with Painter, who is actually the 12th rated QB in the league.. 5TD’s and 2 INT’s isn’t horrible.
What does that all lead to… 0-7! This team was decimated by injuries all last year and Manning still won 10 games with them, and was within a kick-off return from winning a playoff game with this garbage.
So, forgive me for giving more credit to the guy who takes this 0-16 dumpster fire to the playoffs every year.
Sure, THE PATRIOTS have had more playoff wins, but Brady has clearly playing with a playoff caliber team (with or without him). Manning has been playing with the laughing stock of the NFL.
Let me try dumbing it down for you…
If Driver A is given a Ferrari and asked to go win races, and Driver B is given a Pinto… and Driver A has won 14 races, but driver B won 9… who would you say the better driver is???
Make sense??
(I know this is bitter sweet for Patriots fans… They like seeing the Cotls lose, but they’ve always held on the dream that Manning was a choke artist b/c he’s had “all that talent” and they lose in the playoffs… sorry, but the truth is officially out there… Colts go from the worst team without Manning, to one of the Best with him… and the Patriots are one of the best teams, with or without Brady…)
I have said for years that Polian has constructed a house of cards. Quick but weak defence, mediocre (at best) special teams and a lack of any type of power running game. But he drafted the best QB since Dan Marino (who suffered from the same type of surrounding mediocrity).
Dungy was overrated (players couldn’t wait to see him go from Tampa Bay because they knew they were not reaching their potential under him, kind of like the Colts when they were a little more talented back then). Manning, like Marino, has something about him that jacks up everyone around him. That works fine for regular season, but when you need to “step up” for the big games, the Colts had already done that and had nothing left for the elite teams.
Montana had Walsh, Brady has Bellichik (ethically challenged but a brilliant tactician). I submit Manning and Marino were both better than their counterparts of each era but you cannot prove it because everyone does the idiot Michael Irvin shtick “show me the rings”. Unless you have completely similar environments, you cannot use that “logic”.
What you can do is use the “how does the team perform without him” as a ballpark idea of how important each is to his team. While NE did have a relatively weak schedule (it was not the first time they have had such), they still won 11 games! The Colts are Terrible. This exposes player drafts/trades, awful coaching, lousy gameplans, etc.
And please, don’t throw that “Manning had better tools”. Brady has always had one thing QBs kill for, time. Watch his pocket, it rarely collapses, in fact its like a bow and his passing lanes are clear. Any QB will take 5 secs to throw or longer because ANYBODY can work his way open in that time. (We saw what happened to Brady against big heat in the Super Bowl).
Brady is good, I give him that, but I bet there are several QBs playing now that could have slowly evolved as he did, getting his job through an injury, getting a huge break from the refs in a conference final to make his first superbowl, and then play for a coach that completely befuddled an offensive powerhouse. The pressure on a franchise saving number 1 draft pick going to a bad team must be huge. Don’t discount that.
Chris: “Dad, I have something to tell you”…
Bill: “What son?
Chris: ” I have just saw Mr Caldwell perform a hit and run while drinking, hit two cars, left 3 people in stretchers but made it home safely”
Bill: “Splendid Job, you managed to make it home”
Chris: “Ahh, I suppose so, but what about Jim?”
Bill: “What about him?
Chris: Job status?
Bill: “Oh yea, yea, yea….Tell him he’s doing a TERRIFIC JOB and sign him to an extention please, now go away, I’m drowning in geritol right now”