On Friday, Colts president Bill Polian met with the media one last time in conjunction with the 2009 football season.
The only catch? He didn’t want to talk about the final act of the 2009 football season.
Even though he acknowledged at the outset that the purpose of the press conference “is supposed to be a wrap up for the season.”
(The full 23-plus minutes can be seen and heard right here; Reggie Hayes of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel has included some of the quotes in a column that questions Polian’s refusal to talk about the Super Bowl.)
“As I tell the players quite often when I speak to them in training camp, the past is prologue,” Polian said. “The ’09 season is in the books. It is relegated to the history of the league and a new season begins — has begun, a new season begun — began last Tuesday.”
Actually, the new season began on Sunday night, once every team’s record was reset to 0-0. But since Polian decided to talk about the Super Bowl loss on Tuesday night, and throw his offensive line and special teams under the bus in the process, he had no choice but to say that the new season began on Tuesday.
Of course, Polian’s placement of an artificial rule on the media session didn’t stop the members of the media from trying to, you know, do their jobs. But Polian refused to revisit his comments from earlier in the week.
“I don’t need to look back upon it,” Polian said. “It’s gone and done
with. I don’t think any purpose is served. I’ve spoken about that
already. What I said was clear and concise, I think. The past is prologue.
It’s over. There’s nothing to do about it. You learn from your
mistakes in every game, whether you win or lose, you try to correct those mistakes and move on.”
(With Polian refusing to talk about the past, maybe the Colts should hire Mark McGwire to be their strength and conditioning coach.)
Polian’s remarks actually provide valuable insight regarding his approach toward failure. He ignores it, and he moves forward.
But what of the time-honored notion that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it?
Maybe that helps us understand why Polian hasn’t won more than one Super Bowl in 24 years as an NFL G.M.
We recognize that Polian is very good at his job of acquiring and keeping football players. But when it comes to talking publicly, the Colts should give thought to hiring a press secretary for their President. Between Friday’s refusal to talk about the Super Bowl, Tuesday’s finger-pointing at players who will be a major part of the team’s immediate future, and December’s lame attempt to explain the decision to pull starters from the Week 16 game against the Jets, the Colts’ best interests would be served by paying closer attention to the manner in which Polian presents the team’s message to the rest of the football-watching world.
Then again, why should the Colts worry about the things that Polian has said in the past?
After all, the past is prologue.
