When I was serving time as a American Hockey League announcer in Greensboro, N.C., in the ’90s, I remember a certain coach running the Wake Forest football program into the ground in nearby Winston Salem: Jim Caldwell.
I’ve been skeptical of Caldwell ever since. Yes, the Colts 14-game streak to start the season was starting to cause cracks in my cynicism, but today we finally got to see the Caldwell I watched systematically dismantle the Demon Deacons.
I recognize that Caldwell’s Deacs are a long way from Caldwell’s Colts - in time, place and otherwise. So who am I to judge?
(Caldwell forgot tissues for Jeff Saturday)
Instead, I’ll let Indianapolis fans from today’s Colts-Jets live blog at IndyStar.com take it away …
To be fair, today’s game is no reason to think Peyton’s the Colts won’t run the table in the playoffs. There’s always a chance that Caldwell’s decision to blow up the chance of an historic perfect season will re-energize the team as it preps for the postseason.
And on the bright side, Caldwell proved today he has a special knack for energizing the fans. (Pom-poms, coach?)
9:45 pm on December 27th, 2009
While listening to a post game radio show in Indy (1070), the hosts kept touting the company line on that the coaches know best, but the sporadic callers they did take all said the same thing… this team does not perform well after rest or byes. Payton and the offense needs rhythm. Their first playoff game will probably be a nail biter, and if they survive that, SD or NE will take it to them in the conf championship. No SB appearance - again.
9:51 pm on December 27th, 2009
as one of my former NFL clients (10 yr vet) said of his former college coach (Caldwell) at Wake Forest: “biggest asshole and worst coach I ever had”
10:02 pm on December 27th, 2009
Why are we looking at comments of random fans in a chat room as evidence that this is a bad move? Many folks - coaches and others in the organization - are paid lots of money to make what they feel are the best decisions for achieving the ultimate goal: a Super Bowl victory. And they know football WAY BETTER than any chat room blogger. Or sports gossip webmaster.
Capitalist shit stirrer. Thats all this is.
10:08 pm on December 27th, 2009
The NFL Network put up the stats when the Colts rested their starters in the past(02,03,04,05,07)…and its not good buddy!!!! The only year they didn’t, in 06, they won it all!!! Hint, hint !?!?!?!
10:13 pm on December 27th, 2009
I think we shouldn’t judge this move until after the Super Bowl is played, but what can be judged is something maybe a few people already knew. No player is more valuable to his team than Peyton Manning. Even Tom Moore looked totally helpless on the sideline after Manning came out.
10:25 pm on December 27th, 2009
Wow! They would let ANYONE call games for the AHL. You Brooks? Insanity. You couldn’t last one minute in my world.
10:40 pm on December 27th, 2009
Mark,
Agree. Just thought I’d do the courtesy of dragging out the first skeleton that’ll be hauled out by the meda if the Colts tank.
What I don’t get is if Caldwell was that disconnected to the players, why did Dungy expressly hand over the reins to him? Did he lose the team in a card game?
4:31 am on December 28th, 2009
Affirmative action hire.
8:29 am on December 28th, 2009
Inherit a great team, a bad coach looks good for a year. Sometimes tough to screw something up immediately. But the Jets game should have been embarrassing for all involved. Worse was seeing a class guy like Peyton Manning go through the press conference cha cha cha.
12:52 pm on December 28th, 2009
This move was brilliant fans. They now have no additional pressure to have a perfect season. Look how it affected the Patriots. Eventually, you wind up trying not to screw things up. Now Peyton can lead them with determination and they WILL succeed. I am a cheesehead, so this is from an objective source.
2:29 pm on December 28th, 2009
Maybe someone was smart enough to realize that it’s nearly impossible to have a perfect season and go on to win the Super Bowl. Maybe someone was smart enough to realize that a perfect season doesn’t really mean anything, especially if you make an early exit from the playoffs. Maybe someone was smart enough to realize that the Colts would be screwed if Manning was injured.
Whomever that person was it clearly wasn’t our beloved Brooks.
2:52 pm on December 28th, 2009
what this did was really help out the jets… i hope they face the jets somehow and lose, that would be their reward for screwing with the fans! feel bad foe peyton, freeney and the rest of the team
4:19 pm on December 28th, 2009
Those bitches is scared to see us in the second round, they remember what we did to their season a few years agao
7:47 pm on December 28th, 2009
Yeh right, I can see Don Shula telling the Baltimore Colts to give one up!!
10:45 am on December 29th, 2009
Caldwell:
Why did u cut the nuts off your stallion?
Perhaps you forgot this lil’ tidbit. Ever seen a stallion run immediatly after beign castrated?
16 games in a season… dumas.
When you trot out of the tunnel in 2 weeks without your nuts… and get knocked out by New England… please dont look at your team and question their masculinity. You just stole it.
11:32 am on December 31st, 2009
It’s all about trust. If you could trust your offense to protect Manning all year why change now ? I am a Patriot fan but when we play the Colts I want them to play a team at their best. I hope the Colts can recover to make this a great playoff season.