The great thing about a forum like this one is that everybody gets to say whatever is on their mind, and others get to pick it apart and point out all the reasons why they MUST be wrong. No one is right, no one is wrong! We just have different opinions. So here is MY opinion on some of the things being printed in the papers and broadcast on the TV/Radio.
The biggest news surrounding the Colt’s this week is obviously whether or not this will be Tony’s last year in Indy - I wouldn’t be surprised if that indeed is the case. I get amused though at all the talk that has re-surfaced about Tony’s coaching abilities. I cannot remember ONE single time in the past year, that this conversation has came up. Since winning the Super Bowl and then following it up with a 13-3 regular season (under more difficult circumstances than any other team in football), the critics have been silent! I thought that THIS, by far, was Tony’s greatest job of coaching EVER! Maybe it was too good. If this team would have went 10-6 with all the injuries they had, would anyone have been surprised? If they finish 10-6 and get beat in the Playoffs by San Diego in the Wild Card game instead of the Divisional round, would it have been as big of a shock? Does losing this game REALLY make Tony’s as bad of a Coach as winning the Super Bowl last year made him a GREAT one? What he was able to do with this team this year, after a shorter off-season, all the distractions that go with winning a Super Bowl, and then the injuries that occurred, are truly remarkable. Would have yelling and screaming at these younger players that he was forced to put on the field this year, worked better than the calming influence that he obviously has on this team? Why aren’t there more articles and more conversation going on out there about how he was able to achieve what he did, with what little he had to work, with for most of the season?
Should he elect to step away, his replacement is speculated to be his long time assistant coach, Jim Caldwell. No one knows if he is ready to be a head coach in the NFL, but if he never gets the chance, no one ever will. I would rather see him get that shot here, rather than go to some rival of ours and find out that he is the next coming of – Tony Dungy! The bigger picture though, in my humble opinion, is that the next head coach of this team MUST have a similar philosophy if we are to continue to enjoy the kind of success that we have become accustomed to. There are a handful of KEY players on this team that are just now approaching, or already in, the prime of their careers. Introducing a new staff and new schemes would minimize the opportunities over the next few years to reap the benefits of maintaining the continuity that has been built with this core group of players. At some point every team has to go through a rebuilding process, and we are not exempt from that. I would like to see that happen though AFTER we get all we can out of this group of players.
How long did we have to put up with the talk that our defense could never be more than mediocre due to the salary imbalance on the two sides of the ball? We had the #1 Defense in the league this year (without a Dwight Freeney, Booger McFarland and Rob Morris) using a cast of characters that most have never heard of (except Bob of course). It is a defense that relies on speed and intelligence, every bit as much as size and strength. It is not void of its vulnerabilities (being able to put pressure on the QB with the front four a big one), but with the right people in the right positions, it can be very effective. Bringing in a new coach who is not in favor of using a Cover2 scheme, could prove to be detrimental to the effectiveness on Defense. How many players that were successful in this scheme, have left the Colts and enjoyed success in other systems - not very many. Can the Defense be re-tooled to make better use of other schemes – sure, but how long would that process take to get in place?
There are many ways to achieve success in Sports, and many different beliefs and philosophies that go behind it. The kind of success that we, as fans, have been able to witness over the last six years has only been duplicated by perhaps, one other team! I know how many years I anguished over not just losing, but not even being competitive! I am PROUD of what this team has been able to achieve, with or without multiple Super Bowl Championships. I know what it USED to be like, and I know when it changed – it all started with Tony Dungy!!
God Bless him with the very difficult decision he is trying to make!
