NFL – Caldwell Costs Colts Perfection

The champagne was flowing for the 1972 Dolphins as Peyton Manning and the Colts finally lost in 2009. At 14-1 SU and 10-5 ATS the Colts have secured the number-one seed in the AFC and will have the privilege of home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. With perfection out of their grasp for the remainder of the 2009-10 betting season, how the Colts respond to the loss will be definitive for how they carry themselves through the playoffs.

I’ll be honest about coach Jim Caldwell. I didn’t even bother to learn his name until about two weeks ago because I thoroughly believed that this was Peyton Manning’s team to coach and motivate. Caldwell made the decision to pull his starters in the third quarter of the game, essentially tossing in the towel as the Jets were pulling away with the game. The coach believes he made the right call, but almost everyone across the board disagrees.

Perfection is the hardest thing to attain in the world of sports and the NFL remains the only league where it is even imaginable that a team could go undefeated. It may not have been an outspoken mandate of the team, but the grimace on Peyton’s face during the fourth quarter of the game on Sunday told the entire story: losing was enough to take away the smile, but throwing away a perfect season meant much more to this team then they let on.

Coach Caldwell reaffirms that he pulled his starters in the third quarter to take away the possibility of injury. To me, all that says is that he’s terrified of losing the Super Bowl. Rarely does a team ever have a legitimate shot at going perfect. It’s why the ’72 Dolphins celebrate so vigorously and annoyingly that their spot in history is theirs alone. With the Colts knocking on perfection’s doorstep, it was nothing short of cowardly for Caldwell to pull his starters and toss away a shot at history. That’s simply not how you receive respect from fans or opponents.

The players backed their coach’s decision but fans rightfully are angry about the loss. It’s not that it affects the team’s post season chances, but when a team has the opportunity to go after perfect, you simply just go for it. You don’t throw in the towel. You don’t forfeit. You don’t retreat. You attack until that win is stripped from your dying hands. It’s then that you wipe the loss from your memory and move on to the next game.

Doing that in the middle of a game is inexcusable. The veterans on Indy wouldn’t throw their coach under the bus because, let’s face it, they’re professionals. But be very honest to yourself – has Jim Caldwell made any game winning decisions, notable press conferences or adamant statements that would’ve have cemented his legacy.

Instead, he made a decision that will make him “the guy that cost the Colts perfection”. Not exactly how you achieve job security, especially when guys like Mike Shanahan and Bill Cowher are announcing their intentions to return to coaching next season.

The Colts will close their season out against Buffalo in Week 17 betting and it remains unclear if Jim Sorgi will get the start over Peyton. Keep tuned to the BetOnline.com locker room for your weekend picks coming Thursday as will filter through all the news and hype to give you the best advice out there. And you can count on us, because unlike Caldwell, we won’t be scared to make the tough calls.

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