Why The 2009 Colts Abandoned The Perfect Season
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 มิ.ย. 2024
- In this video, we discuss the story of the 2009 Indianapolis Colts, a season marked by dominance and a controversial decision that changed everything. Led by legendary quarterback Peyton Manning, the Colts started with a perfect 14-0 record, sparking dreams of an undefeated season. But a decision to bench starters in the final games left fans and analysts debating: Was it the right call?
We'll dive deep into the Colts' incredible journey, their strategic choices, and the dramatic twists that defined their year. From thrilling comebacks to the heartbreaking Super Bowl loss, this is the complete story of the 2009 Colts.
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BRO 10K!! 🎉 congratulations
Yeaaaaa that's crazy bro! Lol. Planning on doing something to show my appreciation
@@AnotherSportsChannel They still went to the Super Bowl and Peyton Manning won 2 Super Bowl titles anyway.
Saints also started 13-0. Crazy that there were two undefeated teams that late into the season.
I know right?!
The Vikings were 12-1 at one point too crazy season
I can’t believe they were able to beat the Skins to go 13-0. Was so pissed
@@ItsJOHNMayneThey lost to the Cowboys
@@TJB270 an beat the Skins the week before
Momentum may be overrated in this instance:
The 09 Colts had a two game losing streak to end the season and lost the Super Bowl.
The 09 Saints had a three game losing streak to end the season and won the Super Bowl.
You can take losses towards the end of the year, it’s just how you fight. The saints loss close games towards the end and face their controversy. The Colts’ starting line up never experienced that until that onside kick.
@@user-kq4hf8se5b No they didn’t. Their first loss was to the Cowboys on a Saturday night. Then they lost to Tampa in OT. Their last game of that season was a loss to Carolina and that’s where the starters were all benched.
@@gatienlaurol5793 what they meant is that we lost games we were trying to win, meaning we faced real adversity. There was a slight risk of us losing the 2 seed to Minnesota until they lost in Chicago. The Colts won every close game that season they tried in; I can believe that meant they figured it would automatically happen again. Then Tracy Porter happened.
Edit this comment bruh
To be fair New Orleans wasn’t the best team in the nfc that year
Simply put the Colts had a shot at immortality & they didn’t just lose it, they gave it up.
They lost the Super Bowl. Nothing that preceded that matters now. The PATRIOTS blew a shot at immortality.
Colts gave up unlike pats
And given that the Saints beat them in the superbowl, it's a damn good thing they didn't decide to go for it. They would've been the 2nd team to go 18-1 , and been laughed at just like the Patriots were.
@@paysonfox88 idk I think giving up on the perfect season really hurt the morale of the Colts. If they kept their perfect record maybe they’d be able to beat the Saints.
@@paysonfox88 Anybody who would laugh at someone for going 18-1...is an absolute, unmitigated MONGOLOID...
As Lions fan I used to think Caldwell may be the best I've seen managing the clock at the end of games, yet the Detroit media and fans claimed he was one of the worst. I was confounded. It was years later I looked up these stats and found he was statistically the best in NFL history it can be argued.
Caldwell once held the top 2 spots in NFL history for 4th quarter comebacks and game winning drives in a single season:
7 each in 2009 with Colts broke both NFL records
8 each in 2016 with Lions broke his records
5 game winning drives in '14 and 4 in '17 led the NFL too
5 4th Qtr comebacks in '14 also led the NFL .
1. Manning also credits him from taking him from playing like Jameis Winston to being an unstoppable potential GOAT. 2. AS OC he turned Joe Flacco into a playoff monster with 11 TDs and 0 INTs, getting him a ring, putting over 30 points on two great defenses and a 100 million contract. 3. Matt Stafford never made a Pro-Bowl before Caldwell but took a massive step when Caldwell became Lions coach.
Interesting because it was a horrible ill-timed time out by Caldwell in Manning's last game ever in the playoffs, vs the Jets, that caused the Jets to get the win. Even Manning had a look like WTF when Caldwell called the time out and the announcers even questioned it. I never felt like 2009 mattered as much who was the head coach at least on offense, Manning would have done what he did with anyone - and to prove that Manning took 4 different head coaches to the Super Bowl. The Colt's defense just kept doing what it did that year too.
@@HamburgerHelperDeath Every good head coach with multiple years has those moments, even Belichick. And there are so many variables unknown to fans that play into those decisions. If not for Malcom Butler's INT the worst clock management decision in sports history would be attached to Belichick for not calling time out to give the real GOAT plenty of time for a game winning drive.
Manning had 3 TDs and 7 INTs in the playoffs for his first Super Bowl run. He was carried by his team and Dungy in the playoffs, who would have multiple SBs if not for Manning choking and Caldwell would have one if not for an 80-yard horrible pick 6 to lose to the Saints that gave Sean Payton his one ring.
Manning is the Karl Malone of QBs. An all-time great talent who is an all-time great choke artist. He may be the funniest QB in history, and maybe an even more entertaining pitch man than Shaq, so he is epically great in some ways.
@@wingman4356 I've always considered Rivers to be the biggest choke artist. He was the master of losing games with a late turnover.
@@wingman4356Very weird to dislike Peyton Manning that much, he is retired 💀
@@NeverSober8008 no hate at all. Just objective analysis of part of his game, and to balance a narrative I still hear fans repeat with conviction about Caldwell. Mostly working on my talking points for the fall when hanging out with my new Colts fan friend. ha. Thanks for letting me know the tone can come off as weird hate over the internet. That's the kind of feedback I wanted.
It’s fucking mind blowing how they only got one ring the team was so stacked on all sides the only thing they sucked at was stopping the run game
Running game stacked, qb the sheriff, wideouts hofers, defensive linemen freeny a god, safety bob goated with the sauce sanders tight end Clark top tier, kicker vinateri hall of famer like the team was ridiculous talented
@@ContentVintageTypewriter-ut1vl
Many people may not want to believe this, but there’s a considerable amount of luck that goes into whether a good team can win the Super Bowl or not. Unfortunately, the Colts seemed to get hit with a lot of bad luck at the worst possible time. Bob Sanders could have been one of the NFL’s best safeties, he was a difference maker when he was on the field, but he just could not stay healthy in the final three or four years of his career and had to retire very young. Teams could always move the ball and score points against the Indianapolis defense in the mid to late 2000s. Peyton had the misfortune of peaking at the same time that Brady was coming of age and the Patriots becoming a force to be reckoned with, along with the Steelers once again becoming a contender in the AFC. Manning was not always flawless in the postseason, he made his fair share of mistakes but when you talk about bad luck, I remember watching the Colts losing to the Chargers in back to back playoff games at the end of the 2007 and 2008 seasons. As good as those Colts receivers were, in both of those games, they dropped passes at crucial moments, on 3rd and 4th down. 2007 was an especially tough pill to swallow for Colts fans, as they were the only team who could’ve possibly stopped the undefeated Patriots from going to Super Bowl 42. At the end of that game, the Colts defense let backup quarterback BILLY VOLEK drive 78 yards down the field for the go ahead touchdown! Rivers doing that is one thing, but not being able to stop Billy F***ing Volek is inexcusable. Compare the bad luck of Peyton and Rodgers to Tom Brady, who unquestionably is one of the greatest ever but Tom ALWAYS seemed to have things go in his favor during the most critical moments of a playoff game. Love it or hate it, that’s just how football is.
@@ContentVintageTypewriter-ut1vl
Many people may not want to believe this, but there’s a considerable amount of luck that goes into whether a good team can win the Super Bowl or not. Unfortunately, the Colts seemed to get hit with a lot of bad luck at the worst possible time. Bob Sanders could have been one of the NFL’s best safeties, he was a difference maker when he was on the field, but he just could not stay healthy in the final three or four years of his career and had to retire very young. Teams could always move the ball and score points against the Indianapolis defense in the mid to late 2000s. Peyton had the misfortune of peaking at the same time that Brady was coming of age and the Patriots becoming a force to be reckoned with, along with the Steelers once again becoming a contender in the AFC. Manning was not always flawless in the postseason, he made his fair share of mistakes but when you talk about bad luck, I remember watching the Colts losing to the Chargers in back to back playoff games at the end of the 2007 and 2008 seasons. As good as those Colts receivers were, in both of those games, they dropped passes at crucial moments, on 3rd and 4th down. 2007 was an especially tough pill to swallow for Colts fans, as they were the only team who could’ve possibly stopped the undefeated Patriots from going to Super Bowl 42. At the end of that game, the Colts defense let backup quarterback BILLY VOLEK drive 78 yards down the field for the go ahead touchdown! Rivers doing that is one thing, but not being able to stop Billy F***ing Volek is inexcusable. Compare the bad luck of Peyton and Rodgers to Tom Brady, who unquestionably is one of the greatest ever but Tom ALWAYS seemed to have things go in his favor during the most critical moments of a playoff game. Love it or hate it, that’s just how football is.
Tom Brady.
@@ContentVintageTypewriter-ut1vl No D tackles to stuff the run.
If the Colts had won this Super Bowl, two short years after the Pats lost the Super Bowl going 18-1 on the season. The coach would have been known as a genius for putting ego aside for player health and playoff success
Naw even then people would have still wanted the undefeated season
Super genius move too. They could've been a meaningless 18-0 , then lost the SB just like the Patriots.. They learned from history, unlike most.
@@paysonfox88 How is it meaningless? No other team has ever gone 18-0 besides the 2007 Patriots. You would be afraid of pursuing history because of what some clueless fans and the media might say?
I almost cried remembering dungy retiring. I hope he knows how big of an influence he had on so many lives. Truly a great man and role model for those of us growing up into adulthood at the time
That GM is a snake. He let's the coach take the fall for his choice and get raked through the coals by the fans and media. He doesn't speak up for a decade, but when he does, he doubles down and says it was the "right decision"..... the right decision that you wouldn't own up to for a decade?? What an utter coward
It does have to be noted this was standard practice. People forget Belichick TRIED to do the same thing. Tom Brady led a revolt in response that got Bill to back down. Peyton did to but his revolt failed.
Besides winning Super Bowl 41 against the Bears, going 18-0 would've easily been every Colts fans 2nd fav all time memory of our Manning, Colts era. All of us here in Indy were beyond pissed about losing those last 2 games (well, the 1st one against the Jets mostly, since that was the dagger for 16-0 as is). Managing risk, sure, there's a pro and a con to that in our scenario, as we all know... But DAMN IT we got robbed of a great memory lol :( If we went 18-0 prior to the SB, that would still be talked about all of the time (even still to this day)... I'm sure the Saints game outcome wouldn't have changed regardless though... However, for all the times we came up just short during that era, after a decade of nonstop, stellar regular seasons = what an amazing run!!! We were so spoiled with greatness, amazing highlights, a 4-time MVP winning QB, plenty of NFL historical records being broken by numerous players of ours (often at that), and the main core of our whole squad all became legends.
Last point about the 09 Colts season/team... It boggles my mind how they're never brought up on any historical, non-SB winning greatest teams lists. They're left out of the convo/written articles an astounding amount, which is crazy to me... The 2007 Pats and 1998 Vikings are a given on everyone's list, but the rest of who they pick are simply just ok choices. None of the others, besides the Pats & Vikings, I'd pick over the 09 Colts though. I feel like that's just a given, not even my fan bias talking :)- Thanks for the great video! You got my likes and subscription going forward!
I will never forget the moment they took Peyton out. I was sure we would get a perfect season. I felt so damn betrayed.
That attitude partially explains why they only won one championship over the years. Actually I think in any sport or team I've ever seen whenever they "shut it down" at the end of a season it almost never works out.
Belichick tried doing the same thing in 2007. Tom Brady wasn't having it.
bravo bravo bravo! what a great video! I was in college in indy during this season and I remember the emotional roller coaster!!
Everything is made so enjoyable. This channel is addictive!
Dude your commentary is amazing I hope your channel blows up!
Great video and channel. I look forward to more content. You are gonna have a hard time topping this great video. LOL
Challenge accepted 😎
Ppl forget Dwight Freeney got hurt against the Jets in the AFC Championship game
Watch til the end, I address it
While he was important, that was not the reason they lost the Super Bowl.
Colts were leading 16-17 at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Then they missed a FG, gave up a TD, and had a pick 6 all in a 4-minute span. It was a total meltdown by the Colts. Freeney is great and all but he wasn't worth a 15-point swing.
I remember them talking about it all week leading up to the SB on ESPN, and funny enough, Freeney had the only sack in SB 44
Man I miss Sproles
They still won a Super Bowl and Peyton Manning won another with Broncos. Big Deal! Still a great team!
The Spirit of the 72 Dolphins although they popped the Champagne that season, they still punished the Colts for not even trying to complete the Perfect Season.
I agree they deserved to lose the Superbowl
It's remarkable that the Super Bowl era 1966-2024( pre season is a few weeks away.I also believe there is not going to be an undefeated team in 2024 going all the way)The 1972 Miami Dolphins are still the one and only to go undefeated in an NFL season.I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon
Fantasy Championship that year, going for a 3peat. I had Clark and Addiai left down by about 25-30 points with Colts game to go. I was down about 4 points at halftime in a PPR league. I’m not sure what I was doing but I was unable to watch the game. I kept checking the stats and both players stats weren’t moving during 2nd half. When I finally found out Caldwell sat the starters i was hot to say the least.
Great video!
My guy
I’ll never forget being at that week 16 game against the jets with my dad. Boy did the two of us and that whole stadium let the boos fly……fortunately I was lucky enough to be back there again with my dad about a month later once again against the jets and we got to see them handle business and see the confetti flying and knowing we were headed to the super bowlc
As a Colts fan, the loss in the Super Bowl to the Saints was the beginning of the end of being a threat. Andrew Luck only delayed the inevitable. It hurts to this day.
I was at the Jets game and this still pisses me off....
1985 Bears with their loss to Miami played it out in week 16 with their starters knowing they had a bye week and that they could not go undefeated. McMahon and Payton basically played the whole game. You play to win the game you’re playing, period.
Mannnn do I love this channel NFL Network hire my guy! 🏈
🤣 my guy!
I remember being 10 years old and wondering who the hell Curtis painter was 😂
I only knew Painter from seeing him in the depth chart on Madden. Have no clue what he did after his time in Indianapolis.
I was lucky to have season tickets to colts games through this era of play. Extremely successful years. But definitely still feels like we left a couple super bowls on the table. To this day.
The 4th and 2 game was awesome and so was the entire 2009 season. When I was a kid watching my Jets break the colts undefeated season was way more of an upset than it actually was. They kept it close enough before taking over when the starters sat though.
Both quarterbacks in Superbowl 44 ended up as two of the best to ever play in the NFL. Manning and Brees both had time at the top spot in the all time passing yards and passing touchdowns list before they both hung up the cleats for good.
Caldwells conservativeness was legendary. It really showed when he was coaching the lions
There’s no guarantee they make the SB if they didn’t rest. Still probably one of the closest teams to being perfect outside of the 2007 Pats though. Fantastic video! It was crazy how good them, the Saints, and Vikings were that year
The 2015 Panthers were very close too. Started 14-0 I believe and lost to the Falcons when Julio mossed Luke Kuechly for a 70 yard TD and finished 15-1. And we all know what happened in the SB
@@ian7487 Yes they were, 20-13 they lost that Atlanta game. Kinda forgot how close they were
16-1 is all u need to know about how much a perfect season matters
Coach Caldwell is extremely underrated. Maybe one of the most underrated coach’s ever.
They will never stop being the SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
I was at the game against the Bills in Week 17 and i was mad because i wanted to see the Colts go for the undefeated season live.
I see why they did it. Reminds me of the 2001 Seattle Mariners who tied the record for most wins during the regular season. I grew up in Seattle and it was such an electrifying season, but quickly diminished when they lost in the playoffs. Looking back the key players should’ve been rested. The team was too focused on breaking the record and not the playoffs.
73-9 warriors are a perfect example as well
@@amadorluis2008those warriors were up 3-1 in the finals too. Crazy that they went on to lose. I also wonder if the colts didn't want a repeat of what happened to the Patriots a couple years earlier. Once you're 18-0, there's a ton of pressure to not mess up in the final game, and a lot more people rooting for your defeat
@@rishabhanand4973 yep all those teams were. focused on breaking the record and ran out of gas come playoff time.. the colts did the right move imo and had the superbowl played out different people would’ve called them geniuses
The Patriots went undefeated and lost in the SB to fuckin Eli Manning. That undefeated season was cool…. But that’s about it. It’s more embarrassing for the only loss being the biggest game. I’d bench the starters too every single time
Exactly. What if they did go for the undefeated season and Manning would've gotten hurt? Everybody saying they should've gone for it would he saying they were dumb for playing him when they already had the 1 seed in the bag.
14-0 to 14-2
What happens when you rest your starters 🤷♂️
Does anyone actually think the Colts wouldve won at Buffalo if they tried? If they were 15-0 heading into the game, I wouldnt have been surprised if Colts lost. The game was in the snow after all. Game was 7-7 after 1st quarter and Manning played 3 possessions so he didnt light things up.
Looking back it’s an even worse loss against a choke team like the chargers too
Super Bowl 44 has the record for most combined completions by quarterback in the Super Bowl
Man I hated that decision and seasons end, however that Saint's team was a beast.
I also thought the colts were stupid for giving up the perfect season. I remember Peyton manning looked pissed when he and all the starters were pulled. That’s the only reason I rooted against them in the Super Bowl because of giving up the perfect season!
Teams win a Super Bowl every year only one has gone undefeated. In my opinion it’s more impressive than the Super Bowl
Let me tell you why you're wrong..... 2 teams have went undefeated, not one. The Patriots did it too, but because they didnt win the superbowl, it's almost used as an insult against them. "If you don't win the last game of the season, nobody gives a shit"
Hell, I'm a warriors fan. My team beat Jordan's record and no one will ever have a better squad than the warriors did... and it's treated like our missing ring. That perfect season hurts more than anything, I don't think I've heard anyone mention it here since it happened
@@stephengrigg5988In the regular season. If you lose the super bowl you didn't go undefeated
It’s not. Sb or bust.
The colts still loss super bowl so what they did didn't help either. New England had heart and tried
And this is why you’re not in the nfl
I’m a colts fan and the 09 season was extremely heartbreaking. But hot take I do agree with resting the starters to not worry about the undefeated season. If they go on to beat the Jets, the chargers have an easier road to the AFCCG and knock Indy out a 3rd year in a row.
Indy stopped the saints on a goal line stand right before the half and it felt like the momentum was on their side. The onside kick completely turned the tide of the game
Heart breaking Super Bowl
Sean Payton had Manning on the bench almost the whole 2nd quarter in the SB. I’m from the N.O. and always pulled for Manning……. Except that game. Go Saints. WHO DAT. ⚜️
I think that the Colts would have lost at Buffalo the next week regardless because it was heavy snow that game. The Bills would have had a huge advantage in the snow.
I totally agree!
I think that at this point, its not really much of a debate or a decision. No NFL team is going to play starters when their seed is cemented in stone -- well the NFL roster is limited enough that you can't sit everybody, so they do what they can to play as few as possible, and rest the stars, the RB, and anyone with any injuries who could have conceivably played if the game was important.
I can just tell that the attitudes are shifting. The owners spend a lot of money on these players, and want to protect their investments. There's no way they'd be OK with their $300M player getting hurt in a pointless game.
This is echoed in how they treat pre-season and the Pro Bowl. Year after year the Pro Bowl has been de-emphasized and neutralized little by little. It used to be an exhibition game that people cared about, and over time players started sitting out and they toned it down more and more. Pre-season has become more and more of a joke with fewer and fewer starters playing each year.
Even practice schedules are being slashed. You can tell that the philosophy is shifting more and more towards not taking the toy out of the box until you're ready to play with it. I wonder if these stars just sit around in bubbles all year until game day. It seems like it.
This was rhe most bold conservative decision made throughout NFL history. Them sticking to their philosophy knowing what was going to be the backlash. As a colts fan, i definitely hated it at the time. I dont care as much about it now looking back at it since the sb was lost. Whos to say they would have won every game anyways. The last game against the bills was a bizzard. It would have been a tough game to win, but at least we could have said "well they tried but just couldnt get it done". Giving perfection away sounds so much worse.
27 td passes sounds pretty pedestrian now. 4000 yards is pretty routine too.
Crazy cuz back then, the league was super pass happy compared to the prior decades and now we're even more pass oriented
Caldwell was a
“Players coach” and the players did play hard for him. Saw it Detroit when we started 1-7 and finished 6-2. And then the next year he took a horrible detroit team to the playoffs in 2016-17. When were bottom 10 in offense and defense.
No clue why they chose not to pour extra salt in the Patriots wound, to be the actual first team to go 19-0. None of the rings the pats got afterward would've held a candle to an undefeated colts season.
I remember the video some may have watched(Ghost of the ‘72 Dolphins), where the creator pointed out that the Saints won the superbowl after letting up their perfect season fair and square by losing with their starters. Colts won one more game than the Saints but then sat their starts to lose their games. Just some thoughts.
Yeah the saints actually tried
Right. The Saints never let off the gas. The colts did.
If they played everyone and went undefeated they woulda won the Super Bowl, hot take. Those losses effected the morale and team
I remember this season. I was so hype about my Eagles n then they lost twice to the Cowboys smh. Once at the end of the season and then in the playoffs right after.
Why were the colts back ups for Peyton so dog ahit like most back ups aren’t great but they’re usually serviceable the colts backups played like they were fans chosen to play ten minutes before kickoff
Sproles torched the Colts everytime.
the 2000s colts were the reason i watched football
Peyton made a lot of them WRs In 2009 look like All pros.
First year of the Bountygate scandal. That 09 Vikings team was really good too.
So close to a Favre-Manning Superbowl!
Another salty Vikings fan having the Saints stuck in their heads.
How many years is it now, 14??
@polsenOO7 Not even a Vikings fan lol..but I still can appreciate the year they were having.
The only man to ever sit Payton Manning,...what a fool
New England had them and basically gave it away! Maybe my bias is showing through but that 4th and 1 game haunts me
Though we were able to avenge that game the next yr and they didn't beat us again for over a decade.
That 2010 win over them was so sweet. For me, it was payback regarding a couple of Colts fans I graduated HS with who trashed me over the Patriots.
If I may interject, something specific in the aftermath of the 2009 season was not mentioned. The Colts GM and HC decision to having the starting players being rested more in the final 2 weeks gave us the current regular season setup of all (formerly Week 17 now) Week 18 games being only divisional matchups.
-Opinions are subjective, but I'm someone who still holds a grudge against the NFL to this day for implementing a final week schedule restriction. Now there are certain geographically South NFL teams who won't have to play outdoors up North in Week 18, while any geographically North NFL team can still be subjected to playing somewhere down South outside in Week 1.
There's a certain word for that, but I'm not confident it can sqweak past the censors.
Also, it takes the fun out of Week 18 knowing your favorite NFL team has only 1 of 6 possible options. Seeing this happen for 15 straight years has gotten stale and--
Homer J. Simpson: "BOR-ING!"
At the time he didn't want the Colts to run out of steam late in January/February 2010 it was meaningless games he wanted his players rested i remember this it was 14 years ago
Colts should’ve gone for it. Their starters essentially played 3 games of football in 2 months
If he did that and Peyton manning got hurt before the playoffs they would've ran him out of town
Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?
Proverbs 20 : 6
Bill Polian fumbled the Colts like he did the Bills. Got to the top only to falter. The one championship with the Colts had a lot to do with the Bears losing that Super Bowl than the colts winning. Jim Kelly and Peyton Manning should have had many rings over throughout their careers….
The Manning-era Colts saw success *in spite of* their front office management. Imagine what they would have done if they had competent people working behind the scenes.
What could have been…
They actually drafted pretty well around manning
Team was loaded Peyton choking in the playoffs every year is why they underachieved
@@davis2k1234 Yeah, 2 hall of fame receivers great tight end. 2 hall of fame defensive linemen a couple of hall of fame offensive linemen and an elite safety in bob sanders that team was loaded
Would you give up a regular season win or a perfect season for a Superbowl? I would.
At the time , with Brady and Peyton rivalry going strong, I think that going for the perfect season would have been exactly what that team needed.
Brady wins 3 SBs topping Indy twice en route- Peyton sets the TD record and beats NE in a great comeback to win his first SB - Brady breaks Peyton's record and almost pulls off the 19-0 perfecto.
The look in Peyton's eyes after that Jets game says it all.
You can't say we're going to play it safe , then turn around and run the stars back out in a meaningless snowy Buffalo game for nearly 2 quarters, just to chase contract incentives.
Simple answer: Why risk injury? You have 7 pro bowlers, including a league mvp and a hall of fame defensive end. You already locked up home field in the afc, so why risk players like that getting hurt? injured?
This is the same team who blew up the roster after Peyton went down even tho they’d been 14-2 the season before. They definitely had a a couple years left.
😂So happy Caldwell did what he did. Even though we lost in the AFC championship later that Jets playoff run was fun to watch.
If I recall they lost those two games to help their matchups for the playoffs. They played the Jets in the AFC Championship which they easily won. It was a smart move even though they lost that Super Bowl .
The Colts weren't expecting to play the Jets in the playoffs.
Nor were they worried about any other possible wild card being a threat.
All that talk is just empty rhetoric filling the 24/7 news cycle.
Patriots and Chargers were the threats that worried Indy , and they were eliminated in upsets.
The Colts got past Baltimore and the Jets with two of the most robotic performances I've seen.
When the Colts "laid"down for the Jets , all the emotion and passion was sucked out of the team.
And Polian didn't help matters going on the local radio show with his weak arguments about playing it safe and how they set the record for most wins in a decade.
then turn around in a snowy Buffalo game and let Peyton , Reggie,and Dallas play deep into the 2nd quarter just to make sure they got to 100 catches.
Eh, if the colts lost in the divisional round then I would get the outrage, but they made it too the Super Bowl. The saints started 13-0 and were a really good team too, so it’s not like losing to them in the Super Bowl has anything to do them with sitting there starters 4-5 weeks prior. Kind stupid
They made it to the Super Bowl if that game went the other way people would be saying different. 😂 those 2 games don’t change they lost in the biggest game.
It's fitting the Colts lost the Super Bowl after pulling such a gutless move throwing a shot at the perfect season in the garbage like it was nothing.
Resting players and going 14-2 instead of 16-0 is irrelevant because they made the Superbowl. If they got bounced in the 1st playoff game, then it's a topic of discussion.
They blew it in the Superbowl which had zero to do with the last 2 games of the season 😂
I LOVE how Kennedy pile drives “our professor from Princeton”!!!!
I went to a similar caliber school (Georgetown) and can honestly say that I’m disgusted with all their high brow, “I’m smarter & better than you”, condescending, idealistic, elitist, unrealistic attitudes!!!
Saints was scheduled to win, so why make it even more heartbreaking for the colts fans/organization . Doesnt matter if you don't win the SB.
The colts in my opinion were better than the Patriots in this era they had so many years starting with 90 13-011 and no 10 and 0 they were so such a great team because of Peyton you removed Peyton from that team and all of a sudden they didn't seem so great whereas Brady leaves the Patriots still win 11 and 5 I don't even think it's closed Peyton Manning's the best quarterback to ever play in the NFL
I agree he won 5 mvps lol the record and Brady played in like 6 more seasons
Those colts teams were so top heavy. Poorly constructed rosters, and the scheme on both sides of the ball was terrible. Bill polian and Tony Dungey were extremely overrated. Year after year after year they put together weak teams, that weren’t tough enough.
Dungy was soft. Caldwell was soft. Nobody feared the Colts because their defenses were trash. They should have just let Manning run up the stats.
😂
The Colts is one of the teams with the worst managment their owner suck their GM mostly sucks and that's the reason why the 2000s Colts never become the dynasty that they would if they have better managment
Gotta disagree.
The media likes to paint Jim Irsay worse than he is. Is he perfect? No, but most Colts fans will tell you they love him as an owner.
And I would't really say Bill Polian(Hall of Fame GM) sucked.
The Colts won sooo many regular season games throughout the 2000s.
The playoffs are just another animal and the league was loaded with really good AFC QB roadblocks...Big Ben, Rivers, Brady + Belichick.
Peyton choking in the playoffs every year is why they weren’t a dynasty period
Cover the 2015 panthers now too!
As a fan, I'm not emotionally prepared to revisit that season...
@AnotherSportsChannel a dang your a panthers fan? Me too! I'll follow just for that. Yeah man, I feel that though. So close it hurts for sure. Ik it doesn't matter, but I really feel if the refs give us the jerrico cothery catch, that game has a different ending... 😓
🤣 appreciate it! Definitely caught the ball and that atl game will haunt me as well
Always thought they didnt go for perfection because they would've had to play the Steelers in the playoffs instead of the jets, losing to the jets at the end let them in and eliminated the Steelers. Just my impression, the Steelers with big ben always were a tough out and if you could take an easier route, why wouldn't you?
He didn’t go out on top? He lost in the first round. He had a great career not taking anything away from him. You could say he left while still on fire
Last time the colts won over 12 games in a regular season. Also, who knows when we ever will see them and the saints in superbowl again. Maybe never
Forgot to mention the Saints were on fire as a city united together after the tragedy of hurricane Katrina. They were unstoppable
So basically Colts fans bitched about the team leadership preserving star player health which helped them make it to a Super Bowl… those same fans would want Caldwell’s head if he’d left Peyton in and he’d suffered an injury ending his season. So pathetic
at least we went to the super bowl
Too bad you lost.
The narrator sounds a lot like Michael B Jordan
I was a huge colts fan at the time and this pissed me tf offfff Curtis Painter was so bad
Dungy was also a great player
Those that say saints cheated should look in the mirror most of the hits were legal no flags at this time of the nfl rules have changed now but back then you could beat up a QB. Also guys that get sacks or pressures on a quarterback get bigger contracts so hitting the qb they get paid for that anyways. Stop being jealous haters.
Quitwell
Or Suckwell
superbowl in miami vs the saints, how we sposed to win against the best team in the nfc when the saints already home
Here’s where I’ll give the Colts some slack. Even if they played their starters the whole game versus the Jets and won I don’t think they play starters in that final game in the snow at buffalo not worth it with those type of conditions
Brees should have been named MVP that year.