16-0: A Meaningless Goal
Written by Benn Hodapp, Monday December 28 2009
The talking heads of sports talk (I call them "sports turds") are up in arms about the Colts' decision to rest its star players in the second half of a meaningless game. Yeah, you heard me. It's meaningless.
The supposed pluses of going 16-0 are as follows:
-Tie the record of some old guys who played for the Dolphins 10 years before I was born when the competition was 1/10 of what it is today.
-Achieve continuity and momentum going into the playoffs.
and my personal favorite...
-Don't alter the fates of teams attempting to get into the playoffs.
I'll tackle these in order.
I don't care about the 1972 Dolphins. No one should. There might be four guys on that team who could even play in the league today. They don't matter in terms of what happens now. They are historically significant as a footnote for their undefeated season. Their real significance is that they won a Super Bowl. Who cares about the 2007-08 Patriots? Not me. They lost the one game that actually mattered amidst their little streak.
Second, the Colts are not a team that has struggled through adversity and myriad 6-10 and 8-8 seasons before finally bursting onto the scene. There is no chance that this loss affects their Super Bowl chances at all. This is a Peyton Manning-lead team that will not lose because of lack of preparedness or mental mistakes. If they lose in the postseason it will be because their opponent was simply better that day.
Lastly, screw the teams who might be affected by the Jets win. The Colts did their work earlier in the year to assure their place in the playoffs. They don't owe anything to anyone but themselves. If you want to get into the playoffs then do it yourself. Maybe we should blame the Colts for all seven losses those teams on the outside have right now.
There is also the matter of Manning's disgusted looks on the sidelines and how maybe this will cause friction between he and the front office. That is just garbage. When he is done he will have at least one Super Bowl victory, 100 different NFL records and a bust of his prominent forehead in Canton. In the moment he was disappointed because he is a competitor. Players want to win. That's it. When he and the others got home last night I doubt they gave it a second thought.
The only people who have a right to be upset are fantasy football owners. But really, we fantasy football players have bigger problems on our hands. Namely the fact that we have no friends or actual hobbies. So I speak out as an avid fantasy player: you knew when you drafted Manning, Wayne and Clark that there was a chance the Colts would clinch early and sit their guys. So shutup and deal with it.
Here's to the Colts who basically said "eff you" to a stupid, worn out piece of history. I will join you in that salute. Now go win the Super Bowl and shut these lunatics up. Don't give them the satisfaction of hearing themselves speak.
Tags:
Recent Colts Articles
- Fleener Joins Luck in Indy
- Draft Day is Finally Here
- NFL: Draft suspense unfolds after top two picks
- Colts Remove Peyton Manning Banner
- Final Mock Draft
- No. 1-2 QB Picks Not Always Sure Thing
- Colts Tell Luck He Will Be No. 1 Pick
- NFL mock draft 3.0: Trades, trades and more trades!
- Colts Finally Decide Who to Take
- Dwight Freeney Gets a New Job
Leave a comment
Not So Fast! To publish your comment, you have to login
Not Registered? Register now as it only take 20 seconds!
Click here to browse
7 comments
Please sign in to rate!
Don't take Benn's comments too seriously steelersGirl. He just had a tough childhood filled with teasing about all the extra consonants in his name. Oh, and he recently got his ass kicked in fantasy football too.
Please sign in to rate!
SteelersGirl, thanks for letting us know twice who you root for in your comment. Your name left us in suspense. :)
Please sign in to rate!
if they win the Super Bowl that's all that matters. if they don't it won't be because of this. the Colts aren't a young team. rest can only benefit them. who was better, the 72 Dolphins or the 07 Patriots? if they played i bet the Pats would stomp the Fish. but only one of them won the super bowl.
Please sign in to rate!
Benn, I agree with the argument that a Championship is more important than being undefeated, but that's not the only consideration here. As a fan, what could possbily be cooler than being able to say your team was the best EVER? The Colts had a chance at that. I don't believe not playing is going have any adverse effect on Manning either. He's a verteran Super Bowl winning QB, who knows how to win. He handled this situation well, in spite of his obvious frustrations. Also, if you don't think 4 players from the 1972 Dolphis team could play in today's NFL, then maybe you should visit a little place called the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio. Might just be a few guys on that team who didn't suck as much as you say. And finally, I have friends, family, hobbies and a nice plaque from winning the PPFFL Championship. THAT'S your bigget problem my friend.
Please sign in to rate!
I disagree completely. They did a disservice to themselves and their fans. First, there is a thing as too much rest for these guys. They won’t see any real football action until Jan. 16th or 17th. Let’s remember when they benched starters early in ‘05 and went up against the 6th seed in the playoffs (and were heavily favored)….they came out flat and were completely dominated the entire game (yes, score was closer than it should have been….but we don’t want to get off topic) Point is they were flat all around and were beat! Next, I have also seen many people claiming that they didn’t want the pressure of “perfection”! Yes being the only team to finish 19-0 is something that has never been accomplished and would be a big deal (even if they couldn’t use the phrase “19-0” since NE has it trademarked)! If they would have left some of their other starters in the game and pulled Manning out, they might have been able to win and who knows….the back ups might have been able to beat Buffalo! They would have rewrote the history books instead of just having their name listed on the 44th line of Super Bowl winners. I am a huge Steelers fan and yes, you play to win championships but if we were in the situation the Colts were in (same remaining 2 teams) I wouldn’t have been happy about last week (again because I think Buffalo is still beatable with some starters out). Let’s not forget about the fans sitting up in the stands, paying money to see what could be history in the making, instead they see their team laid down and quit! I haven’t seen too many happy fans in Indy right about now! With that being said, yes, I am a Steelers fan, and no I don’t think you owed us anything. We put ourselves in the situation we are in and we are lucky to even have a chance right now!
Please sign in to rate!
True, but neither does going 16-0. They have nothing to gain by going 16-0. And even if it isn't Manning who got hurt they do have other important players. Thanks for the comment though, "cutie." Bonus points for the Seinfeld reference.
Please sign in to rate!
A meaningless goal is more along the lines of punching all of the sandwiches so you can become Submarine Captain, therefore earning a free sub, i.e. Elaine Benes. I understand not caring about a 16-0 record, but why take the chance of hurting your players' confidence right before the playoffs? It's not like sitting your players for 20 minutes locks you as Superbowl Champion.