Polians out in Indy

[tazinib1]

Not everyone.

 

Like no one will be surprised when JAC moves to LA.

 

 

ZING!!!

[CaptainHook]

Throwing is one thing, avoiding the rush and getting hit is another. Peyton is known as a self sacking coward afraid to take a hit, if he comes back he'll be so jumpy he'll make Blain Gabbert appear to have the pocket gonads of Hercules.

What's your point?

 

You don't go from neck surgery to fully cleared for contact. Obviously there are going to be some steps towards that in the recovery process.

Edited January 3, 2012 by CaptainHook

[Dave Sherman]

I am shocked Irsay didn't cut Caldwell, probably being nice and let the new GM fire him.

Irsay needed someone to make coffee around the office until the new crew comes in...

[muck]

Can Irsay restructure Manning's contract so that he gets a small piece of the franchise in lieu of some/all of the $28 million he's owed?

[CowboyGal2011]

do you really believe that or are you just trolling?

 

It's how he stays healthy, a skill set, like the high jump, or running the 40. It's not like he wears girls bracelets and rides kids toys like lance Armstrong, but Peyton will avoid contact at all costs.

 

It's just a shame his head is so big, directly leading to his neck problems. His brother is so envious of his head, he wears a helmet 3x's to big.

[CaptainHook]

I completely agree, but you said he's a coward and I can't fathom that he's afraid to take a hit, but mostly cuz he knows that he can convert 3rd and 12.

She's just bitter about the Cowgurls last night and is lashing out.

Edited January 3, 2012 by CaptainHook

[boltnlava]

It's how he stays healthy, a skill set, like the high jump, or running the 40. It's not like he wears girls bracelets and rides kids toys like lance Armstrong, but Peyton will avoid contact at all costs.

 

It's just a shame his head is so big, directly leading to his neck problems. His brother is so envious of his head, he wears a helmet 3x's to big.

 

I was asking my wife why he doesn't have a uniform and helmet that fits him...lol. He looks like freaking Haley Joel Osment in his dads uni!

[BeeR]

She's just bitter about the Cowgurls last night and is lashing out.

Or the fact that we've enjoyed having a better QB the last 10-15 yrs than her so-called team has ever had. And might be poised to get another one. Or maybe, considering how often Romo gets hammered, she's jealous of a QB who is good enough and smart enough to stay upright and has such a quick release/great decision-making/etc etc. I guess that makes him a "coward."

[CaptainHook]

Watching Andrew Luck play tonight. I think I am in love. . .

[paulzale]

Can't the Colts cut/not pay the roster bonus then re-sign Manning? I know he would have the option to entertain other offers, but could still keep things open with the Colts to stay on at a different amount.

[Shorttynaz]

They won't be unemployed for long. Bill Polian is a great GM. He has a terrible temper and is not good at P.R., but his talent scouting and talent evaluations are unmatched.

It could be worse. We could have Jerry Jones.

He's missed on quite a few of his picks lately.. There for a while he was on fire with can't miss talent. Lately, he's been grabbing can't hit talent! I mean the last sorta decent 1st round player he drafted was Joseph Addai - that was what, 5 years ago??

[Chief Dick]

You had to figure it was inevitable once Polian gave all of Irsay's money to Manning without really knowing if he could play.

[BeeR]

He's missed on quite a few of his picks lately.. There for a while he was on fire with can't miss talent. Lately, he's been grabbing can't hit talent! I mean the last sorta decent 1st round player he drafted was Joseph Addai - that was what, 5 years ago??

If you overlook how often he gets hurt and how he sucks as a runner, Addai aint bad.

 

Polian has been above average overall but as I've long maintained, hideously overrated. Now finally people are getting how much Manning has carried this team and covered up his many screw-ups, including a LOT of high draft picks. Ironically, he's better in the mid/late rounds, where he did find some gems. If he knew how to build a D, we could have been talking about the Colt dynasty instead of (or in addition to?) the NE one.

[CaptainHook]

He's missed on quite a few of his picks lately.. There for a while he was on fire with can't miss talent. Lately, he's been grabbing can't hit talent! I mean the last sorta decent 1st round player he drafted was Joseph Addai - that was what, 5 years ago??

They've also been picking at the back of the first round for quite a while. I don't expect those guys to be Pro Bowlers. But I expect them to be starters and contribute. The only first round bust has been Jerry Hughes, and he's only in his second year.

 

2006 - 1.30 Joseph Addai made a Pro Bowl and was a major part of the Super Bowl team. He has had a ton of minor injuries lately.

 

2007 - 1.32 Anthony Gonzalez career has been derailed by injuries. This year he never saw the field (although I hear Polian had a lot to do with that).

2.10 Tony Ugoh in the second round was a huge bust, especially since they gave up a first rounder in 2008 to get him. The guy just had no fire. No desire to play football. The Colts were backed into a corner here though, as Tarik Glenn was retiring and they had to get a left tackle.

 

2008 - No first round pick. 2.28 Mike Pollak has been an on again off again starter. These two misses on the o-line really hurt the Colts though, no doubt.

 

2009 - 1.27 Donald Brown. The jury is still out. I found it interesting that he started off in the Colts doghouse this year, but when injuries forced him into the line-up, he actually had a pretty good season. 4.8 ypc, 645 yards, and 5 TD's for a guy that didn't see the field for the first four games of the season.

 

2010 - 1.31 Jerry Hughes. I'm not ready to give up on this guy yet either. He has had very limited opportunities behind Freeney and Mathis.

 

So in the last 5 years, they've had four first round picks, drafting not sooner than 27th in the first round. One has gone to a Pro Bowl. All four are still with the team and been a starter (except Hughes). Gonzo had a bunch of injuries. Ugoh was a pure bust. But in the last five drafts they've also picked up Pro Bowler Antoine Bethea (6.38 - 2006), Clint Session (4.37 - 2007), Pierre Garcon (6.39 2008), Austin Collie (4.27 2009), and Pat Angerer (2.31 2010). Not bad. But not great compared to the run from 1998-2005 when they took Manning, Edgerrin James, Rob Morris, Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney, Dallas Clark, and Bob Sanders. What a run that was!

[tazinib1]

2006 - 1.30 Joseph Addai made a Pro Bowl and was a major part of the Super Bowl team. He has had a ton of minor injuries lately.

 

Lately? YOu can take it to the bank that he will be injured with some sort of ailment by week 3...every year.

[CaptainHook]

Lately? YOu can take it to the bank that he will be injured with some sort of ailment by week 3...every year.

Yep, I'd agree. I can't stand Addai. I think he's a complete wuss. But his first couple years were pretty good. He was a major part of the Super Bowl team in 2006 and went to the Pro Bowl in 2007. Definitely should have drafted Maurice Jones-Drew here. But I wouldn't call him a bust. Just a Rosie O'Donnell since 2008. I have no idea why the Colts re-signed him before this year.

[Jackass]

Yep, I'd agree. I can't stand Addai. I think he's a complete wuss. But his first couple years were pretty good. He was a major part of the Super Bowl team in 2006 and went to the Pro Bowl in 2007. Definitely should have drafted Maurice Jones-Drew here. But I wouldn't call him a bust. Just a Rosie O'Donnell since 2008. I have no idea why the Colts re-signed him before this year.

 

Indy and every other team..

[BeeR]

Polian being, well Polian:

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d825b..._headline_stack

 

1 - This is the reason? lol. Polian you are making such an ass of yourself. I doubt anyone with a clue believes this.

 

2 - If this really was the reason, you only had 13 years to do so - why didn't you, you freaking overrated idiot? Instead you kept 7th round schmucks year after year.

[stevegrab]

If manning didn't sit out the whole season, the team wins 10 gamea again and goes to the playoffs are the Polians fired?

 

If they had somebody even partially capable as a backup and don't fall from perennial contender to first pick in the draft, do they get fired?

 

 

From somebody who doesn't have a dog in this fight seems like the teams collapse this year is a big part of the reason he was fired. If he was so terrible he would have been fired years ago, and the Colts would have had less sucess.

[BeeR]

I think it is partly that he was positioning his son to take over as stated earlier but also that he was exposed, in a BIG way, for his personnel moves and how overrated he was ie Manning covering his many goofs.

Edited January 4, 2012 by BeeR

[CaptainHook]

I took a day to digest what happened Monday at the Colts complex. It’s no secret vice chairman Bill Polian didn’t care for the local media. I thought it wise to sleep on what should be written to put his firing in perspective. I didn’t want this blog to come off like one final salvo, but it probably will anyway for those in the pro-Polian camp. So be it.

 

Polian took the Indianapolis Colts places they have never been. He built an unprecedented winner, thanks in large part to his first draft selection of QB Peyton Manning. He was the architect for a memorable Super Bowl run. And, yes, Bill Polian will one day be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

 

Those are the obvious facts. But there’s so much more people don’t know.

 

I had a friend who landed a job with the Colts many years ago. The first time we ran into each other in a complex hallway, I congratulated him. All I received was a nod as he kept walking. I didn’t know what to think. After the work day, my friend phoned to apologize.

 

“You understand why I can’t stop and talk to you in the building,” he said.

 

I didn’t.

 

He was afraid Polian would see us exchanging pleasantries.

 

“He hates all of us, too,” the friend said.

 

That stuck with me. I couldn’t get that memory out of my head when we learned Polian and his son, Chris, were fired.

 

There are other stories, too, stories that don’t get mentioned when trying to explain why a six-time NFL Executive of the Year would be given a pink slip after one incredibly bad 2-14 season. Owner Jim Irsay does have class. He can make reference to “deficiencies” without saying anything more. He knew that we knew, those of us who have been there for years.

 

I was reminded recently about how a former Colts player was in a hallway, talking to a then-current player, when Polian walked up. The boss didn’t care for the former player, and refused to acknowledge the man’s presence. A short time later, a nearby phone rang. The current player explained the former player had to leave.

 

I was tempted to call a friend connected with the City who has had dealings with Polian for the 14 years the Colts boss was here. This friend often advised he had some serious stories to share as soon as Polian was gone. But I resisted the temptation. I can imagine. No need for details.

 

Most who question why a proven football man was shown the door weren’t on the receiving end of such rude treatment. It goes beyond not liking the media, folks. I couldn’t care less about that, aside from wanting to make the man accountable for the sake of fans who have every right to expect me to know information and share it with them. When Polian disrespected the fans for questioning the infamous Jets sitdown decision in 2009, when he alone (I believe) decided at 14-0 that perfection was a meaningless pursuit, that crossed a line. Don’t insult the people who have spent so much money to give you such a great life. That goes beyond arguing a debatable football decision.

 

As Irsay said in Monday’s presser, you should listen to the fans. It sure helps to be respectful, if for no other reason in that position than public opinion. You don’t have to do everything they say. There’s truth to an old Polian statement about how a front-office boss who listens to fans’ advice will end up sitting with them. But by listen, I guess I mean at least hear them out, and not just on a screened-caller basis for a radio show to spin half-truths and lies. It never hurts to be polite.

 

That’s what confounds me about the man, to be honest. I saw the other side of Polian, too, when he charmed a room of people at a Downtown civic luncheon. He is an outstanding speaker. If I didn’t know how much he despised me, he would be the kind of old-school guy who could motivate me to run through a wall, back up, and do it again. He can be that convincing. If I was in a serious scrap, I’d want that guy on my side.

 

But the NFL is popular and big business because of fans. It’s successful because teams work as such, as a team, and that includes every employee of the operation. There’s such a thing as being professional, even with those you don’t like. It’s nothing short of a travesty that so many over the years lived in fear at West 56th Street. Sometimes, when learning of a new story depicting the man’s rage and harshness, I would wonder how Irsay could tolerate his people being subjected to this.

 

I’m guessing it’s because Polian was, at least for much of his career, exceptional at his job. And if we’ve learned anything from following sports through the years, sometimes the flawed get a pass for their “deficiencies.” But we’ve also seen, as was the case with legendary but volatile Indiana University men’s basketball coach Bob Knight, time has a way of catching up to these people. I’m convinced it did to Polian on Monday.

 

There’s no doubt Irsay was in a bit of a pickle regarding Chris Polian. I don’t think the owner had enough faith in Polian’s son to run the franchise. Mistakes have been made. They have been obvious. We don’t know how many were on Chris. Some were. But Bill signed off on each and every one of them. So how do you ask the father to get rid of the son? You can’t. That’s why both were fired, in my opinion.

 

But I can’t help but think this move was about more than that. I’ve always found Irsay to be a cool customer, someone who will take the time to listen to others. He has been most gracious with me. It’s nothing short of unusual but I’m sure appreciated that he takes so much time to interact with fans on Twitter. His generosity can never be questioned. Those who don’t like him don’t know him. Criticize his decisions all you want, but he does care. He gets it. Polian didn’t. Not really. Irsay eventually reached his limit.

 

Polian’s excellence masked, what I think, a tremendous insecurity I will never understand. Yeah, it has to be nothing short of maddening to have people question you when there’s no doubt you know more about your business than they could ever know. But it’s not like us common folks who worry about paying the bills each month can’t relate to that in some way. Some know more, some don’t. If there’s anything I’ve learned from doing countless online chats and interacting with fans, it’s that you try to respect their feelings, even those expressed with a cruelty that reminds me of a seething Polian. Easy to knee-jerk react to that. I’ve been guilty. It’s in my nature to scrap. But I’m getting older and trying, every day, to realize losing the temper gets me nowhere with anyone. It just makes people afraid.

 

Personally, I will never be more afraid then as a child. I’ve seen abuse and dysfunction that would scar anyone. It wasn’t until my 30s that I put that to bed, so to speak, and retired the chip on the shoulder. At some point, you must learn and grow. If you can’t, the bitterness will be an undoing. The rage must be kept in check. It can be an ongoing challenge.

 

It is my sincerest hope that somehow, some way, Bill Polian finds some serenity and peace in his post-Colts life. I hope he can learn to appreciate people more and treat them with the kindness they deserve.

 

That hope replaces a half-baked notion, one I often thought of for years, that we would one day just sit down in a room and shout it out, make our points, and then figure out a way to move ahead and get to what was important — me respecting the job he had to do and getting some semblance of the same consideration from him. But I learned the hard way that was a naive vision. One one-on-one interview in 11 years told me where I stood. Just recently in an impromptu podium visit that surprised us all, I asked two questions and got five terse words in response. OK, yeah, I get it.

 

There are those who will take pleasure in what has happened. After a day to reflect, I choose to resist that temptation as well. There’s just no healthy reason to be bitter. I choose to try to learn and grow from the continually challenging experience of dealing with the man.

 

I hope others, those who lived and worked in fear for the Colts, can do so as well.

 

He’s gone. Put it to bed. Move on.

 

Trust me, you’ll enjoy the rest of your lives a lot more.

 

from Indystar.com Phil B. Wilson Colts beat writer