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It wasn’t the loss. It was the seeming lack of desire to go for the win that bothers me.
The Indianapolis Colts lost their first game of the season Sunday afternoon. They opened the season with 14 straight wins and were poised for a perfect regular season. Their opponents Sunday were the New York Jets, who were fighting for their playoff lives.
With the game on the line, head coach Jim Caldwell decided not to play Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, and other stars of the Colts’ high-powered offense. Instead, he threw former Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter into the fray for his first NFL experience. Bad decision.
The final score was 29-15. The gap between the teams was more than just the 14 points. The gap between the teams was this: One team wanted to compete and the other one didn’t.
Herm Edwards, when he was the coach of those same Jets, was asked about a decision he made during the game. Edwards’ response is a classic, and can be heard all over the Internet: “You play to win the game.” To imitate the line correctly, you have to put spaces after “play” and “win.”
I haven’t heard what Edwards has said about Caldwell’s decision Sunday, but Caldwell obviously decided not to play to win the game.
I’m a competition junkie. If you’re keeping score, I’m playing to win. It’s strained some friendships, but it’s how I’m wired.
I have a feeling Manning is wired the same way. (The difference between me and Peyton Manning, however, is this: He has athletic ability. I write and talk.) The camera showed Manning and Wayne sitting on the sidelines while the backups were performing. Body language told us everything we needed to know: They were not happy at what was going on.
Painter bore the brunt of it. Fans booed when he came onto the field and when he walked off. Note to Painter: They weren’t booing you. They were booing the decision to put you into the game.
Painter came in, replacing Manning, and completed his first pass. Then he was hit while trying another pass and fumbled, giving the Jets a touchdown.
When the Colts got the ball back, the game was still close. Maybe Manning could engineer one of those fourth-quarter comebacks and keep the unbeaten season alive. Nope.
I’ve interviewed enough coaches after games, wins and losses, to know what are the most glorious words in coachspeak: “Our team really competed today.” Being translated, the coach was saying this: We may not have had more talent than the other team. We may not have had the best game plan. Our players, though, fought and fought and did more than I expected them to.
It wasn’t that Jim Caldwell hadn’t experience a loss before. And some people will say his motives were pure: He wanted to keep Manning and Wayne and the others from getting injured.
Coach, if you want to keep them from getting injured, force them into another line of work.
The worst thing about yesterday was the lack of desire to compete. It was frustrating. It was maddening. And it makes me wonder if anyone in the organization has the mental toughness to go after it in the playoffs.
My son and daughter watched the game with me. They noted that the gimme win put the Jets in good position to make the playoffs. Linda Kay and Bobby put it this way: Whichever team finishes seventh in the AFC, and doesn’t make the playoffs, should have a word with Caldwell.
I can think of no worse epithet for an athlete or a coach than to say this: He didn’t want to compete. At this time, I feel it applies to Jim Caldwell.
by DAVE SCHULTZ
daves@news-banner.com
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