Polians grades for free agents we signed

[BOTT]

I don't buy that because the Colts won their fair share of games against those teams during the regular season including beating the Chargers and Steelers during the regular season in two years that they lost to them during the postseason. 

 

If you look at the Colts playoff history during the Polian era the offense just didn't produce like they had during the regular season when they lost in the playoffs.

 

1999:  Lost to the Titans scored 16

2000:  Lost to Miami in OT they scored 17

2002:  Lost to the Jets scored 0

2003:  Lost to New England scored 14

2004:  Lost to New England scored 3

2005:  Lost to the Steelers scored 18

2007:  Lost to the Chargers scored 24

2008:  Lost to the Chargers in OT scored 17

2009:  Lost to the Saints scored 17

2010:  Lost to the Jets scored 16

 

Only once in a playoff loss under Polian did that high power offense score more than 20 points.  Go back and look at those Colts teams and see how many times they were held under 20 during the regular season those years.  Not very many including against some of those top teams they would lose to in the playoffs.  At the end of the day the players on the field did not play like they had during the regular season.  Taking Manning out of it for a second because in some of those games he played well and we still lost it was largely the other skill guys, Harrison, Edge, Clark, and Addai that were no were to be seen in the playoffs for the most part.  Wayne has been our one skill position player that normally showed up in the playoffs like he did during the regular season.  I don't think Manning is blameless in this either but if the guys around him don't play well it's hard for a QB to play well.  I also don't think Polian is blameless either.  I just don't think you can put it all on Polian or Manning for that matter.  There is a pretty clear pattern of our offensive weapons not playing like they did during the regular season.  At some point you have to put at least some of that on the players. 

This topic has been covered a million times, I will pass on the 1,000,001

[Jules]

I love all this talk blaming Polian for when our own players often crapped the bed in the playoffs. Look, I am not a HUGE Polian fan either but I can't blame him for EVERYTHING. The man was a great gm here. A bit stubborn though and sometimes he made me scratch my head with comments, like when he said the o line was to blame for the SB loss.

 

All this talk about just having one little measly ring in the Manning era is silly at times too. Do I wish we won more? Yeah. But, I am turning my attention more now on the future and hope we can win a few in this new era with Luck. Even if Manning won a SB with Denver it means little to me, it's not with the Colts. And he went one and done last year too with a supposedly better Broncos team many bragged all season long had the D/o line and pieces he never had in Indy. Winning it all is tough and there is never a guarantee you will do it no matter how good you think you are or how good you look all season long.

 

Like already mentioned, plenty of great QBs have one ring or no rings. I think because our era with Manning coincided with the Brady era with the Pats people get paranoid at times with the Brady 3 rings argument and still do.

[The Old Crow]

How odd. Why on earth would I want you to say that? If you're still on your Quixotic quest to tell off "Indianapolis" fans you missed the target. And I was being nice to you, and essentially agreeing with you - while pointing out the irony (for the second time) of your complaining on a Colts forum in a manner which would suggest that you are oblivious to the fact that there might actually be Colts fans here.

 

You've made your unorthodox perspective regarding "city versus franchise" abundantly clear in your relentless posts on the topic. PLEASE don't feel that you need to do so again. My point was simply to describe the Colts history against the Steelers in it's entirety since - as someone who stopped rooting for them - you didn't appear to be aware of it. The 70's were just the tip of the iceberg, and the pain grows to the point that I both dream of the chance to beat them and dread the seeming inevitability of losing to them every year at playoff time. It appears to actually be something that we have in common, but I suspect that you aren't interested in things such as that.

 

 

All you really had to say is that Indy has had it's heartache with Pittsburgh also. I wasn't bringing up the city vs. franchise stuff at all, but you said I pretend they ceased to exist. My point was from the Baltimore perspective where we have never beaten a Pittsburgh team in the playoffs in any sport. It's fine if you want to present the total Colts history if you want. Just because I stopped following the Colts after they left, and am currently a Raven's fan, doesn't mean I'm not a Colt's fan. Rest assured, I am, and always will be. I'm just a Colts fan from a different era. Everyone has suffered at the hands of the Steelers, and it's painful.

[Modern]

Polian had a tv show. Is it normal for a GM to have a show ? And wasn't his son in law also employed in the front office ?

[ConBro]

So in 14 years he hired his son, and he threw one offensive co-ordinator under the bus, and he's a bum for it ? Sure he made some mistakes, but heck, you have to give him some credit for what he did for Indy .

No I give him credit for what he did. It's one of the hardest jobs in sports and he will go down as one of the best in the business. I respect the man, but thatr doesn't mean I have to like him.

[lollygagger8]

Na'Polian hasn't dabbled in Free Agency for at least a decade.

 

Plus he thinks his son is an "A" as well, so I'm gonna go ahead go back to not caring what Polian has to say.

[The Old Crow]

No I give him credit for what he did. It's one of the hardest jobs in sports and he will go down as one of the best in the business. I respect the man, but thatr doesn't mean I have to like him.

 

I think Polian did one heck of a job. Probably the biggest overreach was bringing his son in at the end. That is a fair criticism, but how many complained when Bob Irsay brought his son in as GM ?  I really see the irony of how both Bob Irsay and Jim Irsay hired and fired larger than life GM's . Bob hired Joe Thomas in Baltimore, who brought them three AFC East Division Championships in 75, 76, and 77. After getting results, Irsay ended up firing both Thomas and Ted Marchibroda, leading to the downfall of the Baltimore Colts. Jim Irsay hired maverick GM Bill Polian who brought the Indy Colts from the lowest depths, to one of the most consistent teams in the NFL for 13 years. Jim Irsay has decided to go in a different direction after one 2-14 season without Manning, but only time will tell if he made the right decision. With Grigson and Luck, it was a great year last season, but will you get the consistency of the Polian era ? When you hire larger than life General Managers, you have to take the good with the bad. Most NFL teams and fans would take the Polian years, hands down.

[The Old Crow]

Na'Polian hasn't dabbled in Free Agency for at least a decade.

 

Plus he thinks his son is an "A" as well, so I'm gonna go ahead go back to not caring what Polian has to say.

 

 

Honestly, without Polian, the Colts and the Irsay family would be viewed and compared to the Cardinals and the Bidwell family in Arizona. The ONLY thing that seperates the two, are the Polian years. You may hate the guy, and no longer care what he says, but he got you respectability in the league.

[ConBro]

Honestly, without Polian, the Colts and the Irsay family would be viewed and compared to the Cardinals and the Bidwell family in Arizona. The ONLY thing that seperates the two, are the Polian years. You may hate the guy, and no longer care what he says, but he got you respectability in the league.

...Bill? Is that you? ;)

[The Old Crow]

...Bill? Is that you? ;)

 

 

No,  it's Chris Polian from my desk job at the Atlanta Falcon's personnel department. I'm currently the third assistant to the third assistant in the Falcon's file clerk office. Later today I'll be swamping out the men's locker room ! LOL

[wig]

I respect your comments. But Manning has 1 ring, when his ability should have put him up there with Montana and Brady etc. 2009 disgraced the franchise. And will always cast a shadow over our great org. Always......

Polian threw the pick six against the Saints?

[The Fish]

I'm in a minority, but the dude built 6 teams that appeared in SB's. He got an expansion team to the NFC championship. I'm not saying he's perfect, but by in large he did very well. His time did run out, but its not as if his tenure here will ever be looked at by the overall NFL community as anything other than a success.

It should be pointed out how generally bad (at best a few pretty good teams through the years) the Colts were in Indy before he helped stabilize the franchise with some consistent winning. 

[John Waylon]

The Sidbury signing is eating at me. In the back of my mind. Because of something Grigson said of him after the deal:

 

"He has a chance"

 

:|

 

He has a chance?

 

We popped on this guy in the first hour, which, by the laws of bargaining, increased his leverage in what he got from us and he has a chance?

 

I don't see the logic in sweeping some guy off the market when the thought is "He has a chance". Lots of guys out there have a chance, they're a dime a dozen. Why were we so eager to spend on a guy who merely "Has a chance"?

 

I don't know the terms and numbers of his deal, and to me, they really don't matter. It's the principle more than anything. Just doesn't make sense to me. He may well still be a FA had we not signed him.

[The Fish]

The Sidbury signing is eating at me. In the back of my mind. Because of something Grigson said of him after the deal:

 

"He has a chance"

 

:|

 

He has a chance?

 

We popped on this guy in the first hour, which, by the laws of bargaining, increased his leverage in what he got from us and he has a chance?

 

I don't see the logic in sweeping some guy off the market when the thought is "He has a chance". Lots of guys out there have a chance, they're a dime a dozen. Why were we so eager to spend on a guy who merely "Has a chance"?

 

I don't know the terms and numbers of his deal, and to me, they really don't matter. It's the principle more than anything. Just doesn't make sense to me. He may well still be a FA had we not signed him.

Perhaps it was a motivational tactic? I get your point, but these guys get only so many chances at getting a contract worth real NFL money. The guy is here for a few mill and will be cut if he doesn't play up to his contract after this season.

[bahhummbug]

Phillip B Wilson ‏@pwilson24

Grading the #Colts free agent signings so far: http://indy.st/YNT2gw 

 

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[BOTT]

The Sidbury signing is eating at me. In the back of my mind. Because of something Grigson said of him after the deal:

 

"He has a chance"

 

:|

 

He has a chance?

 

We popped on this guy in the first hour, which, by the laws of bargaining, increased his leverage in what he got from us and he has a chance?

 

I don't see the logic in sweeping some guy off the market when the thought is "He has a chance". Lots of guys out there have a chance, they're a dime a dozen. Why were we so eager to spend on a guy who merely "Has a chance"?

 

I don't know the terms and numbers of his deal, and to me, they really don't matter. It's the principle more than anything. Just doesn't make sense to me. He may well still be a FA had we not signed him.

Sidbury turned all that leverage into a 1yr 715k deal

[BOTT]

Honestly, without Polian, the Colts and the Irsay family would be viewed and compared to the Cardinals and the Bidwell family in Arizona. The ONLY thing that seperates the two, are the Polian years. You may hate the guy, and no longer care what he says, but he got you respectability in the league.

Here we go again....

[The Old Crow]

Here we go again....

 

 

Facts do not lie.

 

Irsays without Polian 0Super Bowl wins

Bidwells  0 Super Bowl wins

[ColtsBlueFL]

I'm in a minority, but the dude built 6 teams that appeared in SB's. He got an expansion team to the NFC championship. I'm not saying he's perfect, but by in large he did very well. His time did run out, but its not as if his tenure here will ever be looked at by the overall NFL community as anything other than a success.

It should be pointed out how generally bad (at best a few pretty good teams through the years) the Colts were in Indy before he helped stabilize the franchise with some consistent winning. 

 

"You have reached your quota of positive votes for the day"

 

but   anyways for this.

[BOTT]

Facts do not lie.

 

Irsays without Polian 0Super Bowl wins

Bidwells  0 Super Bowl wins

Get a hobby other than being bitter

[OlBlu]

Polian was a great evaluator. Once he started to tone down his role in the organization, that was when the team fell apart. I still believe he knows what he is talking about more than a former analyst GM Matt Millen.

 

I personally have liked these moves and I think we improved in a lot of areas of need. More so than most teams that spent big money to sign guys who have name recognition, and signed 2 or 3 guys, while we got 7 FAs from other teams and kept Butler.

 

I believe this team will have more wins than last year.

 

Why would you think they will win more than eleven this year? Last year was a miracle. The Colts were outscored on the season, they had a QB who led the NFL in turnovers, they had a QB who had one of the worst QB ratings and completion percentages in the NFL..... I hope he will be better this year with better protection and a slightly better supporting class. Before everyone says his completion percentage was bad because of drops. Reggie Wayne caught everything he saw including some miracle catches.....

[OlBlu]

Get a hobby other than being bitter

 

I don't think he was bitter, I think he was correct....

[The Old Crow]

Get a hobby other than being bitter

 

 

What am I bitter about, the Ravens just won the Super Bowl. I'm just saying Polian was a dang good GM for you guys. We just don't fire GM's who are successful for the long term in Baltimore. Usually they retire, and people are thankful for the winning years they gave you. The question should be, " Why are you bitter towards Polian ?"

[jvan1973]

Facts do not lie.

Irsays without Polian 0Super Bowl wins

Bidwells 0 Super Bowl wins

ravens without newsome 0 superbowl wins

[The Old Crow]

ravens without newsome 0 superbowl wins

 

 

Absolutely, but Baltimore fans revere Newsome, and we're not throwing him under the bus like some Colts fans do with Polian. I'm glad to see some Colt's fans defend him. Mr. Bisciotti would be the first to give credit to Ozzie. We have a good, hands off owner that lets the GM do his job. At one time, we had an owner with another team in our city that was not hands off, and didn't let the GM do his job. I think we all know who that was.

[BOTT]

What am I bitter about, the Ravens just won the Super Bowl. I'm just saying Polian was a dang good GM for you guys. We just don't fire GM's who are successful for the long term in Baltimore. Usually they retire, and people are thankful for the winning years they gave you. The question should be, " Why are you bitter towards Polian ?"

Well, it's obvious your bitterness revolves around 3 things ...the Irsays, John Elway, and the Colts leaving Baltimore....that's all you tend to post about.

And if you paid attention to the colts, you would know why Polian was fired....and it wasn't just because of one bad season without Manning.

[Superman]

The Sidbury signing is eating at me. In the back of my mind. Because of something Grigson said of him after the deal:

 

"He has a chance"

 

:|

 

He has a chance?

 

We popped on this guy in the first hour, which, by the laws of bargaining, increased his leverage in what he got from us and he has a chance?

 

I don't see the logic in sweeping some guy off the market when the thought is "He has a chance". Lots of guys out there have a chance, they're a dime a dozen. Why were we so eager to spend on a guy who merely "Has a chance"?

 

I don't know the terms and numbers of his deal, and to me, they really don't matter. It's the principle more than anything. Just doesn't make sense to me. He may well still be a FA had we not signed him.

 

He got a one year, $715k contract. How much could we possibly have overpaid for him?

[BOTT]

Absolutely, but Baltimore fans revere Newsome, and we're not throwing him under the bus like some Colts fans do with Polian. I'm glad to see some Colt's fans defend him. Mr. Bisciotti would be the first to give credit to Ozzie. We have a good, hands off owner that lets the GM do his job. At one time, we had an owner with another team in our city that was not hands off, and didn't let the GM do his job. I think we all know who that was.

I find it odd that you constantly criticize bob irsay, and rightfully so, but then you turn around and rip John Elway for not wanting to waste his career playing for the fool.

[The Old Crow]

I find it odd that you constantly criticize bob irsay, and rightfully so, but then you turn around and rip John Elway for not wanting to waste his career playing for the fool.

 

 

How would you have felt if Peyton Manning didn't want to play for the Indy Colts because of Jimmy Irsay. Remember at the time, he was coming off a bunch of horrible seasons as a GM, and the Colts were no more winners in Indianapolis, than they were in Baltimore. But he came to a losing team, and turned everything around. He was a man,  unlike spoiled Elway, who had to have things his own way like a baby. I feel the same towards Peyton's brother Eli. Look, the NFL is great because of the salary cap, and the way the draft works. Guys like Elway, make a mockery of the draft, and only think of themselves, and not the integrity of the league. I would feel the same way no matter what team this happened to.

[The Old Crow]

Well, it's obvious your bitterness revolves around 3 things ...the Irsays, John Elway, and the Colts leaving Baltimore....that's all you tend to post about.

And if you paid attention to the colts, you would know why Polian was fired....and it wasn't just because of one bad season without Manning.

 

Bitter no, factual yes. My contention was Bob Irsay was perhaps one of the worst owners in the history of the sport. Jimmy has done a much better job, especially over the last 13 years. If you looks at the last 13 years of Irsay ownership, it's a great record. However, the last 40 years of Irsay family ownership leaves alot to be desired. One Championship in fourty years. Read my other comments on Elway. As far as the Colts go, they are in Indy now, we have the Ravens. I do wish the Baltimore records and Championships, and Hall of Famers were retired to Baltimore, but I understand the Indy Colts have their own identity . It's more philosophical differences than bitterness.

[BOTT]

How would you have felt if Peyton Manning didn't want to play for the Indy Colts because of Jimmy Irsay. Remember at the time, he was coming off a bunch of horrible seasons as a GM, and the Colts were no more winners in Indianapolis, than they were in Baltimore. But he came to a losing team, and turned everything around. He was a man,  unlike spoiled Elway, who had to have things his own way like a baby. I feel the same towards Peyton's brother Eli. Look, the NFL is great because of the salary cap, and the way the draft works. Guys like Elway, make a mockery of the draft, and only think of themselves, and not the integrity of the league. I would feel the same way no matter what team this happened to.

If irsay had not hired Polian, Manning would have been totally justified in telling the colts to shove it. I don't expect more out of athletes than I would expect out of myself...and I sure as hell would not put my career in the hands of someone I do not trust.

[BOTT]

Bitter no, factual yes. My contention was Bob Irsay was perhaps one of the worst owners in the history of the sport. Jimmy has done a much better job, especially over the last 13 years. If you looks at the last 13 years of Irsay ownership, it's a great record. However, the last 40 years of Irsay family ownership leaves alot to be desired. One Championship in fourty years. Read my other comments on Elway. As far as the Colts go, they are in Indy now, we have the Ravens. I do wish the Baltimore records and Championships, and Hall of Famers were retired to Baltimore, but I understand the Indy Colts have their own identity . It's more philosophical differences than bitterness.

Yes, everyone knows the history of bob irsay and the troubles jim had as gm.....you don't have to take every opportunity to remind people of it.

[John Dee]

OUT of likes sorry J...

 

But you all know what I really think Indy's biggest deficiency was during the Pollian years? 

 

Special Teams......    it was NEVER ADDRESSED under Bill P's reign.       And Indy was in the bottom "FIFTH" year in year out.

 

And it really matters.    ...     Patty Mac was nearly Indy's MVP last season.     

 

Field position is HUGE.          Manning started from his own 20 how many times?   

 

 

Polian slipped late but up to 2007 he had Indy poised to win     BIG.   Had some of the players stayed healthy???

 

Sanders, Simon, Booger, Jax, Hayden, Harper, ....    and on and on...        just bad luck... 

I love all this talk blaming Polian for when our own players often crapped the bed in the playoffs. Look, I am not a HUGE Polian fan either but I can't blame him for EVERYTHING. The man was a great gm here. A bit stubborn though and sometimes he made me scratch my head with comments, like when he said the o line was to blame for the SB loss.

 

All this talk about just having one little measly ring in the Manning era is silly at times too. Do I wish we won more? Yeah. But, I am turning my attention more now on the future and hope we can win a few in this new era with Luck. Even if Manning won a SB with Denver it means little to me, it's not with the Colts. And he went one and done last year too with a supposedly better Broncos team many bragged all season long had the D/o line and pieces he never had in Indy. Winning it all is tough and there is never a guarantee you will do it no matter how good you think you are or how good you look all season long.

 

Like already mentioned, plenty of great QBs have one ring or no rings. I think because our era with Manning coincided with the Brady era with the Pats people get paranoid at times with the Brady 3 rings argument and still do.

[The Old Crow]

If irsay had not hired Polian, Manning would have been totally justified in telling the colts to shove it. I don't expect more out of athletes than I would expect out of myself...and I sure as heck would not put my career in the hands of someone I do not trust.

 

I'm glad you brought that up because the GM of the Baltimore Colts at the time was Ernie Accorsi, who was a very respected football GM. He later was the GM of the Giants after George Young retired. Elway is not a man of honor. If every player thought the way he did, there would be chaos in the NFL where any player could basically state where they wanted to play. This guy has no credability in my book. I'll take Peyton anyday over him. He took on the challenge of taking a team that was down for a long time, and brought them victories , and a Championship. He did it the right way, like he always does.

[HarassedOffTheSite]

Honestly, without Polian, the Colts and the Irsay family would be viewed and compared to the Cardinals and the Bidwell family in Arizona. The ONLY thing that seperates the two, are the Polian years. You may hate the guy, and no longer care what he says, but he got you respectability in the league.

 

^^^ that ^^^

[The Old Crow]

Yes, everyone knows the history of bob irsay and the troubles jim had as gm.....you don't have to take every opportunity to remind people of it.

 

 

I think it's universal between Baltimore and Indy Colt fans that Bob Irsay was a bad owner. What I notice on this forum, with the exception of some Colt fans, is a Jimmy Irsay does no wrong mentality, and  Bill Polian was a substandard GM. I don't agree with this. Jimmy did the right thing as owner , going hands off, and hiring a professional football man to run things. The results speak for themselves, and I give Jimmy credit for this. But Polian should not be getting hammered like this. Maybe you guys could have gotten a few more Super Bowls. Look , I could say the same thing about the Ravens, you had great defenses, and a poor offense. It was the opposite for the most part, of Indy. But Baltimore fans were patient, didn't blame the GM, and realized they were lucky to have winning teams year in year out. That's what guys like Polian and Newsome do. You put together playoff caliber teams, and hope to get hot, and get some luck in the playoffs, and maybe pick off a Super Bowl. It's hard to put together a totally balanced team in the salary cap era. These guys did a good job.

[BOTT]

I'm glad you brought that up because the GM of the Baltimore Colts at the time was Ernie Accorsi, who was a very respected football GM. He later was the GM of the Giants after George Young retired. Elway is not a man of honor. If every player thought the way he did, there would be chaos in the NFL where any player could basically state where they wanted to play. This guy has no credability in my book. I'll take Peyton anyday over him. He took on the challenge of taking a team that was down for a long time, and brought them victories , and a Championship. He did it the right way, like he always does.

Guess who was Ernie Accorsi's boss?? Bob Irsay...and evidently John Elway didn't believe in him as owner. You act as though Elway rebuffed the colts because they were down and went to a great team in the broncos.

And for you to claim Elway has no honor is just childish...and reeks of, once again, bitterness.

[jvan1973]

I'm glad you brought that up because the GM of the Baltimore Colts at the time was Ernie Accorsi, who was a very respected football GM. He later was the GM of the Giants after George Young retired. Elway is not a man of honor. If every player thought the way he did, there would be chaos in the NFL where any player could basically state where they wanted to play. This guy has no credability in my book. I'll take Peyton anyday over him. He took on the challenge of taking a team that was down for a long time, and brought them victories , and a Championship. He did it the right way, like he always does.

Elway had the option of playing baseball. most other players don't have that option

[BOTT]

I think it's universal between Baltimore and Indy Colt fans that Bob Irsay was a bad owner. What I notice on this forum, with the exception of some Colt fans, is a Jimmy Irsay does no wrong mentality, and  Bill Polian was a substandard GM. I don't agree with this. Jimmy did the right thing as owner , going hands off, and hiring a professional football man to run things. The results speak for themselves, and I give Jimmy credit for this. But Polian should not be getting hammered like this. Maybe you guys could have gotten a few more Super Bowls. Look , I could say the same thing about the Ravens, you had great defenses, and a poor offense. It was the opposite for the most part, of Indy. But Baltimore fans were patient, didn't blame the GM, and realized they were lucky to have winning teams year in year out. That's what guys like Polian and Newsome do. You put together playoff caliber teams, and hope to get hot, and get some luck in the playoffs, and maybe pick off a Super Bowl. It's hard to put together a totally balanced team in the salary cap era. These guys did a good job.

I have been on this board quite awhile, and trust me the feelings toward Polian was not always so lopsided. "In Polian we trust" was was a common refrain on this forum. Irsay is just currently reaping the benefits of bold decisions that worked.

[BOTT]

Elway had the option of playing baseball. most other players don't have that option

We all know he was never going to play baseball