Polian announces Painter most likely to start, Caldwell says to early to decide

[bayone]

By

Mike Foss

, USA TODAY

Despite eventually losing the game, Colts vice chairman

Bill Polian

said quarterback

Curtis Painter

will most likely remain the starter after passing for 281 yards and two touchdowns in his first Monday Night Football appearance.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2011/10/eric-foster-out-for-the-season-following-monday-night-football-injury/1?csp=34sports&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TP-TheHuddle+%28Sports+-+The+Huddle%29

Caldwell

was asked if

Curtis Painter

would be the starter for Sunday’s home game against Kansas City. Painter, a third-year pro from Purdue, completed 13-of-30 passes for 281 yards with two TDs against the Buccaneers in his first NFL start. He was sacked four times, one of those resulting in a lost fumble.

“We’re not going to make that decision today,” Caldwell said. “I can tell you he did the things we asked him to do. Obviously you can see he had some bright spots, but we’ll see how things go the next day or so.”

http://www.indystar.com/article/20111004/SPORTS03/111004013/Colts-DT-Eric-Foster-undergoes-ankle-surgery-hospitalized?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CSports%7Cs

[Happy2BeHere]

I used to like Caldwell...but comments like this sure make me discouraged to have him as a head coach.

[Steagles]

I will believe BP. He runs this team, not Caldwell.

[ruksak]

I will believe BP. He runs this team, not Caldwell.

Agreed.

I think it's entirely possible that Caldwell is just trying to keep competition high, keeping the motors running for both QB's. However, I would think this could affect confidence levels for such a young gun like Painter. The kid has managed to get most of the fan base behind him, I would reckon he would like the coaching staff to be as well.

[Blue Horseshoe]

Agreed.

I think it's entirely possible that Caldwell is just trying to keep competition high, keeping the motors running for both QB's. However, I would think this could affect confidence levels for such a young gun like Painter. The kid has managed to get most of the fan base behind him, I would reckon he would like the coaching staff to be as well.

I'm pretty sure most of the players would like to get this coaching staff behind them

(As far behind them as possible)

[John Waylon]

Polian told me I was starting this morning over an egg mcmuffin.

[P-Money]

Agreed.

I think it's entirely possible that Caldwell is just trying to keep competition high, keeping the motors running for both QB's. However, I would think this could affect confidence levels for such a young gun like Painter. The kid has managed to get most of the fan base behind him, I would reckon he would like the coaching staff to be as well.

+100

[Steagles]

Agreed.

I think it's entirely possible that Caldwell is just trying to keep competition high, keeping the motors running for both QB's. However, I would think this could affect confidence levels for such a young gun like Painter. The kid has managed to get most of the fan base behind him, I would reckon he would like the coaching staff to be as well.

And the fanbase does in fact have Painter's back. We don't have the coaching staff's backs though.

[Mouthfire]

I think this is all posturing, which I really don't have a problem with. Unless Collins absolutely lights it up during practice, I think Painter's got the start.

[LUVTHESHOE]

I will believe BP. He runs this team, not Caldwell.

What the h**l just name a starter, this is what drives the fans insane too many talking heads. i am

sure they are not having a tryout for the job. which tells me if collins is healthy caldwell will play him and polian wants painter

.why else would caldwell say it is too early to tell? there again why are we always hearing more from our gm than our hc? that is not the case anywhere else, well except cincy and you see how that has gone over the years.

[Happy2BeHere]

Polian told me I was starting this morning over an egg mcmuffin.

Dude everyone here knows there is NO WAY Polian starts you over an egg mcmuffin...it's got cheese!

[John Waylon]

Dude everyone here knows there is NO WAY Polian starts you over an egg mcmuffin...it's got cheese!

AHA! I see what you did there!

Good play on the words, sir, good play!

[ruksak]

And the fanbase does in fact have Painter's back. We don't have the coaching staff's backs though.

I was a devout follower of Dungy and his crew. I never spoke an ill word of them, ever. Nor Polian, nor Irsay.

Caldwell was tokened a SB trip by way of inheritance. Since then, he has exterminated most of the coaching staff that anchored this team. It is time for many Colts fans to comes to terms with the fact that Manning's absence is, in fact, NOT the only reason for our sudden free-fall into irrelevance.

[bayone]

I was a devout follower of Dungy and his crew. I never spoke an ill word of them, ever. Nor Polian, nor Irsay.

Caldwell was tokened a SB trip by way of inheritance. Since then, he has exterminated most of the coaching staff that anchored this team. It is time for many Colts fans to comes to terms with the fact that Manning's absence is, in fact, NOT the only reason for our sudden free-fall into irrelevance.

It is in sense a big way as Manning covered up coaching staff mismanagement & didnt he bring in Coyer an ST coach during SB run year too

[Andy]

Good, if Polian says it, it doesn't matter what Caldwell says

[cranium cramp]

Like Caldwell has a voice in this matter rotfl

[Superman]

I was a devout follower of Dungy and his crew. I never spoke an ill word of them, ever. Nor Polian, nor Irsay.

Caldwell was tokened a SB trip by way of inheritance. Since then, he has exterminated most of the coaching staff that anchored this team. It is time for many Colts fans to comes to terms with the fact that Manning's absence is, in fact, NOT the only reason for our sudden free-fall into irrelevance.

Same argument, different day. Caldwell took over a team that went 12-4 and got bounced in the first round of the playoffs, went 14-2 and made the Super Bowl. If he took over a Super Bowl team, I get your point, but the 2009 Colts were better than the 2008 Colts, from start to finish. He took over a really good team, and there's no way he deserves credit for making them a contender. He absolutely did not. But it's not like he just cruised into the playoffs.

I couldn't disagree more with your idea that this team's 0-4 record has anything to do with anything other than quarterback play. We'd easily be 3-1 with an average quarterback. Give me Colt McCoy and this team is significantly better on offense. The offensive line has been significantly better this year, as has the defensive line. The secondary is still problematic, but that was the case last season, and the difference between 10-6 and 13-3 last year was 11 interceptions in 3 games, not poor coverage. This team has big problems in several areas, especially now with the rash of injuries we've suffered the past two weeks, but despite those issues, there have been sizable improvements. No question we beat the Browns, Steelers and Bucs with Manning, and there's probably a different outcome in the opener without the two first half fumbles.

People had downgraded this team even before we thought Manning would be out, and I don't know why. We lost several players to IR last year, and still more to long injuries throughout the course of the season. We were playing Blair White at WR3 for much of the year. We had Jeff Linkenbach at right guard, where he absolutely stunk. Aaron Francisco started 12 games for us at safety. We had practice squad players in key roles across the board. And we still won 10 games. Not only that, we should have beat the Jets in the playoffs, if not for four mistakes at the end of the game (incomplete pass, big kickoff return, bad timeout, blown coverage). Not only that, we still should have been 13-3 with the best record in the AFC, if not for a midseason meltdown. We get healthy, add depth on both lines, the rookie linebackers are better, the running backs are better, Collie is back... I saw no reason to suggest that the Colts weren't going to be good this year. At this point, this is all about quarterback play. That's the difference.

That's not to say I don't agree with you on the coaching. There have been several issues. The offensive gameplan has been a head scratcher all year. The run game has been productive, but we're throwing the ball twice as much as we're running it. We've only been behind in one game, so why all the passes? The defensive playcalling has been ridiculous, except for the Steelers game, and then we went back to what we were doing before in the Bucs game. Took us two weeks to sort out the special teams coverage, and that very well may have cost us the Browns game. So yes, there are problems with the coaching right now. No question about it. But to say this team is devolving due to coaching is not true. Not from where I'm sitting.

[LaughingAtIrsay]

This just tells you who runs this team.. BP should be the GM and Head Coach rotfl

[Smitto]

Bill polian may be a pretty good GM for the most part but i dont like his attitude to most fans... I dont dislike caldwell but he isnt a good head coach at all.

[buccolts]

Boy, I'm not a staunch supporter of Caldwell, but I don't disregard him either.

I really have a difficult time understanding the whole Caldwell = puppet line in this thread coming out of that simple statement he made.

I live in Chicago.

If someone asked Lovie if Ehrlacher was starting this weekend, you might get a similar answer.

That's the way Lovie is. That's the way Caldwell is. Dungy wasn't much different.

I just don't see the power struggle you guys do in these two somewhat different statements.

'most likely' vs. 'it's too early to say'?

Wow, big controversy.