Colts can be 6th in the playoff race after this weekend (merge)

[CR91]

A few things would need to happen though

 

-Colts win vs the dolphins

 

-Ravens lose vs the raiders

 

-Bengals lose vs the browns

 

Not sure I see the raiders beating the ravens, but I can see the browns getting a win especially if green is out again. 

[The Fish]

I'll piggy back on your thread to point out that the four letter network got the playoff machine out for this year. Good times.

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/playoffs/machine

 

I've got the Colts in. Oddly quite a lot of what's going to happen hinges on what happens when the Bolts play the Bengals. I also see Green Bay getting in, because you can't kill them.

[Barry Sears]

The Bengals are in the midst of their nearly annual meltdown

[Superman]

I defended Reich's 4th down decision against the Texans, and still understand why he did what he did, but it's worth noting that with a tie, we'd be in 6th place right now at 5-4-1.

[Hoose]

8 minutes ago, Superman said:

I defended Reich's 4th down decision against the Texans, and still understand why he did what he did, but it's worth noting that with a tie, we'd be in 6th place right now at 5-4-1.

There is no question that going for the tie would have improved their record and playoff chances. But there is a fair chance that the decision to go for it galvanized the team in a way nothing else could. A young team needing to learn how to win was the lesson taught. All part of the rebuilding process. And, for the record, if it had worked, they would be 6-4 and leading the AFC South. 

[richard pallo]

2 minutes ago, Hoose said:

There is no question that going for the tie would have improved their record and playoff chances. But there is a fair chance that the decision to go for it galvanized the team in a way nothing else could. A young team needing to learn how to win was the lesson taught. All part of the rebuilding process. And, for the record, if it had worked, they would be 6-4 and leading the AFC South. 

True, but the best Generals plan on winning the war not just one battle.  It's okay to retreat and fight another day in a long campaign.  It's the final outcome that matters.  Let's hope it works out anyway. 

[Bluesmith]

6 minutes ago, Hoose said:

There is no question that going for the tie would have improved their record and playoff chances. But there is a fair chance that the decision to go for it galvanized the team in a way nothing else could. A young team needing to learn how to win was the lesson taught. All part of the rebuilding process. And, for the record, if it had worked, they would be 6-4 and leading the AFC South. 

 

I don't understand this logic at all.  These are professional athletes, getting paid well to be motivated to play the game of football.  Why in the hell do they need to be galvanized by a boneheaded coaching decision?  They are expected and compensated to be professional football players.  

 

I love Reich and Ballard and the Colts, but I won't turn a blind eye to a boneheaded call when I see it.  And to suggest that the players are some kind of * millenials that need special gestures to motivate them to play is getting old.

Just now, Bluesmith said:

 

I don't understand this logic at all.  These are professional athletes, getting paid well to be motivated to play the game of football.  Why in the hell do they need to be galvanized by a boneheaded coaching decision?  They are expected and compensated to be professional football players.  

 

I love Reich and Ballard and the Colts, but I won't turn a blind eye to a boneheaded call when I see it.  And to suggest that the players are some kind of * millenials that need special gestures to motivate them to play is getting old.

 

[Caleb3502]

This is my playoff seeding prediction: 

 

AFC 

1. Chiefs 

2. Patriots 

3. Steelers 

4. Texans 

5. Chargers 

6. Colts 

 

NFC 

1. Saints 

2. Rams 

3. Bears 

4. Cowboys 

5. Panthers 

6. Packers 

 

[Valpo2004]

14 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

True, but the best Generals plan on winning the war not just one battle.  It's okay to retreat and fight another day in a long campaign.  It's the final outcome that matters.  Let's hope it works out anyway. 

 

That sounds like a Captain Andrew Luck tweet there.

[Valpo2004]

14 minutes ago, Bluesmith said:

 

I don't understand this logic at all.  These are professional athletes, getting paid well to be motivated to play the game of football.  Why in the hell do they need to be galvanized by a boneheaded coaching decision?  They are expected and compensated to be professional football players.  

 

I love Reich and Ballard and the Colts, but I won't turn a blind eye to a boneheaded call when I see it.  And to suggest that the players are some kind of * millenials that need special gestures to motivate them to play is getting old.

 

 

Ultimately the thing is if the play works and the Colts advance to FG range and Vinny hits the FG then Reich is a hero for going for the win.  

 

And there is a certain subset of fans out there that hate the very idea of ties and I would think would be supporting Reich's decision to go for the win and not the tie.  

[Superman]

21 minutes ago, Hoose said:

There is no question that going for the tie would have improved their record and playoff chances. But there is a fair chance that the decision to go for it galvanized the team in a way nothing else could. A young team needing to learn how to win was the lesson taught. All part of the rebuilding process. And, for the record, if it had worked, they would be 6-4 and leading the AFC South. 

 

I don't know if that holds up. We put out two pretty ugly performances right after the Texans game. It's obviously an intangible, but the correlation seems weak, at best.

 

Either way, I wasn't critical of Reich at the time and I'm not being critical now. I get why he went for it, and I'm fine with the decision. I didn't think his motivation was to galvanize the team, and I'm not sure he was relying on that to happen, either. I think he wanted to try to win the game, not settle for a tie, bottom line, and I'm fine with that. 

 

And yes, a win would have put us in first place with the tie breaker over Houston, and a little breathing room. We didn't seem very interested in winning that game, though.

[Restored]

51 minutes ago, Bluesmith said:

 

I don't understand this logic at all.  These are professional athletes, getting paid well to be motivated to play the game of football.  Why in the hell do they need to be galvanized by a boneheaded coaching decision?  They are expected and compensated to be professional football players.  

 

I love Reich and Ballard and the Colts, but I won't turn a blind eye to a boneheaded call when I see it.  And to suggest that the players are some kind of * millenials that need special gestures to motivate them to play is getting old.

 

 

That's a very narrow scope of the mindset of professional football players. Ultimately, these are still human beings that have different levels of motivations, emotions etc, despite their differences in pay compared to most people. The way that football teams attempt to get players to buy in and be motivated is not that different than how a regular, everyday business would try and find ways to get employees to buy-in.

[#12.]

Let's hope it doesn't come down to the final week with the Bengals.  If the Steelers are locked into #3, they will just sit their starters and play the Bengals again the following week.  Not sure there is a team they would rather face than the Bengals.  

[braveheartcolt]

I hotly disagreed with the Texan OT call then, and I still do now, but it is all water under the proverbial bridge. 

[lollygagger8]

1 hour ago, Bluesmith said:

 

I don't understand this logic at all.  These are professional athletes, getting paid well to be motivated to play the game of football.  Why in the hell do they need to be galvanized by a boneheaded coaching decision?  They are expected and compensated to be professional football players.  

 

I love Reich and Ballard and the Colts, but I won't turn a blind eye to a boneheaded call when I see it.  And to suggest that the players are some kind of * millenials that need special gestures to motivate them to play is getting old.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Bluesmith said:

 

I don't understand this logic at all.  These are professional athletes, getting paid well to be motivated to play the game of football.  Why in the hell do they need to be galvanized by a boneheaded coaching decision?  They are expected and compensated to be professional football players.  

 

I love Reich and Ballard and the Colts, but I won't turn a blind eye to a boneheaded call when I see it.  And to suggest that the players are some kind of * millenials that need special gestures to motivate them to play is getting old.

 

 

You felt the need to say it twice? As if it wasn't bad enough the first time? 

 

I'm glad you aren't part of the coaching staff for the Colts. 

[chad72]

34 minutes ago, braveheartcolt said:

I hotly disagreed with the Texan OT call then, and I still do now, but it is all water under the proverbial bridge. 

 

Yeah, I understand how you feel but this is my take on it. I then look at Belichick and his 4th and 2 call, he wanted to go for the win, and what Reich did was no different except when we look at it from the prism of hindsight. Both QBs had earned the right to take the risk at that point in the game and neither D was going to be capable of winning the game at that point (Patriots then, Colts now). I look at Stafford and 37 seconds to go for a game winning FG against our D in game 1 of 2016, albeit it was Pagano's D and the Lions had timeouts. However, Eberflus', till this last Titans game, was letting the kinds of Sam Darnold and Derek Carr be Joe Montana against us. We had a greater chance for a win with the Texans' DL being gassed in the second half, than we had with Eberflus keeping them for completing a couple of 20 yard passes to be in range for a long FG, IMO, they did have a timeout. And a 20 yard pass, he did give up, right after that failed 4th down. Just that Luck botched the 4th & 4 throw, not the best play call, that I would agree with.

 

Even if it is hindsight, there were other things we could have controlled differently, like the Jets game, which would have put us at 6-4 and in control of our fate with one less AFC loss and the Texans game for all the marbles on the road if we both run the table till then. But then, if we stumble vs the Cowboys (say), then all is for nought. Both the Colts and Texans were 1-3 after that 4th game, it is just that we have lost 2 more games since then and they haven't, with their cat like nine lives, winning so many close games by a FG or a missed FG.

[chad72]

2 hours ago, Superman said:

I defended Reich's 4th down decision against the Texans, and still understand why he did what he did, but it's worth noting that with a tie, we'd be in 6th place right now at 5-4-1.

 

We'd be in 6th place right now if we took care of the Jets on the road too, that is what is lost on most of us. Because it was an emotional divisional game and an end of game situation, that aggressive decision keeps getting brought up and dissected more. However, that was one play versus an entire game vs the Jets where we did not show up the way we needed to. 

[Myles]

Just now, chad72 said:

 

We'd be in 6th place right now if we took care of the Jets on the road too, that is what is lost on most of us. Because it was an emotional divisional game and an end of game situation, that aggressive decision keeps getting brought up and dissected more. However, that was one play versus an entire game vs the Jets where we did not show up the way we needed to. 

How come no one is blaming Doyle and his fumble too.  

We are where we are.  We may be a better team for the past decisions.  

[Superman]

3 minutes ago, chad72 said:

 

We'd be in 6th place right now if we took care of the Jets on the road too, that is what is lost on most of us. Because it was an emotional divisional game and an end of game situation, that aggressive decision keeps getting brought up and dissected more. However, that was one play versus an entire game vs the Jets where we did not show up the way we needed to. 

 

It was one decision that literally changed our record. I get why it's a sticking point.

 

I'm not gonna keep bringing it up, I just thought it was relevant. Like I said, I'm not even critical of the decision.

[IndySouthsider]

44 minutes ago, braveheartcolt said:

I hotly disagreed with the Texan OT call then, and I still do now, but it is all water under the proverbial bridge. 

Even if we punted I still think they find a way to score and kick a field goal. Indianapolis wasn’t exactly stopping Houston that day

[braveheartcolt]

14 minutes ago, IndySouthsider said:

Even if we punted I still think they find a way to score and kick a field goal. Indianapolis wasn’t exactly stopping Houston that day

We had them on the ropes on our 1st OT drive, but punted on. 4th & 2. That's when Reich should have pulled the trigger...

[Luck is Good]

The decision by Reich was the right one. You play to win the game. I’m glad the Colts have a coach who plays to win the game

[braveheartcolt]

9 minutes ago, Luck is Good said:

The decision by Reich was the right one. You play to win the game. I’m glad the Colts have a coach who plays to win the game

Poppycock....

[Luck is Good]

2 minutes ago, braveheartcolt said:

Poppycock....

Believe what you want

[Goatface Killah]

2 hours ago, Superman said:

I defended Reich's 4th down decision against the Texans, and still understand why he did what he did, but it's worth noting that with a tie, we'd be in 6th place right now at 5-4-1.

I thought of this myself and makes this purely a head vs heart argument. Because, I honestly dont think we have 5 wins if we do that. I think that was a very important moment for this team, and has really helped them establish a winning culture with these young players. Thats what is most impressive about what they are doing. Its many different rookies doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

 

Now, are they doing it because they are just that good or did the coach send them a message in that game that we will not accept anything less than winning here? It was probably a little of both. Mentality is everything, sometimes. 

[Creekside]

It still may very well end up that only a win against the Texans in that game would get the Colts into the play-offs, and that a tie would not......We still don't know.....

[crazycolt1]

I am not going back and crying about spilled milk.

We all can agree or disagree on Frank's call but it changes nothing. Had we played better during that game it wouldn't have come down to that play. This playing the 'what if's' over one play serves no purpose. Had the play worked the thought process would be a lot different and Frank would have been call a genius. In a game of inches sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

[braveheartcolt]

2 minutes ago, GoatBeard said:

I thought of this myself and makes this purely a head vs heart argument. Because, I honestly dont think we have 5 wins if we do that. I think that was a very important moment for this team, and has really helped them establish a winning culture with these young players. Thats what is most impressive about what they are doing. Its many different rookies doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

 

Now, are they doing it because they are just that good or did the coach send them a message in that game that we will not accept anything less than winning here? It was probably a little of both. Mentality is everything, sometimes. 

Another way too look at it is it made us take a step back. Throwing away effectively a point vs our arch rivals, when we played so well and gave so much to get back into the game. To support this unpopular view, we potentially played our worst 2 games right after....

 

I just cannot see throwing away divisional impetus as a moral boosting and galvanising team elixir.

[compuls1v3]

The fact that we are even in the hunt is pretty incredible.  2nd year GM, 1st year head coach, new offensive/defensive coordinators, etc.  Luck back after missing a year of football, and WE ARE IN THE HUNT!!  It's amazing.  I'm happy to be a Colts fan right now, and this team is getting better every week, imho.

[AlanNC]

3 hours ago, Superman said:

I defended Reich's 4th down decision against the Texans, and still understand why he did what he did, but it's worth noting that with a tie, we'd be in 6th place right now at 5-4-1.

Hope that decision doesn’t cost us a playoff spot.

[compuls1v3]

3 hours ago, Superman said:

I defended Reich's 4th down decision against the Texans, and still understand why he did what he did, but it's worth noting that with a tie, we'd be in 6th place right now at 5-4-1.

I believe the Vikings are at 5-4-1, so we'd be tied with them, right?

Just now, compuls1v3 said:

I believe the Vikings are at 5-4-1, so we'd be tied with them, right?

I just realized they are NFC....lol.. J/K.

[crazycolt1]

6 minutes ago, AlanNC said:

Hope that decision doesn’t cost us a playoff spot.

If it comes down to that one play then we don't deserve to make the playoffs.

[Luck 4 president]

2 minutes ago, compuls1v3 said:

I believe the Vikings are at 5-4-1, so we'd be tied with them, right?

Vikings are NFC bro

[compuls1v3]

Just now, Luck 4 president said:

Vikings are NFC bro

Yeah, I just realized that after I posted, then updated my post.  Thanks!

[Myles]

12 minutes ago, AlanNC said:

Hope that decision doesn’t cost us a playoff spot.

or was it Doyles fumble that cost us that spot?

 

Too many variables.   If he wouldn't have gone for it, it would not have guaranteed a tie. 

[crazycolt1]

2 minutes ago, Myles said:

or was it Doyles fumble that cost us that spot?

 

Too many variables.   If he wouldn't have gone for it, it would not have guaranteed a tie. 

Exactly.  Turnovers and dropped passes are just a couple of variables.

[Dingus McGirt]

5 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

Exactly.  Turnovers and dropped passes are just a couple of variables.

Maybe, just maybe, the coach's confidence in going for the win lit a spark.

[cbear]

I thought it was a great call then and still do now.  I doubt motivation had anything to do with the decision.  He wanted to win the game.  Does his overall mindset affect the team?  Hard to think it doesn't. 

 

And if we're playing with the time machine, who's to say everything turns out the same and we end up 5-4-1 or 6-4?  I'll take the sure thing and am very happy where we are now. 

[The Fish]

1 hour ago, Luck is Good said:

Believe what you want

It's not a matter of belief, it's a matter of common sense, a tie is better than a loss. 

You can be not critical of the move, but it didn't work and I tend to think there's less costly/wiser ways to rally the troops, so to speak.

[crazycolt1]

22 minutes ago, The Fish said:

It's not a matter of belief, it's a matter of common sense, a tie is better than a loss. 

You can be not critical of the move, but it didn't work and I tend to think there's less costly/wiser ways to rally the troops, so to speak.

Personally I think too much is put into it. Frank went for the win. We didn't get the win. It's that simple. I doubt that sparking the players entered his mind at the time he called the play.

Besides, if the playoffs comes down to that one play then we don't deserve to go to the playoffs. The Colts control how they play the rest of the season. That's all we can ask for after going 1-5.