How do you not wake up this morning and call up Jim Caldwell to tell him to not come in this weekend? I absolutely believe that players and coaches do not try to lose games in the NFL - they have no motivation to do so, even when vying for the top draft pick. They’re fighting for their jobs, their next contract, their pride. But the GM? He has a solid interest in losing at this point. So why not fire Caldwell days before the final game? Why not fire the entire coaching staff? It’s not like Caldwell was going to keep his job for next year anyway - he did a terrible job this year. So get rid of him, send the team into panic mode, and hope that it translates to horrendous play on the field.
Because Caldwell is going to coach the hell out this game.
*Bill Polian is the GM of the Indianapolis Colts, and Jim Caldwell is the head coach, for those not in the know.
Because it isn’t in an owners’ interest to give even the appearance of trying to have his team tank a game. The NFL itself would have a huge problem with teams tanking, and would be more than willing to take serious measures if they suspected an owner was trying to. The owner would also likely suffer financial losses at the end of every season as fans refuse to buy tickets/attend games to watch a team deliberately lose. And, by and large, I think the owners have an interest in having a group of players who aren’t willing to tank for any reason. I also think things like credibility/reputation/sportsmanship/competitiveness do actually matter to owners.
Most sportswriters expected the Colts to do very well this season. It was only a last minute injury to Peyton Manning that tanked their season. Why blow something up that only stopped working because of a fluke?
Hehe I bet he is checking injury reports very carefully. “The starting Guard has a splinter in his finger? We better rest him, we can’t risk jeopardizing his career over something like this”
“Blow something up”? What am I proposing (other than my hyperbolic “fire the entire coaching staff” comment) would blow up the Colts? I’m not suggesting he release the entire offensive line. I’m just suggesting firing a shitty coach a few months before he’ll actually get fired.
But Hamlet’s probably right - Polian would get all sorts of hell from Goodell if he did that.
But is he a shitty coach? Like I said, in September the Colts were expected to be contenders and, presumably, Caldwell’s job would have been safe. Why is it not safe now after a freak accident?
Yeah, he is. Despite making a Super Bowl, it’s pretty clear that much of the offense is due not only to Manning’s physical talent, but for his play-calling at the line of scrimmage and the unbelievable planning he does. People were calling for Caldwell’s job before the season, but he hadn’t really done anything terrible. And teams that go to the playoffs rarely fire their coaches. And even without Peyton, you have to think they’d not be as unbelievably terrible as they’ve been. Change has to happen, and Caldwell is a very logical choice.
What’s the difference between pulling starters in a meaningless Week 17 game if you’re the Colts, and pulling starters in a meaningless Week 17 if you’re Green Bay? (A situation that often occurs with teams that have locked up a particular playoff seed). In either situation, you’ve really nothing to gain from a win, and potentially a whole lot to lose.
As far as fans not wanting to see tanking, I doubt I was alone in Houston last year at being irritated by the Texans’ win in Week 17. I did not want to see them lose that many draft spots, and I wanted Kubiak gone. (Still do. I’m not sold on Kubiak, sans Wade Phillips.) You can’t turn the game into a farce—the guys you put on the field have to give everything they have, or they’re likely to get hurt—but no one says you have to put your best guys out there.
As far as not losing tickets, aren’t most NFL teams not Jacksonville, Buffalo or Cincy selling out all of their home dates before the season starts? The tickets are already sold. True, you lose the marginal concessions revenue if no one shows up, but I think that’s a rounding error, really, on the team’s balance sheet.
The usual way to tank in the NFL is to have your valuable veterans go on IR. I’m really surprised that hasn’t happened yet in Indy. I don’t count that as malingering, as everyone who plays professional football is banged up to an insane degree at this point in the season. World of difference though between tanking week 17, vs doing it as soon as you’re eliminated from playoff contention. I’ve already stated my desire for a true draft lottery for the NFL. Tell me that wouldn’t draw large ratings. (And for the NBA to toss their protected lottery in favor of a total lottery.)
As for what I do if I’m Bill Polian, I do my level best to lose this game, point out to Manning that his player option de facto evaporated at the same moment his health did, renegotiate Manning’s deal with an eye to bringing him back as the starter next year (maybe two) and draft Luck. This will hopefully allow me enough time to rebuild their hideous O-line, get Manning’s trade value back up to ‘Montana on the Chiefs’ level, and prevent my can’t miss QB prospect from getting Gabbert-ed or Carr-ed. Because if the Colts run Luck out there next year at the start, behind that line, he’ll get killed.
Well, the difference is that Green Bay pulls starters so they don’t get injured going into the playoffs, and no one in this thread has yet to suggest that the Colts pull starters for the purpose of losing or any other purpose. The reason I brought up Polian firing Caldwell is because it seems to be just on the line between losing on purpose and restructuring for next year (since coaches get fired mid-season every year).
Don’t forget Las Vegas as well. The NFL, with a very few number of games each year and each game draws huge betting. A lot of the NFL’s popularity is from gambling and fantasy sports.
Firing the coaches wouldn’t accomplish anything. Lose the game, take Luck, keep Manning and try to restructure his contract, have him QB the team for another two or three years if all goes well with Luck, and finally hope Manning is less of an asshole than Brett Favre.