Black N Gold tipped us off to an interview this morning on WFAN with Kerry Collins talking to Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton, and it raises an interesting issue.
Collins talks about how there was an understanding late in the Titans win over the Colts that the Colts wouldn't use their third and final timeout if the Titans took a knee on their final possession. As it turned out, Collins took a knee on the final three plays, but Colts coach Tony Dungy never used this third timeout to stop the clock. The Titans were at the Colts' 26 on the final play.
Not that the timeout would have meant much, but still, the Colts should have at least forced the Titans to either attempt a field goal or punt the ball, or simply kneel down again and then allow Indy another play or two at the end of the game. It never happened, and Titans coach Jeff Fisher acknowledged he knew Dungy wouldn't call timeout if the Titans took a knee.
Making matters worse is that the Browns' playoff hopes were contingent on the outcome of the game. If the Titans had lost, the Browns would have qualified for the playoffs.
It was bad enough for the Browns that Indy pulled its key starters in the first half and opened the door for Tennessee's victory. But by not calling timeout with a chance to get the ball back for one more possession in the final seconds, it just doesn't feel right.
Comments (7)
Why is this a big deal? All the Browns had to do was beat the Bengals AT HOME-but they didn't.
The Colts owed nothing to anyone but themselves.If the Colts had called the last timeout,the Titans would have kicked a field goal to go up 19-10 with 20 seconds left,meaning the Colts would need 2 scores in 20 seconds,which would be impossible.
The Colts main goal was to avoid any more injuries and they might have won the game if Young had stayed in at qb.Collins makes the Titans more dangerous.It is not the Colts fault the Browns are out-they did it to themselves.
As a lifelong Broncos fan, I know firsthand of the Browns suffering and would like to see them succeed as much as anybody. But calling out Dungy for not using a final timeout seems like a bit of a stretch. Have we grown so used to the the pats pounding teams that we can no longer understand or identify a class act move by a standup coach? I mean why prolong a game that was clearly over and meaningless to your team?
Not sure I'd label this "calling out Dungy," but it did seem weird, that's all. In fact, Al Michaels expressed curiosity about the situation during the broadcast. Al is very good at figuring out clock management stuff at the end of games, and he expressed surprise that Dungy wouldn't at least stop the clock for one more play.
No it's not a big deal and probably nothing changes but it is weird. Even though it didn't mean anything to Indy and even though the reserves were in you still should try to win, no matter if it impacts another team or not. Maybe the Titans try a FG. Maybe you block it and return it for a TD. Stranger things have happened. You have to try to win every game. Never give up. It's the right thing to do.
It's not about the Browns. (As already pointed out, if they hadn't lost to Cincy...)
It's not about Dungy opting not to use the timeout. So what, the game didn't mean anything to the Colts... they should have played hard like the giants did against the Patriots but there's no rule saying they had too...
It's about Dungy somehow getting word to his buddy Fisher - In the Game - tipping him off on the defensive plays he was going to call (or not call) DURING THE GAME.
There should NEVER be a time where one coach tells the other exactly what their going to do, it speaks to a lack of integrity in the game.
A Must Read For NY Tom Terrific fans...
Praise be to Brady
All superlatives apply in legendary season
By Gerry Callahan | Friday, January 4, 2008 | bostonherald
Our man Felger said it’s like watching Bird in ’84, which is an outrageous comparison. For New England fans, watching Bird in 1984 was almost a religious experience. He won the league MVP, the Finals MVP and the NBA title. He was playing one game while everyone else was playing another, and it was a pleasure just to watch him perform for that entire magical, memorable season.
And it was nothing compared with Tom Brady [stats] in 2007.
Typical Felger. Selling the Patriots [team stats] short again.
These are, of course, daunting times for the cynical sports media in New England. How to put Brady’s performance in perspective without sounding more smitten than Gisele? It is always dangerous to declare someone or something the greatest ever, but there are those rare occasions when it happens to be accurate. This is one of those times. Take nothing for granted, kids. You’re watching Jordan, Orr, Ali, Tiger. You’re watching the best in his sport, live and in high-definition each weekend.
Sometimes we sell a player or a performance short because it is happening before our eyes, in real time. History is romanticized. Bart Starr is deified. Old-timers and old teams are overrated like old movies and old songs. There are times when our nation should forget Broadway Joe and just turn its lonely eyes to NFL Network.
The truth is that today’s athletes are almost always better. They’re bigger, stronger, faster, better trained, better equipped and occasionally artificially enhanced. An outside linebacker today is bigger than an offensive tackle and faster than a wideout from a generation ago. The quarterbacks are better passers and the game has evolved into a complicated, pass-crazy contest.
Starr averaged 10 touchdown passes a year in his Hall of Fame career. Brady had 11 in a two-week stretch in October. He finished with 50. He threw eight interceptions. You know the numbers by now. The list of records Brady owns is longer than Jim Leyritz’ rap sheet and was unimaginable in the NFL 30 years ago.
What Brady did over the last 17 weeks has never been done before. It was, quite simply, the greatest season an NFL player has ever had. It was also the greatest season a New England professional athlete has ever had. Seen better?
Brady’s team, as we know, made history when it closed out the regular season at 16-0, but many of the 53 players in Patriots uniforms had something in common with the millions of Pats fans who watched in awe: They jumped on Brady’s back and went along for the ride. You want a dose of New England cynicism? Well, this probably isn’t the greatest team ever. It is a very good team that has been willed into the history books by the greatest quarterback ever.
The defense has been good, but not as dominant as those earlier in the Brady-Belichick era. The Pats are fourth in points allowed, fourth in yardage and 10th against the run. Their red-zone defense is ranked 27th in the NFL, and in case you missed it, they just allowed 35 points to Eli Manning and the Giants. On offense, their leading rusher, Laurence Maroney [stats], finished 23rd in the NFL with 835 yards. As a team they were 13th in the league in rushing, despite playing with a lead much of the time.
None of it mattered, of course, because Brady didn’t let it matter. He went on a historic rampage against the best competition the NFL had to offer, and his teammates rolled with him. They were, like Jordan’s mates on the champion Bulls, one hell of a supporting cast.
One thing you can say about the ’72 Dolphins that you could never say of these Patriots: They survived the loss of their starting quarterback, Bob Griese, a month into the season. If the Patriots had lost their QB at that time, they would have been lucky to win their division. The ’85 Bears, like those Dolphins, did not rely on a superior quarterback. Jim McMahon threw for 15 touchdowns and 2,392 yards. He had an 82.6 rating, lower than Sage Rosenfels had this year.
If Brady had just been very good this year - say, a Peyton-like 28 touchdowns, 12 picks - the Pats would have won 12 or 13 games. They were undefeated because he was transcendent, historic, beyond Bird-like. And there is nothing sillier than the notion that anyone else belongs in the MVP discussion, and that includes Randy Moss.
Last year Moss played with below-average quarterbacks in Oakland, and Brady played with below-average receivers in New England. Moss made 42 catches for three touchdowns and was traded for a fourth-round pick. Brady threw for 3,529 yards, won 12 games and was one first down away from another Super Bowl.
Before Moss arrived, Brady had played with exactly one Pro Bowler at a skill position (Troy Brown [stats] in 2001), and still managed to win three Super Bowls and 82 out of 108 games. It’s great to have Moss, but let’s be honest: He needed Brady more than Brady needed him.
Still, many of us wondered for years what would happen if Brady had receivers like Manning had in Indianapolis, like Montana had in San Francisco, pass catchers who were close to the caliber of the pass thrower. This year, at last, we found out. At the age of 30 and already a Hall of Fame lock, Brady got his weapons and we got our answer.
The best quarterback in the NFL became the best ever.
For Brady’s teammates and his fans, there’s only one thing to do now. Enjoy the ride.
Ugh, I just lost my lunch.
Was that written by Linda Lovelace?
I won't bother to explain...