Indianapolis Colts too much dependence on Peyton Manning triggered 2011 collapse – NFL News
The collapse of the Indianapolis Colts to their worst score of 2-14 in National Football League (NFL) season 2012 was triggered by the absence of just one man, quarterback Peyton Manning, and it reflects on how badly prepared were the Colts in their plans
of giving covers to injured players.
This admission has come from the team’s fired vice chairman Bill Polian in his post-sacking comments. He said it was their failure to find and groom Manning’s replacement that cost his job and the job of his son Chris.
Chris Polian was fired from the post of general manager by the Colts and his father admitted that it was due to his and his team’s failure to salvage his team from the sinking.
"I've always told the staff that our approach should be to hope for the best but plan for the worst, and I didn't do an adequate enough job of planning for the circumstances we were in," Polian said. "It led to this catastrophe."
He went on to say he was specifically referring to finding a replacement for Peyton Manning position and it was this reason that they met with so many losses.
It was for the first time that Manning did not play for the Colts in a season and it was the only season that the team, which was a Super Bowl contender only last year, could not pull off a win until their 14th game.
At one point it was on the course to go down to the historical low of 0-16 score. However, somehow they survived the scare and recorded their first win of the season in their game against the Tennessee Titans.
Polian’s former side depended on the Peyton so much that they kept him on their active roster throughout the season hoping he might come back at some point of the year and they make a turn around.
The ex-vice chairman was particularly so sure about his apparently unlikely return that he in his radio shows repeatedly expressed hopes of Manning playing for them at the later part of the season.
However, the owner Jim Irsay, in his couple of statements said that he was not optimistic about Peyton Manning recovery timely to play in the NFL season 2011.
The owner’s statement was in contradiction of earlier claims made by Bill Polian and it was expected that the difference between the two officials might not prove too good for Polian and could possible cost his job.
Irsay’s first act in the postseason was firing of the vice chairman Bill Polian and general manager Chris Polian.
The team coach Jim Caldwell however has survived so far but remains under evaluation and may beanother day that he too is relieved from his duties.
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