I must admit that I started and stopped writing it two or three times. I don’t think I have anything new to add to this gut-wrenching segment of the season. Much has been said about our desire to see both offensive and defensive team leaders removed from their roles. Not for the purpose of seeing drastic improvement and a bleak playoff run, but simply feeling “We’ve seen enough”.
We ran the cycle of each player we wanted to trade or keep, and how much we expected to get in return. I’ll throw my hat in the ring, but the honest truth is that this is a guess. I’m having a hard time understanding firing CB, then putting Dodds in charge of who stays and who goes decisions. Perhaps CB refused to make decisions for the next regime and that was his last act. I know someone has to do this and maybe Carlie is maintaining plausible deniability, by allowing the current admin to make these calls.
I would say I will bench Jones, but I intend to keep him next year. He couldn’t do what he needed to do with his physical limitations. He will surpass those limitations by the start of next season. The new GM may find Jones a better option than others who may be available and not as expensive as many suggest. At the very least, that GM gets a year to form his own opinion. If a rookie is going to be brought in, I can’t see it being one you’d be ready to throw to the wolves right away, especially with the AR wounds still fresh.
As far as team building, I don’t know who has Carlie’s ear right now? He has a very important decision about who is tasked with getting the Colts off the mat and back into the game. He had to contact someone or people he thought he could trust, but I don’t know who it was? I also don’t quite understand his desire to be constantly on edge and focused. What will he glean from listening to Shane and Lou? If he decides to step in, he can easily overcome it this season.
I don’t think his presence necessarily inspires the players to give their best effort. The information he needs to gather now, is who will be the next eyes, ears, and voice of the franchise. I think he got enough to have his expectations of what he wants to hear from a GM, during the interview process. I think a view from the suite, might give him a different perspective. He can listen if he wants, it’s his business to run.
This is the time of the year when the “lying down” banter begins. I’ve never been a proponent and even less so this year, when it doesn’t affect the first round pick. It looks like Shane and Lou will be allowed to keep doing things that aren’t working, so the best you can do is protect players from getting hurt in a season that really doesn’t make sense. There are many lame ducks that cannot get off the ground. Honestly, I don’t think we need to avoid winning, because it will happen naturally.
It’s time to see who has some pride in their craft. Don’t reward lack of effort during playtime. You can live with some mistakes, if they are mistakes of aggression and chaos. I’m not suggesting cutting players, but there are a lot of incentives that players can’t reach, if they’re not on the field. Maybe someone off the bench, or a practice squad as a player? It’s hard for bench players to show anything after camp. The NFL barely lets you have contact in practice, so how can you show what you’ve learned in the film room? Give them their shot.
So, while we’re not considering what it takes to make the playoffs, there are still many considerations, more than I’ve mentioned, that shape the path forward. I usually don’t like punting, but if you realize that punting can be a strategic play, maybe it’s better this season. We as fans can be more patient this time around. Many have recently been blasting the organization for the return they got for Q. While we knew he had an injury, before the trade, maybe we should consider that we don’t know the whole story on almost anything.