Very very interesting development

Quote :

"Did Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans coaches have an under-the-table agreement at the end of last Sunday's game? Tennessee quarterback Kerry Collins said on WFAN Radio on Thursday that the Titans kneeled at the end of the game Sunday because they knew the Colts wouldn't call a timeout. With Tennessee leading 16-10 and needing a victory to make the playoffs, the Titans had originally called a running play, Collins said. But the team changed to a kneeldown when he was told over his headset that the Colts wouldn't call a timeout, which would have possibly forced the Titans to punt with less than 20 seconds left in the game, Collins said."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22487240/

Quote :

" There's an interesting storm gathering regarding whether and to what extent Titans coach Jeff Fisher and Colts coach Tony Dungy had an agreement as to the manner in which the final snaps of Sunday night's game between their two teams would be handled. In a Thursday morning appearance on WFAN in New York, Titans quarterback Kerry Collins said that his team took a knee with a six-point lead and less than two minutes to play because it was known that the Colts wouldn't call their final timeout. "Apparently there was some communication between Jeff and Tony," Collins said. Said Fisher, according to a Thursday item in the Knoxville (Tenn.) News-Sentinel: "Let me just say, I knew he wasn't going to use [the time out]. Tony and I were on the competition committee for a long time." Fisher also said that, if the Colts had used the time out after the Titans had taken a knee on third down from the Indy 26, the Colts would have gotten the ball back with roughly 25 seconds to play -- and they would have been trailing by nine points, because the Titans would have kicked another field goal. Um, Jeff? Ever hear of a guy missing a field goal? Or of a blocked field goal being returned for a touchdown? According to MSNBC.com, the Browns can file a grievance regarding the apparent collusion between the two teams, since the Browns would have qualified for the postseason if the Colts had defeated Tennessee. Frankly, the whole thing stinks to us. Down by only six points, the Colts should have done everything in their power to try to get the ball back. Their failure to do so undermines the credibility and integrity of the game. And it also screwed the Browns out of a chance at the playoffs, since a reverse Music City Miracle would have knocked the Titans out of the postseason. Besides, why wouldn't the Colts do whatever that had to do to knock a division rival out of the AFC playoffs? Maybe Indy thinks that the Titans have a better chance at winning in San Diego than the Browns, and maybe the Colts prefer an eventual rubber game with Tennessee (if the Titans would win at New England, too) to a match up with a Chargers team that matched up very well with the Colts in Week Fifteen of the 2005 season -- and that beat the Colts again during the 2007 regular season. Despite the motivation, it was wrong. And, amazingly, even Saint Tony isn't above breaking a rule from time to time."

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

1/3/2008 4:28:48 PM

interesting...

1/3/2008 4:31:48 PM

Yeah I hated the ending of that game, even though I didn't want the Browns to make the playoffs. For the same reason I think the Patriots are right to "run up" a score, I think the Colts were wrong not to try to win. They were getting paid millions to play football. Instead, they forfeited.

[Edited on January 3, 2008 at 4:36 PM. Reason : bla]

1/3/2008 4:35:21 PM

Pro Football Talk is like the national enquirer of sports.

1/3/2008 4:36:50 PM

the colts are cheaters just like the patriots

1/3/2008 4:37:50 PM

more like kerry LOLlins

1/3/2008 4:37:59 PM

i remember the announcers acting surprised that Indy didn't call a timeout at the end of the game

Quote :

"Down by only six points, the Colts should have done everything in their power to try to get the ball back"

even in week 17 when you already have a 1st round bye locked up and you cant do anything at all to move out of the AFC 2nd seed? sucks for cleveland but come on...you gonna put peyton manning in to do the 25 second drill and get him injured for the playoffs or are you gonna say "oh well, nice season guys...lets get rested up, we've got a game after our 1st round bye"

Quote :

"They were getting paid millions to play football. Instead, they forfeited."

did the Bucs "forfeit" the last few weeks by resting all their starters in the 2nd half? Did the Steelers "forfeit" by sitting Big Ben last week in favor of Charlie Batch? Or is it just common sense that the first goal of the NFL season is to make the playoffs and have a healthy team for the postseason and thats what all those teams were doing

1/3/2008 4:39:51 PM

you don't have to put manning out there...just get the ball back and let Sorgi have a crack at it


Also I read somewhere that since the Colts only carry 2 Qb's, so Manning was the backup in that game, so the Titans would have been smart to take it easy on Sorgi rather than risk injuring him and have Peyton come back in

1/3/2008 4:42:24 PM

i don't have a problem with it, cleveland should have won more games.

the integrity and passion of a lot of games is usually lower during games 15-16

how is this any different than putting in the 3rd/4th string?

1/3/2008 4:43:00 PM

yeah at first glance it appears shitty, but when every other team was resting starters its really not that bad. i mean if you aren't really trying to win the game from the beginning, why would you all of a sudden try it in the final 25 seconds?

1/3/2008 4:43:15 PM

Quote :

"did the Bucs "forfeit" the last few weeks by resting all their starters in the 2nd half? Did the Steelers "forfeit" by sitting Big Ben last week in favor of Charlie Batch? Or is it just common sense that the first goal of the NFL season is to make the playoffs and have a healthy team for the postseason and thats what all those teams were doing"

I didn't say put Manning in. You can rest your starters and still play football. The Colts should have been trying to win with their backups.

[Edited on January 3, 2008 at 4:47 PM. Reason : ..]

1/3/2008 4:46:48 PM

this probably happens more often than we think, but leave it to dumbass Kerry Collins to admit this to the media who will take it and run with it

1/3/2008 4:47:02 PM

yeah Collins must've been drunk as shit

all Cleveland had to do was beat Cincinnati a couple weeks back but they blew it...sucks too cause I would've liked to have seen the Browns make it...Anderson wingin it around to Braylon and Kellen with Jamal runnin shit...course maybe Vince will go apeshit like he did versus Southern Cal and pull some upsets

1/3/2008 5:04:19 PM

NFL rosters aren't that deep, 2nd and 3rd string players do play and are valuable, most are particularly important to special teams. Seems like if anything Fisher knew that Dungy would just want to get the hell out of there and move on to more important things.

And of course Collins was drunk, he always is.

[Edited on January 3, 2008 at 5:32 PM. Reason : .]

1/3/2008 5:32:16 PM

interesting story, still not a big deal though. Its unlikely that the Colts wouldve driven the field to score a TD with 20 seconds left.

I wouldve LOVED to see the Browns make the playoffs over the boring ass Titans, but they shouldve beat the Bengals when they had the chance.

1/3/2008 5:35:29 PM

both these teams blow anyways

1/3/2008 5:51:22 PM

Quote :

"you don't have to put manning out there...just get the ball back and let Sorgi have a crack at it"

did you see sorgi playing? i think they had a better chance of winning by calling in the kneel. you never know, maybe the ball would have squirted loose and bounced all the way down to the end zone.

1/3/2008 6:31:07 PM

They were in cahoonts!

1/3/2008 8:00:11 PM

this is stupid, of course they wouldnt call timeout
its the last game of the season, why risk injury for a worthless game in the last 20 seconds
all dungy had to do is look at fisher and give him the "im not gonna call a time out, we're tired" eye

1/3/2008 8:11:50 PM

Maybe the colts just wanted the chance to play a shittier team.

1/3/2008 8:13:22 PM

I'd much rather face Cleveland than Tennessee in the playoffs. Tennessee's defense is stout when Haynesworth plays, and Cleveland's D is a push-over. And while Cleveland's O is better, it's hit-or-miss at times.

1/3/2008 9:13:38 PM

No different than the Colts not keeping their starters in for the whole game.

1/3/2008 9:14:55 PM

Quote :

"I'd much rather face Cleveland than Tennessee in the playoffs"

I dunno about that...Tennessee's starting QB is questionable and their TE and #1 WR are out...

1/4/2008 10:04:09 AM

I've been saying this since the game happened. Granted, I'm a Browns fan, but it seriously didn't seem the like the Colts tried AT ALL.

And while it is true that Cleveland should have won more games, it's just a shame that it came down to Jim Sorgi and the Colts pretty much cashing it in. Cleveland is the better team. Everyone knows it.

Don't even get me started on the damn force-out call that would've had the Browns in the playoffs regardless of the Cinci outcome

1/4/2008 10:41:50 AM

if Cleveland had won one more game they wouldn't have to worry about other teams determining their post season fate...simple as that...don't put yourself in that position and you won't have to worry about it

its like State losing to New Orleans or football losing to Akron or something...don't be in that close of a game to begin with and you won't have to worry about a controversial call

btw I had Kellen on my fantasy team so I definitely wanted that last play against Cincy to be a TD

[Edited on January 4, 2008 at 11:00 AM. Reason : .]

1/4/2008 10:48:20 AM

^didn't I just say that? The Browns should've won more games.

That's what happens when you put the fate of your team in someone else's hands.

BUT

it was a force-out in Arizona. Plain and simple.
and whoever said they would rather face the Titans than the Browns is crazy. They BARELY beat the Colts second squad. Cleveland at least puts up points and their defense has gotten progressively better as the season went on. I can't believe the Titans are in the playoffs.


[Edited on January 4, 2008 at 11:31 AM. Reason : .]

1/4/2008 11:27:59 AM

Don't be delusional, both the Titans and the Browns suck equally.

Quote :

"Cleveland at least puts up points "

So at least Tennesse plays defense, whats your point? Indi is responsible for their team and what is best for their team, it wasn't their job to get Cleveland into the playoffs.

1/4/2008 11:39:22 AM

^I never said it was. I just said that the Titans BARELY beat their B-squad. You can't deny how bad that game was.

Throw the Browns in there and I bet they win by 17+

The Titans are garbage. They scored what, 10 points on the jets?

1/4/2008 11:47:40 AM

OMG THE KOLTS ARE WORSER THAN THE PACHRIOTS!

1/4/2008 11:48:43 AM

^this guys knows what i'm talking about

1/4/2008 11:50:52 AM

I see your Titans only scoring 10 points on the jets, and raise you the Dolphins scoring 31 on the browns. I agree that the Browns have a much better offense, but the Titans have a much better defense, the teams are basically a wash. The browns might have scored more points on Indi, but they probably would have given up more pionts as well.

You're kidding yourself if you think the Browns are better than the Titans. Both teams have shown signs of being decent this year, and both teams have for the most part looked like shit on certain sides of the ball. But hey, my team made the playoffs and yours didn't, enjoy.

[Edited on January 4, 2008 at 12:30 PM. Reason : .]

1/4/2008 12:26:35 PM

i think we can all agree that if you took the titans defense, added lendale and jamal lewis, added kellen and braylon, and gave derek anderson vince young's legs, the Britowns would be the superbowl favorite

1/4/2008 12:33:39 PM

don't forget about josh cribbs

He's the Ben Affleck to Hester's Matt Damon

1/4/2008 12:59:17 PM

Titans backed in. Everyone knows it. Just admit it.

1/4/2008 1:24:51 PM

No the Titans got lucky and were fortunate the Colts had nothing to play for. You don't back into the playoffs when you win the game. Backing into the playoffs would have been Cleveland getting in on a Titans loss. "Backing in" to something in sports usually means you either did nothing, and things unfolded in your favor, or someone else fucked up and you benefited.

Quit being a crying Browns fan, you guys win a few games and all the sudden you're a great team and owed the playoffs. Get real. That team has no more right to be there than the titans, and I've already admitted both suck which most people agree with, nobody on here thinks the Browns would have really been worth squat in the playoffs other than you. I've already said my team sucks, but they are in and the Browns aren't so cry a bit more about it.

1/4/2008 1:35:28 PM

if you don't care enough to play your starting qb, you probably don't care enough to try to run down the field in 20 seconds. non-issue, i say.

1/4/2008 1:41:00 PM

^^dude, I seriously don't know where you're getting half this shit from. I've repeatedly said it's nobody's fault but the browns for not taking care of business. It just hurts because the Titans fucking blow and got in because they played fucking Jim Sorgi.

and I don't know what sports shows you've been watching, but all the ones I've seen says that teams are happy they don't have to play the browns because they put up points. Before the Browns lost to Cinci, everyone was picking them to win out and win the division. Obviously, this doesn't mean shit, but your statement that everyone knows they suck is totally retarded. People were riding the bandwagon all year.

plus, you're a titans fan. That's like being a texans fan.

[Edited on January 4, 2008 at 1:43 PM. Reason : .]

1/4/2008 1:43:07 PM

Why is being a Titans fan like being a Texans fan? I don't get that.

Actually, I am an Oilers fan and have been forever, and I stuck with my team when they moved. SO on that note eat shit.

1/4/2008 1:48:32 PM

will do. good luck in the playoffs. should be a good game

1/4/2008 1:56:10 PM

I'm a big titans fan



and even I was embarrassed at how we won that game. I feel like we were let in, and didn't earn it.




There were a couple of games (Bengals, Broncos) we should've won weeks ago that would've locked this up.

[Edited on January 4, 2008 at 2:45 PM. Reason : on a side note, im happy to have another chance at beating the chargers.]

1/4/2008 2:43:15 PM

Quote :

"Very very interesting unintersting development"

1/4/2008 7:16:04 PM

Quote :

"nobody on here thinks the Browns would have really been worth squat in the playoffs other than you. "

I would've much rather watched them play than the Titans.

1/4/2008 7:23:56 PM

I never said the Browns weren't a fun team to watch.

1/4/2008 7:31:17 PM