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Sports Articles by the staff>
Indianapolis Colts like the 85 Chicago Bears?
January 1, 2010
by Budd Foxx
The Indianapolis Colts, if they win the Super Bowl this year, will be just like the 1985 Chicago Bears. A team that went 15-1, and won the Super Bowl. The only difference is that the Bears lost to the Miami Dolphins in week 13 of their season. Well, there is another difference- The Bears tried to win that game against the Dolphins, which was played at the Orange Bowl. The Bears lost to Dan Marino, the Colts lost to Mark Sanchez. The Bears were coming off two straight shutouts, and a combined 104-3 outscoring of their previous three opponents before the Dolphins beat them. Probably a little over-confident, but never quit. They decided after that loss to film the Super Bowl Shuffle, and the rest is history.
My problem with the Colts giving up, well that's not fair, it was obvious that Peyton Manning and the other benched starters wanted to play. Manning is a franchise player, a company man, who would never speak out negatively against his team, at least not in public. But you could tell by the look in his eyes on the sideline that he wanted in the game still. But the problem I have with the decision Jim Caldwell made is not because the obvious one such as: Now their timing will be off, but is that they had a chance to do what no other NFL team has ever done. For that matter, no other sports team really can do that, go undefeated throughout the whole season. Well, a college team could, but no professional team could.
A baseball team has a great year when they lose about 60 of their games. The best NBA record belongs to the Chicago Bulls, who lost double digit games when they posted a 72-10 record. No NHL team will win 84 games. Sure, the Miami Dolphins did it back in 1972, and do you see how every year all those Dolphin players from that year get together and celebrate when the last undefeated team of a season finally falls? They know they did something special. They don't care who wins the Super Bowl, as long as they remain the only undefeated team in NFL history. It is kind of ironic how it was the Dolphins who were the team to beat the Bears in 1985, spoiling their perfect season. But the Colts did not have a chance to tie the Dolphins, they had a chance to surpass them. Miami won 14 regular season games, and three playoff games.
The Colts had a chance to win 16 regular season games. The goal of most teams at the beginning of the season is to win the championship game, in any sport. Except college football, where a coach from Boise State, for example, can tell his players, Alright fellas, go out there and go undefeated, we still won't have a chance to win a championship but still, give it your all. But that's another story. The Colts still have a great chance to accomplish that goal of winning it all. Although, I have been thinking, how nice would it be if the New York Jets end up making the playoffs, meeting the Colts in the AFC Championship game, and then beating them, all because the Colts let them beat them last week. But yes, Indianapolis can still win the Super Bowl, but along the way something happened. They had a chance to be in a league of their own. Not many average fans could tell you right off the bat who won Super Bowl XVIII, or XXXII. They always say people don't remember the second place team, well it seems people don't really even remember the winners a few years down the line. Who really cares about the 1985 Bears, Super Bowl XX champs, except Bears fans living in the past. They are awful now, and have been for many years, What have you done for me lately? Is anybody going to compare the 15-1 Bears to the 15-1 Colts? No way.
Now, if the Colts were going for maybe back to back championships, or perhaps their first ever championship, or to establish a true dynasty of the decade, then those would be different scenarios. Why risk losing a Super Bowl if it's your first ever, the city would never forgive you. If the Bears were ndefated in '85, I would be more tolerant of resting because it would've been their first ever Super Bowl, and by the likes of how they have been playing since, their only.
Or if you already lost a game but clinched home-field advantage already, again different story- rest your players. But ten years from now, not many people outside Indy will care who won this Super Bowl, that is to say if they even win it. Nobody is even talking about the New England Patriots from two years ago, who went 16-0 only to lose the final game that year. By the way, they lost to a Giants team who had to fight hard just to make the playoffs, and then fight hard to win every single road playoff game. They didn't need to rest their players for the playoffs. In the end, when a team has a chance to do something no other team has ever done, and likely never will do again, you have to take that chance. Heck if that Pats ended up winning that game against the Giants, then it would be a been there done that, and probably many people wouldn't care. Just like when we landed man on the moon for the third time& yawn. Now, if they win, they will be just another Super Bowl champion, what are we on now, 44. Granted some teams have won it a few times, but still, Super Bowl 44, not even L, or C, just XLIV.
Congrats Indy for doing what 44 other teams already did, when you could have had the chance to do what no team has ever did, and perhaps never will. I really hope they meet the Jets in the playoffs, and I hope they beat the Colts, at least this time it won't be beacuse they didn't try, that is, unless Jim Caldwell wants to rest Manning for opening day next year.
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