Disappointed

Seething. Whatever it was that occurred in Lucas Oil Stadium this Sunday sure as shooting was not a game. And while Colts fans are furious about the decision to bench Peyton and company in the third quarter, their wrath should not be directed at Coach Caldwell. The person who called the shots was none other than Bill Polian.

What a ripoff. In a time of econonmic crisis, people still fork out their hard-earned dough to support their favorite teams. This is an aspect of loyalty and faith in an ideal. And Colts fans came from all over Indiana to watch the boys in blue, confident that the Colts could attain the perfect 15-0 record. Those people paid to see a game, and what makes last Sundays game particularly painful was their expectation that both teams had come to play. For the Colts to make the first half a competition, and then to pull out in the second half and give the game away was not only pathetic, it was unethical. It gave the fans a false hope. The decision to bench the best players and put Curtis Painter, the third-string quarterback who had no NFL experience and who hadn't seen the game field in two years, in charge of the Colts offense was defeating.

It was written on the faces of the fans. It was etched on the countenances of the players. Unsatisfactory, inexcusable defeat. Whatever Polian chooses to call his decision, I'm going to call it for what it is. Sunday's 'game' was fixed. In the interest of 'keeping their star players safe', Polian compromised the integrity of the game. He took a competitive contest and reduced it to a disgraceful and embarrassing excuse of a football game. He sacrificed the Colts' chance of a perfect season and their opportunity to make history. No one is applauding. Least of all me.