Shame of the Week - Bye Week

[Spider-Dan]

It's hard to get too worked up about NE winning this week when their loss last week was an incredibly lucky fluke of an instant typhoon.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

@HOU and @OAK are the last two games (vs. SD is the one before that).

Given that Manning's 14-0 Colts lost to both the Jets and Bills in the same situation, I don't think DEN would win both of those games.  Competition in the NFL is hard enough when you are actually trying.

The Jets then won two playoff games, so they didn't suck. 

Also there is little reason to think Fox would take the Cadwell approach over the Belichick approach.  A large motivation for Cadwell not doing what BB did, was the Pats lost the SB.  Cadwell's approach was just as disastrous. 

Plus BB's approach is much more popular with the players.  Tom Brady wanted to play to win at the end of the season.  Peyton made comments that he was unhappy with sitting on the bench late in the season and wanted to play.   

[Spider-Dan]

@HOU and @OAK are much more legitimate threats than vs. NYJ and @BUF were.  OAK is a division rival and HOU is a good team suffering historically bad QB play right now.

John Fox is not Belichick and absolutely will not say "I don't care what the media thinks, I'll do what I think is best."  He is your cookie-cutter hyperconservative coach that will make the safe play.

There are very, very few coaches in the league that would make the 4th down call against the Colts that Belichick made in 2009.  That is my measuring stick of how intimidated by the media you are: will you make a decision that you know to be correct, even if it will get you crucified in the media if it doesn't work out?

Sean Payton is one of those coaches.
Rex Ryan used to be one of those coaches (not sure anymore).
Belichick practically re-invented it for the modern era.
Fox is far, far from it.  He is spineless like all the rest of them (and yes, this does include Philbin).

Caldwell's approach was the approach that most any coach without untouchable backing from ownership will take: I will make the decision that will earn me the least criticism if we fail.  And what story is told of 2009?  No, it's not the story about the coach that took his foot off the gas, nor is it the story of the coach that had a starter get injured in a meaningless game.  No, the story of 2009 is "Choker Peyton chokes again."

And if Fox takes his foot off the gas and DEN loses in the playoffs, that will be the story of 2013, as well.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

There are very, very few coaches in the league that would make the 4th down call against the Colts that Belichick made in 2009.  That is my measuring stick of how intimidated by the media you are: will you make a decision that you know to be correct, even if it will get you crucified in the media if it doesn't work out?

Or for that matter the 4th down call he made yesterday.  But BB didn't get crucified in the media for playing his starters week 17.  He would have if Brady had gotten injured, but there wasn't universal opinion that it was the wrong call.  Dungy and a few others held that view, but not the majority.  And it would be hard to crucify him for it while at the same time complementing Cauglin for playing his starters in the same meaningless game (Giants had the 5 seed either way)

Plus even if Fox wants to rest Peyton, Peyton doesn't want to rest and I bet Elway will side with Peyton and let him play if they have a chance at 19-0.

However, all of this will be moot when Denver gets its first loss on 11/24.   

[Spider-Dan]

BB didn't get crucified because he was wearing three Super Bowl rings and could flatly say, "We don't want to just win the title; we've done that plenty of times.  We want to be the best team of all time."

Fox is wearing zero rings and any attempt by him to imply that just winning a title isn't enough would result in a public flaying.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

BB didn't get crucified because he was wearing three Super Bowl rings and could flatly say, "We don't want to just win the title; we've done that plenty of times.  We want to be the best team of all time."

Fox is wearing zero rings and any attempt by him to imply that just winning a title isn't enough would result in a public flaying.

BB never said that (at least in no interview I ever heard) what I did hear him say, was that he felt that you can't turn on and off a winning spirit.  And that the idea of resting/protecting some starters and not resting other starters goes against his concept of it being a TEAM sport. 

And while he does have an image of being arrogant because of his demeanor.  I have very rarely heard him say anything that is arrogant. Listen to the pregame presser before the 14-0 NEP took on the 1-13 Dolphins. 

Brady once said that he wanted to not only win games but beat win by such a large margins that future teams would be intimidated.  But not BB. 

[Spider-Dan]

BB didn't actually say that himself; as I recall, it was one of the players.  My point was that he could have said it without any concern for what the media might say.

Fox's job is potentially on the line in this year's playoffs.  If they have another one-and-done, he could be calling Marty Schottenheimer for advice.