Johnny O states very clearly what is at the heart of the difference of opinion.
Which is why the Colts took the approach they did. It has been written, and I even had a friend email me to this effect, that the Colts didn’t want to win Sunday, even that they tried purposely to lose. Couldn’t be further from the truth. They wanted to win, just as they would have wanted to win Sunday against Buffalo. But when the Colts say they want to win, they don’t limit that to meaning Manning and the starters playing. They take this “Next Man Up” stuff seriously, remember, and when they say they want to win, that doesn’t exclude using Curtis Painter to do so.
We’ll move on now, uncertain what the aftereffects will be. Without question the immediate aftermath surprised many around the Colts. Polian said as much on an NFL Network interview Tuesday, but to answer a question I also have been asked in recent days — Would the Colts have acted differently had they known the depth of the fans’ feelings on the matter? — the answer is, “No.” The Colts still believe, as Polian said Monday, that their greatest responsibility to fans is putting the team in the best situation possible to win the Super Bowl. Negative fan reaction, no matter how vehement, won’t change that.
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