Jim Caldwell's Decision To Pull His Starters...

Jim Caldwell's decision to pull his starters might have been the end of the discussion of Jim Caldwell for NFL Coach of the Year.



Competitive sports is meant to have winners and losers, that's why we compete. For Caldwell to pull Peyton Manning and the other starters is a slap in the face of the 72' undefeated Dolphins and 07' undefeated Patriots. It's like saying that going undefeated doesn't matter, when it should. It's also a slap in the face of the organization and the fans. These people pay their hard earned money to watch a second string team play. They could go to the Colts practice to see that.



You are telling your players to shut it down and then turn it back on. It doesn't work that way and Jim Caldwell should know that. Resting players is for the off-season, that's why there is an off-season. While we are talking about his chances to win Coach of the Year, the bigger question is will he rest his players again this week and run the risk of failing in the playoffs?



The hottest teams going into the playoffs have the best chance of winning. If you don't turn the ball over, your chances of winning the game are incredibly high. Rested played are rusty and turn the ball over. Peyton is a different character, yes I know and we've reported on that, but he also plays with 51 other people not including a coaching staff which needs to be sharp.

Peyton Makes Me Look Bad

By DARREN BONTRAGER, FreshSportsDaily.com Betting Guru

There are good quarterbacks, there are great quarterbacks, and then there's Peyton Manning. You can have your Tom Brady's and Drew Brees' all you want - I'll take Peyton every time. This guy is unflappable, clutch, unbeatable, and every other adjective one would use to describe the greatest quarterback who ever played.



My pick of Jacksonville to beat Indianapolis Thursday night was just about to come through, but one blown defensive coverage and a sideline bomb to Reggie Wayne sent my delusions of grandeur right down the crapper along with the Jags playoff hopes.



Oh, well. That's what I get for betting against Peyton. At least I was smart enough not to bet the house!

NFL Thursday Pick 12/17/09

By DARREN BONTRAGER, FreshSportsDaily.com Betting Guru

I'm waiting for the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints to finally lose a game (because I'm a glass-half-empty-type guy) and this Thursday I might see the first one to go down as the Colts travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars.



Jacksonville is a consensus 3-point home dog. I usually like taking the points for a home team unless it’s Cleveland or Detroit. Jacksonville is a desperate team battling for a Wild Card berth. Indy has no real reason to win this game other than pride and to stay sharp.



And despite the reports that Indy won’t rest it’s starters, if Peyton Manning gets anywhere near an ugly sack situation or even a hangnail – they’ll sit him. With that being said:



My Pick – Jacksonville Jaguars 24  Indianapolis Colts 22