3 hours ago |
Should Colts rest starters Sunday or not?
This has been the subject of much debate in the past, although an argument could be made that Sunday?s Colts? game against Houston at Lucas Oil Stadium is different than in the past, when the decision was made to play it safe and sit guys in end-of-season games that didn?t factor into the standings.
The Colts say they?re going for it.
For what it?s worth, here?s a look at both sides of the debate.
Sit them
1.) Several veterans who have been playing hurt need the rest. OLB Dwight Freeney says his ankle is still a pain at times. Most guys will tell you they?re not 100 percent this time of year. One week off would help them recharge.
2.) QB Andrew Luck?s production has declined the last month or so. The rookie could use a break. He?s taken 40 sacks. Houston DE J.J. Watt got him three times in the last meeting, and hit him more than that.
3.) If you get a key player hurt, that impacts the playoff game. Remember Freeney breaking his foot late against the N.Y. Jets in the AFC title game in 2010? That impacted the Super Bowl, which the Colts lost.
4.) If you rest starters and Houston wins, you?re probably in line to face the top-seeded Texans in the second round if you win your playoff opener. The Colts know the Texans well and have a better shot at knocking them off than winning at Denver. The Broncos are going to win at home against the Chiefs, which means the Texans fall from No. 1 if they lose.
5.) As much as nobody wants to think about this, backup QB Drew Stanton would have a chance to show what he can do in a pressure situation. Not everybody can sit, so he would have enough of the key components on offense to make it a game if he played well.
No rest
1.) The players want to play and try to win.
2.) Head coach Chuck Pagano battled through three rounds of chemotherapy to get his leukemia in remission. There?s no way this fighter is going to lay down in his first game back.
3.) Players get hurt all the time in the NFL, and you can?t play this game with fear of injury.
4.) A Colts win gives this team momentum for the playoffs. And this team needs every edge it can gain before going on the road in January.
5.) The Texans have never won at Indianapolis. A Colts win in a game the Texans need more would serve notice Indy is Houston?s proverbial equal, splitting the season series with each winning on home turf although there would be a difference of one game in the standings.
