Polian's regrets
Bill Polian spoke to the Associated Press and mentioned his biggest regret during his time in Indy:
Polian tells The Associated Press on Wednesday that the lack of a capable backup for the injured quarterback was the primary reason the Colts went from a Super Bowl contender to a 2-14 record and the No. 1 draft pick.
Guess Phil's not getting his apology.
Outstanding interview. There are many things swirling in my mind, but first and foremost, Bill, no matter how loud some haters are, know some fans are truly, truly grateful you were the Colts´ decision-maker all these years. You were the best we could have hoped for, and you more than delivered. You gave us two things unique in history: Peyton Manning, and the most consistently successful team in the salary cap era. That these players were so easy to root for, so great at giving their best on the field, is a reflection of your ethos and love of winning the right way, no matter what horrid things people can say about you, no matter your failings.
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Interestingly, the AP version of that story is longer than the IndyStar version. For example: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/01/04/sports/s140257S25.DTL
It includes several additional quotes, like this:
"We probably could have straightened out the defensive situation a little earlier than we did, but that wasn't critical," Polian said... "We needed to have a guy in place if Peyton had gone down and we didn't. It wouldn't have been a playoff season, I don't believe, if we had. But I didn't do it."
And this, regarding the 2009 season:
"We just should have recovered the onside kick and not had the interception," he said, referring to two plays in the Super Bowl loss.
I think Bill P's remarks about his greatest failing (the back up qb position) were a little self-serving, but I was moved by the humility and thankfulness he expressed. Those two things seemed really genuine.
I'm actually surprised at how professional the local (and online) media is being regarding the sacking of the Polians! The Polians didn't have any friends within the media and certainly made that very clear. I thought that Kravitz or others would have written more "karma is a bitch" articles.. I guess 141 wins do means something after all!
@NateWalton The Star writers have made their point. Phil in particular did a good job of expressing his frustrations and the experiences that caused them. I too have been utterly impressed by the work those guys including Kravitz, Wilson, Chappell and Richards have churned out in the last few days. Very professional in my opinion.
