Jim Irsay Should Put Polian, Coaches, Players' Jobs on Line in Matchup with Jags

This losing has turned from bad to inexcusable. The first few games of the year, I gave the Colts a break and looked at positives and ways they could fix these mistakes and turn them to wins.

Take the Houston game for instance. If you take away the fumbles, mistakes and punt return, the Colts lose 13-7. That's an easy fix. All those problems were correctable.

The next two games at home against AFC North foes Browns and Steelers, the Colts were just one play away from actually winning the game. I won't go in too deep since I did in my articles following both of those games, but those were winnable games and the team did try hard.

If you look at the next game on Monday Night against Tampa Bay, the Colts controlled most of this game until late in the fourth quarter when a gassed defense couldn't stop the Bucs run attack. They should have won this game, but I'll applaud the effort the team gave.

The next game against Kansas City is where head coach Jim Caldwell lost this team. The Colts jumped up to an early big lead and looked to be heading to their first win. Blame the coaching staff for this loss because they let a horrible Chiefs team not only come back, but they stole this win right from the Colts with little resistance from the Colts team.

How can this team look so different in the second half than the first?

What happened in that locker room at halftime?

Was it Jim Caldwell's lack of adjustments or did something come from upstairs and by upstairs I mean Bill Polian to lose this game and the rest?

How does this team with a majority of the players back from the last two seasons where they won the division, went to the playoffs and a Super Bowl appearance fall so far down?

This team had heart and heart alone can get you some wins. Don't pin this on Peyton Manning's absence either. Something happened.

Since halftime of the Chiefs game, this team has shown no effort. Even new quarterback Curtis Painter showed promise and looked to be Manning's backup for a few years and could maybe help prevent the Colts from having to pick a quarterback next year in his first two-and-a-half games. He has shown no effort since that halftime against the Chiefs.

He was given his first snaps on Sunday Night in Week 3 against a tough Pittsburgh Steelers team late in the fourth quarter. He led a great drive and led the Colts to take the lead late in the game. Unfortunately the defense let them down, but Painter was still 5-for-11 with 60 yards and a quarterback rating of 62.7

Here are his stats since:

@ Tampa Bay- 13/30- 281 yards- 2 TDs- 99.4 rating

vs. Kansas City- 15/27- 277 yards- 2 TDs- 115.8 rating

@ Cincinnati- 23/34- 188 yards- 1 TD 1 INT- 79 rating

@ New Orleans- 9/17- 67 yards- 0TDs 1 INT- 38.1 rating

@ Tennessee- 29/49- 280 yards- 0TDs 2 INTs- 50.6 rating

vs. Atlanta- 13/27- 98 yards- 0TDs 1 INT- 41.9 rating

The once accurate quarterback's decline happened after halftime against Kansas City. Before halftime, Painter was 12-for-17 for 237 yards and two touchdowns. After, he was 3-for-10 for 40 yards.

His quarterback rating of the Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, and even Kansas City game averaged out to be 92. That was ranked in the top 10 in the NFL for all quarterbacks at that point. In the four games since, he's dropped a dismal 40.2 points to a 52.4 rating over those four games.

He didn't even make it over 100 yards in two of those games in which the NFL is now a quarterback-friendly league. He threw four touchdown passes in his first basically two games and has thrown only one since with five interceptions.

Why on earth would Curtis Painter quit on the team this bad when he's auditioning for a job?

It's not just him quitting either.

From the Houston game to the Kansas City game four of those five games were decided by one possession. They lost four straight games by a total of 22 points.

Since, halftime of the Kansas City game where the Colts were shut out 14-0 in the second half, they're losing by a combined score of 161-41 including their worst loss in franchise history on Sunday Night Football to the Saints 62-7.

Four of the first five games, it was a 22 points differential, and the four games since it's a 120.

How can you tell me this team either: a. hasn't quit; b. been getting team orders to lose; or c. both.

The first half of those last four games the team is getting outscored 75-14. Usually teams come up hyped to be playing in an NFL game and would fade later in the game. That tells me this team isn't coming out inspired or trying. Blame the coaches and Polian for sticking to the coaches for that.

When you have Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis and Antoine Bethea playing full effort those stats don't show like that.

This is why Sunday, Colts owner Jim Irsay needs to come down on Bill Polian, all the coaches and every player who suits up.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are an absolutely horrible team. They are worse than last year, and we beat them at home less than a year ago with almost the exact same roster. Don't tell me "well, Peyton is out" now either.

If we get the same effort of those first five games, then there's absolutely no reason the Colts don't win. If the effort and quit of the last four-and-a-half games show up, then it's time to fire everyone.

The "Suck for Luck" doesn't belong here. We're classier than that. We can win for years without him. Play Colts football. If Polian wants to be a chicken and take the easy way out and be oblivious to what's going on around him, then he needs to "take his talents to South Beach" and pick Luck with the Dolphins.

Go about it in a professional way and let these players win now and pick positions where we need help in and build this team right.

Polian has lied to these fans through his teeth all season. He still believes fans are behind him and wants us to believe he's out there to win. 

Is 161-41 trying to win? I'm not buying it, Mr. Polian.

If it comes out that you gave orders to purposely lose to get Andrew Luck, shame on you. You have ruined the integrity of the game the last four weeks and should be fined heavily and banned from the NFL.

Right now it looks like you are playing the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. Sunday is your day to prove you're not.

The Colts are a better team and franchise than the Jaguars. There should be no problems winning this game. They have the worst offense in the league literally. They're worse than the Colts.

Show everyone on TV and the 65,000-plus supporters you're not purposely tanking the season.

Your job and everyone else's should depend on it. After all after the Jaguars game is a bye week. Most changes during the season are made then.