I know its blasephmous to criticize the nearly sainted Colt's head coach, Tony Dungy.  Criticizing this fine and deeply spiritual man is kind of like using Obama's middle name-while the facts of the matter are all out there in the open for the world to see, we Indianapolis locals are just supposed to wait patiently, like Dungy does, for the tide to turn.  Well, it aint' working.  Once again, coaching errors and a decided lack of intensity have gotten the Colts mired in a slough of despond that is nearly impossible to climb out of.  Great coaches find ways to win, and Dungy is apparently no longer capable of providing any additional spark or insight to his team.  I think he left his heart in Tampa with his wife and family when she made the decision to have their family bail on the team in the midst of a playoff drive last season. Dungy's distraction was a major factor in the Colts failure last season and remains one this season as well.

  Why is that the Indianapolis Colts, one of the NFL's finest franchises since Peyton Manning came to town, are incapable of devoting the requisite attention to the acquistion of a decent return man?  Special teams have been the achilles heel of this squad for years.   Admittedly, the special teams play has improved this year, particularly with the appearance of additional leg strength from Adam Vinateri as he regularly booms kick-offs deep into the end zone.  But why is it that an otherwise top-notch organization continues to field taxi-squad wannabes and rejects from NFL bottom feeders in the important position of kickoff and punt return man?  Pierre Garcon's ghastly avoidance of a fair catch against the Titans cost the Colts 30 yards in field position, a chance to score and is completely inexcuseable.  Of course,  Garcon was just the latest hope-and-a-prayer thrown up by Dungy, who seems to think this position is unimportant.   Well, it is important, for the struggling offense and defense are being further hampered by their 24th ranked special teams play.  This is wholly unacceptable and falls fully on the shoulders of the head coach.

  As do the 2nd half adjustments.  Admittedly, Jeff Fisher is a stellar coach at the top of his game.  But Dungy has been considered a coaching icon since his halcyon days in Tampa Bay.  Peyton Manning has continued to make Dungy look good, but Peyton is doing all he can to recover from an inactive preseason, considerable weight loss, and two surgeries.  His mechanics appear to be suffering from the inability to plant properly this early in his rehabilitation.  His passes while generally accurate, have a wobble to them:  they aren't the laser spirals we are accustomed to marvelling over.   I don't think its age that is showing here, Peyton just needs to get back to full strength.  But regarding the 2nd half adjustments, Fisher clearly won this chess match and combined with an excellent job by Kerry Collins finding the short middle pass against the Colts.  Defensive genius that Dungy is cracked up to be, you would think the Colts would have found a way to get some pressure on Collins.  None was ever visible in that woeful 2nd half performance.   If you thought Fisher got the best of Dungy, wait until the evil Belichik shows up Sunday night.  The 5-2 record put up by the Patriots without Tom Brady at the helm is the purest testimony to the coaching greatest of the biggest slimeball to ever coach the game.  But he sure can coach.  He has gotten the better of Dungy almost every time they have met, with Peyton's aerial plentitude rescuing the Colts in the greatest playoff game in history that led them to their only Super Bowl victory.  Are we to settle for that single trophy out of Manning's spectacular career or can we begin to start playing entire football games?

 Of course this week it was the 2nd half when the Colts failed to show up.  Against the Vikings, Texans and Bears, it was the 1st half.  Good coaches on top of their game are able to get a full 60 mintues out of their squads.  Look at the job being done in Buffalo and Miami and Atlanta where young and inexperienced teams play with vigor and intensity for a full 60 minutes.  Other than a stellar perfromance against the Ravens, there is none of that in Indianapolis this year.  Solid, experienced veteran squads can get by with a laconic, laid-back coach.  This very young, but lightning fast and potentially talented Indianapolis Colts team needs some leadership and it should come from the top.

  Unfortunately,  I don't see if coming from Tony Dungy.  And if Dungy no longer has it, it sure as hell won't be coming from Jim Caldwell, Mr. Dungy-lite.  As much as I respect Bill Polian, I think he has been blinded by his loyalty to Dungy.  Just another guy from Dungy's coaching tree isn't the answer.  His other students are failing spectacularly around the league:  Herman Edwards, Lovie Smith, and Marvin Lewis are not faring any better than Dungy and Caldwell won't either.

  The Indianapolis Colts need a coach with some fire in his belly to force them out of their comfort zones and be more mentally acute.  While Bill Cowher seems to be drooling over the prospect of coaching near his home at Carolina, he is the perfect solution to a coaching problem engendered by a guy whose wife wants him to stay home in Tampa.  Attention Mr. Polian and Mr Irsay: This team needs shaken, not stirred.  Shuffle Dungy off the scene and buy out Caldwell's contract and demonstrate that you remain willing to put a winner on the field and let the chips fall where they may.