Steel City Jim

Down here in cool Sarasota, one gets the chance to commiserate with people from other parts of the country whom one doesn't see during other parts of the year. Had dinner with an old friend from Indiana, a Colt fan, whom we see on our annual sojourns to the sunny(?) south. My friend not only bemoaned the Colts' loss in the Super Bowl, but the "throwing" of the Jets game that spoiled the perfect 16-0 regular-season record. He feels that people who pay exorbitant prices, like $229/ticket, are entitled to see their team go all out to win every game. He feels that paying customers are cheated when key players are benched, thus resulting in a "thrown" game. It causes him to be fed up with pro sports.

I must say that I disagree with the above position. I think that the one and only goal for each NFL team is to win the Super Bowl. It is the ultimate prize, and teams must do whatever they deem necessary to win it. Any side issue during a season, such as attaining a perfect regular-season record or securing an ironman record are, at best, sidelights, and, at worst, distractions to winning the Super Bowl or World Series.

Resting key players, once a playoff position has been secured, can be very beneficial to a team's success. Pro football has been described as a game of attrition. It's a Darwinian contest. The team that is healthiest for the playoffs has the best chance of emerging victorious. Teams covet winning their division as with that distinction comes the bye week. Those that get this have the opportunity to take an additional week off to rest and heal the nicks that are inevitable in pro football after 16 grueling regular-season games.

Often teams are eliminated because of injuries to key players. Without Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith the Steelers suffered a five-game losing streak that effectively eliminated them from the playoffs last year. So, the healthier a team is going into the playoffs, the greater its chance for success. (There are exceptions to this. In 2006 the Steelers were the final team to make the playoffs. Not only did they not get a bye week, but they had to play all games on the road. They won the Super Bowl. But this is very rare.)

When Colts Coach Caldwell chose to rest important players in a game that meant nothing in the standings, he, in my opinion, rightfully was planning for a playoff run that could win the Super Bowl for the Colts. He wanted his team to be healthy and rested and rarin' to go. They were. They just hit a buzz saw in the inspired Saints.

As far as fans are concerned, they, too, should understand that the ultimate prize is the Super Bowl. They are, or should be, aware that no matter how much they pay for exhibition game tickets, the teams are not necessarily playing to win. Their goal is to discover new talent and new wrinkles that can only be tried out in regular-season game conditions. To give new players, for example, the longest possible look they must sit their regulars. This is part of a season.

Further, fans who pay for tickets for regular-season games must realize that teams may have different motives for playing certain games than winning, i.e. resting important players for future games. And, in most cases, securing a perfect regular-season record without winning the Super Bowl is not considered to be a successful season. Yes, the Dolphins had a perfect season in 1972 AND they won the Super Bowl. So, that was the ultimate record. But no team has been able to match that record since.

To a true fan, a football season is a process. Many ingredients go into this process, and winning every game is not necessarily the top priority.