NFL Week 14: Jim Harbaugh's first number

Forget playoff story. It's a great story either way. The speech he gave his team after their win a few weeks back was chilling and one of the best moments in the NFL this season. I can't stand the Colts, but can find nothing more inspiring this season and have a hard time believing it will be topped before seasons' end.

 

Let me play devil's advocate...

I'm not sure I would mess with the dynamic that the Colts have going here. I would have Pagano in the owner's box or on the sideline shaving cheerleaders and let Arians finish what he started this season. There's no right or wrong way to handle it, but whatever the Colts are doing this season is working. I don't know what factor Pagano has played in that, or if Andrew Luck is just every bit as awesome as everyone thought.

I also think they need to be careful about rushing the guy back. Is there any downside to just letting Pagano take it easy for a few more weeks.

 

Not a bad point. But I think it's pretty clear they are just keeping the seat warm for him. Maybe the Paterno press-box route is the way to go for a week or two.

At least that Indy-Denver playoff matchup will be interesting now. There would be no other storyline in that game!

 

I wonder if it gets awkward after Arians wins Coach of the Year. I would think he would be a lock for that.

I would also think that he'd be on the short list to be a head coach somewhere after this season.

I do find it interesting that as amazing as the whole Pagano/Luck/Arians/Colts story has been this season, it's still completely overshadowed by RG3 and the Redskins.

 

It's all about timing. On Sunday, when Luck played and RG3 didn't, all I read was "Well, Luck has GOT TO BE rookie of the year. He's the classic drop-back passer, they're going to make the playoffs, blah, blah, blah."

On Monday, when RG3 played and Luck didn't, it switched to RG3. Complete recency effect.

I think that was Washington's last Sunday or Monday night game of the season. Does Indy have any left?

 

Obviously, the chances of the Steelers rest with their quarterback, but Baltimore's schedule (at Washington, Denver, NY Giants, at Cinci) is such that I think this division could still be up for grabs.

 

It has?

Luck was on the cover of Sports illustrated last week, with a big feature on the entire Colts situation. He's been featured everywhere. All the NFL pre/postgame shows have gone crazy over him, especially after that winning drive against Detroit -- they all love that he was sprinting along with Avery on the final TD, apparemntly looking to make a block.

Luck and the Colts were overshadowed by Griffin for the first five or six games. Since the Colts have become a legitimate playoff contender, with their coach in chemo and Luck piling up fourth-quarter comebacks, not so much.

I think Pagano's speech was the end of the Colts-are-overlooked storyline.

 

Yeah, that came up a couple weeks ago, but I am not at all buying the Luck-is-overshadowed storyline either. Certainly not "completely overshadowed." When the Colts win, it's very big on all the highlight packages.

 

I've been thinking the same thing, recently. It's almost like when a QB gets hurt and his backup performs well for an extended period of time, a la Brady/Bledsoe.

It sounds like a shitty thing to do to someone who is returning from cancer, but Arians had done a great job with that team. It's not like they're bringing back a proven winner.

My guess is that Arians will dispel any controversy and, when Pagano is ready to return, Arians will "step aside" and say how it's Pagano's team.

Either way, it seems a lock that Arians will be a head coach again next season.

 

Only realistic chance the Steelers have to win the division is to win out. They are two back of the Ravens right now. and the Ravens are up two games in the division and more in the conference record. considering two of the Ravens last four opponents are outside the AFC, that's a lot to make up to win the division. I could easily see the Ravens going 1-3 the rest of the way, maybe even 0-4 given their opponents, but I can't say for certain the Steelers can go 4-0 or even 3-1. Just too inconsistent. Oakland, Tennessee, Cleveland . . . pick one loss, any of them to take away, and the Steelers would be sitting a lot prettier for the division title. They did this to themselves.

 

If it was midseason, I would be Okay with Pagano coming back. But to come back the week before your playoff game and take over . . . to me it just creates too much of a distraction.

 

Yup.