“I'm kind of upset New Orleans lost,” Colts middle linebacker and defensive captain Gary Brackett said. “The locker room will be a little more crowded now, [with people] seeing what we're going to do. But I think it's a good problem to have.”
The Colts are one of three teams in NFL history to start a season 14-0. The others were Miami in 1972, when finished a 14-game regular-season unbeaten before winning three postseason games, and the 2007 New England Patriots, which finished 16-0 before losing the Super Bowl.
“When you're in that group, it's kind of cool,” Johnson said. “At the same time, they're not handing out Lombardi trophies for 14-0. We know it's a great goal, a great accomplishment, but at the same time, we have a lot bigger goals.”
Said Caldwell, “It's obviously an honor for our team to have an opportunity to kind of stand alone at this point. The fact of the matter is it's a task to maintain this position as well.
“I think our guys are certainly up to that challenge.”
Colts players, for their part, said while they would prefer playing all-out, such decisions are ultimately left to the coaches.
“Guys will do what coach asks them to do,” Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden said. “If the coach feels like we need rest, that's fine. If now, just go out there and continue to do your job. You can say your two cents, but that's the head guy. It is what it is. His best interest is you and the team. If he thinks it's best for the team to rest and get ready for the playoffs, that's fine.
“If he wants you to go out there and continue to work and get better, that's fine, too.”
And while Colts players said the thought of an unbeaten regular-season is enticing, they also said maintaining an unbeaten record will mean little if it hurts their postseason chances.
“We're only concerned about the Indianapolis Colts, what we're doing and what we have to get down,” Colts DE Robert Mathis said. “If [an unbeaten season] is what it takes to get down to Miami (the site of the Super Bowl), then that's what it takes. If it takes being unbeaten, then that's what it takes. If not, then that's what it is.
“Everybody wants it. That's just the competitive spirit, but it's not first and foremost on our agenda. We're trying to finish the job.”
Brackett was asked this week if he might offer Caldwell input.
“I don't think he's going to take my advice,” Brackett said. “I think he has his own play. He is the boss. We want to play. We want to be out there, but if we get tapped on the shoulder that it's time to finish, it is what it is.”
COLTS COVERAGE.
COFFEE WITH THE COLTS: NEXT-DAY LOOK AT COLTS-JAGUARS. HERE
COLTS BEAT JAGUARS, 35-31: HERE
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN: DEBUNKING A MYTH ABOUT HOW THE COLTS MIGHT APPROACH THE REST OF THE SEASON. HERE.
QUOTING THE COLTS. HERE.
Highlighting Colts President Bill Polian's weekly radio show . . .
* Part One: On 114 victories in a decade: "Really something." Here.
* Part Two: "No such thing as rust." Here.
* Part Three: Dan Muir "has been dynamite for us." Here.
* Part Four: Who will play won't be known until Thursday. Here.
MORE COLTS COVERAGE
MANNING ON PLAYING STARTERS THURSDAY: "THAT'S WHAT WE WANTED TO HEAR." HERE
MORE COLTS COVERAGE
DOES PEYTON MANNING GET TOO MUCH RESPECT? HERE
POLIANS' CONTRACTS EXTENDED. HERE
COLTS FANS OWE RB JOSEPH ADDAI AN APOLOGY. HERE
*** CATCH UP WITH ALL THINGS COLTS ON INDY FOOTBALL REPORT. HERE
*** READ JOHN OEHSER'S INDIANA PACERS COVERAGE. HERE.
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