Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell: Going undefeated "really not that important"

Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell
(David J. Phillip/AP Photo)

If he hadn't done so already,Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell made something clear Monday:

The Colts won't spend a lot of energy trying go unbeaten.

Caldwell, in his first season as the Colts' head coach, addressed the issue Monday, a day after Indianapolis not only clinched the AFC South witha 35-27 come-from-behind victory in Houston, but moved to 11-0 for a second time in five seasons.

Will 16-0 be a priority?, Caldwell was asked.

Absolutely not.

“It’s really not that important,” Caldwell said a day after the Colts rallied in the fourth quarter for a fifth time in as many games. “You’ve seen a lot of great records during regular season. What really counts in this league is one ultimate goal. That is to win it all. Once you get to the playoffs, you have to do something with that opportunity.

“Going undefeated during the regular season has never been a high priority.”

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That said, Caldwell said he doesn't anticipate any change in the Colts' approach in the coming weeks. The Colts lead the AFC by three games over San Diego and Cincinnati, with New England (6-3) playing New Orleans Monday night.

“We're not pulling in the reins by any stretch of the imagination,” Caldwell said. “We still have to forge ahead and continue to get better. We have to make improvements, identify our weaknesses and try to improve upon those. The important thing is you continue to improve throughout the season.

“We're certainly still in the business of doing that.”

Asked when he might begin considering whether or not to rest players or play them late in the season, he said firmly, “Not today.”

“I'll address that if we get there,” Caldwell said. “That's kind of how I like to approach it. We'll assess our team at that point ion time and make a determination on what suits us best, and how can we best get ourselves in position to do extremely well in the post-season. Once we get there, we'll assess that situation.”

The Colts on Sunday extended their franchise-record regular-season winning streak to 20 games, one shy of the NFL record. The New England Patriots won 21 consecutive games from 2006-2008.

“We aren't comfortable,” Caldwell said. “We try to concentrate more on the performance than we do on the results. Our performance is such we know there's room for improvement. The other things are going to take care of themselves.”

The Colts clinched the division about three hours after beating Houston. That was when the San Francisco 49ers beat Jacksonville (6-5) by a score of 20-3 in San Francisco.

“We were actually in flight,” Caldwell said. “We got word of the final score of the Jacksonville-San Francisco game and announced it on the airplane. We had a brief celebration. Our team knows there still is a lot of work to do.

"There was not unmitigated pleasure on the plane. Nevertheless, they (players) enjoyed themselves. They understand it’s quite an accomplishment but we still have a few more things to get done.”

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