It's clear that all the criticism is getting to Rex Grossman. That's probably not a good thing for Sunday, when Grossman needs to play controlled, not angry.

But the outrage over his comments, when he called the media "ignorant," is laughable. Grossman is right. The majority of journalists covering the game are beat writers who probably haven't watched Grossman more than a few times all season. If that.

Football is an interesting sport to cover because it's impossible to watch most teams play. More than any sport, I believe players, coaches, and teams get slapped with labels or reputations that are very hard to shake. Groupthink is how the Colts have transformed from a team with no chance to beat the Ravens to one that is guaranteed to win the Super Bowl.

There is no denying that Grossman has been highly inconsistent, and some of his criticism is deserved. But he's right when he basically called much of the media lazy for repeating the same questions, often meta-questions about how he's handling the criticism. I haven't heard one question all week that specifically asked him about strategy or planning or why certain things have occured throughout the year.

Before the Arizona game, Grossman was talked about as a possible MVP candidate. He was the story of the NFL, the new gunslinger in town. Now he's a complete bum. The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in the middle. The middle doesn't sell.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's a decent chance Tony Dungy will retire if the Colts win the Super Bowl. Of all the repeated storylines on loop this week, Dungy's possible departure has received surprisingly little play.

Dungy has talked about retirement openly in the past. He previously said he planned to retire to pursue other interests at the age of 50. He's currently 51.

The possibility got me thinking: Who would land the Colts job if Dungy left?

Assistant head coach Jim Caldwell is a favorite of the organization and would likely be considered. Bears coordinator Ron Rivera's familiarity with the Cover Two defense would make him a natural fit. With Tom Moore still around, the offense wouldn't need much tweaking.

There is no doubt the Colts job is among the best in football. Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne are still in their prime. Bob Sanders and Joseph Addai are just getting started. If Dungy was concerned about his legacy, it would be a tough team to leave.

But when Tony Dungy says his career and life aren't defined by wins and losses, you believe him. When he says he has plans to make a difference after football, you know it's not just hot air. A year after his son's tragic suicide, Dungy showed a great deal of perservence to return to football, and then pulled off his best coaching job yet.

Perhaps Dungy doesn't need a win Sunday to define who he is as a man, but it would complete his life in football. Then he'd be free to move on to more important matters.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)