I still stand by my arguments that I made last season. People will blame the Browns for “not winning” when it counted. But in a short season, every game in a 16 game season counts equally. We got hosed in two games against Oakland and Arizona that should have been counted as wins. To fault the Browns for not winning on the road against a 7-9 team takes away from the point that what the Colts did was despicable. When playoffs are determined by second tie-breakers and the like, we need the league and its teams to act with integrity. For a team to not put their best effort forward in a 16 GAME SEASON even if for one game is a disgrace. I am still irate over this. This season proves that you have to take advantage of any season that presents itself as a playoff opportunity because you never know what will happen the following year

I voted for holding a grudge and wanting the Browns to hopefully be that one loss the Colts can look back on saying “Damn, shoulda had that”. I completely agree about the integrity aspect. RD summed up fairly well how I feel about it.

On the other hand, less and less do I buy the argument that the Browns should have taken care of business in the Cincy game. They played their A-team, but performed like a B-team that day. Cincy threw their A-team out there and played well enough to win. If the Bengals had given up on the season and thrown out a bunch of former scout-team players and the Browns lost, then I’ll buy that the Browns failed to lock it up themselves. Fact is, Tennessee got to play a pivotal game against a B-team that normally would have had the bejeezus kicked out of them by the Colts A-team.

If it was for health reasons that players were benched, that’s fine. But if they were well enough to start the game and play 3 possessions or so, they’re well enough to play the entire game. I’m still on the fence if I’m more pissed at the Colts, or frustrated that the Titans had it easier.

Browns beat the Bengals, DA doesn’t throw 65 picks, this dicussion is not taking place.
Take care of your own schedule is my motto.

It is important to take every game seriously in the NFL, which is why we should have just beaten the Raiders and the Bengals. Those two teams were HORRIBLE last year, and players admitted that they didn’t take those teams seriously even with playoff hopes on the line. A team that doesn’t take care of business week in and week out doesn’t deserve to make the playoffs.

Yes, it sucks we didn’t make the playoffs last year, but it makes me a lot more angry that we had control of our own destiny and dropped the ball than that someone rested their starters to get ready for the playoffs. You have to expect a team to act in it’s own self interest and you can’t count on other teams to win to put you in the playoffs. If we were 11-5, none of us give a damn about the Colts/Titans.

If we were playing the Steelers in week 17, no way I would want anyone irreplaceable to play. There are cheap shots thrown all the time in that game and I wouldn’t want someone A. getting hurt or B. doing something stupid and getting a suspension.

Is it total BS that we had the same record as the Titans and didn’t make the playoffs? Yes. Do we blame the Colts for acting (in what they thought was) their own best interest? Hell no. If “integrity” meant trying to win every game by as much as you can and never thinking beyond that one game, college teams wouldn’t take out their starters after a game gets ugly. That sort of short-sighted thinking keeps teams where they are instead of allowing them to play better when it counts.

Getting to play Cincinnati twice a year is like getting to play 14 games against opponents who don’t want to win. You could say the same thing about Detroit.

You have to worry about your own schedule. Do you think the Dolphins and Jets and the Bills were complaining last year because they had to play NE twice? EVERYONE PLAYS A DIFFERENT SCHEDULE. If we were in the NFC West last year, we would have made the playoffs easily. We weren’t. We knew the schedule we were playing, we were in control, and WE blew it.

Rules mess ups/bad rules/bad calls happen. If we didn’t need a last second FG against Oakland, we win despite timeout tactics. If Dawson makes it the second time, we don’t have a problem. If K2 makes the same play against Arizona this year, the rule is changed and there is no way its a TD. We should have just been up by multiple scores (or at all) against either team and won.

Winning this game against the Colts won’t change what happened in the past, and it won’t put us in the playoffs this year. I would love to finish at least 6-10, and this is a game we can win. It would almost be disappointing to see our players play out of their minds (every thing else being the same) in this game because that would mean they weren’t properly motivated over the course of the season and that’s just terrible. Saving that “little extra” for revenge means you aren’t playing 100% every week, which is inexcusable.

Its BS for the Colts blogger to say this as an outsider, but as a Browns fan I feel OK about it: stop whining. Everyone.

The responses in this thread are hilarious and sad at the same time. haha :(

First, the Browns would never have need the Colts to win if the Browns had taken care of business in Cincy. (Thanks, Chud.)

If the Browns were in the same position that the Colts were in last year, I don’t know if I would have wanted them to pull their starters out like that or not. The rational side of me says do it, but the sporting side says go out there and get another W. Besides, if the Browns were playing their second string in that situation, I can’t help but think that some freak sideline incident would take the starters out and kill the post-season anyways. (No. Think positive!)

Ultimately, though, the Browns missed the playoffs because the Colts lost and that’s good enough for me. I voted for – though don’t expect to savor – revenge.

I do find it a bit sad that some Browns fans are still bitter about what happened last year. You can’t blame another team for your inability to make the playoffs. The Colts did what was in their best interest and that was to protect the starters for the playoffs.

Put yourself in the Colts shoes: if you have a player of Peyton Manning’s calabre would you want him to risk injury in a meaningless game, simply because you want to protect the integrity of the game? Before you give a homer response to that question, re-read it and actually think before you answer.

Some fans understand the position the Colts were in last year, however others that are blinded by their excessive passion and loyalty, need to build a bridge and get over it, because it’s just sad to hear them whine like this.

Now that i’ve got that off my chest, I’m looking forward to today’s game. I think you guys are much better then your record indiactes and that the game will be much closer then most people think. Here’s to a good game.