Josh: I know, cheesy title, but I’m all about alliterations today. Everywhere you turn in the NFL, the discussion inevitably returns to whether or not the Colts and Saints should rest their starters, or fight for the immortality that will come from an undefeated season. First off, the Saints haven’t clinched the number one seed yet, so they still need to win for at least another week to make sure the Super Bowl goes through New Orleans. But the Colts have the AFC wrapped up will not play a meaningful game until mid-January.

Taylor: It’s actually a really important question and you have to believe the Colts and Saints’ coaching staff has gone back and forth on the subject matter. Josh and I are going to take a look at the pros and cons as to whether or not they should rest their starters. Let’s start by taking a look at the Indianapolis Colts.

Josh: We’ve been here before with the Colts. In 2006, they started 13-0, finished the regular season 14-2, and were one-and-done in the playoffs. They have a pattern over the past decade of getting knocked out before the Big One, despite having the most regular season wins out of any team in that time period. But has their biggest accomplishment actually been their biggest deterent from multiple Super Bowl rings this season?

Taylor: I absolutely think it has. If you look at the past Super Bowl winners, the one thing they all had going into the playoffs was momentum. If the Colts were to make this game against Jacksonville their last effort for the regular season, how are they going to stop a team like the San Diego chargers who not only have the Colts’ number, but they also have been on fire for the last 7 or 8 weeks. I guess one question you might ask is, what did the Colts do right when they won the Super Bowl in 2007?

Josh: They had a healthy team heading into the playoffs. They didn’t get a bye-week that year, and stole a huge 4th quarter lead against the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. I truely believe every team is a few injuries away from watching the playoffs from home. Look at the Steelers this year. Aaron Smith and Troy Polamalu get hurt, and they go from Champs to Chumps.

Taylor: Well then are you saying it is better for them to rest their starters to ensure everyone is healthy? On offense the Colts biggest concern should be keeping Addai healthy. Outside of that, they have enough depth in each position to keep them in the rest of the season without concern. Peyton has never missed a game. Isn’t it also just as important to knock teams out of the playoffs who are starting to surge? They play two teams in the hunt over the next two weeks. The Jags tonight and the Jets next Sunday.

Josh: That’s something that bothered me in 2006. The fact that they let up and rested their starters meant that other teams who were fighting until the end had an easier path to the postseason, and others were left helpless. You can’t use that as a good argument though, because the Colts did earn the right to rest their players. As a fan, I want to see a 18-0 Colts team play a 18-0 Saints team for the right to call themselves the greatest team of all time. The goal of every team is to win the Super Bowl, so an undefeated season is a secondary concern. Do you think if the Colts hadn’t rested their starters in the past, they would have more rings?

Taylor: I absolutely do. If they rest their players after this week’s game they will have almost a month off. This is do or die football. Wouldn’t you rather be still in your stride than trying to get back into it? I think the Saints are lucky since Minnesota is forcing them to stay competitive.

Josh: The fact is that these next three games don’t matter, period. The Colts are the #1 seed no matter what. Every time these guys step on the field, they risk their season. Do the Colts pretend that these games mean something and fight to the end? Is momentum worth the risk of injury to Dallas Clark, or Addai, or Reggie Wayne? I don’t think it is. If the Colts are good enough right now to win throughout the playoffs, then they will be good enough in a month to win throughout the playoffs.

Taylor: That’s a good point, but don’t you think that the Week 15 Indianapolis Colts are better than the Week 1 Indianapolis Colts? In a way they’d revert back to week one form as this long of a gap is no different than the preseason.

Josh: I think a healthy, rested, fresh Week 15 Indianapolis Colts are better than the original Week 1 Colts, yes. And even if they did treat this like the preseason, look at what they did after this year’s preseason. 13 games in a row? I think they’d take that into the playoffs.

With that said, as a football fan, of course I want the Colts to go undefeated. I want them to play hard, and play spoiler throughout the final 3 weeks, and carry that into the playoffs. But if I was running that team, I would know that the goal is Super Bowl, and health is the best way to achieve it.

Taylor: Let’s move on to the Saints. The Colts are far more experienced in both this type of situation and in the playoffs as a whole. Drew Brees has never made it to the Super Bowl and has only won one playoff game. Should they approach this differently than the Colts?

Josh: The Saints have the Vikings right on their tail. I’m not sure of the tie-breakers, but the Saints will need at least one, and most likely two games to keep ahead of them for the #1 seed. Again, as a fan, I want to see the Saints and Colts win out and play hard to the end. But the Saints have been dealing with injuries on their defense, and will need all the healthy players they can to get past the firepower offenses in the NFC like the Eagles and Vikings. And they’ll need everyone healthy on offense to match the points of them as well. Can you name Drew Brees’ backup? I didn’t think so.

Taylor: Actually I can, and only because I can’t believe he is still in the league: Mark Brunell. I think the Saints are a much better candidate for resting their team. As you said, their defense has been horribly plagued by the injury bug, as have their running backs. I think the Saints more than any other team have depth, but that isn’t something you want to be forced to rely on in the playoffs. Final verdict on Saints: Rest. Colts: Rest..

Josh: Agreed. But I’m still dreaming of two 18-0 teams in the Super Bowl. Who would Mercury Morris root for?

Related posts:

1. NFL Regular Season Wrap-Up
2. Week 13 NFL Preview
3. Who Will Win the Super Bowl?