CLASS (Dungy and Manning) and NO-CLASS (Billick)

[Hooper]

From Lenny P's tip sheet --

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2163227&num=0

By the way, it was actually refreshing to see two of the league's most publicly dispassionate guys, Dungy and quarterback Peyton Manning, sizzling over what they considered to be the bush tactics of Baltimore coach Brian Billick Sunday night. With the Colts leading 24-0, and Manning simply kneeling down to kill the clock in the final two minutes of the game, Billick twice called timeouts. Anyone who saw the Indianapolis sideline, and the look on Dungy's face, knew he was fuming. Ditto Manning. So on third down, Dungy had Manning try a deep pass to Marvin Harrison. Some felt he was just having Manning throw the ball away. Uh-uh. The Colts, incensed at Billick, were trying to score.

Flash back to last season, at the RCA Dome, with the Colts leading the Ravens late in the game, and Manning needing only one more touchdown pass to tie Dan Marino's record. Colts linebacker Cato June intercepted a pass and stepped out of bounds inside the Baltimore 5-yard line. It would have been easy for Manning to have tied the record right there. Instead, he did the classy thing, taking a knee to bleed the clock. Billick has a very short memory, indeed. Here's hoping he really enjoyed the meaningless touchdown his team scored late in last week's game to avoid a shutout. We're sure it really stoked the confidence of his bumbling offense.

[ntotoro]

Remember, this is the same Brian Billick who had the team go for a two-point conversion against us in the pre-season so we could only tie with a touchdown and not take the lead.

Then he had the nerve to get mad when we marched down the field and scored a field goal to take the game into OT.

[GoCommiesGo]

But Billick is an offensive genius... Wait that was with Randy Moss...

[The extremist]

Remember, this is the same Brian Billick who had the team go for a two-point conversion against us in the pre-season so we could only tie with a touchdown and not take the lead.

Then he had the nerve to get mad when we marched down the field and scored a field goal to take the game into OT.

yeah, i can image he has lost a lot of respect over these stunts...i was cussing with my dad when i saw him treat a preseason game like the playoffs, and some of his antics during the indy game reek of desperation

[Flowtrain]

Billick had a backup QB in the game and assumed, due to the nature of Boller's injury, that Wright would be starting the following week.

Given the fact that Wright had fewer reps in preseason than Boller, would you think that getting additional snaps and orchestrating another drive against a live defense would have some degree of value? I do. Maybe not a lot, but some.

For that reason, I don't have a real problem with what Billick did. Of course, when placed in the context of other antics, he hasn't exactly earned the benefit of the doubt.

[ironmic]

i like billick he is a winner and a fighter.....i know i know

[TheDoyler23]

Points scored/allowed is a stat that figures as a tie-breaker. With the backup QB getting his first snaps in a year and a half, he needed to get him as much time as possible.

Going for 2 in the preseason is a diff story, though.