Originally published Tuesday, December 20, 2005 at 12:00 AM
E-mail article
Print
ShareDungy plans to rest Colts starters down the stretch
The Indianapolis Colts figure to make it a little easier for the Seahawks to claim home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs when the teams...
Seattle Times staff reporter
The Indianapolis Colts figure to make it a little easier for the Seahawks to claim home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs when the teams play Saturday at Qwest Field.
As expected, the game has become a watered-down potential preview of the Super Bowl as Colts coach Tony Dungy plans to rest his top players during the game.
The Colts clinched home field throughout the AFC playoffs two weeks ago, so Dungy was expected to rest them, anyway. But a loss to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday ended the Colts' perfect season after a 13-0 start and took the pressure off Dungy to play against history — the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins — for the next two weeks.
"I guess people won't have as much to say if we don't play our starters the whole way or ask, 'How can you denigrate the game that way?' " Dungy told reporters in Indianapolis on Monday.
Dungy reiterated that he plans to rest quarterback Peyton Manning and running back Edgerrin James, among others, over the next two games.
Some Colts might not play at all because of injuries suffered against the Chargers. Right tackle Ryan Diem is out indefinitely with a sprained left knee, and Pro Bowl receiver Marvin Harrison could sit out against the Seahawks to rest a hand injury.
Defensive tackle Corey Simon (foot) and defensive end Robert Mathis (foot) missed the San Diego game and are expected to sit out again Saturday.
"We're going to go out there and play to win, but we are going to use everybody," Dungy said. "How much we will play everyone is still to be determined. But, in any case, we plan to play a lot of people."
Manning, Alexander most popular
Manning received a record number of votes — 1,184,142 — in a record year for fan balloting for the Pro Bowl.
Right behind him was Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, who received 1,110,575 votes.
A record 70.5 million votes were cast in fan balloting that ended Friday. Players and coaches will conclude the voting today; fans, players and coaches each count as one-third of the vote to determine the 43-man rosters. The teams will be announced Wednesday.
The Pro Bowl will be played in Honolulu on Feb. 12.
Chris Cluff: 206-464-8787 or ccluff@seattletimes.com
UPDATE - 07:23 AM
NFL, union resume labor talks at mediator's office
League, players still almost $800 million apart on revenue haring
Union, league negotiators to resume talks Monday | NFL
No new deal in NFL labor talks; deadline extended
911 audio: Caseworker reports Josh Powell has locked children inside his home
911 audio: Caseworker reports Josh Powell's house on fire with children inside
911 audio: Sister of Josh Powell reports disturbing emails
Chuck Cox reacts to Powell home fire, death of his grandsons
Sheriff's update: Josh Powell spread gasoline in home fire, sent goodbye emails
Don Bateman, inventor of Ground Proximity Warning System
Pierce County sheriff reacts to Powell home fire
Price of Protection: A victim speaks out
Price of Protection: Inside the Special Commitment Center
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
Open Houses
|
Find all open houses.
|
nwautos
(Honda) First fits The first of the all-electric 2013 Honda Fit EVs have been delivered to Google, Stanford University and the city of Torrance, Calif...
Post a comment
- Powell's story: cruelty, abuse from an early age
- Whitney Houston, superstar of records, films, dies
- Boeing worker caught under 787 wheel has legs amputated
- Jeffrey Zaslow, 'Last Lecture' author, dies in car crash at 53
- Santorum to visit on day gay marriage expected to be signed into law
- Two boys' funeral is about their lives, not their deaths
- State budget writers get good news with $200M windfall
- Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson fights to keep Kings from moving to Seattle
- Empty, foreclosed houses burden cities, neighborhoods
- Seattle couple's car towed into a twilight zone | Danny Westneat | Danny Westneat
- AP Source: Obama to change birth control rule
604 - It's time for Seattle to forgive David Stern 238
- Truth Needle | Gay-marriage wave of lawsuits claim mostly false 189
- Santorum to visit on day gay marriage expected to be signed into law 188
- Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson fights to keep Kings from moving to Seattle 140
- Empty, foreclosed houses burden cities, neighborhoods 116
- Whitney Houston, superstar of records, films, dies 109
- Seattle couple's car towed into a twilight zone | Danny Westneat 87
- American family decline: It's about money, not morals 63
- Pac-12 picks ... including the UW game 39
- Seattle's Sage Bionetworks seeks a drug-discovery revolution
- Empty, foreclosed houses burden cities, neighborhoods
- Art critic, 90, can't complain about this show — it's hers
- Boeing worker caught under 787 wheel has legs amputated
- How to travel between Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver, B.C.
- The GOP's indefensible rhetoric on national security | George Will / Syndicated columnist
- Lots of options for getting students into computing programming
- The role of faith in health-care delivery | Guest columnist
- 'Writing out' a 787 flight plan never so much fun for Boeing pilots
- Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color
