Silent night, holy notes. …
Do they or don’t they? The Indy Colts, that is. Do they want to go for 16-0 or take a breather and let the B team decide the matter?
After several exhaustive efforts – OK, one phone call – I’ve tracked down the definitive source on the matter. No, not Peyton Manning. He has to be politically correct and say what his head coach wants him to say.
Donald Strickland doesn’t. He can tell it straight. Strickland, a former Colorado cornerback, was on the Colts’ roster until well into November, when he was waived and picked up by the Eagles.
So what’s the deal?
“I know Peyton is sort of a football historian, so I’m pretty sure he wants a crack at it,” Strickland said. “I’m pretty sure he would want to play. At the same time, injuries happen. Why risk injuries? They want to go undefeated, but 16-0 isn’t really applicable to the Super Bowl. There’s no reward for going undefeated.” …
Strickland, on being waived off injured reserve – with a chronic hamstring problem, by the way – by a team threatening to run the table: “It’s a business. That’s how I look at it. It’s definitely frustrating. I felt I was a key member in steering that defense in the right direction. Dwight Freeney is the head honcho, but our class came in and raised the level of defense.” …
Our class. As in, the Colts’ 2003 draft class. Talk about a motherlode. Indy in the first six rounds picked up Dallas Clark, Mike Doss, Strickland, Robert Mathis and Cato June. Mathis is fourth in the league with 11 1/2 sacks and June leads NFL linebackers with five interceptions. …
Jake Plummer, when asked if he had grown that beard of his in anticipation of Saturday’s game in the bitter cold of Buffalo: “I planned ahead.” …
Two factors in the CU coaching search that have flown under the radar: Yes, the program has some baggage, but, unlike last season, when the Florida and Notre Dame jobs were available, it’s the best opening on the market. Not only that, there’s considerably more job security in Boulder than at most schools. Fact: Before Gary Barnett, CU hadn’t fired a coach since Bill Mallory in 1978. …
That “home run” candidate Mike Bohn talked about on the night Barnett was let go? After connecting several dots and racking up a considerable cellphone bill, I believe it was Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, who officially has passed on the job. …
What goes around comes around. To wit: They’re telling CU jokes in Lincoln. What, you didn’t know that Colorado’s new area code is 30-3? …
About Brian Billick’s stellar performance at Invesco Field at Mile High the other day … Frank Solich could have made some of those calls while slumped over his steering wheel with a snootful. …
We baby boomers ought to enjoy the Super Bowl halftime show. In case you hadn’t heard, the Rolling Stones will be playing their all-time classic, “I Know It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll But I Forgot It.” …
So it’s official, then. I should be writing recipes instead of sports columns. I know because I assumed CU’s Mason Crosby would win the Groza Award. Not that there was any legitimate reason to think so. All he did was kick five 50-plus-yard field goals – five more than Oregon State’s Alexis Serna, who won the award. …
A name UNC should consider for its vacant head coaching gig: Former Mullen High coach Mick McCall, now the quarterbacks coach at Bowling Green. …
Thursday is Dec. 15, an important date on the sports calendar. Why? Because that’s the first day the Nuggets can trade Earl Watson. While nothing is official, look for him to go. And no, he doesn’t figure to be alone.
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN 560 AM. He can be reached at 303-820-5452 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
