Patriots pushing Polian's buttons
Posted: Oct.19, 2006, 5:45 pm EDT<BYTAG>By Tom Curran
NBCSports.com</BYTAG>
Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesBill Polian has been with the Indianapolis organization for nine seasons.
The New England Patriots have formally asked the NFL to ensure the safety of Patriots employees when the team hosts the Indianapolis Colts and their explosive president at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night, Nov. 5.
The move, an evident tweaking of the Colts, comes after Colts President Bill Polian apologized to a Jets employee earlier this month for shoving him before the Colts-Jets game at Giants Stadium on Oct. 1.
According to a league source, Polian, Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and Ray Anderson, the NFL's senior vice president of football operations, discussed the incident on a conference call soon after it occurred and Polian was required to issue a written apology.
The league wanted to the incident to "go away," the source said.
According to a FoxSports.com report earlier this month, Polian was upset because he felt loudspeakers were positioned too close to the field. In the course of speaking to a Jets employee in a tunnel leading to the field, Polian grabbed the employee by the lapels of his jacket and pushed him against a wall.
When contacted about the incident, Anderson said he had no comment and abruptly hung up.
Colts vice president of public relations Craig Kelley said: "I'm not commenting. It's been resolved, if in fact there was a problem in the first place."
Polian, who has been with the Colts for nine seasons and was a GM for the Panthers and Bills before that, did not respond to an e-mail request for comment.
Jets vice president of public relations Ron Colangelo said last week that the league office was looking into the situation.
Meanwhile, the Colts' longtime AFC nemesis in New England took notice of the Polian issue.
In the past few years, the Colts have lodged frequent complaints with the league about the Patriots. Last week, the Colts reportedly asked the league to talk to the Pats about the shoddy condition of the turf at Gillette Stadium.
During the 2003 regular season, Indianapolis complained that Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest milked a late-game injury to allow a Patriots substitution. McGinest was later involved in a stirring, game-ending fourth-down stop of Edgerrin James. During the 2003 AFC Championship, Polian went ballistic while watching the Patriots strong-arm Indianapolis receivers. A "rules emphasis" was instituted in 2004 that was dubbed the "Ty Law Rule" after the Patriots corner who picked off Peyton Manning three times that day.
In visits to New England, Polian has been demonstrative in the press box, swinging his fists, throwing off his suit coat and pounding the counter in front of him.
Last year, when Patriots backup quarterback Doug Flutie scrambled around during the last play of a 40-21 Colts win at Foxborough, Polian said, "Break his leg."
Five reasons the Patriots get under the Colts' skin
1. Winning. The Patriots have won three Super Bowls. The Colts have won one. In 1970. When they were in Baltimore. Since 2001, regardless of circumstance, the Patriots have found a way to win. The Colts, on the other hand, find a way to lose. Quite often, the losses have come at the Colts expense.
2. Quarterbacks. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are the two best quarterbacks in the NFL. And they've forged a pretty strong friendship. Yet as Manning continues to rewrite the league's passing records and fall flat in the playoffs, Brady plods efficiently along during the regular season and, save for last season, lights it up in the playoffs. Manning has a multitude of backers. So does Brady. But the conversation on who's better usually ends when the topic of championship rings is raised.
3. Reputations. The Colts play in a controlled dome environment and rely on a finesse passing game and a smallish quick defense. There's a segment of the football-watching public that -- rightly or wrongly -- believes the Colts are soft. The Patriots play outdoors in often sloppy and inclement weather. Their offense is balanced. They can pound it. They can pass it. Defensively, they're smart and nasty. The Patriots may be many things, but soft is not one of them.
4. Expectations. Few things are more agitating in life than expecting great things and getting less. Few things are more enjoyable than expecting little and getting much. The Colts tend to perform below expectations. The Patriots -- despite injuries and roster upheaval -- continue to exceed expectations.
5. Coaches. Colts coach Tony Dungy is widely viewed as one of the most decent men in sports. Frank, forthcoming, earnest and soft-spoken, it's impossible to find anyone who dislikes Dungy. Such is not the case with Bill Belichick. He can be evasive. Forthcoming would be one of the final adjectives anyone would use to describe him. Whether folks like him or loathe him doesn't seem to matter much to Belichick. Far more people root for Tony Dungy than Bill Belichick. With minimal satisfaction. Belichick's continued success must be an irritant in Indy.
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Posted: Oct.19, 2006, 5:45 pm EDT<BYTAG>By Tom Curran
NBCSports.com</BYTAG>
Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesBill Polian has been with the Indianapolis organization for nine seasons.The New England Patriots have formally asked the NFL to ensure the safety of Patriots employees when the team hosts the Indianapolis Colts and their explosive president at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night, Nov. 5.
The move, an evident tweaking of the Colts, comes after Colts President Bill Polian apologized to a Jets employee earlier this month for shoving him before the Colts-Jets game at Giants Stadium on Oct. 1.
According to a league source, Polian, Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and Ray Anderson, the NFL's senior vice president of football operations, discussed the incident on a conference call soon after it occurred and Polian was required to issue a written apology.
The league wanted to the incident to "go away," the source said.
According to a FoxSports.com report earlier this month, Polian was upset because he felt loudspeakers were positioned too close to the field. In the course of speaking to a Jets employee in a tunnel leading to the field, Polian grabbed the employee by the lapels of his jacket and pushed him against a wall.
When contacted about the incident, Anderson said he had no comment and abruptly hung up.
Colts vice president of public relations Craig Kelley said: "I'm not commenting. It's been resolved, if in fact there was a problem in the first place."
Polian, who has been with the Colts for nine seasons and was a GM for the Panthers and Bills before that, did not respond to an e-mail request for comment.
Jets vice president of public relations Ron Colangelo said last week that the league office was looking into the situation.
Meanwhile, the Colts' longtime AFC nemesis in New England took notice of the Polian issue.
In the past few years, the Colts have lodged frequent complaints with the league about the Patriots. Last week, the Colts reportedly asked the league to talk to the Pats about the shoddy condition of the turf at Gillette Stadium.
During the 2003 regular season, Indianapolis complained that Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest milked a late-game injury to allow a Patriots substitution. McGinest was later involved in a stirring, game-ending fourth-down stop of Edgerrin James. During the 2003 AFC Championship, Polian went ballistic while watching the Patriots strong-arm Indianapolis receivers. A "rules emphasis" was instituted in 2004 that was dubbed the "Ty Law Rule" after the Patriots corner who picked off Peyton Manning three times that day.
In visits to New England, Polian has been demonstrative in the press box, swinging his fists, throwing off his suit coat and pounding the counter in front of him.
Last year, when Patriots backup quarterback Doug Flutie scrambled around during the last play of a 40-21 Colts win at Foxborough, Polian said, "Break his leg."
Five reasons the Patriots get under the Colts' skin
1. Winning. The Patriots have won three Super Bowls. The Colts have won one. In 1970. When they were in Baltimore. Since 2001, regardless of circumstance, the Patriots have found a way to win. The Colts, on the other hand, find a way to lose. Quite often, the losses have come at the Colts expense.
2. Quarterbacks. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are the two best quarterbacks in the NFL. And they've forged a pretty strong friendship. Yet as Manning continues to rewrite the league's passing records and fall flat in the playoffs, Brady plods efficiently along during the regular season and, save for last season, lights it up in the playoffs. Manning has a multitude of backers. So does Brady. But the conversation on who's better usually ends when the topic of championship rings is raised.
3. Reputations. The Colts play in a controlled dome environment and rely on a finesse passing game and a smallish quick defense. There's a segment of the football-watching public that -- rightly or wrongly -- believes the Colts are soft. The Patriots play outdoors in often sloppy and inclement weather. Their offense is balanced. They can pound it. They can pass it. Defensively, they're smart and nasty. The Patriots may be many things, but soft is not one of them.
4. Expectations. Few things are more agitating in life than expecting great things and getting less. Few things are more enjoyable than expecting little and getting much. The Colts tend to perform below expectations. The Patriots -- despite injuries and roster upheaval -- continue to exceed expectations.
5. Coaches. Colts coach Tony Dungy is widely viewed as one of the most decent men in sports. Frank, forthcoming, earnest and soft-spoken, it's impossible to find anyone who dislikes Dungy. Such is not the case with Bill Belichick. He can be evasive. Forthcoming would be one of the final adjectives anyone would use to describe him. Whether folks like him or loathe him doesn't seem to matter much to Belichick. Far more people root for Tony Dungy than Bill Belichick. With minimal satisfaction. Belichick's continued success must be an irritant in Indy.
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