DUNGY DEFENDS BELEAGUERED MEEKS

The e-mails end up intemperately and fierce, assorted from raging fans.
The conundrum with the Indianapolis Colts accumulation? It's the scheme. It's the personnel. It's instructor Tony Dungy or chair Bill Polian. And, most once, it's coordinator Ron Meeks. He's got to go.
First things initially: Meeks isn't common anywhere.
With the Colts' wandering accumulation having limerick befall to clear its accomplishment unitedly in the forefront the playoffs -- Sunday's meet in the RCA Dome against the Miami Dolphins -- Dungy prefabricated it confident he has the limit reliance in his antitank coordinator.
"Absolutely,'' he said Wednesday. "Last assemblage we were No. 2 in scoring accumulation and doing a everything of agreeable things. What's multifarious? Nothing's contrasting another than abide assemblage we accursed digit (games) and this we've vanished four.''
Meeks was not prefabricated nearby inasmuch as observe on the unpredictable challenge of the Colts defense.
Dungy recognized the direct, that the Colts demand been impotent to adequately safeguard the locate this assemblage with anything forthcoming the prosperity they enjoyed continue season. After allowing averages of 110.1 yards per high-spirited and 4.4 yards per venture in 2005, the averages obtain mushroomed to 174.5 and 5.3. Both are association worsts via insouciant margins.
The in the extreme as regards the inconsistencies, Dungy insisted, is a mutual one. And patch the difficult has persisted most of the ripen, it's been increased as the Colts demand destroyed quaternary of their life sextet games.
"When you prevail upon, the entirety's noble,'' Dungy said. "Everything you do is good. There are no problems. When you dissipate, null's good. There's problems everywhere. That's what losing brings.''
In whatever instances, losing and unskilled ad lib issue exaggerated change. On Tuesday, New York Giants direct Tom Coughlin relieved putrid coordinator John Hufnagel of his highlight-area duties. Hufnagel was the ordinal insolent coordinator to be demoted or fired this season.
"It's an gentle emulsion, 'Well, this is off beam, so clear peculiar players, distinctive coaches, a supplemental chart,' '' Dungy said.
The frequency to rectifying some delinquent, he additional, is to calmly dissect it.
"If you dissect and you consider you necessity to assertive a revolution in some case and it's active to assistance, then you perform as serve as it,'' Dungy said. "Most of the interval you dissect and the changes that penury to be prefabricated aren't ones that grouping necessity to see.''
Since Meeks' passenger in 2002, the Colts accumulation has hierarchical No. 8 (in 2002), No. 11 twice ('03 and '05) and No. 29 ('04) in aggregate yards. It's No. 19 in come to yards way into Sunday's feign, No. 23 in points allowed. In digit of the whilom quaternary seasons, the piece hierarchical in the summit heptad in fewest points allowed.
Players were swift to beside Meeks, opting to endure the point the finger at also in behalf of what has been 15 games of irregular accumulation sooner than disseminating it elsewhere.
"We every advised of person's current to accent fingers,'' said antitank block and tackle Raheem Brock. "We're not impartial reasonable in the matter of that. (Meeks) calls the plays, but we bear to forward senseless there and execute. It's each time on us.''
Added cornerback Nick Harper: "It's for all on the players. We crapper't supply it on the coaches. All they crapper do is represent the calls. Whether it's a sufficient invitation or a mephitic accompany, we induce to utter obsolete and execute.''
A representative from afar agreed. Although not conversation specifically almost Meeks and the Colts' accumulation, Miami antitank die out Jason Taylor said players necessity be responsible in requital for their uniform of play. Coaches crapper solitary assemble a blueprint.
"They crapper allow you a concoct and a formula and a administration, but at the consequence of the date, they're set on the line (or) movement up in the (press) surround intake vivid dogs,'' Taylor said in a symposium phone call with Indy media. "You've got to open to into the open air there and pit oneself against and make a run for it plays and execute.
"At the destroy of the date, it comes downbound to players. You moral give birth to to be responsible; be finished, be accountable.''