Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell confirmed Friday afternoon his team will start Curtis Painter at quarterback against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. With veterans Peyton Manning and Kerry Collins unable to play due to injury, the Colts had no choice but to go with Painter or the just-signed Dan Orlovsky.
Thus, the heavily-favored Buccaneers have the good fortune of facing, in Painter, a quarterback who's completed just 13 of his 39 career pass attempts over two seasons, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. The former Purdue Boilermaker owns a career passer rating of 23.8. That's not a misprint: it's really 23.8.
Bucs Nation writes, "Quite frankly, the Bucs have enough talent and skill on defense to destroy Curtis Painter. Monday Night Football should be fun." The former assessment is one with which it's difficult to disagree. But the latter? That one may only apply to the Bucs, their fans, and masochists.