Should the Colts rest their starters if they have home field locked up?

So there has been a lot of talk recently about whether or not Tony Dungy should rest his starters if the Colts are 14-0, and have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. On one hand you have the people saying that you have to go for it, there are way fewer opportunities to go 16-0 than to win the Super Bowl, and no one ever gets hurt on the Colts anyway. Then there are people who think you should absolutely not risk it, you bench all important starters, and cruise through the last few games, and get everyone healthy and rested for the playoffs.

Lets look at each argument:

I cannot argue the fact that being the only team to have a 16-0 regular season would bring a team far more accolades down the line than winning a super bowl. Everyone talks about the Dolphins team that was perfect, and no one cares at all about the 2002 Bucs. Albeit, the Dolphins also won a Super Bowl, but the perfect season is the more important part of the equation. If the Colts want to be seen on TV drinking champagne every year waiting for the last undefeated team to lose, then they can go right ahead. If they are undefeated in the regular season, they will be talked about for a long long time.

Also, it is also true that everyone on Colts seems to be pretty much invunerable. Other than the Edge, who else can you remember who is important ever being injured for more than a week on the Colts. And I certainly don't ever remember Peyton Manning ever EVER missing even a single snap of a football game due to injury. And come to think of it, I don't even remember him ever being hit hard. I don't know if it is pocket presence, a good offensive line, or a combination of the two (I would guess 66% and 33%, respectively), but it is remarkable how he doesn't get hit.

However, what if someone gets injured? And by someone I mean Peyton. That would kill the Colts season. It would be over. No one could make that offense tick like Peyton. I honestly believe that having Peyton Manning on your team is like a free meal ticket to mediocrity at least. I feel like if he was the QB for the Texans, they would not end the season any worse than 7-9, and maybe better. He is the best QB in the league, and if he wins a Super Bowl, and does what he is doing for a few more years, he will be the best QB ever. If he goes down, everything in Indy goes down the tubes, especially Tony Dungy's job.

Andy Reid, a head coach I respect tremendously, ALWAYS benches EVERYONE when the games stopped mattering, and his teams never came out rusty. Making the NFC Championship four straight years is good evidence that a strategy works. The last thing you want at the end of the regular season is a Pyrrhic victory (SAT word!) where you lose a couple players. I also think that the Colts offense would not come out in June rusty, if they didn't touch a football until then, so that shouldn't really be a concern.

So with all this said, what would I do?

Play the starters every game, until the outcome is no longer in question. Tell them to give 110% and go all out. I feel like the psycological pressure of playing a 16-0 team in the playoffs, a team that knows that they are the best team in the league, more than outweighs the chance of a key injury. I would treat each game like I treated the last, and not act any differently at all, until the end of the game, if it is garbage time. If what you are doing is good enough to go 14-0, keep doing it until you lose. I think your players will thank you for the chance to go 16-0, the fans will love it, and morale and confidence will be at an all time high (unless Peyton gets hurt, then you are uber-SOL). So, Tony Dungy, if your team continues winning, don't change a thing.