OK, so I’ve been just a little bit missing in action. You have my apologies.
It’s been a scant week since the biggest win in Colts history — well, Indianapolis Colts history, but whatever.
It’s still a little surreal. The sports landscape shifted into neutral mid-last week, before the hype machine revs again in preparation for the Super Bowl.
It felt sudden, as if the world had forgotten the win almost immediately after the Colts’ rallied to knock off the hated rival Patriots, last Sunday, just after nine p.m. central time (I don’t know what time it was in Indiana. They don’t have Daylight Savings Time, so I guess it was probably eastern time. Whatever.).
Regardless, a lot was written, a lot discussed, and now, only a few remaining fans really have a vested stake in football – and we are they. How nice. The sports-talk universe seems somewhat lacking, or void without a full complement of forthcoming games. But yes, a week later, let it be known: The Colts still won. A great game. Slayed the beast. And have a chance for history.
But in any case, it’s sunk in a little. It was fun to read the blogs, writers, and columnists after the fact during last week (a busy last week, I add in mitigation) but I struggled.
What to write? (Though I’ve never shouted as loud for a sporting event’s end as I did when Marlin Jackson caught that ball. Tears streaming down my face, fist pumping. Gleeful, proud of Dungy and Manning and all — as instant historian Jim Nantz would say – “What a moment!”)
Colts Couch Crew did a great job. Stampede Blue was solid. Coltfreaks was good. Even the mainstream writers delivered – Banks, Len P, Peter K, FO on Fox, MJD’s fabulous liveblog, all of them. Bill Simmons was appropriately disheveled, claiming he was above sour-grapes and summarily delivering a column full of backhanded compliments.
What could I possibly add? A game recap? A stirring soliloquy? A relieved exclamation? A gleeful comeuppance of notorious nemesis Bill Belichick (Thank you, Stampede Blue.) Even the nearly-shark-jumping Deadspin checked in with a hilarious Meet-the-Colts post, which trumps any faux-quirky, half-baked Super Bowl Preview idea I may have had.)
Anyway, I struggled. Elation, relief, pride, anticipation — there’s not much to add. Colts fans now sit poised to watch their team, possibly, write itselves into football, NFL-Films, Steve-Sabol, Barstool-discussion lore. Lore, for crying out loud!
But that game itself – it lives forever, one of the best of all time. Even with the biggest to come, the AFC Championship still means a lot. But exactly what?
For Bill Polian and Tony Dungy — hopefully it legitimizes their faith in professionalism above all else. Polian and Dungy are famously well-balanced, eschewing the hopeless “awake-at-3-am.-and-eat-sleep-breathe NATIONAL-foot-BALL-LEAGUE” coaching lifestyle of, for example, Brian Billick and Jon Gruden. Professionalism, what a concept! Proof, hopefully, that character factors into the equation along with talent, persistence, and effort. I believe it was the Indy Star’s Bob Kravitz put this idea forth last week. But, yes, it’s correct. Your team’s head football coach doesn’t have to be a snarky, know-it-all field general!
Supposedly, for Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning, it legitimizes their intertwined and successful careers. (Though John Elway has to read these monkey-off-Manning’s-back articles, and think: AYFKM? People hated me until I won it all. Assholes. Buy some furniture.) Anyway, media are quick to begin gushing over Peyton instead of piling on. What a world.
For Marvin Harrison, does the win do the same thing? Marvin‘s a clear flanker on the NFL’s all-time team to Jerry Rice‘s No. 1 wideout. If Harrison has a great Super Bowl and someday passes Rice, then what do we think?
For Reggie Wayne and Gary Brackett, it’s bittersweet. And for Wayne, it comes during his best season, and probably most painful. The guy might be the best receiver in football. Yes, I said that. He’s No. 1 on the Colts and has been for two years.
For Bob Sanders, it’s proved what we Colts fans have known all along. He is our Brian Urlacher or Ray Lewis – the absolute heart, soul, leader, and power behind a defense. He’s a game-changer, and though statheads scratch their heads, you have to see Sanders with your own eyes to believe it. Some have come around. But maybe you were watching all along:
(Note: I wanted to post a video of Sanders from Iowa, but couldn’t find one. He’s No. 33 interspersed in this amalgamation, don’t blink.
For Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, it’s shown resolution and versatility. For Antoine Bethea, it’s installed him as starting safety.
For Rob Morris? Once thought to be a middle-linebacker, Morris was often whipped by Colts followers, including yours truly. However, he first remade himself as a dynamite special teams player, and now is a fine outside linebacker. A long time coming.
For Tom Moore and Ron Meeks? The malignment ends. Moore‘s revamp of the offense this year — far less audibles — is now legitimized, and Meeks redeemed himself fully with whatever new gameplans he installed (ahem, uh, tackle?!), each game, each week.
For Marlin Jackson? Welcome to the fold. For Jason David and Nick Harper? Well, we’ve watched this pair become two of the NFL’s most effective CBs. Harper — the Innocent Criminal — may not play in the Super Bowl, which would be a tragedy. We need him, if only to try and check Bernard Berrian.
For the Offensive Line? Jeff Saturday, Tarik Glenn, Ryan Lilja, Ryan Diem, Jake Scott. Take a bow. You’ve always been one of the best in football. Here’s to a last effort to write your names in stone.
For Adam Vinateri? Money. Hall of Fame. (But seriously, what’s with Indy kickers’ constant inability to kick touchbacks? Hello?!)
For Dominic Rhodes and Joe Addai? Well-played, fellows. You made even the staunchest Edge-fan bloggers eat their words, and we thank you.
For Dallas Clark? What a player. Some of us questioned his selection (Yes, even as an Iowa tight end) in the draft, when the Colts needed defense first.
Anyway, that’s the accolades, for nearly everyone. They spill out, as they often do with a landmark, statement win. And with only one more – penultimate – win, the Colts write their place in history forever.
But with a loss?
Well, you never know how long the window stays open. For this Colts squad, it’s been nearly eight seasons. In 1999 they were precocious. They slipped a bit in 2000, fell apart wholly in 2001, and began climbing this mountain again in 2002 – ultimately looking hollow and defeated after 2005.
And for any sports fans, you hope to gain eight seasons of meaningful games in December and January. You also hope that the run of success culminates with ascent to the final pinnacle. Consider:
- 1989-1996 Buffalo Bills. A very good team – good enough to lose four Super Bowls and gain nothing but ridicule.
- 1987-1994 Houston Oilers. The run and shoot never got over the hump – a partial precursor to the Colts controlled offensive attack, the first incarnation was merely good, not great.
- 1994-2001 Minnesota Vikings. Through eight years, the Vikings managed to be extremely competitive surrounding two phenomenal seasons, both of which resulted in a painful NFC Championship loss, both times to teams who were obliterated in the Super Bowl.
- 1999-2004 Tennessee Titans. McNair‘s band never quite got over the hump. An early win over Indy, a disappointing loss to Baltimore, and then a regression into wild-card defeats.
- 2000-2005 Philadelphia Eagles. Still a pretty solid organization, but after selling out, adding Terrell Owens and Jevon Kearse to a team destined for four straight NFC Championship games, the team crashed to earth in fall of 2005. Do we really think the McNabb era will return to a title?
And the Colts still could be one of these teams. Indianapolis is headed for a salary-cap purge within the next few seasons, and besides the core of Reggie Wayne, Peyton Manning, and Marvin Harrison, who knows who will remain? To their credit, they’ve managed to franchise names like Marcus Pollard and Edgerrin James to stave off restructuring — but the end is coming. It’s always sooner than you think. (Mea Culpa: I predicted it around 2005. Yes, that January 2005 loss to the Pats during Wild-Card round was that bad. I’m happy to be wrong, but I doubt I’m that far off.)
Yet still, the window remains wide open, if only for one more week. I’m not rational enough to offer any sort of cogent analysis, except that the spread is too high. I’m quietly confident the Colts will roll through the window, finally, because of two things:
- The AFC has pretty much owned the NFC over the last two seasons, and even the cream of the NFC crop often is subpar to the AFC’s lower seeds, even. (Example, last year’s Super Bowl, this season’s matchup of New England vs. Chicago.
- Chicago is strikingly similar to the last three teams Indy has faced. A grinding offense, coupled with a defense-first philosophy.
However, I’m quietly terrified, because of a couple things:
- Chicago’s defense is better than the last three the Colts have faced. The secondary is more active, which causes the Colts problem. Even Ed Reed, playing center field in Baltimore’s secondary, doesn’t concern me as much as Chicago’s corners. (Still, Tim Rattay figured them out…)
- For all of Rex Grossman‘s evisceration by all media, is he not a better QB than Trent Green or Steve McNair? Matt Hasselbeck? Jake Delhomme? To me, he can throw deep, and sometimes accurately He’s easily better than all these guys. And one or two deep balls, sending the Bears offense downfield, well, that could be a problem.
So that’s where Mister Faded Glory stands. Excited for the game, excited for the chance that it’s the cap to a magical season. And, apparently, long-winded in the interim. Nothing like a big win, or a big game, and the biggest of all stages. There’s nothing like it. Just wait till Sunday.
Because, of course, there’s much more. We’ll talk soon.
