Memo to Colts fans: Its the end of a season as we know it, not the world

First appeared on February 10th, 2010
in The Lebanon Reporter

OK Colt’s fans, so you lost the Super Bowl. So what? Now’s not the time to go all George Bailey on the world, perching yourself on the side of a bridge while hoping for a guardian angel to talk you down. Heck, even if Clarence did show up, with your luck he’d probably be a Saints fan anyway. Its days like these, moments like Sunday night that inspired somebody to quip “These are the times that try sports fans souls” (or something like that).
So you’ve holed up with the shade pulled for three days now and the décor of your home resembles something out of the pages of a “Design by Oscar Madison” catalog. You roll over to greet another day smashing half-eaten sticky buns into your mattress and trying in vain to wash the Go Colts! temporary tattoo from your cheek. Fear not loyal fan for yours is merely a chance lost- not forever gone.
The glass is half full here folks. You still have a superstar quarterback and one of the most talented teams in professional football. This is not the Titanic. Let’s don’t lose sight of the obvious here, even though the Colts have an uncanny way of making things look easy, winning the Super Bowl is one of the hardest things to do in professional sports.
So you felt good after watching that 96 yard touchdown drive in the first quarter, you know the one that tied the longest in Super Bowl history and actually ended just a few moments ago? Then somewhere between that valiant goal line stand and the on-side kick to start the second half, life changed. Uncle Mo took traded his Manning jersey in for some Mardi Gras beads and joined the Who-Dat Nation permanently. If only the Colts would have had Betty White at the bottom of that pile when the on-side kick caught them with their pants down, perhaps then Bill Polian would have a Lombardi trophy for each hand.
Of course, five minutes after the game, the mass media pendulum had returned to the “Manning is great but not the greatest” argument. Despite the fact that he’ll shatter nearly every passing record and win more games than an entire divisions- worth of quarterbacks will win in a lifetime- somehow he still manages to float in and out of fancy amongst the talking heads of the sports world with relative ease.
But as great as Manning is, the Saints were better for one night. For one night they were more prepared, took more chances and played like they belonged there when NOBODY had given them a puncher’s chance. Truth is they have a talented quarterback, underrated defense, self-admitted film junkie for a head coach and play with an enormous chip on their shoulders as a whole.
Perhaps my 2 year old said it best when he called it the “Pooper Bowl”. We laughed at him for 3 quarters and then, strangely enough, found ourselves agreeing with him by the end. Well, Pooper Bowl or not, it’s been 10 years since the Pacers played for a championship, 8 since the Hoosiers had a chance (20 since their last win) and as for Purdue, well perhaps it’s best we just leave them out of this equation entirely. The point here is, win lose or draw- relish the moment. Celebrate the opportunity. After all some good did come of the Colts loss. At least the children of the Marshall Islands will be sporting some really good looking Super Bowl Champion T-Shirts for years to come. Who said this game isn’t global?

Just another boring day in the life of the Indianapolis Colts

First appeared on December 11th, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

So the Colts won again. With a 27-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Indianapolis ran its record to 12-0 on the season. Yawn. They also tied an NFL record with their 21st consecutive regular season win. Yawn. They have now won 12 games in a season for an NFL record 7th time. Yawn. The win was their 113th of the decade tying them with the San Francisco 49ers of the 90’s as the most wins ever by a team in a 10 year span. Yawn.
This is the typical reaction of so many to the success of the Indianapolis Colts. No matter what they do, those in the national media remain apparently unimpressed. There was more discussion on the post game shows Sunday about Ochocinco’s Sombrero and the state of Tom Brady’s pinkie finger than there was about the perpetual success of the Indianapolis Colts.
Be it a “small market conspiracy” or the fact that the face of the Colts is about as controversial and outspoken as a Buddhist Monk who’s taken a vow of silence, Indianapolis remains the NFL’s Rodney Dangerfield. What the Colts are doing has never been done before. I’ll pause while you think about that. Those of us in Indiana are likely guilty of overlooking them too. We see 18 take the field Sunday after Sunday and simply expect the Men in Blue to win as a result.
But the success of the Colts runs far deeper than Manning’s “laser rocket arm”. You could pay $75 for a ticket, $9 for nachos, squeeze yourself into a seat between the guy with a Colt blue mohawk and some dude who says he rotates Peyton’s tires and not see the real reason behind the unprecedented run of the Colts.
The real reason behind the success of the Colts can likely be traced to three things: The hiring of Bill Polian, his hiring of Tony Dungy and the drafting of Manning. The Colts were 3-13 the season before Polian was hired. The next year he sealed the fate of the franchise by selecting Peyton Manning and NOT Ryan Leaf (who draft guru Mel Kiper claimed had an attitude that would benefit any NFL team).
While most GM’s are working the phones and scratching the backs of greedy agents trying to land monster off season signings, Polian is standing in the rain on a Thursday night watching Ball State play Central Michigan. The draft is where he has built the Colts. The Colt’s have reaped the benefits of Polian’s notorious eye for talent and uncanny knack for finding difference makers in the most unlikely of places (see Pierre Garcon).
Bringing Tony Dungy in was a brilliant move as well. It can be argued that Dungy’s work in building the perfect beast that is the Colts was done largely off the field. He did more than simply coach a team up, Tony Dungy created a culture. And, though he is now working for NBC, that culture endures. Polian’s job then has always been to find guys who not only have talent, but also fit Dungy’s system; the prerequisite of which is to accept the responsibility that comes with being a Colt.
Of course thirdly is Manning whose success has been well documented so we’ll spare you the time. It would seem for now however the Colts are destined to remain the NFL’s “elephant in the room”, but if you happen to be a member of the Detroit Lions front office and are looking to blueprint anything about this franchise; forget about #18- you’d be wise to start with the culture.