Naughty Nurse: Indianapolis Colts hope for reincarnation
Cold, Hard Football Facts for Apr 02, 2012
By Scott Kacsmar (@CaptainComeback)
Cold, Hard Football Facts resident Colts Authority
You can certainly call it a rebuilding process, but what the Indianapolis Colts are hoping for in 2012 is a reincarnation.
In 1998 the Colts brought in general manager Bill Polian, and he was immediately faced with a big decision: do you draft Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf with the first overall pick? The Colts were going to get a quarterback, and fortunately they made the right choice with Manning.
That led to one of the most successful runs in NFL history, but that run has come to an end.
Without Manning, the Colts flat-lined early in 2011. A 34-7 beating by the Houston Texans in Week 1 was a sign of things to come. The Colts lost their first 13 games, and ranked near the bottom in almost every major statistical category. The Colts were ranked dead last (32nd) in CHFF’s Quality Stats Power Rankings. Their record-tying streak of nine straight postseason appearances came to an end midseason, and the only excitement left was whether or not they’d go 0-16, or if they’d lose their shot at drafting Andrew Luck.
They finished 2-14, and did secure the first overall pick for the fifth time since 1983. Fortunately the top prospect is a quarterback considered to be the best prospect since … well, since Peyton Manning. Talk about Luck.
Peyton may have made $26M in 2011 to not play and make weird faces, but consider that a down payment on getting the top pick and your next (hopeful) franchise quarterback. That makes it worth every penny.
There’s a new GM, a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator, and there will be a new quarterback in addition to several other positions changing. A lot of the old faces are gone. It’s a new era for the Colts, and it’s going to be a slow start. But this is a process, and it’s not unlike something the fans haven’t experienced before.
Patience will be key. It is rough to go from over a decade of winning down to the cellar in a blink of an eye, but nothing lasts forever. It’s still hard to believe the Peyton Manning era is over in Indianapolis, but with a little luck the Colts will be back on their feet in a couple of seasons.
The 2011 storyline: Man(ning) down. With Peyton Manning lost for the entire season, the entire team fell flat on their faces. After an 0-13 start, two division wins were the only thing preventing Dan Orlovsky from becoming a proud member of the NFL’s only two 0-16 teams.
The Vital Signs
Coach (record): Chuck Pagano (Rookie head coach; 0-0 overall)
2011 record: 2-14 (15.2 PPG – 26.9 PPG)
Record against the spread: 6-10
Record vs. Quality Opponents: 2-8 (14.8 PPG – 28.8 PPG)
Record last five seasons: 51-29 (.638)
Best Quality Stat in 2011: Quality Standings (18th).
Worst Quality Stat in 2011: Overall Qualtiy Stats Power Rankings (32nd), Defensive Real Quarterback Rating (32nd), Relativity Index (32nd)
Overall =Overall position in Quality Stats Power Rankings; QS= Quality Standings; SCOR= Scoreability; Bend= Bendability; RPYPA= Real Passing Yards Per Attempt; DRPYPA= Defensive Real Passing; QBR= Real Quarterback Rating; DQBR= Defensive Real Quarterback Rating; OPR= Offensive Passer Rating; DPR= Defensive Passer Rating; PRD= Passer Rating Differential; OHI= Offensive Hog Index; DHI= Defensive Hog Index; REL= Relativity Index.
Statistical curiosity of 2011: Still competitive - just couldn’t finish
Not surprisingly, most of the statistics from the Colts in 2011 were bad. But there was one area that curiously stood out the most.
For a team that’s been so used to winning 12+ games a season, they often got there by pulling a rabbit (or two) out of a hat for a late-game victory each year.
That wasn’t the case in 2011, and their problems in the fourth quarter actually extended back to when they had Manning on the field. After setting a NFL record with seven fourth-quarter comebacks in one season in 2009, the Colts failed on their next 14 comeback opportunities. That’s the longest streak in Indianapolis history.
During their 0-13 start, the Colts were 0-7 at fourth-quarter comebacks. Five of those games came during a 0-7 start to the season. They finally broke through in Week 16 against Houston.
This just goes to show that even the worst teams are still very competitive at least half the time. The Colts were not a team in “tanking” mode.
Best game of 2011: 19-16 win vs. Houston (Week 16)
When a team finishes 2-14, it’s not that hard to pick their best game of the season. While the win over Tennessee was the first of the year, very unexpected and nice, it was the next game that came even sweeter for Colts fans.
The Colts were playing at home on Thursday Night Football in Week 16 against the Texans, who were on their way to their first AFC South title. The game could not have started much worse for the Colts, as Dan Orlovsky was sacked and fumbled on the first play of scrimmage. The Texans had just 17 yards to go for the touchdown, and got there easily with two running plays for a 7-0 lead.
But the Colts would battle back with some sustained offense under Dan Orlovsky, and they trailed 10-6 at halftime. After the Colts pulled within a point in the fourth quarter, the Texans added another field goal for a 16-12 lead after the two-minute warning.
Orlovsky took over at his own 22 with 1:50 and no timeouts left. What was about to happen was one of the best game-winning drives in Indianapolis history. Orlovsky worked the ball down the field, with Reggie Wayne making a key 34-yard reception.
After three penalties on the Houston defense, the ball was placed at the HOU 1, and Orlovsky went back to Wayne for the 1-yard touchdown with 0:19 left. The Colts held on for the 19-16 win, and ended their run of 14 straight failed comeback opportunities.
The 78-yard drive marked just the 5th time since 1980 that the Colts had a victory that featured a game-winning or game-tying touchdown drive start in the final 2:00 of the fourth quarter.
Worst game of 2011: 62-7 loss at New Orleans (Week 7)
Just when you think it couldn’t get worse than the 34-7 loss to start the season in Houston, the Colts lay one of the all-time eggs in New Orleans in primetime. The Superdome has become an incredibly hard place to play in recent years, but this one might as well have been over before it started.
The Saints scored 7 TD and 2 FG on their first 9 drives on offense. The only time the Colts made a stop was when the Saints punted on 4th and 1 with a 62-7 lead and 2:56 left in the game. Drew Brees was 31/35 for 325 yards, 5 TD, and a 144.9 passer rating. If that’s not Madden-enough for you, the running game chipped in 38 carries for 236 yards. New Orleans had 36 first downs. After falling behind 55-7 in the fourth quarter, Curtis Painter threw a pick six to round out the scoring at 62-7.
The Colts became the 11th team in NFL history to lose a game by at least 55 points (since 1940 and including playoffs). Believe it or not the franchise’s worst loss is by 57 points, in a game Johnny Unitas started.
Strength: Adam Vinatieri’s clutch kicking? Pat McAfee’s Twitter account? Hope?
There is no easy answer to pick the strength of the Colts, because they currently don’t have one. At least not a tangible strength. They struggle mightily on both sides of the ball, and at both phases of the game (running and passing). Even the special teams ranked near the bottom of the league, though that’s not unusual for the Colts.
The pass-rushing combo of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis will return, but they are much less effective when the team is always playing from behind and the duo can’t simply rush the passer in favorable pass situations.
What the Colts do have is hope that they have the next great franchise quarterback coming their way in the draft. Andrew Luck will hope to be their strength, as a franchise quarterback can cover up a lot of a team’s weaknesses, and the Colts have plenty of those.
Weakness: Where do we start?
Again, the Colts are a battered team on both sides of the ball, leaving almost every facet of the game a weakness. The offense had the worst starting field position in the league last season, while the defense was 31st. They put themselves in long fields, while the opponents are starting in favorable positions.
A player that will need to step up in his fourth season is RB Donald Brown; the first-round pick in 2009. He had a career-high 645 rushing yards last season, and with Joseph Addai’s release, he could be leaned on for the first time as the workhorse back he was at Connecticut.
General off-season strategy/overview: Before reincarnation, there is death. This off-season has been like a long funeral for the Colts and their fans, as many popular faces of this era of success have departed.
Long-time GM Bill Polian was among the first to go, and he was replaced by Ryan Grigson, who is not in an enviable position as he starts this rebuilding process. Speaking of funerals and the dead, Jim Caldwell was fired, and joining Grigson at the hip is rookie head coach Chuck Pagano, the defensive coordinator from Baltimore.
Though it was up to Jim Irsay to make the decision on Peyton Manning, he made the only move he could; no matter how unthinkable it sounds, but he made the right move to release Manning.
While no release can compare to the magnitude of Manning, it’s still pretty stunning to watch the rest of the horses put out to pasture: Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark, Gary Brackett, Melvin Bullitt, Jacob Lacey. Curtis Painter was also released, but that’s equivalent to a joke in the eulogy that makes everyone smile for just a moment.
Those were the players released. In free agency, often-injured Anthony Gonzalez went to New England. Long-time center Jeff Saturday will be snapping the ball to Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Jacob Tamme is the lone Colt to join Manning in Denver. Young receiver Pierre Garcon jumped in a hurry to the Redskins once free agency began.
Even Philip Wheeler (Raiders) and Mike Pollak (Carolina) are gone. Ryan Diem retired. Between Diem (150) and Saturday (188), that’s 338 starts for this offensive line. Throw in Pollak and it’s 379 starts.
Who the hell are these Colts?
Believe it or not, they did keep some players from last season. Reggie Wayne, in a bit of a stunning move, resigned for three years. He should be able to help Luck by being a reliable target on a team that has very few weapons right now.
Robert Mathis got a 4-year deal worth $36M, and his pairing with Dwight Freeney should last at least one more season. These are your few cornerstones of the team.
But the obvious off-season move for the Colts will be drafting Andrew Luck with the first pick. Yes, Robert Griffin III is worth looking at, but Luck is your prototypical pocket passer and fits what the Colts are used to seeing from that position. Luck will be the pick. No question about it.
Unlike how the Colts basically struck out after taking Manning in 1998 (WR Jerome Pathon and C Steve McKinney were their best picks after the first round), they need to find some pieces in this draft to build around Luck.
The good news is that since the Colts have so many holes, almost any position is on their board for these picks. Finding a couple more quality starters to go alongside Luck will be key in accelerating the rebuilding process.
New offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who was in Indianapolis in 1998 as QB coach when Manning was a rookie, has to be very careful in how he handles Luck. In Pittsburgh, the biggest problem with Arians’ offense is that it had no identity. The team wanted to run, but often couldn’t. He would be very predictable in calling runs on first and second down, and relied too heavily on the playmaking skills of Ben Roethlisberger to bail the offense out.
Arians also often exposed Roethlisberger to hits by using an empty backfield too often. The Colts rarely ran an empty backfield with Manning, as he almost always had a running back next to him for protection and check downs.
Luck is considered to be a very cerebral quarterback, much like Manning was, so Arians needs to run an offense that will be suited to Luck’s talents, even if that means letting the rookie call some of his own shots.
Pagano has made a dreaded reference to the “run the ball and stop the run” mantra, but we’ll see how much the Colts stick to that if the defense isn’t improved and the team is playing from behind often like they were last year.
You don’t draft a quarterback first overall and try to hide him with a running game that hasn’t existed for 4.5 seasons.
The choice for the Colts at the top of the draft is simple, but it’s going to be about finding a few more starters in the other rounds to fill out this roster that is currently lacking experience and talent. Getting Andrew Luck is great, but you have to get him some immediate help too.
Totally premature 2012 diagnosis: It’s going to be a real struggle for the Colts in 2012. Unless Chuck Pagano is the next coach to get the “genius” label, Andrew Luck exceeds the hype with an incredible rookie season, and they draft a class that can rival the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers, the Colts have virtually no shot at competing for a Super Bowl or even playoff spot this season. A 5-11 finish would be considered a very successful season.
The first year of a rebuilding process should be to implement your new system and refine your roster by stripping it of players that can’t help you long-term. The 2012 season will be used as a year for the young players (and rookie head coach) to gain experience, go through the growing pains, and hopefully they’ll be able to find out they have some good players to build around for the future.
In 2013, those young players must get better while the team adds more pieces to their system via free agency and the draft. Then by 2014-2015 the Colts should be, at the very least, competing for the AFC South again.
If not, then something probably went terribly wrong with Pagano/Grigson and/or Luck. Then the Colts would be forced to go through yet another rebuild as they try and restore that model of winning.
There will be a massive amount of pressure on Luck, but fans have to be patient as this is a process. Don’t forget the 1998 season. The win-loss record does not need to improve much in 2012 for the team to be heading in the right direction.
The right decision was made on the quarterback position. The only way Jim Irsay is going to regret it is if Manning has a strong 3-5 year run in Denver, and Luck is a bust. Luck is always going to struggle to follow in the legend’s shoes, but the Colts have a plan to follow to get back to winning.
The reincarnation has already begun.
Cold, Hard Football Facts resident Colts Authority
You can certainly call it a rebuilding process, but what the Indianapolis Colts are hoping for in 2012 is a reincarnation.
In 1998 the Colts brought in general manager Bill Polian, and he was immediately faced with a big decision: do you draft Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf with the first overall pick? The Colts were going to get a quarterback, and fortunately they made the right choice with Manning.
That led to one of the most successful runs in NFL history, but that run has come to an end.
Without Manning, the Colts flat-lined early in 2011. A 34-7 beating by the Houston Texans in Week 1 was a sign of things to come. The Colts lost their first 13 games, and ranked near the bottom in almost every major statistical category. The Colts were ranked dead last (32nd) in CHFF’s Quality Stats Power Rankings. Their record-tying streak of nine straight postseason appearances came to an end midseason, and the only excitement left was whether or not they’d go 0-16, or if they’d lose their shot at drafting Andrew Luck.
They finished 2-14, and did secure the first overall pick for the fifth time since 1983. Fortunately the top prospect is a quarterback considered to be the best prospect since … well, since Peyton Manning. Talk about Luck.
Peyton may have made $26M in 2011 to not play and make weird faces, but consider that a down payment on getting the top pick and your next (hopeful) franchise quarterback. That makes it worth every penny.
There’s a new GM, a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator, and there will be a new quarterback in addition to several other positions changing. A lot of the old faces are gone. It’s a new era for the Colts, and it’s going to be a slow start. But this is a process, and it’s not unlike something the fans haven’t experienced before.
Patience will be key. It is rough to go from over a decade of winning down to the cellar in a blink of an eye, but nothing lasts forever. It’s still hard to believe the Peyton Manning era is over in Indianapolis, but with a little luck the Colts will be back on their feet in a couple of seasons.
The 2011 storyline: Man(ning) down. With Peyton Manning lost for the entire season, the entire team fell flat on their faces. After an 0-13 start, two division wins were the only thing preventing Dan Orlovsky from becoming a proud member of the NFL’s only two 0-16 teams.
The Vital Signs
Coach (record): Chuck Pagano (Rookie head coach; 0-0 overall)
2011 record: 2-14 (15.2 PPG – 26.9 PPG)
Record against the spread: 6-10
Record vs. Quality Opponents: 2-8 (14.8 PPG – 28.8 PPG)
Record last five seasons: 51-29 (.638)
Best Quality Stat in 2011: Quality Standings (18th).
Worst Quality Stat in 2011: Overall Qualtiy Stats Power Rankings (32nd), Defensive Real Quarterback Rating (32nd), Relativity Index (32nd)
| OVERALL | QS | SCOR | BEND | RPYPA | DRPYPA | QBR | DQBR | OPR | DPR | PRD | OHI | DHI | REL |
| 32 | 18 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 20 | 31 | 32 |
Statistical curiosity of 2011: Still competitive - just couldn’t finish
Not surprisingly, most of the statistics from the Colts in 2011 were bad. But there was one area that curiously stood out the most.
For a team that’s been so used to winning 12+ games a season, they often got there by pulling a rabbit (or two) out of a hat for a late-game victory each year.
That wasn’t the case in 2011, and their problems in the fourth quarter actually extended back to when they had Manning on the field. After setting a NFL record with seven fourth-quarter comebacks in one season in 2009, the Colts failed on their next 14 comeback opportunities. That’s the longest streak in Indianapolis history.
During their 0-13 start, the Colts were 0-7 at fourth-quarter comebacks. Five of those games came during a 0-7 start to the season. They finally broke through in Week 16 against Houston.
| Team | Record | 4QC Record |
| 1976 Buccaneers | 0-14 | 0-7 |
| 2008 Lions | 0-16 | 0-9 |
| 2011 Colts | 2-14 | 1-7 |
This just goes to show that even the worst teams are still very competitive at least half the time. The Colts were not a team in “tanking” mode.
Best game of 2011: 19-16 win vs. Houston (Week 16)
When a team finishes 2-14, it’s not that hard to pick their best game of the season. While the win over Tennessee was the first of the year, very unexpected and nice, it was the next game that came even sweeter for Colts fans.
The Colts were playing at home on Thursday Night Football in Week 16 against the Texans, who were on their way to their first AFC South title. The game could not have started much worse for the Colts, as Dan Orlovsky was sacked and fumbled on the first play of scrimmage. The Texans had just 17 yards to go for the touchdown, and got there easily with two running plays for a 7-0 lead.
But the Colts would battle back with some sustained offense under Dan Orlovsky, and they trailed 10-6 at halftime. After the Colts pulled within a point in the fourth quarter, the Texans added another field goal for a 16-12 lead after the two-minute warning.
Orlovsky took over at his own 22 with 1:50 and no timeouts left. What was about to happen was one of the best game-winning drives in Indianapolis history. Orlovsky worked the ball down the field, with Reggie Wayne making a key 34-yard reception.
After three penalties on the Houston defense, the ball was placed at the HOU 1, and Orlovsky went back to Wayne for the 1-yard touchdown with 0:19 left. The Colts held on for the 19-16 win, and ended their run of 14 straight failed comeback opportunities.
The 78-yard drive marked just the 5th time since 1980 that the Colts had a victory that featured a game-winning or game-tying touchdown drive start in the final 2:00 of the fourth quarter.
Worst game of 2011: 62-7 loss at New Orleans (Week 7)
Just when you think it couldn’t get worse than the 34-7 loss to start the season in Houston, the Colts lay one of the all-time eggs in New Orleans in primetime. The Superdome has become an incredibly hard place to play in recent years, but this one might as well have been over before it started.
The Saints scored 7 TD and 2 FG on their first 9 drives on offense. The only time the Colts made a stop was when the Saints punted on 4th and 1 with a 62-7 lead and 2:56 left in the game. Drew Brees was 31/35 for 325 yards, 5 TD, and a 144.9 passer rating. If that’s not Madden-enough for you, the running game chipped in 38 carries for 236 yards. New Orleans had 36 first downs. After falling behind 55-7 in the fourth quarter, Curtis Painter threw a pick six to round out the scoring at 62-7.
The Colts became the 11th team in NFL history to lose a game by at least 55 points (since 1940 and including playoffs). Believe it or not the franchise’s worst loss is by 57 points, in a game Johnny Unitas started.
Strength: Adam Vinatieri’s clutch kicking? Pat McAfee’s Twitter account? Hope?
There is no easy answer to pick the strength of the Colts, because they currently don’t have one. At least not a tangible strength. They struggle mightily on both sides of the ball, and at both phases of the game (running and passing). Even the special teams ranked near the bottom of the league, though that’s not unusual for the Colts.
The pass-rushing combo of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis will return, but they are much less effective when the team is always playing from behind and the duo can’t simply rush the passer in favorable pass situations.
What the Colts do have is hope that they have the next great franchise quarterback coming their way in the draft. Andrew Luck will hope to be their strength, as a franchise quarterback can cover up a lot of a team’s weaknesses, and the Colts have plenty of those.
Weakness: Where do we start?
Again, the Colts are a battered team on both sides of the ball, leaving almost every facet of the game a weakness. The offense had the worst starting field position in the league last season, while the defense was 31st. They put themselves in long fields, while the opponents are starting in favorable positions.
A player that will need to step up in his fourth season is RB Donald Brown; the first-round pick in 2009. He had a career-high 645 rushing yards last season, and with Joseph Addai’s release, he could be leaned on for the first time as the workhorse back he was at Connecticut.
General off-season strategy/overview: Before reincarnation, there is death. This off-season has been like a long funeral for the Colts and their fans, as many popular faces of this era of success have departed.
Long-time GM Bill Polian was among the first to go, and he was replaced by Ryan Grigson, who is not in an enviable position as he starts this rebuilding process. Speaking of funerals and the dead, Jim Caldwell was fired, and joining Grigson at the hip is rookie head coach Chuck Pagano, the defensive coordinator from Baltimore.
Though it was up to Jim Irsay to make the decision on Peyton Manning, he made the only move he could; no matter how unthinkable it sounds, but he made the right move to release Manning.
While no release can compare to the magnitude of Manning, it’s still pretty stunning to watch the rest of the horses put out to pasture: Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark, Gary Brackett, Melvin Bullitt, Jacob Lacey. Curtis Painter was also released, but that’s equivalent to a joke in the eulogy that makes everyone smile for just a moment.
Those were the players released. In free agency, often-injured Anthony Gonzalez went to New England. Long-time center Jeff Saturday will be snapping the ball to Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Jacob Tamme is the lone Colt to join Manning in Denver. Young receiver Pierre Garcon jumped in a hurry to the Redskins once free agency began.
Even Philip Wheeler (Raiders) and Mike Pollak (Carolina) are gone. Ryan Diem retired. Between Diem (150) and Saturday (188), that’s 338 starts for this offensive line. Throw in Pollak and it’s 379 starts.
Who the hell are these Colts?
Believe it or not, they did keep some players from last season. Reggie Wayne, in a bit of a stunning move, resigned for three years. He should be able to help Luck by being a reliable target on a team that has very few weapons right now.
Robert Mathis got a 4-year deal worth $36M, and his pairing with Dwight Freeney should last at least one more season. These are your few cornerstones of the team.
But the obvious off-season move for the Colts will be drafting Andrew Luck with the first pick. Yes, Robert Griffin III is worth looking at, but Luck is your prototypical pocket passer and fits what the Colts are used to seeing from that position. Luck will be the pick. No question about it.
Unlike how the Colts basically struck out after taking Manning in 1998 (WR Jerome Pathon and C Steve McKinney were their best picks after the first round), they need to find some pieces in this draft to build around Luck.
The good news is that since the Colts have so many holes, almost any position is on their board for these picks. Finding a couple more quality starters to go alongside Luck will be key in accelerating the rebuilding process.
New offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who was in Indianapolis in 1998 as QB coach when Manning was a rookie, has to be very careful in how he handles Luck. In Pittsburgh, the biggest problem with Arians’ offense is that it had no identity. The team wanted to run, but often couldn’t. He would be very predictable in calling runs on first and second down, and relied too heavily on the playmaking skills of Ben Roethlisberger to bail the offense out.
Arians also often exposed Roethlisberger to hits by using an empty backfield too often. The Colts rarely ran an empty backfield with Manning, as he almost always had a running back next to him for protection and check downs.
Luck is considered to be a very cerebral quarterback, much like Manning was, so Arians needs to run an offense that will be suited to Luck’s talents, even if that means letting the rookie call some of his own shots.
Pagano has made a dreaded reference to the “run the ball and stop the run” mantra, but we’ll see how much the Colts stick to that if the defense isn’t improved and the team is playing from behind often like they were last year.
You don’t draft a quarterback first overall and try to hide him with a running game that hasn’t existed for 4.5 seasons.
The choice for the Colts at the top of the draft is simple, but it’s going to be about finding a few more starters in the other rounds to fill out this roster that is currently lacking experience and talent. Getting Andrew Luck is great, but you have to get him some immediate help too.
Totally premature 2012 diagnosis: It’s going to be a real struggle for the Colts in 2012. Unless Chuck Pagano is the next coach to get the “genius” label, Andrew Luck exceeds the hype with an incredible rookie season, and they draft a class that can rival the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers, the Colts have virtually no shot at competing for a Super Bowl or even playoff spot this season. A 5-11 finish would be considered a very successful season.
The first year of a rebuilding process should be to implement your new system and refine your roster by stripping it of players that can’t help you long-term. The 2012 season will be used as a year for the young players (and rookie head coach) to gain experience, go through the growing pains, and hopefully they’ll be able to find out they have some good players to build around for the future.
In 2013, those young players must get better while the team adds more pieces to their system via free agency and the draft. Then by 2014-2015 the Colts should be, at the very least, competing for the AFC South again.
If not, then something probably went terribly wrong with Pagano/Grigson and/or Luck. Then the Colts would be forced to go through yet another rebuild as they try and restore that model of winning.
There will be a massive amount of pressure on Luck, but fans have to be patient as this is a process. Don’t forget the 1998 season. The win-loss record does not need to improve much in 2012 for the team to be heading in the right direction.
The right decision was made on the quarterback position. The only way Jim Irsay is going to regret it is if Manning has a strong 3-5 year run in Denver, and Luck is a bust. Luck is always going to struggle to follow in the legend’s shoes, but the Colts have a plan to follow to get back to winning.
The reincarnation has already begun.
Read more: Andrew Luck, Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis Colts, Jim Irsay, NFL, Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Robert Mathis
Forearm Shiver: the CHFF Blog
- Wise Guys: Broncos, Patriots, 49ers Top Expected Win Totals In 2013
- Hockey Announcer Gone Wild: You Want To Party (Maybe) With This Guy
- Best Pass Defense Ever: Ronde Barber And The 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Reese Witherspoon Arrest Video: Hot, Bothered And Handcuffed
- Sam Adams In A Can, Just In Time For Summer Drinking Season
Quick Outs
- 'Cheeseheads' Reality Show Destined To Suck
- The 5.0 Club: Best Rushing Teams in NFL History
- Sieves: The Worst Run Defenses In NFL History
- 2013 NFL Schedule: The Year Of The Denver Broncos
- Boston, Sports, Patriotism And Terror
- Monsters of the Midway: We Need The Chicago Bears More Than Ever
- The 100 Stingiest Defenses In Football History
- NFL Crown Rule: Will It Dethrone Rushing King Adrian Peterson?
- Big Tease: 2012 New England Patriots And NFL's History Of Offensive Failures
- Epic Fail: The Wide Receiver Draft Class Of 2012
Must See Videos
Philadelphia Eagles Draft Lane Johnson
Connect With Us
Sign up for our newsletter to recieve all the latest news and updates...
 |
 |
 |
RSS Feed
Follow @footballfacts
Follow us on Facebook