OT: A Colt's Fan Perspective On This Season

[Disco Volante]

What? What kind of topic of this? Well, I was just browsing Indy Star and saw a great post by one of their members, thought it should be shared here.

As painful as it is for me to write this, I must, at last, come to grips with reality.

As one Boston columnist said after Adam Vinatieri signed with the Colts two off-seasons ago, AV was off to play with the "other big-game losers." Well, he was wrong about last season, but probably last season only. Before this season began, I felt strongly that for the Colts to make a name for themselves and stand out in the annals of football history, they needed to have an undefeated season. I believed, after the streaks they had started the previous two seasons, and after having won a championship, that that goal was achievable. Now Tom Brady and the cheating Patriots are well on their way to the greatest season in NFL history and only divine intervention and Brett Favre might stand in their way. Neither is likely.

With a fourth championship in an undefeated season, the Patriots will solidify themselves as the dynasty of the new millennium and perhaps the greatest of all dynasties. As for the Colts, they will forever be a footnote, an also-ran that had several nice seasons with a great quarterback and coach who rarely performed greatly when the stage called for it.

Let's be honest: Not many people immediately remember, even after only a few years, that Tampa Bay and Baltimore won championships recently. And Dan Marino? Just a few years ago, many still believed he was the greatest quarterback to have played, even without a championship. Now that his records are falling left and right, no one will ever regard him as such again.

And please, forget forever the Manning-Brady and Dungy-Belichick comparisons. Regardless what we think of them personally or who we would want guiding our team, our adversary, on the football field, is a winner. We can no longer deny it, nor can we obstinately pretend that ours is better. How can we?

The Indianapolis Colts, and Peyton Manning in particular, after New England's coronation, will be permanently buried in the shadow of their arch rival's shadow. It would require the Colts to have a string of four or five championships in a row to escape this, and I doubt Manning has that much great football in him, not to mention the gagging the franchise itself must overcome to have such an unprecedented run.

I'd like to believe that the Colts should be working their way toward their third-consecutive Super Bowl victory. But the fact is, if they were worthy of it, they would be. If trophies were awarded to paper champions, things might be different.

Yes, the Colts brought us a championship. For that I will forever be grateful. I will never forget it. But with the love and passion that each true Colts fan commits to this team comes the very harsh and wrenching agony of failure and disappointment. And the sad and undeniable truth that ours is not the best … and probably never will be.

Great to see classy, intelligent Colts fans who look at things objectively, kudos to this poster. Great post.

 

[primetime]

Oh, please. The Colts will be back next year. As long as they have Peyton Manning, they have a chance. They proved that last year. No one will forget Peyton Manning; he's the second-best QB to ever play the game, at least in my opinion.

 

[angelaf]

Sounds like sour grapes to me.

 

[NEPatriot]

the truth set you free. I hope that this team will learn their mistakes.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

A little over dramatic are we?

Peyton Manning is still the second best QB in the NFL. And the Colts lost to two teams all year. The Bolts who seem to have the Colts number. And the Patriots. (They didn't play the Titans week 17, so don't split hairs)

Absent wholesale changes in the off season, I don't see any reason to think the Colts won't win the AFC South next year. As of right now I say the toughest team on the Pats schedule next year is the Colts, Bolts are #2.

 

[Disco Volante]

With a fourth championship in an undefeated season, the Patriots will solidify themselves as the dynasty of the new millennium and perhaps the greatest of all dynasties. As for the Colts, they will forever be a footnote, an also-ran that had several nice seasons with a great quarterback and coach who rarely performed greatly when the stage called for it.

This is the main point that should be taken from the post, he didn't say anything about not being in it next year.

 

[primetime]

This is the main point that should be taken from the post, he didn't say anything about not being in it next year.

Nothing should be taken from this post. If you want, you can read some of our laments from last year and the year before. I think they'd make this one look tame by comparison.

 

[Run it up baby!]

A little over dramatic are we?

Peyton Manning is still the second best QB in the NFL. And the Colts lost to two teams all year. The Bolts who seem to have the Colts number. And the Patriots. (They didn't play the Titans week 17, so don't split hairs)

Absent wholesale changes in the off season, I don't see any reason to think the Colts won't win the AFC South next year. As of right now I say the toughest team on the Pats schedule next year is the Colts, Bolts are #2.

I wouldn't call it over dramatic, the guy hit it spot on IMO. Sure you're right, the Colts lost to 2 teams all year. But do you think 10, 20, 30 years from now people will remember how, "The Colts lost to only 2 teams in 2007, and 2-4 teams for 4 years before that."? Absolutely not, they'll remember the Patriots and all the championships they won, even though the Colts fielded "better" teams for many of those years. They'll remember how the Colts won the Superbowl last year, and nothing else from them except maybe that they choked away some amazing seasons with some great teams that should have easily taken home some Lombardi's.

Think of it this way; how would you feel if the Patriots had ONE championship to show from this 8-year run of greatness? I'm sure you would identify plenty with this Colts fan if that were the case.

 

[Disco Volante]

Nothing should be taken from this post. If you want, you can read some of our laments from last year and the year before. I think they'd make this one look tame by comparison.

As for the Colts, they will forever be a footnote, an also-ran that had several nice seasons with a great quarterback and coach who rarely performed greatly when the stage called for it.

If you’re not going to agree with that, then I don't know.

Losing on the road, as underdogs while still knowing your head coach would be returning the next year was a much different situation. We also had 3 Super Bowl rings....

The era of Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison will most likely be ending with 1 ring and multiple post-season failures as the Colts are coming off a loss to a Billy Volek led Chargers team as home. I don’t find our situation last year even comparable…

I personally doesn’t see anything more then a progressively downward spiral from this 14-2 season. Say I’m overreacting, say this guy is, whatever. I’ll be sure to reference this post as the decline of the Colts continues.

 

[primetime]

I personally doesn’t see anything more then a progressively downward spiral from this 14-2 season. Say I’m overreacting, say this guy is, whatever. I’ll be sure to reference this post as the decline of the Colts continues.

The Colts have plenty of empty cap space, the second best QB in the league (if not all-time), all major players returning (including one of the league's best pass rushers) except possibly Marvin Harrison (who has been eclipsed by Reggie Wayne and replaced by Anthony Gonzalez/Dallas Clark as weapons, anyhow) and it isn't certain their coach won't be back, but even if he is it's likely that the offense, at least, will continue without a hitch as Manning basically coaches that side of the ball anyhow.

To think that the Colts won't have the second-best chance of winning the Super Bowl next year is insane. And if they manage to pick up another ring, this guy's entire post is useless. You can't define a team's legacy until after that team has been entirely broken up... a decade or so down the line, like the Bills, Cowboys, and Broncos of the 1990s today.

 

[NEPatriot]

Tony Dungon is not a good coach.

Before joining Colts, he was FIRED twice for 'UNDERACHIEVEMENT' reason on 2 'talented team'.

Colts won SB last year and everybody has been telling how 'good' they are UNTIL last Sunday. Winning 1 SB and making noise.?

 

[Tommysgirl]

They are having full on melt downs over there. The funny part is the Pats fans they hate over there, are the most sensible ones.

 

[Double G]

I don't see it the way you do, ie, the Colts are in decline. I view them as a very good team; next year, pencil in 12+ wins, followed by possibly one playoff game victory, then out, maybe not, maybe one and done.

The Patriots have stood in their way in 2003 and 2004, that's two possible Super Bowl wins, plus the 2005 chokejob; the Patriots were out of the way and they choked vs the Steelers, that's three possibles right there. Count the gift from last year and now we're up to four, they only have one, that hurts as a Colts fan, sucks to be them, especially after they thought the AFCCG was the turning point and they had become the hammer and the Patriots the nail. After Sunday, they are back to the reverse. Did Payton look like a all world QB to any of you during the end of that game, first and goal on the 10, nothing, then back again for another shot and nothing. Looks like the old Payton is back.

It would be like if the Red Sox, after beating the Yankees in the ALCS in 2004 and FINALLY winning the World Series had blown that big lead they had this year vs the Yankees and finished out of the playoffs, Red Sox fans would be back to feeling like nothing has changed and the Yankees have our number, 2004 was a fluke.

As a Colts fan, YOU SHOULD look at last year for what it was; a fluke, be happy you got at least one SB win, you could be looking at a goose egg (and you all know you should be looking at a goose egg, we had that game in the bag and let it slip away)......................

 

[Bella*chick]

Colts are 13-3, not 14-2.

eta: actually, 13-4.

 

[ALP]

i get wut the guy is trying to say, and i agree....

i doubt the colts will stop being the second best team in the NFL until manning leaves them however, but that statement focuses on the regular season, where manning may be the best...

but Brady is king in postseason, and there is no denying it...

the colts will be the second best team in the league for another 3 yrs i would imagine...but the chances of them winning a SB again in the next 5 yrs, are very slim....

manning just cant play in the postseason, i dont know why, he just cant, and the colts team suffers for it (with one year as exception)

where the colts could have had many sb by now, and be regarded the dynasty of the new millenuem, that tittle belongs to the pats, and the colts will always be remembed as the team that was very good, but just couldnt surpass those patriots

 

[Double G]

Your win was a fluke, so deal with it.

Aside from the second half of the AFCCG, your QB was mediocre at best in the playoffs, is 7-7 in the post season (3-6 prior to your playoff run last year) and has reverted back to his old form. A HOF QB finds a way to get the ball into the end zone with first and goal at the ten.

You can change you screen name now to CUNextyear.

 

[richpats]

Here's how I imagine a Colts fan would look at the last 5 years:

2003- We were the best team, lost to an inferior team
2004- We were the best team, lost to an inferior team
2005- We were the best team, lost to an inferior team
2006- We were the best team, beat inferior teams, but we're so used to losing those games we acted as if they were upsets
2007- We were the best team, lost to an inferior team

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

1. the colts will be viewed much like steve young against the cowboys.

2. why is it that the colts get injured in games as much as they injure the other team with their physicality and the pats seem to punish other teams physically??

 

[upstater1]

The initial post was dead on except for one thing. Bill Russell had Chamberlain. Montana had Marino. The Colts one Super Bowl victory will not be remembered anymore than the Packers victory over the Patriots will be remembered (outside of Wisconsin and New England, that is).

But Brady's legacy is tied, undeniably, to Peyton Manning.

I will have to say this though about Patriots fans like myself agreeing with this post. The Patriots have to win the Super Bowl this year.

If they lose, than this guy's entire post is debunked because a 2nd Colt Super Bowl to 3 for New England ruins his thesis.

If New England wins however, there is not enough time and OPPORTUNITY for the Colts to make up the distance. New England, Jax, San Diego, Dallas, GB, the Giants, are all coming on, and the Colts will not have a natural advantage over all these teams. That's not to say they will not outperform all these teams next year. But it's just not likely.

 

[Ootball]

I would imagine that many of the Pats fans who downplay "only" one Superbowl win and call it a "fluke" and denigrate it as "one and done" are young Pats fans.

All they know is success. They don't know what it is like to search for 10-15 years to just find a decent quarterback, or to go 5-6 years without even making the playoffs. They don't know what it's like to sit in the cellar looking up at the team that has managed to hold the division for a half a decade or more.

To many, many fans in the league, a Superbowl win is an unbelievable achievement, and not to be downplayed just because you can't turn one win into a dynasty. And last year's AFCCG was no fluke for Manning. I'm still amazed that, with arguably one of the biggest monkeys on his back in the history of sports, against the nemesis that was largely responsible for putting it there, he was able to bring that team back from 21-3 down.

Did he get some breaks from the Pats during that comeback? Sure. Did Tom Brady get some breaks from the Rams, or from the tuck rule, or from San Diego fumbling his otherwise game-ending INT in last year's playoff game?