Indianapolis Colts Have Rebounded to Become AFC Contenders Again

Okay, I’m fed up.

After watching the Colts win their fourth game in a row and six of their last eight, I have had to suffer through yet another day of people telling me about how another team let the Colts off the hook. And while I agree that last night’s game could have gone the other way for a few different reasons, I feel that the Colts are simply being disrespected and overlooked and I can’t seem to figure out why.

I listen to excuse after excuse for why other teams have lost to the Colts. What about how the Colts have won games with superior effort and sheer will on both sides of the ball? Is it because they started the season a little differently than they have over the last few years? Is that why 7-4 looks so bad? Yeah, 9-0 three years in a row sets a pretty high bar. Maybe that’s it. Maybe the expectations are too high. Maybe the Colts have already peaked. Are you kidding? They’re more consistent than JoePa’s bedtime. More efficient than Al Gore’s hybrid bicycle. But credit, no way, not for the blue and white.

So, why?

This has been the most upside-down, prediction-failing, franchise-changing season in recent memory, and I want to say that if someone claims to have seen this coming, I’d like some of whatever they were smokin’. There are more questions than answers in this year’s NFL. The Falcons are competitive? The Titans are 10-1? The Jets, uh-hmm, let me clear my throat here, are looking like a force to be reckoned with in the AFC?

Can I catch my breath?

I understand some of it, sure. But the Colts, the only team other than the Pats who are consistently a team to beat in the AFC, are looking the role again. So why the disrespect? Let me give you a few reasons, not excuses, on why the Colts are still my favorite to represent the AFC in February.

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Peyton Manning for MVP

After starting the season on a surgically-repaired knee (that he never made any excuses for), Peyton Manning has returned to form. I know there are others that will garner more attention for the MVP award this season, but no one does more for a team than Big P (Well, maybe Drew Brees). He does have a great receiving corps, so they would be fine with anybody under center, right? Ever watch the Colts offense with Jim Sorgi? Hell no, not even close. And with the league’s worst rushing attack (78.9 yards per game) and a defense that is injury-depleted, the Colts still sit at 7-4. Why? Hmmm…

Ace in the Hole Bob Sanders

When Chuck Norris goes to sleep at night, he checks his closet for Bob Sanders. I’ve seen interviews with his parents, but I still swear he was built in some kind of laboratory. Bob is one of the baddest dudes in the league, but he doesn’t scare offenses from the sidelines. Last year he proved his worth by getting a much deserved Defensive Player of the Year, and this year we see why. Don’t get me wrong, the Colts defensive efforts have been great: they don’t give up, they play their collective ass’s off, and they can still get it done when they have to. But the can-o-spinach with dreadlocks has not yet made his presence felt.

Two years ago the Colts could not win a Super Bowl, would not win a Super Bowl, because they couldn’t stop the run, because they were too small up front, because they were too inexperienced in the secondary. Well, guess what? Sanders comes back to play at the end of the season and the Colts defense goes from ghastly to nasty. Larry Johnson will run all over them. Nope, didn’t happen. The Patriots offense will destroy them. Nah, not this time. So when it comes down to it and #21 is in the lineup, the Colts D can stop anybody.

Tony Dungy

If there is a more calm and collected guy in the NFL, please tell me. This guy wouldn’t sweat in the Sahara. So when the Colts started the season not looking like they typically do, do you think he was worried? Doubt it. I’m not going to talk about how much of a class-act he is, or about the barriers he has broken down for African American coaches, those things get plenty of press. Instead, I give you simply facts: The Colts under Dungy have produced six playoff appearances, five AFC South Titles (in a row), two AFC Championship games, and, oh yeah, a Super Bowl title. They are also the only team in NFL history to win at least 12 games in five consecutive seasons. Lucky? Nah, Dungy.

I know that not everyone believes in the Colts right now, but this year has been exactly what I have been hoping for: a chance for the Colts to show the world that they are not the same underachieving team as years past, but a group of over-achievers that are ready to take on all comers, no matter what the stakes or circumstances. This is just our year, I can feel it, and I’m only giving the heads up now because I don’t want anyone spitting Pabst Blue Ribbon on their Zubaz come February.

You want to talk about how other teams have not when they should have? Well, I want to talk about how the Colts have when they should not have.

[tags]indianapolis colts, peyton manning, tony dungy, bob sanders, nfl[/tags]

Tags: afc, bob sanders, Indianapolis Colts, NFL, peyton manning, tony dungy

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