Squeeking Through the Season is a New Recipe for These Guys

There are certain things I just don't understand in this world LIKE: why do adult people still not know how to execute the right of way in a 4- way stop. Why are multimillion dollar airlines charging for an extra bag or your golf clubs. And why in the world would Pittsburgh try to throw two passes backed up against its own 5 yard line in a game they lead 17-7?

The latter I will simply say thank you and go about my day enjoying the hell out of the fact the Colts have just had three weeks of division leaders: Tennessee, New England, and Pittsburgh....and we've come through it 2-1 and very easily could have been 3-0. Skeptics would point out that without a Jabar Gaffney drop and the aforementioned Pittsburgh boneheaded coaching.... we could be looking at 0-3.

But that is the beauty of the NFL...and in this year parody is everywhere. I don't know if the Brady and Merriman injuries are in anyway involved but the NFC maybe stronger than the AFC for the first time since I can remember. It's a deep pool of contenders and a win over anyone other than Detroit, and St. Louis is freaking amazing.

All that said...this is a new world for Colts fans. We are used to the Penthouse suite. That cozy little place we've sat smug and unchallenged. That place where we are firing up the cornhole board by the 4th quarter and our toughest decision is whether or not to play our starters with 3 games left in a season.

Peyton Manning(61% 2448yds 15td's 9 int in '08)----“We are fighting and scratching. We’ve kind of been the underdog. People aren’t really expecting us maybe to win the game. This is the type of football and the conditions we’re playing in. We’re beat up. We have a lot of new guys playing. We truly are kind of fighting and scratching and clawing and trying to find a way to have a chance in the fourth quarter to win the game."

When "The Franchise" and one of the greatest to EVER lace it up says that....you get a sense of just how that Penthouse suite has been replaced by grit, hard-hat/lunch pail desperation.

But you know what I luuuuuuuuuv about these Colts. They aren't going to be able to take off the last three weeks. They will have to continue to have Peyton Manning keep this team the best in the NFL in the Redzone at scoring 7. They will have to have Marvin Harrison make one diving catch this year, please. They will have to have the defense stopping the run like it has the last 3 weeks. They will have to have Ron Meeks continue to throw tendency breakers like blitzes in the gameplan.

By now if you don't see that the beautiful thing about these C0lts other than the now 5-4 winning record is the fact that this team's identity is still being forged. It's not a team getting fat on cheese and wine....it's a team that might be finally realizing in the NFL sometimes you need to drive the bulldozer and not the Ferrari.

Nothing Better than a Bitch Slap Boston Weekend

Watching The Office the other night I started to think how much the shows career is mirroring my Colts right now. It's like....all the main stars and characters are still there, there's a history of success and payoff that keeps us tuning in, but things have just grinded down to a stagnant dose of blah.

I mean when I tune in and see Dwight pretending to go to Cornell to make Andy upset and Jim's brothers (who look nothing like him) playing dumb let's pretend games with Pam I start to fade off into thinking how that's like the deep ball play to Marvin....it's worked, the fans have loved that combo and I should point out it is the most successful TD combo ever, but for whatever reason its just not quite the same anymore. How many times can you lean on the cutesy Pam and flirty Jim storyline to pull you through....

Now a couple things here I have to address to Bill Simmons...one of the pioneer sports writers going (see Bill's work on Page 2 ESPN http://search.espn.go.com/bill-simmons/ )...but also a New England homer. Well, I'm going to be Indy's counter because for years he's had the loudest voice ....and when we can wipe Boston twice in one weekend...it's like a holiday in Naptown and should not go without some pound our chest...remember us... Reggie Miller type trash talk.

Make no mistake ...there is no love lost on the other side of that equation either. Chowwwwwddda heads have no taste for Indy anything. They love the fact they have the old upper hand card....ahhh how many Titles do we have card" Game Over!


As Colts fans we take any morsel we can get and cherish it likes it our little pet. I love my little naughty pet....your naughty and then you take your naughty....alright Farley enough.

Indy Fans are praying to one religion today...thank God Anthony Gonzalez....and also remember to send a Christmas card to Jabar Gaffney for dropping what looked like it could have been the game winning touchdown.


Also it should be noted beating New England BARELY without Tom Brady playing doesn't have the same luster...nor should either team ever lose in this rivalry without its main gun.

But that said, Peyton Manning was The Doctor. I nicknamed #18 this when I was calling Colts highlights for WTHI TV 10 in Terre Haute. One of my favorites.....

(over a VO of a manning TD)

"Hi i'm Peyton Manning I'll be operating on your defense today"....



Joseph Addai continues to run like he weighs 145....Dom Rhodes runs like he's Addai's weight.


Reggie Wayne is a man even though he's not 40......guys hurt all week....gets pounded on a 2 point conversion by 2 Pats...holds on. Guy is just high level.

But the Colts defense still scares the hell out of me. They can't get off the football field against a team who's game plan was quick screen and Faulk shotgun draw.

Note to The Belichick. You might want to run the play where Moss runs deep for the TD past Keiwann Ratliff, a guy who hasn't even been on the team or in the league consistently. You might not want to challenge calls when your offense has us reeling either.

Now as a RPM gearhead type town...we know well that it's not always the fastest or best car that wins the race.

The Pacers certainly won't have a better year than the Celtics but when a young team without any known identity treats game 2 of 82 like it's the NBA Finals....that's a good thing for a building team.

When your star player who just signed a 60 mill re-up dives for a loose ball up double figures late...only to have two of his teeth chopped off by the floor as Paul "I just ate another pizza" Pierce lays on top of you....that's a good sign. Anything is a better sign than the Post Brawl Pacers...aka A Bunch of Friggin Idiots.

Wouldn't be sweet if these two teams started having a little better rivalry. There was the Chuck Person vs. Larry Bird score-a-thon days.....but the only memory that sticks is Bird face planting in Game 5 then going to the locker room...only to come back out and handle Person and the Pacers with the same arrogant confidence that helped him hold up the old #1 before the last ball even went in during the 87-88 NBA 3 point contest.

Larry Bird as the coach of the Pacers seemingly never lost a game to the Celtics...but those Boston teams weren't in the same league as Reg's teams. The Jim O'Brien conference contending Celtics never really linked up right with Rick Carlisle's 60 win Ron Artest/ O'Neal team.

Nobody on this planet thinks the Pacers will do anything...including Pacer die-hards as of now. However, it would be perfect to pump up the Ainge vs. Bird storyline. You know those two guys are like oil and water on pretty much every subject. You know they never liked each other much playing for the Championship Celts. They were work buddies only. That's really all speculation but it feels right, doesn't it?

Who knows what the future holds for the Colts or Pacers...or even The Office. But let's hope that fresh faces and storylines like Holly, Michael's new I'm just as dorky as you love interest, or the emergence of Gonzo as the slot threat that Indy envisioned when drafting him to replace Stokley, or Danny Granger really being worth 60 mill' generate something that clears the stale out.