Peyton Manning has transformed the Colts from an NFL doormat to a team that is perpetually at the top of the food chain. Manning's Colts are moving into some hallowed territory in terms of games won. Yesterday's 31-21 win over the Lions solidified the Colts as one of three teams in NFL history to win 10 games 7 straight seasons.
The other teams in that rare air are the 75'-1981 Cowboys and the 49er's of 83'-1998.
The Manning era has yielded winning streaks of 7 or more games in five straight seasons. That is an NFL record. To put a bow on it....Manning's 08' Colts can win 12 games and extend a record of seasons with 12 wins to 6.
These are unbelievable numbers people. Before we get to Manning's greatness you have to understand that the Colts were awful through the 80's until Eric Dickerson came in 1987. That season was the franchises first playoff appearance in Indy but remember many of those wins came with a quarterback in Gary Hogeboom that crossed the players strike picket line.
The 90's produced very little. Jeff George was a bust picked #1 overall. Steve Entman was another #1 that didn't work out due to multiple knee injuries. Trev Alberts and Quentin Coryatt were top 10 picks that were awful and awfully average.
My memories of the Colts existence in the AFC East as also rans include: Bruce Smith pounding our quarterbacks into the turf with the mighty Buffalo Bills, Dan Marino lighting up cornerback Eugene Daniel which would later spawn the nickname "toast" by my Indy friend base, and New England beating us with quarterbacks like Tom Ramsey, Steve Grogan, and yes even Scott Zolak and Doug Flutie. Oddly enough, the only games we won during those times seemed to come against the Jets and those wins were usually fueled with a Clarence Verdin punt return.
Some Indy fans might be saying....'How the heck can you forget about 1995?'
Well, I didn't. I'll never forget about Jimbaugh. Or Captain Comeback if you like that better. Jim Harbaugh had the year of his life in 1995 under coach Ted Marchibroda the architect of Jim Kelly's K-Gun offense in Buffalo.
The truth of the matter is then GM Bill Tobin got the Colts going in the right direction with the Harbaugh acquisition, drafting Marvin Harrison, and Marshall Faulk. Faulk was hurt during the 95' run but the lesser known Zack Crockett came out of nowhere to tear up San Diego. The defense was unbelievable as Ashley Ambrose and Ray Buchannon were intercepting everything. But Harbaugh's magic came to an end in Pittsburgh after a hail mary bounced off the hands of Aaron Bailey. All Colts fans are still pissed about Kordell Stewart's TD catch that clearly came after he was out of bounds but that's another blog in itself.
Really though, that 95' run was an anomaly in an era where I watched fans show up to games regularly wearing paper bags on their heads with the label DOLTS FAN.
Two things happened to change things for the Colts and set the franchise on its path of destruction over the past 7 years.
1. Bill Polian was hired to come from Carolina to rebuild the Colts. Polian had built the Bills with John Butler, Marv Levy, and AJ Smith. He had built Carolina into NFC champs within the franchises first three years of existence.
2. Polian guessed right by selecting Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf in the 98' draft. Leaf came into that draft as the favored prospect. Bigger arm, more mobile, more upside as a pro was alot of what "the so called experts" were saying.
Well Ryan Leaf recently resigned from a nowhere coaching job because he was trying to get pain pills from one of his players. Manning is working hard on his third NFL MVP award. There is a famous story I've heard Polian tell where it was the night before the draft and Manning walks into the office where Polian is with Coach Mora. Both men were a little on the fence in terms of who to take and Manning says
"If you don't draft me number one, I'll make it my number one priority to come in here and kick the sh*^ out of your teams every chance I get!"
Mora later told me that was all he needed...he knew Manning was the guy at that point.
Mannings career is as prolific statistically as it gets in NFL history. For years people loved to say he would be just like Dan Marino all the stats in the world but no Lombardi trophies. That garbage talk was ended with the Colts 2006 Super Bowl win.
This 2008 year has been unlike any other Manning year. The stats are nice but not gawdy. What makes Manning a leading MVP candidate is the plays he is making to win games in the closing moments.
Manning set up the game winning field goal with a clutch drive against Minnesota. He took advantage of a defense that created turnovers to help beat Houston in come from behind fashion. He led game winning drives in back to back weeks against New England and Pittsburgh. He converted a 4th and 1 against San Diego that set up a game winning field goal.
Sunday against Detroit he did it again. Orchestrating a drive in the 4th to put away a fiesty 0-13 Lions team. The drive was Mannings 36th game winning drive put together in the 4th quarter or overtime.
Manning has made winning routine for this team. His play has kept our city's expectations championship or bust which really is a ridiculous standard when you consider how much parody is in the NFL.
The Bottom line is this: the Colts record WITHOUT Manning 88-135. WITH Peyton Manning calling the shots 115-59.
I never take this winning streak for granted. I remember the 1-15 season in 1991. Lofa Tatupou said it best last week.
"Peyton could be the MVP every year. There is no player in the league who has as much responsibility and does more for his team."
The other teams in that rare air are the 75'-1981 Cowboys and the 49er's of 83'-1998.
The Manning era has yielded winning streaks of 7 or more games in five straight seasons. That is an NFL record. To put a bow on it....Manning's 08' Colts can win 12 games and extend a record of seasons with 12 wins to 6.
These are unbelievable numbers people. Before we get to Manning's greatness you have to understand that the Colts were awful through the 80's until Eric Dickerson came in 1987. That season was the franchises first playoff appearance in Indy but remember many of those wins came with a quarterback in Gary Hogeboom that crossed the players strike picket line.
The 90's produced very little. Jeff George was a bust picked #1 overall. Steve Entman was another #1 that didn't work out due to multiple knee injuries. Trev Alberts and Quentin Coryatt were top 10 picks that were awful and awfully average.
My memories of the Colts existence in the AFC East as also rans include: Bruce Smith pounding our quarterbacks into the turf with the mighty Buffalo Bills, Dan Marino lighting up cornerback Eugene Daniel which would later spawn the nickname "toast" by my Indy friend base, and New England beating us with quarterbacks like Tom Ramsey, Steve Grogan, and yes even Scott Zolak and Doug Flutie. Oddly enough, the only games we won during those times seemed to come against the Jets and those wins were usually fueled with a Clarence Verdin punt return.
Some Indy fans might be saying....'How the heck can you forget about 1995?'
Well, I didn't. I'll never forget about Jimbaugh. Or Captain Comeback if you like that better. Jim Harbaugh had the year of his life in 1995 under coach Ted Marchibroda the architect of Jim Kelly's K-Gun offense in Buffalo.
The truth of the matter is then GM Bill Tobin got the Colts going in the right direction with the Harbaugh acquisition, drafting Marvin Harrison, and Marshall Faulk. Faulk was hurt during the 95' run but the lesser known Zack Crockett came out of nowhere to tear up San Diego. The defense was unbelievable as Ashley Ambrose and Ray Buchannon were intercepting everything. But Harbaugh's magic came to an end in Pittsburgh after a hail mary bounced off the hands of Aaron Bailey. All Colts fans are still pissed about Kordell Stewart's TD catch that clearly came after he was out of bounds but that's another blog in itself.
Really though, that 95' run was an anomaly in an era where I watched fans show up to games regularly wearing paper bags on their heads with the label DOLTS FAN.
Two things happened to change things for the Colts and set the franchise on its path of destruction over the past 7 years.
1. Bill Polian was hired to come from Carolina to rebuild the Colts. Polian had built the Bills with John Butler, Marv Levy, and AJ Smith. He had built Carolina into NFC champs within the franchises first three years of existence.
2. Polian guessed right by selecting Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf in the 98' draft. Leaf came into that draft as the favored prospect. Bigger arm, more mobile, more upside as a pro was alot of what "the so called experts" were saying.
Well Ryan Leaf recently resigned from a nowhere coaching job because he was trying to get pain pills from one of his players. Manning is working hard on his third NFL MVP award. There is a famous story I've heard Polian tell where it was the night before the draft and Manning walks into the office where Polian is with Coach Mora. Both men were a little on the fence in terms of who to take and Manning says
"If you don't draft me number one, I'll make it my number one priority to come in here and kick the sh*^ out of your teams every chance I get!"
Mora later told me that was all he needed...he knew Manning was the guy at that point.
Mannings career is as prolific statistically as it gets in NFL history. For years people loved to say he would be just like Dan Marino all the stats in the world but no Lombardi trophies. That garbage talk was ended with the Colts 2006 Super Bowl win.
This 2008 year has been unlike any other Manning year. The stats are nice but not gawdy. What makes Manning a leading MVP candidate is the plays he is making to win games in the closing moments.
Manning set up the game winning field goal with a clutch drive against Minnesota. He took advantage of a defense that created turnovers to help beat Houston in come from behind fashion. He led game winning drives in back to back weeks against New England and Pittsburgh. He converted a 4th and 1 against San Diego that set up a game winning field goal.
Sunday against Detroit he did it again. Orchestrating a drive in the 4th to put away a fiesty 0-13 Lions team. The drive was Mannings 36th game winning drive put together in the 4th quarter or overtime.
Manning has made winning routine for this team. His play has kept our city's expectations championship or bust which really is a ridiculous standard when you consider how much parody is in the NFL.
The Bottom line is this: the Colts record WITHOUT Manning 88-135. WITH Peyton Manning calling the shots 115-59.
I never take this winning streak for granted. I remember the 1-15 season in 1991. Lofa Tatupou said it best last week.
"Peyton could be the MVP every year. There is no player in the league who has as much responsibility and does more for his team."
