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The 2010 Indianapolis Colts: More of everything you love

I became a Colts fan when I was in my teens. Back when Jim Harbaugh was running the huddle, and a year before the Colts leapt into the AFC championship game. As I kid who grew up watching and loving the slow pace of baseball, and who had moved on to the flash and speed of basketball. The speed and grace of wide receivers, the brash, smashmouth play of running backs, and the lumbering, all-but-axewielding play of defenders running down the quarterbacks appealed to me on all fronts. I was hooked.

When the Colts drafted Peyton Manning in 1998, I couldn’t decide if I was elated they’d selected the Volunteer, or upset that they had passed on Ryan Leaf. Both were highly heralded coming into the league. As luck would have it, Leaf went nowhere fast and was out of the league as quickly as he entered it, and in time, Manning has proved himself one of the most cerebral players in all of sports history.

I say this all leading into the fact that this year could be the most exciting year to be a Colts fan in the last 15 years. Yes, even eclipsing the 2006 Superbowl team.

First things first: Jim Caldwell has proven he has the chops to not only spell Tony Dungy, but might be a better coach in the long run(ok, probably not, but you can’t argue that he didn’t win every game he set out to last year, save the Superbowl). The apprehension of having an untested coach is gone. He’s proven he can make this team work.

At the quarterback spot, Peyton will be returning to hopefully be near the top of the league in every positive statistical category. Manning is a rock who simply will not be moved. I don’t know if it’s possible for him to improve from the heights he’s reached, but I don’t see him declining.

Running back is a position of vital importance to any team, but often takes a back seat to the passing game. The Colts are a primary example of that school of thought. Joseph Addai is returning and is almost certainly the team’s first option. However, second year RB Donald Brown showed flashes of brilliance last season, and only has upside from where he is now. Third year man Mike Hart has his moments, but isn’t overly effective.

Tight end is another gold star spot for the Colts with perennial Pro-Bowler Dallas Clark. Clark is a premiere receiving TE in the NFL, and is always a threat to go deep. He spreads the offense with speed that burns linebackers and size that renders safeties and corners largely ineffective. Any ball thrown Clark’s way is usually caught and goes for big yardage. Couple that with his presence in the red zone and his abilities playing a slot receiver and he adds a great dimension to the Colts’ passing attack.

The most exciting part of the Colts’ offense this year is the wide receiver core. Reggie Wayne is always among the elite in yards per game, per catch, touchdowns, and catches. Pierre Garçon emerged as a deep ball threat with sure hands last year, stepping in for Anthony Gonzalez when he went down in week 1 with a knee injury. And speaking of Gonzalez, he’ll be available this season, bringing back his size and great catching abilities that made him a popular target for Terrelle Pryor at Ohio State just three years ago. Second year receiver Austin Collie came up huge for the Colts in 2009 as the primary slot receiver. This BYU standout snagged a TD in week 4 against Seattle, and 2 in week 5 against the division rival Tennessee Titans, and finished with 7 for the season. His numbers can only go up. The question becomes who plays where? Odds are Wayne and Garçon play on the outsides where they seem most comfortable, and Gonzalez and Collie fill the slots, although we’re likely to see Wayne and Clark both see receptions from the position.

On defense, all of the most important pieces are returning- defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis will continue to cause nightmares for opposing quarterbacks and running backs. Mathis gains a lot from Freeney’s freakish speed of the corner beating the offensive line. While teams double up on Freeney, Mathis gets to the QB and RB a lot. Raheem Brock was released by the Colts in the off season, but has been replaced with rookie Jerry Hughes from TCU. Hughes is another speedy DE who will no doubt take snaps when Freeney and Mathis are out of the game for rest or(God forbid) injury.

Defensive captain Gary Brackett will be back to help lead the linebacker core again, and the LBs gain the services of rookie Pat Angerer, who Tom Jones of tribstar.com refers to as “a clone of … Gary Brackett.”

A fan favorite, corner back Marlin Jackson left the team to join the Philadelphia Eagles, but fans shouldn’t fret. Veteran corner Kelvin Hayden will be back with the team, healthy, and paired with either second year CB Jerraud Powers or Jacob Lacey. Both Powers and Lacey stepped up to fill in for injuries, and after a shaky week or two, they came into their own and did excellent shut down work on the outside.

As for the rest of the DBs, veteran Antoine Bethea will return to continue business as usual, and oft-injured former Defensive MVP Bob Sanders will return to hopefully lay down more brutal hits on opposing receivers and unfortunate RBs who get through the Colts’ defensive line.

Other unmentioned rookies: DB Kevin Thomas, USC, Tennessee OG Jaques McClendon, OU TE Brody Eldridge, Cincinnati DE Ricardo Matthews, Clemson DB Kavell Conner, and DB/KR Ray Fisher of Indiana.

All in all, the Colts’ offense has improved in the receiving core, Manning still holds down the QB position, RB Donald Brown looks primed to make noise and threaten Addai for more playing time, and the defense can only get better with experience.

Colts fans, get ready to see another solid season filled with thrills, a deep playoff run, and a really good shot at seeing another Superbowl appearance. In 2010-11, expect to see the Colts lift the Lombardi trophy once again.

RIP, “Air” McNair

Just last weekend, Independence Day no less, I opened up my Twitter feed to see stomach-sickening words. BNO News was reporting, “URGENT — Nashville, TN police tell WKRN-TV that former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair has died in an apparent murder-suicide.” My jaw dropped. In a month where among other big names, we’ve lost Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon just to name a few, I thought the celeb deaths surely had to be on a decline.

I was a baseball fan growing up. I watched a lot of Major League Baseball with my grandpa. He didn’t have a favorite team, just loved a good game. It was the only sport he watched. I wanted more. I started following a Jim Harbaugh-led Indianapolis Colts football team in 1996. I hit a goldmine when I started watching football only two years before Peyton Manning came to Indy and started making history.

A year before I started watching football, a kid from Mount Olive, Mississippi came into the NFL by way of Alcorn State University. The then-Houston Oilers selected Steve “Air” McNair with the third pick in the first round of the NFL draft. Admittedly, I didn’t know much about McNair at first, other than the fact that he was an amazing quarterback in a 2A school. He didn’t receive as much attention as those of less-talented players at 1A schools, as his school was much smaller than most of the other institutions. He still had his highlight reel, though, and made a strong case to be a Heisman award nominee. While he finished third in Heisman voting, he did receive the Walter Payton award as outstanding 2A player of the year.

Four years into McNair’s career, 1999, was a banner year for the newly dubbed Tennessee Titans. The combination of McNair’s quarterbacking, and a terrific young running back in Eddie George lead the Titans to their first, and to date, only Superbowl. Superbowl XXXIV. They met with Kurt Warner’s St. Louis Rams, “The Greatest Show on Turf.” No one was really sure that for all of the firepower Saint Louis carried with them if they’d be able to win the Superbowl- I mean, DEFENSE wins championships, right?

McNair’s troops trailed the entire game. Six seconds were left on the clock when Tennessee used their last time out. The score? 23-16, Rams on top. They had the ball around the Rams’ 10 yard line. McNair stepped back, eyeing his options, when he saw Kevin Dyson headed toward the end zone, and let it fly. Dyson made the catch, but was stopped by Saint Louis’ Mike Jones, just one yard short of the game tying touchdown. Quite unfortunately, McNair’s most famous moment was one in which his Titans fell short.

One Yard Short

McNair overcame the defeat as best anyone could, and just 4 short years later, he shared 2003’s NFL MVP award with the Colts’ Peyton Manning. Unfortunately, McNair’s body began to deteriorate more quickly than the average quarterbacks body would, due surely in part to his scrambling style. That scrambling lead to a big hit in 2004 that took him out for 11 games after a sternum injury landed him in the hospital.

McNair was ordinary again in 2005. A slower man, his arm power fading. After the 2005 season, the Titans agreed to let McNair and his agent shop around the league. In 2006 and 2007 McNair would play the final two seasons of his career in Baltimore. His first season as a Raven ended with a 13-3 record and an AFC North Championship, but a first round loss in the playoffs to the Indianapolis Colts.

In 2007, McNair missed 9 games. He had developed a lingering shoulder injury. His arm strength was gone and often he struggled to complete even short passes. He sat on the bench for the largest part of the season, and the Ravens finished with a dismal 5-11 record, last in the AFC North. McNair announced his retirement on April 10th, 2008.

Steve’s death comes a mere 15 months after his exit from the NFL. He was a good player with flashes of brilliance interwoven. He wasn’t known for his work-ethic in practice, but he was always at his best come Sunday. Steve was strong as an ox, a hard man to bring down. He was a competitor.

The problem with all of the numbers and game situations we analyze so deeply as fans is that they don’t tell the full story. They don’t tell us what kind of person a player is off the field. Numbers don’t tell you that Steve founded the Steve McNair Foundation in the early 2000s to help kids all over the country in need. Donations as small as $100-$250 would net donors autographed McNair memorabilia. Numbers don’t tell you McNair had Nike send 2 dozen shirts to a coach merely because he was complimented by said coach on his shirt.¹ His quarterback rating doesn’t reveal how the normally soft-spoken man would smile and talk trash with the best of them on Pros vs. Joes.

Fellow Pros vs. Joes participant, former competitor, and NFL great Tim Brown said of McNair, “I don’t know anybody who would say anything bad about Steve, that’s for sure. He seemed to be a very respectable guy.”¹ To hear kind words from an opponent, and one of the tougher guys in the NFL should give at least a little indication that Steve was a well respected member of the NFL both during and after his career.

I haven’t sought any gruesome details of Steve’s death. I’ve only seen initial reports. I have seen via ESPNEWS that the Nashville police are not seeking any suspect in the case as of time of writing. I do know the initial reports show McNair was shot several times, and that a female companion with him had been shot once. The press is reporting the crime as an apparent murder suicide.

You see, another thing the numbers don’t tell us is that Steve McNair, before a quarterback, was a father. While for a sports fan like myself this news was stunning, I can’t imagine being in the shoes of his children. He leaves behind 4 sons, Steve Jr., Steven, Tyler, and Trenton. Out of respect for them, I don’t want to know any gory details. Steve will be remembered as so much more than a 3-time Pro Bowl selection, or All-Pro selection and co-MVP in 2003. Steve leaves behind a legacy for his sons. Not being a great football player. Being a great human being. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. July 4, 2009- rest in peace, Steve.

¹ Portions excerpted from Sam Farmer’s LA Times article, found here.

Dr. Favrelove, or How I Learned to Disect the Stats and Hate Brett Favre

Let me start off by saying Brett Favre will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks the world has ever seen. Statistically. The guy holds records for passing yards, touchdowns, completions, and consecutive games started to name a few. But I HATE Brett Favre.

Michael Jordan shocked the world when he retired from the NBA. No one could have possibly seen it coming. His father had been tragically murdered, and Mike cited his father’s desire to see his play baseball as a major reason for his retirement.  It didn’t work for him though- he was human with a bat in hand.

Less than a year later, the sports world went into a frenzy over two words: “I’m back.”  MJ would lead the Bulls once again. Some familiar faces were still there, most notably Scottie Pippen, Mike’s right hand man. Several of the others were gone. But the arguably most important piece was there: head coach Phil Jackson. They did it again- three consecutive championships in 96, 97, and 98. In the 1998 NBA Finals, Jordan made magic again. At the top of the key, he drained a shot over Utah’s Byron Scott to seal the series. As he let it go, Mike left his hand hanging in the air until the shot fell.

It was the last game Jordan played in a Chicago Bulls uniform, but the basketball world was satisfied. Michael Jordan would end his career on a high note, and would always be remembered for the shot. He officially announced his retirement in the off-season in 1999. But he didn’t stay away.

In 2001, Michael was working in the front offices of the Washington Wizards. The team was doing horribly. The hero returned as a Washington Wizard. It was the first time in his professional career that he wouldn’t be a Bull. And it was bad. Mike’s age had caught up to him. An injury to his knee shortened his first season back to just 60 games. Younger players like Allen Iverson had become the superstars of the league. Mike played two seasons for the Wizards, and retired for the last time.

I say all of this to say that I don’t hate Brett Favre for retiring, un-retiring, retiring, etc.- I hate Brett because of the attention he clearly craves. Brett retired after the 2006 season, Brett had tears in his eyes when he announced that he was done playing professional football. I felt for him, I really did. He was a man walking away from what he did best, and did better than most anyone else.

In the off-season, there were rumors that Brett was considering coming back to play for the Packers again. He announced shortly before the start of the season that he would return. Brett lead the Packers deep into the playoff, all the way to the NFC Championship. The problem was a Giant one. More accurately, the New York Giants. The Giants were on a tear, and they handed Brett a loss in his final game at Lambeau Field.

It was a rough ending to a good season. He retired again, declining to play in the Pro Bowl, where the fans had voted him to play. Once again, Brett stated a desire to play again. You’d think after all he did for the team the previous year, they would welcome him with open arms. Instead, the team had already retooled the offense to fit Favre’s former backup, Aaron Rodgers.

Brett fought like mad to have the Packers bring him back. The Pack didn’t want him there, going as far as offering him some $20 million to essentially stay retired.  In the end, they agreed on one thing: a trade to the New York Jets. For only the second time in his career, and the first since he’d become a household name, Favre wasn’t going to be a Packer. For the most part, Jets fans were elated to have the old gunslinger in their fold. They were unhappy, disappointed with Chad Pennington and his weak arm.  Favre would be a hero if he could just throw the ball deep down-field for Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery to haul in.  And boy did he throw it.

You see- Favre fans often leave out one of his NFL records: 310 interceptions.  More than anyone else by 33.  The funny part?  The guy with 277 played 25 YEARS to Favre’s 18.  His 464 TDs is more than any other, which is indeed impressive, but his season as a Jet was lackluster, and somewhat deceiving.

Favre finished the season with 22 TDs and 22 INTs.  Down the stretch, though, Brett fell apart.  The team he had guided to a respectable 8-3(with 20 TDs and only 11 INTs, a good line) through 11 games had a solid shot at the playoffs in the tougher American conference, and more surprisingly in one of the more heated divisions.  The last 5 games of the season? 1-4.  2 TDs, 11 INTs. What the stats really don’t tell you in the big picture is if you remove week 4 from Brett’s season stats, he’s left with 16 TDs and 21 INTs.  14 TDs and 10 INTs in the other 7 games.  Hardly legendary.

This off-season, Brett did something that pretty much guaranteed his return to the league- he had surgery on an arm that he claimed wasn’t injured.  Since then, the Minnesota Vikings have expressed an interest in Favre.  A team who really had a solid shot at a deep playoff run last season, save for their lack of identity at the quarterback spot.

Brett is destroying his legacy. I guess, in the end, I feel valid for not liking Brett Favre.  I’ve never been the drama/big commotion kind of guy.  Shied away from it in school, stay away from it at work, I just don’t like it.  But God help me, if Brett’s playing ensures I’ll never see another of his Wrangler or Prilosec commercials, then let’s see the return of the Purple People Eaters.  Brett: please, just this one time- don’t be like Mike.