Sports Then and Now

It seems hard to believe that Peyton Manning has played his final game in an Indianapolis Colts uniform.

During 13 stellar seasons as the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts Peyton Manning was often characterized as being one of the all-time great players in NFL history. With his official release from the Colts, Manning will now join other former NFL greats including Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, O.J. Simpson, Franco Harris, Joe Namath and Jerry Rice by completing his career with a different team than the one for which he became a star.

Given the financial ramifications and having one of the best quarterback prospects since Peyton Manning waiting in the wings, there really was no other choice for Jim Irsay and the Colts organization.

It also is clear that moving on is ultimately in the best interest for Manning, despite his desire to be forever remembered as a Colt.

Had he remained in Indianapolis, the team would have been salary strapped with a huge portion of their salary cap going to pay two quarterbacks when only one can be on the field at a time. With Manning still on the squad the Colts ran the risk of either stunting the development of Andrew Luck or damaging their relationship with Manning.

Reports are that Manning might have been able to stay in Indianapolis to mentor Luck, but would have had to agree to allow the young quarterback a certain amount of practice snaps with the first team. Given that without Manning the Colts won two games in 2011 and will be losing several veteran stars due to free agency, even with Manning under center it is not likely that Indianapolis would be automatically back as a contender in 2012.

Now, the Colts can go through a retooling process with a new quarterback, a new coach and a new general manager and look to build another consistent winner like the team that Manning led to 11 playoff appearances in 13 seasons.

For Manning, assuming that he is physically capable of playing, leaving Indianapolis has probably prolonged his career by a couple years. There is no way that with Andrew Luck waiting in the wings the Colts would have allowed Manning to be the starter for four or five more seasons. Read the rest of this entry →

Without Peyton Manning in uniform in 2011, Jim Caldwell was unable to keep the Colts as winners and ultimately lost his job as head coach.

The Indianapolis Colts have parted company with head coach Jim Caldwell after they finished their season with a 2-14 record.

Caldwell became the third high-profile dismissal at the club following the departures of vice-chairman Bill Polian and his son, general manager Chris after a campaign that saw the team produce their worst season in 20 years. Those looking at the American football odds will have been unimpressed.

Team owner john Irsay had reportedly grown tired of his side’s struggles and although he admitted it’s always tough to sack people, he believes it’s the best decision for the franchise as they move forward.

“This is obviously a big transitional time for us, and I know we’re excited moving forward and it’s hard when you say goodbyes to some people,” Irsay said. “But it’s part of the business.” Read the rest of this entry →

During the 2003 season, the week 5 meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was an emotional game for Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy as it marked the first time he returned to Tampa Bay since his removal as the Buccaneers’ head coach.

Dungy was hired as the Buccaneers head coach before the 1996 season and in his second season lead Tampa Bay to its first winning season in 15 years.

Combining his efforts with defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, Dungy created the “Tampa 2” defense to lead Tampa Bay a 56-46 record in six seasons and four playoff appearances, including a trip to the 1999 NFC Championship Game.

But back-to-back playoff losses to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2000 and 2001 NFC Wild Card Game plus the inability to produce a more explosive offense, Dungy was fired after the 2001 season.

Dungy’s replacement, former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, took over the reins in Tampa Bay and took the Bucs to the Super Bowl in his first season, which they won 48-21 over the Oakland Raiders.

Meanwhile, Dungy moved to Indianapolis to become the Colts’ head coach and join forces with quarterback Peyton Manning, an All-Pro quarterback who unfortunately had a reputation of not winning the big game as he was 0-2 in his postseason career before Dungy’s arrival.

In their first season together, Manning and Dungy helped the Colts a 10-6 record and a playoff berth, only to be humiliated by the New York Jets 41-0 in the AFC Wild Card round.

While it was not a playoff game, the stakes of the game were high for Manning and Dungy to see if they could lead their team to a win over the defending Super Bowl champions on the road on Monday Night Football.

But for most of the game, it looked like another big game loss for Manning and Dungy.

On the first play of the Bucs’ second possession of the game, quarterback Brad Johnson fired a pass for Keenan McCardell, who made the catch at the Indianapolis 30, and then outran the Colts defenders for a 74-yard touchdown that gave Tampa Bay a 7-0 lead.

McCardell would score another touchdown on the Bucs’ next drive on would have been the strangest play of the game if not for the finish.

On a first-and-ten from the Tampa 33, Johnson made a poor throw that was picked off by Colts safety Mike Doss at his own 41-yard-line.

Doss returned it 16 yards to the Bucs’ 43-yard-line until he was hit and fumbled the ball, which McCardell recovered on a bounce and ran 57 yards for the touchdown to increase the Tampa lead to 14-0 in the first quarter. Read the rest of this entry →

This is not the normal uniform or location for Peyton Manning during Colts games.

Given his remarkable consistency, success and durability during 17 years as a college and professional quarterback, it is hard to contemplate that the end could be near for one of the greatest quarterbacks of this generation. However, following his second next surgery of the offseason and third in two years, it is conceivable that even Peyton Manning has found an opponent he can’t out-maneuver.

Now 35 years of age, Manning’s inability to quickly recover from offseason neck surgery could be partly a result of the NFL lockout and inability to receive treatment from his regular trainers, but it could also be a result of age and years of continual pounding from large men trying to inflict physical harm on him.

Regardless of why, it is now apparent that Manning is unlikely to play in the near future and it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if he misses the entire season. At that point, it will only be natural to wonder if Manning will ever be able to return to the NFL.

While every injury is certainly different, Manning isn’t the first great NFL player to suffer a neck injury. Both Sterling Sharpe and Michael Irvin had their careers ended by neck injuries. Since his injury didn’t result in immediate diagnosis of an end to his career, there are obviously differences in the severity, but  now after three surgeries there are certainly concerns about his long-term health.

If Manning is able to return to the field, whether it be this season or in 2012, I have little doubt that he will still have the will of a champion, but given his age, the question will be if he still has the arm strength and physical ability to maintain the high level of performance he has displayed throughout his career.

We have long considered Manning to be a great quarterback, but when analyzing his 13 years of NFL work, it is amazing to see just how impressive he has been from the beginning until the end. Read the rest of this entry →

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers appear poised for a repeat run to the Super Bowl.

After seeing some of my “5 Bold Predictions” for college football come crashing to the ground after just one week (thanks Notre Dame and TCU), I approach my NFL predictions with a sense of caution knowing that they could be totally off-base before the first week is even complete.

Even with a shortened off-season, this promises to be an exciting NFL campaign. I think because of the lack of preparation time you will see some teams that rely on preparation struggle early while teams that have superior talent will be able to hit stride right away.

It is already apparent that one huge issue in 2011 will be injuries. Several teams have lost starting players to season ending injuries and because players have gone at full speed for such short times during the preseason expect that to continue to happen throughout the regular season.

Prediction 1: The New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts will miss the playoffs

This statement might seem a bit bolder if Peyton Manning’s season wasn’t in limbo and if seemingly half of the defense for the New York Giants wasn’t already out for the season with injuries.

Every year there seems to be at least one team that has their season derailed or significantly altered by injuries. It appears that both the Giants and Colts will have a difficult time overcoming the injuries that have already impacted their season.

Of the two teams, I think the Giants can probably still be a decent team even without Terrell Thomas, Johnathan Goff, Marvin Austin and the others. However, in a division that includes two other likely playoff contenders in the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, there is little margin for error and as they learned last season, even a 10-win season doesn’t guarantee a playoff spot. Read the rest of this entry →

Peyton Manning led the Colts past Jacksonville, but they have to win their final two games to reach the playoffs.

With just two weeks remaining in the NFL regular season, there are still 20 teams which could conceivably end up winning the Super Bowl. Although this obviously shows just how competitive the NFL is, and more importantly how exciting the NFL can be, the fact remains that certain teams are still in a much better situation than others as they seek to reach the playoffs.

Super bowl betting pundits note that the Indianapolis Colts, despite enjoying a stellar season last year, are struggling to make the play-offs this time around after enduring a mixed season that has seen them hold an 8-6 record. As a result of this, the Colts know that their hopes of making at least the playoffs this season rest almost entirely on their star quarterback Peyton Manning displaying a run of top level performances for the rest of the regular season.

Contrast this to the predicament facing the Jets, had enjoyed a brilliant start to the season only to see their hopes of grabbing the AFC East crown dashed after they failed to maintain their form when it came to the crunch, leaving them destined for a wild card spot.

However, the most exciting division according to those looking at the Super Bowl betting odds regularly (despite the poor level of football that has been on show this season) has clearly been the NFC West, which could end the season with the division champion experiencing a season that falls below the .500 mark which is normally the minimum requirement for reaching the playoffs.

Whoever ends up making the playoffs this season, the one thing that is for certain is that it is going to take a massive change in form for either the New England Patriots or the Atlanta Falcons not to end the season contesting the Super Bowl.