Tag Archives: Peyton Manning

Monday Morning Quarterback

Captain Comeback

Captain Comeback time?

John Fox must have missed some of those Peyton Manning comebacks from the 2000s, because he chose to surrender to overtime rather than give Peyton 30 something seconds to get the Broncos to field goal range. It would be a pretty inconsequential play to a Colts fan in years past, but this was our adopted team now that Luck & friends are forced to watch the playoffs from the couch.

Peyton was our big orange hope of having someone to root for. Now is not the time to despair though. We still have Captain Comeback. Jim Harbaugh (Remember the 1995 AFC Championship Game?) Love him or hate him, has the 49ers primed and ready to make a Super Bowl run. You’ve been missing out if you haven’t caught any 49ers games this season. Kapernick, like Luck and Russell Wilson, is a dynamic play maker that is pretty exciting to watch. He threw for two touchdowns on Saturday night, and then rushed for two more.

On the other side of the league is ANOTHER Harbaugh. John Harbaugh is the coach of the Ravens and a win over Indy’s arch enemies, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, could give us a Harbaugh v. Harbaugh Super Bowl. I can’t imagine Colts fans being too sore about that.

Monday Morning Quarterback

Could somebody block that Kruger guy please!?

Could somebody block that Kruger guy please!?

It was a general consensus at the start of the NFL season that the Indianapolis Colts would be one of the worst teams in the league this season. The youth of the Colts used those expectations as bulletin board material and rallied as a team to prove that consensus wrong (not unlike the Seahawks and Redskins). Indy had an impressive regular season, but it was pretty clear that the current team wasn’t ready for a deep run in the playoffs.

The state of the Colts is strong though. Unlike the end of last season, they have no issues with the salary cap and lots of cash to make some free agent acquisitions. They will retain the services of Chuck Pagano, Ryan Grigson, and a majority of the staff. Andrew Luck is going to take that playoff loss and work to make sure it doesn’t happen again next January, because now he expects to make the playoffs.

Sure, it is disappointing to be out of the playoffs after the first round, but not as disappointing as going 2-14 would have been (like we did Peyton’s first season). Things look much more optimistic in Colts country than they did last January. I can’t imagine the NFL will deny us the pleasure of a Manning homecoming next season against the Broncos either. Will the Lucas crowd root against him? Will they be silent when he’s on offense? I can’t wait to find out.

First things first though. The playoffs will go on without the Colts. I guess it’s time to get those Manning jerseys back out… Go Broncos?

Go Broncos?

Go Broncos?

 

Monday Morning Quarterback

Avery

It’s starting to seem like the only thing the Colts need to win games is for Andrew Luck to be able to take the field at the start of the 2nd half. Indianapolis was down 13 at halftime  and there was no air of panic or urgency. Luck and company had the Titans right where they wanted them. Two quarters and some strange officiating later, and the Colts are 9-4 and in complete control of their playoff hopes.

Tennessee was blitzing the depleted Colts offensive line all afternoon. Luck was hurried, knocked down, or sacked almost every time he dropped back, but was never hesitant to hold out to get his receivers open. He’s like a mad scientist mixed up Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre into one quarterback and dropped him in our laps.

Now we just need to get him to dial back on the Favre-esque interception tendencies. Forcing a throw is a way to make a great play out of nothing, as Favre did repeatedly, but it’s also an easy way to lose in the first round of the playoffs against a good defense. Peyton knew when to throw it away or just take the sack, and that’s a big reason why he’s a front runner for MVP (again) and the Broncos are Super Bowl contenders.

These are all nit-picks. Andrew Luck is already a very good NFL quarterback and is leading a team that went 2-14 last season to a playoff run that LITERALLY nobody predicted. Indianapolis will always be a Peyton Manning town, but Luck is going to leave his mark if the #12 jerseys around town are any indication.

The best of the rest:
Down goes Manny
NBA Power Rankings – Spurs #1, Pacers #16
Kravitz on the Colts
NFL: Week 14

Monday Morning Quarterback

Andrew LuckAndrew Luck took the Colts to 1-1 this weekend and the fans saw a great drive to close out the game. Indianapolis was up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but a couple of three and outs paired with weak defense left the game tied with 0:31 on the clock. I fully expected Luck to trot out on the field, take a knee, and take their chances at overtime. That’s not what happened. Luck orchestrated a Manning-esque 40 yard drive, then drew the Vikings offside for another five yards. Adam Vinatieri then took a shot from 53 yards that was good from the moment he left the sidelines to lineup.

Indianapolis will be haunted by Peyton Manning all season, and tonight is no different. Peyton and the Broncos face a TOUGH Atlanta Falcons in Peyton’s first Monday Night appearance in orange.

Monday Morning Quarterback

Andrew Luck

Luck makes his debut in Indy

Andrew Luck stormed out of the gates on Sunday in two quarters worth of action. His first play from scrimmage went for a touchdown, just like #18 before him did in 1998. It was only a preseason game against the Rams, but it’s nice to see your guy come out swinging. Indy’s first outing with their new 3-4 defense held the Rams to only a field goal.

A playoff appearance is the ultimate goal for Indianapolis this season for any fan looking to manage their expectations. There is already a long line of people ready to say “I told you so” to Jim Irsay if this grand experiment doesn’t workout though.

London took its final bow last night as the closing ceremonies for the 2012 Olympics wrapped up. Athletes from the United States took home the gold in 46 events, silver in 29, and bronze in 29. 104 medals was more than enough to edge out China with 88 medals. Teams from the United States had a great final weekend with gold medal wins in Women’s Soccer and Basketball and Men’s Basketball. Relive the games and the spectacle in this great gallery of the best pictures from each day of competition.

Monday Morning Quarterback

Peyton Manning

Manning Time

The dust of this beautiful weekend of basketball finally settled late last night. Now we’re back to Peyton Manning watch. The watch is over if you believe ESPN. They are officially reporting that he will be signing with the Denver Broncos. That’s good news for Colts fans that didn’t want to be haunted by Manning twice per season if he went to the Titans. It’s bad news for Tim Tebow though. The Broncos will surely be looking to deal him to another team.

It’s been a rough road for the top seeds in the NCAA tournament this season. Duke and Missouri have already been bounced. Syracuse and UNC have both lost key players. Kansas would have been gone also if Purdue didn’t gift wrap a sweet sixteen berth for them last night in the last minute. I would bet that one team out of NC State, IU or Xavier will end up in the Final Four along with the remaining 1, 2 or 3 seeds. I know IU’s fans think they have what it take to go the distance.

The Best of the Rest:
The Sweet Sixteen
Updated Bracket
Guerin Catholic wins Semi State

Monday Morning Quarterback

I think it’s safe to say that the big winner of this year’s Super Bowl is the City of Indianapolis. The weather cooperated and the fan reaction has been universally positive. Hoosier hospitality got some serious props and the discussion for when Indy is going to host again has already begun.

► Over 20,000 people were involved in the planning of Indy’s Super Bowl (an overwhelming majority were unpaid volunteers)
► Over 1,000,000 people strolled through the Super Bowl village at some point during the week.
► Nearly 270,000 people attended the NFL Experience breaking the all-time attendance record by over 30%.
► 400 aircrafts left Indianapolis in four hours last night after the game.

Ahmad Bradshaw

The Butt Touchdown

The game also went pretty well. A Manning won MVP, Brady didn’t get to hoist the Lombardi trophy in the house that Peyton built and the game came down to the final play. Madonna even put on a pretty good halftime show. Did you see the crazy guy jumping on the elastic rope in the middle of halftime? He does a lot crazier stuff than that.

I was a big fan of Ahmad Bradshaw’s winning touchdown, but I’m sure he was having a tough time on the sideline when Brady took the field with a full minute left. The play of the game was Super Mario Manningham’s sideline catch in the final Giants drive. Bellichick’s decision to let the Giants score was also a pretty big play, although some people are arguing that he should have let it happen the play before (for stat nerds).

That’s the end of another NFL season. The Indianapolis Colts are on the clock with the first pick in the draft in their pockets. It should be an exciting off season.