I know the exact moment I became a Colts fan.  It was the morning of April 18th, 1998, the spring semester of my sophomore year in college.  I set my alarm because at that point in my life I could still sleep late.  I got up and went out to the living room TV so I wouldn’t wake my roommate and I turned on the NFL draft.  Until that very morning, the Colts were still going back and forth between Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf for their 1st overall pick.  I’d already promised myself I’d become a fan of whatever team chose Peyton Manning.  So, when Paul Tagliabue stepped to the podium, I was glued to the screen and at that very moment, I became a Colts fan.  I turned off the TV and went back to bed because again, at that point in my life, I could still do that.

So maybe I got to the party late.  Maybe I didn’t suffer through the moving from Baltimore to Indianapolis or the bad seasons.  But nevertheless, I wanted to engross myself in being a Colts fan.  I wanted to soak up every bit of history so I could defend my team to the death.  I wanted to learn to wear my team colors when they won AND when they lost.  I wanted to understand how to hold my head high no matter what the outcome because I’d rather have bad times with my team than good times with any other team out there.  On that Saturday morning in April 1998, I had no idea just how much I would fall in love with these people who took a chance on Peyton and made him the cornerstone of the franchise.

In the Colts, I found owner Jim Irsay (the polar opposite of his demonic father), quite possibly one of the most genuine human beings I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet.  This man LOVES his job, and he cares so deeply about every player, employee, and fan that he makes sure the product he gives us is the highest quality he can make it.  In 13 short years, he has transformed the franchise from a laughing stock to one of the most respected franchises in the league. I found Bill Polian, who doesn’t always make popular decisions, but I have never seen a man more capable of recognizing talent in some of the most obscure places.  In a world where having the right pieces in all the right places is the only way to have success, he is the chess master. And I hope he has taught his son (likely the general manager/president in waiting) every last facet of what he knows and looks for and sees. I found Bob Lamey, the heartfelt voice of the Colts who is employed by the franchise but has the heart of a fan. I grew up in a family of Tampa Bay Buccaneer fans who, try as they might, never could get me on board that ship, but the one impression that lasted the longest with me was how deeply rooted Gene Deckerhoff (the voice of the Bucs) was in being a fan of the team.  When Gene is disappointed in a performance, you hear it in his voice, and when Bob is disappointed in a performance, you hear it in his voice.  Equally so, when they’re excited about something, it’ll make you jump out of your seat. In my head, I can still hear Bob calling the end of the 2006 AFC championship game that sent the Colts to their first Super Bowl since 1971.  “Intercepted Marlin Jackson. Marlin’s got it. We’re going to the Super Bowl. We’re going to the Super Bowl.”  That soundbite still makes me tear up.  I found the city of Indianapolis, one of the quietest metropolises in the country aptly nicknamed “Naptown.” These people allowed themselves to subvert their traditional basketball and racing history and become a football town…to become a group of people who supported their team to the bitter end no matter what.

When it all first started…my obsession with the Colts…it was clearly geared towards Peyton Manning, but over time I decided that if I was going to pull for Peyton, I was going to have to pull for the Colts, too.  And if I’m going to pull for the Colts, I should know a little something about them.  Where “little” here means every last piece of information I could get my hands on.  At this point, I feel like I’ve studied them as much as Peyton studies game film, but yet every now and then I unearth a story about one of the players that adds just one more layer. When I say “we” in reference to the team, I don’t feel strange saying it because I feel like so much a part of them.  I will never, ever know what it’s like to play football, to win or lose a game as a player, or to talk to the media when you’re just dying inside for throwing an interception, allowing a touchdown, or shanking a kick wide right…but those guys who suit up every fall are now a part of who I am, so I say we.

I love that we have so many undrafted free agents on the team.  I love that the leader of the defense is one of them, and given the choice of any other defensive player in the NFL, I’d still pick Gary Brackett every time.  I love that the defense gets pissed off when a team goes for it on 4th down and that somehow, someway they become a brick wall because of it.  I love that Bill Polian takes wide receivers and tight ends and running backs that other teams wouldn’t bat an eye at and throws them at Peyton and says, “make them incredible.” But I love even more that Peyton does it and does it so well…turning a no name Division III receiver into one of the most talked about players in the league.  I love that the offensive line protects the pocket as if it’s their own son or daughter. I love that Antoine Bethea gets mad when he forces an incomplete pass on 3rd down because the ball hit the ground instead of him intercepting it. I love that when the most athletic player on defense is placed on injured reserve for the umpteenth time in his career, no one in the entire organization from top to bottom, Jim Irsay to fan, blinks because the next man up will fill the void and fill it well. I love that all but 2 starters (offense, defense, and special teams) have played their entire careers for the Colts.  I love how much fun they have out on that field and how tight knit of a group they are off the field.  I love that these men are some of the finest people to ever walk this planet.  They have their priorities straight, which is to say faith and family come first.

Every player that has come through this franchise is a family member.  And when they leave to retire or go to another team, I always try to keep track of where they are and wish for them the best.  At some point during their time with the Colts, I know they made me smile.  And that is why at a time like this when we fell one game short of the ultimate goal, I still smile, I still hold my head up proudly, I still love them just as much as I loved them the day before the game…maybe even more.  There are a million people out there who would love to finish a season 16-3.  There are a million people out there who would love to have an explosive offense like the one led by Peyton Manning and Jeff Saturday…to know that a series starting on the 99 yard line is just as likely to end in the end zone as a series that starts anywhere else on the field.  There are a million people out there who would love to have a scrappy defense that never gives up and demands respect with every play.  There are a million people out there who would love to know that when their defensive end gets hurt in a game, that there is absolutely no doubt in his mind or ours that he’ll be playing in the next game…injured or not.  There are a million people out there who would love to have as much confidence as we have in a 42 year old kicker.

As a fan of the Indianapolis Colts, I have led a charmed life, but in April 1998, I had no idea I could love a franchise as much as I love them.  I had no idea that I would fight for them when they lose just as hard as I fight for them when they win.  I had no idea I would feel so deeply for them that I would physically hurt when they hurt.  Have I questioned them from time to time…of course…what fan hasn’t questioned their team, but when I look back at the last decade of football, I couldn’t have asked for anything more.  I may have lost years off the end of my life just from the stress alone, but these guys have shown this girl one heck of a good time.  Jim Irsay always says the journey is more important than the destination, and he’s right.  If you don’t enjoy the ride along the way, what’s the point of any of it at the end.

Thank you, Indianapolis Colts for the last 12 years. I look forward to going into battle with you for the rest of my life.

Believe in Blue

Make it Personal

United We Stand

"Boy, that Pilates is really workin' out for me."

No worries, man...Peyton hates you, too.

"You see, Dallas. If Roger Goodell weren't such an idiot about this Pro Bowl, we could be in Hawaii in two weeks playing in this game instead of standing out here in the rain in street clothes."

"Alright, kiddo, let me tell you how this is gonna go next Sunday..."

| View Show | Create Your Own

It’s been said that you never really appreciate something until you no longer have it, but I like to think that I appreciated every day that I woke up in Tuscaloosa, AL during my five years in college.  It was the first place in my life where I really felt like I belonged.  It was warm and comforting and yet just as comedic as a dysfunctional family.  I never expected to feel that way when I first visited the campus in high school, but there was something about that place the minute I got there that I just knew.  I knew it was home.  Now, I’m not saying my five years didn’t come with its share of adversity and trial.  On the contrary, I faced some of my biggest fears and had some of my biggest heart breaks on that campus.  They made me stronger.  The University of Alabama made me stronger.  Tuscaloosa, AL made me stronger.  I completely believe that I would be a totally different person if I had gone to college anywhere else. 

I didn’t land on campus because of anything to do with athletics, and when I tell people that, they’re still shocked.  They don’t understand why anyone would go to Alabama for any other reason mainly because they don’t think Alabama has anything else to offer.  But when I chose The University for its academics it was because they had one of the best accounting schools in the southeast. That carried more weight than you can even imagine, and so, I embarked on a five-year love affair with a place that can still to this day make my heart skip a beat.

I miss the smell of the smoke stack in winter.  I miss walking to class in standing water because there was no proper drainage system.  I miss the sound of the quad on gameday.  I miss the traffic on campus on a Friday afternoon.  I miss dodging cars in the pedestrian walkways.  I miss lawn decorations during Homecoming.  I miss pep rallies.  I miss the sound of the train that never failed to make at least one person late to class every day.  I lived on campus so I never had to worry about that.  I miss the smell of the bread company on 15th street because on a clear, windy day the smell of fresh baked bread would permeate campus.  I miss walking up and down three flights of stairs to do my laundry.  I miss the light breeze that would blow in around March and make me bust open my dorm room windows to let it in.  I miss steak night in the Burke cafeteria.  I miss fighting for parking spaces…everywhere!  I miss the people…the people who asked how you were and really wanted to know.  I miss knowing that my professors were some of the smartest people in the world and realizing that even then I still wasn’t fully appreciating their knowledge. 

Now, academics aside, it’s very hard to attend Alabama without becoming fully engrossed in the athletics.  I loved football games in October because the weather had changed just enough to make it not too cold and not too hot and the sound of Bear Bryant’s voice over the loud speakers still makes the hair on my neck stand up.  I loved basketball games in the winter because Coleman Coliseum is electrifying from the student section and Jeremy Hays was HOT!  I loved gymnastics meets because you haven’t lived until you’ve sat in the Coliseum, had the lights go down, and those girls walk out like they own the place…because they do.  I loved baseball games in the spring on Friday nights sitting in the bleachers on the left field line because those boys could just flat-out play.

You have to remember that I didn’t grow up an Alabama fan.  I couldn’t claim knowledge of any of the 12 national championships they’d earned before I arrived on campus.  So, this newest national championship, #13, is actually my first.  I’ve never been a fan of a team when they won a national championship in football.  Thirteen years I waited for this to happen.  There was laughter and tears and frustration and yelling and screaming and cheers all throughout these last 13 years not because I expected something from the players because they were Alabama football players, but because I could just see it.  I could see that they were talented.  I could see they were better than their records.  I can tell you that Andrew Zow is probably the most underrated quarterback to ever play at Alabama.  He never gets enough credit for what he did for his team.  I can tell you that Shaun Alexander picked up the pieces of our broken hearts and pieced them back together.  And I can tell you that Nick Saban made our hearts whole again after DuBose and Franchione and Price and Shula. 

There have been ups and downs, and I’ve been there for it all (in person or miles away).  I had my doubts that we’d ever get there, but I still held out hope.  I had my doubts that Thursday night when we played in the championship game that we’d bring home that trophy.  This making it to the “promised land of college football” is all new to me.  I may have never taken a snap on any kind of football field, but this championship was for all of us who wore our team colors proudly despite the snickering from outsiders.  There is no other single time in my life that has topped my time at Alabama.  I experienced a lot during my time there.  I’ve experienced a lot since I left.  But no matter where I am in this world, a piece of my heart is always in Tuscaloosa.  And that very fact has made me who I am today.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW???

GOOD!

Now, listen Mike...I'm taller, so I should get to lead."

"You put your right foot in, you take your right foot out, you put your right foot in and you shake it all about."

Is that a ball in your helmet or are you just happy to see me?

Picture by JD Crowe

“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

~Walt Disney~

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been pretty quiet about the current college basketball season.  It’s not because Tyler, Danny, Wayne, and Ty don’t play for Carolina anymore.  It’s not because Carolina has lost more games in the first half of the season than some previous teams lost in an entire season.  It’s because I felt like this team deserved the benefit of the doubt.  They deserved an opportunity to experience growing pains and learn from their mistakes and experiences.  So, I’ve held my tongue.  Heck, I probably actually bit my tongue.  And I’m not writing this JUST because Carolina lost to College of Charleston last night in an overtime game.  Actually, last night was just the last straw.  To be perfectly honest, the opinions I’m going to voice here have been gathered by watching Carolina WIN games…not lose them. I apologize ahead of time if my focus in this blog post turns to sounding as if I’m speaking directly to the players, but sometimes that’s the only way a thought gets worded correctly.  I also want to make sure that I give every bit of credit to College of Charleston that they deserve.  They embodied what I say all the time…the majority of playing any sport is mental.  And if you fully believe that you can beat your opponent, you have a much better chance of actually doing it…despite any amount of talent or skill you might have…ANY.GIVEN.GAME.  The minute you walk in there with a shred of doubt is the minute you’ve lost the game.

So, here goes…

I get that they’re young.  I get that they’re inexperienced with the college game.  I even get that the entire starting 5 with the exception of one player is no longer on the team.  But let’s also point out that the intended starting 5 for the team (if we can ever get everyone healthy at the same time) does not consist of one member of the incoming freshman team.  In fact, all but two of the intended starting 5 played major minutes last year and in the championship game.  Now, I’m not the kind of person who expects a national championship every single season, but I do expect the players to actually compete.  What I’ve noticed in the 15 games they’ve played so far this season is that they don’t have rhythm.  They don’t look good on the court together.  It’s like 5 complete strangers showing up at a school yard court deciding to play together against 5 other people.  I understand that rhythm takes time.  It takes learning how each person moves on the court and where they’re going to be at each point in any given play.  But we’re talking about a group of people who have been playing pick up games since the beginning of the summer.  Basketball is not rocket science, folks.  We are all creatures of habit and that flows right down to every last movement we make as individuals.  It shouldn’t be that difficult to learn your teammate’s idiosyncrasies.

Another thing I notice is that they play selfish.  I’m not sure if it’s ego driven and that certain members of the team are more concerned about being a one and done college player or a two and done college player, but I can tell you this much: No NBA scout is impressed with how you performed individually in the losses to Syracuse or Texas or College of Charleston.  Sometimes I think the selfishness lends itself to the history of Carolina basketball.  I think a lot of the team is walking out on that court expecting to win the game BECAUSE of the name on the front of the jersey instead of playing FOR the name on the front of the jersey.  There’s a big difference there.  Just because Carolina basketball is what it is does not mean that when you step on the court in that uniform, they automatically hand you the win and we can all go home.  No…wearing that uniform means that your teammates, your coaches, your fellow students, your fans EXPECT you to play at a high level.  They expect you to be some of the best talent in the entire country, but yet still skilled enough to play a team sport.  Maybe that’s a lot of pressure, but if you expected playing for Carolina to be a walk in the park, you were dead wrong.  Let’s also go back to the selfish bit and talk about why you came to Carolina.  Did you come to Carolina because players from there go to the NBA?  Or did you come to Carolina to play college basketball, to learn from one of the greatest minds the college game has ever seen, and to have a CHANCE to win a national championship?  Think about that.  Why are you in Chapel Hill?

I’ve listened to countless hours of press conferences from Coach Williams.  I’m soon to be engrossed in his autobiography.  I understand from what he tells us all in the mainstream world what he expects from his players.  I’ve heard him rake the team over the coals and I’ve heard him take the blame for something that’s a million miles from being his fault.  And this is what I’ve come to learn: If you listen to Coach Williams and then do what he tells you, you win the dadgum ballgame.  Should I repeat that to make sure everyone heard it? If you listen to Coach Williams and then do what he tells you, you win the dadgum ballgame. The man has been to more Final Fours than he has fingers on one hand.  He has two national championship rings.  HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT, BOYS!

I realize we were all spoiled the last 4 years of Carolina basketball to have a team of players that just flat out read each others’ minds.  I’m not expecting you to be Tyler, Wayne, Danny, and Ty.  I’m expecting you to be Will, Larry, Deon, Marcus, and Ed.  I’m expecting you to listen to each others’ movements and react to them the way you’ve been taught.  I know a lot of people have compared this team to the 2006 team after the championship, but WOW…that team lost 6 games all season.  They hadn’t lost 4 games until January 22nd of that season…and guess how many seniors were on that team: 2…and one of them was Byron Sanders.

I’m not saying you have to be great or spectacular or anything like that.  But I’m expecting you to compete.  I’m expecting you to care about who you play for.  I’m expecting you to listen and check your personal agendas at the door.  Take this kick in the teeth and find a way to stop doing what you’ve been doing out there.  Cause it ain’t workin.  Incidentally, players, quoting the pearls of wisdom from your coach is only cute if you’re actually doing what you’re quoting.

Now…I know some of you might say, man you’re a horrible fan, but think about it.  What kind of fan am I if I just sit here watching and gloss over the elephant in the room?  There are a lot of people out there saying, “oh y’all will be ok.  Just hang in there.”  Um…no!  You won’t be ok if you keep going the way you’re going.  I don’t believe in coddling the players and making them think everything is ok when it’s not.  They’re clearly not listening.  They clearly don’t care when they lose.  They clearly don’t care when they win despite how crappy they play.  That’s an attitude problem and certainly one that doesn’t belong anywhere near the hardwood.  So let’s stop pretending and let’s stop acting like everything is going to be ok.  Are they young? Yes.  Do they deserve a little slack? Absolutely. But, ask yourself this…are they using being young and deserving slack as a crutch or are they ACTUALLY WORKING TO BECOME WHAT WE KNOW THEY CAN BE? I still wouldn’t want to be a fan of any other team (besides my alma mater, Alabama), but to use something my mother used to tell me: I always love you, I just don’t always love what you do. Call me a bad fan if you want, but personally, I think I’m just saying what we’re all REALLY thinking.

Ok…this week there were a couple good ones, so I’m posting two.

"Look, Dallas, I only started the game to get you your 100 reception season, so you better catch this dang ball cause I'm freezing my tuccus off out here."

"I wonder if it would be inconsiderate to hit the showers and watch the rest of the game in the locker room. I mean Curtis Painter's gonna look horrible whether I'm on the sidelines or not."

We did it.  Dallas Clark was announced last night as a member of the AFC roster for the 2010 Pro Bowl.  And not just that he received the 6th most votes overall for the entire league and the top vote getter for all tight ends!!!  I’m terribly excited for him even though I hope more so that he doesn’t get to play in the game.  The NFL has moved the Pro Bowl to the Sunday before the Super Bowl, so any players on the Pro Bowl roster who are playing in the Super Bowl the following week are not permitted to participate in the actual Pro Bowl game.  They still get the recognition of being voted to it though.  And I’m holding out hope that the Colts will be representing the AFC on February 7th in the Super Bowl.

Thank you to everyone who read this previous post and acted on my request to vote for Dallas as much as you could.  I greatly appreciate you all for joining with me in this “crusade.”

My favorite catch of Dallas’s this season:

And as the Colts website says:

THE WAIT IS OVER
By John Oehser – Special to Colts.com

Colts TE-Dallas Clark Headed to First Pro Bowl
INDIANAPOLIS – Dallas Clark long ago stopped worrying about post-season awards.

Even if he had worried, he needn’t anymore, because on Tuesday, the Colts’ seven-year veteran tight end received one of the NFL’s biggest honors of all.

Clark, a first-round selection in the 2003 NFL Draft who has been a critical part of one of the NFL’s premier offense for the last half decade, not only was named to his first Pro Bowl, he was named to the AFC’s team as a starter.

“I don’t even know when it’s announced,” Clark said last week. “Whatever happens, happens. I’ve had a couple of years where it would have been nice to go and I’d maybe made a case to go, but it’s a tough thing to sell with so many great talents in the league at tight end.

“I’ve learned, and it’s not my focus anymore. There are a lot of guys in the league who deserve to go and don’t. It doesn’t take away from the honor, but it’s not like a player has a disappointing year if he doesn’t go.

“There are one or two players on each team who have great years and deserve to go and it doesn’t work out.”

Clark, who is in the midst of one of the biggest statistical seasons for a tight end in NFL history, was among six Colts players named to the game, with the others being quarterback Peyton Manning, defensive end Dwight Freeney, wide receiver Reggie Wayne, defensive end Robert Mathis and center Jeff Saturday. All but Saturday earned starting honors.

Manning was the leading vote-getter in the fan vote, while Clark was the sixth-leading vote-getter overall and first among tight ends.

Wayne was the 10th-leading vote-getter overall, second among wide receivers.

Freeney led the fan voting among defensive ends.

Clark, who has caught 349 passes for 4,136 yards and 41 touchdowns in seven NFL seasons, has 93 passes for 1,054 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. The receptions and yards are career-highs, and the 10 touchdowns are one shy of his 2007 career-high.

He caught 58 passes for 616 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2007, then followed that with a 77-reception, 848-yard, six-touchdown season last season. This season, he is nine receptions short of the NFL record for single-season receptions by a tight end, a record set by Tony Gonzalez of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004.

Gonzalez made the last 10 Pro Bowls with the Chiefs and Antonio Gates of San Diego made the last five, but Clark this season had the biggest statistical season among tight ends, with Gonzalez catching 80 passes for 837 yards and six touchdowns with the Atlanta Falcons of the NFC.

“It’s been a great year, I think he’s well-deserved,” Caldwell said of Clark Monday. “He’s had some tough competition over the years. There have been some guys at the position that have played really well. I think this year when you look at Dallas and his body of work, he’s certainly deserving.”

Manning, a three-time Associated Press National Football League Most Valuable Player, was named to the game for the eighth consecutive year and for the 10th time overall. Manning made the game in 1999-2000 and from 2002 through this season. The 10 nominations tied the club QB mark of Hall-of-Famer John Unitas. His eight consecutive Pro Bowl bids tie the club marks of Unitas, OG/T-Jim Parker and WR-Marvin Harrison. He has completed 379 passes for 553 yards and 33 touchdowns with 15 interceptions for a 101.0 passer rating.

Freeney, who has 13.5 sacks this season, made the game from 2003-05, and made it this season for a second consecutive season and fifth overall. He has 20 pressures and pass defensed and a forced fumble this season, and he also had a sack in each of the season’s first eight games. Dating to last season, he had a sack in nine consecutive games, one shy of the NFL record.

Freeney’s 13.5 sacks this season rank as the second-highest total in franchise history. He had a franchise-record 16 sacks in 2004 and 13 as a rookie in 2002.

Wayne, who has had more than 1,000 yards each of the last six seasons, made the game for a fourth consecutive season. He has 95 catches for 1,243 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, his third career season with 10 or more touchdown receptions.

He had game-winning fourth-quarter touchdown receptions against New England, San Francisco and Jacksonville.

Saturday, who made the game from 2005-07, after several seasons in which many around the Colts and the NFL believed he was worthy of going, made the game for a fourth time. He missed six games last season with injuries and has started 15 this season. Saturday has anchored a line that has surrendered only 12 sacks in 578 pass attempts, and the club’s passing offense leads the league in yards per game. The offense has produced its 12th consecutive season with 5,000+ total net yards.

Mathis, who made the game for the first time last season, had 9.5 sacks this season before missing this past Sunday’s game against the New York Jets. He also has a team-high 23 quarterback pressures and five forced fumbles.

The club’s six selections tie the second-most ever in the club’s Indianapolis era. The Colts had six selections in 1987 and 2007, while the team had eight nominees in 2005.