Talk:Indianapolis Colts/Archive 1

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In response to this paragragh

"The team that is currently the Indianapolis Colts can be said to have had a long trip to get to where they are today. Officially the NFL considers the Colts to have began play in 1953 in Baltimore. That team had previously been the Boston Yanks 1944-48, New York Bulldogs 1949, New York Yanks 1950-51 and the Dallas Texans 1952. Meanwhile, there was another team called the Baltimore Colts who played one season in the NFL 1950. That team had started out in AAFC in 1946 as the Miami Seahawks and had played from 1947 to 1949 as the Baltimore Colts in the AAFC."

No that can't be right. If the team in the NFL that was the Boston Yanks, NY Bulldogs, and NY Yanks became that Dallas Texans from 1944 to 1953, how can that be the same team from the AAFC that started as Miami Seahawks to Baltimore Colts in 1946 to 1949. The could not exist at the same time when the AAFC Baltimore Colts moved to the NFL and became Indianpolis in 1984. Then the NFL Dallas Texans (circa 1952 moved to become the Kansas City Chiefs in the early 1960's)

email calvinwbrown2002@yahoo.com

Calvin Brown

Calvin, everything that you just said is wrong. First of all, nobody ever said that the team that became the Dallas Texans was the same team that became the AAFC Baltimore Colts. The Miami Seahawks/Baltimore Colts folded after the 1950 season. The Dallas Texans were a completely different franchise that was never in the AAFC. They folded after the 1952 season. Secondly, the AAFC Baltimore Colts are not the current Colts. The current Colts debuted in 1953. Thirdly, the NFL Dallas Texans were not the same team as the AFL Dallas Texans (established 1960) who became the Chiefs.Politician818 23:44, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

Contents

Just a suggestion

The words "Drunken Bastard" should be inserted before "Irsay" in all places where the latter appears.

Maybe you should keep your suggestions to yourself.

HISTORY

Wrong!!! There were two Dallas Texans, 1952, became the Baltimore Colts, and the AFL Dallas Texans that became the Kansas City Chiefs, who still have the same owner. The Texans/Chiefs moved because of the then expansion Dallas Cowboys

Actually the Dallas Texans didn't become the Colts. They're two different franchises.Politician818 23:54, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

merging some stubs

The following "teams" seem to me good candidates to be merged into this article:

--MarSch 14:29, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)

  • Wrong as the NFL considers them seprate team.Smith03 16:25, 11 Jun 2005 (UTC)
  • I concur. Seperate teams, seperate articles. Zzyzx11 (Talk) 16:27, 11 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Improvement drive

National Football League is currently a candidate on WP:IDRIVE. Vote for it if you are interested!--Fenice 20:39, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Singular vs. Collective vs. Plural nouns

I've changed a few of the most egregious instances in which it is used as a singular noun (referring to the organization itself rather than the individual members) but with a plural verb. In some instances it's rather ambiguous, though. Kurt Weber 16:49, 12 December 2005 (UTC)

Quite frankly, this seems contradictory to American and British English differences#Singular and plural for nouns. Also, search the phrase "Indianapolis Colts are" in news.google.com and notice how it has more hits and more relevant articles in the specfic, proper context [1] than "Indianapolis Colts is" [2] Zzyzx11 (Talk) 17:07, 12 December 2005 (UTC)
Seems that this article from BBC also has "The Indianapolis Colts are". There is also this one on ESPN.com that says in the second paragraph, "The Indianapolis Colts are a team..." And this column from the Dallas Morning News "The Indianapolis Colts are a turf team built to play indoors, right?" Zzyzx11 (Talk) 17:13, 12 December 2005 (UTC)
Fair enough...not going to worry too much about it, but it is rather bothersome. Although, it is my understanding that since the article deals with a subject that is primarily of American interest, it is American English conventions that are to be used. Certainly, when the subject is not of any specific interest to speakers of a particular form of English, then there's no reason to go about changing it; it should just be left as originally written, unless someone changes the substance of it and uses the form with which he is accustomed rather than what was originally written. However, that is not the case here.
Furthermore, without context those examples you cited are useless. Whether "Indianapolis Colts" is a plural or singular noun depends on whether or not it's being used to refer to the entity itself as distinct from the individuals that make it up, or whether it's just being used to refer to the individuals collectivelly.
BTW, quit adding stuff. This is the second time I've got an edit conflict while trying to reply to this :D Kurt Weber 17:20, 12 December 2005 (UTC)
Yeah, I hate edit conflicts too... :-) Zzyzx11 (Talk) 17:26, 12 December 2005 (UTC)
Regardless of the strict grammar rules about collective nouns, I think there is a strong tendency to consider collective nouns like "Indianapolis Colts" as plural (multiple "colts") even though it is technically singular (one team). In fact, you'd probably get made fun of if you walked around saying things like "The Colts is the best team in the NFL!" The issue is more about the fact that it is a name that contains a plural noun, than whether it is plural, singular, collective or referred to as a group or as individuals. For example, you might "Indianapolis is a great team," but it would be very awkward to say "The Colts is a great team." Yet, "The Colts" and "Indianapolis" refer to the exact same thing. Peyna 02:53, 17 December 2005 (UTC)
This English Teacher's blog sheds some light on the issue, maybe... [3]. Peyna 02:55, 17 December 2005 (UTC)
  • One of these points might become moot soon (hopefully in less than an hour from now) as I am thinking about working something like "The Indianapolis Colts American football team" into the lead sentence. Zzyzx11 (Talk) 03:00, 17 December 2005 (UTC)

Creation of a separate Baltimore Colts (1953-1983) page

I would like to say, as a Baltimoron in denial, that there should be a creation of a Baltimore Colts (1953-1983) page, why you may ask? Because they are two separate teams, Johnny Unitas and all of the Baltimore Colts should be removed from "Not to be forgotten section", thank you for reading....--IAMTHETalkman 22:54, 14 January 2006 (UTC) ¡Still fighting for Baltimore!

For the same reason that the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants (baseball), St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Athletics, Kansas City Athletics, Dallas Texans (AFL), Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Raiders, Cleveland Rams, Los Angeles Rams, Boston Redskins, Minneapolis Lakers, St. Louis Hawks, Buffalo Braves, and Baltimore Bullets all redirect to their current cities. --rogerd 00:21, 15 January 2006 (UTC)
There seems to have been consensus to do as rogerd said, and follow what the NFL officially views as one continous franchise. That said, we have acknowledge on Baltimore Ravens that "many Baltimore fans who are still bitter about the Colts football team moving from Baltimore to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1984, along with many of the Colts' former players, view the pre-1984 Baltimore Colts organization and the Ravens as one continuous entity." Zzyzx11 (Talk) 00:50, 15 January 2006 (UTC)
And for that reason "....man B-more fans blah blah...." I made this userbox
IND This user does not recognize the Indianapolis Colts, but does recognize the Baltimore Colts.


  • On the other hand, if you pile enough content onto the "The NFL Baltimore Colts" section, we might have to split this article due to its large size... Zzyzx11 (Talk) 02:09, 14 February 2006 (UTC)
I too, deny the Indy Colts. Let's see if we can't come up with enough info to force the split.--The General 22:58, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

How could anyone possibly argue that the Ravens and the Baltimore Colts are the same franchise? Just because they're both from Baltimore? So the Colts had a twelve year gap in their franchise history? That makes absolutely no sense. The Colts are the Colts. Their move to Indianapolis angered many people, but the Baltimore Colts and the Indianapolis Colts are the same franchise.209.247.23.130 08:15, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

"Curse of Bob Irsay?" section

This section was added recently. Without references to back this up, the tone of it currently resembles original research. Zzyzx11 (Talk) 19:25, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

OR or not, it's certainly not notable or encyclopedic enough to mention in this article. I think the rest of the article covers the whole "pissed off a lot of people moving to Indy" POV, we don't need a whole section about whether or not they are cursed because of the move. Compared to other "curses", this one really isn't all that interesting. At most, it deserves a minor mention in the section on the move to Indianapolis, perhaps a line reading, "Some claim that the team is cursed as a result of the move; therefore offering an alternative explanation for the Colts' inability to compete well in the playoffs despite having a number of great players and continued regular season success." Peyna 20:01, 16 January 2006 (UTC)
Not to mention that there have only been 12 unique superbowl winners during that time, but there are 32 teams. Does that mean the other 20 teams are all cursed as well? Heck, the Curse of the Bambino wasn't even really talked about until it lasted for 70 years. Teams have droughts. Peyna 20:05, 16 January 2006 (UTC)
At least Curse of the Bambino cites sources. "Curse of Bob Irsay" does not. Zzyzx11 (Talk) 20:08, 16 January 2006 (UTC)
It's certainly not referred to frequently in any of the media, if at all. Very few referenced to "Curse of the Colts" almost all on message boards. Even fewer hits for "Curse of the Baltimore Colts." I think it's safe to remove the whole section until someone can provide with some information to back this up other than OR. Peyna 20:17, 16 January 2006 (UTC)
Maybe it's not a curse. Maybe they just suck. (We know about that here.) Trekphiler 14:48, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

I have removed the section and copied it's contents over to User:Pacholeknbnj/Curse of Bob Irsay until a decision can be made about how to handle it. Peyna 23:59, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

Slant of the article

It looks to me like this article definitely holds a heavy anti-Indianapolis, pro-Baltimore slant to it. I've modified a bit of it already to a more NPOV ("Refused to return the Colt's name, etc" -> "did not grant...", as it is the owner's property after all, and Baltimore never had ownership of those propers in order to warrant a return), but there's a long way to go. --Reverend Loki 18:08, 9 August 2006 (UTC)



That's not exactly anti-Indianapolis. Both Bob and Jim Irsay did refuse to return the Colt's name to Baltimore at seperate times. Bob Irsay insisted his franchise remain the Colts (and the NFL didn't push the issue, even though the NFL owns all names and logos). Jim Irsay refused to return the name and colors to Baltimore after the Modell move to that city. The NFL sided with Irsay, with Tagliabue deciding that 13 years in Indianapolis outweighed decades in Baltimore. I used to just blame the Irsays for the Colts name and colors being out of Baltimore, but during the ruckus over the Modell move I learned that the NFL owned the rights to all NFL names, logos, and colors. The owners own the franchise, but they can't name them whatever they want or change the logos whenever they feel like it. -JJK 31 OCT 06

I thought that the team name belonged to the team owner, and that the NFL only had the right to approve or disapprove of a team name. However, a quick search for the answer isn't providing much fruit. Do you happen to have a citation that states the NFL owns a team name?
Anyways, the argument misses the point - "refused to return" implies that the team name/colors belonged to the city of Baltimore. Whether the name belongs to the owner or the NFL, it doesn't belong to a city (except for maybe the Packers, but that's a very specific case). As is, there is nothing to "return" to the city, as the city never had possession in the first place. It's not an uncommon situation... that's why the Cardinals (NFL) are in Arizona, but the Cardinals (MLB) are in St. Louis. It's why the Lakers are in LA, which is not known for it's lakes, unlike Minnesota. It's why the Kings play in Sacremento and not in Kansas City, where the name not only fit in with the whole Royals/Chiefs theme, it also made for some nice alliteration. --Reverend Loki 22:42, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

With respect to the 2003 AFC Championship game against the Patriots; it shouldn't read that the officiating was widely criticized; it should say Colts fans criticized the officiating. If you want to state "widely criticized"; then you should use footnotes and sources as to who these people are who were critical of the officiating(outside of Bill Poulian and Indy season ticket holders). Jellotron

Redirect

Just wanted to let everyone know I redirected "the colts" to this article. --ClockFace 02:25, 12 September 2006 (UTC)

By the numbers

Can somebody add the year the jerseys were retired? (And did anybody know Donovan was the junior editor on "Lou Grant"?) Trekphiler 14:50, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

Nickname

Aren't there nicknames for this team? I know Gregg Easterbrook calls them the Lucky Charms and the Horsies, maybe there's an old time nickname for the colts? I don't think the Colts come from behind victory in the 2006 AFC Conference Championship game was the largest come from behind victory in AFC CC history. Just saw a thing on ESPN which listed several others that had higher point differences than this game had (18).

Home Games Blacked Out

There was a period of time when Colts home games were blacked out locally because Colts "fans" couldn't sell out the RCA Dome, the smallest NFL stadium. I'm not sure of the exact period, however. [4]

Uncited statement

The article makes the claim that most former Baltimore Colts players consider the Ravens to be the continuation of the franchise. Is there a source for this?Politician818 23:53, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

Regarding championships

The Colts are listed as having four league championships. This is technically correct. However, shouldn't Wikipedia articles (for every team) make note of how many "world championships" a franchise has? For instance, the Colts have four league championships but only three world championships, as they lost to the Jets in Super Bowl III. (An NFL or AFL Championship from 1966-1969 is more like an NFC or AFC Championship today, as it wasn't the furthest that a team could go in those years.) I would argue that a world championship was an NFL Championship from 1920-1965 and a Super Bowl Championship from 1966-present. Therefore, the Colts have three. The Browns have four. The Titans have zero. The Vikings have zero. I'd like some feedback on this. (I won't make any insertions into articles until I find a cited source agreeing with me and/or receive feedback.)Politician818 00:03, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

The years in Indianapolis

This section needs some editing to make it flow a little better. I am not the right person for the job. Anyone want to give it a try? Steve Vinson 04:16, 4 December 2006 (UTC)Steve Vinson

(I've written an expansion for this section, using the source that Thejyav added below, along with several others listed at the end. I don't have permission to edit this article myself, but I'd like to put this forward as a proposal. Feel free to promote this to the main page, edit it, or disregard it completely...)

Lafollettea 21:39, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

The city of Indianapolis gave the Colts an enthusiastic welcome, as the franchise received 143,000 requests for season tickets in the first two weeks. However, the franchise remained mired in mediocrity for much of the next decade. After finishing 4-12 in their inaugural season at the Hoosier Dome, Head Coach Frank Kush was fired and replaced by Rod Dowhower. The Colts improved slightly to 5-11 in 1985 and led the AFC in total rushing yards, but then lost 13 straight games to open the 1986 season and Coach Dowhower was replaced by Ron Meyer. The Colts rebounded to win the final three games of the season.

In 1987, the Colts' fortunes improved after a blockbuster midseason trade that brought All-Pro RB Eric Dickerson to Indianapolis from the Los Angeles Rams and sent the Colts' top draft pick Cornelius Bennett to the Buffalo Bills. The Colts finished the strike-shortened season with a 9-6 record and clinched the AFC East title before falling to Cleveland 38-21 in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.

In 1988, Dickerson became the first Colt since Alan Ameche in 1955 to win the NFL rushing title, and the Colts treated Indianapolis to its first ever Monday Night Football game by thrashing the Denver Broncos 55-23 on Halloween night. However, the Colts finished the season 9-7 and narrowly missed the playoffs. They finished 9-7 again in 1989, losing a playoff spot on the final day of the season in an embarrassing 41-6 home loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Prior to the 1990 season, the Colts traded Pro Bowl OT Chris Hinton, standout Rookie WR Andre Rison, and several draft picks to the Atlanta Falcons for the first pick of the 1990 draft so they could choose quarterback Jeff George, an Indianapolis native. George quickly proved to be a controversial figure among Colts fans, as he held out for what was, at the time, the largest rookie contract in NFL history and subsequently struggled to live up to expectations. Eric Dickerson also stirred controversy by boycotting training camp and racking up fines and suspensions for conduct detrimental to the team. Amid the distractions, the Colts stumbled to a 7-9 finish in 1990 and suffered through a terrible 1-15 season in 1991 with Ron Meyer being replaced midseason by Interim Coach Rick Venturi.

In 1992, the Colts traded Dickerson to the Los Angeles Raiders and brought back Ted Marchibroda for his second stint as head coach. The team improved substantially to 9-7, narrowly missing the playoffs, but key injuries to the defense and continuing woes on offense (including 20 straight quarters without a passing touchdown) led to a disappointing 4-12 campaign in 1993. George, who had courted further controversy by making an obscene gesture toward fans, was traded to Atlanta during the offseason.

Faced with a restless fan base and declining attendance, the Colts retooled before the 1994 season by hiring the Chicago Bears' Bill Tobin to be `Vice President of All Football Operations', drafting highly touted RB Marshall Faulk, and signing QB Jim Harbaugh. The Colts improved to 8-8 in 1994, missing the playoffs yet again, but the pieces were finally in place for Indianapolis to make a run in the NFL Playoffs.

1995-1997:

The 1995 campaign started slowly, with losses in two of the first three games, but the Colts picked up momentum after Jim Harbaugh was elevated to starting quarterback. The offensive unit gelled around a strong running game featuring Marshall Faulk and the precise passing of Harbaugh, who had the highest quarterback rating in the NFL. The much-improved defense, led by Tony Siragusa, Quentin Coryatt, and "Big Play" Ray Buchanan, also contributed to the team's resurgence. After a string of stirring come-from-behind victories, Harbaugh earned himself the nickname "Captain Comeback," and the "Cardiac Colts" slipped into the final AFC Wildcard spot with a 9-7 record.

Despite facing the daunting task of winning three straight road games against teams with superior records, and dealing with an injury to their star player Faulk, Indianapolis came within inches of its first Super Bowl. After a 35-20 win over the Chargers in San Diego, the Colts traveled to Kansas City and stunned the top-seeded Chiefs 10-7 in cold and rainy weather. In the AFC Championship game at Pittsburgh, the Colts led late in the fourth quarter before a late touchdown by the Steelers put them behind 20-16. Harbaugh drove the Colts into Pittsburgh territory, but this comeback fell short as the last-second Hail Mary pass bounced off wide receiver Aaron Bailey's shoulder pads before falling to the turf.

Despite the previous season's success, the Colts offered Coach Marchibroda only a one-year contract and he chose instead to return to Baltimore and coach the Ravens. Under new head coach Lindy Infante the Colts picked up where they left off and opened the 1996 season with four straight wins, including a 25-24 upset of the defending Super Bowl champion Cowboys in Dallas. But after a rash of key injuries, the Colts stumbled to another 9-7 finish and a first-round playoff loss at Pittsburgh.

Long-time owner Robert Irsay passed away prior to the 1997 season, leaving his son Jim to run the franchise. He took over a team that was once again in disarray, as Harbaugh injured his hand in an on-field altercation with Buffalo QB Jim Kelly, and the Colts endured a dismal 3-13 season. Irsay decided to make a clean break with the past, bringing in Bill Polian to run the football operations and hiring Jim Mora as the new head coach. With the first pick in the NFL Draft the Colts selected Peyton Manning, a star quarterback from the University of Tennessee. Unlike many previous draft decisions, this one has rarely been second-guessed by Colts fans.

1998-2001:

The Colts immediately named Manning their starter, and he made a promising debut by passing for 3,739 yards in 1998. However, the Colts continued to struggle and once again finished 3-13. Prior to the 1999 season, the Colts made a change at running back by trading Marshall Faulk to the St. Louis Rams and drafting Edgerrin James in the 1st round. The Colts offense caught fire in 1999, as James earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors with 2,159 All-Purpose Yards and 17 Touchdowns, and Manning racked up 4,135 passing yards. The Colts won their first AFC East title since 1987 with a 13-3 record. Indianapolis hosted the Tennessee Titans in the first ever playoff game at the RCA Dome, but the Titans shut down the Colts' high-powered offense and prevailed 19-16 on their way to winning the AFC title.

In 2000, the Colts continued to win games with their fast-paced no-huddle offense. Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, and wide receiver Marvin Harrison led the AFC in passing, rushing, and receiving yards respectively, and all three were first-team Pro Bowl selections. However, the defense struggled and often failed to protect leads in the fourth quarter. The Colts won their last three games to finish 10-6 and secure a playoff berth. In the Wild Card round at Miami, the Colts jumped out to a 14 point lead in the 3rd Quarter, but the Dolphins came back to force overtime and eventually defeated the Colts 23-17. With this loss, Coach Jim Mora fell to an 0-6 career record in the playoffs.

The Colts got off to a 2-0 start in 2001, but the defense continued to struggle and a season-ending knee injury to Edgerrin James ended any hope of reaching the playoffs. Peyton Manning passed for 4,131 yards, but he struggled with interceptions and was harshly criticized in public by Coach Mora. The defense finished last in the NFL in total yards and points allowed, and the Colts finished with a disappointing 6-10 record. Following the season, the Colts fired Mora and selected Tony Dungy as their new Head Coach, counting on his reputation as an excellent defensive coach to turn the team's performance around.

2002 season:

The Colts finished the first half of the 2002 season 4-4, as Edgerrin James continued to be slowed by injuries and the defense continued to struggle, but they rallied with a 4-game winning streak that included a dramatic comeback win at Denver, with Mike Vanderjagt kicking a 54-yard field goal in the snow at the end of regulation to force overtime, and then kicking a 51-yard game-winner. The Colts ended the season 10-6, good for second place in the newly created AFL South and a Wild Card berth, but the campaign ended on an ugly note in a 41-0 playoff thrashing by the New York Jets at the Meadowlands. Marvin Harrison set an NFL record with 143 receptions and Peyton Manning once again threw for over 4000 yards, but Manning also threw 19 interceptions in the regular season and tossed two more in the playoff loss. In the wake of his third straight playoff defeat, many experts expressed doubts about Manning's big game ability.

2003 season:

The Colts opened the 2003 season with a 9-6 road win over the Cleveland Browns and went on to win their first 4 games. Week 5 saw a homecoming for Coach Tony Dungy as the Colts faced his former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on Monday Night Football. The Colts trailed 35-14 with 5 minutes left, but Manning led 3 quick Touchdown drives to tie the game and force overtime, where Mike Vanderjagt concluded the stunning comeback with a field goal to defeat the defending Super Bowl Champions 38-35. A week later the Colts would stumble at home by blowing a 4th Quarter lead of their own in an overtime 23-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

After winning 4 of their next 5 games, the Colts faced the New England Patriots at home in a matchup between two of the AFC's top teams. Trailing 17-0 early, the Colts fought back to cut the lead to 38-34, and had the ball first and goal in the final minute. With 4 attempts to score, the Colts could not get in the end zone and the Pats prevailed. The Colts bounced back the next week, beating the Tennessee Titans 29-27 to take the lead in the AFC South. The Colts went on to win 2 of their last 3 games and finish with a 12-4 record and the division title. Peyton Manning finished with 4,267 yards passing and was named NFL Co-MVP with Titans QB Steve McNair.

In the playoffs, Peyton Manning and the Colts broke their streak of playoff disappointments as Manning passed for 377 yards and 5 Touchdowns in a dominating 41-10 victory over the Denver Broncos, which marked the first home playoff win for the Colts since moving to Indianapolis. The Colts followed this by defeating the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs on the road in a 38-31 shootout, marking the second week in a row that the Colts offense was not forced to punt.

In the AFC Championship game, the Colts were defeated 24-14 by the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots, with quarterback Peyton Manning throwing four interceptions in a game which was widely criticized for its minimal officiating (only seven penalties were called during the entire game, six of them were pre-snap fouls). This led to a reinterpretation of the "bump rule" for the 2004 season. Commonly referred to as the "Colts Rule" or the "Pollard Rule" named so for the non-call on Willie McGinest's rough handling of Colts' TE Marcus Pollard on the Colts' final offensive drive. The Pollard Rule led to a large increase in defensive pass interference calls the following season.

[5] [6] [7] [8]

From Sportsecyclopedia.com [9]

1984: While Baltimore was angry over the Colts midnight move, fans in Indianapolis were there to great the arriving Mayflower trucks with cheers. The Colts would sell 143,000 season tickets in just the first 2 weeks of ticket sales. On September 2nd the Colts played their first game at the Hoosier Dome against the New York Jets. However, Colts fans would go home disappointed as the Jets won 23-14. Losing would be a habit for the Colts in their first season in Indianapolis, as Frank Kush was fired before the final game of the season as the Colts sat at 4-11. The Colts would lose their final game of the season with Hal Hunter performing the coaching duties to finish with a disappointing 4-12 record.

1985: Under new Coach Rod Dowhower, the Colts continued to struggle losing 11 of their first 14 games. However the Colts would end the season on a strong note winning their final 2 games to finish with a 5-11 record. The lone bright spot of the season was LB Duane Bickett, who won the Defensive Rookie of the year after being the Colts 1st Round pick in the draft.

1986: The Colts season as over before it ever started as they lost their first 13 games of the season. Making matters worse was that only 2 of the losses were by less then a Touchdown. After their 13th loss Coach Rod Dowhower was fired and replaced by Ron Meyer. The move would work as the Colts won the last 3 games of the season under Meyer.

1987: The Colts get off to a 0-2 start before the players went on strike. During the replacement games the Colts scabs played well, winning 2 of their 3 games. When the regulars returned the Colts improved to 3-3 with a win over the New England Patriots. Prior to playing their next game the atmosphere surrounding the Colts changed dramatically, when they acquired star RB Eric Dickerson in a 3-team deal on Halloween. Playing without Dickerson the next day the Colts improved to 4-3 with a win in New York over the Jets. In just 8 games with Colts Dickerson rushes for 1,011 yards as the Colts go 5-3 to win the Division with a 9-6 record. However in the Divisional Round the Colts were defeated by the Browns 38-21 in Cleveland.

1988: The Colts stumble out of the gate losing 5 of their first 6 games. However the Colts would rebound to win their next 5 games, including the first Monday Night Game at the Hoosier Dome on Halloween, in which Eric Dickerson show cased his talents in a 55-23 mauling of the Denver Broncos. The Colts would go on to finish with a 9-7 record, as Eric Dickerson won the rushing title with 1,659 yards rushing. However, the Colts would miss out on the playoffs by 1 game.

1989: Eric Dickerson has another stellar season rushing for 1,311 yards, while surpassing the 10,000-yard mark in his career. However, the Colts only play mediocre football, and sit at 8-7 needing to win the final game of the season to make the postseason. Unfortunately, the Colts were never even in the game losing 41-6 to the Saints in New Orleans.

1990: The Colts do some draft day wheeling and dealing trading WR Andre Rison, and draft picks to the Atlanta Falcons so they could move up and draft Indianapolis native Jeff George, with the number 1 overall pick. George would have a stellar rookie season passing for 2,152 yards while throwing 16 TD passes. However, things were not as sunny for RB Eric Dickerson who held out of training camp, during a contract dispute. The Colts would end up suspending Dickerson 4 games for conduct detrimental to the team. He would return late in the season and rush for 677 yards, as the Colts finished with a 7-9 record.

1991: The Colts would get off to a miserable start losing their first 5 games before Coach Ron Meyer was fired and replaced by Rick Venturi. Under Venturi the Colts struggle would continue as they lost their first 4 under their new coach. The Colts would finally get their first win of the season on a cold and rainy afternoon in the Meadowlands, as the Beat the New York Jets by 1 point. That win would go on to be the Colts only win of the season finishing with an awful 1-15 record, as Eric Dickerson rushed for only 535 yards as the Colts scored an embarrassing 143 points on the season.

1992: To try and bring some gory back to the team the Colts hire Ted Marchibroda, who coached the team to 3 straight Division Titles in the late 70's, while in Baltimore. The Colts had two first-round draft picks and chose Steve Entman and Quentin Coryatt. On the same day of the draft they traded away RB Eric Dickerson ending a sometimes-stormy relationship, with their star RB. Before the season even started the Colts were rocked by tragedy when DE Shane Curry was shot to death outside a Cincinnati nightclub in a dispute over a car blocking the nightclub's driveway. After the chaotic off-season the Colts got off on the right foot beating the Cleveland Browns in the season opener at the Hoosier Dome. However in a puzzling move cut QB Mark Hermann who led the team in the win. With Jeff George back under center the Colts would win just 3 of their next 10 games. However the team would end the season on a strong not winning their final 5 games narrowly missing the playoffs with a 9-7 record.

1993: The Colts struggled all year from the lack of a running game, and a passing game, going at one point 20 quarters without a touchdown. The defense was not much better, as the Colts went 4-12 amid dwindling crowds. They ended the year with a 4-game losing streak, and had 8 losses in their last 9 games.

1994: The Colts shake up their entire team trading QB Jeff George to the Atlanta Falcons, and drafting RB Marshall Faulk in the first round of the NFL Draft. Faulk would have an impressive season first season winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year with 1,804 All-Purpose Yards. The Colts would play only mediocre football most of the season before winning 3 of their last 4 games to finish with an 8-8 record.

1995: After a 1-2 start Jim Harbaugh earns back the starting QB jobs and leads the Colts on wild ride that would see them finish 9-7 and qualify for the playoffs. In Harbaugh's first 3 games at QB He led the Colts to comeback wins in each of his first 3 starts earning him the nickname "Captain Comeback", and the team the "Cardiac Colts." Many of the Colts wins were close hard fought games that the gutsy Colts just pulled out by the strength of their wills. In the playoffs they were going to need allot more then wills, playing in the Wild Card round without RB Marshall Faulk. However, the Colts did not skip a beat and stunned the Chargers in San Diego 35-20. A week later the Colts were expected to go down again, but thanks to 5 missed FGs from Chiefs PK Lynn Elliot, the Colts pulled out a 10-7 win to advance to the AFC Championship in Pittsburgh. The Chiefs were underdogs again facing the Steelers with a trip to Super Bowl XXX on the line. The Colts would hang tough all game long but trailed 20-16, needing a miracle on the final play to win the game. From midfield Harbaugh would fire it up to the endzone and the ball bounced around in and out of the arms of WR Aaron Bailey's arms ending the Colts season.

1996: Following the Colts improbable playoff run, the team only offered Coach Ted Marchibroda a 1-year contract. The popular Marchibroda would turn it down and take the coaching job with the new Baltimore Ravens. The Colts would name Lundy Infante to replace him hoping he could get them back to the postseason. Under Infante the Colts got off to a fast start winning their first 4 games, including a 25-24 upset of the Cowboys in Dallas. However, the Colts would suffer a devastating string of injuries and would limp into the playoffs as the 6th seed with a 9-7 record. However, this time there was no postseason magic as their season ended in Pittsburgh with a 42-14 loss in the first round to the Steelers.

1997: Prior to the season Owner Robert Irsay passed away, leaving his son Jim to run the franchise. After 2 postseason appearances the Colts came crashing down to reality losing their first 10 games, in an injury plagued season. Indicative of the team's frustrating year was a hand injury QB suffered during a confrontation with Buffalo Bills QB Jim Kelly. The Colts would end up closing the season out with a 3-13 record, as Coach Lindy Infante was fired, and the front office was shaken up. The Colts would bring in Bill Polian to run the football operations, and Jim Mora to coach the team.

1998: Finishing with a 3-13 record enabled the Colts to draft QB Peyton Manning with the first overall draft pick. The Colts would institute Manning as their starter right away, as he had an impressive rookie season passing for 3,739 yards. However despite the stellar numbers from Manning the Colts struggled to their 2nd straight 3-13 season.

1999: The Colts would make a change at Running Back trading Marshall Faulk to the St. Louis Rams, and drafting Edgerrin James in the 1st round. The Colts offense would click right away with James who earned the Offensive Rookie of the Year with 2,159 All-Purpose Yards, and 17 Touchdowns. The In addition Peyton Manning racked up 4,135 passing yards as the Colts won the AFC East with an impressive 13-3 record. In the Divisional Playoffs the Colts hosted the Tennessee Titans in the first ever playoff game at the RCA Dome. However, the young Colts struggled in their first playoff game and were shutout in the 2nd half on the way to a heartbreaking 19-16 loss.

2000: The Colts offense had impressive moments, sprinting through defenders with a no-huddle attack that left their opponents little time to catch their breath, as Peyton Manning passed for 4,413 yards, and Edgerrin James collected 2,303 All-Purpose Yards. However the Colts defense was erratic, performing well, at time but more often gave up yards at crucial moments. Eight games into the season the Colts were 6-2, though some of the wins had been heart-stoppers with last-minute heroics overcoming earlier mistakes. Then they lost 4 of the next 5 games, and suddenly even making it into playoffs was in doubt. With 3 games left in the season the Colts only chance was to win all 3, which they did to finish with a 10-6 record. In the Wild Card round at Miami the Colts led the Dolphins by 14 in the 3rd Quarter. However, the Dolphins would comeback and force overtime where they stunned the Dolphins on a Lamar Smith TD run to pull out a 23-17 win, keeping Coach Jim Mora winless in the playoffs.

2001: The Colts would get off to a 2-0 start, but problems quickly arose, as the Defensive struggles continued during a 3-game losing streak. The Colts losing streak would end with a win over the Chiefs in Kansas City. However, the win would prove costly as Edgerrin James suffered a season ending knee injury. Without James the Colts would win only 3 of their final 9 games as team were able to score at will at the porous Colts defense, which ranked at the bottom in yards, and points allowed. Peyton Manning had another strong season passing for 4,131 yards. However he struggled with interceptions leading to harsh public criticism form Coach Jim Mora. The Colts would go on to finish with a disappointing 6-10 record. Following the season Mora would be fired after refusing to fire his defensive assistants. The Colts would go on to name defensive minded Tony Dungy as their new Head Coach, hoping with a stellar offense already intact he could make the Colts a complete team.

2002: The Tony Dungy era in Indianapolis would get off to a solid start as the Colts won 3 of their first 4 games. The Colts would then lose 3 straight and stood at the halfway with a mediocre 4-4 record. However they would quickly rebound with a 4 game winning streak that included a dramatic primetime win in on the road in the snow against the Denver Broncos with PK Mike Vanderjagt hitting a 54-yard FG with time winding down in regulation and a 51-yarders in overtime as the Colts beat the Broncos 23-20. The Colts would end up splitting their final 4 games to finish 2nd place in the newly created AFC South, with a solid record of 10-6, which was good enough for a Wild Card berth. Along the way WR Marvin Harrison set a NFL single season record with 143 receptions for 1,722 yards. However, the Colts playoffs appearance would be short and forgettable as they were mauled on the road by the New York Jets 41-0.

2003: After their horrific thud in the playoffs the experts doubted the big game ability of Colts QB Peyton Manning. Despite playing shaky football in their first game the Colts began the season with a 9-6 road win over the Cleveland Browns, as they won their first 4 games. Week 5 would be an emotional home coming for Coach Tony Dungy as the Colts faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a Monday Night Road Game. It was not going well for Dungy's against his former team as the Colts trailed with 5 minutes left 35-14. However the Colts would not give up as Manning led 3 quick Touchdown drives to tie the game and force overtime where Mike Vanderjagt gave the Colts a dramatic 38-35 win over the defending Super Bowl Champions. A week later the Colts would stumble at home b lowing a 4th Quarter lead in an overtime 23-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers. After winning 4 of their next 5 games the Colts found themselves in a match up of AFC elite against the New England Patriots at home. Trailing 17-0 early the Colts fought all game to tie the game at 31 early in the 4th Quarter. However the Pats answered back right away after being set up on a long kick off return. The Colts would cut the lead to 38-34, and had the ball first goal in the final minute. However 4 attempts the Colts could not get in as they dropped their 3rd game of the season. After their heartbreaking loss to the Pats the Colts bounced back nicely beating the Tennessee Titans 29-27 to capture a stranglehold on first place in the AFC South. The Colts would go on to win 2 of their last 3 games to finish the season with a solid 12-4 record, as Peyton Manning with 4,267 yards passing was named NFL Co-MVP with Titans QB Steve McNair. In the playoffs the Colts and Peyton Manning erased the perception they could not win a big game in convincing fashion as Manning passed for 377 yards and 5 Touchdowns in a dominating 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos which was the first home playoff win for the Colts since moving to Indianapolis. In the Divisional Round the Colts would hit the road facing the Kansas City Chiefs. Once again NFL MVP Peyton Manning was at the top of his game with 304 yards passing at 3 Touchdowns as the Colts outgunned the Chiefs 38-31 in a shootout in which for the second week in a row Punter Hunter Smith did not make a single punt. The win sent the Colts on to the AFC Championship game where they faced the New England Patriots. However the Colts magical run would come to an end on a cold snowy day in Foxboro as the Pats defense frustrated Manning all day intercepting the MVP 4 times on the way to a 24-14 win to advance to Super Bowl XXXVIII. --Thejyav 05:08, 26 January 2007 (UTC)