Colts Observations, Week 9

Two games over .500. I originally thought the Colts would be lucky to win three games this season. After seeing Luck play in the preseason, I upgraded that to five or six wins. Now they're 5-3 and knocking on the playoff door in a weak AFC. I'm impressed with how hard the team is playing...and it goes to show that having something to play for means everything.

Rookie passing record. Luck threw for 433 yards Sunday, eclipsing the single-game rookie record held by Cam Newton. Luck may have beaten that record by only a yard, but he wins the maturity game by about eight million points.

Dwayne Allen is a bad, bad man. The Colts' decision to grab a second tight end in the draft left me (and many other people) baffled. I can see why they grabbed Allen when he was available. He's fast and powerful...a great target for Luck to have.

Reggie bein' Reggie. Seven more catches for 78 more yards and a great touchdown grab for the resurgent Reggie Wayne. Most impressive? He did it this week without his magic orange gloves.

Effective ground game. Note that effective doesn't mean "great" or "dominant." The Colts ran the ball against the Dolphins in a few key situations. Delone Carter seemed particularly effective on some runs up the middle. They didn't crack 100 yards (as a team, the Colts rushed for 97 yards), but the Horseshoes ran just enough to keep the defense honest.

Two 100-yard days. Both Donnie Avery and T.Y. Hilton finished with more than 100 yards receiving. Hilton's day included a spectacular "go up and get it" touchdown grab (along with a dropped "gimme" touchdown); Avery's day included a terrific diving catch (along with a not-so-terrific attempt at a sideline grab in which the defense knocked the stuffing out of him).

"The most accurate kicker in the NFL..." Listen, Adam Vinatieri is good. You can't deny that. He's not having a good season, however. He missed two more field goals against the Dolphins...and has now missed six field goals on the year. He hasn't reached Kyle Brindza (sorry, Notre Dame fans) levels of concern, but the Colts need points whenever they can get 'em.

Second-half defense? The Colts allowed only three points in the second half after surrendering 17 at halftime. At one point, I commented that it looked like they'd have to score 30 points to beat the Dolphins. In the third and fourth quarters, the Colts clamped down defensively, coming up with enough stops to keep the game from getting out of control.

Say, could we get a turnover? While the defense didn't let the Dolphins put up a bunch of yardage in the second half, they also failed to create a turnover. Given that the new scheme is supposed to feast on confusing quarterbacks and generating turnovers with aggressive play, I'm a little concerned by this.

Third down efficiency. The Colts converted on 13 of 19 third down opportunities--many of them were third-and-long situations. On repeated occasions, Luck coolly delivered first-down pass to an open receiver. The kid was absolutely on fire.

Finally hitting them deep. If there was one part of Luck's game that wasn't coming together consistently, it was the deep ball. It wasn't that he didn't have the arm to get it there, but he seemed off target. He hit Avery and Hilton on long plays...and darn near hit Hilton for another big pass. If he gets the long throws down consistently, watch out.

Freeman tackling machine deactivated. Jerrell Freeman had a quiet day (for him), credited with only two tackles. It's only noticeable because the guy averages just under a billion tackles a game.

Zero turnovers. When you talk about the offensive side of the game, this is a good thing. The Colts didn't fumble the ball or throw an interception. That helped offset a bad day from a penalty perspective (11 penalties for 91 yards). I should probably mention that there were a couple close calls from an interception standpoint.

Keep 'em busy. The Colts ran 75 plays to Miami's 58 plays. Much was made of the Dolphins go-go-go-go offensive tempo, but the Colts more than matched it.

"D" in Dolphins? Of what I'd heard about the Miami Dolphins this week, it was that they had one of the most underrated and talented defenses in the league. By the third quarter, they were gassed and running on fumes. I will say the Colts would've put up 35 points against a lesser defense. Yet, Luck still threw for 433 yards.

Vick Ballard, closer. Last week, the Ballard-Copter had liftoff, lifting the Colts to an overtime win on the road. This week, the rookie running back was more reserved (60 yards on 16 carries), but he saved his best for last: a powerful, third-down run that made sure Miami wouldn't get the ball back. When it was all said and done, Ballard--with defenders draped all over him and teammates pushing the pile as he backed himself upfield for more yards--covered 19 yards and broke Miami's back.

Inspiring words. The Colts didn't live their circumstances; they lived their vision. I don't need to write another word about that.

III Crimsonstreak Progress

After about a week of writing, I've cracked the 13,000-word mark on the third Crimsonstreak book. You see, II Crimsonstreak ends with a cliffhanger, thus necessitating the need to resolve said cliffhanger. As I prepared that book for submission, all the characters--Crimsonstreak, Jaci, Falcon Gray, etc.--got into my head.

I decided it was time to draft my next book. I started to write III Crimsonstreak: Speed Kills (the subtitle will change--sorry, John Madden fans). While it's been hard to find writing time (I work full time and teach a college class as well), I've been able to pound out 2,000 words here and 1,200 words there. I hope that being to write in these steady, little chunks will help me reach my target of 85,000 words. Like the other two books, III Crimsonstreak will feature appendices...although I don't know what kind of "extra" content I'll add.

I anticipate this will be the final adventure featuring Crimsonstreak. That can always change (we're going to see new Star Wars movies after all). The last "planned" Crimsonstreak book is actually a spinoff, Mortimer: International Man of Taste and Intrigue. That's right...everyone's favorite butler will get his own book chronicling his career with the Crusading Comet.

30 for 30: Rocket

"What if I told you...the legend before the legend?"

I love ESPN's 30 for 30 series of sports documentaries. Even when I'm not familiar with the subject matter (or interested in it), these films find ways to be compelling and connect on a level that goes beyond sports.

If I had the power to create my own 30 for 30, I'd focus on the Indianapolis Colts. Some people would probably think I'd go for the Manning Era--and there are certainly many compelling stories to tell from that amazing run. In fact, I expect we'll see a documentary in 15 or 20 years called The Breakup or The Divorce chronicling the rise and fall of Peyton Manning's career with the Colts.

Let someone else tell that story.

If given the chance to write or direct my own 30 for 30, I'd go back to a time before Manning, an unforgettable run by a scrappy team that refused to die. A team that came within one pass of making one of the most unlikely Super Bowl appearances in the history of the NFL.

I would tell the story of the 1995-1996 Indianapolis Colts.

This was the team that inspired my never-ending love for the Colts. For much of my life before that year, I wasn't all that interested in football. When I did root for an NFL team, I pulled for Boomer Esiason and the Cincinnati Bengals. As the years passed, the Bengals became less and less relevant.

Then the Colts got Jim Harbaugh. I loved Harbaugh. I don't know why I loved Harbaugh, but I did. I don't have to explain why and couldn't if I tried. Harbaugh was my guy. Thing is, Jimmy started out as the backup QB. The Colts acquired Craig Erickson, a move that was supposed to be a big-time one for the club. Erickson struggled. Harbaugh came off the bench to rally the team on multiple occasions.

"Captain Comeback" was born. Badgered and chased out of Chicago after a disappointing career (and a memorable tiff with coach Mike Ditka), Harbaugh seemed ready to accept life as a backup after the Erickson deal. When Erickson struggled, Harbaugh rallied the team in memorable fashion, leading the Colts to four comeback wins (at the New York Jets, at the Miami Dolphins and at home against the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots).

His comeback wasn't just in individual games--Harbaugh resuscitated his career by playing loose and living Ted Marchibroda's credo to "let 'er rip." The Colts finished the season 9-7, shocking the NFL by making the playoffs and defeating heavily-favored San Diego and Kansas City on the road.

It set the stage for an AFC Championship Game at Three Rivers Stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers--a game packed with dramatic moments made for a 30 for 30 documentary.

There was Quentin Coryatt's interception that could've ended the game. A run by Lamont Warren (backing up injured Marshall Faulk) that could've picked up a key first down to drain time off the clock. Instead, a blitzing Pittsburgh cornerback who wasn't even supposed to blitz managed to trip up Warren, forcing the Colts to punt. A blown call resulted a Pittsburgh touchdown when Kordell Stewart stepped out of bounds right in front of an official but no one saw it (except for everyone in the stands and cameras from every conceivable angle).

The Steelers scored with about a minute and a half left to take a 20-16 lead. Harbaugh and the Colts had the ball at their own 15 yard line. After picking up first downs with a few completions and a scramble, Harbaugh clocked the ball at the Pittsburgh 29 yard line with five seconds left.

One last shot at glory.

When the play came in, Harbaugh gave it to the rest of the team. "Rocket" was the call. For the football layman, it's the desperation heave. The last-gasp play. The Hail Mary. I can still see Harbaugh in my mind's eye, his hand bleeding from an injury, a prizefighter who'd gone too many rounds. He'd taken body blows, staggered back, almost been put to the mat.

He got up like he always had.

I believed. A run like this simply couldn't end. Harbaugh would rally. We called him Captain Comeback for a reason.

He took the snap and scrambled like he always did, rolling out to avoid the rush, teasing the defense with the possibility of making a play with his feet.

There would be no scramble.

Not this time; time wasn't on his side.

Harbaugh launched it toward the end zone. I watched. I waited. I hoped.

That ball hung up forever--part of me still sees it in the sky above Three Rivers, promise suspended in infinity. But what goes up must come down.

Right on Aaron Bailey's chest. He had it--and then he didn't. The ball fell to the ground, its silence deafening.

A Hail Mary, a prayer falling on deaf ears. Rocky losing to Creed by decision.

One last shot.

Harbaugh would lead the Colts to the playoffs the next year before suffering through an injury-plagued season in 1997-1998, when the Colts finished 3-13. His final comeback attempt--a game against the Minnesota Vikings--would also fall short, assuring the Colts of the first pick in the NFL Draft.

For those three seasons, Jim Harbaugh was my legend. I've never forgotten him, even though another legend rose to replace him.

They often say there was no football in Indianapolis before a young Volunteer arrived. And while he broke records and erected a football cathedral in Indianapolis, my legend came first.

"What if I told you...the legend before the legend?"