T-Minus 18 Days to Training Camp

but they won’t be by the talking heads. And you know what? That is OK. This team plays well when nobody gives them a chance. I don’t understand why everyone is counting them out because I think this can be one of the best Colt teams ever. I think a lot of people are going to be surprised.

That’s the great thing about football. You NEVER know what’s gonna happen on any given Sunday. But I do know this about the Colts, with Peyton Manning leading the offense, the SuperBowl is never out of the question.

No matter how many times we win 12 games or more, we are always projected around 5th going into the year. Predictions always have us dropping off just a bit and more than anything, no one is willing to put us in the elite first tier top 3. And on top of that, since we regularly win our first 5-8 games, no one really buys into us either until halfway through the year. It’s so much easier mentally being a bit of an underdog, and I say that mostly from the fan’s perspective. I’d rather have friends saying “yeah you guys look good but not great” instead of “you really have a good shot at a super bowl”.

So again, we will go into the season as really good but not quite great enough to win a super bowl or be projected in the top 3. By the time November rolls around everyone will realize how good we are. One loss will bring everyone back to their original opinion. And then…we win a super bowl.

Ahh…18 days

thats where this team is going. there have been mass improvements to the roster and I beleive several of last years plaers (yes that includes mike pollak BBS ;) ) will show there metal. The only thing that can bring this team down, as many of you mentioned, is a massacre of injuries to key players

Lots of teams look great on paper in July, when training camps haven’t started but their free agents are newly signed and draft picks all look spectacular in shorts. Everyone’s fans have reason for hope. Including us Colts fans.

Our new coach seems to be a fairly aggressive, stewardly type of guy who can hopefully inspire this team to get the best out of themselves each week. If he can do that, our talent, which is in my opinion among the best we have had in years, should be matched by our performance, giving us a great chance to reach 10 wins again and hopefully up to 12 or 13. But our coach has yet to prove himself at this level. Great position coaches and coaches in the wings don’t always translate on Sundays when the clock is ticking. I think we need to be patient and trust Polian and Dungy and Irsay got it right.

With regard to our place in national writers and talking heads leaderboard, it doesn’t matter if we are in the top 3 pre-season, or week 17. We just need to be in the top 6 after week 17. After that, we’ll see who does the better coaching, and executing. The season is just pre-season for the playoffs. We have 17 weeks for Mr. Caldwell, his staff and his players to get things right – so that when the real weeks 1-3 come around, week 5 of the post-season means something to us Colts fans.

Don’t get me wrong, I hate seeing the Colts every year stoned by the national media out of the top few places in the league prognosticating. But I also love when idiot talking heads make fools of themselves- like Collinsworth, Deion Prime Time and Adam Schein, always predicting loss after loss. It’s far better to be thought the fool, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt.

I can’t wait for the next 3 weeks to pass! Pads will go on, football will start back up with the Hall of Fame enshrinement and game and we’ll see the horseshoe on the side of heads again just 5 days later on a Friday night! And in 2 months real games start up. Can’t wait!

and the Ravens were a 2 seed.

It’s amazing how, by the addition of Randy Moss and Wes Welker, the Pats and Colts have seemingly changed positions in the NFL world. We used to always be the team that was the pre-season darling, with the high-powered offense, and with the holes in our defense that people would overlook. That is the Pats now.

The dynastic Pats were a deep team, with a reliable offense, and a solid, deep talented defense. Although the Colts defense is probably a more than “reliabe” at offense, and maybe not as talented at defense, they are quite similar.

I really see a 14-2 or 13-3 season. I feel that switching coaches, if you have a succesful team is really overrated, especially if it is known beforehand who the replacement will be (see: Seifert, George; replaced Bill Walsh, and the team went 14-2 in three of the next four years). This team, if it stays reasonably healthy, especially in Manning, Wayne, Freeney, Mathis and Brackett cases, should be damn good. The schedule isn’t so tough. We get the AFC East, a division that is nowhere as good as last year’s records indicated (except for NE, who we have beaten 4 out of 5, and get at home), and the NFC West which is probably the weakest NFC division. The division is tough, and going to Baltimore will be tough (except we own Baltimore), but overrall, not to bad.

Not only do we have alot to offer regarding the offense (Saturday’s back and healthy; no offseason surgery for Peyton; last year’s rooks having gained experience; hopefully Lilja is back; drafting 1st down Donald Brown; etc) but our defense is what REALLY has me excited this year. The “tweaks” promised by Coyer and Caldwell; having a few DTs weighing in at over 275lbs; Marlin coming back; its an odd-numbered year so Bobzilla will be good to go…

So MANY reasons to believe that this is the year! The depth we have this year is unlike any I’ve seen in the past – stat guys, do you agree?

So now I’m going to type it:

Barring injuries, we are SO good to go this year.

If the players believe in Caldwell, and buy into what Caldwell coaches and Coyer’s system, they sky is the limit.

damn keyboard

When it all the sudden becomes popular to either a) hate on the colts b) say they’re window’s closed, or c) my favorite, they are too old and will fall apart (even with one of the youngest rosters in the league).

I say 12-4, but not gonna predict postseason. Sorry. We are healthy. Dungy has faith in Caldwell as does Polian…and, um…the whole team. I’m on board with the guy, and has made great personnel moves. Peyton is the best in the league. Still. Donald Brown should be a badass while taking a load off Addai’s shoulders. I anticipate D.Williams/J.Stewart type production (not in yards, per se, but in the way they help the offense). Gonzo is the man, and Garcon and Collie will be great. Our ST is fixed, probably. How many more days????

I don’t see any less than 12 wins, barring a serious injury. With Indy, it’s always waiting for the postseason to see how we fare then.

I think that SD and NE will cruise through their divisions, and the postseason foes will be tough ones. Pittsburgh, San Diego, New England and a couple other teams from either the South or North. Nothing will come easy.

But it sure is great to have #18 under center.

should be to work in advance on a game plan for crushing the Chargers. Put those gigantic brains together over at 56th street and come up with something. Because their division is so soft, you just know they’ll be there in the post season. We just can’t lose to them AGAIN.