via cache.daylife.com

Game #1 takes us back to January 21, 2007, where the Colts battled to New England Patriots for the right to go to Super Bowl XLI.  Since you've all read Manning's Greatest Game #3, and you know it is Super Bowl XLI, I think you have an idea who wins this game.  Manning and the Colts had come off Battle of Field Goals win in Baltimore, and the Patriots beat the 14-2 and #1 seed Chargers.  Coming into the Playoffs, I had the exact same thoughts as BBS, in that the Colts would be hosting the Patriots for the AFC Title, and that was the Colts best shot at getting to the Super Bowl.  A round of applause is unnecessary.  Here's what BBS said:

The Colts will beat the Chiefs, and then they will play their next playoff game in Baltimore for the first time since the Baltimore fans abandoned the Colts, thus prompting them for Indy. The Colts will then beat the Ravens, and then square off in the AFC Championship game against... the Patriots. Yes folks. The Patriots will beat the heavily favored San Diego Chargers, and they will face the Colts in the AFC Championship Game in Indianapolis. The Colts will beat New England (again), and thus make the Super Bowl. A road through the AFC like this is storybook: Beleaguered run defense against Larry Johnson; Colts in Baltimore for the playoffs; Colts against Patriots in AFC Championship Game. In one swoop, all playoff demons get exorcized.

I thought that instead of explaining the details of a game everyone has seen multiple times probably, I thought I'd make this a video blog.  I've pulled clips from the game (well, almost exclusively from the second half), and I'll let the actual tape tell the story for me.  I'll interject with my thoughts at the time, as I'm sure they were very similar to yours.

The game started out very slow for the Colts, getting down 14-3 with about 10 minutes to go in the second quarter.  Then the unthinkable happened:  An Asante Samuel INT returned for a TD, putting the Patriots up 21-3, looking like they were on their way to another blowout victory of the Colts in the playoffs.  It got even worse for the Colts, as Manning was sacked on the first two plays of the next drive, and the Colts punted from their own end zone, giving the Patriots the ball near midfield.  The Patriots looked like they were going to put the game away with about 5 minutes to go in the half, but they decided to run an illegal pick play on a 3rd down, then got called for an illegal shift, then Brady got sacked, putting them back at mid field.  This was key for the defense, and gave the offense the ball back with about 3 minutes to go in the half.

The first two plays did absolutely nothing, and CBS was already starting to show that the Colts had no shot, as you can see for yourself in this video.  Personally, I think this is the biggest play in the game.  It was a catalyst for this drive, and gave the Colts a new life:

Continue reading this post »

Forgotten in all the silliness surrounding Peyton Manning's knee surgery is he has had a similar procedure before... in college. This is also the same knee then-Vikings rookie Chris Hovan rammed his helmet into during the 2001 pre-season. Manning has worn a brace on that knee for years, and despite what some people think, he's a pretty mobile QB. If there is one element of Manning's game that has dramatically improved from 2005 to now it is his ability to throw accurately on the run. This procedure shouldn't change that, no matter how much AFC South rivals secretly hope. Here are the links:

• 18 to 88 utterly destroys the closet Patriots fans site known as Cold Hard Football Facts and their Brady is Better than Peyton argument. I've crossed paths with CHFF many times, and I'll say now what I said then: They mostly live and work in Massachusetts favor the Patriots with their biased evaluations. They also insult and make a mockery of stat-based opinion columns with their hack pieces which use selective facts. These guys are frauds, and 18 to 88 exposes their opinions as such. Rather than use stats to form an opinion, CHFF forms an opinion and then fudges certain stats (and ignores others) to validate the opinion. For a community site to do that is unforgivable. If I wanted hackery of that kind, I'd watch ESPN. From 18 to 88: 

  The arguments by CHFF simply don’t hold up to scrutiny. In fairness, they were written before all the facts were in, thus illustrating the folly of trying to prove that one of these two brilliant players is better than the other at this stage. The original CHFF piece was biased and distorted the facts and statistics. They cited context when it suited them (to praise Brady for his heroics in the snow), but ignored it when it would serve to vindicate Manning. The original piece was deeply flawed and is essentially of no value. It was not incorrect in all it asserted, but even when it got something right (Brady has had less offensive talent around him for certain stretches of his career) the importance and degree of the claims was over-stated. In fairness to them, they have already eaten a lot of crow over the assumptions they made. This article serves as a way of showing exactly how unnecessary those mistakes were.

  Bravo to 18 to 88 for smacking these guys down with a giant-sized 2x4!
• NFL.com has an article up written by the man himself: Bill Polian. Rather than talk about the prognosticators and the pundits or take shots at the New England PAY-TREE-OTS, the best personnel man in the NFL reflects on training camps of years past. One memory is especially funny:

  At our current training site in Terre Haute, Ind., there's a lake, a little swimming and fishing pond, right outside the student union, where we eat our meals and where the offices are. The players don't have golf carts, because Tony and I learned our lessons from previous stops, but all the staff do. And, as part of our camp tradition, we have a phantom golf cart thief, who somehow absconds with a golf cart -- usually belonging to a senior administrator, sometimes a coach -- and puts it on a raft in the middle of the lake. So when you come out of your dorm in the morning, you'll find your golf cart is gone and it can usually be found on the raft in the middle of the lake.

  The thief is a player. I have my suspicions of who it is, but I haven't been able to prove it. I'm sure he has accomplices, but I think I know who the mastermind is. I have to catch him in the act, but he's far too smart for that.

  Of course, we all know who it is he's talking about.
• Pro Football Weekly talks Colts defense:

  However, word out of Indy is that the coaches are optimistic about the overall depth of the LB corps. Although more adept at operating in space on the weak side, second-year man Clint Session is the type of athletic gem that the coaches are eager to get a closer look at. Additionally, rookie MLB Philip Wheeler is believed to have enough versatility to play the strong side proficiently. Regardless of the positive long-term prognosis of the injured defensive players, with Hagler, Freeney and Sanders all doubtful to serve much of a role in training camp — all three are likely to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list — it's certain that many young defenders will be under the microscope in Terre Haute.

• I tell Texans fans their team will win 10-11 games... and I mean it.
• Colts.com does a profile on starting CB Marlin Jackson (seemingly the only good player to come out of the first round in the 2005 draft).
• The more I look at shake n bake's evaluation of Pro Football Prospectus 2008, the more the 2007 season makes sense.
• The NFL is cracking down on players making "gang signs." Good. About damn time. And no, Joseph Addai's "WW" gesture after his TDs is not considered a gang sign. He's referencing his hometown, Westwood, and his friend LaJuan Moore, who is from there and is paralyzed. TheSportsGuru's articles shows a picture of a world champion potentially illustrating a gang sign.
• Indy Star is showing tours of "The Lube." Tip to Matic for the Fan Post. The construction workers are also fixing all the recent flood damage.
• If someone ever tries to sell you these seat in Lucas Oil Stadium, punch them in the face:

via cmsimg.indystar.com

We've got 11 more days until players under contract are to report to training camp. The national media buzz will likely center on idiots like Chad Johnson, Pacman Jones, and the dysfunctional mess that is the Dallas Cowboys. For us, we have different interests. For me, I always get a little nervous because of the rookie signing situation, as you can see. As of today, no rookies for the Colts are signed. Hopefully, we will see some guys get inked this week.

In a post some time ago, you expressed the following interests in TC:

• Roy Hall's development
• Who is Eric Foster, and is he good?
• Who starts: Pollak or Charlie?
• Is Dwight healthy? Is Bob healthy?
• Is Marvin Harrison done?
• Tony Ugoh's development
• More blitzing from the defense?
• The running backs, in particular Dominic Rhodes and Mike Hart
• Why was Pierre Garcon drafted, and who is Samuel Giguere?
• Can the special teams FINALLY be good?

Now, after we've leanred more about guys like Pollak and have had to deal with typical off-season annoyances (like Tyjuan Hagler's injury), do other things perk your interest? Like, say, Philip Wheeler starting at SAM?

A nasty little rumor that seems to be sweeping the blog-o-sphere is that Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders are starting the season on the Physically unable to Perform list (or, the PUP for short). Bob Sanders was recently on NFL Sirius Radio and said he'd start the year on the PUP. A few weeks ago, Jimmy at MCM emailed me asking if the rumor was true regarding Sanders and Freeney. Just to clarify, there is a HUGE difference between starting the regular season on the PUP and starting training camp on the PUP. Bob and Dwight are starting training camp, not the regular season, on the PUP.

If a player starts the regular season on the PUP, that player cannot play in a regular season game until Week 6. If a player starts training camp on the PUP, then they cannot play in pre-season games.

From what we've all read and seen, Dwight and Bob are healing up just fine, and both are expected to start against Chicago in Week One. So, I think this rumor is just nothing more than people misunderstanding players when they say they are "starting the season" on the PUP. For players, the season begins roughly around July 24th, when TCs open up. Now, if, by some measure of idiotic stupidity, the Colts place Bob or Dwight on the PUP to start the regular season, the Colts will be lucky to make the playoffs. Indy has a murderous schedule, and a fast start, as always, is key.

However, it's unlikely that Indy will start 2008 without Bob and Dwight. Expect them there Week One.

UPDATE:

A reader in this post pointed me to an article on Big Cat Country:

The Colts offseason of great concern continues. They've been hit hard by the injury bug, and it isn't even August yet.

Strong Safety Bob Sanders and DE Dwight Freeney will probably be starting training camp on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.
Colts LB Tyjuan Hagler also will be on the PUP list after a recent pectoral injury he suffered during strength training.

Hagler was expected to be a starter this season, and his injury stings, however, the more telling story is Dwight Freeney. He still isn't healthy enough to perform, and although all the Colts' are saying he'll be back for the season opener, I have my doubts. One thing is for certain, he won't be the same beast this year.

"Hit hard?" I can understand a "believe it when I see it approach" in regards to Freeney, but players like Michael Strahan have come back from similar foot injuries, and last I checked Strahan just won a ring. Bob had his shoulder essentially scoped. He played all last season with it, and he won Defensive Player of the Year. That's not getting hit "hard" by an injury bug. The Hagler injury is just stupidity on Tyjuan's part, and it could cost him his starting job. But the bottom line is Dwight and Bob are expected back 100%.

Oh, and both Freeney and Sanders started 2006's TC on the PUP list, if I recall. I seem to remember Indy winning a championship that year.

Defensive player of the year Bob Sanders will be on NFL Total Access tonight on the NFL Network at 7:00 ET.  I'm sure he'll also be on the late edition, which I believe is at 10:00 ET.  Make sure you watch, or he'll bust through your TV set and send you spiraling downward in life, like he did to Cedric Benson.

I'm sure he'll back up MasterRWayne with his claim that the Tampa-2 defense is superior to all others.

via www.angelfire.com

Game #9 takes us back to November 7, 2005, in a Monday Night showdown between the Colts and the two-time defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots.  Manning was 0-7 all time in Foxboro, and had lost the previous two seasons in the playoffs in not-so-spectacular fashion.  People were questioning whether Manning would ever win at New England.  Boston Globe writer Dan  Shaughnessy put it so eloquently:

It is now clear: The Colts cannot beat the Patriots. Manning cannot beat Tom Brady. Tony Dungy cannot beat Belichick. The playoff win gave the Patriots six straight over Indy. Brady is 6-0 lifetime against the Colts and the vaunted Manning never has won a game in Norfolk County. The reigning (two-time) league MVP completed 27 of 42 passes for 238 yards, but couldn't get his team in the end zone. His final, futile heave of the day was intercepted by Rodney Harrison with four seconds left. It was a fine exclamation for a perfect win by New England's almost-perfect team.

Manning not only marched the 7-0 Colts into Foxboro and won the game, but he had one of the best games of his career in doing so, putting a sock in all those idiot writers' mouths.

I can remember being very nervous before this game.  It was hard to get the notion through my head that the Colts could beat the Patriots in Foxboro.  I remember pacing back and forth throughout the entire game, even when up by 3 TDs in the fourth quarter.  I wanted the time to read 0:00 before celebrating.  And I celebrated, thanks to #18.

Manning and the Colts took the opening kickoff, marched right down the field, thanks to a 48 yard pass to Harrison, and threw a 1 yard TD pass to Harrison for the early lead.  The Patriots countered with a TD drive of there own, eating up 6:38 on the clock.  This, however, was the only drive they would have over 4:00 in the game.  The Colts took the ball, and held it for a 17 play, 9 minute drive, capped off by an Edgerrin TD run.  The Colts were 3-4 on 3rd Down, and they converted a 4th and 1 at the NE 46, a very unconventional move by Coach Dungy.  I have a feeling Manning had something to do with that.

Manning made his only mistake trying to force a pass into Dallas Clark, and it was intercepted by Mike Vrabel midway through the second quarter.  The defense (read: Bob Sanders) helped Manning and the offense out by forcing a fumble with 2:07 to go in the half.  Manning marched the Colts right down the field, going 5-7 for 68 yards, and a 10 yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne with 14 seconds left in the half to give the Colts a 21-7 lead at halftime.  Manning's halftime stats:

The key to the first half was keeping the Patriots offense off of the field, and Manning and the offense did a fantastic job of doing that.  The Colts controlled the game, and were moving the ball at will.

The second half was more of the same, as the Colts scored on their first 4 possessions, including a 30 yard TD pass to Harrison, who made Asante Samuel look really bad.  The Colts ended up with a 300 yard passer, a 100 yard rusher, and 2 100 yard receivers, and 453 total yards of offense.  Manning's final stats:

Manning had himself a great game against his nemesis, and is #9 in his all-time greatest games.

Here are the video highlights from the game.  It's fun watching Brady get so frustrated.

Here is the NFL.com GameBook for the game.

In Game #8, Manning goes for "perfection"...

via Washington Post

It's always fun to speculate which team has done the most to unseat the Colts overlords of the AFC South. The reason it's fun is because the Titans, Jaguars, and Texans often go to such lengths to strengthen their teams each and every year only to get smacked down again and again by the Indy machine. As a result of their efforts, the Colts have gotten better and the collective improvement has made the AFC South the best division in football. Yes, I know the Giants won the Super Bowl and Dallas was 13-3 in 2007. Dallas also hasn't won a playoff game in 15 years, and the other NFC East playoff team (Washington) would get smoked by anyone in the AFC South, including a Sage Rosenfels-led Texans team. So please, spare me the NFC East talk. Yes, it's a good division; a GREAT division. It isn't the South.

Even with the South being so strong in 2007, I personally think most of the AFC South teams got better this off-season, with the exception of the Titans (more on them later). Aside from the AFC South having some of the best teams in football, they also have the best team bloggers in football. I'll freely admit that I am the agitator in our blogger division. Rarely do you see Jimmy writing articles about how Bob Sanders can't stay healthy, or Tim typing stories about how Indy's special teams play sucks. However, you are sure to see me writing a post either insulting Vince Young or criticizing the stupid draft moves of Gary Kubiak. I wouldn't do this if I didn't feel that guys like Tim, Chris, and Jimmy would not immediately call me "idiot" are debunk my claims with intelligent points with just a pinch of homerism. This is why we do what we do.

This is team blogging.

In this case, I think the Texans and Jaguars have bettered themselves since last season, with the Titans noticeably getting worse in the talent department. However, despite the changes (good or bad), none of these teams have done enough to unseat the Colts, who themselves have made great moves to shore up their weaknesses.

The off-season fad is to say the Jaguars have finally done enough to unseat Indy. Even AOL has found a writer who thinks the additions of WR Jerry Porter, CB Drayton Florence, WR Troy Williamson, and draft day additions like DE Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves are enough to knock off a Colts team that has beaten the Jaguars 5 of the last 6 times. Indeed, even the football guru himself, John Clayton, thought the Jaguars had an impressive run in free agency.

Did getting Drayton Florence (#29) help push the Jags over the Colts?

Photo via www.nctimes.com

While the Jaguars are much improved, it is important to note that so are the Colts. New Era Scouting's Dave Gardner has an article up talking about how the Colts are, quietly (per usual), shaping into the best team in football talent-wise.

The Colts could have kept the same roster from last season and still made it to the playoffs. With all the skill positions in place on offense (they’ll be fine with or without Marvin Harrison), and an excellent back seven on defense, they were in place to win at least ten games. However, as they prepare for the first season in a new stadium, it should be ready to host more than just the eight regular season games.

Not long ago, I wrote about how the Jaguars do not have a single area of their team that is better than Indy's. Chris at Big Cat responded, disagreeing with my take and offering little rebuttal in terms of substance.

I'll grant Quarterback, I'll even concede the offensive line and Tight Ends.  But to say that the Colts have better Linebackers, Defensive Line, and Secondary than the Jaguars is an ignorant statement.  The Jaguars use their linebackers a little differently than the Colts do in the "Dungy 2", and really can't be compared directly.  The combination of Durrant, Ingram, Peterson, and Smith give the Jaguars three guys who can play every combination of linebacker spots, the speed to play sideline to sideline, and a nasty hard hitting attitude.  I'd take our bench linebacker over any of the Colts starters.  Remember, the biggest knock on the Jaguars pass rushers is that they're young.  None of our guys are coming off of a Lis Franc, like Mr. Freeney.

I'm happy Chris thinks so much of his new secondary, but when the Jaguars have a Defensive Player of the Year-type guy in their defensive backfield, they can say their secondary is better than Indy's. Maybe. Bob Sanders and Antoine Bethea are the best safety tandem in football. Sanders won the DPOY and Bethea went to the Pro Bowl (and unlike other Pro Bowl safeties, Bethea is pretty good). And the corners, Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden, started every single game last season.

The result? The Colts had the #2 pass defense in football, allowing an average of 5.9 yards per competition with 16 TDs and 22 INTs. QB had an average rating of 73 against Indy. This entire DB unit will be back in 2008, and with the added depth of second year man Dante Hughes. Until the Jags have a secondary that produces like this, saying they are better is nonsense. Utter nonsense.

And they can say whatever they want about their LBers, but the fact is the Colts LBers define speed and hard hitting. They also have tremendous depth. 2007 rookie Clint Session was amazing, and with all three starting LBers coming back this unit is better than Jacksonville's. We also have yet to see what Philip Wheeler will bring to the equation. Indy's linebackers do an excellent job dropping into zones and making plays, and are very active in stopping the run.

The DE argument is silly. Freeney is recovering extremely well from his foot surgery and Robert Mathis is better than both Harvey and Groves. The younger guys may one day develop into great rushers, but we're not talking about two or three years from now. We're talking 2008, and the Colts will get even better in that area if they sign Rosevelt Colvin. Indy also drafted Marcus Howard, who is faster than both Freeney and Mathis.

So, I see little change in the AFC South. The Colts are still the most talented team in the division with the best coaches and front office personnel. I recognize that AFC South teams like the Jags have made significant moves to get better, and better they are. But it isn't enough. The Colts did not just sit ideally by. I realize this is boring to media hacks who are desperate for a story line, but the bottom line is Indy is still great, and the other AFC South teams still have not caught up.

From PFW's The Way We Hear It:

May 30, 2008

Tony Dungy’s Tampa-2 defense isn’t among the more complicated schemes in the NFL, but word out of Indianapolis is that Dungy is planning on adding a smattering of defensive wrinkles that he abstained from dabbling with last season. The rationale is twofold: (1) An inability to generate a consistent pass rush when DEs Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis were banged up underscored just how reliant the team was on those two, and how badly it needs to find alternative pass-rushing possibilities should the starting duo be slowed again. (2) Indy was breaking in a host of new starters in ’07, and Dungy’s more willing to trust his now well-seasoned crew to handle greater responsibilities. So, just what does Dungy have in store? It’s difficult to know exactly, but employing more DL stunts and turning loose S Bob Sanders to attack opposing backfields appear to be likely options. Dungy will never be keen on relying on LB blitzes to pressure the passer, and the increased confidence he has in CBs Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden has him even more eager to allow Sanders — the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year — to do what he does best.

With more faith in the young guys on his defense, Dungy looks like he wants to add some things that will turn opposing offenses on their heads. Last year, despite injuries and a pretty vanilla Cover 2 scheme, the Colts were the #1 scoring defense in football. Now, Dungy wants to take the Bob Sanders Beatdown Defense to another level.

Colts DT Quinn Pitcock made minimal impact in his rookie season of ’07, but we hear that was mostly because he never fully recovered from a hamstring ailment he had suffered early on. He should be a fixture in the DT rotation this season.

I wouldn't say Pitcock's contributions were "minimal." He did a fine job in the DT rotation, especially stopping the run.

When I click on Bleacher Report's NFL link, I am greeted with tons of articles about teams that have not won anything in recent history or have no chance of winning anything.

Articles about the Raiders, Vikings, Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Packers, and a few other have-nots flood this site daily.

I, of course, attempt to read objectively, post my comments or suggestions and move on.

What disappoints me is the lack of articles on the one team that is still—in mine and many other's opinion—the best team in the NFL.

The Indianapolis Colts.

I know what you're thinking. Why would anyone waste their time writing about a team that's won 12 or more games in each of the past fives seasons?

Why would anyone want to write about Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Bob Sanders, Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney, or Joseph Addai?

Beats me.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm really excited about our defense this season.  Actually, let me re-phrase that, I'm estatic about our defense this season.  With The Hit Squad we've got one of the best, if not the best secondary if the NFL.  As long as Dwight Freeney returns healthy, we'll have a devastating front four as well.  You really can't underestimate the value of a top notch pass rush in aiding the secondary, and their run defense has come a long way thanks in part to...the secondary.  It's a nice symbiotic relationship between the two.

Sadly, we often forget about the linebackers when we talk about our great defense.  It's probably because none of them have ever made the Pro Bowl.  Or maybe it's because it's next to impossible to get any of the limelight with guys like Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders lining up with you.  Regardless, I'm excited about our linebacking corps.  Gary Brackett is one of the better MLB's in the league, Freddy Keiaho is a joy to watch, Tyjuan Hagler is good and getting better, Clint Sessions had a solid rookie season including that ridiculous interception against the Chargers.  Let's not forget about this year's crop of rookies either, Phillip Wheeler looks like he'll be able to be a contributor right away and I'm excited about the two Undrafted FA's we brought in.  Granted, I haven't really seen either of them play, but they seem like they'll fit in well with what we're trying to do.  At 5-11, 224 pounds Senn fits the prototype Cover 2 LB that Tony Dungy is looking for.  Then there's Gijon Robinson, he spent most of last season on the practice squad, but I think he's ready to break out this season.  Just look at this photo:

The first thing that you probably noticed  is that the dude is RIPPED, always a good trait for a football player.  What really sticks out to me is his facemask.  Guys that wear that kind of facemask never disappoint, because with a cage like that, you know they're coming to work.

But you know what I like the most about Gijon?   He's not actually a linebacker.   He's a tight end.  I think we can all get behind a 6-1, 255 lb. blocking force of nature.  Better yet, I think Joseph Addai can get behind him too.  Well, at least I hope he does.  That's kind of the point in having a blocking force of nature.

Tuesday's announcement that Indianapolis was going to host the Super Bowl in 2012 is the high point of what's been a tremendous month for Indiana.  Yeah, it might stink for Gene Wojiebiglastname, but I mean it could be worse.  Let's just refer back to the "ironclad rule" in his article:

The absolute, ironclad rule for awarding Super Bowls should be this: If the host city's game-time temperature is lower than the number of the Super Bowl, you can't have the game. Simple.

Yeah, that sounds simple enough.  Can't wait to see you at Super Bowl 108!

But I'm getting off on a tangent, let's get back to Indiana.  Like I said, it's been a great month for Indiana.  Let's review the highlights of the month so far:

As has been mentioned repeatedly, Indianapolis was awarded the Super Bowl for 2012.  I know it's going to be repeated a lot over the next 4 years or so, but I'm not sure that it's ever going to get old.

There's that little annual tradition of the Indianapolis 500 that happens every May.  Not only is it The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, but it's also one of the rare opportunities to see something faster than Dwight Freeney coming off the edge.  Sidenote: I would pay good money to see Bob drive in the Indy 500 with the dreads flying out of the back of his helmet.

Some might say that the Pacers might be bringing everything down, but I couldn't disagree more.  Yeah, they might be in a rebuilding mode, but they're headed in the right direction.  At least Isiah Thomas isn't still running the team.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Indiana event that most excited about*:

*-For today at least.  If a movie theatre wanted to hook me up with the Indy 500 broadcast on a movie screen, I wouldn't be able turn that down, even for Indiana Jones.