This was a season of great upheaval and uncertainty for the fanbase. The team performance was inconsistent and really less like the Colts we have come to know and more like the"Dolts" of years passed. Peyton had the one of the worst years many Colts fans can remember. The team fell behind on numerous occasions (8 of 17 games) and had to be led back into games by the new Captain Comeback. Immediately my mind races to the original Captain Comeback and the best season the team had with him at the helm. It was a season we loved with an ending that all of us that were Colts fans at the time would like to forget.
As tough as that is to watch and think about, let's take a look at that season. Back in 1995, our Colts finished 2nd in the AFC East and worked their way from the Wild Card all the way to the AFC Championship against the Steelers. With players like Jim Harbaugh, Marshall Faulk and recently interviewed Ken Dilger on offense and Jeff Herrod and Tony Siragusa leading the D, we managed to fall behind in 9 of 19 games that year.
Part 1 (check out the light blue pants about 3 mins in and Irsay Sr.'s jacket 4 mins in!)
Part 2 (Did you see the BLOCKING on that kickoff return? Anybody else have trouble remembering Floyd Turner was 88 before Marvin was?)
Harbaugh's numbers for that season were 2575 yrds, 17 TDs, 5 INTs, and 63.7 Comp %. The key to this is HE MADE THE PRO BOWL! Let's compare that to what Peyton did this season shall we? 4700 yrds, 33TDs, 17INTs, and 66.3 Comp. %. Harbaugh would have fallen in to 25th in yards, 19th in TDs, 10th in Comp % and 2nd among starters in INTs thrown. Anyone else think there's NO WAY he makes the Pro Bowl?
Sure, you might say, Peyton had twice as many attempts as Harbaugh did (314 to 679) because Peyton had no running game and Jim had the Marshall Plan. Yea, Marshall almost ran for more than the three top RBs on this season's Colts, COMBINED (1078 to 1104) but that doesn't mean that we put too much pressure on the GOAT.
The point is, 1) we need to bring back BLUE PANTS for road games next year! I mean COME ON! How can you not LOVE those! And 2) the MOST SUCCESSFUL season for one of the favorite Colts of ALL TIME is nowhere near what we have seen/are seeing from number 18. We need to appreciate what we have and do all we can to make the rest of his career a success!
Were you a fan of the Colts in '95? What are your memories of that season? The Steelers game? Mine include Zubaz pants and taking a day off from school to watch the Colts get off the plane after a win in KC. Sure school ended up cancelled that day from snow, but I managed to convince my parents that it was worth it. Great Season with a TERRIBLE ending.