Glad To Be WRONG About Curtis Painter

0-5 sucks.

There aren't any real positives one can take out of being the worst team in football. But, in an effort to keep us all from going insane as we slog our way through this disaster of a season, we'll do our best to pluck the positives out of the dung pile that is the 2011 Indianapolis Colts.

Also, just want to give you all a heads up that, over the next few days, we'll be posting articles outlining a shift in our editorial slant here at Stampede Blue. For six years, we've covered the team and done our best to provide witty, biting, brutally honest articles. Nothing held back. Nothing done for 'shock' value. We just pour our hearts and our love of the Colts into every article. More than anything else, no matter how much we criticize players, coaches, and front office, we want them all to succeed and win.

However, since this 0-5 start, our opinion on this team has changed, and, thus, our editorial slant will change. More details tomorrow.

One thing I'll make clear, and my buddies here working at Stampede Blue will agree, we have no issue with the players or their outstanding effort each week. One player in particular who deserves big props is Curtis Painter. I wrote last week that I was rooting for him to play well because the front office essentially told him he was a chump when they signed a 38-year-old retired QB two weeks before the season started. Painter has always been thrown to the wolves by the brass at West 56th Street, and part of me wanted CP7 to show them they were wrong in their assessment of him.

Granted, this assessment was shared by me and just about everyone else on the planet. But, I personally am happy when a player does well and proves my doubts 'wrong.'Curtis Painter has performed admirably given the adverse conditions he's been asked to quarterback this team through.

If there is a bright spot to 0-5, this is it.

Prior to playing this season, Painter's career QB rating was 9. 9! You could fart on the football and kick it forward five yards and you'd likely get a similar rating.

However, since Collins received his completely bogus concussion in the third quarter of the Steelers game and was sent to the bench, Painter has stepped up and posted QB ratings of 62.7, 99.4, and 115.8 over the last three games. He's done this behind an offensive line that made last year's unit look like the Hogs and with normally reliable receivers, like Dallas Clark, dropping everything thrown at them.

For 2011, CP7 has 4 TDs, 0 INTs, 2 fumbles, and is completing 48% of his passes. These numbers are, obviously, not ALL WORLD! But, for a guy who came into the 2011 season with a QB rating of 9, it constitutes rather significant improvement.

I don't think the Colts will be able to trade Painter for any value after the season unless he goes off and starts winning some football games. But, the positive here is that despite this team spiraling out of control, the play of the QB is not the reason. Painter has played well enough for the Colts to be 2-1 over the last three games. It's the defense and the special teams that have wilted due to a lack of talent and injuries.

Like many of his current and former teammates, I'm happy Curtis is silencing some critics. He's a good guy, and I like rooting for good people. Here's to hoping he keeps it up.