If You Could Change One Play in Colts History, What Would It Be?

This morning, the NFL had a Tweet about what play would Vikings fans change in their history, if they could only change one. Since a lot of my friends are Vikings fans, it didn't take long for this to engulf my Twitter feed.

It got me thinking, though, this would be a good idea for us to focus on the Colts. So yes, I'm stealing this idea from the NFL's Twitter page.

If you could change one play in Colts history, what would it be?

There are plenty of choices here, and I'll try to touch on as many as I can, but I'm sure I'll forget one/some.

*Please note, this article will bring back lots of sad and painful memories.*

The first one that instantly comes to my mind is a certain onside kick. We all know the story. The Colts were in control (mostly) against the Saints in the Super Bowl. Coming out of halftime, the Saints opted for a surprise onside kick, which was botched by our friend Hank Baskett, and recovered by New Orleans.

The play swung the momentum to the Saints, and most Colts fans probably had a bad feeling for the rest of the game as a result. It's not a question, if I remember right Sean Payton says this in the Saints' "America's Game," that if the Colts recover the kick, the game is essentially over.

Two plays that come to mind next come from the same game: the 2005 Divisional Playoffs. This was a game that saw the Colts not show up for the first half, but slowly craw back into the game in the second half.

The first play that could be changed is Jerome Bettis' fumble. On the one-yard-line Bettis shockingly coughed up the football, and it was promptly recovered by Colts' corner Nick Harper. It looked like Harper would outrun the entire Steelers team, assuming he could get past Ben Roethlisberger. He couldn't.

The Steelers quarterback tripped up Harper, preventing a sure score. This leads us into the second play from that game.

The (statistically) most accurate kicker in NFL history had a chance to send the game to overtime. Momentum would have been on the Colts' side, and personally I have no doubt they would win the game. Then Mike Vanderjagt missed the kick, and missed it badly.

I don't know about all of you, but I have no doubt that the Colts win that game if either of those plays are changed. If that happens, let's face it, that team wasn't losing at home to Denver, and certainly wasn't losing to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

Back-tracking a bit further, the next play I'll touch on again comes against the Steelers. This time, 10 years earlier in the 1995 AFC Championship Game. Again, you all know the play I'm referring to. If Aaron Bailey is able to haul in Jim Harbaugh's Hail Mary pass, the Colts win the game and go to the Super Bowl.

Still, I'm not convinced the Colts could have beaten that Cowboys team (I know some of you think they could have), but the excitement for that game would have been like nothing we had seen up to that point in Colts history.

The last play I want to briefly touch on was in Super Bowl III. This play is the flea-flicker play just before halftime. Earl Morrall and the Colts executed a perfect flea-flicker, resulting in receiver Jimmy Orr being left wide open for a sure touchdown. Inexplicably, Morrall didn't see him, and fired an interception instead.

The play would have tied the game, and given the Colts momentum heading into halftime. Instead, they squandered their best chance to get back into the game.

There are certainly other plays that could make this list. The Ghost to the Post, or any of the pass interference calls that weren't in the 2003 AFC Championship Game, to name a couple more.

So if you could change one play in Colts history, what would it be? If there is a play I didn't mention, add it in the comments.