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| Jonathan Rosenbluth. 9th February, 2010 - 12:09 pm
 Anger, disappointment, regret.
Those three words sum up the mood of Colts fans everywhere following the Super Bowl loss. It has been one heck of a ride from week 16 to the morning after. What follows is a look inside the head of a Colts fan during that time period:
December 26th 2009, week 14, pre Jets game:
Good. Jim Caldwell played the starters last week and it looks like he will do so this week. We will beat the Jets, then the Bills and have an undefeated season. We haven't run up the score like the 2007 Pats, so the football gods will be on our side and we won't blow the big one (see Giants, Super Bowl XLII). The greatest QB ever is behind center for us and the defense is better than ever in recent memory.
December 28th 2009, post Jets game:
No. No. No. What were you [Caldwell, and Bill Polian] thinking??? Was it not enough that 99.999999% of the fan base wanted the starters to play? Was it not enough that whenever Tony Dungy rested the starters the Colts lost in the playoffs? This hurts. Think of history. Everyone knows who won the 1972 Super Bowl, but other than die-hard football fans few people know who won the 1973, 1974 or 1975 Super Bowls (Dolphins, Dolphins, Steelers).
This can only be bad. Now the football gods are going to be against us. Not to mention how rusty the players will be after not playing for more than a month.
January 4th 2010, end of regular season:
Wes Welker getting injured makes me feel a lot better about Caldwell and Polian's decision. I mean, if it had been Reggie Wayne who would have torn his ACL and MCL that would have been awful. Instead we are relatively healthy heading into the playoffs.
January 15th 2010, Divisional playoffs, pre Ravens game:
Hopefully there won't be too much rust and the Colts should win easily. The Colts beat the Ravens on the road earlier this season and after all - Flacco vs. Manning? No doubts.
January 17th 2010, post Ravens game:
Great win over Baltimore. Maybe resting the starters wasn't so bad. With Pierre Gar?on forcing the fumble after Ed Reed's interception, and another interception being called back the football gods seem to be on our side.
January 23rd 2010, AFC Championship, pre Jets game:
Rex Ryan can talk all he wants but when it comes down to 14-2 vs. 9-7 and a four-time MVP vs. a rookie coming off a 20 interception season, the Colts should handle the Jets fairly easily.
January 25th 2010, post Ravens game:
Yes, I admit I was a little nervous going down 11 in the second quarter, but the Jets proved to be nothing the Colts couldn't handle. Manning is the best for a reason. Let the Super Bowl hype begin!
February 6th 2010, pre Super Bowl:
For the past two weeks most of the talk has been about Manning being able to cement his legacy as the greatest QB ever, about Dwight Freeney's ankle, and about what the Saints mean to New Orleans. The Colts are the fashionable pick as they seem to be the better team where it counts (notably QB and defense). All the 'experts' keep going with the Colts, as who can bet against Peyton Manning nowadays. Even Bill Simmons is grovelling over Manning - and that says a lot. Feeling pretty confident about the big game. Even if Freeney doesn't play Robert Mathis is great and Raheem Brock is a serviceable back up. The Colts defense is quick and should be able to slow the Saints' spread offense enough to get the win.
Caldwell's decision to rest the starters... well, the Colts won't go 19-0 and make history but as long as the Colts get a second Super Bowl title in four years would be pretty sweet. After all, the Super Bowl is what matters, right?
Feb 7th, 5:30:
Everything is set. Confidence level is healthy, just shy of cocky. Freeney is starting, Powers is playing nickel. I believe in blue and white! GO COLTS!.
Super Bowl begins, Feb 7th, 6:25:
0:36 first quarter (Colts touchdown - Manning to Gar?on)
10-0!!!!!!!! GO COLTS! Peyton is looking like an early favorite for MVP but maybe Garcon could slip in there... wait can't think about this stuff yet. Get a stop here and put up another score and that should close the Saints out.
9:34 Second quarter (Saints Field goal)
"Breesus" led offense can only muster a field goal, time to add to this lead.
8:14 second quarter (On third down Gar?on drops a pass at the 45 with room to run)
Can't believe he dropped that pass. That's a play Gar?on makes 99 times out of 100. And the ball just slips right through his hands. With the way the offense had been rolling and with the room Garcon had to run the Colts likely get a field goal or touchdown if he makes that grab. Suddenly the Saints are back in this game.
Halftime
10-6. Low scoring affair. Goal line stop was big but the Saints got a field goal anyway. The Colts get the ball to start the second half. Time for Peyton to show why he is the best and for the Colts to put up another 7.
14:57 third quarter (Saints recover onside kick)
CMON! catch the #$%^%^ football. Hank Baskett for LVP. This is not good. Not good at all. Sean Payton really has cojones making that call.
6:15 third quarter (Colts touchdown on Addai run)
Colts back on top by 4. Yea! The onside kick was brutal but there is no chance Peyton loses this game. The Colts offense looks primed to dominate the rest of the way.
End of third quarter (Manning seems to be caught off guard by the end of the quarter)
Hmm, not a good sign. Manning never loses track of the clock. But hey, up by one with the ball heading into the fourth quarter. A good position for the Colts.
10:39 4th quarter (Stover misses 51 yard field goal attempt)
Why send out Stover for a 51 yard field goal? He hasn't hit a 50+ yard field goal since 2006? Seriously, why not punt and give the Saints offense bad field position. C'mon Jim, coach like you have been here before.
5:42 4th quarter (Saints Touchdown - Brees to Shockey)
There's a shock..... give the Saints momentum and great field position and they score a touchdown. Ever heard of punting Jim? Wow, this game has turned since it was 10-0.
Down seven, just under six minutes remaining. This is Peyton time. Has been all year, will be today. This Colts team thrives when down in 4th quarter.
3:12 4th quarter (Porter intercepts Manning and returns it for a touchdown)
(head down in hands) #%&@. Absolute shock. Can't believe that just happened. All year this hasn't happened to Peyton and suddenly when it matters most BAM! pick 6. Disbelief.
Game over
Last ditch attempt to try and comeback failed but the game really ended when Porter returned the interception for a score. Can't believe that this Colts team, this 'perfect' team, lost.
(State of disbelief)
February 8th 2010, Morning after the Super Bowl
Anger, disappointment, regret.
Those feelings have been brewing inside of myself and Colts fans everywhere since Brees kneeled the football to end Super Bowl XLIV. Even as I write this I struggle to articulate how terrible it feels.
All season this team came through when it mattered, but on this February night the magic had run out. As a Colts fan, it seemed like a nightmare. Every storm had been weathered. From Sanders going down for the season to Caldwell benching the starters - nothing had derailed this team.
The Saints proved differently. After the game, as I forced myself to read the articles and reaction from the game two plays were being talked about as the big plays. The onside kick (Odds of Hank Basket returning next season? 10000000:1 I'd say) and Porter pick six. Somehow every analyst seemed to be missing the real turning point. With 8:14 left in the second quarter the Colts offense had been rolling and were looking to add to the seven point lead. Gar?on's drop stopped the momentum and turned the game around. When he dropped that pass it was as if the football gods had awoken from a slumber and remembered what Caldwell had done. Then and there the reliable Colts were no longer reliable. Should Garcon make that catch there is little doubt in my mind the game turns out differently. But he didn't and the rest is history.
It's the uncharacteristic mistakes by the Colts that makes this game so tough to get over. When you lose to a better team, its still a loss, but you can get over it. But when you lose because you dropped an easy pass, were caught off guard by an onside kick and made a bad throw it just feels awful.
The feeling in my gut tells me that this game won't just hurt for the next week, for the off season, or even for the rest of Manning's career. This game is going to hurt forever, because the opportunity the Colts passed up to crown an amazing 10 year span including the most wins by any team in a decade, the longest regular season unbeaten streak, and many other great feats, will never be there again. Instead those 10 years will be marked by regular season success followed by playoff failures and disappointment.
I wish I could end this saying that the Colts will be back and all will be well. Unfortunately, even if they do make it back to the Super Bowl I can't envision them playing for quite as much. The legacy of the 2000-2010 Colts won't be that of a dynasty. Instead the legacy will be of amazing regular seasons followed up by anger, disappointment, regret.
Agree? Disagree? Need to let your feelings out about the big game? Email Jonathan your thoughts at Rosenbluth12@yahoo.com |
