Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay went from a beloved figure in the
city of Indianapolis to a hated man in the blink of an eye. After nine
consecutive playoff seasons, The Colts finished 2011 with a record of
2-14 mainly due to Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning sitting out the
entire campaign after recovering from neck surgery. As a result, Irsay
decided to clean house and start over from scratch. Longtime Colts
general manager Bill Polian was fired as was head coach Jim Caldwell.
Irsay replaced Polian with Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano was named as
The Colts new head coach. The Colts ended 2011 with the worst record in
The National Football League and they were awarded the top pick in last
spring’s NFL Draft. The consensus was that The Colts would select
Stanford University quarterback Andrew Luck with the pick as Irsay saw
the future and he decided to release Manning.
Manning signed with The Denver Broncos and Irsay took a ton of criticism
for releasing such a polarizing figure, but Irsay stuck to his guns and
it is working out for him. Luck has stepped in and he has quickly made
people forget about Manning. After nine games this season, The Colts own
a 6-3 record and if the season ended today The Colts would be in the
playoffs as they would face Manning’s Broncos in the first round.
for releasing such a polarizing figure, but Irsay stuck to his guns and
it is working out for him. Luck has stepped in and he has quickly made
people forget about Manning. After nine games this season, The Colts own
a 6-3 record and if the season ended today The Colts would be in the
playoffs as they would face Manning’s Broncos in the first round.
Luck has benefited from tremendous football tutoring
during his life. Luck’s father Oliver was a quarterback in The NFL for
The Houston Oilers from 1982-1986. Luck also attended The Manning
Passing Academy under the tutelage of former NFL quarterback Archie
Manning, the man that he replaced in Indy in Peyton and his brother New
York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
during his life. Luck’s father Oliver was a quarterback in The NFL for
The Houston Oilers from 1982-1986. Luck also attended The Manning
Passing Academy under the tutelage of former NFL quarterback Archie
Manning, the man that he replaced in Indy in Peyton and his brother New
York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
Now Luck has assumed control of The Colts in his
rookie season much more than anyone expected. Luck is in the top 10 of
passing yards in The NFL this season along with The Manning Brothers,
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and New England Patriots
quarterback Tom Brady. All of these quarterbacks have won The Super Bowl
which is showing that Luck is able to eat at the adult’s table. Luck
played in a pro-style offense in college under current San Francisco
49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh who was a former NFL quarterback as well
which has made it easier for him to step in as a starter in The NFL.
rookie season much more than anyone expected. Luck is in the top 10 of
passing yards in The NFL this season along with The Manning Brothers,
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and New England Patriots
quarterback Tom Brady. All of these quarterbacks have won The Super Bowl
which is showing that Luck is able to eat at the adult’s table. Luck
played in a pro-style offense in college under current San Francisco
49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh who was a former NFL quarterback as well
which has made it easier for him to step in as a starter in The NFL.
The Colts are currently on a four-game winning streak as they
have rallied around Pagano who was diagnosed with leukemia. Offensive
coordinator Bruce Arians is the team’s interim head coach and the
rebuilding Colts are finding ways to win under Luck. In The Colts
four-game win streak, Luck has defeated two fellow rookie first-round
quarterbacks and two division opponents on the road. The Cleveland
Browns and rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden fell to Indianapolis in
Week 7 by a score of 17-13. In Week 8 The Colts went to Nashville and
they were able to defeat The Tennessee Titans 19-13 in overtime behind
Luck’s 297 passing yards. Luck then outdueled Miami Dolphins rookie
quarterback Ryan Tannehill as he threw for 433 yards in The Colts 23-20
Week 9 victory. Last Thursday, Luck and The Colts took their show on the
road against The Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags had defeated The Colts
in Week 3 in Indy 22-17, but The Colts dominated the rematch in all
facets of the game. The Colts defense sacked Jaguar quarterbacks Blaine
Gabbert and Chad Henne a combined four times and they forced three
turnovers in Indy’s 27-10 victory. Luck finished the game completing
18 passes for 227 yards with zero touchdown passes and one
interception, but he had two touchdown runs. The Colts dominated the
time of possession as they held the football for nearly 36 minutes.
have rallied around Pagano who was diagnosed with leukemia. Offensive
coordinator Bruce Arians is the team’s interim head coach and the
rebuilding Colts are finding ways to win under Luck. In The Colts
four-game win streak, Luck has defeated two fellow rookie first-round
quarterbacks and two division opponents on the road. The Cleveland
Browns and rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden fell to Indianapolis in
Week 7 by a score of 17-13. In Week 8 The Colts went to Nashville and
they were able to defeat The Tennessee Titans 19-13 in overtime behind
Luck’s 297 passing yards. Luck then outdueled Miami Dolphins rookie
quarterback Ryan Tannehill as he threw for 433 yards in The Colts 23-20
Week 9 victory. Last Thursday, Luck and The Colts took their show on the
road against The Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags had defeated The Colts
in Week 3 in Indy 22-17, but The Colts dominated the rematch in all
facets of the game. The Colts defense sacked Jaguar quarterbacks Blaine
Gabbert and Chad Henne a combined four times and they forced three
turnovers in Indy’s 27-10 victory. Luck finished the game completing
18 passes for 227 yards with zero touchdown passes and one
interception, but he had two touchdown runs. The Colts dominated the
time of possession as they held the football for nearly 36 minutes.
Through nine games last season The Colts were 0-9 and it didn’t
appear in the cards that they would win one game. Now they have a
legitimate chance to make the playoffs as they still have games
remaining against The Titans, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs who
all have losing records. Besides rallying around Pagano, The Colts have
gone down this road before. In the early 70’s The Colts who called
Baltimore home at the time were an aging team. Jim Irsay’s father Robert
rebuilt his team by departing with longtime Colts such as Hall of Fame
quarterback Johnny Unitas. With the second overall pick in The 1973 NFL
Draft, The Colts selected quarterback Bert Jones. After winning a
combined six games in 1973 and 1974, The Colts won The AFC East in
1975,1976, and 1977. This Colts team is way ahead of schedule as most
people pegged them to win four maybe five games this season; now the
people of Indianapolis are thinking about bigger things this year.
appear in the cards that they would win one game. Now they have a
legitimate chance to make the playoffs as they still have games
remaining against The Titans, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs who
all have losing records. Besides rallying around Pagano, The Colts have
gone down this road before. In the early 70’s The Colts who called
Baltimore home at the time were an aging team. Jim Irsay’s father Robert
rebuilt his team by departing with longtime Colts such as Hall of Fame
quarterback Johnny Unitas. With the second overall pick in The 1973 NFL
Draft, The Colts selected quarterback Bert Jones. After winning a
combined six games in 1973 and 1974, The Colts won The AFC East in
1975,1976, and 1977. This Colts team is way ahead of schedule as most
people pegged them to win four maybe five games this season; now the
people of Indianapolis are thinking about bigger things this year.
Luck will get credit for not playing like a rookie and the team
will get reconized for rallying around Pagano, but there has to be
credit thrown in the direction of Irsay and Pagano. Irsay saw the need
for a fresh mind in the front office in the form of Grigson. Grigson
played in The NFL for The Detroit Lions and he has now transitioned to a
general manager. After drafting Luck in the first round, Grigson made
sure that he started building around the new franchise quarterback by
drafting Luck’s college teammate tight end Coby Fleener and Clemson
University tight end Dwayne Allen. The two tight ends have combined for
502 receiving yards on the season, but Luck has really made a connection
with five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Reggie Wayne. Wayne was one of
the few holdovers for The Colts and he was expected to leave as a
free-agent after last season, but Wayne has come back and he is showing
the world that he isn’t just a product of playing with Manning. Wayne
has 69 receptions for 931 yards on the season. Wayne’s 12,639 career
receiving yards put him only 82 receiving yards behind Hall of Fame wide
receiver Art Monk for 15th place on The NFL’s all-time list.
will get reconized for rallying around Pagano, but there has to be
credit thrown in the direction of Irsay and Pagano. Irsay saw the need
for a fresh mind in the front office in the form of Grigson. Grigson
played in The NFL for The Detroit Lions and he has now transitioned to a
general manager. After drafting Luck in the first round, Grigson made
sure that he started building around the new franchise quarterback by
drafting Luck’s college teammate tight end Coby Fleener and Clemson
University tight end Dwayne Allen. The two tight ends have combined for
502 receiving yards on the season, but Luck has really made a connection
with five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Reggie Wayne. Wayne was one of
the few holdovers for The Colts and he was expected to leave as a
free-agent after last season, but Wayne has come back and he is showing
the world that he isn’t just a product of playing with Manning. Wayne
has 69 receptions for 931 yards on the season. Wayne’s 12,639 career
receiving yards put him only 82 receiving yards behind Hall of Fame wide
receiver Art Monk for 15th place on The NFL’s all-time list.
As the season continues to progress this team is exuding more
confidence. The Colts are playing with house money and they are living
by the motto “ChuckStrong” in honor of their coach. What Manning has
done for the franchise can never be forgotten as he is The Colts leader
in every major passing category, but Luck and the new regime are more
than up for the challenge of replacing a legend.
confidence. The Colts are playing with house money and they are living
by the motto “ChuckStrong” in honor of their coach. What Manning has
done for the franchise can never be forgotten as he is The Colts leader
in every major passing category, but Luck and the new regime are more
than up for the challenge of replacing a legend.
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