In Indianapolis and New Orleans, there are lockers to be cleaned out. In Miami, celebratory confetti to be vacuumed. In the meantime, new head coaches in Buffalo, Washington, D.C. and Seattle are doing everything in their power to right ships gone off-course.
Whoever said the NFL’s postseason fails to carry flecks of glamour hit the nail on the head. Aside from the NFL Scouting Combine (Feb. 24-March 2) and the annual league draft (April 22-24), basically everything regarding the league’s 32 franchises promises to be done behind closed doors.
For the Indianapolis Colts, that means owner Jim Irsay, president Bill Polian and coach Jim Caldwell putting their noggins together and figuring out what puzzle pieces are essential in order to keep the team a viable Super Bowl challenger for years to come.
Irsay and Polian, in particular, have traveled this road many times before and are masters at pinpointing diamonds in the rough. High-character athletes more than willing to buy into the “Colts way.”
What’s remarkable is that Indy has owned a top-15 position on the draft board only one time since 2000, using the 11th overall pick on Dwight Freeney in 2002. In the other nine drafts, the Colts’ loftiest draft perch was — get this — 24th (Dallas Clark in 2003).
Such things occur when you win and win consistently. No such thing as a can’t-miss when your top selection always seems to be when the outset of Round 2 is only a few minutes away. But that’s the Colts. Pick late, pick intelligently and pick up where you left off.
Wholesale modifications are not required. Just because Indianapolis played sub-Colts football in losing to New Orleans in the Super Bowl is no reason to go scrambling for panic buttons. As long as Peyton Manning is in good physical shape, this franchise will field one of the NFL’s elite ballclubs for no less than the next four seasons.
I do wish Indy would, for once, exhaust one of its top two draft choices on a trustworthy backup quarterback so the thought of Manning getting injured ceases being more frightening than the current state of the economy.
Manning to No. 2 QB Jim Sorgi is a talent/experience plunge of skydiving proportions. Manning to third-stringer Curtis Painter is skydiving from Mars. Jimmy Clausen and Sam Bradford won’t be around by the time the Colts choose, but Tim Tebow will. Cincinnati’s Tony Pike is another who could be groomed to not only back up Manning, but in time succeed him once No. 18’s celebrated career comes to a close.
Since keeping Manning vertical is and always has been priority one, bringing in more offensive line talent is a strategy that never goes out of style. Also, after the Saints’ O-line dominated the Colts’ defense on Sunday, the draft day wish list should also include the best tackle available, someone to take pressure off of Pro Bowl ends Freeney and Robert Mathis. Two names thrown around are Lamarr Houston out of Texas and Northwestern’s Corey Wootton. (Polian loves Big Ten guys.)
And, please, for the love of Clarence Verdin, can we bring in a kick return specialist with a better 40 time than Jeff Saturday? Imagine how dangerous this team would be if Manning & Co. could begin the occasional offensive series near or past the midfield stripe. Either Jordan Shipley from Texas or Cincy’s Mardy Gilyard would look good in blue and white.
The Colts are and always have been a work in progress. New parts here, a little tinkering there. Whatever the formula, it works, which is why those three days in April are always so special.
• Mike Beas is a freelance writer/columnist and Kokomo native who resides in Carmel. He may be reached by e-mail at mbeas@att.net.
Sports
BEAS: Colts need only to stick to formula
- Sports
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Kokomo turns back Logan for a win on senior night
Kokomo’s boys basketball team got to celebrate a victory on senior night Thursday evening. Logansport made sure the Wildkats earned their celebration.
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N’western rips nets at Peru
Northwestern’s boys basketball team used torrid 3-point shooting to rip Peru 76-58 in Mid-Indiana Conference action Thursday night at Tig-Arena.
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Braves’ Christner shoots down Titans
Tanner Christner exploded for 25 first half points here Thursday night to lead the Maconaquah boys basketball team to 76-60 win over Mid-Indiana Conference foe Taylor.
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Western girls put defensive clamps on West Lafayette
Western opened its postseason by putting on a defensive clinic against host West Lafayette Wednesday night in a Class 3A Sectional opening round game.
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Rival Berries visit Kokomo
Muncie Central has the North Central Conference boys basketball championship in sight. The Class 3A No. 2-ranked Bearcats are 5-0 in league play with games remaining against second-division squads Anderson and Marion.
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Black takes spot among Taylor’s elite
Growing up, Mone’y Black always saw herself as a softball player first.
She was Taylor’s go-to player for the large portions of her career on the basketball and volleyball courts, but her first love was the diamond.
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Kats lose heartbreaker
Kokomo’s girls basketball team executed its game plan to near perfection against host Logansport in the first game of the Class 4A Logansport Sectional Tuesday.
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Tipton races by Taylor
Over the last two seasons, Tipton’s girls basketball team has been held under 40 points in just three games.
Tuesday’s sectional opponent — Taylor — held the Blue Devils down in two of those games. Tuesday was a different story.
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It’s tourney time
In the girls basketball regular season, Tipton and Logansport compiled gaudy records and conference championships while Taylor and Kokomo finished with sub-.500 records.
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What a kick for Hoosier native Weatherford
Indianapolis — While Steve Weatherford celebrated with his teammates in the New York Giants’ locker room after the 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, thoughts inevitably turned to Terre Haute — his hometown.
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