Tired and Proud: Colts 2010 Season Wrap Up

I was hoping to not have to write this post until after February 6, you know, when I envisioned the Colts winning the Super Bowl and Peyton Manning getting his second ring. But after a painful loss to the Jets on Saturday and a day of grieving, it was time to move on and reflect upon the season in its entirety.

Today I bring you the "Tired and Proud" moments of the Colts 2010 regular and post football season. Since we are just coming off a wild card playoff loss to the Jets, be warned that some of these "tired moments" will be dominated by fresh reflections from the other night's game.

Tired Moments of the 2010 Colts Football Season...

• Tired of seeing that Jets fan in that stupid, stupid hat. Was it just me or did anyone else notice how much love the camera guys gave him?
• Tired of seeing Rex Ryan's double chin flapping about in the windless dome. He gives new meaning to the phrase, "Shut your trap."
• Tired of seeing Mark Sanchez' black under-eye liner. Who does he think he is? Tom Brady's backup shadow?
• Tired of the Colts' D. You guys really know how to a lose a game. Give up in the start of the second half and you pretty much give up the game. A one touchdown lead just doesn't cut it. Seriously, what goes on in Coyer's mind in the third quarter?
• Tired of waiting for special teams (Vinny very much excluded) to actually be a special team. Thank you, Taj Smith, for making crucial plays throughout the season, but you made a huge mistake by running into the kicker. You gave the Jets a breath of life and forced the Colts to gasp for air when they were already low on oxygen.
• Tired of waiting for players to just play. Please, let the injury epidemic be over. SARS, as scary as it was, ended just as suddenly as it began and that's the way it should be for the Colts. Next season, our guys will be healthy and strong and they will play good football and dominate. This season, hearing player after player go on IR week after week was like getting punched repeatedly on 9-stitch cut.
• Tired of the poor roster management. Either put them on IR or don't put them on IR. Playing the waiting game did not work in the Colts' favor. They waited way too long to put Bob Sanders and Kelvin Hayden on IR. They were also way too fast to add Anthony Gonzalez to the list. We could have really used him on the WR depth chart. The injuries were frustrating, but so was the misguided hope that the players would get healthy in time to contribute.
• Tired of people blaming Manning for this and that. Just get over yourself. People are always stuck in binocular vision instead of taking the view from a telescope. And yea, Manning is way better than Brady. Miles and miles and miles better. He is the Sun while Brady is like Saturn: pretty to look at, but with lots of rings to help him look good. Pun intended. Zing!
• Tired of Jim Caldwell's pudgy fish impersonation. Is he trying to find Nemo or something?
• Tired of Caldwell's conservative game management. Instead of the full blown Comeback Colts I was hoping for, the Colts in the Jets' wild card playoff game were the Conservative Colts. Not good when you are playing against teams starving for wins.
• Tired of Manning having to carry the team on his back. The dude made mistakes in the regular season this year, but he got us to the playoffs anyway. Polian, please do a better job and help the man out.
• Tired of the football Gods hating on Manning. Just give him another ring! Two would be even better! Can't all of you atop Mount Footballympus see that no one upholds your sport better than, uh, this guy named Peyton Manning?
• Tired of seeing people write "Payton" Manning instead of Peyton Manning. The man has been playing for over a decade and you still can't spell his name right.
• Tired of constantly having these two trains of thoughts when I watch the Colts play football: 1) "Come on, run the freakin' ball!" and 2) "Come on, play some freakin' defense!"
• Tired of seeing how small our Colts' players look against other teams in the NFL. I know we are built for a speed, but I think an injection of non-steroid brute force would do the club some good.

Now that I got that gray fur ball off my chest, here come the golden halos:

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Though I have fewer "proud moments" than I do "tired moments," the quantity by no means belittles the massive quality each proud moment represents.


Proud Moments of the 2010 Colts Football Season...

• Proud that a Colts' loss can make the Saints look bad.
• Proud that our men in blue fought through "football adversity," even though they were armed with blunt blades and brittle shields.
• Proud of the guys who stepped up. We ask for them to step up in every single game and then to step up even more in the games after that. We are ecstatic when they do, but boo them when they don't. Even though our rookies made mistakes and maybe could have played better, they truly deserve a nice slap on the bum. They worked hard and mastered a steep learning curve about the best they could have done it. I know as fans, we expect all players wearing blue to give exponential performances and feel disappointed when they only deliver multiplied efforts, but that really doesn't give the players enough credit. Anyway, props to all the guys who filled in for all the guys, who filled in for all the guys, who filled in for all the guys.
• Proud for not tanking the season. After Manning's three-game slump, many people were calling for the Colts to throw in the towel to get a better draft position next year. It would have been better for them long-term and they easily could have done that, but they went down kicking instead.
• Proud that we made the playoffs. The Colts had some help from the self-destruction of the Texans, Titans, and Jaguars, but they still had to work for it and work for it they did.
• Proud of the fans that bled blue. When the Colts were on their losing streak, the true fans did not give up on them. Nothing irks me more than fair weather fans and fair weather friends.
• Proud of Adam Vinatieri and his canon leg. Sure, he may not be able to kick 59 yard field goals, but you can't ask for a better kicker than the guy who wears the number 4 jersey, 38 year old Mr. Vinatieri. V Man. Vinny. Money in the Bank. Mr. Clutch. He came back from injury and surgery to have one of the best seasons in his career, consistently coming through and putting points on the board when needed. Did anyone notice how he's been striping his field goals straight between the posts? In the words of Forrest Gump, "Magic legs."
• Proud of Peyton Manning and all of his 34 years of age. He'll actually be turning 35 in March, but I'm certain he is at least two plays ahead of Father Time. If it weren't for his stretch of game interceptions, which turned winnable games into very, very close losses, he would be getting his 5th MVP. I have a feeling that one day he will become a great coach and win a ton of rings. No doubt about it.

While there have certainly been many tired and proud moments this year, I'd like to thank the Colts for giving us such an entertaining season. We rode their highs when they pulled out wins and hit their lows when their losses took us by surprise. Come to think of it, it's actually been quite awhile since the Colts have been the underdogs.

Even though this was not their best season by any means, it was the season where the Colts wore their effort, perseverance, and hard work on their sleeves. They proved to everyone that you can chop off their arms and legs, but they will always have their heart.

Here's to a great next season.

Go Colts!