Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
Both the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts did what they had to do. With nothing to gain in terms of playoff positioning, Indy rested their starters for most of last night’s season finale and the Tennessee Titans relied on backup quarterback Kerry Collins, subbing for the injured Vince Young, to get the team to the AFC Wild Card Weekend. It turned out to be a competitive football game, but Tennessee hung on for a hard-fought 16-10 win.
The Titans are a scrappy bunch and here’s why I like them in the AFC playoffs (until …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
It’s never a good thing to lose your top sack specialist, even if for a few games, but replacing him with one of the NFL’s top pass-rushers of all-time isn’t a bad trade-off. The Indianapolis Colts may have to do without All-Pro DE Dwight Freeney for at least a month, so they claimed Simeon Rice off waivers late yesterday to ease their pain. Simeon was just released by Denver last Friday and has experience playing for Colts Coach Tony Dungy. His 121 sacks are second only to the N.Y. Giants’ Michael Strahan among …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
I knew the ratings were going to be good. This past Sunday’s game between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts was viewed by 33.8 million fans, ranking as the most-watched regular-season game on an NFL Sunday since at least 1987 (Nielsen Media Research viewership numbers unavailable prior to that date). The New England/Indy game topped the week’s second-most watched show by 12.4 million viewers (”Dancing with the Stars” had 21.4 million viewers) and is the most-watched show on TV since the Academy Awards on February 25, 2007 (40.4 million viewers).
If you …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
If you were making plans to watch Super Bowl XLII on February 3, you should adjust your schedule because the game has been moved to one week from today, November 4, when Peyton Manning and the undefeated Indianapolis Colts (31-7 over Carolina today) host Tom Brady and the undefeated New England Patriots (52-7 over Washington). I’ll go on and on about this game all week, but this is the Super Bowl, my friends. There will be no game bigger or better than this one — unless, of course, these two teams should meet …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
Apparently injuries to key players isn’t a big deal to the Indianapolis Colts. With starters Marvin Harrison, Joseph Addai, Freddy Keiaho, Bob Sanders and Rob Morris out, the Colts plugged in reserves and routed Tampa Bay 33-14 today. Of course, the straw that stirs the Indy drink is quarterback Peyton Manning and the Colts’ offensive line. Peyton is the catalyst. And a quality O-line is imperative to any team’s success. Peyton turned in a 253-yard, two-TD performance. But when he handed the ball off, it was Kenton Keith making his first NFL start …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
They brought Indianapolis its first major professional sports league championship when they won Super Bowl XLI. They are the winningest team in the NFL in the past five years (60 victories). They can become the first team in history to win at least 12 games in five consecutive seasons. But the Indianapolis Colts really have only one thing in mind –- matching the eight times NFL teams won back-to-back Super Bowls. Indy head coach Tony Dungy played (in 1978) for the only team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, to perform the feat twice, and he …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
Did you catch Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy on The Late Show with David Letterman last night? Coach Dungy is making the rounds (5,650 miles) promoting his new book “Quiet Strength.” The Late Show was his last stop before the Colts open training camp July 29.

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
And I thought Friday the 13th was my lucky day (I’m anti-superstitious). The Indianapolis Colts signed DE Dwight Freeney to a six-year, $72 million contract today. That includes a whopping $30 million signing bonus. So, Friday the 13th is now Dwight Freeney’s lucky day.
The interesting part of this deal is that the Colts had designated Dwight as their franchise player in February, which would have kept him with Indy for at least one more season. There was a Monday deadline to sign him to a long-term deal before this season, so they …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
Tyndale House today released Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices and Priorities of a Winning Life, a memoir from Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy. Co-written with Nathan Whitaker, and featuring a foreword by actor Denzel Washington and his wife Pauletta, the book describes Coach Dungy’s upbringing, athletic career, family life, and coaching career, as well as his spiritual journey. He reveals the secrets to his success — principles, practices, and priorities that have kept him on track despite overwhelming personal and professional obstacles, including firings, stereotypes, and the tragic loss of a child. …read more