The Colts, Jim Caldwell & Peyton Manning
Here's my take on this morning's headlines:
- The Indianapolis Colts moved to 14-0 with a 35-31 win in Jacksonville last night. Indy joins the '72 Dolphins and '07 Patriots as the only teams in league history to start a season 14-0. Perhaps even more impressive, last night marked the seventh time this season the Colts have won a game in which they trailed in the fourth quarter, an NFL-record. With games remaining against the Jets at home and Buffalo on the road, 16-0 looks like a real possibility for Indianapolis, unless they decide to rest Peyton Manning and the rest of their starters. Perfect record aside, last night the Colts showed a full arsenal of reasons why they should be considered heavy favorites to hoist the Lombardi trophy. Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the NFL. Reggie Wayne is a flawless route runner and gets enough opportunities because Dallas Clark owns the middle of the field. The defensive line is as deep as any in the league. The secondary, although young and inexperienced, came up with a big interception to seal the victory. Their special teams contributed with a kick return for a touchdown. Sure the defense allowed 31 points but you have to remember they were playing on the road against a desperate Jacksonville team playing a must-win game on a short week. This would have been an easy game for the Colts to let slip away. Instead, they found yet another way to win and are the best of the best in my opinion.
- First-year head coach Jim Caldwell intrigues me to the point where I felt I had to mention him. He is off to the best start for a new head coach in the history of the NFL but here's where I question that record: are we sure Jim Caldwell does anything? He has this look on his face for 99.9% of the game; the other .1% is when the victory is sealed and he takes off his headset and shakes hands. Let's be honest: Caldwell is not running the offense, that's Peyton Manning's job with help from Tom Moore. And I've never seen him open his mouth so he is probably not calling defensive plays. There's a chance Jim Caldwell does not really do anything and is along for a historic ride. But the better guess is Caldwell has an advanced understanding of the coaching in the modern NFL. Coaches in today's league have to be able to trust their assistants and divide responsibilities to run an effective operation. Look at the Washington Redskins: with head coach Jim Zorn calling plays, the Skins averaged 13.6 points per game; since Zorn hired Sherm Lewis to run the offense, the team has scored 22 points per game. Time will tell what kind of coach Caldwell will be but the early returns have been nothing short of spectacular.
- Speaking of spectacular, Peyton Manning is quickly ascending to a place no NFL player has gone before. Last night, the three-time MVP threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns (his lone interception was a tipped ball that should have been caught). Through 14 games, Manning has thrown for 4,213 yards and 33 touchdowns. And while the competition for MVP is extremely high this season, Manning appears to be on his way to a record fourth MVP award. Peyton is having his best season in an incredible career, showing an unnatural ability to rally from deficits and lead scoring drives regardless of time or situation. Last night, NFL Network announcers Bob Papa and Matt Millen talked about the Jaguars leaving too much time on the clock for Manning to come back - when the Jaguars were trailing by four with 1:30 left and the ball at their own 40 yard line. That's the kind of respect Manning commands. If Peyton leads the Colts to a Super Bowl title (not to mention a perfect record), the conversation about Manning being the greatest quarterback in NFL history should begin and rightfully so.
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