Peyton Manning #18

As a long time resident of Indianapolis, born at Fall Creek Parkway and Capitol Ave I was excited about the new Hoosier Dome being built downtown in 1983. I had moved to Ft Lauderdale from Indiana in 1981. The news came from home the Baltimore Colts had moved or skipped in the cold Thanksgiving night air in 1984. The Indianapolis Colts became a reality. I immediately became a Colts fan and bought the blue and white cap. I never agreed with the dirty deal Baltimore received from Bob Irsay team owner. Skipping in the night on a holiday was despicable plan of the NFL, Bob Irsay and Indianapolis Mayor Bill Hudnut. Hoosiers are a strange bunch of folks with a ordained Minister as Mayor and Doctor Bowen as Governor. You gotta be Hoosier to understand. The Browns moved from Cleavland a few years later and reopened the wounds of NFL fans. The reminder this game is all about money and lots and lots and lots of it. The Team Owners in the NFL are all Billionaires. Except maybe Green Bay. Green Bay's Team makes a whole lot of sense to me. But again I'm a Hoosier.

With my new team came a lot of responsibility. Supporting the Colts while living a few miles from the Dolphins Stadium turned out to be easier than one might imagine. The Colts performed miserably for many years. I supported the Colts till they fell out. Then my adopted Dolphins and Don Shula until they fell out and then Kansas City Chiefs and Marty Schottemheimer the former coach of the Old Cleavland Browns. This trifecta of teams usually got me through the season. Still no rings and zero Superbowls. The single caveat was when Dan Marino's arm came against the foot of Colt's kicker Dean Biasucci on a Sunday afternoon. The underdog Colts prevailed over the Dolphins 18 to 14. Marino scored two touchdowns. This was no match for six field goals from near the fifty yard line. The game was later coined "The Dean Biasucci Show" I remember my brother and I quietly exiting a South Florida Bar after the game.

The Colts hired and fired their way to failure year after year. The first Messiah was Eric Dickerson who became the marquee player who's image appeared in billboard size out side the Hoosier Dome. Eric was a huge disappointment on and off the field. A few notable in the early years were John Hand, Clarence Verdan, Albert Bently, Dean Biassuci and Jim Harbaugh, all good players, no cigar, no team.

Robert Irsay died in 1997 and the new owner became son Jim Irsay, cuze that's how nepotism works. The first proof of Jim Irsay management style came in 1995 when the Colts fired the beloved Coach Ted Marchibroda. Ted Marchibroda was an easy fit to the Hoosier lifestyle. After nearly winning the first Superbowl berth Ted was fired for the first Colt's inspiring season. I watched the Colt's Jim Harbaugh hail Mary in Pittsburgh. The replay would show the ball had touched the ground and denied the Colts a Super Bowl berth. Teds replacement, Linde Infante was also fired after a brief run as head coach. Coach Ted stayed on in Indy as a Radio Celebrity Analyst until 2006.

The Bill Polian Blue and White Regime came in 1997. Bill Polian had been fired by Buffalo after three Super Bowl appearances with star quarterback Jim Kelly. Bill gathered his marbles and took the new expansion team Carolina Panthers to the Superbowl in two years. A big huh! How could I suffer with the Colts for soooo many years losing and this guy pulls a rabbit outta the hat in two years with a brand new team?. I not sure how we got Bill Polian in Indianapolis but, it was probably the same Irsay management style that moved the Colts from Baltimore and fired Ted Marchibroda.

The new President and GM Bill Polian's first move was drafting Peyton Manning #18 to the Colts roster. Bill was under constant attack for not picking the much bigger Ryan Leaf. Peyton would join Marvin Harrison who was drafted a year earlier. Me being a Colts fan since 1984 I knew how this Colts system works. The scapegoat is almost as good as a solution. Polian would be around a couple of years and then replaced. It's how the Colts roll so to speak.

Peyton ran around his first year avoiding injury. The shinny kid from New Orleans and son of quarterback Archie Manning was starting to move the ball. Bill Polian pulled another rabbit outta the hat and drafted Edgerrin James over the more popular Ricky Williams. Again the Polian decision was a great controversy in NFL circles. We all know how this story ends. Manning, Harrison and James became the triple threat in the NFL lighting up scoreboards around the nation. Ryan Leaf and Ricky Williams were doing good to stay to stay out of court. Colt's Superbowl was in the cards for the first time. For myself I became a big fan of Bill Polian the architect of so many Superbowl Games. Every year the Colts got closer to victory. The ring finally came and brought the new Lucas Stadium and Superbowl host to Indianapolis.

This years Superbowl in Indianapolis is shadowed by the ghost of Irsay. Bill Polian, Jim Calwell and Peyton Manning all fired. The reminder it's all about money. Peyton who stepped down this last week reminded us all of the Hospital and Lucas Oil Stadium he leaves behind. He played his heart out for the Hoosiers and the Hoosier hearts won will go with Peyton's impeccable legacy as Player and Honorary Hoosier. For myself I will retire the Blue and White this year and follow the team who is lucky enough to get our Star Quarterback #18.