in the locker room - after the win

Colts - World Champs

The Colts have always been a great team for exciting games. Even through the Art Schlicter and Gary Hogeboom days of 3 - 13 seasons, they at least were never boring. These days the team wins as often as the old teams used to lose, but the excitement somehow just continues to build. And it was no less emotional at the indoor/outdoor rally and parade in downtown Indianapolis last night, during the coldest weather of the winter.

A frenzied crowd descended on downtown Indianapolis and filed into the RCA Dome for a homecoming rally Monday night to celebrate the Colts' 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in the NFL championship. The fans chanted "dee-fense, dee-fense" and basked in the city's first major pro sports title in more than 30 years.

Indy is relatively new to the NFL, has no experience with winning the "big one," and many in town don't understand what, to them, is still nuanced football talk. Thus the impromptu chanting for "dee-fense" was startling - showing a general knowledge of how important a role they played in the playoff run! The Indy crowd didn't seem to respond so well though, when team members started chanting "ree-peat" into the mic. Lady espresso didn't get it that they were calling for a second trip next year, thus "ree-peat!" (IndyStar's Kravitz has some thoughts on that...)

Once the team arrived, still wearing their parkas or hooded sweat shirts from the below-zero wind chill outside, it was the Colts themselves who delivered all the thank yous. 'You guys are awesome,' coach Tony Dungy told the crowd. 'For the last 16 or 18 hours, we've been enjoying this championship. We had a team party (in Miami) last night, but we were looking forward to coming home. This is more than we could have ever expected. Thank you for this turnout.'

Respectively: "Yawn, Ho-Hum, Zzzz"

The Colts have a soft defense!
Peyton can't win the big one!
The Colts can't play in inclement weather!
Tony Dungy is too nice to coach a super bowl team!
The Colts defensive line is too small!
The first Super Bowl to be affected by rain began with the first opening kickoff to be returned for a touchdown. The runback sucked the breath out of the four of us in our home! I tried to remind everybody that the Colts often don't show up til the third quarter, but that kind of play reminds you that the show ain't over til it's over! Rex is going to take a lot of heat for his work, but I think it looked a lot worse than it actually was. A lot of players fumbled and slipped, so it was as much the drenched Miami field as it was any particular player. Early on, one could tell that the Indy offensive line wouldn't easily crack, when it wasn't dominating the Bears defensive front. The Indy RB's put up bigger numbers than the Bears did, so Peyton was efficient enough even though I thought he put in a "Playoff Peyton" performance. Going to watch Criminal Minds now. May catch up tomorrow!! Go Colts!!

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE NEWEST JOKE!!

Tom Brady in Heaven

Tom Brady, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God
was showing him around. They came to a modest little house with a faded
Patriots flag in the window. "This house is yours for eternity, Tom ,"
said God.
"This is very special; not everyone gets a house up here." Tom felt
special, indeed, and walked up to his house.

On his way up the porch, he noticed another house just around the
corner. It was a 3-story mansion with a Blue & White sidewalk, a
50-foot
tall flagpole with an enormous Colts logo flag, and in every window, a
Colts towel.
Tom
looked at God and said "God, I'm not trying to be ungrateful, but I
have
a question. I was an all-pro QB, I hold many NFL records, and I even
won
a few Super bowls God said "So what's your point Tom?" "Well, why does
Peyton get a better house than me?"
God chuckled, and said: "Tom , that's not Peyton's house, it's mine."

GO COLTS

--------------

Subject: Bulletin



CHICAGO (AP) -- Chicago Bears football practice was delayed nearly two hours today after a player reported finding an unknown white powdery substance on the practice field.

Head coach Lovie Smith immediately suspended practice while police and federal investigators were called to investigate. After a complete analysis, FBI forensic experts determined that the white substance, unknown to the players, was the goal line.

Practice resumed after special agents decided the team was unlikely to encounter the substance again...

UPDATE!!

John Madden, the sports announcer, was in Buffalo to announce a football game one weekend when he noticed a special telephone near the Bills bench. He asked Drew Bledsoe what it was used for and was told it was a hotline to God. John asked if he could use it. Drew told him, "Sure, but it will cost you $200." John scratched his head, then thought, what the heck, I could use some help picking games. He pulled out his wallet and paid $200. John's picks were perfect that week.

The next week John was in Foxboro at Gillette Stadium when he noticed that same kind of phone on the Patriot's bench. He asked what the telephone was for and Tom Brady told him, "It's a hotline to God. If you want to use it, it will cost you $500." Recalling last week, John pulled out his wallet and made the call. John's picks were perfect again that week.

The next weekend John was in Indianapolis when he noticed the same kind of telephone by the Colts bench. He asked Peyton Manning , "Is that the hotline to God?"

Peyton said, "Yes, and if you want to use it, it will cost you 35 cents."

John looked incredulously at Peyton and said, "Wait a second, I just paid $200 in Buffalo and $500 in New England to use the same phone to God! Why do the Colts only charge 35 cents?"

Peyton looked at John and replied, "Because in Indianapolis , it's a local call."


GO COLTS!

"Blue Sunday" GO COLTS

The video above has nothing to do with this post, (it's an ad for Gatorade) other than it's a vid about the Colts that I found to be fiercely encouraging for the team. If you're quick, at the end you'll notice a fleeting reference to the Bears!



This song, linked to this article's title, arrived in our email recently - catchy...nice job from some familiar names in musical Indy.

espresso beans to...thanks dean!

>Then I found this article at Channel 8 WISH-TV's website about it. The article includesthis link to the music video to the song. It's a lot of fun living in this very excited and hopeful atmosphere. I've not heard even the most die-hard Bears fan - okay, i don't know any - say that the Colts CAN'T win.
Bob fromwatersblogged! posting from the West Des Moines Public Library, (wish there was some way to help)says he thinks the Bears can do it, and gives a rundown that sounds like a pretty fair parallel criticism of the Colts!

While the Bears' inconsistency (and especially that of Rex Grossman) justifies the status of the Colts as seven point favorites, if the Bears' defense plays the game it is capable of, they can shut down Peyton Manning and the Colts' offense. If.
After that, it comes down to Grossman. If "Good Rex-" the one who had the second most games with a QB rating of over 100 (seven of them) in the NFL this season- shows up, the Bears will win. If "Bad Rex-" the one who led the NFL in games with a QB rating of under ten (five of them) shows up, we're toast.
"Clutch Rex-" the guy who's been running the Bears' offense during the post season- shows up, we have a shot, especially if the D comes through. I think Jones and Benson will be able to run on the Colts.

I'm far less familiar with Bob's Bears than I am with the Colts, (and it's apparent the same is true of he and his team!)but I could literally repeat exactly what he says - swiching names where appropriate, and use the same couple paragraphs to describe the Colts. We also never know which team is going to show up, and when the "good" team shows up, is it the smash mouth defense that stops renowned running backs - or the laughing stock defense that wants to just watch their great QB in action? Is it the offense that operates with ballet level precision or the pretty good offense that gives you just enough?
I've said before that we've never seen as awesome a defense in Indy as we've been seeing though these playoff games. If those guys show up, Chicago may as well forfeit. But as I told my taunting daughter just before halftime during the AFC championship, the Colts best fifteen minutes in any game is in the 3rd quater. So we won't know until after half-time which ones are there!