truebluefan

Little Fanfare For an Uncommon Man

There are no ploys from Marvin Harrison, no antic bids for attention, look at me, look at me, look at me. So, it may come as a surprise to learn that Harrison is the best wide receiver in the NFL, and perhaps on his way to being the best of all time, certainly better than any other wide receivers you have heard of, those garrulous self-promoters with their megaphone egos, and Klaxon mouths, and stage props hidden in their socks. Compared with him, those guys are insufferable bleaters. They are merely good. Harrison is great.

Harrison has pulled off a very neat trick: He has become great without becoming famous. He does not hold bawling news conferences, or strike ludicrous poses. He has been named to the Pro Bowl eight times and holds several NFL records yet he has passed through his 11-year career for the Indianapolis Colts without a single memorable end zone display or act of self-celebration. The result is that he is uncelebrated. He is not a star. "Well, he is," says Colts President Bill Polian, "but people don't know it."

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truebluefan

The Indianapolis Colts returned to practice Monday afternoon, refreshed from a three-day weekend and braced for three months of non-stop activity. First up are the free-falling Washington Redskins (2-4), who visit the RCA Dome on Sunday on the heels of a 25-22 home loss to previously winless Tennessee.

The Redskins' bye week comes after their visit to Indy, while the Colts are coming off their free weekend. The Colts have posted an 8-9 record in games after their bye (byes were added to the schedule in 1990). They are 4-4 since quarterback Peyton Manning's arrival in 1998, but 3-1 under coach Tony Dungy.
Here's a look at some story lines that likely will have more impact on Sunday's game than the bye factor:

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truebluefan

Taking Anthony McFarland with a first-round pick in the 1999 draft surprised a lot of people, given the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' needs on offense at the time.

But getting a high draft pick Tuesday for the defensive tackle was equally stunning, given McFarland's lack of productivity in recent years and history of nagging injuries over his eight-year career.

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truebluefan

In a departure from his season-long belief that the Redskins had not yet reached their desperate hours, quarterback Mark Brunell yesterday said the team is at the same point as around Thanksgiving of last year, when they needed to win out or forget about the playoffs.

Though the Redskins are traveling to face Indianapolis (5-0) for arguably their toughest challenge of the season, Brunell said he was not increasing the ante as much as he was simply stating a fact

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truebluefan

After the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts were nearly upended at home by then-winless Tennessee in their most recent game, Coach Tony Dungy called his defense "soft." The Colts had allowed 214 rushing yards in escaping the Titans, 14-13, the most recent suspect performance for a defense that ranks as the worst in the NFL against the run.

Heading into Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins, the Colts are allowing 166.8 yards rushing per game and 5.2 yards per carry. Both rank at the bottom of the league. With the Redskins rushing for 130.8 yards per game, the party line for the Colts during the bye week has been that they simply need better tackling.

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truebluefan

We begin with the last play of the 1995 AFC title game, the closest the Indianapolis Colts have ever come to the Super Bowl. One of their receivers, Aaron Bailey, is lying on his back in the end zone, and a Hail Mary pass has just landed on his stomach after being deflected by a Pittsburgh Steeler.
Will Bailey latch onto the ball -- and punch Indy's ticket to Roman Numeral Land -- or will it roll off before he can react?

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truebluefan

This is the fear for the Indianapolis Colts: They are destined to end up just another tremendously talented team that never found the fortitude or fortune to win it all.
The Colts, once considered the NFL's most dangerous outfit, now are a team defined as much by big-game failure as by the offensive prowess of quarterback Peyton Manning and Co.

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truebluefan

The Indianapolis Colts have a history of emerging from their bye week with a spring in their step. They've won three of four games coming out of the bye since Tony Dungy's arrival in 2002, averaging 30.5 points in the process.

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truebluefan

First he returned to the city where he first made his name. Then he returned to being the kind of player he once was, earning another job in the NFL.

O’Connell graduate Terrence Wilkins, out of the NFL the past two seasons, has once again become a solid returner for Indianapolis. He’s averaging 12.6 yards per punt return, helped by an 82-yard runback for a touchdown; and 22.1 yards on kickoff returns.

It’s what he did after making the team as an undrafted free agent in 1999. After three seasons, he was traded to St. Louis in 2002. For the next year and a half, he bounced from the Rams to the Panthers back to the Colts and then the Dolphins. Then it was up north to the CFL.

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truebluefan

The statistic that stands out for Peyton Manning this season isn't the eight touchdown passes he has thrown for the Indianapolis Colts during their 5-0 start, or that he has been intercepted only twice going into Sunday's home game against the 2-4 Washington Redskins at the RCA Dome.

It's that Manning has rushed for two touchdowns after having none the previous three seasons and only nine in his first eight years. Is Manning, known for his accurate right arm, his durability and the uncanny way he changes calls at the line of scrimmage, suddenly becoming a running quarterback?


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