Football Season Is Almost Here

The NFL 2010 season begins August 8 with the Colts making their season debut August 15 against the San Francisco 49ers. Familiar to criticism, the Indianapolis Colts aren't deterred by talk amongst "experts" and nfl.com journalists saying teams like the San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens will give the favored Colts a run for their money in the AFC before the big show but many Colts' fans are doubting the validity of those claims to say Phillip Rivers is no match for Manning and his crew.

The increasingly strong Ravens do pose a good threat with newly attained Anquan Boldin from the Arizona Cardinals and now retired Kurt Warner, in addition to Dante Stallworth back from a commissioner season suspension and new to the Ravens, and they also have their already strong lineup and improved Joe Flacco to back them up but Peyton Manning has his own force with the best rookies ever seen in the NFL, all combined in one starting lineup, back for a second year with Super Bowl experience, ready for another straight win season to the big show, giving the league's best ever and 4-time MVP quarterback another Lombardi win to go with with his second record breaking contract to carry through the final years of his career.

The Colts will test their strength and face another judgment day this season, but this year it will be in Foxborough, Massachusetts, aka home of the New England Patriots, the number two team of the decade closely behind the Colts and you can bet Bill Belichick won't be making the same dumb mistake that cost his team last year at Lucas Oil Stadium. Last year it was the smackdown of the decade as the Colts continued their undefeated season but this year the Colts play their biggest rivals back to back (San Diego and New England) along with two match ups in week 14 and 17 to end the season against the Tennessee Titans before the playoffs the Colts always make. So with an exhausting schedule from week 1 to week 17, can the Colts go another season with wins all the way to the big show and seal the deal for the second time in five years adding to Manning's well deserved notoriety or will the overwhelmingly tough, physical AFC battles keep them back? Indy Blue Pride says they'll be just fine with any challenge.

Kauffman: The Other Orangemen

BY SHAWN KAUFFMAN

Posted on 2/28/2010

It was on a play that fosters so much success in college football. It was on a play that required little use of a quarterback’s throwing arm. It was only the fifth play on the Texas Longhorns’ first drive in the BCS Championship game against the Oklahoma Sooners when the all-time winningest player in NCAA history Colt McCoy got bonked hard from the side, removing all feeling from his throwing arm.

As we know, he would never return and his team would go on to lose 37-21. That would be the last play in his last game of his football career up to that point that the NCAA Quarterback of the Year would ever play.

But he didn’t cry.

“It would be so easy to question why,” he said.

But he doesn’t.

A man of faith, Colt McCoy is one who believes and doesn’t question why things happen when they do. Instead, he chooses to remain positive.

“It’s one of those things that you’ll think about forever. … Disappointing is probably the real word,” McCoy said. “But at the same time, I’ve been raised the right way and you’ve got to find a positive in every situation. I think about that and I think about how I still have a lot of football left to play. I’m confident that my best football is ahead of me and that’s what keeps me going.”

Disappointing. There’s that word that just a couple of weeks ago was tossed around by Peyton Manning an astounding eighteen times during his postgame interview, after being defeated by the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV.

Contrary to McCoy’s situation, Manning’s throwing arm hadn’t failed him. Rather, his eyes had.

The Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback never was able to win a championship at the University of Tennessee. McCoy never was able to at Texas either, even though they both can throw touchdowns as easily as we can throw crumpled pieces of paper in the trashcan, win (almost) every game possible, have excellent leadership qualities both on and off the field, and even both suited up in orange in college. It makes you wonder if we’re seeing another Manning on the verge of rising.

For the game’s sake, I like to think so.

Let’s just hope Colt doesn’t receive postseason woes.

:: The future

Colt McCoy is a fine young man who took his team 12-0 this year and led his team to the title game, a fine man who has received countless awards and holds several Longhorns school records – it should be no wonder he remains positive. Despite nearly having a career-ending injury, McCoy has successfully bounced back, faster then previously hoped for.

At 6′2″, 210 pounds, Colt will be one of the top quarterbacks selected in the draft in April. Experts project him going in the late first round, early second round at worst. His shoulder injury could have league owners cautious.

Not wanting to risk overworking his arm too soon,  McCoy’s doctor has advised him not to throw at the NFL Combine this week. He will have to wait to WOW prospects on March 31 at the University of Texas Pro Day.

“My arm feels really good,” he said. “I’m able to do everything they ask me to do. It’s really healing quickly.”

Doing everything they ask him to do won’t be enough if he’s going to be anything like Peyton Manning. He’ll need to study, work-out, and then study some more. Even if it makes his shoulder hurt.