Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Firing of Denver Broncos John Fox both insane and boldly noble

by Kent Sterling

Good wasn’t good enough for John Elway as a QB, and it’s not good enough for him as a GM, so John Fox is out as coach of the Broncos.

In four years under John Fox, the Denver Broncos were 46-18, won four AFC West titles, earned the top playoff seed in the AFC twice, and played in a Super Bowl less than 12 months ago.

Yesterday, Fox was fired for not getting the Broncos a Lombardi Trophy.

Forget that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning had a torn quad, cornerback Aqib Talib was terrible in limiting the Colts passing attack, and that the defensive front brought limited pressure against Andrew Luck – Fox was shown the door with dispatch as the fall guy for a season that ended too soon.

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This shows an impatience from executive vice president of football operations and GM John Elway that is simultaneously both laudable and ludicrous.

Too many business managers lead only to save their jobs, and being the architect of a franchise that continually excels in the regular season but falls short in the playoffs secures a position (see Bill Polian). Most see qualifying for the playoffs as enviable success. Others see anything but a championship as a failure.

Elway is not looking to perpetuate that kind of success. He wants trophies and banners, not early January flame-outs, and yesterday he showed a willingness to risk good to get to great.

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The only problem is that when good is risked, the result can be terrible.

Look at the Chicago Bears. Under Lovie Smith for eight seasons, the Bears won 76 and lost 52. After the first year when the Bears were 5-11, during which Smith established his system and culture, Smith’s Bears were 71-41. That’s short of the stellar record Fox put up with Manning’s help over the last three years, but it was pretty damn good.

Three trips to the playoffs in eight years weren’t enough for Ted Phillips and the McCaskey Family, so Smith was asked to pack. In the two subsequent years, the Bears have finished 13-19 under Marc Trestman. The Bears would love to have been 10-6 in 2014 rather than 5-11, but good wasn’t enough so Lovie had to go.

And now Fox has to go. Maybe the result will be the Super Bowl Elway covets, or maybe he will see a Bears-esque decline.

Elway is a little like the bold guy at the craps table who continues to bet cold dice like a winner. There are worse things in life than to fearlessly go down in flames doing what you believe is best.

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Managing to the middle – to survival – is epidemic in American business. Elway is not playing that game; he’s confident that he knows best, and is doing what he believes will add more hardware to the Bowlen Family trophy case. Fox is not a part of that plan, so he was fired.

Life’s too short to lead any differently.

Where does yesterday’s loss rank among all Peyton Manning playoff mediocre performances

by Kent Sterling

Peyton Manning’s playoff record will cause him to furrow his brow for the rest of his life.

Indianapolis Colts fans have seen it before – a discombobulated and frowning Peyton Manning trudging off the field knowing that yet another opportunity to lead his team to a playoff triumph had passed.

Once, Manning finished a postseason with a win. Thirteen times, he failed. During nine of those appearances, Manning went one-and-done. Few quarterbacks in the history of the NFL who are remembered as equal parts excellence and failure, and yesterday’s loss was the latest and perhaps last chapter of a storied but flawed career.

The defeat was thoroughly disappointing for Broncos fans, but brought smiles to an Indianapolis Colts fan base that suffered through seven similar discouraging episodes when he couldn’t find the same ease of operation that propelled his teams through outstanding regular seasons.

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So where does this game rank among Manning’s disappointing efforts?

Here are the 13 postseason losses in order – listed from the best to the worst (* for one-and-done appearance).

1 – *2010 vs. NY Jets – Wild Card Round (17-16) – 18-26, 225 yards, 1 TD, 0 Ints, 108.7 PR, 9.42 adjusted yard per attempt
2 – *2005 vs. Pittsburgh – Divisional Round (21-18) – 22-38, 290 yards, 1 TD, 0 Ints, 90.9 PR, 8.16 adjusted yard per attempt
3 – *2008 vs. San Diego – Wild Card Round (23-17) – 25-42, 310 yards, 1 TD, 0 Ints, 90.4 PR, 7.86 adjusted yard per attempt
4 – *2007 vs. San Diego – Divisional Round (28-24) – 33-48, 402 yards, 3 TDs, 2 Ints, 97.7 PR, 7.75 adjusted yard per attempt
5 – *2000 vs. Miami – Wild Card Round (23-17) – 17-32, 194 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int, 82.0 PR, 6.69 adjusted yard per attempt
6 – 2009 vs. New Orleans – Super Bowl (31-17) – 31-45, 333 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int, 88.5 PR, 6.84 adjusted yard per attempt
7 – *2012 vs. Baltimore – Divisional round (38-35) – 28-43, 290 yards, 3 TDs, 2 Ints, 88.3 PR, 6.05 adjusted yard per attempt
8 – *1999 vs. Tennessee – Divisional Round (19-16) – 19-42, 227 yards, 0 TDs, 0 Ints, 62.3 PR, 5.40 adjusted yard per attempt
9 – *2014 vs. Indianapolis – Divisional Round (24-13) – 26-46, 211 yards, 1 TD, 0 Ints, 75.5 PR, 5.02 adjusted yard per attempt
10 – 2004 vs. New England – Divisional Round (20-3) – 27-42, 238 yards, 0 TDs, 1 Int, 69.3 PR, 4.60 adjusted yard per attempt
11 – 2013 vs. Seattle – Super Bowl (43-8) – 34-49, 280 yards, one TD, 2 Ints, 73.5 PR, 4.29 adjusted yard per attempt
12 – 2003 vs. New England – AFC Championship (24-14) – 23-47, 237 yards, 1 TD, 4 Ints, 35.5 PR, 1.64 adjusted yard per attempt
13 – *2002 vs. NY Jets – Wild Card Round (41-0) – 14-31, 137 yards, 0 TDs, 2 Ints, 31.2 PR, 1.52 adjusted yard per attempt

And before you think the year the Colts won the Super Bowl was some kind of watershed period for Manning and he was the reason the Colts won the Lombardi Trophy, that statistics don’t bear that out.

His passer ratings during those four playoff games were 71.9, 39.6, 79.1, and 81.8 – all less than Jay Cutler’s career passer rating of …., and his highest adjusted yards per attempt during that run (6.89) would rank as his fifth highest among his losses.

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In 24 career postseason games, Manning enjoyed only six with a passer rating of 100+. In 16 regular season games in 2013, Manning put up 10 performances with a passer rating of 100+.

In many of the playoff losses, there were other moments that helped the Colts lose. There were Mike Vanderjagt field goal misses, Hank Baskett’s onside kick fumble, missed tackles, dropped picks, turnovers, Nick Harper being tackled by Ben Roethlisberger, and others. But if Manning gets the credit for regular season excellence (and seven consecutive 12+ win seasons qualifies as excellent), he needs to be debited for his postseason losses.

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When Manning retires, and that day may come before camp comes in late July, he will be remembered as one of the best 10 quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. His playoff mediocrity will keep him from being considered among the very best.

Indianapolis Colts going to AFC Championship as Peyton Manning passes the torch to Andrew Luck

by Kent Sterling

Andrew Luck listens to the National Anthem in the same spot where he operated successfully today – behind his offensive line.

This wasn’t quite like watching Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis withering in front of our eyes in “Beetlejuice,” but it was close. Peyton Manning has gone from NFL MVP to less than competitive in the playoffs in less than one year.

Manning has now gone one-and-done nine times in the postseason, but this one was different. After the Broncos first drive for a touchdown (aided by a Colts roughing the passer penalty on a third down that kept Denver from punting), Denver’s offense never sniffed the end zone.

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At one point with the game still hanging in the balance, Manning scrambled to his right on a key third down play. Rather than tuck and run for the first down when there was an acre of open space in front of him, he toss yet another incompletion. That’s when it became clear that he was either a physical wreck or had lost his zest for competition.

Anyone in Indianapolis, the town where Manning spent the first 13 seasons of his career finding a way to win, knows that passion for winning is part of his DNA. So that leaves Manning as the owner of a carcass that no longer responds to his incredible will.

The result of that decline is a dirt nap for the Broncos season, and a trip to the AFC Championship for the Colts and young buck Andrew Luck, who statistically wasn’t much better than Manning.

People will talk about this game being a passing of a very bright torch from one quarterback who may one day be considered the best ever to play to another who might wear that mantle himself, and they are right. Manning with his trademark grimaces and shrugs. Luck with his smile and encouragement for teammates and opponents.

The numbers tell one story – Luck was 27-43 for 265 yards, two touchdowns, two picks that were de facto punts and a passer rating of 76.2, while Manning completed 26 of 46 passes for 211 yards, one TD, a lost fumble and two sacks.

But stats are like a lamp post for a drunk – used for support, not illumination.

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It wasn’t the numbers that showed the difference between these two; it was the command of Luck and the impotence of Manning. The images were starkly different, and may lead to the retirement of Manning, whose only goal at this point should be championships and health.

Manning wasn’t the only aging warrior who may be enjoying his last tour during what otherwise has been a remarkable career. Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne was targeted once today with no catches. For a future hall of famer, that level of irrelevance has to smart a bit, despite his team’s success.

So Luck moves on to another duel with the New England Patriots – this one with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. With Manning vanquished, now the challenge is to beat Brady into inconsequentiality.

After the show Brady put on last night in leading his Patriots past the Baltimore Ravens – the first time in NFL history a team has rallied from two individual two touchdown deficits – it would seem Brady will be less inclined to cooperate than Manning.

Beating Bill Belichick is going to require a different level of excellence that moving the ball against the rigid strategies of Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, but at this point who believes Luck isn’t capable of getting this done?

The Colts and Andrew Luck took another step forward today, reaching a new level of postseason stakes for the third straight year. Luck and this new version of the Colts will be seen by the media as a speed bump for Brady, Belichick, and the Pats to make another trip to the Super Bowl – their sixth together.

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Oddsmakers have installed the Pats as seven-point favorites, and the early weather forecast is for mostly sunny skies and a high of 44 for game day.

Meteorology and gaming have something in common – until it happens, no one knows exactly what “it” will be.

For Manning fans, hope for a continuation of his routine greatness ended today. For Luck, the march toward building the resume’ for which he appears destined to build continues. For Brady, next week brings a new challenge from the guy who answers the question, “Who’s next?”

Perfect exit would be for Peyton Manning to lose to Colts and retire

by Kent Sterling

This frustration would be nice for Colts fans to see out of Peyton Manning one more time.

Peyton Manning trots on to the field, Broncos fans cheer the ancient warrior trying to redefine his legacy as an ordinary postseason quarterback. Throughout the game, Manning fails again and again to lead the Broncos to the end zone, living down to expectations of Colts fans who were thrilled by his precision through 13 regular seasons and crushed in 10 of his 11 postseasons in Indianapolis. Manning peels off his helmet after his 13th playoff loss, shrugs, and announces his retirement from the NFL

Perfect.

Eight times the best quarterback in the history of the National Football League entered the postseason with the pressure of the franchise he led on his shoulders, played tight, and bowed out. It should be nine.

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Making the final chapter of his career a triumph might be what Broncos fans hope and pray for, but it doesn’t serve the arc of Manning’s narrative nearly as well as yet another defeat – but this time to benefit the franchise where it all started.

Eight immediate bow-outs are twice as many playoff one-and-dones as any other NFL quarterback in history, and seven occurred while leading the Indianapolis Colts. For him to end his career in any other way would cheat the gods of justice.

Sunday afternoon in Denver, Manning will take the field one more time in mid-January with his sights focused on another trip to an AFC Championship game, which then might bring his fourth trip to a Super Bowl.

Some supporters of Manning hope that he is able to leave the game on his own terms after winning a second championship ring, but for his legion of fans in Indianapolis, nothing could be more appropriate than Manning buckling under that weight through another mediocre game. This time, instead of costing the Colts another banner, his postseason difficulties could propel his former employers forward.

And then Manning should retire to enjoy the rest of his life without exposing his aging and deteriorating body to another round of extreme punishment.

There are few bigger fans of Manning than me. I loved every minute of watching him win the regular season chess matches against the best defensive minds and athletes football could throw at him.

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Manning is to the NFL what Greg Maddux was to Major League Baseball. His performances were masterpieces authored by an artist who understood the game and his job at a higher level than anyone else who has played the game, and had the physical tools and work ethic needed to exploit that understanding.

We will never see the likes of Manning or Maddux again, but while Manning’s 11-12 record in 13 trips to the playoffs is mediocre, Maddux’s 11-14 in 35 games is even worse. I loved watching both play, and agonized with each defeat, but that is who they are – regular season magicians and playoff ordinaries.

It’s okay that the traits that made each magnificent in the regular season also caused difficulty in the playoffs. It doesn’t degrade Manning as a man or competitor that his playoff record has been resolutely pedestrian. He will certainly be a first ballot, no-brainer Pro Football Hall of Fame electee without debate.

But what in all of sports would serve poetic justice more thoroughly than Manning disappointing hopeful Broncos fans gathered to watch him outwit and out execute the Colts defense than throwing a late pick with the game on the line? Only checking to a C.J. Anderson run on third-and-two the Colts stop at the line of scrimmage with the game on the line would come close.

A thrilled Indianapolis would exalt in victory while empathizing with their counterparts in Denver. Seven times, they have experienced the same sick and empty feeling because Manning got tight when it counted most.

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How strange and perfect that Colts fans look at the Broncos as flawed because they have the most brilliant tactician the game has known under center. And how strange and perfect it would be in the Denver gloaming for Luck to run off Sports Authority Field at Mile High with a huge smile, and Manning with yet another grimace.

“Talent isn’t enough!” is the lesson GMs and coaches need to learn from Josh and JR Smith

by Kent Sterling

Josh Smith has all the tools, but his carpentry causes losing for those teams for whom he toils.

Talk to a coach of a losing team, and you hear about talent and measurables. Coaches and GMs who win recruit to a culture first and talent/measurables second.

That so many continue to covet the talented but flawed player is one of the strange paradoxes of professional and college sports because they ensure losing and get coaches and GMs fired.

Josh Smith is a great example. The ‘6’9″ wing is big, long, and athletic. When he wants to compete possession in and possession out, he is an all-star caliber player who can change a game for the better. When he mopes and settles for jumpers, he’s a team ruining cancer.

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Since being waived by Detroit at a cost of $30-million, the Pistons have won seven straight after starting the season 5-23 with Smith. Yes, the Pistons decided it was worth 30 really large to have Smith play for someone else, and they improved as a result.

The Houston Rockets called Smith immediately after he was turned loose by Detroit, and offered him a spot on their roster after very solid start to the season. You could hear management panting that they were only one guy away from contending for an NBA Championship, and Smith just might be him.

On the day they signed Smith, coach Kevin McHale agreed to a contract extension. He’s no fool. Better get all the security he can before the same guy who was paid $30M to leave is invited in as the missing cog.

When Smith reported for duty, the Rockets were 21-7. Since, they are 3-4. It’s not all necessarily Smith, but there is no denying or refuting the number of wins and losses for teams Smith has played for. The combined record for teams with which Smith has played in the 2014-2015 season – 8-27. For those same two teams when Smith played for someone else – an almost perfect flipped record of 28-7. You make the call of whether Smith is a boon or a curse worth trusting.

Granted, the first 35 games of this NBA season is a small sample size, but the effect in the short term shows Smith’s presence hasn’t helped the Rockets, but his absence his been profoundly positive for the Pistons.

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The Cavs made a deal earlier in the week to acquire J.R. Smith, the shooter from the New York Knicks, who is capable of playing some good basketball – just like Josh. Ironically, J.R. and Josh share more than their last names and underachieving reputations. They were drafted with consecutive picks in the 2004 NBA Draft.

Smith (J.R.) said two things upon his arrival in Cleveland that are more than a bit troubling, “Worse come to worse my motto is, ‘When in doubt, shoot the ball,’ ” He said that before going 0-for-5 in 18 minutes off the bench against the other Smith’s Rockets.

He also came with the unintentionally damning, “I won’t say half the things people say about me, but that’s just because they don’t know me and they only see the bad things I do.”

Sadly, it’s true that people are defined by the bad things they do. Prisons are filled with people who did one or two bad things among making thousands of positive contributions. Mussolini made Italian trains run on time, but nobody talks about that.

The Pacers dipped their toe into the “this guy can put us over the top” style of management last season when they invited Andrew Bynum to join their rolling happy team. When Bynum signed with the Pacers, they were 35-10. After winning their first four games, the Pacers threw their parade in full reverse to finish 17-16.

Was Bynum the reason for the fall? Who knows, but we do know what the Pacers record was before and after the controversial signing.

Indiana University has an athletic player capable of excellence in Hanner Mosquera-Perea. After Monday night’s debacle at Michigan State, coach Tom Crean offered this about Mosquera-Perea, “For two years, he didn’t work very hard here — at all. He’s worked a lot harder this year. He’s a work in progress. I guess I’ve got to start going with that line, because that’s really what he is.”

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Add to that his DWI arrest after 3 a.m. on Valentine’s Day, 2014, the day before IU lost 82-64 at Purdue, and the question of whether a scholarship should be awarded to Mosquera-Perea becomes legitimate – as is some curiosity about Crean’s ability to get the attention of this specific player.

Winners win. Losers lose. And talent has less to do with that than many coaches and GMs believe.

Indiana Basketball – Given loss to Michigan State, get used to excellence and inferiority in equal measure

by Kent Sterling

Indiana coach Tom Crean gets in the face of Hanner Mosquera-Perea during last night’s disappointing loss at Michigan State.

How soon hopeful Indiana fans forgot the manic depressive stylings of last year’s up and down squad as they excitedly awaited last night’s game against Michigan State in East Lansing.

Last season, tears filled Kirkwood Avenue after the Hoosiers opened the Big Ten season 0-2 with losses to Illinois and Michigan State. Then, joyful celebrations erupted on Fee Lane as Indiana beat #3 Wisconsin at Assembly Hall.

The tide had turned, or had it? Not so much as Indiana lost to unheralded Northwestern the following Saturday. All was lost, or was it? Not so much – again – as the Hoosiers hammered #10 Michigan on February 2nd.

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Three straight losses to Minnesota, Penn State, and Purdue came next, and Indiana basketball fans finally threw up their hands and decided this team caused them too much emotional upheaval to either cheer or boo.

It’s a shame because the Hoosiers then beat consecutive ranked opponents #20 Iowa and #22 Ohio State before dropping their last three against Nebraska, Michigan, and Illinois.

Less than a half mile due south of Assembly Hall sits IU’s Psychology Building, a place where I learned how to predict the behavior of mice. The professors and research specialists who office there could have walked a couple hundred yards north and authored a study on inconsistency based upon the 2013-2014 Hoosiers.

It looks like that work could continue this season as figuring out which Indiana team will show up on a nightly basis is again proving a vexing proposition.

Fortunately for everyone associated with Indiana Basketball, inconsistency seems to be a core competency throughout the Big Ten. The Michigan State team that dominated and humbled the Hoosiers last night has five losses, including one at home against the barnstorming Texas Southern Tigers of former IU coach Mike Davis.

Delivering upon expectations is job one for a basketball coach and team, and Indiana has been resolute and maddening in both exceeding and failing to get that done.

That’s not just from a result perspective but in effort and execution too. Last night’s game was an exercise in futility where Indiana was out-everythinged. Michigan State’s effort was tremendous, and Indiana’s feet on defense could not have been slower.

The result was brutal to watch. I’m not sure how many dunks Michigan State had, but the Spartans only hit 28 shots on the night – five of which were three-pointers – so it couldn’t have been more than 23.

Because of Indiana’s win at Nebraska to open the Big Ten season, fans saw the Michigan State game as a chance to get a jump on the conference race with two wins at home. With last night’s 70-50 drubbing (and it wasn’t that close) fresh in the minds of fans, the Ohio State game Saturday at Noon will be seen as a potential for embarrassment, but it’s as likely as not the Hoosiers will rebound to play very well against the #22 Buckeyes.

There is talent and intellect in Bloomington – enough to win – and that is the difficult part of the equation to swallow for fans. Sometimes good, sometimes terrible, Indiana’s wobbly play leaves fans without a plausible explanation or reasonable expectation for either.

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For those who are sure the end for the Hoosiers is nigh, remember that Hanner Mosquera-Perea is capable of excellence and James Blackmon is going to find his range eventually. For those who expect Indiana to get to the Sweet Sixteen, remember they don’t have a senior, size, or discernible collective will.

At 11-4, Indiana could mature and become a first division Big Ten team, or collapse and dive to the bottom of the standings. The most likely scenario as the 2015 Big Ten season unfolds is for Indiana to win some games it shouldn’t, lose some it should win, and wind up in the middle somewhere.

Is that enough for fans, and will whatever happens this season give fans reason for hope in 2015-2016? While developing and fulfilling expectations is job one for a coach, instilling hope – especially for a supposedly elite program like Indiana – is job 1-A.

Without hope, ticket sales falter, donations dwindle, and indifference sets in. It’s not dislike that inspires change in leadership; it’s malaise in a fan base.

In Bloomington, enthusiasm needs to be reinstilled – and fast.

Is that blue sky on the horizon or dark storm clouds? Whatever your guess, it’s likely wrong.

ESPN’s Stuart Scott leaves legacy that will inform young broadcasters forever

by Kent Sterling

Stuart Scott figured it out, and all people hoping for a career in media need to do is courageously follow his lead.

There is one trait in anyone who communicates for a living that is invaluable. It separates stars from those soon to enter the sales end of the business. It is authenticity, and ESPN’s Stuart Scott knew that better than anyone.

Scott died yesterday at the age of 49 because there is a disease or beer truck for each of us – regardless of how hard we battle.

When Scott came to ESPN for the launch of sister network ESPN2, he was exactly the same guy that stood on the stage at the ESPYs six months ago to share his love of life and capacity to refuse to accept defeat as he battled cancer. That was his genius – knowing that his best chance at success was to represent exactly who he was.

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No one in media is guaranteed success, even if they are able to condense their image into the true essence other best selves, which is what Scott did during every highlight of every Sportscaster he anchored.

Scott never mailed it in, or failed to deliver on the promise his brand represented. Young viewers loved him and the old hated him. No problem there – the enemy of the media is not in viewers/listeners/readers loathing them, it’s indifference. No one was indifferent about Scott.

Success in media is not about exactitude or correctness. It’s about conveying a consistent brand, and no one was better at understanding branding than Scott.

NFL analyst Merril Hoge told me a story about some advice Scott gave him that opened a window into both Scott’s generosity and understanding of what works. Scott told Hoge that he needed to find a way to physically stand out from other analysts so viewers quickly grasp who they are watching. As a result, Hoge decided to get his shirts specially tailored to include a collar one-and-a-half inches higher than normal. Smart.

Authenticity and visual uniqueness in no way guarantees success, but behaving as someone other than your true self virtually guarantees mediocrity. Behaving as everyone else does ensures that you will be recognized as no different from everyone else – and rewarded as everyone else is.

Success in media is determined by the value of the brand a person develops, and the value of a brand is driven by its unique properties. Stuart Scott knew that and lived it as well as anyone in the history of the business.

For generations, people intent on becoming part of the media will study Scott. Rightly so.

Scott’s lesson is not in his catch phrases like “Boo-yah”, “Cool as the other side of the pillow”, or “Like gravy on a biscuit, it’s all good!” It’s in his ability and courage to be exactly who he was. While there will always be managers who coach away from unique behavior, the win is in how unique and likable a talent can be.

The legacy of a man like Stuart Scott is not in how he dies, but in how he lived – and in Scott’s case – how he performed.

Students hoping to blow up like Scott should strive to be like he was, not by aping catch phrases, but by emulating his courage in being exactly who he was.

Scott will be missed by his family and friends, but he will live on in the performances of those who are guided by the lessons of what may wind up being remembered as one of the most influential careers in the history of sports media.

Wild Card Weekend Previews – Indianapolis Colts vs. Cincinnati Bengals – Colts ready to move on

by Kent Sterling

Andrew Luck should have reason to celebrate Sunday as the Bengals are a good matchup for the Colts.

Four games among eight teams – none of which is favored to go to the Super Bowl. Wild Card Weekend is like the duels among gladiators to earn a spot to fight the lion, but it’s still the NFL, and for the eight teams fighting for a chance to travel to play one of the four best teams in football, it represents a chance.

Coaches earn their opportunity to crow for another week about how smart they are, and job security can be a reward of a win during this weekend that separates the good from the kind of good.

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The third game of the weekend pits the Cincinnati Bengals against the Colts in Indianapolis. The Colts looked like a team that might contend for a Super Bowl berth in Week Seven when they hammered the Bengals 27-0. That domination was a bitter pill for Bengals fans, but it will have nothing to do with the result of Sunday’s early game.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis needs a win Sunday to avoid tying Jim Mora Sr.’s record for playoff losses without a win (six), and Andy Dalton has been the king of the one-and-done playoff quarterbacks going 0-3 in his three seasons.

The Colts offensive line is in injury-related shambles, as it has been for weeks, but during that time, the Colts have managed to win five or their last six. Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton told the media yesterday, “Our emphasis is to just try and score every time we touch the football. If that’s running the football, that’s great. Ideally, we want to have balance in our offense but at this point, we’ve got to accentuate our strengths and do what we do best and that’s finding ways to score.”

That means throw the football. Since Ahmad Bradshaw was lost for the season with a broken fibula, the Colts have had limited success (that’s being kind) running the football. Trent Richardson and Boom Herron have been trusted to man the running game, but Andrew Luck has led the Colts in rushing twice, and in the Cowboys game, Herron led the Colts with three yards.

Tha Colts cannot run, and will not run. What they will do is try to use the weapons Luck has at his disposal. Dwayne Allen and T.Y. Hilton are healthy, Hakeem Nicks has been productive of late, and Reggie Wayne knows this is his last best chance to add a ring to his collection of one. Look for the Colts to come out with urgency from the opening kick and put pressure on the Bengals secondary and inability to get to the quarterback.

The pass rush of the Bengals is ranked last in the NFL by profootballfocus.com, and have only 22 sacks for the season, and that plays right into the Colts biggest weakness – protecting Luck.

A.J. Green is still working through concussion protocols and may not play. If he suits up, the Bengals offense will be far more potent than if he fails to pass tests and is forced to sit.

The running game for the Bengals is key to their offensive success. Jeremy Hill has established himself as the man in the Queen City, rushing for 100 or more yards the last three games of the season. When the offense is trusted to Andy Dalton, the roller coaster ride for the Bengals starts, and where it usually ends is with a touchdown or turnover – and they come in nearly equal measure. Dalton finished the season with 19 TDs and 17 picks.

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This game, like most in the NFL, likely will come down to turnovers. The Colts gave the ball away 15 times from Week 12 through Week 16 before putting together a turnover free effort against Tennessee in the season finale.

Dalton’s playoff statistics have been terrible with passer ratings of 51.4, 44,7, and 67.0 with one TD and six picks. Whether this winds up being his fourth nightmare in four seasons is yet to be written, but does anyone want to bet against it?

if the Colts get off to a hot start, this game will get ugly. If the Bengals take nearly lead, one of two things will happen – the Bengals will win their first playoff game since January, 1991, or the stage will be set for another thrilling comeback led by Andrew Luck and an opportunistic defense.

Prediction: I see this as a surprisingly drama free walk through – Colts 38 – Bengals 20

A look back at the top 10 Indiana sports stories of 2014

by Kent Sterling

Indiana’s good, bad, and ugly – theTop Ten Sports Stories of 2014

Paul George breaks leg

Injuries can happen anywhere at anytime to anyone, but the fractured leg suffered by Indiana Pacers forward Paul George as he is knocking at the door of stardom was a cruel reminder of the role fate plays in life and sports. Recovery is on pace for a return for the 2015-2016 season, and all Pacers fans hope this injury results in a speed bump rather than an off-ramp as George continues to mine his potential as an elite NBA player.

Regression of Indiana University Basketball

Not only did the Indiana Hoosiers backpedal several big steps from the previous year’s regular season Big Ten Championship, the behavior of the players also served to embarrass the once proud program. Arrests, suspensions, and the head injury to sophomore Devin Davis all gave fans reason to question the fitness of Tom Crean’s leadership. The Big Ten season that begins tonight is going to go a long way toward defining his reign in Bloomington. It may determine when it will end.

Colts playoff comeback against the Kansas City Chiefs

Down 38-10 early in the second half, and staring straight down the barrel of a second one-and-done in the playoffs, quarterback Andrew Luck and an attack dog defensive mindset led the Colts on the second biggest comeback in NFL postseason history. Amazingly, the Colts completed the comeback with 4:21 remaining, nearly giving the Chiefs time enough to complete a comeback of their own.

Lance Stephenson bolts Pacers for Charlotte

Not only did the Pacers lose Paul George for the season with a broken leg, mercurial (to be kind) Lance Stephenson decided to accept a two-year, $18 million contract to take his talent to the Charlotte Hornets rather than accept a reported five-year, $44 million to remain with the Pacers – the team that drafted him and understood his quirks. Neither team has prospered as a result of the decision. The Pacers and Hornets are in the bottom tier of NBA teams through the early portion of the season, and Lance is rumored to be on the trade block.

Tevin Coleman rushes for 2,000 yards

Indiana running back Tevin Coleman crushed the single season rushing record and became the 24th player in college football history to amass more than 2,000 yards in a single season with a total of 2,036. The Hoosiers lack of success (4-8 and no bowl invitation for the 20th time in 21 years) and the incredible excellence of Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon (2,336 rushing yards) kept Coleman from enjoying an invitation to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist. Coleman announced this week that he will leave Indiana and enter the 2015 NFL Draft.

Matt Painter rebuilds Purdue basketball

After losing their final seven games of the 2013-2014 season, fans of the Purdue Boilermakers began whispering about Matt Painter’s future as the architect of their program. Painter responded to adversity by retooling the roster with hard-working, fun-to-coach kids who would fight for Purdue with the same tenacity Painter showed as a player two-plus decades ago for legend Gene Keady. The Boilers are 8-5 thus far in 2014-2015, with wins over Missouri, BYU, and North Carolina State, and three straight losses to Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, and Gardner-Webb. No one said the rebuild would be without hiccups.

Jim Irsay’s arrest

On March 16th, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was arrested in Carmel for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He had been driving 10 miles an hour in a zone where the speed limit was 35 mph. He was in possession of a substantial cache of prescription drugs and $29,029, according to Carmel police. As a result, Irsay was placed on probation through a plea deal with the Hamilton County courts, and received a six-week suspension and $500,000 fine by the NFL. irsay has not been as visible as the leader of the Colts since his return from rehab.

Reggie Wayne breaks Peyton Manning franchise records

Someday, which Colt appeared in the most games and most wins will make for a great trivia question. Peyton Manning and Johnny Unitas will be obvious answers, and both will be wrong as the records now belong to the singularly excellent Reggie Wayne. Eclipsing the previous records of 208 games and 142 wins is just the latest entry on his Pro Football Hall of Fame resume’.

Brandon Miller takes leave of absence

The people who know why Brandon Miller took a leave of absence as Butler University’s men’s basketball coach aren’t talking, so fans and alums have been left guessing. Is it a health crisis, a decision to put family first, or the result of alien abduction aftereffects? Who knows. Chris Holzmann has done a nice job filling in, and Butler is playing like Butler, so we hope Miller and his family are happy and well.

Robert Mathis suspension and injury

The saying, “Add insult to injury” is rarely as appropriately used as in the case of Colts defensive end Robert Mathis. After being suspended for four games because of performance enhancing drug use (Mathis tested positive for Clomid, which he claimed to be using as a fertility aid), Mathis tore his achilles while working out, and was lost for the season. The Colts have missed the game-changing mayhem Mathis brought to bear as the team’s all-time sacks leader, but have still managed a ninth AFC South title in 13 years.