Today’s AFC Divisional playoff game between the Chargers and Colts will be the last football game in the Hoosier Dome. Yeah, yeah, I know, it has been the RCA Dome for quite some time, but I never fully accepted the name change. In the 23 years it’s been open, I’ve only been to one Colts’ game there. As I recall, I was something like 15 years old, didn’t care a bit about the game, and spent most of my time looking at the cheerleaders through binoculars. I saw a Rolling Stones concert there in December of ’89 during the Steel Wheels tour, and, probably best of all, I saw the Richmond Red Devils finally bag a State basketball championship in overtime against Lafayette Jeff in 1992 (the last two were courtesy of tickets acquired by “T,” frequent commenter here at Masson’s blog.)
Truth be told, I didn’t become an avid Colts fan until Art Modell shipped the Browns off to Baltimore. I seem to recall that got announced during the 1995 season and that’s when I started watching most of the Colts games. That was a great season. As luck would have it, the Colts beat the Chargers in playoffs that year. Zack Crockett came out of nowhere and ran wild when Marshall Faulk was injured — it was a New Year’s Eve playoff game – that seems so odd as the NFL season seems to run later and later. That season ended with the Colts in the Steelers’ end zone with a near miss of a last second Hail Mary pass to win the game. After another solid outing and another playoff loss to the Steelers, the next couple of years weren’t great – back-to-back 3-13 seasons. Then, the good times started:
1999: 13-3, lost to the Titans in the playoffs.
2000: 10-6, lost to the Dolphins in the wildcard round.
2001: 6-10, Jim Mora fired as a coach; Colts defense was awful.
2002: 10-6, got walloped by the Jets in the wildcard round.
2003: 12-4, lost to the Patriots in the AFC Championship.
2004: 12-4, lost to the Patriots in the divisional round.
2005: 14-2, lost to the Steelers in the divisional round.
2006: 12-4, won the Super Bowl
2007: 13-3, playoff results to be determined.
Jeeze, how spoiled have we become with Manning as QB? Two seasons where the Colts have had fewer than 10 wins. Twelve win seasons in the past 5 consecutive. And a fair number of the 17 losses in those seasons have been in garbage time where the Colts had nothing much left to play for.
Let’s look at the prior history:
1984: 4-12
1985: 5-11
1986: 3-13
1987: 9-7, lost to the Browns in the divisional round
1988: 9-7
1989: 8-8
1990: 7-9
1991: 1-15
1992: 9-7
1993: 4-12
1994: 8-8
1995: 9-7, lost to the Steelers in the AFC Championship
1996: 9-7, lost to the Steelers in the Wildcard Round
1997: 3-13
1998: 3-13
So, today, we take on the Chargers again. Frankly, I’d feel more comfortable if the Chargers were still coached by Marty “great coach, but can’t win in the playoffs” Schottenheimer. But, if the Colts can avoid giving up 14 points on runbacks and having Manning throw 6 interceptions, and having Adam “the Iceman” Viniateri miss a chip shot field goal, all of which happened in the Colts’ narrow regular season loss to the Chargers, I like our chances.
I’ll actually be at the game today, my third game of the year (they won the previous two I went to this year so….). Here’s hoping we kick their asses, then go to NE and kick their asses too :)
One game at a time though. The past few years have shown a pattern where the #1 seed loses, then goes on the following year to win the Super Bowl as a lower ranked team.
2004 – Pittsburgh #1 seed, loses, then wins Super Bowl in 2005.
2005 – Indianapolis #1 seed, loses, then wins Super Bowl in 2006.
2006 – San Diego #1 seed, loses, then . . . ?
Also, the Colts history after a first round bye isn’t good.
Still, those are probably relatively meaningless patterns. If Mathis can get to Rivers and Sanders can hit lots of people . . . hard, we should be in good shape. Hopefully Marvin is really healthy, Reggie has a lot more experience now, and with Clark and Gonzalez as options in the slot, the receiving game should be at a better level which in turn should open things up for Addai.
Well, that sucked. Colts lose.
I don’t think this team needs bye weeks.
Now, as we bid adieu to the Dome, we can look forward to continuing to pay for it for years to come- after its’ demolition, and after the Colts begin play at the new palace.
I must have been with you at that ’92 state championship game; as my folks snagged tickets for me, too.
What I remember most about both games that day was our coming from behind to tie the game at the end of regulation time; and winning both games in overtime.
I was also at the last single-class state chapmionship game in ’97 to watch the La Porte Slicers play. (My first call was in La Porte).
I’m glad we won our state championship before Indiana went to class basketball.
Seems like T & I were in one set of seats, and maybe you and your parents were a few rows away.
I remember having listened to the semi-final on the radio at my college apartment in Oxford, Ohio, and getting a phone call from T, asking me if I’d heard about the Red Devils. I said, “yeah.” Then he said he was in Richmond (home for reserves, I think) and had an extra ticket and would I like to go. I said, “hell yeah!” and was out the door about 5 minutes later, swung by Richmond, and we headed over to Indy to watch the finals. That win really took away the bad taste of ’85 and ’87 against the Marion Giants.
Never thought I’d say this, but go Pats (at least next week)! Philip Rivers is a punk SOB & I hope he gets throttled…
Yeah it did! I was at both those games, too; although at Market Square Arena.