Naptown's Finest » playoffs http://naptownsfinest.com An Indianapolis Colts Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more. Sat, 25 May 2013 16:54:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 When Will The Indianapolis Colts Return to the Playoffs? http://naptownsfinest.com/2012/02/08/when-will-the-indianapolis-colts-return-to-the-playoffs/ http://naptownsfinest.com/2012/02/08/when-will-the-indianapolis-colts-return-to-the-playoffs/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:00:53 +0000 http://naptownsfinest.com/?p=3574 Among baseball fans with a bent toward statistics, sometimes dubbed “sabermatricians,” a pet tool in evaluating a player’s relative worth to a particular team is “Is Joey Bats good enough and young enough to be a contributing member of the next great Smallville Homers great team?”   If the answer is yes, then he’s probably [...]

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Jan 2, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck (12) walks off the field after losing a game 41-38 to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

Among baseball fans with a bent toward statistics, sometimes dubbed “sabermatricians,” a pet tool in evaluating a player’s relative worth to a particular team is “Is Joey Bats good enough and young enough to be a contributing member of the next great Smallville Homers great team?”   If the answer is yes, then he’s probably a keeper.   If the answer is no, then it’s probably time to sell high, if you can.

With spring training just around the corner now that the Super Bowl is dundy, I started thinking about how this concept might apply to the current Indianapolis Colts.    I want to dull it down a bit, though, and consider the next Colts playoff team, not the next Colts great team, because I suspect it may be a long while before we see one of those again.

So, who on the current roster will be part of the next Colts playoff team?  Peyton Manning?  Old, injured, and likely headed out of town, it doesn’t seem likely.   Reggie Wayne?   He’s aging and probably can’t hang around long enough for Andrew Luck to come up to speed.  Jeff Saturday?  Gary Brackett?  Dwight Freeney?  No. No. Probably not.

Is there anyone, then?   Well, maybe Pat Angerer can help build that next team.  Ditto for Anthony Castonzo, though he’s unproven.  Drake Nevis?  The injury bug doesn’t help.  Donald Brown? Delone Carter?

Sad as it may be to say, the best chance of any known name to be part of the Colts’ next winning season may belong to Mr. Andrew Luck.

]]> http://naptownsfinest.com/2012/02/08/when-will-the-indianapolis-colts-return-to-the-playoffs/feed/ 0 Playoffs Start Without Colts for First Time in Ten Years http://naptownsfinest.com/2012/01/08/playoffs-start-without-colts-for-first-time-in-ten-years/ http://naptownsfinest.com/2012/01/08/playoffs-start-without-colts-for-first-time-in-ten-years/#comments Sun, 08 Jan 2012 12:54:30 +0000 http://naptownsfinest.com/?p=3237 Are you feeling a little empty, Colts fans?   I sure am, thanks to that big hole in my January weekend schedule this year.   In fact, there has not been a gap this big for must of us since the winter of 2001.  You see, that was the last time that the NFL Playoffs [...]

Playoffs Start Without Colts for First Time in Ten Years - Naptown's Finest - Naptown's Finest - An Indianapolis Colts Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

]]> Are you feeling a little empty, Colts fans?   I sure am, thanks to that big hole in my January weekend schedule this year.   In fact, there has not been a gap this big for must of us since the winter of 2001.  You see, that was the last time that the NFL Playoffs began without the Colts being in the mix.  Gripe and moan as we may have for the intervening decade about the Colts’ lack of post-season results, the fact is that the team ALWAYS entered January with a shot at the promised land.

That’s all over, of course, and so may be the Colts career of the juggernaut’s chief architect and field technician, Peyton Manning.   Our consolation is that Andrew Luck will likely be galloping into town this spring, and we can hope that he heralds a continuation of our golden years.   Until then, try to enjoy the pressure-less playoff season.

]]> http://naptownsfinest.com/2012/01/08/playoffs-start-without-colts-for-first-time-in-ten-years/feed/ 0 It’s ‘Clinching Season’ for the Indianapolis Colts http://naptownsfinest.com/2011/11/21/its-clinching-season-for-the-indianapolis-colts/ http://naptownsfinest.com/2011/11/21/its-clinching-season-for-the-indianapolis-colts/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:06:49 +0000 http://naptownsfinest.com/?p=3029 It’s been a season unlike any other for the Indianapolis Colts, and as the weather turns cold for real and the turkeys scurry in from the fields to the dinner table, the denouement of this debacle could turn truly interesting. Even  a bye week couldn’t keep the Colts from their march toward history.  Entering Sunday’s [...]

It’s ‘Clinching Season’ for the Indianapolis Colts - Naptown's Finest - Naptown's Finest - An Indianapolis Colts Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

]]> It’s been a season unlike any other for the Indianapolis Colts, and as the weather turns cold for real and the turkeys scurry in from the fields to the dinner table, the denouement of this debacle could turn truly interesting.

Even  a bye week couldn’t keep the Colts from their march toward history.  Entering Sunday’s games, the Colts had already mathematically eliminated themselves from any chance at winning the AFC South title.    With the weekend’s games now in the books, here is where the Colts stand in the other races.

  • With the Ravens win, Colts’ “magic number” for being eliminated from the playoffs is 2.
  • Andrew Luck inched closer to Indy with wins by the Seahawks and Dolphins.   The Rams, Panthers, and Vikings remain in the hunt.
  • The Colts remain the only team with a shot at going 0-16, because no other club has become embroiled in a scandal that would erase one of their previous wins.
Only six weeks remain for the Colts to put their final stamp on this season, and we all wait anxiously to see what happens.   Will they, in Colts fashion, rest their starters at the end, thereby improving enough to win a game or two?   Will they, in Pacers style, “catch fire” and win three or four games, thereby royally hosing the whole house of cards?
Only time will tell, but at least we have something to shoot for now!
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