Colts get another chance after meltdown vs. Broncos
Dungy reminds Indy how the Bucs rebounded in 1997 playoffs vs. Barry Sanders and the Lions.
By ROGER MILLS
Published January 4, 2004
As it is in failed marriages, those who have been jilted ask for one thing: a second chance.
That's what the Colts wanted. That's what they got.
Today, the AFC South winners begin the NFL's second season hosting the Broncos in the opening round of the playoffs. But a game that already holds so many stakes for so many individuals has an added dimension.
Just two weeks ago, the Broncos stampeded into the RCA Dome and put such a thorough thrashing on Tony Dungy's team that league experts began wondering if the Colts would recover.
The beating, a 31-17 smashing in which the mighty Colts offense had a season-low 183 total yards, threatened to turn upside down the AFC seeding while exposing the Colts' vulnerability to the run.
By a twist of fate - the Colts finished as the AFC's No. 3 seed and the Broncos as No. 6 - the two meet again. And the talk in Indianapolis is less about revenge and more about atonement.
"There are not a lot of times in the NFL when you get a second chance," Colts linebacker Marcus Washington said after the Colts' win Sunday in Houston. "Hopefully, we can make the most of it."
Added tight end Marcus Pollard: "To me, what could be more incentive than that? They came in and kicked our butt, the way they did. That's the first time it happened all year (to us), but it happened."
What happened to the Colts was almost like an episode from The Twilight Zone. The Broncos, playing without injured running back Clinton Portis, ran over Dungy's defense from start to finish. Using backup Quentin Griffin, the Broncos amassed 227 yards on the ground, had possession for almost 45 minutes and gained 465 yards.
So, was Denver's performance a sign that the Colts are weak against the run? Trust Dungy to cast a calming light.
"I told some guys Monday in a staff meeting, and I told some guys on the plane (back from Houston), that the first year we made the playoffs in Tampa Bay (1997) we lost to Detroit (in Game 7)," Dungy said. "Barry Sanders went for (215) yards, close to an all-time record. It's coming down to playoff time and people are trying to figure out who we're going to play and it turned out we had to play Detroit again.
"We played them and it was different. We won the game and Barry didn't run for too many yards (65). It's just how you play that particular day. They (the Broncos) did some things the last time we played that were very good. We've got to come up with a way to counteract that, but that's why you play football games."
There's more. Portis, who rushed for 1,591 yards and 14 TDs this season, is back from right ankle and knee sprains that sidelined him for the Colts game, as well as Denver's season finale in Green Bay.
"Yeah, as a defense we couldn't stop the run," Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney said. "You are embarrassed any time a team just runs it up and down the field and you can't stop them. We have to do better, clean up some technique problems. Whatever that is, your steps, your stance, your alignment. We aren't really going to get away from what we do."
"There's not much fixing," defensive end Chad Bratzke added. "It really gets down to the fundamentals - tackling, reading your keys, things like that. Denver is a good football team. If (Jake) Plummer had been healthy all year long, they might have had two more wins. We're going to have to play our best game to win."
Running back Edgerrin James, quarterback Peyton Manning and the rest of the Colts offense will need to help. Incapable of getting any rhythm when the teams met on Dec. 21, the Colts offense is going to have to improve on its anemic 2-of-9 third down conversion percentage in the first game.
"The good thing is they showed us something that time," James told the Indianapolis Star. "It opened our eyebrows and you said, "Damn, they kept us off the field.' Now we know. The second time is the charm."
The Broncos are certain that Manning, who passed for 4,267 yards and 29 TDs this year, will be significantly better than his effort 14 days ago, when he completed 12 of 23 attempts for 146 yards and two touchdowns.
"I know Peyton is going to come out fired up," said Broncos linebacker Al Wilson, who played with Manning at the University of Tennessee. "That's the kind of person he is. He's a competitor, and we did something to him that's never been done to him before. He's definitely going to come back with vengeance."
Manning said the Colts will have to avoid being one-dimensional (pass only) and will need to rely on a rejuvenated James to help keep the chains moving.
"I really don't know what their frame of mind is right now," Manning said. "I know what our frame of mind is. We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to be in the playoffs. We just want to be better than we were the first time. Hopefully, that is good enough to win. We have to be better."
DOSS QUESTIONABLE: Colts strong safety Mike Doss practiced Saturday on his sprained right ankle and will be a game-time decision. Rookie Donald Strickland would replace him. All other Colts starters have been cleared to play.
- Information from the Denver Post, Indianapolis Star, the Colts Web site and the Associated Press was used in this report.
