"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life" -- Dean Wurmer.
The NFL analog of that advice might go something like this: Injured, insulted and 0-2 is no way to start a season.
What's the connection? 1978. That's the year both Animal House and the NFL's 16-game regular-season made their debut. And in the 30 years since, only 27 teams that started the season 0-2 have gone on to make the postseason.
For most of the game, it looked like it would be the Colts. In fact, Indianapolis looked a lot like a team that needed to go back to school. Or, at least training camp. They were just short of awful. Peyton Manning and the offense couldn't score. Their defense let the Vikings run up and down the field. Everywhere it seems but the end zone. Still, there's a big difference between surrendering yards and surrendering points. And as the Colts proved, if you're going to give up points, field goals are worlds better than touchdowns.
That's all true, of course, but it's also pretty rudimentary. Kind of like saying Adrian Peterson is a good running back. Sure, it's a fact, but it doesn't get you anywhere. At least it doesn't get you any closer to understanding why the game went as it did.
But the game did turn, that much is certain. And I have an idea why. Education.
Seems the cerebral Peyton Manning isn't just a student of the game, he's a teacher as well. Maybe out of necessity. Injuries to center Jeff Saturday and left tackle Tony Ugoh compromised the offensive line's timing and, in turn, Manning's protection. Which might not have been a big deal if starting tight end Dallas Clark had been available to pick up the slack. But Clark was out too. And Marvin Harrison isn't 100 percent back from an injury of his own. So, who did Manning turn to? How about second-year receiver Anthony Gonzalez, who made the hook-and-lateral work. And a pair of rookie tight ends: Tom Santi and Gijon Robinson, whose second catch helped set up the Colts' game-tying touchdown.
Those plays didn't happen by accident, and they didn't happen in the first half, because it takes time and teaching before a quarterback and a young receiver can find their rhythm. But by the fourth quarter, Manning had probed the Vikings' defense enough to know where the soft spots were. And he'd spent enough time imparting that knowledge on the bench that when crunch time came, the young Colts were prepared.
And though the Colts avoided the ignominy of an 0-2 start, they're not exactly on the Dean's list of NFL powerhouses. Not yet anyway. But they're learning. And with a fraternity of young receivers ready to bust out, it doesn't look like double secret probation will be a problem after all.
Even though the Vikings are 0-2, all is not lost. Of the 27 teams that did make the playoffs after an 0-2 start, 3 went on to win the Super Bowl ... including the New York Giants last year.
