The Colts Got Me With Two Assassins

Why on Earth would a kid who grew up in San Diego, California like the Indianapolis Colts? It's a fair question. And one I'm forced to answer constantly.

I still love the Chargers, but since I moved to Indiana six years ago I've developed a fondness for "the Horseshoe." Why? It's simple: I am fascinated by killers. I eat up movies, books and History Channel documentaries about them, and the Colts happen to possess two of the NFL's best assassins in Bob Sanders and Peyton Manning.

There's just something about Peyton Manning.

The three-time MVP's pre-snap routine makes the guy look like a sparrow struggling against hurricane-force winds, but once the ball is in his hands there's no one calmer in the pocket. The icy-coolness he exudes while he slowly stabs a defense with dart after dart is a wonder to watch.

If he's got the ball in his hands near the end of a game, you just know he's going to find someone open and unleash another dagger that slowly kills the opponent's chances. While dissection is his preferred method of slow, painful death, and he does devour his opponent's secondary with precision, Manning is more Anton Chigurh than Hannibal Lecter.

He has a likable madness to him. And no matter how ugly things get, he somehow gets the job done. As the audience we're drawn to him, heck, we even like him despite the fact that he's a goofy-looking killer. But make no mistake, we'd hate to be on the other end of his wrath.

Besides, he's the only player on an NFL roster I can imagine using the word "Friend-o."

The Colts have another guy with a penchant for destroying everything in his path. This wild, untamed killer isn't around as much as we'd like but when he is, look out. I'm obviously referring to the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2007, Bob Sanders.

For the 5'8", 206 lbs Sanders, it's not about size or numbers, it's about intimidation. The guy hits harder than anyone in the NFL. He annihilates everything in his path with a remorseless efficiency that is both awe-inspiring and terrifying. Though the comparison is obvious, Sanders is just like one of the best movie assassins ever, The Predator.

His helmet-contained dreadlocks aside, Sanders hits so hard and fast the victim is left wondering just what the hell hit them. How many times have we seen receivers flinch going over the middle when Sanders is patrolling the Colts' secondary?

His ability to intimidate is almost as important as his skill level. Sanders has only grabbed five career interceptions, but if he's healthy, the Colts are a Super Bowl contender, without him they move to the middle of the pack in the AFC. That kind of impact is impossible to measure with statistics.

Manning and Sanders impress not just with what they do, but how they do it. How could you not pull for those guys?