It's Not All Gloom and Doom Colts Fans; 12th Man Is Needed More Than Ever

The news of Peyton Manning being out for week 1 shouldn’t be news to Colts fans. 

Don’t get mad at Bill Polian and the front office for keeping this a secret.  They knew he wouldn’t be ready and they’ve shown us over the past month that—people just didn’t want to face reality.

This past decade the Indianapolis Colts have had only one quarterback other than Peyton Manning make more than $1 million a year on his contact.  That was Jim Sorgi.

So when Kerry Collins was signed back in August for $4 million over two seasons, that should have said something.

Not only are the Colts paying him $2 million per year, that’s also the highest paid back-up quarterback in the league.  Do you think the Indianapolis Colts, of all teams, would have the highest paid back-up quarterback for two seasons?  Honestly ask yourself that.

The other fact that told us Peyton wasn’t playing anytime soon is the signing of Chris Gronkowski, who just recently cut by Dallas.  Gronkowski plays the fullback position.  When was the last time the Colts have signed a fullback, let alone used one that wasn’t a back-up tight end?

What this tells me is they know the offensive line isn’t doing a good job blocking and they need a fullback to make some holes for a running game during to Manning’s absence.  They can’t rely on another quarterback to do what Manning does, so what do all teams do that lose their quarterback due to an injury? 

They run the ball.

Another thing this tells me is when a fullback is in the backfield, more often than not, the offensive set is I-formation.  Collins thrived in Tennessee in an I-formation set and is comfortable in that setting.

This all tells me that we need to get used to Collins for a while because Peyton isn't coming back anytime soon.

The Colts aren’t going to announce he’s done for a significant length of time due to the fear of loss at the gates.

Fans in the Indianapolis area are some of the most bandwagon fans in all the country.  I live there and can attest to that.  Ask the Indiana Pacers where their fans went after Reggie Miller, and don’t give me the "I’m not supporting thugs" excuse. 

Or most recently the Butler Bulldogs.  All of a sudden, everyone in the Indy area was the biggest Butler Bulldogs fan in the world.  Funny that happens when the team goes to two Final Four’s in a row.  If everyone was such a huge fan don’t you think Hinkle Fieldhouse would have sold out for the first game and raising of the banner last year? 

Even look at the Colts from 1984-1999, where were the so-called fans then?

That’s a different subject for a different day, but fans will jump all over Collins and the Colts if they lose Sunday.

Bill Polian knows if they announce that Peyton was out for any length of time, people would jump ship and act like they were a fan of another team.  Teams would also game plan much differently.

Houston for example, calls 100 percent of their defensive plays, when Peyton Manning is under center, in nickel coverage.

In the nickel, Mario Williams is used as a pass rusher and will be a down lineman.

If the Colts run the I-formation, Williams becomes a stand-up lineman and is a couple steps off the line of scrimmage. The Colts can use this to an advantage.

Those are just some of the tactics on why the Colts won’t announce Manning is out for a significant period of time.

They did this a few seasons ago with Marvin Harrison and even last season with Joseph Addai.  Every week all we heard was both players are doubtful but close to coming back.  The reality was they never came back.  It was a ploy to throw teams off guard.

Why do you think the Texans got mad at Arian Foster for tweeting a picture of his MRI?  They didn’t want teams to think he was hurt like he was.

Lets face reality with all these facts, Manning isn’t playing anytime soon and we shouldn’t be shocked.

The good news is, it’s not the end of the world.

Collins is behind center, not Curtis Painter.  We still have Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie, Anthony Gonzalez and Jacob Tamme.

Collins is more than capable of making good decisions and hitting one of these targets. 

Defenses can’t stop all of them.  Even with a mediocre O-line, these weapons will win games if good decisions are made.

If the receivers stay healthy, and Collins can make the right decisions—something 16 seasons in the NFL have proven him capable of—the Colts will be just fine.

The 12-win seasons are over.  The NFL is too good and so much of a level playing field that it’s nearly impossible.  This is still a 10-win football team, even if the Texans win Sunday be patient and show support.

The 12th man in Lucas Oil Stadium makes it a huge advantage for the Colts. If they show up loud and proud, there’s no reason they Colts can’t win at least seven of the eight games at home this season.