2011 NFL Season: No Peyton Manning, No Wins for Indianapolis

With a 62-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Indianapolis Colts’ season somehow got worse. The winless Colts reached a new low on Sunday night with their historic loss.

Since the AFL-NFL merger, only three teams have allowed 62 points in a game. Well, that was until the Colts defense let Drew Brees and company score at will. The Saints scored on nine straight possessions in the prime-time game.

For a franchise that has been the model of consistency, the absence of Peyton Manning has put the whole organization in a tail spin. In addition, the seven-game skid that the Colts are currently in only validates Peyton Manning’s four MVP trophies.

In his rookie season, Jim Caldwell, the coach picked to follow in Tony Dungy’s footsteps, took the NFL by storm and led the Colts to a 14-2 regular season record. He even made it all the way to Miami, where the Colts lost 31-17 in the league’s championship game. He even returned the team to the playoffs the next year, but lost to the New York Jets in the Wild Card Game.

After watching the Colts play without Peyton Manning, you start to appreciate his talent more. Sounds a little crazy, but it would not be shocking to see Peyton Manning receive one vote for MVP this season.

However, it makes you wonder whether or not Caldwell is actually a good coach. Looking at the facts, he made it to the Super Bowl with the system and players that Tony Dungy put in place. Now, two years removed from that 14-win season, the Colts find themselves on the bottom of the NFL.

Yes, Manning is not on the field, so that makes Caldwell’s job a lot more difficult. But there is no excuse for losing to a team by 55 points.

This season has been a perfect example of why teams need to be prepared for their star player going down. Everyone knows how important quarterbacks are to their respective teams, but the Colts take that line to a whole new level. If Brady, Brees or Rodgers went down with an injury, their respective team probably would not make the playoffs.

However, I do not think they would lose to somebody by such a drastic margin.

Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, felt his team played so terribly that he apologized to the Colts fans via Twitter. It is safe to say that he will look into finding a capable backup for Peyton Manning in the future.