Indianapolis Colts Prove They're Not in the Business of Tanking for Andrew Luck

In the immediate aftermath of the Indianapolis Colts' 19-16 win over the Houston Texans last night, there was a borderline negative reaction to the Colts improving their record to 2-13. 

There goes Andrew Luck.

Say goodbye to the No. 1 pick. 

What are they doing?

Some of that stuff really made me stop and think—people are actually blaming an NFL team for winning a football game.

What has this sport stooped to?

It was good for football that the Colts took down the AFC South winners for the 10th consecutive time in Indianapolis last night.

It disproved the notion that "tanking" games is really a viable option for 53 guys who are playing for their football lives.

The Colts need the first overall pick. I won't doubt that. Colts management knows it. Getting the opportunity to draft Andrew Luck, the most highly regarded college quarterback since Peyton Manning, is a luxury that probably 10 or so NFL teams would love to have.

However, there should be no kind of negative reaction—from Colts fans or the national media—to Indianapolis putting that opportunity at risk. Everything you saw last night, and again today, is about how the Colts might have blown their chance to draft Luck.

What about coming back in the final two minutes to win your second game in five days? What about beating a division rival that was fighting for a first-round bye? What about Reggie Wayne catching what could be his final pass as a Colt? What about extending your unbeaten streak at home against the Texans to 10 games?

These were just side stories.

The celebration for the Colts shouldn't be focused on the "race to the bottom." The Colts have won two games in a row that very, very few people thought they could win. They now have a chance to finish the 2011 season with a three-game winning streak.

Andrew Luck is an offseason story. The real story of Thursday night was how the Colts won another NFL football game that no one thought they would.

There's no tanking in the NFL for any college player. There are 53 professionals, not even including the coaches, that every Sunday (or Thursday) have their jobs on the line to win football games.