As a UM fan, I offer apologies to my peeps in South Florida for having adopted the Gators and pulling for them in the National Championship game.  I say that knowing that every UM fan is still bitter about the Canes’ loss to OSU in 2003 Fiesta Bowl, and were smiling to see the Buckeyes get annihilated by the Gators.
 
So it is with apologies to all my Gator friends that I declare my desire for the Colts to win the Super Bowl.  As the Midwest descends on my hometown over the next two weeks, I sit here anticipating what should be a spectacular game and hoping Indianapolis ends up the victor in the contest.  What does this have to do with the Gators and why am I apologizing to their fans?
 
To fully understand, you need to go back to Peyton Manning’s career as a college quarterback.  Although he left the University of Tennessee as the Vols’ all-time leading passer with 11,201 yards and 89 touchdowns, Manning was always dogged with the fact he never won a national title and never beat the University of Florida.  Until last night, the same label plagued him as a professional, having squandered playoff opportunities and having seemingly been owned by the New England Patriots.
 
So the showdown on February 4 pits Peyton Manning, a Tennessee Volunteer, versus Rex Grossman, a Florida Gator and one of the school’s most prolific passers.  Having shed the burden the weighed him down as a pro – beating the Tom Brady and Patriots in the playoffs – Manning now has the opportunity to metaphorically bury the pains of his collegiate career.  Not only will a win in Super Bowl XLI secure his place in the Hall of Fame, it will also mean he emerged victorious over a Gator in the big game.
 
And if you think college allegiances don’t run that deep, think again.  I hate the NY Jets, but I like see Jonathan Vilma play well and receive national recognition.  The same is true with the Bills and Willis McGahee.  I am sure that outside of Indianapolis, the largest concentration of Colts fans can be found in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Even Smokey, the Vols’ mascot, will be sporting a blue jacket with horse shoe logos. 
 
Throw in my allegiance to the AFC, my affinity towards Tony Dungy as a person and a coach, the fact I have more friends and acquaintances from Indiana than I do from Chicago, the choice for me is obvious.  Come February 4, I will be pulling for the kid from New Orleans by way of Knoxville, Tennessee to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy and secure his spot in the pantheon of NFL greats.   Right now, however, I’m still relishing the fact the Patriots lost! 

Go Colts!

Is sit here one day removed from watching my bandwagon team, the Indianapolis Colts, lose their first game of the NFL season.  The reason I am a Colts fan is because my beloved Dolphins are still “rebuilding”, I have nothing but admiration and respect for Tony Dungy, I believe Marvin Harrison is the best receiver in the entire league, and my girlfriend has the hots for Peyton Manning.  

So it was with mixed emotions that I saw the clock wind down on the Colts, thus making official their first defeat.  It was bittersweet to see an end to the talk and hype of an undefeated season.  I love how sexy the idea is for a team in this faster, stronger NFL to go undefeated.  I love the media build up it creates, the sports-radio fodder that permeates with the notion, and the constant references to the team of my youth – the 1972 Dolphins.

Yes, I have heard how the NFL of the 70’s doesn’t compare to today’s NFL.  In his entire AFL/NFL career, Bob Griese threw for a total of 25,092 yards. By comparison, Dan Marino surpassed 25,000 yards in his seventh season and Peyton Manning already has over 33,000 yards in his first eight years as a professional quarterback. * I have heard how the ’72 Dolphins were not as good as the Steelers that followed them in that decade, and wouldn’t stand a chance against the 49’ers and Cowboys of the 90’s.

 To many extents, those arguments are true.  For me, it’s not about which team was better.  It’s not about the fantasy game in which Larry Csonka plows through Mike Singletary or Jake Scott picks off a Joe Montana pass.  For me, the celebration of the undefeated season is about recognizing the only true, objective use of the word perfection in professional football.  Major League Baseball has seen 17 perfect games.  Nadia Comaneci will always be remembered for her perfect score in the 1976 Olympics, and although she was the first to complete a perfect routine, she was definitely not the last gymnast to do so.  Only the Dolphins that my mother watched while carrying me in her belly can claim the distinction of uniquely perfect in their sport.

There is something to be said about being the only team to accomplish the impossible.  There is something majestic and regal about the idea of a 76 year-old Don Shula raising a glass of Champagne in celebration of what he and his players accomplished 33 years ago.  Like the stories my father used to tell me about walking to school uphill both ways in the snow, it is both dated yet alluring.  It gets old but is still a pleasure to talk about.  It takes me back to being a boy watching games in the Orange Bowl but reminds me of how old I really am.

The mark of the ’72 Dolphins will not last forever, and I am a firm believer that you cannot live in the past.  Nevertheless, I will always hold on to this accomplishment as something special and endearing for me.  The Perfect Season will always take me back to a time when life growing up was simple, fun and quite simply, perfect.

*DatabaseFootball.com