well, thats what happens when u coach the colts, break records

good article bout Bill Polian..

Sullivan: A strong GM is a thing of the past in these parts
By Jerry Sullivan
News Senior Sports Columnist
Updated: November 29, 2009, 7:46 PM

OK, I found him. The man who could fix the Bills. He's just what Ralph Wilson desperately needs right now, the perfect man to repair a broken and dysfunctional team.

He's a proven builder, a strong leader with an unwavering football vision. He has a gift for identifying talent in players, coaches and personnel men. He's won every place he's been.

Of course, Bill Polian isn't available. This past Friday, in fact, Colts owner Jim Irsay extended Polian's contract as president through the 2012 season. Polian, 66, will continue his run as one of the best executives in NFL history for at least three more years.

Don't get any ideas about his son, either. Irsay also locked up Chris Polian, his VP for football operations, through 2012. That will make it clear that the former St. Francis High star is the heir apparent when his father retires.

As Wilson ponders the overhaul of his football operation, it must pain Bills fans to recall how good they had it in the Polian days, and to realize that it's been 16 years since Polian was fired for his volatile temper.

The winning has never stopped for Polian. The Colts are 10-0 heading into today's game at Houston. They've won 19 straight regular-season games. With a win, Polian's team will clinch an eighth straight playoff berth. Two more and the Colts win at least 12 games for a seventh straight year.

Bill, can you let us in on your secret?

"There is no secret," Polian said Wednesday. "It's total organization. We've got a huge commitment from our owner to do whatever is necessary to win. The system has been in place a long time and it works. We tweak it some from time to time. But there's little staff turnover, either in the front office or in the coaching staff."

There was one big change this season. Tony Dungy, who had been Polian's head coach for eight years and won the Super Bowl in 2007, retired. Jim Caldwell, a 32-year coaching veteran who had never been an NFL head man, took over.

Talk about continuity. The Colts haven't missed a beat. One year earlier, Polian had ensured a smooth transition by announcing that Caldwell would take over when Dungy left. So Caldwell spent a year preparing himself for the inevitable ascension.

Caldwell became the first rookie coach since the merger to start 7-0.

"It's been no surprise where the head coach is concerned," Polian said. "Through Tony [Dungy's] generosity, Jim had the chance to become well-versed in what's involved at every level of the NFL. He has experience on all these things, so it's been as seamless as you could imagine."

Seamless, but not without holes in personnel. Anthony Gonzalez, expected to assume a larger receiving role when Marvin Harrison was cut, has been out since the opener with sprained knee ligaments. The Colts have lost four defensive starters, including star safety Bob Sanders. When Polian is running the show, capable players always seem to emerge. Austin Collie, a fourth-round pick from Brigham Young, leads all rookies in receptions. Pierre Garcon, a sixth-rounder in 2008, is 44th in receiving yards.
The defense, under first-year coordinator Larry Coyer, has given up the fewest points in the NFL, despite the injuries. The Colts are renowned for Peyton Manning and the passing offense, but Polian has done an extraordinary job in recent years of patching together a top defense.

"As Marv [Levy] used to say, your defense needs to give your offense the luxury to fail once in awhile," Polian said.

The offense doesn't fail often, despite the NFL's 31st-ranked running game. Manning is on pace for a 5,000-yard season and gunning for his fourth MVP. Polian is blessed with a Hall of Fame quarterback, as he was with Jim Kelly in Buffalo.

"The model hasn't changed," Polian said. "The things we do work for us. We have continuity. It starts with a great coach and a great quarterback. Without that, you're not going very far."

This is Polian's 22nd season in charge of an NFL team. A win today would give him at least 11 wins for a 13th time. He doesn't take winning for granted, and he never looks ahead. The Colts were 13-0 in 2005; 9-0 in '06; 7-0 in '07.

"There's no buzz here," he said. "We've been through it before and know what's involved. We're thin because of injuries. But we've got great guys who play hard. And as long as No. 18 [Manning] is upright, you've always got a chance."

Still, I couldn't resist the urge to ask Polian if he had looked ahead to Jan. 3, and the possibility of capping a perfect regular season in Buffalo.

"Oh, absolutely not," he said with a laugh. "We just keep playing and see what happens. Jim Caldwell said it best the other day. He said, "I'm just worried about getting through this week.'"

Indianapolis Colts clinch sixth AFC South title by rallying past Houston Texans, 35-27 (part two)
November 29, 8:50 PM
Indianapolis Colts Examiner
John Oehser

Victory
. . . meant the Colts for a second time in as many seasons Indianapolis won after trailing the Texans in Houston by 17 points. They trailed Houston, 27-10 with less than four minutes remaining last season before winning, 31-27.

“We came out kind of flat,” Colts S Antoine Bethea, whose third-quarter interception helped the Colts stifle Houston throughought the second half, told Colts Radio. "We knew we had to control the line of scrimmage. Once we stopped that, we made them one-dimensional.

“You don't want to come out flat, but it happens. It's a 60-minute game. You want to come out and play 60 minutes, and that's what we do.”

The Colts, who now have made the postseason an NFL-high eight consecutive seasons, also extended their franchise-record regular-season winning streak to 20 games, the second-longest such streak in NFL history. The NFL record for consecutive regular-season victories is 21 by the 2006-2008 New England Patriots.

The Colts, who play host to Tennessee (5-6) Sunday, held Houston to 154 yards and a touchdown in the half, with 75 yards coming on a touchdown drive with Indianapolis leading by 15 points late in the fourth quarter.

The second half rally came slow at first -- then the Colts rushed past the frustrated Texans quickly in the fourth quarter.

A four-yard touchdown pass from Manning to WR Reggie Wayne with 11:20 remaining in the third quarter made it 20-14, Houston, then the teams were scoreless until a little less than nine minutes remained. Then, a six-yard touchdown pass from Manning to TE Dallas Clark with 8:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, with LB Clint Session returning an interception two plays later for a 27-yard touchdown. That gave the Colts an eight-point lead.

After a sack/fumble by Pro Bowl DE Robert Mathis, playing without four-time Pro Bowl DE Dwight Freeney on the other side for first time this season, a 23-yard touchdown run by reserve RB Chad Simpson made it 35-20 with 2:52 remaining.

The Texans' final touchdown came on a 10-yard pass from QB Matt Schaub to wide receiver WR Jacoby with :18 remaining.

“Really, to be honest with you it wasn't any different than any other halftime,” Caldwell said when asked his halftime message. “We make adjustments the exact same way. We point out the issues and what we'd like to do in the second half."

The Texans produced 16 first-half first downs, with Schaub completing 14 of 17 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown. The Texans also rushed for 90 first-half yards and did not commit a turnover.

In the second half, the Texans rushed for 32 yards, produced 11 first downs – three in the third quarter, with Schaub completing 17 of 28 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. Schaub was also intercepted twice in the second half, and 76 of his second-half passing yards came on the final drive.

“Unfortunately, we've been in those situations before,” Colts MLB Gary Brackett told Colts Radio. “Things worked out. We made a couple of adjustments, switched up a couple of things, and it worked.”

Said Caldwell, "It's one of the things that has been kind of a hallmark of our team through the years, that you can't count us out. Even when things don't look really good, you don't find any panic on the sidelines.

"This is something, I think, that is special about our group.”

Sore glute won’t keep QB Peyton Manning out of lineup against Houston, Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell says..
Saturday November 28th 2009

Manning, who was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday with an injury to his glute — rear end — practiced on a full-participation basis Friday. Before practice, Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell said he expected Manning to increase his participation in the session and that he anticipated Manning having no problems with mobility Sunday when the Colts (10-0) visit the Houston Texans (5-5) in an AFC South game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Manning never has missed a started in 12 NFL seasons.

The Colts Friday afternoon released their final injury report of the week, with 14 of the 25 plays included listed as “probable.” The report reads as follows:

* Full participation: RB Joseph Addai (knee, probable), S Antoine Bethea (foot, probable), DE Raheem Brock (neck, probable), RB Donald Brown (shoulder, probable), S Melvin Bullitt (shoulder, probable), WR Pierre Garcon (ankle, probable), LB Ramon Humber (calf, questionable), CB Tim Jennings (ankle, probable), QB Peyton Manning (glute, probable), Robert Mathis (neck, probable), CB Jerraud Powers (knee, probable), TE Gijon Robinson (concussion, questionable), TE Tom Santi (hip, probable), C Jeff Saturday (calf, probable), TE Jacob Tamme (quadriceps, probable), WR Reggie Wayne (foot, probable).

* Limited participation: CB Kelvin Hayden (knee, questionable), QB Jim Sorgi (right shoulder, questionable).

* Did not participate: DE Keyunta Dawson (knee, out), DB Aaron Francisco (ankle, out), DE Dwight Freeney (abdomen, questionable), WR Anthony Gonzalez (knee, out), LT Charlie Johnson (foot, questionable), LT Tony Ugoh (knee, probable), K Adam Vinatieri (right knee, out).

Caldwell said he expected Freeney to play, adding that, “The question would be to what extent.”

“He’s making real good progress.” Caldwell said of Freeney, who missed practice all three days this week.

Caldwell also added that the status of Johnson for Sunday “is not real certain.” He said is optimistic about Johnson playing, “but not real certain.” J0hnson said he expects to be a game-time decision and Caldwells said if Johnson can’t play, 2007 second-round draft selection Tony Ugoh — a starter the past two seasons — will start in his place.

Wayne, who missed practice Wednesday, said he definitely will play.

“I feel this way Week 2,” Wayne said. “You can expect me to be out there. I love this game too much to sit it out.”

Also Friday, Jim Sorgi practiced for the first time after being inactive the past two games and Dawson was ruled out after sustaining a knee injury last week against Baltimore.

While the status of Robinson remains uncertain, after not practicing Wednesday and practicing limited Thursday, he worked on a full-participation basis Friday. The injury kept him out of last week’s game.

Week 12 NFL Preview | AFC South | (part two) Indianapolis Colts (10-0) at Houston Texans (5-5)
November 27, 12:14 AM
Indianapolis Colts Examiner
John Oehser

THIS WEEK'S LIST . . .

The memorables . . .

The Colts and Texans have played 15 times since 2002, Houston's first year of existence. Although Indianapolis has won 14 of the meetings, that doesn't mean the Texans never have been competitive. Not only did the Texans come close to winning in Indianapolis earlier this month, they beat the Colts in 2006 and have pushed Indianapolis deep into games on numerous occasions. A look at the top five games in Colts-Texans history:

COLTS 20, TEXANS 17 | December 28, 2003 | This was the fourth meeting between the teams, but the first time the Texans had a realistic chance to win late. Indianapolis trailed by double digits late, but rallied to beat the Texans with a short field goal in regulation by K Mike Vanderjagt. The kick not only secured the victory, but clinched the first of the Colts' five consecutive AFC South titles.

TEXANS 27, COLTS 24 | December 24, 2006 | Following the tight game in the '03 finale, Houston didn't get too close to Indianapolis again the next two seasons. They got caught up in a few of QB Peyton Manning's bigger games, and the series seemed one-sided entering their second meeting of 2006. The Colts entered the game having clinched the AFC South a week before, but they also were in the middle of a difficult December in which they lost three division games and struggled against the run. The struggles were accentuated in Houston. Despite a near-perfect day by Manning and the Colts offense, RB Ron Dayne had a huge day for the Texans, who won on a 48-yard field goal in the final seconds by Kris Brown.

COLTS 31, TEXANS 27 | October 5, 2008 | It's easy to remember how unlikely the victory was for the Colts. They trailed by 17 points in the final four minutes, but two fumbles by Texans QB Sage Rosenfels and a highlight-reel touchdown reception by WR Reggie Wayne gave the Colts the victory. What's not as easy to remember was how much Indianapolis needed the victory. The Colts were 1-2 entering the game, and without this victory they woould have been 2-5 at the end of October rather than 3-4. That would have made the late-season postseasn much more difficult.

COLTS 33, TEXANS 27 | November 16, 2008 | The Colts weren't struggling in November as they had been early, but the Texans still pushed them throughout this game at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts had 474 total yards and moved efficiently througout, but still needed a second-half rally and a game-clinching interception by S Melvin Bullitt for their third consecutive victory after a 3-4 start.

COLTS 20, TEXANS 17 | November 8, 2009 | The Texans made mistakes early and allowed Indianapolis to repeatedly moved deep into their territory. But rather than being down 21-0, they trailed just 13-0 after the Colts ran their hurry-up offense for the first quarter and a half. Having withstood Indianapolis' initital surge, Houston rallied to take a 17-13 lead and had a chance to tie the game late before Brown's field goal in the final seconds sailed left.



A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS . . .

. . . on the above list . . .

1) Notice a trend? Of the closely-contested games in this series, three were played in the last two seasons. The Texans may be having trouble right now winning the key games that gets teams into the postseason, but make no mistake: they have closed the gap on the Colts. The Colts have won the last few because they are a veteran team that believes it will win and because the Texans don't quite see themselves that way. That's the sort of edge that can be critical in division games, but it's the sort of edge that doesn't necessarily last forever.

2) Of all the Colts fourth-quarter rallies in recent seasons -- and that list includes some of the most memorable comebacks in the NFL in the last decade - I'm not sure any in the regular season tops the rally in Houston last season. The Colts not only trailed by 17 points in the final four minutes, they still trailed by 10 with Houston in possession after that. They needed not only two turnovers, and not only one of Wayne's best career catches, but they needed to return one of the turnovers for a touchdown, which MLB Gary Brackett did. In terms of improbability, it doesn't get much more so that the 2008 Colts-Texans game at Reliant Stadium.



WHY THE COLTS CAN WIN . . .

Because they believe they can, and because the Texans still may not. Houston was 5-3 this season and each of its next two games were correctly billed as the biggest in the eight-year history of the franchise. Yes, K Kris Brown missed late field goals to tie in each, but the Texans didn't quite get themselves in position where they didn't need late field goals to tie. Elite teams more often than not stay out of those situations and the Texans haven't yet reached that level.



WHY THE TEXANS CAN WIN . . .

Because they have been close to catching the Colts, and seem to be getting closer. There is enough talent on the roster to do it, and usually in that situation, the pursuing team eventually catches the pursuee. Usually. While the Tennessee Titans caught the Colts -- however briefly last season -- the Jacksonville Jaguars, despite playing the Colts tough and winning a few memorable games, never have quite caught Indianapolis despite a half-decade trying. The Texans are talented enough that eventually  you think they'll break through and they certainly showed three weeks ago they were close.



MATCHUPS TO WATCH . . .

1) Texans K Kris Brown versus himself. The veteran kicker has been one of the Texans franchise's most reliable players, and he has been with them since its inception. Although he has missed potential game-tying kicks in the last two weeks, Head Coach Gary Kubiak publicly supported him this past week. As he should -- Brown is a veteran kicker with big-kick experience and there's no reason to think he won't make the next clutch kicks he faces. Still, if Brown is in a position Sunday to kick a game-winner or game-tying field  goal, don't you think the past has to be on his mind?

2) Colts LT Charlie Johnson versus Texans DE Mario Williams. Colts President Bill Polian said this week that aside from Colts DE Dwight Freeney, Williams may be the NFL's best defensive end. Johnson said the reasons for that go well beyond Williams' pass rushing. His numbers aren't there with the top sacks guys this season, but Williams also is a big-time player against the run. And as Freeney will tell you, a defensive end's sacks totals aren't always a reflection of his ability or of how well he is or isn't playing. Williams, whatever his numbers, is an elite-level player who will find a way to be effective.

3) Colts TE Dallas Clark versus Texans LB Brian Cushing. This was a critical matchup in the first meeting this season, with Clark catching a career-high and franchise-record 14 passes. Considering Clark's effectiveness, it seems unlikely the Texans will try that approach again, but Baltimore last week limited Clark to one catch and it's likely teams will continue searching for ways to slow down what has become an increasingly crucial part of the Colts' offense.



QUOTABLE . . .

All we talk about is the next opponent. Obviously, this is a team that we played two weeks ago, it came down to the wire. They’ve only played one team since us. We’ve had two tough games since we played them. They’ve had a bye week in there, so they’ll be fresh. All we talk about, like I said, is just taking it one game at a time. That’s really kind of been our philosophy.

--- Colts QB Peyton Manning



THE LAST WORD . . .

This has all the signs of a brutally difficult game for the Colts. On the road. Against a team it beat by three points at home just three weeks ago. Not only have the Colts won their last four games by a total of just 10 points and had to rally in the fourth quarter of each game to do it. The Colts aren't thinking about an unbeaten seasons, but they are thinking about a division title and home-field advantage. A factor in the Colts' favor could be that the Texans have lost heartbreaking, motivation-draining games the last two games, losing on the final play of each game.

If those games broke the Houston spirit, the Colts could pull away if they can get up early. The alternative is the Texans will still fight, and that could lead to the Colts' first loss of the season. That would be the bad news in this scenario for Colts fans. The good news is they would still have a three-game lead in the South and would still have a two-game lead in the AFC. WIth everyone picking a tight game and a possible Houston loss, that often leads to the result going the other way, and even though the evidence points to a close game, here's guessing the Colts win more comfortably than many might think.