For those of you hoping to see a write-up of the band, Cinderella, I apologize.  If it makes you happy, you can watch this.  As you can probably guess, the title of this blog deals with the retirement of Coach Tony Dungy (and a couple of other issues).  I wasn’t quite sure the affect his retirement would have on me until I watched the press conference yesterday afternoon.  Like high school basketball, college, and slow dancing with a girl, I think we sometimes have the tendency to rush through where we are and not totally appreciate things until they’re over.  When the Colts hired Dungy in 2002, it basically told me that they were done effing around.

Tony Dungy was a bigtime name and a bigtime coach that basically built the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  When the Colts brought him in, I knew it was game on.  I mean look at this list of coaches in Indianapolis Colts history:

Frank Kush
Rod Dowhower
Ron Meyer
Rick Venturi
Ted Marchibroda
Lindy Infante
Jim Mora
Tony Dungy

If that’s the SAT, and you ask what doesn’t belong…it’s the 7 in front of Dungy (and mayyyyyyyybe Marchibroda).  I mean, Rod Dowhower?  Isn’t that a character from King of the Hill? 

Speaking of character, it was Coach Dungy’s greatest feature.  Take out the wins and losses and he’s a winner.  He could speak at a prison and captivate the audience.  He could speak at a $10,000 plate dinner and captivate the audience.  He could speak at a church and captivate the audience.  He could speak at the Women’s Auxillary Club and captivate the audience.  He can speak to groups and change lives or he could speak to just one young man and change his life.  His character was the reason he was beloved by the city.  The wins were secondary.

The knock on Dungy is the fact that his playoff record is dwarfed by his regular season record.  They got rid of him in Tampa, and won the Super Bowl the following year.  Okay, so how have they done since that Super Bowl year?  The Bucs have not won a playoff game since!  That’s the real key.  You can’t look at the Bucs Super Bowl win, you have to look at the years that followed.  They’re 45-51 after the Super Bowl.  If you want to talk about them losing key players, just remember who brought those “key” players in.

Did I think the Colts had the talent to win three Super Bowls?  Absolutely I did.  Unfortunately for Indianapolis, there’s usually only one team per conference to put their stamp on a decade, and that’s been the New England Patriots.  Since Dungy took over, here’s who’s represented the AFC in the Super Bowl:

2003:  Raiders
2004:  Patriots
2005:  Patriots
2006:  Steelers
2007:  COLTS
2008:  Patriots
2009:  Steelers or Ravens 

So just 4 teams have won the AFC, and if you told me in 1988 that we would be one of them, I may have slapped you in the face.  Like I said, I want three more Super Bowls, but I think we have to look at it as if we do not live in Indianapolis.  Separate yourself a little bit and realize what the Dungy-led Colts teams have done. 

After you’ve done that, maybe you can go out and make a difference like Coach has done and will continue to do.

I’m sitting here watching the Purdue-Penn State game and the Nittany Lions’ crowd support (or lack thereof) really got me thinking on how I could help you out after this most recent playoff loss by the Colts.  Granted, football games only take place once a week.  There’s plenty of bowling, golf, NBA games, or extra long church pitch-ins to take your mind off the Colts on Sundays.  It’s the days between that I’m worried about.  AJ and Ric Bucher helped me realize we need a Post Colts Survival Guide: Bous Style.  This will be a blog where I’ll post any activity, TV show, movie, etc to get your mind off the Colts and put a bounce in your step Sunday-Monday.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

The best television show ever written (there may be better but you get the dramatic effect) begins its new season on NBC, January 16th.  Season 3 actually has already aired on Direct TV, but I was fortunate enough to avoid any spoilers and wait for it to come to network.  If you’ve not watched this show, I’m not surprised.  The ratings are suspect at best and it’s barely hanging on to life in it’s 3rd year.  That being said, you SHOULD watch it.  Go rent Season 1 and Season 2 on DVD, get caught up and sit back and enjoy.  FACT, If you like sports or 90210-like dramas, I will GUARANTEE that you will LOVE this show.  That’s the best guarantee I’ve ever seen on a show, so just take my word for it.

SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH

I actually mentioned this in Monday’s blog, but this Australian mockumentary really captivated me this November.  With HBO On Demand, you can catch up at a leisurely pace and won’t be disappointed.  Actally, I take that back…you could be disappointed.  I have no idea what type of humor anyone reading this likes, so I can’t make any Friday Night Light guarantees (I stand by that one!)  Jonah Takalua is easily one of my all time favorite television characters.  Give it a chance, and if you’ve got any sense of humor at all, you’ll like it.  If you like this show, I’d probably like to hang out with you.

BIG LOVE

Bill Hendrickson and his three wives come back for season 3 on January 18th at 9pm on HBO.  This one doesn’t quite crack my top ten shows, but it’s pretty good.  I actually kind of forget what happened at the end of Season 2, so I’ll have to head back to On Demand to catch up on the final two or three episodes.  Did I mention that I love On Demand?

DIRTY DRIVING

Sticking with the HBO theme, I’d be remissed if I didn’t mention the documentary, Dirty Driving.  It’s about racing at the Anderson Speedway, and also ties in the overall impact of factories on the economy of Anderson.  Sammy Hawkins simply steals the show in this one.  His driving may be a little sub-par, but he’s definitely a star in the making.  Okay, so maybe not a star, but he’ll make you laugh and make you cry. 

OPEN MIC NIGHT AT CRACKERS COMEDY CLUB

Go ahead and check this one off your bucket list.  Every Tuesday at the Crackers in Broad Ripple is open mic night.  I have no clue how it works, but go test the 2 jokes you’ve been telling your co-workers for months on end.  ”I said do you love me?  And she said, “No. But that’s a real nice ski-mask!”   Merck Merck Merck. 

WORLD’S TOUGHEST COWBOY – JANUARY 10TH

No.  Not the name of my autobiography.  Toughest Cowboy apparently airs on Spike and is coming live to Conseco Fieldhouse this Saturday.  This is definitely something different to do, and who knows, maybe you’ll run into the guys from Dirty Driving.

TOUR THE JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY HOUSE IN GREENFIELD

The sole purpose of this is to look well rounded and worldly.  Really, you’re just going to eat at the Pizza King right across the street. 

FRANK CALIENDO AT THE MURAT

Again, this Saturday 8:30pm.  Personally, I thought there was way too much Caliendo in a short period of time (Think John Madden, Bill Shatner, George Bush, Direct TV spots, Frank TV, etc).  That being said, this is probably a pretty decent comedy show. 

SCOTTY’S BREWHOUSE DOWNTOWN

You thought the Scotty’s in Bloomington, Lafayette, Muncie, or the Northside were nice?  You gotta check out the one downtown located on Virginia Ave.  Virginia is the diagonal road off of Pennsylvania Ave about a block north of Conseco.  If you haven’t been downtown in a while, you should check it out.    

There’s a start to get your mind off of your beloved Colts/(Insert your favorite team here).  Quite frankly, here’s what I’m doing…Watching the IU and Pacers games tonight, going to the Butler game on Thursday, broadcasting the Pike-Perry Meridian game on Friday, and then going to the Butler game on Saturday.  I also have to think of somewhere to go on a date to Saturday night, so as you can see from the guide, I’ve got options!  I mean, I can’t think of any girl who wouldn’t love a Rodeo! (Sarcasm detector activated)

  I plan on adding to this survival guide anytime I come across something interesting and/or funny.  Any feedback you may have is not only looked at as a positive, but also highly encouraged.

I couldn’t seem to muster up a blog entry yesterday.  Not because I was too bummed out by the Colts loss; it was more the fact that my productivity level yesterday rivaled that of a Chrysler car factory.  I basically recovered from the Colts loss by the time I woke up Sunday morning.  Although it ruined my morning television schedule, the rest of my day went on as normal.  To explain that last sentence a little further, there is nothing worse than watching extra coverage of Colts games after a loss.  Sportscenter is totally ruined (maybe that one isn’t the Colts fault) and local news coverage is ruined.  It’s times like yesterday that I’m just so happy to have HBO On Demand.  Summer Heights High really came through in the clutch for me (If you’ve not seen the show, please check it out.  You will not be disappointed).

With my timing on this blog, I’m still trying to figure out what else I can add to what you’ve already read or what you saw with your own eyes from the ballgame on Saturday night.  The Colts got beat straight up.  With all of the success that Indy has had in the past 10 years, it’s tough to think that we’re not even the team that San Diego needs to hurdle to get to the mountain top.  They just chump us out, and then go on to get chumped out in their next ballgame.  I honestly thought we could close this decade making a run at New England for the team of the decade.  But hey, I guess I’ll take a Super Bowl any day of the week.

Going forward, it’s going to be tough to get up for every single regular season game.  I’m basically like the San Antonio Spurs at this point.  I’ll coast through the regular season next year, and then gear up again at BW’s come playoff time. 

I’m inputting 0 analysis from Saturday, because there are way too many ways to look at it.  I think Scifres played out of his mind, and we were very fortunate to even be ahead 17-14.  If there’s no scoreboard, no yardlines, and you’re just watching the guys line up, we didn’t look like the team that was to win that game.  Now’s who’s ready for training camp????   

See, it’s gonna be pretty hard to get excited for next season.

I decided to wait until to write about that debacle that was the Colts game last evening.  When you come to the realization that this year’s version of the Horse don’t have “IT”, you can lower expectations and not keep asking what the heck happened?  In life, it’s always hard to get used to new things.  Whether it be a new minister at church, a new salsa at your favorite restaurant, or a new day in which a report at work is due, there are always things in life you just have to get used to.  I’m still working vigorously to get used to untimely penalties, dropped balls on defense, underthrown balls on offense, losing leads, predictable playcalling, guys not getting to the first down marker, and guys celebrating making a big hit AFTER a player makes a first down. 

Last night, ALL of those scenarios occured.  Like my buddy Sears said, it’s kind of like watching the Raiders.  It’s tough being seven games into a season (a point where historically you know exactly what to expect from a team) and we have NO idea what to expect.  They’ve blown leads, never been in games, and gone 0-fer on two games (Green Bay and Tennessee) that a mentally strong team would split.  Great (or even Good) teams don’t have a historical comebacks  against Houston, followed by a destruction of Baltimore, and then come back and lay eggs two weeks in a row on the road.  Mentally weak teams do that. 

I just don’t have an answer as to how all of a sudden they’ve lost their mental edge.  Outside of New England and San Diego, one our the Colts big advantages was being mentally stronger than each opponent week in and week out.  There’s no swagger, and when they do find some, they take their foot off the pedal and relax.  Last night, it seemed the Colts had the game locked up at 14-6.  But through 7 games, this Colts team proved again that you can’t count on anything.

What we do know is the fact that if you can’t get a pass rush, any NFL quarterback will completely shred your defense to pieces.  Thus far, this list has included Kyle Orton, Sage Ronsenfels, and David Garrard.  With the deep cover 2, there’s not much room for error up front to be efficient.  Unfortunately, we’ve lacked the pressure outside of the Baltimore game and the 4th quarter of the Houston game.

It’ll start up front, or else it’s gonna end a little early for us Colts fan.  December 28th to be exact.

It’s the easy story after yesterday’s dismantling of the Baltimore Ravens, but it’s how everyone in Indy feels:  The Colts finally got back to playing Colts football.  I heard player after player referencing this in the post game interviews.  Coach Dungy said he stressed to the rookies how this is how to expect to play and that they truly tasted Colts football after this victory.

I have to agree.  I thought that the win last week for the Texans was just what this squad needed.  Those things tend to have a way of making or re-making seasons.  It also doesn’t hurt to go up against the league’s top defense.  Champion teams love challenges and the Colts rose up to a championship level week of practice in their efforts to prepare for Ray Lewis & Co.  We could all tell.  After last week’s come from behind win, the schedule makes couldn’t have set up this game any perfectly.  Peyton finally got his preseason games in (2-2) and they not only looked more physically dominating, but mentally as well.  Everyone was locked in and in sync, which was evident by all the crisp playactions that were so effective against that Raven secondary. 

Sure, there were a few balls that were just a little bit off, but that was the only difference in them dropping 45 on the “#1 D” in the league (Tennessee probably disagrees.  And rightfully so.)  Some things are hard to explain, but this team just looked like The Colts.  They’ve dug a little hole in their own division, but at this point I think it’s safe to say that they’re sitting in great position (barring injuries) to land a Wild Card spot at worst.  At this point, there’s not a lot of room for error, especially with their schedule ahead of them, but they look like the regular season Colts again.  11-5 seems very do-able at this point, and to me, the swagger is back (actually more swagger than I can remember seeing). 

You never know what can happen on the road next week at Lambeau Field, but I like their chances in October.

****************************

The other side of the coin would be the Football version of the Indiana Hoosiers.  Unfortunately, they seem to be playing like the Hoosiers again.  Due to prior commitments, I was only able to catch the first half.  From the sounds of it, that’s all I needed to see.  IU literally has no identity right now.  They can’t run, can’t pass, and can barely stop either.  They drop interceptions and went from having a truly exciting offense to watch, to one that can’t even move the ball in less than a year.  I’m still trying to figure out how they got to this point. 

Did Kellen Lewis digress that much by living his rockstar image on campus last year and missing spring practice? (in his words).  Apparently James Hardy opened up the field entirely more than I thought possible.  The seven blocks of limestone seem to be getting beat up front, and Jammie Kirlew is the ONLY guy benefitting from Greg Middleton getting double teamed every single snap. 

For a team that was explosive as it was last season, the play calling sure seems ultra conservative.  I don’t know how many more 3 yard bubble screens to Ray Fisher I can stomach.  If you haven’t seen that play, just watch the first 3 plays this Saturday, and it’s bound to be in there. 

I hate to be negative, as they haven’t really lost to a “bad” team, but a 36 point loss to a “not that good” Iowa team at home is almost too much.  They sitting at 2-4, with only 2 upcoming games in which they “might” be favored (home vs Northwestern and home vs. Central Michigan).  I stress the “might” in both of those.  They finish like this:

@Illinois
vs Northwestern
vs C. Michigan
vs Wisconsin
at Penn State
at Purdue

Trying to be real looking at that, they may win 2 of the remaining 6 to finish at 4-8.  On the other end, it’s forseeable they could go 2-10.  A lot more forseeable than going 6-6. 

With eight home games coming into the season, 7 or 8 wins seemed very attainable.  Now 6 wins looks next to impossible.  

Who knew this would be the season I’d be longing for Michigan to be on the schedule?