Cbz40
The Grand Poobah
- Messages
- 31,387
- Reaction score
- 39
SPORTSDAY Football:
NFL
Colts defense wrapped up the title
Rick Gosselin
08:15 PM CST on Monday, February 5, 2007
MIAMI – In the end, defense still wins championships in the NFL.
Surprisingly, it was the Indianapolis defense that delivered in the Super Bowl – not the Chicago defense.
Sure, NFL passing champion Peyton Manning was the Super Bowl MVP – the 21st time in 41 Super Bowls that a quarterback has taken home the honor. And Dominic Rhodes burst out of Joseph Addai's shadow to rush for 113 yards. Reggie Wayne also caught a 53-yard touchdown pass to ignite the Colts.
But this game was won in the second quarter by an embattled defense that wasn't supposed to be Super Bowl-worthy.
Defense had been Tony Dungy's great failing as head coach of the Colts. One of the best defensive minds in the game, Dungy crafted the defense that carried Tampa Bay to its first Super Bowl in 2002.
But Dungy wasn't around to share that joy and triumph – the Bucs fired him in 2001 after he steered Tampa Bay to three consecutive playoff berths.
Dungy was quickly snapped up by Indianapolis, where he inherited a franchise quarterback and an offensive mentality. If Dungy could balance that offense with some defense, one day the Colts would be Super Bowl champions themselves.
Manning & Co. continued to roll up yards and points at a record-setting pace throughout this decade. But Dungy's belief in small, speed defenders wasn't taking root on the artificial surface of the RCA Dome.
When Manning hit his career height with an NFL-record 49 touchdown passes in 2004, Dungy hit a career depth as a coaching guru with the NFL's 29th-ranked defense.
The 2006 season was a continuation of that slide. The Colts entered the playoffs with a defense that allowed 360 points and a run defense that ranked 32nd in the NFL. No Super Bowl champion had ever finished lower than 19th in run defense or allowed more than 338 points.
But Dungy flicked a switch in January. He won a Super Bowl ring as a defensive back with Pittsburgh and its Steel Curtain defense in the 1970s. His 2006 Colts threw up a steel curtain of their own in these playoffs.
That run defense slammed the door on Kansas City's Larry Johnson in the opening round of the playoffs. Johnson, the runner-up for the NFL rushing title, gained only 32 yards against the Colts. The Chiefs managed seven first downs.
In the second round, the Colts went on the road and held the Baltimore Ravens out of the end zone, winning 15-6 on field goals. Rookie safety Antoine Bethea made a goal-line interception of Steve McNair to highlight the effort.
In the AFC title game against New England, Marlin Jackson intercepted Tom Brady, the NFL's resident Mr. Clutch, in the final minute to secure a 38-34 triumph.
AP
Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown. But the Indianapolis defense saved its best for last. The Colts fell behind, 14-6, in the Super Bowl because of a 92-yard return of the opening kickoff by Devin Hester and a 52-yard run by Thomas Jones on Chicago's second handoff of the game. That set up a second, short touchdown.
The Colts desperately needed some defensive stops until Manning and the offense could get their game cranked up. Those stops came in a flurry. The Bears had five more possessions in the first half and managed just 36 yards.
The Colts forced two fumbles during that stretch. Safety Bob Sanders lit up Cedric Benson in the hole in the first quarter, and end Dwight Freeney recovered. Tackle Raheem Brock also fell on a Rex Grossman fumble in the second quarter.
That embattled defense held Chicago without a first down for almost 25 minutes into the third quarter. That gave Manning the breathing room he needed to generate three scoring drives and power the Colts to a 19-14 lead. It was a lead the Colts did not relinquish.
"I think the defense realized that, with the weather conditions, we had to jump-start the offense," Dungy said. "In some way or another, everybody stepped up when we needed them. We needed the defense at that point, and they came through.
"That stretch from the middle of the first quarter on was huge to get us back in the game."
The Indianapolis defense iced the game with two fourth-quarter interceptions of Grossman, including one that cornerback Kelvin Hayden returned 56 yards for a touchdown.
A defense that allowed 22 points and 379 yards per game during the regular season allowed only 16 points and 238 yards per game in the playoffs.
NFL
Colts defense wrapped up the title
Rick Gosselin
08:15 PM CST on Monday, February 5, 2007
MIAMI – In the end, defense still wins championships in the NFL.
Surprisingly, it was the Indianapolis defense that delivered in the Super Bowl – not the Chicago defense.
Sure, NFL passing champion Peyton Manning was the Super Bowl MVP – the 21st time in 41 Super Bowls that a quarterback has taken home the honor. And Dominic Rhodes burst out of Joseph Addai's shadow to rush for 113 yards. Reggie Wayne also caught a 53-yard touchdown pass to ignite the Colts.
But this game was won in the second quarter by an embattled defense that wasn't supposed to be Super Bowl-worthy.
Defense had been Tony Dungy's great failing as head coach of the Colts. One of the best defensive minds in the game, Dungy crafted the defense that carried Tampa Bay to its first Super Bowl in 2002.
But Dungy wasn't around to share that joy and triumph – the Bucs fired him in 2001 after he steered Tampa Bay to three consecutive playoff berths.
Dungy was quickly snapped up by Indianapolis, where he inherited a franchise quarterback and an offensive mentality. If Dungy could balance that offense with some defense, one day the Colts would be Super Bowl champions themselves.
Manning & Co. continued to roll up yards and points at a record-setting pace throughout this decade. But Dungy's belief in small, speed defenders wasn't taking root on the artificial surface of the RCA Dome.
When Manning hit his career height with an NFL-record 49 touchdown passes in 2004, Dungy hit a career depth as a coaching guru with the NFL's 29th-ranked defense.
The 2006 season was a continuation of that slide. The Colts entered the playoffs with a defense that allowed 360 points and a run defense that ranked 32nd in the NFL. No Super Bowl champion had ever finished lower than 19th in run defense or allowed more than 338 points.
But Dungy flicked a switch in January. He won a Super Bowl ring as a defensive back with Pittsburgh and its Steel Curtain defense in the 1970s. His 2006 Colts threw up a steel curtain of their own in these playoffs.
That run defense slammed the door on Kansas City's Larry Johnson in the opening round of the playoffs. Johnson, the runner-up for the NFL rushing title, gained only 32 yards against the Colts. The Chiefs managed seven first downs.
In the second round, the Colts went on the road and held the Baltimore Ravens out of the end zone, winning 15-6 on field goals. Rookie safety Antoine Bethea made a goal-line interception of Steve McNair to highlight the effort.
In the AFC title game against New England, Marlin Jackson intercepted Tom Brady, the NFL's resident Mr. Clutch, in the final minute to secure a 38-34 triumph.
AP
Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown. But the Indianapolis defense saved its best for last. The Colts fell behind, 14-6, in the Super Bowl because of a 92-yard return of the opening kickoff by Devin Hester and a 52-yard run by Thomas Jones on Chicago's second handoff of the game. That set up a second, short touchdown.
The Colts desperately needed some defensive stops until Manning and the offense could get their game cranked up. Those stops came in a flurry. The Bears had five more possessions in the first half and managed just 36 yards.
The Colts forced two fumbles during that stretch. Safety Bob Sanders lit up Cedric Benson in the hole in the first quarter, and end Dwight Freeney recovered. Tackle Raheem Brock also fell on a Rex Grossman fumble in the second quarter.
That embattled defense held Chicago without a first down for almost 25 minutes into the third quarter. That gave Manning the breathing room he needed to generate three scoring drives and power the Colts to a 19-14 lead. It was a lead the Colts did not relinquish.
"I think the defense realized that, with the weather conditions, we had to jump-start the offense," Dungy said. "In some way or another, everybody stepped up when we needed them. We needed the defense at that point, and they came through.
"That stretch from the middle of the first quarter on was huge to get us back in the game."
The Indianapolis defense iced the game with two fourth-quarter interceptions of Grossman, including one that cornerback Kelvin Hayden returned 56 yards for a touchdown.
A defense that allowed 22 points and 379 yards per game during the regular season allowed only 16 points and 238 yards per game in the playoffs.
