The Herald Bulletin
In summary: Whatever the outcome of the game today, it's been another football season worth celebrating.
When 53 men, many of them weighing in excess of 300 pounds, pool their strength, they can do a very good job of stopping you from whatever you want to accomplish.
That’s why it’s so difficult to win consistently in the National Football League. And that’s what makes the Indianapolis Colts’ decade-long stretch of success so amazing. Consider the following:
-- They’ve won 25 of their past 26 meaningful games heading into tonight’s Super Bowl showdown (6:30 p.m., CBS) against the New Orleans Saints. The only defeat in a game that they really tried to win was last season’s playoff overtime loss to the Chargers in San Diego.
-- From the 2000 season through the 2009 season, the Colts set a record for most victories — 117 — by an NFL franchise in a decade.
-- Indianapolis has won at least 12 games seven consecutive seasons, also a league record.
We could continue with other facts to support the argument that the Colts are the best team in the NFL, but you get the picture.
Because of the team’s success — and its reputation for good people and community involvement — today is a day for celebration in the Madison County area and all across Indiana.
Everyone loves winners, especially when they do things the right way. What seems to separate the Colts from other NFL teams is an overriding commitment to hard work and intelligent preparation at all levels of the organization. Those are qualities that Hoosiers can certainly appreciate.
The team has many who are worthy of our admiration: starting from the top, owner Jim Irsay, general manager Bill Polian, coach Jim Caldwell, quarterback Peyton Manning and defensive end Dwight Freeney, just to name a few.
Moreover, the teamwork and commitment to excellence that the entire Colts operation consistently demonstrates are shining examples for local folks and organizations to follow.
Most Madison County residents will be either deliriously happy or highly disappointed depending on the outcome of today’s game. That’s human nature.
But keep in mind that all of the regular season and playoff games leading up to the Super Bowl make up 90 percent of the excitement of football season. Winning is great, but it’s not really everything.
In the Super Bowl, as in life, it’s really about the journey as much as the destination.
Go Colts!
