After a 2-14 season last year, the Indianapolis Colts got into the playoffs this year. And with all the drama with the illness of their coach, even losing in the playoffs was seen to be a victory. I certainly have to agree with that.
I didn’t think Peyton Manning’s exit was handled especially well. All things considered, it worked out about as well as it could have worked out. Andrew Luck proved to be one of the best “rookies” in the National Football League and he gave the Indianapolis Colts’ fan base something to really cheer about. Luck proved to be not just a top draft pick, but a really intelligent, really capable, really good quarterback.
So, losing in the playoffs for some other team may have been disastrous, but it appears it just gives the Indianapolis Colts an opportunity to build. It certainly would seem the coaching staff of the Colts stepped into the former coaching staff’s shoes with knowledge, expertise, and the ability to handle rookie players.
The leukemia, while it could have been tragic for their coach and his family, turned out to be something the fans could rally around, and they did. The rookie quarterback drew upon his personal experiences of growing up with a father who played professional football, and young Andrew Luck appeared to be a person who absorbed these things and would draw upon them later.
So, Indianapolis, I and the entire state, can look back fondly upon the season of 2012. And even though they lost in 2013, there are a lot of things for Colts’ fans to smile about. It looks like happy days are here again for this only professional football franchise in the state of Indiana. They lost in their first playoff game, but the horseshoe heads can hold their horseshoes high and whisper a well-known phrase familiar to all sports fans, “Wait until next year!”
Ronn Mott, a longtime radio personality in Terre Haute, writes commentaries for the Tribune-Star. His pieces are published online Tuesday and Thursday on Tribstar.com, and in the print and online editions on Saturday.
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RONN MOTT: Football
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RONN MOTT: Ernie Pyle
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RONN MOTT: Pyle museum in Dana good way to study WWII
I stepped back in time last week when I visited the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in Dana.
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FLASHPOINT: Legislative session reflected Hoosier priorities
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The celebration season
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RONN MOTT: Frustration
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EDITORIAL: Cleaning up voter rolls
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READERS' FORUM: May 22, 2013
Rich history all along the river
Great work by Duke employees
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RONN MOTT: Rabid Republicans
The so-called news people at Fox News can hardly sit still long enough to report on the latest gossip or untruth about our sitting President. They can hardly contain themselves.
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READERS’ FORUM: May 21, 2013
• Great response to annual golf outing
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LIZ CIANCONE: Smell of fresh air gave way to dryers
Remember when clean clothes smelled like fresh air and sunshine rather than fabric softener and dryer sheets?
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READERS' FORUM: May 20, 2013
The dangers of a little knowledge
Students enjoyed Rose study trip
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Mark Bennett: High-profile mural connects historical dots from city to river
At 96 feet wide and 2 stories tall, the power, impact and value of the Wabash will be evident.
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EDITORIAL: Waging the ‘readiness’ campaign
Almost every Hoosier who starts college intends to finish. Unfortunately, those who arrive on campus unprepared in key academic areas are far less likely to fulfill that aspiration.
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READERS' FORUM: May 19, 2013
• Flawed reasoning on gun checks
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FLASHPOINT: A legislative session of missed opportunities
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RONN MOTT: Mushrooms = Hoosier happiness
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EDITORIAL: Insult to an independent press
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READERS' FORUM: May 17, 2013
Hinduism doesn’t deserve ridicule — Shefali Purohit, Terre Haute
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RONN MOTT: Israel’s Air Force
Recently the Israeli Air Force bombed and rocketed a convoy leaving Syria going to Lebanon with rockets that were going to be used to attack Israel. It did not get there. It was destroyed.
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news: Dashing finish for the Sycamores
It’s always thrilling to see Indiana State University’s athletic teams do well in high-level competition, and two specific teams rose to impressive heights last weekend in the Missouri Valley Conference outdoor track and field championships.
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Readers' Forum: May 16, 2013
Moving Deming folks sounds ‘nuts’
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Readers' Forum: May 15, 2013
Participants rise to the challenge: I would like to write a letter congratulating all the Wabash Valley Roadrunners that competed in the One America Indianapolis Mini Marathon.
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RONN MOTT: Media merry-go-round
Round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows. That isn’t a unique phrase to this writer or to this era in time. But, when it comes to the musical chairs of broadcasting, it certainly applies.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Courts see a different appearance than cops
Have you ever noticed the transformation between the arrest of an accused lawbreaker and the first appearance in court?
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READERS' FORUM: May 14, 2013
ISTEP failure exposes flaws
Community hasn’t changed its spirit
Egregious threat to nation’s defense
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READERS' FORUM: May 13, 2013
• Women’s group criticizes Bucshon
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MARK BENNETT: Life at face value: Mom’s simple advice still presents a valuable daily challenge
Most moms don’t base their advice on scientific research.
(Unless, of course, your mother is a scientific researcher. If so, carry a No. 2 pencil and take good notes.) -
EDITORIAL: Better monitoring needed to prevent local environmental messes
The nasty, hazardous messes lurking in the community raise a bottom-line, red-flag question. Could these environmental problems have been monitored and, thus, prevented?
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RONN MOTT: Ernie Pyle
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