2007 WORLD CHAMPIONS
By John Oehser - Colts.com
Patience, Perseverance Give Colts First Super Bowl Victory in 36 Years MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.
All season, they came back.
All season, they overcame odds.
And throughout that improbable, memorable, dramatic, roller-coaster season, these were the constants for the Colts:
Persistence. Patience. Perseverance.
Think of it:
Could they have really won the Super Bowl any other way?
The Colts (16-4), after allowing the quickest score in Super Bowl history, overcame first half deficits of seven and eight points, taking the lead by the end of a sloppy first half. They extended the lead in the third quarter and pulled away for a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears (15-4) Sunday night in Super Bowl XLI in front of 74,512 at Dolphin Stadium.
The Colts, a playoff team five consecutive seasons and in seven of the last eight seasons, won their first Super Bowl in their 23-year history in Indianapolis, and their first since winning Super Bowl V as the Baltimore Colts.
Indianapolis Colts . . .
World Champions.
“In years past, when we've come up short, it’s been disappointing,” said Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after completing 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown with an interception.
“We’ve found a way to learn from those losses, and been better for it. It’s nice when you put in a lot of hard work and you’re able to cap it off with a championship. . . .
“We’ve really tried to enjoy the journey. It’s nice to be able to complete it with a championship.”
Indianapolis Colts . . .
World Champions.
All season, they overcame odds.
And throughout that improbable, memorable, dramatic, roller-coaster season, these were the constants for the Colts:
Persistence. Patience. Perseverance.
Think of it:
Could they have really won the Super Bowl any other way?
The Colts (16-4), after allowing the quickest score in Super Bowl history, overcame first half deficits of seven and eight points, taking the lead by the end of a sloppy first half. They extended the lead in the third quarter and pulled away for a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears (15-4) Sunday night in Super Bowl XLI in front of 74,512 at Dolphin Stadium.
The Colts, a playoff team five consecutive seasons and in seven of the last eight seasons, won their first Super Bowl in their 23-year history in Indianapolis, and their first since winning Super Bowl V as the Baltimore Colts.
Indianapolis Colts . . .
World Champions.
“In years past, when we've come up short, it’s been disappointing,” said Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after completing 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown with an interception.
“We’ve found a way to learn from those losses, and been better for it. It’s nice when you put in a lot of hard work and you’re able to cap it off with a championship. . . .
“We’ve really tried to enjoy the journey. It’s nice to be able to complete it with a championship.”
Indianapolis Colts . . .
World Champions.
Dungy – long one of the most respected, classiest coaches in the NFL – was still speaking to the gathered media. He not only had become the first African-American to coach an NFL team to a world championship, he further solidified himself as one of the great coaches of his era. He has coached nine playoff teams in 11 seasons, and in five seasons with the Colts, his teams never have failed to make the playoffs.
The victory Sunday night put Dungy in other elite company, making him the third person to win a Super Bowl as a coach and a player.
The victory as a player came with the 1978 Steelers and was sweet, Dungy said.
The victory Sunday night . . .
Well, the victory Sunday night was different, he said, meaningful in different ways, from a different perspective, one he said he’ll never forget.
“Winning as a coach, you see the whole organization,” Dungy said. “You see how hard everyone works – our scouting department, our personnel department, our front office, our equipment men, our trainers . . .
“I know what everybody put into it. I feel a lot more pride as a head coach because you understand how tough it is. It’s a different feeling.
“I’m just so proud of our organization all together.”
Minutes later, in the crowded Colts locker room, Dungy delivered a similar speech to the team.
“We hung tough, and everybody did their job,” Dungy told them team. “When everybody does their job, it’s a beautiful thing to watch. You’re champions. We brought it back to Indianapolis.”
Indianapolis Colts . . .
World Champions.
The victory Sunday night put Dungy in other elite company, making him the third person to win a Super Bowl as a coach and a player.
The victory as a player came with the 1978 Steelers and was sweet, Dungy said.
The victory Sunday night . . .
Well, the victory Sunday night was different, he said, meaningful in different ways, from a different perspective, one he said he’ll never forget.
“Winning as a coach, you see the whole organization,” Dungy said. “You see how hard everyone works – our scouting department, our personnel department, our front office, our equipment men, our trainers . . .
“I know what everybody put into it. I feel a lot more pride as a head coach because you understand how tough it is. It’s a different feeling.
“I’m just so proud of our organization all together.”
Minutes later, in the crowded Colts locker room, Dungy delivered a similar speech to the team.
“We hung tough, and everybody did their job,” Dungy told them team. “When everybody does their job, it’s a beautiful thing to watch. You’re champions. We brought it back to Indianapolis.”
Indianapolis Colts . . .
World Champions.
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