Building a Legacy

Kravitz says Indy is building something special

This season had a chance to go in a strange direction when Caldwell pulled the starters against the Jets on Dec. 27. No question, the players were furious. Bill Polian approached Manning that next week and told him he wanted to talk to the players. Manning said no, he would handle it himself.

“I never worried about our team, not even a little bit,” Wayne said. “We just refocused and moved on and got the job done.”

When it was over, there was Caldwell, flashing a rare smile as the time bled off the clock. There was Garcon, proudly using his performance as a platform on which to make the case for Haitian relief. There was Kelvin Hayden, taking a family portrait on the confetti-strewn field.

And there was Manning, looking as proud as he’s ever looked.

Now it’s all about legacy-building, about carving out a place in history. They never got the shot at the perfect season. But now, they get a chance to script the perfect ending.

Here is his report card

COACHING: A

There you go, Jim Caldwell. Crack a smile. We saw it, 30 seconds left, a picture of the Lamar Hunt Trophy flashing on the big screen. We don’t see Caldwell smile too often, but has this man earned it or what? Yes, he walked into a situation where he was asked not to crash the Bugati. But he did a lot more than simply drive the car. He brought in a new defensive coordinator (Larry Coyer) and a new special teams coach (Ray Rychleski), and those are the two areas where the Colts have improved the most. In so many subtle ways, he has put his stamp on this team, tweaking things. On the day he was introduced, he said never to trust anybody who says he has to change everything or change nothing. Caldwell and his staff kept this thing together through all the injuries and the Dec. 27 mess, and here they are. Again.

INTANGIBLES: A

Everybody in the NFL has talent, but teams like the Colts have those special qualities that are hard to pinpoint or quantify. In the moments after Sunday’s game, I got to thinking about the way this veteran core forces guys like Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie and Donald Brown to grow up quickly, the way they help the young players and hold them to the highest standard. I also got to thinking about Kyle DeVan and Charlie Johnson. Neither came to training camp with the idea of starting. But both outplayed high draft choices (Tony Ugoh and Mike Pollak), and this organization, which cares only about production and not pedigree, got them into the lineup.