Season-in-review team reports — AFC
East
As published in print Feb. 6, 2002
2001 record: 6-10 |
| Overview |
| What a difference a year makes. The almost-perennially disappointing
Colts took it to a new level this season, falling completely out of the playoff picture
despite Super Bowl aspirations. The defense, believed to have been fixed prior to the
season, totally fell apart, and injuries to key players such as RB Edgerrin James and WR
Jerome Pathon hurt the offense. |
| Turning point |
| Heading into Week Three, the Colts were flying high. In its previous two
games, Indianapolis had posted 87 points, and the offense looked unstoppable. The defense
had given up 24 and 26 points, but with an offense resembling the Rams’, the defense
wasn’t a major concern. But that’s when the Patriots stepped in. Every flaw on
defense was exposed by New England, which put 44 points on the scoreboard. Bill Belichick
and his staff found a scheme that confused QB Peyton Manning, who threw three picks. In
addition, Pathon, the Colts’ top deep threat, was lost for the season with an injury. |
| Offensive MVP |
| No one was more consistent on offense throughout the year than WR Marvin
Harrison. While James was awesome (five of his six games were 100-yard performances), he
was injured in Week Seven and missed the rest of the year. As the rest of the offense
faltered, Harrison was solid all year despite the added pressure of losing Pathon, who had
emerged as a good No. 2 wide receiver. |
| Defensive MVP |
| This unit was the biggest mess of all. With a few additions to the
lineup, the Colts believed it would be good enough to take them to the next level.
Inconsistency throughout the unit and an injury to LB Mike Peterson, the team’s top
defender, devastated this group, but S Chad Cota did play fairly well all season. Cota was
the best defensive back in a secondary full of youth and inexperience. Cota finished the
season tied for second on the team in total tackles and picked off two passes. |
| Biggest surprises |
| The emergence of RB Dominic Rhodes and TE Marcus Pollard was a surprise
for multiple reasons. First, no one expected Rhodes to be thrust into the limelight as
quickly as he was. But when James was injured in Week Seven, the Colts’ lack of depth
shined through, and they had no choice but to turn to the undrafted rookie out of
Midwestern State (Texas). Rhodes responded well, registering five 100-yard games to keep
the rushing attack alive. Pollard, who was expected to play second fiddle to TE Ken
Dilger, emerged as the Colts’ second-most productive receiver this season and proved
that the Colts made the right choice in re-signing him in the offseason. |
| Biggest disappointment |
| Without question, the defense has to be the biggest disappointment. The
Colts believed heading into the season that with the offense they had, all they needed was
an average defense to make it to the Super Bowl. While the Colts hadn’t focused
solely on defense in the draft, they signed a couple of lower-level free agents, thinking
they’d filled some holes. But nothing panned out for them, and the defense actually
took several steps backward this season. |
| Rookie recap |
| First-round pick Reggie Wayne wasn’t a bust, but he certainly
didn’t make a huge splash, as early-season injuries hampered his progress. S Idrees
Bashir had a solid season but didn’t blow anyone away. OLs Ryan Diem and Rick
DeMulling played quite well in spot starts, and Diem earned a regular starting job by
year’s end. Rhodes was very good in place of James but needs to work on his
pass-catching skills. DBs Cory Bird, Raymond Walls and Jason Doering didn’t make a
major impact. |
| Free-agent/trade review |
| The Colts’ three biggest signings, DTs Mike Wells and Christian
Peter and CB Thomas Smith, simply didn’t pan out. Wells was so banged up all season
that he couldn’t do much, Peter simply didn’t produce like the Colts had hoped
he would, and Smith was cut during the season. |
| Team leaders |
Rushing — Dominic Rhodes, 1,104 yards on 233 carries, 4.7 avg., 9
TDs.
Passing — Peyton Manning, 343-547 attempts for 4,131 yards, 26 TDs, 23 Interceptions,
84.1 rating.
Receiving — Marvin Harrison, 109 receptions for 1,524 yards, 14.0 avg., 15 TDs.
Scoring — Mike Vanderjagt, 125 points on 41 PATs and 28 FGs.
Kickoff returns — Terrence Wilkins, 44 for 1,007 yards, 22.9 avg., 0 TDs.
Punt returns — Terrence Wilkins, 21 for 219 yards, 10.4 avg., 1 TDs.
Punting — Hunter Smith, 68 for 44.5 avg., 33.8 net, 12 TB, 12 inside 20, 0 blk., 65L.
Interceptions — Jeff Burris, David Macklin, 3.
Sacks — Chad Bratzke, 8½. |
| Results |
Pointspread Shown Refers to Indianapolis.
| Date |
Opponent |
Spread |
Score |
| Sept. 9 |
At New York Jets |
(-2.5) |
45-24 |
| Sept. 23 |
Buffalo |
(-10) |
42-26 |
| Sept. 30 |
At New England |
(-12.5) |
13-44 |
| Oct. 7 |
BYE |
|
|
| Oct. 14 |
Oakland |
(-3.5) |
18-23 |
| Oct. 21 |
New England |
(-10) |
17-38 |
| Oct. 25 |
At Kansas City |
(-3) |
35-28 |
| Nov. 4 |
At Buffalo |
(-3) |
30-14 |
| Nov. 11 |
Miami |
(-3) |
24-27 |
| Nov. 18 |
At New Orleans |
(+6) |
20-34 |
| Nov. 25 |
San Francisco |
(-2.5) |
21-40 |
| Dec. 2 |
At Baltimore |
(+5.5) |
27-39 |
| Dec. 10 |
At Miami |
(+4.5) |
6-41 |
| Dec. 16 |
Atlanta |
(-4) |
41-27 |
| Dec. 23 |
New York Jets |
(0) |
28-29 |
| Dec. 30 |
At St. Louis |
(+11.5) |
17-42 |
| Jan. 6 |
Denver |
(-2) |
29-10 |
|
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