1980 Colts

[CSKreager]

This was a respectable Baltimore squad that was sandwiched between some BAD stretches

It came between back to back 5-11 disasters in the late 70s that spelled the end of Ted Marchibroda in Charm City

The next two years? 2-14 and that legendary terrible defense, winless in the strike shortened season save for a tie vs Green Bay

But here? A respectable 7-9, which included being over .500 for half the season after never having a winning record at any point the previous 2 seasons.

That included a season sweep of AFCE champion Buffalo (which cost them homefield throughout the playoffs), beating Detroit at the Silverdome (which would end up keeping them out of the playoffs), beating Miami at the Orange Bowl (they wouldn't beat the Dolphins anywhere until 1987), two close losses against HOU/PIT in September.

At one point in December, they were 7-6 and not out of the running for a Wild Card. Heck, they had what shaped up as a winnable closing stretch- Bengals, Dolphins, Chiefs.

Heck they trailed 31-6 and had a late 4th quarter lead until Cincy got a game winning kick (on the same day the 49ers had THEIR comeback no less!)

They came together seemingly overnight before cratering the next year.

[racepug]

The Colts have never really "been on my radar." Between them losing the "Ghost to the Post" playoff game (which is the first time I can remember hearing anything about the Colts) to them acquiring Eric Dickerson from the Rams, I have almost no recollection of anything having to do with the Colts, good or bad, aside from them being REALLY poor and then moving to Indianapolis (under the cover of darkness!) in the early '80s.

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

Those Colts - so close against the Raiders in 77. Then they lose Bert Jones in 78 AND 79. They traded John Dutton in 79 to Dallas.

1980 - they lose 2 of their first three - one to the Steelers and one to the Oilers - each less than a touchdown. Then they lose two more games by 1 point during the season. By 80 a lot of their best players (or at least the ones I remembered as being the best), like Jones, Roger Carr, Bruce Laird, Mike Barnes they were getting older - then the team let Joe Washington go and also Lyle Blackwood. Of course, Dutton was already traded. Bert Jones still had something left in the tank, but really I think it's that 80 season where the window closed for the Colts. I've often what might have been if Jones hadn't lost those two years to injury. He was great.

[racepug]

Those Colts - so close against the Raiders in 77. Then they lose Bert Jones in 78 AND 79. They traded John Dutton in 79 to Dallas.

1980 - they lose 2 of their first three - one to the Steelers and one to the Oilers - each less than a touchdown. Then they lose two more games by 1 point during the season. By 80 a lot of their best players (or at least the ones I remembered as being the best), like Jones, Roger Carr, Bruce Laird, Mike Barnes they were getting older - then the team let Joe Washington go and also Lyle Blackwood. Of course, Dutton was already traded. Bert Jones still had something left in the tank, but really I think it's that 80 season where the window closed for the Colts. I've often what might have been if Jones hadn't lost those two years to injury. He was great.

According to Bert Jones, himself, he has nobody but himself to blame. He said (in Tom Danyluk's book "The Super '70s") that he got hurt in the last pre-season game of 1978 when Bubba Baker sacked him. But instead of giving his shoulder time to heal he came back 7 games into the season (against the Jets), got injured again, and came back (too soon) several times later in 1978 and in 1979.