Wow, what a week for Peyton Manning. I mean come on, it’s not fair sometimes! First, a chance to hang out with Venus and Serena Williams as Peyton and his brother Eli taped another Oreo commercial with the sisters (by the way, the siblings did play some doubles and #18 has a pretty good game). Then it was off to Charlotte to play in a Pro Am with Tiger Woods.

I know Peyton and Tiger have become great friends but, man, a chance to golf with the greatest golfer ever is unreal! But the person who might have had a better week than Peyton might be Manning’s teammate Anthony Gonzalez. Peyton asked Gonzo to be his caddie for his round of golf with Tiger. How in the world did Gonzo land this job? Classy move by Peyton, but I know some of his other buddies on the team have to be green with envy that Gonzo got this priceless opportunity! Ha, ha….all I can say is that he better catch a lot of balls this year!

Awesome week PM…I’m so jealous…

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Peyton pulls off another magical performance. His umpteenth come-from-behind win gave the Colts a seventh consecutive playoff berth, and in my mind, cemented him as the NFL’s most valuable player.

Coming from a 3-4 start, a patched up offensive line and nearly no running game, Manning has willed his team to this eight-game winning streak. Some of the passes of completed in Jacksonville were among the best I’ve seen, dropping them into tiny windows that only his receivers could get. And completing 23 straight passes over two games was one off the NFL record set by Donovan McNabb.

It’s been interesting to see this team deal with adversity and rally to gain a playoff berth, unlike all those other years when they ran away from the competition. Winning in trying times on the road time and again will only prepare this team for the post-season tournament. Players told me after the game that this playoff run has been extra special because of what they’ve been through.

A win today against Detroit for Tony Dungy and the Colts will give Coach at least 10 wins or more every season here in Indy. I think if you asked any NFL coach they will tell you…that streak is VERY impressive. It’s one thing to win 12 games one season and come back 8-8 another….but 10 wins or more every year? Dungy has a lot of people to thank.

1. Mr. Irsay for bringing him to Indy to coach players like Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark, Bob Sanders, etc…(let’s just say the TALENT was there!)
2. Bill Polian for really going out and getting the players Dungy needed to be successful.
3. Himself:  Dungy’s ability to have theses players buy into what he preaches and carry it over onto the field speaks volumes on how these players feel about him.

I must admit, I thought his streak of six straight years of 10 plus wins here in Indy was in jeopardy in mid October, but what a difference a month can make….a.k.a. NOVEMBER.

Dungy, should get his 10th win of the season later today against the pitiful Lions…but one of the biggest streaks for Coach Dungy could be just down the road. When the Colts make the playoffs.  Dungy,  will become the first coach to guide a team to the postseason 10 straight years…passing Former Cowboys Coach Tom Landry.

Dungy 10 wins again? Yep.

It has been nothing short of a bizarre season for the Colts.The latest stunner in Pittsburgh coming with huge plays from the newest starters, especially on defense. Eric Foster, Tim Jennings and Keiwan Ratliff turned this battle with the physical Steelers into a Colts victory, now a streak is possible, only one team with a winning record left on the schedule. There are some worries. It’s become obvious that both Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison are not themselves. Both continue to fall short of expectations that they already set.

Manning is under throwing deep deeps he almost always used to make, and Harrison is dropping balls and not making the efforts he normally gives. Off-season health issues have to be the cause, but no one will ever admit it.

Hats off to the defense as well, coming up with a rare goal-line stand against one of the most physical teams in the league. Don’t count these guys out of the playoff race yet..it’s going to get very interesting.

What’s happened to the Colts incredible home-field advantage? At last count, (if you include two pre-season games) the Colts have dropped six straight in front of their fans, and as one co-worker told me, it seems they’ve lost their swagger. Marvin looks slow, he and Reggie Wayne are dropping balls, the fearless defense that led the league in points against one year ago can’t get off the field. Injuries, missed assignments, mistakes, this is not the Tony Dungy-led Colts.

It was good to see Peyton Manning put together perfect drives to begin and end the game with Jacksonville, but he still isn’t the same. We’ll see if the bye will help and if they can come out strong..if not, the team’s worst start in a decade will only get worse.

Peyton Manning practicing today is exactly what the Colts and their fans have been dying to see. You know it had to drive Manning crazy not being able to practice at all in the preseason.  Now the next question is will he be ready for the Bears?

Coach Tony Dungy said today that he thinks Manning will be ready for week one. I must admit I was hearing a lot of things a couple of weeks ago about how Peyton may be out for the first two games, etc…you know all the “crazy” rumors, but there’s no stopping Mr. Manning. I really believe he will get back to mid-season form in time for the Bears and as far as his connection with Marvin, Reggie and Dallas: Colts fans don’t worry. Peyton will make sure they work overtime in practice to get it right. Peyton, welcome back…Colts fans and Dungy have been waiting to say that for almost two months.

Rumors have been flying around the Colts franchise player, now it appears they can be put to rest.

We’ve been hearing that Peyton had another more serious procedure, or will be out half the season. That’s what happens when Manning was sheltered from view since his bursa sac surgery. The Colts probably added to the speculation by keeping him out of harms way to prevent infection…that’s what gets people talking, when the most visible player in team history is AWOL.

Peyton joined his teammates for the first practice at Lucas Oil five weeks after his procedure, and will probably go full bore at practice next week. Expect to see him against Cincinnati next Thursday as he prepares for the season opener. It would take something unusual to keep the competitive Manning off the field.

So much for the dog days of summer!! 

Lets see, just this week, racing bad boy Paul Tracy makes a comeback with Tony George’s team of all people, the man who Tracy said took his Indy 500 title away in a controversial finish with Helio in 2002.   Also, IRL driver Sarah Fisher finds a major sponsor to keep her team alive for races in Kentucky and Chicago

The Pacers introduce six of seven of their new players, completely changing the face and direction of the franchise, while the Fever prepare for the WNBA’s first-ever outdoor basketball game at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

Two-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning has Colts fans talking after undergoing surgery for an infected bursa sac in his left knee, and the NASCAR boys are ready to roll into the Brickyard for their annual event.

Finally, James Blake and the tennis championships are also in town. 

Whew, gotta catch my breath…THIS is why our wonderful city is the sports capital of the country.  Can’t imagine a better sports town ANYWHERE.