Football Weekend Ruled By Colts

Saturday at Churchill Downs, Argentina-bred colt Invasor galloped to a one-length victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Perhaps Invasor could have done even better if the horse had been wearing a helmet and shoulder pads. In both college and pro football, this was a great weekend for the Colts.


An eventful Sunday in the NFL was capped by the Indianapolis Colts’ 27-20 road victory over the New England Patriots. Although Indianapolis won in Foxborough last season, the Patriots were still considered the Colts’ nemesis for beating them in numerous significant contests on the way to three Super Bowl championships. Sunday’s game, like most of the recent matchups between them, took place in Gillette Stadium. The venue has brought frequent heartbreak to Indy quarterback Peyton Manning, and not just because of the losses. Gillette is one of very few American companies not to feature him in a commercial.


However, Tom Brady was the quarterback who suffered Sunday night, as the Colts defense picked him off four times. Manning threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns as Indianapolis improved to 8-0 on the season. The Colts are two games better than anyone else in the AFC, and the Chicago Bears’ stunning home loss to the Miami Dolphins leaves Indy as the NFL’s lone unbeaten. Once again, the shadow of the 1972 Dolphins will loom over the Colts while they remain without a loss. However, those old Dolphins cannot faze Manning, unless they show up in Indianapolis wearing Florida Gator uniforms.


One day before Indianapolis came through in New England, another Colt sparked a victory in Austin. Freshman quarterback Colt McCoy threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns as Texas routed Oklahoma State 36-10. McCoy set a UT record for TD passes in a season with 27, just two shy of the NCAA freshman season record. Colt further injected himself into the Heisman Trophy discussion and helped his Longhorns remain in the national championship race. His good fortune even spread to Texas fans, as television reports are claiming that Matthew McConaughey is the new football coach at Marshall.


On November 24, Colt McCoy will take his shot against the hated Texas A&M Aggies. Saturday, Hawaii’s Colt Brennan was on display against the Utah State Aggies, throwing for 413 yards and six touchdowns in a 63-10 domination. Brennan has a school record 39 TD passes on the season, with five games remaining to try to eclipse David Klingler’s NCAA single-season record of 54. Under coach June Jones, the Warriors annually pile up huge numbers through the air, but they have no shortage of skeptics when they travel to the mainland. Saturday’s rout in Logan, Utah is further evidence that Colt Brennan and his teammates can be lethal on the road as well. Therefore, it is time to discard the notion that the Warriors cannot succeed on the mainland – unless you’re talking about the NBA.


Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis noticed how successful Colts were over the weekend, so he has made a major addition to the roster before tonight’s game with the Seattle Seahawks. The team signed Colt Seavers, the character portrayed by Lee Majors in The Fall Guy. As a stunt man who moonlights as a bounty hunter, Seavers fits in well with the Raider image and should be a natural on special teams. Oakland passed on another Majors character, Steve Austin, because his habit of running and jumping in slow motion would be disastrous in today’s NFL. Austin still hopes to join another team, insisting that he can succeed as long as his teammates know how to make bionic sound effects.


Saturday and Sunday’s football action was surely enjoyed by the man who portrayed Lando Calrissian. Billy Dee Williams was the height of smoothness in his commercials for Colt 45. Over the weekend, his favorite beverage was not the only Colt that “works every time.”