Man, I Didn’t Need To Know This

The big Colts comeback of 2003 almost never happened.

After [Ronde] Barber’s touchdown, [Tony] Dungy turned to Colts Offensive Coordinator Tom Moore and suggested removing [Peyton] Manning from the game. It was a Monday Night game and they had a game against Carolina in six days. Rest seemed a legitimate alternative to what at the time seemed a desperate attempt for an unprecedented rally.

No team in NFL history, after all, had rallied from a 21-point deficit to win with less than four minutes remaining.

“I told Tom, 'We ought to take Peyton out – we’re playing again in six days,’’’ Dungy said. “Tom said, ‘Let’s just see where we get this kickoff. Let’s see what happens.’’’

What happened was on the ensuing play, rookie wide receiver Brad Pyatt found a crease up the middle and returned the kickoff 90 yards to the Buccaneers 12. Time remaining: 4:54.

“Had we gotten a bad kickoff return, got backed up on our own end, who knows?” Dungy said with a smile this week.

Yeah, who knows. The Bucs had rallied to get over the Carolina loss in the second game that year, but this Colts game broke the team's back. If they had been able to hang on and win, it might have changed the whole 2003 season, the Bucs could have repeated as Super Bowl champions, and you would have been showered with praise and treated like a prophet for sticking with the Bucs. They could have built on the success of the previous seasons and gone on to have a modern dynasty, and you would have been on board as an early supporter. But then you would have gotten cocky and insufferable like a Patriots fan with a belly full of chowder. Eventually you would have alienated yourself from your family and friends as your entire self-worth would have been wrapped up in Tampa Bay's wins and losses. And then when the dynasty finally fell, as all dynasties invariably do, you would have shot yourself in your autographed Doug Williams throwback jersey. No one would have attended your funeral because you turned into such a complete asshole after the third Super Bowl win. So, maybe it's not such a bad thing. It kept us all humble, right?

There. I just rationalized the last few seasons. I think I'll go to bed now.