ConBro

Happy New Year everybody! It has been a very exciting and emotional year for our Colts. A staff liquidation, the draft, and an emotional season that has yet to end! Here's to all of you, to this club, and to the future! :disco:

Hello everyone! Week 17 brought one of the most memorable wins that this team has had in recent years. I know that Chuck came back to work on December 24th (an early Christmas present of the season for us Colts fans for sure) but from a fan standpoint watching this game, THIS was Chuck's return. The emotions in Lucas Oil Stadium when Chuck took the field were absolutely incredible. As CBS prepared to cover our beloved Colts for their regular season finale, they aired a piece with Greg Gumbel interviewing Chuck. It was a piece that moved me to tears. It gives me goosebumps every single time that Chuck begins to speak. You could tell that Gumbel was feeling the emotions as well based on his voice. I had absolutely no doubt in my mind that our Colts would dominate the entire game today. Every single factor was a contributor to that win. As a Colts fan, I find more merit (especially within the past 3-4 years) that the more pressing rivalry games have been the Colts Texans matchups. Yes, the Colts-Patriots battles have that sort of presence as well, but Houston is a much more relevant rivalry to our ballclub. As a division rival, I find myself heated and distant toward the Houston Texans much of the time. The trash writer from Houston that we all follow through forum posts does not help my animosity toward the Houston Texans. However, I got goosebumps today when Arian Foster ran to the #CHUCKSTRONG sign, patted it gently, and took a bow. That was top-notch respect that I feel deserves much more attention than it has gotten thus far. Seeing things like that make me love this sport and this league even more. A couple of weeks back, Bob Lamey was discussing the magic of this season on "Colts Friday Night". He said that with all of the stories that surround this squad, that somebody NEEDS to write a book on it. I absolutely hope and pray that it happens. I absolutely adore this team and everything about it, and therefore would love the book. However as a fan of this great game in general, I would absolutely read the book even if I was a fan of any other team in the league. There are so many wonderful factors at play. For Christmas, I received "Tales from the Indianapolis Colts Sideline" by the Indianapolis Star's own Mike Chappell as well as Phil Richards. This is a wonderful read so far, and will review the book fully after finishing it. However, based on what I have read so far as well as being a fan of Chappell's coverage of our team, part of me hopes that he takes the reins on a book project based on this magical season. The ride isn't over yet, ColtsNation! On to our old home, Baltimore! The storylines continue; a team removed from a 2-14 season with new faces abounding, a recovering Coach, and a core of rookies leading the charge. Returning to the original city that this club called "home". Chuck returning to his old club; you know emotions will be running high on both sides. I cannot wait to see Ray Lewis interact with Coach Pagano. Ravens Offensive Coordinator Jim Caldwell playing his old team. Storylines like this are what make this sport, team and season so magical, and I am absolutely THRILLED to have been a witness to it all. I'm sure that you have noticed that I can get testy on the forums after a loss or depending on the issue being discussed, but know that it is simply my passion for this team. If you've stuck with me this far, thank you for reading. Everybody on here is like an extension of my family; through thick and thin, we remain #COLTSTRONG! God Bless!

Absolutely!

Ah yes I love Cory! We can! We will! We must! When I went to the Bills Colts game a couple of weeks ago, I was able to shake his hand and get an autograph. I bought his jersey while in Indy as well-- he's my favorite player on defense; he's always in on the play! I was very happy to see him make captain!

Thanks Nadine! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

So it finally happened. I finally got to see my beloved COLTS play in PERSON! My parents and I flew New York to Indy to watch my beloved COLTS take on my dad's beloved Bills. When I first learned we were going, I was beyond excited. I pretty much could not believe that we were actually going to a game! You have to understand-- I've been a fan of the COLTS for years now, and had never witnessed a game in person. In 2009 when Buffalo hosted Indy, I remember being sour that we didn't try to get tix to the game. My dad kept telling me that it would be cold, snowy, miserable, and the Colts would rest their guys. Unfortunately, all of the above came true. However, our time had finally come. Week 12. Lucas Oil Stadium. When I saw the stadium for the first time coming into the city from the airport, it finally started to hit me. This was for real. We were REALLY here. Ate dinner Saturday night at the Colts Grille and had a BLAST. Walked around the city a bit and visited the Monument Circle-- beautiful! Having travelled all day, we headed back to the hotel and bed around 10PM. The next morning was game time! Sunday came. We got ready to head over to the stadium; all three of us in CHUCKSTRONG t-shirts and wristbands (I had bought 3 of each for myself and my parents), me in my Luck jersey, my ma in my Unitas jersey, and my dad is a Stevie Johnson jersey. We headed over and got some pictures with a couple of the cheerleaders, and headed inside as soon as they opened the gates. This is when my trip was MADE!! I took some pictures of Andrew and a few of the guys tossing around and warming up, as well as a bunch of the Bills players (Fitz, CJ Spiller, Kyle Williams and others), then headed to OUR side of the field. My ma was with me while my dad stayed to watch the Bills players warm up. The two of us got down to the front row next to the SuperFan section. Those guys were awesome-- I got a picture with them and they were all smiles! A couple of minutes later, I saw Cory Redding pacing around with the most intense look on his face. He walked right up to where a bunch of us were standing. I extended my hand to him.... and received the most amazing hand-shake of my life. I was speechless. A couple of people next to me had things for him to sign and he didn't turn anybody down. I pulled out my program and a sharpie and he signed it for me. I thanked him and wish him the best for the game-- what a class act Mr. Redding is! A truly inspirational and powerful figure wearing our uniform. That autograph and hand-shake absolutely MADE my trip (the first of many!) to the Luke. Win or lose, I was completely absorbed by the moment. We got to our seats about 20 minutes before kick-off and watched the kickers. I will never forget the goosebumps I got when they aired the video of the highlights of the season just before the starting line-up was announced. When The Who started playing, I was so pumped up for the game that my eyes were filling with tears. When the fireworks went off and the boys came running out, it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. I knew we had the best fans in the league, but when that team came out of the tunnel and when Chuck received a standing ovation in the fourth quarter, I realized how special this ball club and the fans really are. When Megan and Crystal Ann had their heads shaved as well, everybody was such a class act. The trip to Indy was truly a dream come true. The atmosphere at Lucas Oil Stadium as well as all over the city is truly spectacular. As cliche as it may sound, I am truly honored to have been a part of that 12th man effort on Sunday. I felt a little bad for my dad, but I was surrounded by over 60,000 family members, and we were ALL #CHUCKSTRONG!