INDIANAPOLIS -- Texans linebacker Brian Cushing, the 15th overall pick in last April's draft, was pretty resolute just hours before Sunday's 20-17, teeth-grinding loss to the Indianapolis Colts that this was the game that would identify his team.
Houston had won three consecutive games and was making headway in just about every facet of the game, but Cushing said the Texans wanted to find out if they were realistically capable of defeating the Colts. Or, if once again they'd walk off the field in the on-deck circle while the Colts hit the walk-off home run, denying them the chance for heroics.
Of course, Cushing has not been in this situation before. He's a rookie. Every game is new. Every game is big. So he got his first taste of what so many of his teammates already know: No situation, no game, no moment -- at least in the regular season -- is that big for the Colts.
| |||||
| Most consecutive regular-season wins (NFL history) | |||||
| Years | Team | Wins | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-08 | 21 | ||||
| 2003-04 | New England Patriots | 18 | |||
| 2008-09 | Indianapolis Colts | 17 | |||
| 1933-34 | 17 | ||||
Wide-eyed young players in Indianapolis are trained in the offseason to follow the established model of poise, execution and attention to detail from the veterans who've mastered the traits from quarterback Peyton Manning, wide receiver Reggie Wayne, former coach Tony Dungy and now, Dungy's replacement, Jim Caldwell.
Being 8-0 and in such control of the AFC South is so matter of fact for the Colts that the only real benefit the majority of players recognize about their perch is that it gives them a cushion should they struggle through a pending gauntlet of New England, Baltimore, Houston, Tennessee and Denver over the next five weeks.
So seasoned to winning, victories are considered breathing room in these parts, not accomplishments.
"We've been in this situation before," running back Joseph Addai said. "We think about how to handle situations; not so much about going out and winning games but how to win games. In tight games, how to put those games away. We've been in those situations before. The young guys watch the older guys do it and they pick up on it. The players take it upon themselves. At this level, most people think individual, but not here. Regardless of who we have as the coach or who we have on the field, we want to go out and perform."
There may be those who say that the Colts are lucky not to have a blemish on their record after the tough game with Houston. Texans kicker Kris Brown missed a 42-yard field goal as time expired that would have sent the game into overtime. Bad luck? Maybe. But he missed. Maybe the Colts also got lucky that, on their final possession, lineman Ryan Diem recovered a fumble by Manning after the quarterback was drilled by Houston defensive end Antonio Smith. Still, the Colts recovered.
The fact that the Colts are still unbeaten during a season in which they edged Miami after the Dolphins tripled their time of possession; that they beat the 49ers when Addai threw their only touchdown pass; that they barely beat a Texans team that tried to give it away by committing an astounding 13 penalties might seem to some that the football gods have blue horseshoes tattooed on their biceps.
In truth, Indianapolis is unbeaten because it makes the plays it has to make when it has to make them. It did so against Houston, scoring a late touchdown by Addai, then forcing a late interception by Matt Schaub.
Scratch the late theatrics, though. There was a much more understated move by Caldwell late in the first half that truly showed why the Colts are better and more savvy than just about any team in the NFL. Caldwell and his staff used the entire 2-minute warning break to examine a play in which Colts safety Antoine Bethea knocked the ball free from Texans running back Ryan Moats on the sideline near the Colts' bench.
The play was ruled down at the Colts' 1-yard line after Moats made the reception. But once the prolonged break was finished, Caldwell challenged the play, which prompted further review and more time to break some of the momentum Houston had generated. If nothing else, the Colts gave time for the defense to regain its legs for a goal-line stand if the challenge failed and maybe confounded Houston coach Gary Kubiak into thinking more about rules and rulings instead of prepping his offense or rallying his defense.
The play was overturned, and ruled that Moats fumbled the ball into the end zone. The Colts gained possession on a touchback, which brought the ball to their 20. The first positive drive Houston made the entire half was thwarted by the Indianapolis credo of attention to detail. Manning turned back around and threw an interception that Houston got a field goal out of, but the denial of a touchdown created a swing that clearly played into the outcome.
"We saw it upstairs and talked through it," Caldwell said.
Caldwell is going to have a hard time emerging from Dungy's shadow for many reasons, but the one thing he's showing, at the very least, is that he learned from the man he coached with and who selected him to be his successor. He's winning with Dungy's players, many of his coaches and with some of his nuances -- especially his low-key demeanor. He's not messing things up, though. He hasn't toyed with Manning, but he has improved a suspect defense and withheld accountability.
Players can see, first hand by watching Caldwell, an example of seizing an opportunity and not using any excuse to let down. That's why, time and time again, players, first through third string, step up and make plays for the Colts.
When is the last time you've heard an excuse offered to the Colts about injuries? The Titans have struggled because their secondary has been beat up. Washington's and Green Bay's offensive lines have been revolving MASH units.
Mark your calendars for Nov. 29, writes Solomon Wilcots, because despite losing at Indianapolis on Sunday the Texans remain confident that they can play with the Colts. More ... While it has been pointed out that Indianapolis' defense was minus three key players in the secondary as well as starting linebacker Tyjuan Hagler, and that wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez has barely played this season because of a knee injury, the Colts have marched on. They are unbeaten because the backups have filled in with no one providing them an out for failing to do their jobs. It's been that way for years in Indianapolis. They not only draft talented players (late in each round, mind you), they take players who won't get squeamish when they're called upon to make a play at the moment of truth.
"It starts from the top down," defensive end Dwight Freeney said. "It's built within us. It's about 52, 53 guys. You don't know who's going to get hurt. Things happen in the NFL. No one cares. You have to go out there and take care of the job. Let's go out there and play."
There is no telling if Indianapolis is going to win out. They might not get past New England next week or be able to beat the Texans -- a team that's been "nipping at our heels for the past few years," according to tight end Dallas Clark -- when they meet again later this month.
They don't think about those things much. It's easy to be that way when you're consistently successful and have a formula -- and quarterback -- in place that's become the envy of so many teams. One of those teams is Houston, the up-and-comer with a 5-4 record that still might not know how good it is. However, Houston knows it wasn't good enough to beat Indianapolis.
"We were close but we have to find a way to get it done," Texans offensive lineman Eric Winston said. "There are a lot of teams that are close in this league. We have to find a way to get over the hump. Guys stepped up, but there's not a lot to take away. Getting close, that's what it is."
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