Posts tagged Minnesota Vikings

(Brent Smith | Reuters)

Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL.  It is often said that “NFL” stands for “Not For Long,” and this idea flies in the face of teams who have had sustained success, particularly in the salary cap era.  Somehow, someway, the Indianapolis Colts are a team that have found a way to be nearly immune to the forces at play in professional football that exist to make it next to impossible for teams to dominate.

If the Colts are going to continue their success in 2010, it has become clear that they will have to overcome a rash of injuries to key players.  In some ways, the task seems insurmountable.  The likelihood that the Colts can maintain their record of consecutive 12-win seasons shrinks by the week and by the day.  How or why should fans expect the streak to continue, foresee a playoff berth, or have even a shroud of hope that the Colts could actually compete for another chance to play for a world championship?

The reason is pretty easy to locate.  Over the last five years the Colts have had to overcome adversity, perform in the face of obvious team weaknesses, and have regularly been considered one of the best teams in the league — and one of the top contenders to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.  In all but one of those years they have dealt with the loss of key players for dozens of games.  Take a look. More >