From SI.com...

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) - Brandon Stokley, who made one of the most famous catches in Broncos history, is returning to Denver to play with old friend Peyton Manning.

Stokley signed a one-year deal with the Broncos Monday. In June, he'll turn 36, the same age as Manning, whom he played with in Indianapolis from 2003-06.

Stokley's first stint with the Broncos (2007-09) was best known for his "Immaculate Deflection'' catch that stunned the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2009 season opener. Down 7-6 with 28 seconds left, Kyle Orton's underthrown pass to Brandon Marshall was tipped by cornerback Leon Hall and into the hands of Stokley, who raced for an 87-yard TD and a 12-7 win in Josh McDaniels' head coaching debut.

Stokley played with the Seahawks in 2010 and the Giants last year.

He worked out with Manning in March while the quarterback was in Denver to listen to John Elway's pitch and also has been playing catch with Manning at local high school football fields over the last month.

Manning was excited at the prospect of throwing to the "Slot Machine'' again.

"Anytime that management wants to add good football players to this team, I'm all in favor of it, no matter what position,'' Manning said.

Another player who was jazzed about Stokley's signing was receiver Eric Decker, whom Stokley took under his wing as a rookie.

When Decker was at the University of Minnesota, he suffered a Lisfranc injury, a tear of the ligament that holds the first two toes in place, and almost immediately got a call from Stokley, who had suffered the same ligament injury in 2002.

Stokley shared his advice about rehab and adjusting to the NFL and the two became fast friends.

"Stokley's my guy,'' Decker said Monday just before the veteran's signing was official. "He'd be a good addition. Obviously he's a savvy veteran, he's been around the league a while, so I can learn a lot from a guy like that.''

Stokley is a 14th-year pro who was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 1999 out of Southwestern Louisiana, which is now called the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He's played in 131 regular season games with 339 catches for 4,680 yards and 34 TDs. He's also played in 14 playoff games with 43 catches for 620 yards and six TDs. He won Super titles with Baltimore in 2000 and Indianapolis in 2006.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/wires/04/16/2020.ap.fbn.broncos.stokley.1st.ld.writethru.0523/index.html#ixzz1sH8xKXrN

Somewhat sad to see him go. I was always a bit of a fan of Wheeler ever since being drafted in 2008 alongside Pierre Garcon, Mike Hart and Jacob Tamme - all of whom are no longer members of the Colts. In fact, I believe Wheeler was the final 2008 draftee to remain a Colts until he signed with the Oakland Raiders yesterday. Just goes to show how the team has changed over quite a bit since the Polian regime. In any case, here's the link from NFL.com

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d827fdc41/article/raiders-agree-to-deal-with-lb-philip-wheeler-trade-for-goodson?module=HP11_headline_stack

Just saw the news break on ESPN. Reggie Wayne signed a 3-year deal to stay in Indy!!!! This is about the best news I've seen in quite some time and I think we all needed something to make us smile. Good to see Wayne finish out in Indy!

I will try to find a link on one of the news sites to confirm the source but the ESPN tracker just made the announcement seconds ago. =)

I originally wrote this a few weeks ago on my blog which is a daily top ten list of my choosing. I think it's appropriate to write it here since the day has finally come where we have to say goodbye to our beloved #18. There are so many moments to choose from and many didn't make my own personal list, but I want to honor whatever moments are your own favorite, even if they did not make my cut here. I want to also thank Brad Wells for the rec on his own top ten thread posted earlier today. I appreciated it a lot. =)

Greg’s Top Ten Favorite Peyton Manning Memories

1. January 21, 2007 vs. New England (AFC Championship Game): I’ll never forget seeing Peyton with hands folded on the sidelines just after the Colts took the lead 38-34 over the Patriots. With just over a minute to go, Manning undoubtedly knew that Tom Brady was capable of mounting a miraculous comeback. That comeback would be thwarted by a Marlin Jackson interception of Brady with seconds to go, sending Indianapolis and Manning to their first Super Bowl. Once the interception occurred, Manning got up slowly with a smile on his face, well aware that his critics were silenced…for the time being.

2. February 4, 2007 vs. Chicago (Super Bowl XLI): When Indianapolis went to the Super Bowl for the first time, the game seemed to pale in comparison to the drama that was the AFC Championship two weeks prior. After all, Indianapolis had a longstanding rivalry with the Patriots. Still, there was one more game to be played and for the AFC Title game to have real meaning, Manning had to finish the job against the Chicago Bears. Seeing Manning join his teammates atop the winner’s circle after the victory over the Bears was something Colts fans had been dreaming of for decades and when it finally happened it was a thing of beauty.

3. October 6, 2003 @ Tampa Bay (Monday Night Football): This was supposed to be former Bucs and then-current Colts head coach Tony Dungy’s homecoming – his first return to the stadium he once called home. It was also the eve of one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history. Down 35-14 with less than five minutes to go the Colts mounted the most improbable of comebacks against one of the NFL’s stingiest defenses. Several deep passes to Colt receivers including a 28-yard strike to Marvin Harrison narrowed the gap and sent the Colts and Bucs to overtime knotted at 35 points apiece. Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt sealed the victory with a 29-yard field goal sending the Colts to what is still the largest comeback in an NFL game with less than 5 minutes to go in regulation.

4. November 15, 2009 vs. New England (Sunday Night Football): This is also known as the game Patriots coach Bill Belichick made one of the most questionable calls in NFL history – going for it on 4th down deep in Colts territory with 2:08 to go and a six point lead. Tom Brady threw a short pass to running back Kevin Faulk who bobbled the ball and was tackled short of the first down, turning the ball over to Manning and the Colts. Manning threw a series of passes including the eventual game winner to Reggie Wayne with just 13 seconds to go. The game was gratifying on so many levels: it kept the Colts unbeaten on the year, it was an unbelievable comeback and it was a big "F.U." to Patriots coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots. There’s nothing quite as enjoyable as watching Belichick see his well laid plans blow up in his face on cable television.

5. December 26, 2004 vs. San Diego: Although I believe that team accomplishments always trump single player accomplishments, this game holds special place in the hearts of Colts fans everywhere. For twenty seasons Dan Marino held the single-season mark for passing touchdowns in a season (48) with very few players even coming close to challenging the mark. Manning had been carving up defenses all season and seemed set to at least match Marino’s mark in a week 16 contest against the Chargers. In the third quarter Manning threw the record-tying score to the most unlikely of receivers, backup running back James Mungro. However, Manning was not finished. Late in the game Manning threw a perfect pass down the middle of the field to Brandon Stokley who ran into the end zone for the touchdown. The Colts would eventually win the game in overtime and Manning would sit for nearly their entire week 17 contest with the #1 seed in the AFC already wrapped up. So, while Tom Brady might hold the new record with 50 TD passes, keep in mind that Manning didn’t play the final game while Brady needed a full 17 weeks to get to 50.

6. November 7, 2005 @ New England (Monday Night Football): Before this game, the Patriots had made the Colts their bitch over and over again. This was the day the true rivalry began. The 40-21 victory over the Patriots in Foxboro was the event that helped fans realize that the Patriots were not in Manning’s head and that the Patriots were mortal. Peyton’s 3 touchdown performance was the catalyst for the win and the start of a streak of Colt victories over the Patriots, which brings us to…

7. November 5, 2006 @ New England (Sunday Night Football): If anyone thought the game from 2005 against the Patriots was an anomaly, this game quashed any idea that the 40-21 win was a fluke. Peyton Manning vastly outplayed Tom Brady by throwing 2 scores on 326 yards passing including a key touchdown pass to a very emotional Marvin Harrison who spiked the ball in front of Patriot defenders following the score. Tom Brady was completely ineffective throwing four interceptions and zero touchdowns en route to a 27-20 loss to the Colts.

8. August 8, 1998 @ Seattle (Preseason): Why is a preseason game on the list, you ask? This was Peyton Manning’s first appearance as a member of the Indianapolis Colts and boy did he make a good first impression. First pass of his career would be a long touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison right up the seam. One pass, one score, thank you very much for coming. It would be a sign of things to come as the two would hook up for 112 scores in their regular season careers.

9. October 17, 2005 vs. St. Louis (Monday Night Football): Speaking of Marvin Harrison, this would be the game in which Manning and Harrison would break Steve Young and Jerry Rice’s touchdown record for most score between a QB and WR in NFL history. It would happen on a textbook corner fade pass that helped the Colts beat the Rams 45-28. After catching the pass I’ll never forget watching Manning try to give the ball to Harrison who was playfully pushing the ball back to Manning. Manning’s response to Harrison’s humility: "We’ll split it! We’ll split it!"

10. January 4, 2004 vs. Denver (Wild Card Weekend): The moment I knew this game would be special happened when Manning threw a perfect pass to slot receiver Brandon Stokley who was running a seam route up the middle of the field. Stokley would eventually take that pass to the house 87 yards. It was Manning’s fourth touchdown pass of the game and it wasn’t even halftime yet. Manning finished the game 22-26 passing for 377 yards and 5 touchdowns. It was the first postseason win of Manning’s illustrious career.

This just bummed me out. I always liked having Utecht on the Colts and the image of him celebrating with Peyton after winning the AFC Title Game will always be imprinted on my mind. He was a solid member of our Super Bowl winning team in 2006 before leaving for the Bengals via free agency. I hope this is an issue that doesn't trouble him for the rest of his life like it has for so many former NFL players.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201112/former-super-bowl-winner-suffering-memory-loss-age-30

Having been a Colts fan for 25 years, I have seen quite a few highs and lows. Whether it's the trade to get Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, drafting Jeff George #1 overall in 1990, the magical 1995 season led by Jim Harbaugh or the Super Bowl winning season of 2006, the ride has been quite a roller coaster. Here we are in week 14 of the 2010 season, having enjoyed nearly a decade of dominance in our division, constant Super Bowl hype, 2 Super Bowl visits and a championship later and people are complaining to the extreme about how the Colts are 6-6 and on the outside looking in at the playoffs. I've heard both writers and fans here call for Jim Caldwell, Bill Polian and a host of others to lose their jobs because of the difficulty we are suffering this season. Never mind the fact that we've lost our All-Pro TE (Dallas Clark), starting wide receiver (Austin Collie), Pro Bowl RB (Joseph Addai), All-Pro S Bob Sanders, Melvin Bullitt...do I need to continue? It's been a brutal year for injuries. More so than I have ever seen before. It happens, people.

Yes, it sucks. Yes, it's frustrating. Lord knows I have yelled at the television a few times this season, but it's not the end of the world. Considering how tough it has been it is easy to understand why some people would have a quick temper and want to see heads roll. However, calling for Caldwell or Polian's job is ridiculous. We're spoiled. It's true. We as a fan base are very, very spoiled. We have been in the playoffs 10 times since Peyton Manning was drafted in 1998 and we have gotten very used to winning. Ask fans of the Detroit Lions or the Cleveland Browns or the Cincinnati Bengals how many times they have seen the playoffs since 1998. The Lions have gone through 14 starting quarterbacks in the 13 years we have had one All-World QB. The Browns have one playoff appearance since re-entering the league in 1999. The Bengals have suffered seven 10+ loss seasons during a span in which we have enjoyed ten 10+ win seasons. 

Folks, what I am getting at during this time of year where we are supposed to be thankful is that we as Colts fans need to lose with grace when we lose. We need to calm down and take these lumps without acting like spoiled children. One year ago we were in the Super Bowl with Jim Caldwell as our coach. Though it is easy to say that was a "Dungy Team" and that a chimpanzee could have led the team to a Super Bowl, we all know that simply is not true. During my 25 years as a Colts fan we have only been to the Super Bowl twice, so don't tell me a chimpanzee could run the team and it would be in the Big Dance. As for Polian and the front office - yes, they are having a rough go these days. Sometimes you hit it big in the draft and sometimes you don't. However, for each of the failures of our drafting (David Macklin in 2000, Larry Tripplett in 2002, Tim Jennings in 2006 & Tony Ugoh in 2007), there have also been a tremendous amount of extraordinary selections (taking Manning over Ryan Leaf in 1998, taking Edgerrin James over Ricky Williams in 1999, drafting Reggie Wayne in 2001, Dwight Freeney in 2002, Dallas Clark and Robert Mathis in 2003, getting Bob Sanders in the second round in 2004, Addai in 2006, etc...) Most of our early round picks have been major success stories and several of our late round picks (Mathis, Cato June, Clint Session, Collie) have been huge for this franchise. 

I know what you're probably thinking...

"What about our recent draft woes?"

About those players we drafted early who have been "busts" in the eyes of some fans, to call 1st rounders like Anthony Gonzalez or Donald Brown busts depends on how a person defines the word "bust." I have a hard time calling a player prone to injury a bust. If a guy is drafted early and flat-out stinks like George did in 1990, that is one thing. However, to call a guy like Steve Emtman, Gonzalez or Brown busts seems unfair to me considering those players gave maximum effort and were hurt due to factors out of their control. I'll never forget watching Steve Emtman getting carted off the field after blowing out his knee for a second time in two years in 1993. The tears running down his face as he knew his knee gave out again told the story of how frustrated he was. It was not in his control that he suffered a plethora of injuries. Just the same, it wasn't Brandon Bulsworth's fault that he died in a car accident following the 1999 draft. We don't call Bulsworth a bust, do we? Get the point? 

In any case, what I am getting at is that we need to raise our heads high and take pleasure in our successes and not overreact to the difficulties we are enduring. Most teams would kill to be in our position. Just ask the 6-6 Raiders how wonderful it is to be in the running for a change instead of being a laughing stock. Just the same, remember that we too are in the running right now as I type this. If we rally and pull together we can actually win the division and maybe make some noise in the postseason. If we don't make the playoffs, enjoy the good memories of years previous and remember how fortunate we all are to be Colts fans and not Texans fans who have yet to even see a postseason game. Be thankful we are still in the hunt after some heartbreaking losses and a ton of injuries. I think we should be honored to be in the hunt every year and take the difficult losses gracefully. As this season continues, I hope you will be thankful too.

[UPDATE]: I edited this a little bit so it would look better on the frontpage. Big thanks to 88horsepower for posting this. --bbs

Such a classy move by the Colts. I love seeing James back on the Colts sidelines, even in this capacity!!! 

From Colts.com:

Former Colts running back Edgerrin James and former United States Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient Sammy Davis will serve as honorary co-captains for the Colts for this Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the New York Jets.

James, the fourth overall pick by the Colts in the 1999 NFL Draft and the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, totaled 9,226 yards and 64 touchdowns rushing in his seven years with the club. James, a four-time Pro Bowler, led the league in rushing his first two seasons in the NFL. He set a club rookie rushing record with 1,553 yards as a rookie in 1999, and set the club rushing mark with 1,709 yards in 2000. James, who played with Arizona from 2006-08 and with Seattle in 2009, has 12,246 rushing yards, 11th in NFL history.

Sammy Davis, a native of Dayton, Ohio, joined the United States Army from Indianapolis. In November, 1967, Davis was an artillery cannoneer private with the 9th infantry division assigned to South Vietnam. For his service and courageous efforts in Vietnam, Davis was awarded the Medal of Honor—America’s highest award for military valor—by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. Davis is the only Vietnam era Medal of Honor recipient from Indiana. He also received a Silver Star and Purple Heart.

Some of you may already be familiar with this story, but I thought to share this with the rest of you. It pretty much sums up what a tremendous man Tony Dungy is. I've shed some tears today, but it's stories like this one that keep me thinking that Dungy will continue touching lives both on and off the field. God bless you, Tony. We'll miss you so much.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcsouth/0-7-74/A-Dungy-story-you-may-not-have-heard.html

Talk about letting a game slip through your fingers. We get deep within the Jaguars red zone with just over a minute to go in the game and instead of running the ball with the intent to score, we pass twice. That has to be some of the most foolish play-calling I've seen in quite some time. By running the ball, you at least take time off the clock or force the Jaguars to spend precious timeouts, so that when they do get the ball back, they won't have as much to work with. The Colts scoring a go-ahead touchdown was a necessity, but they didn't have to pass twice and then run in order to make it happen. Instead of leaving the Jags with one or two timeouts, the Colts leave Garrard and Co. a full compliment of timeouts with over a minute to go. Brilliant.

For those interested...

Backup quarterbacks Jared Lorenzen and Quinn Gray were among the players waived by the Colts Saturday. The move leaves the team with two active quarterbacks in Peyton Manning and Jim Sorgi.

Additionally, the Colts released 18 other players:

WRs Devin Aromashodu, Sam Giguere and Onrea Jones; DTs Joe Bradley, Dan Davis and Colin Ferrell; DE Jeff Charleston; DBs Brannon Condren and Brandon Foster; OL Tala Esera; DE Ben Ishola; LBs Kyle Shotwell and Victor Worsley; RBs Chad Simpson and Kenton Keith; OTs Darren Marquez and Michael Toudouze and TE Tyrice Thompson.

Additionally, LB Tyjuan Hagler and OG Ryan Lilja were placed on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list.