Indianapolis Colts

Why we’re going all the way The Colts’ offense has been very competitive throughout Andrew Luck’s tenure, but at no point has the defense settled in. Now, the Colts’ defensive line may be one of the best in the league, and no one is fully recognizing that. The pass rush should be noticeably better, too. If the defense takes a meaningful step, the offense will get even scarier. The Colts have been gifted an easy schedule. Don’t put it past them to win the AFC South and a playoff game or two, with a chance to knock off the Patriots.

The season is hopeless if [THIS] happens Any surgery to the throwing shoulder of a quarterback is going to carry with it uncertainties. In this case, Luck’s timetable for a return to football is entirely dependent upon his shoulder cooperating and allowing him to move into more advanced levels of his throwing program. Any setback -- ANY -- and the Colts will lose him for multiple weeks or even the season. If this happens, they will be playing for an early draft pick.

Who is your biggest rival and why? The New England Patriots have long been the Colts' nemesis, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. The reason has largely been because Peyton Manning and Tom Brady dueled throughout Manning’s storied career in Indianapolis. For much of the early years, the Patriots destroyed the Colts' hopes of making real noise in the playoffs and kept them from Super Bowl aspirations. No game is looked forward to more for Colts fans. The way they see it, if not for the Patriots we would have a lot more hardware in Indianapolis.

Tailgate food that best describes your team? The food that best describes Indiana is fried tenderloin, but unless your tailgate includes a deep fryer, that isn’t happening. So I’ll go with pulled pork. When it’s done just right, it's about the best thing you could ever eat. You put a lot of time into pulled pork, though. if you overcook it, get the temperature too hot, or pick a nasty-tasting rub, it will be really disappointing.

What does your team do better than anyone else? No team has had more fourth-quarter comebacks than the Colts dating back to Peyton Manning’s rookie year. During his time in Indianapolis, Manning put together 34 fourth-quarter comebacks. Luck took the torch to add another 14. The Cardiac Colts of Jim Harbaugh lived on through Manning and Luck and keep fans in Indianapolis on the edge of their seats knowing that the team is never fully out of the game until it ends.