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When will the NFL team Indianapolis Colts appear in a Super Bowl again?
Back when the Indianapolis Colts used to be in Baltimore, they had appeared in two Super Bowls in three years. The first one they went to was in 1969. Their quarterback was Earl Morrall. Their featured running back was Tom Matte. They were led by head coach Don Shula.
The Colts won their first Super Bowl in 1971. Their head coach was Don McCafferty. Their featured running back was Norm Bulaich. Their quarterback was Johnny Unitas.
Former owner Robert Irsay moved the Colts to Indianapolis in 1984. His son, Jim Irsay, is now the principal owner of the team. Jim is also the last surviving child left from Robert and Harriet Pogorzelski’s union.
The Colts won another Super Bowl in 2007. Their featured running back was Joseph Addai. Their head coach was Tony Dungy. Their quarterback was Peyton Manning.
In 2010, the Colts appeared in another Super Bowl with Peyton Manning. This time he had Jim Caldwell as his head coach. Again, the featured running back was Joseph Addai.
Major Changes in 2012
In 2012, the Colts made drastic changes to get the franchise move along from a 2-14 season. The first thing that Jim Irsay did right after the 2011-2012 season finished was hiring a new general manager. He eventually hired Ryan Grigson. Next, a head coach had to be hired. Chuck Pagano was chosen for that position. For Ryan and Chuck, it was their first job with their new position that they had. Chuck added Bruce Arians to be his offensive coordinator, Clyde Christensen to coach the quarterbacks, and Greg Manusky to be his defensive coordinator.
Peyton Manning was released in March because of the uncertainty of his physical condition. Thus, the Colts had to get a new quarterback to replace him. With the number one overall draft pick, they picked Andrew Luck. A lot of quality players on the offensive side of the ball were also released by the Colts. That’s why with ten draft selections, they drafted 8 offensive players. Wide receiver T. Y. Hilton (3rd round) was one of those players.
During the free agency period, the Colts signed players that included three former Baltimore Ravens defensive players. I’m sure Chuck being a former defensive coordinator for that team played influenced those players to sign with Indianapolis.
In August, the Colts traded with the Miami Dolphins to get cornerback Vontae Davis, a former first round pick in 2009. The Dolphins received the Colts’ second round pick in 2013, which happened to be the 54th pick overall due to Indianapolis making the playoffs.
The Colts had a great regular season because had a 11-5 record during the regular season. Bruce Arians was able to keep the team together while Chuck had to take time off for his medical treatment for leukemia. Bruce led the team to a 9-3 record after the Colts started the season 1-2. The team unfortunately lost to the Baltimore Ravens in a wildcard playoff game to end their 2012-2013 season.
2013-2014 Season
The Colts hired Pep Hamilton to be their new offensive coordinator. In 2011, he was at Stanford as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with Andrew Luck being the QB.
The Colts signed many notable unrestricted free agents from other teams. Their signings include cornerback Greg Toler, safety LaRon Landry, defensive end Ricky Jean-Francois, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey and running back Ahmad Bradshaw.
In the 2103 NFL Draft, the Colts spent their first 4 picks shoring up their offensive and defensive lines.
The Colts traded for linebacker Kelvin Sheppard (3rd round pick in 2011) from the Buffalo Bills. They traded away linebacker Jerry Hughes, a 1st round pick in 2010.
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