All Decade Fun from SI

There’s so much Colts related stuff here, that I’m putting this on the main page…

The All Decade Team features Manning, Howard Mudd, AV, and Polian

Toughest call, choosing Manning over Brady. Both deserve it. Brady gets the edge in titles 3-1. Manning gets the edge in MVPs 3-1 — and he’s in prime position to win a record fourth this year. Manning gets the edge in raw productivity, with 11,000 more passing yards and 87 more touchdowns. Brady played eight years, Manning 10. If I chose this team at the end of this season and the Patriots had won another title, I’d have to put Brady in this spot. But we’re picking it now, and as we sit here, I believe Manning will go down in history as one of the top three quarterbacks, and I can’t make a team of the decade, in Manning’s prime years, without having him quarterback it. Manning is my Player of the Decade.

Don Banks lists the biggest moments

8. Tony Dungy’s ring. Nearly two full decades after Doug Williams became the first African American to quarterback a Super Bowl champion, Dungy wrote his own chapter in history on Feb. 4, 2007, earning the distinction of being the first black head coach to win the NFL’s ultimate game. Dungy’s Colts beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI, providing him the highlight of his eventual 13-year head-coaching career. He led his teams to the playoffs in 11 of those 13 seasons, and his legacy as one of the league’s most respected figures stands in stark contrast today to the length of time he waited before being granted his first head-coaching opportunity, in Tampa Bay in 1996.

PLAYER OF THE DECADE: Peyton Manning, Colts
The Colts are the winningest regular-season team in the decade, and Manning’s immense presence, skill, accuracy and mastery of the offense are the biggest reasons. Twenty years ago, Fran Tarkenton was the all-time leader in passing yards, with 47,003. Barring some surprise in the last month of this regular season, Manning will finish 2009 with more than 42,000 in this decade alone. He is not the leader of his offense; he is the commandant.

Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning finally answered their critics by earning their first trip to the Super Bowl. The fact that it came against their archnemesis — and featured the largest comeback in championship game history — made it all the sweeter. The game had many strange occurrences: two scores by offensive linemen off fumble recoveries, a touchdown catch by a defensive tackle, an interception return for a score and a kickoff return for a touchdown. Manning, who threw for 349 yards and a TD, marched the Colts 80 yards in the final two-plus minutes for the decisive score.