Johnny O looks at the Colts D, but has some cool thoughts before he even gets there.
“The manner in which they go about conducting business – it’s an unbelievable group of professionals that do just a great job of working extremely hard. They’re very, very diligent about their work. They come in to improve every single day. We have some tremendous leaders who do a great job in setting a tone. . . . It’s an unbelievable atmosphere. You can see very quickly why our guys have been so consistent over the years – because they work. . . . They don’t get bored with the routine. They enjoy it. You have to enjoy it to do it for as long as they have done it and to do it as often as they do it. They have a great love for it. They’re passionate about it and it’s a trickle-down effect. Young guys just fall in line.”
That’s an element that often gets overlooked about the Colts’ success. I’m not saying having Peyton Manning at quarterback isn’t a bigger part. It obviously is, and the Colts also have front-tline star players at nearly every position. It’s a superstar, play-makers’ league, and having big-time players has kept the Colts competitive for more than a decade.
But other teams have big-time players, too, and while it may sound overly simple, the Colts do approach the off-season – from conditioning to mini-camps to OTAs – with a diligence and consistency that is noteworthy. For them, preparation for the season begins in April and continues through training camp, with one not being entirely separate from the other.
It’s also not entirely coincidental that the Colts have started 5-0 or better five times in seven years. The Colts enter the season closer to mid-season form than many teams, and that ability to start fast can’t be underestimated in the NFL.
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