Indy #2

I buy #2, but I still don’t see how Dallas is #1. Tip to Stampede Blue

2. Indianapolis Colts – Jim Irsay (9)

I took some heat last year for placing Jim Irsay and the Colts just off the elite list. My reason for doing so had to do with how much of the organization’s success was tied to Tony Dungy and the transition that was taking place on the coaching staff. But the organization replaced Dungy with Jim Caldwell and moved forward with key assistants Tom Moore and Howard Mudd in lesser roles and went 15-1 and to the Super Bowl. One of the key factors in evaluating the effectiveness of any organization is how it replaces outstanding performers and the Colts showed organizationally they could replace people. With a state-of-the-art stadium and a key understanding of their system and talent, the Colts and Jim Irsay vault into the elite ranks, in a dramatic change of trajectory from the team’s past history.