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In the past, that's what made Peyton Manning's prolific offense so vital for the Colts to have even a chance to win. Decent regular-season records seemed to evaporate into disappointment once the competition toughened in the playoffs.
Manning's still putting up big numbers; the offense still dominates. But now the Colts have a defense that may be responsible more than anything else for the best record in the NFL, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The first test for the Colts will be Sunday against Pittsburgh.
"The biggest difference is just our experience within the system," coach Tony Dungy, who built his reputation as a defensive mastermind, said after practice Friday.
"We have a couple guys who we added -- Corey Simon, Bob Sanders being healthy all year and playing, and Marlin Jackson -- but more than that, it's just everybody one year better and playing our assignments just a little better that's allowing us to play faster and a little more physical," Dungy said.
The Colts were 29th in net defense last year and 11th this season. In passing defense, they improved from 29th to 15th; rushing defense, from 24th to 16th; scoring defense, from 19th to second.
They acquired Simon, a former Pro Bowl tackle, after he was released in a contract dispute with Philadelphia. Sanders, who played only six games as a rookie, started 14 at safety this season, was second on the team with 118 tackles and was selected to the Pro Bowl and to The Associated Press All-Pro team. Jackson, a defensive back from Michigan, was a first-round draft pick and was used primarily as a backup at cornerback.
"Last year, the defense was young and inexperienced and the linebackers moved around in different positions," said defensive end Raheem Brock, who led the team with 26 quarterback pressures. "Everybody's used to playing where they're at and we're communicating well.
"The linebackers are coming up and making plays, and our D-backs are coming up and making tackles. Our scheme is a one-gap scheme, and our safeties have to be very physical. We've got good, physical safeties this year."
Sanders, linebacker Cato June and end Dwight Freeney are Pro Bowl starters, the first time since 1977 the Colts -- then in Baltimore -- have had more than one defensive player selected to the league's postseason All-Star game. Perennial Pro Bowl players Manning, Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James, plus first-time pick Jeff Saturday at center, also are slated to start the Feb. 12 game in Honolulu.
"We talked about being fast, about being physical," Sanders said of the turnaround on defense. "Everyone on our team is fast. Everyone on our team is physical. ... Everybody understands what coach Dungy wants out of the defense. Once we figured it out, it was easy for us to go out and play fast, play hard."
Indianapolis beat Pittsburgh 26-7 in a Monday night game at the RCA Dome in November. The defense had three sacks and intercepted two of Ben Roethlisberger's passes, and the Colts outgained the Steelers 366 yards to 197, including an 80-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Harrison on their first offensive play.
The Colts went on to a 13-0 start -- clinching the AFC South title, the bye and the home-field advantage -- before resting some of the starters in losses to San Diego and Seattle. They finished with a 17-13 win over Arizona two weeks ago.
"We're probably not as sharp as we would have been had we practiced all of last week and played a game, but I think by Sunday we're going to be fine," Dungy said. "I think the energy and the quickness and the legs we had will more than offset the little bit of maybe not as good timing."
Backup linebacker Gilbert Gardner did not practice Friday because of the flu. Dungy also held out punt returner and backup receiver Troy Walters because to rest his legs and let a groin injury heal. If Walters cannot play on Sunday, Harrison would likely return punts, Dungy saidThe last time the Chicago Bears played a postseason game, it was a forgettable experience.
After going 13-3 and earning a first-round playoff bye in 2001, they lost to Philadelphia in the divisional game.
Linebacker Brian Urlacher remembers the 14-point loss was a bitter end to a good season, a memory he would just as soon suppress. So he wasn't in the mood to compare the current Bears to the 2001 team.
"I don't even remember that team, it was so long ago," Urlacher said. "Plus, it ended so bad. We got pounded by the Eagles, so it really wasn't that great. We run the ball well. Our defense is better than it was back then."
Center Olin Kreutz said, "I really don't remember much about it."
They're a little more focused on the present.
After going 11-5 and earning a first-round bye, the Bears will face Carolina on Sunday at Soldier Field. The four-year wait between playoff games is just about over, and Chicago hopes to end an 11-year drought between postseason victories.
The Bears beat Minnesota 35-18 in the first round after going 9-7 in 1994, then fell 44-15 at San Francisco. They posted losing records five of the next six seasons and did not make the playoffs.
Yet there they were in 2001 going 13-3, winning the NFC Central and earning a first-round bye.
They hung in for three quarters against Philadelphia, but lost 33-19.
Starting quarterback Jim Miller left the game after being thrown to the ground on an interception return. The Eagles' Donovan McNabb passed for 262 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and ran for 37 yards and a score.
"McNabb was having his game, but we were holding him pretty good," safety Mike Green said. "And we just let it get away from us. That's just part of being a young team."
Things looked good for the Bears after Jerry Azumah returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdown to give them a 14-13 lead in the third quarter, but Philadelphia led 20-14 going into the fourth. The Eagles outscored Chicago 13-5 in the final quarter.
Like the current Bears, the 2001 team won with a defense that allowed the fewest points in the NFL. The difference was the size on the line.
While the defensive front in 2001 featured mammoth tackles Ted Washington and Keith Traylor, the current group is built more on speed. That's why Kreutz believes this team would have shut down McNabb. His evidence is a 16-3 victory over Atlanta game last month, when the Bears held Michael Vick to 122 yards passing and 35 rushing.
"Philadelphia, in '01, spread us out and McNabb ran all around," Kreutz said. "Not even Vick could do that to us this year."
The lesson Mike Green takes from that season is the fleeting nature of success. The Bears thought they were built for a long run. They thought it was a start, not an aberration, but everything crumbled.
Injuries knocked out Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ted Washington early in 2002 and limited cornerback R.W. McQuarters to nine games as Chicago went 4-12. They went 7-9 in 2003 and 5-11 last season.
The Bears also played their home games at the University of Illinois in 2002, during the renovation of Soldier Field.
"We thought we were going to have a good team for years to come," Green said. "We didn't have a lot of old guys then. But we weren't expecting the injuries."
The Bears who were there in 2001 dismiss the notion that they benefited from the schedule that season, weren't really as good as the record indicated and, maybe, fooled management.
"I don't think management knew all the injuries were coming, and we were playing in Champaign the next year," Kreutz said. "We were 2-0 and on our way to beating the Saints, too, before we lost Ted and R.W. McQuarters. We started losing everybody. ... We had a lot of good players until we had all those injuries."
Azumah said, "I don't know why it didn't last. I can't really put my finger on it. I know the guys worked their butts off to try to get back to that level."
It took a few years.
Now, the Bears meet a Carolina team they dominated 13-3 in November. Time will tell whether this is an aberration or a beginning, a step to the NFL's elite or just a false start.
"Of course we want to win," Kreutz said. "I don't think we had to validate what we did. You could say that the season didn't mean anything, but we're NFC North champs. It means something."Wilson, in announcing Mularkey's resignation Friday, said Levy will "absolutely not" be considered. Levy, however, declined to provide a definitive answer despite being present when his boss ruled him out as a candidate.
"I really, sort of, don't even want to comment," Levy said. "I can't answer it because I want to talk the whole situation over. But we're going to address it swiftly."
Levy added that he didn't plan on being the coach when he accepted the GM's job last week, but said the situation has changed with Mularkey's unexpected departure.
What might seem confusing to those hearing Levy contradict Wilson is becoming par for the course for an operation that can't get its story straight since the Bills fired president/general manager Tom Donahoe last week.
Upon hiring Levy to replace Donahoe, Wilson and Levy couldn't come up with a title before eventually settling on general manager/football relations.
Now there's Mularkey's resignation, which came a little over a week after Wilson said, with Mularkey's backing, that the coach would be return.
Wilson, in opening his fourth news conference in eight days, even wondered whether some might consider him to be running, as he put it, "some sort of Vaudeville show."
Only no one's laughing.
The Bills are coming off a 5-11 season and have missed the playoffs for six straight years -- their longest drought since the NFL merger.
And they're suddenly behind the pack of six other teams searching for a new coach, because Mularkey's departure blind-sided Wilson.
Talk of Mularkey's resignation began Wednesday, when the coach broached the subject with Wilson. Despite initial efforts to change Mularkey's mind, Wilson accepted the resignation in a meeting the following day.
Wilson said Mularkey expressed concern about Bills fans who criticized him last year.
And despite Wilson's assurances, Mularkey's future beyond next season remained in doubt. Mularkey dismissed five assistants last week and his uncertain status made it difficult for the coach to hire experienced replacements.
Mularkey was 14-18 in two seasons and had three years left on his contract. The move leaves the Bills searching for their third coach in five years.
"It's an abrupt setback. But we're going to move forward," Wilson said.
Wilson and Levy declined to list any potential candidates or provide details as to the type of coach they're seeking.
Among the early front-runners -- besides, perhaps, Levy -- are Bills defensive coordinator Jerry Gray, who completed his fifth season with Buffalo; recently fired New Orleans coach Jim Haslett; Dick Jauron, Detroit's interim coach; and Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.
Haslett has ties to the Bills. The former linebacker played for the team from 1979-85.
Reached by telephone Friday, Haslett said he's interested but has not yet been contacted.
"Obviously, I have great interest in the job, there's lot of good things about it," Haslett said. "I know the organization, I know Mr. Wilson. And it's a great place to live."
A former NFL tight end, Mularkey was a first-time head coach who joined Buffalo after serving as the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive coordinator. In his first season, the Bills rebounded from a 1-5 start to finish 9-7.
"I did not reach this decision lightly," Mularkey said in a statement released by the Bills. "But after much thought, I have concluded that for my own personal reasons and in the best interests of my family, on balance, outweigh any future benefits that may accrue to me by continuing in this position."
Prosecutor Michael Grieco told Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mary Barzee that Taylor should not be treated differently than any other defendant, many of whom have to miss work to attend court, and his trial should begin as scheduled Tuesday.
He also pointed to Taylor's ejection from last Saturday's playoff win over Tampa Bay for spitting in the face of Buccaneer running back Michael Pittman.
"Mr. Taylor has not been a model citizen," Grieco said.
But Taylor's attorney, Edward Carhart, told the judge that would create a hardship for Taylor and the Redskins, who play the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. If they win, they would play Jan. 22 in the NFC championship game. Carhart also said he still needs to interview some witnesses.
Barzee agreed with Carhart and moved the trial to March 20. The trial had originally been scheduled for last October, but was delayed so Taylor would not have to leave the team. Taylor was not at Friday's hearing.
Taylor, a former University of Miami standout, was allegedly among a group of people who got into an armed confrontation over an all-terrain vehicle. Prosecutors say Taylor pointed a gun during the dispute and is charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and simple battery.
Taylor, who has pleaded not guilty, faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted. Taylor signed a seven-year, $18 million contract after being drafted by the Redskins in 2004. He is free on $16,500 bondProsecutor Michael Grieco told Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mary Barzee that Taylor should not be treated differently than any other defendant, many of whom have to miss work to attend court, and his trial should begin as scheduled Tuesday.
He also pointed to Taylor's ejection from last Saturday's playoff win over Tampa Bay for spitting in the face of Buccaneer running back Michael Pittman.
"Mr. Taylor has not been a model citizen," Grieco said.
But Taylor's attorney, Edward Carhart, told the judge that would create a hardship for Taylor and the Redskins, who play the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. If they win, they would play Jan. 22 in the NFC championship game. Carhart also said he still needs to interview some witnesses.
Barzee agreed with Carhart and moved the trial to March 20. The trial had originally been scheduled for last October, but was delayed so Taylor would not have to leave the team. Taylor was not at Friday's hearing.
Taylor, a former University of Miami standout, was allegedly among a group of people who got into an armed confrontation over an all-terrain vehicle. Prosecutors say Taylor pointed a gun during the dispute and is charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and simple battery.
Taylor, who has pleaded not guilty, faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted. Taylor signed a seven-year, $18 million contract after being drafted by the Redskins in 2004. He is free on $16,500 bond
TAMPA - There is just one thing that would make Monte Kiffin think about breaking his bond with the Bucs and the Bay area. Unfortunately for both, the St. Louis Rams have offered Kiffin that potential bond breaker.
Kiffin, the Bucs' longtime defensive coordinator, said Thursday he is contemplating pursuing the head coaching job with the Rams, whose president discussed the matter with Kiffin on Wednesday night.
"I do have to weigh a few things out here," Kiffin told The Tampa Tribune on Thursday. "I mean, I have a great relationship with Jon [Gruden] and Bruce [Allen] and the fans are great here. I really love the place and I think the future is bright.
"But I'm still giving it some consideration. They want me to come for an interview. You can't really just go for an interview just for the sake of going for an interview, so I have to decide on some things."
Kiffin's uncertainty aside, Allen, the Bucs' general manager, seems confident he will retain his defensive coordinator. After granting the Rams permission to talk to Kiffin, Allen expressed confidence that he will stay in Tampa Bay.
"I don't know if Monte's going to put himself into the coaching carousel," Allen said Thursday. "He's really happy here. I don't know if he's going to put himself in that."
Kiffin, the architect of the top-ranked defense in the league this year, is the second Bucs coach linked to the Rams job. St. Louis has also reportedly considered defensive line coach Rod Marinelli for the position.
As of Thursday, though, Marinelli had yet to be invited to St. Louis for an interview. A source within the Rams organization said Marinelli was in essence a second-tier candidate.
Kiffin, 65, is clearly a first-tier candidate. And it's not the first time he has been in that position. Kiffin interviewed for the 49ers' head coaching position following the Bucs' Super Bowl season in 2002.
But Kiffin quickly re-signed with the Bucs, agreeing four days after his interview to a three-year, $5.1 million contract that paid him more, at the time, than some NFL head coaches.
Kiffin, whose 10 seasons with the Bucs make him the league's longest-tenured defensive coordinator, recently agreed to a two-year extension of that deal, which pays him an average of $1.7 million a year. And until he fielded the offer from the Rams, it seemed he would stay in Tampa at least through the end of that deal.
Now, though, the Bucs are in a position to potentially lose a third member of their defensive staff.
Defensive backs coach Mike Tomlin left this week to become the Vikings defensive coordinator, and Marinelli's future remains uncertain.
Allen said Marinelli's name has been mentioned in association with a couple of head coaching jobs, and there is also a chance he will surface as a candidate to run the Bears defense, should coordinator Ron Rivera land a job as a head coach.
Should Kiffin leave, however, the Bucs may seek to retain Marinelli by offering him their defensive coordinator position. Allen said he has discussed ways of keeping Marinelli with the coach and his agent, Frank Bauer.
Those aren't the only negotiations Allen has had. The GM said Thursday he has also met with the agent for quarterback Chris Simms, who could become a restricted free agent if he is not signed to a new deal by March 3.
March 3 is the first day of the new league season. By then, all teams must be in compliance with the projected 2006 salary cap. To do that, the Bucs may have to trim as much as $19 million in player payroll, Allen said.
The actual amount won't be known until the league completes talks aimed at extending the collective bargaining agreement with the players. Should those talks result in an extension before March 3, the Bucs will have to cut between $14 million and $15 million, Allen said. If no extension is negotiated, the Bucs will have to cut approximately $19 million in payroll.
Allen said all of the 15 highest-paid players on the roster will be asked to renegotiate their deals.
HOUSTON - It appears Gary Kubiak will get a chance to coach in his hometown.
The Houston Chronicle is reporting that the long-time offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos will be named as the coach of the Houston Texans.
The announcement will be made after the Broncos' postseason run. Denver (13-3) will host the New England Patriots Saturday night in the divisional playoffs.
The Texans fired coach Dom Capers on January 2, one day after finishing a 2-14 season with a loss at San Francisco, and own the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft.
That pick will be used on either Heisman Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush of Southern California or Texas quarterback Vince Young, who is a Houston native. If the Texans pick up their $8 million contract option on quarterback David Carr in March, then Bush will likely be the selection.
Kubiak has served the last 11 years as the Broncos' offensive coordinator under coach Mike Shanahan. This season, Denver ranked first in the AFC in rushing and fifth in offense.
Born in Houston, Kubiak starred at Texas AM and served as a backup quarterback to John Elway in Denver from 1983-91, when Dan Reeves was the coach. The Texans hired Reeves as a consultant last month.
The sixth-winningest coach in NFL history with a record of 201-172-2, Reeves went to the Super Bowl three times with the Broncos and once with the Falcons.
Born in 2002, the Texans improved their win total each year from four to five to seven under Capers before crashing in 2005.