The Indianapolis Colts have the best record in football, two of the top MVP candidates in the NFL – quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Jonathan Taylor – and to be honest, those aren’t even the Colts’ best two players. Those would be defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and left guard Quenton Nelson.
And Colts fans are giddy.
Can’t say I blame them. Imagine, if you’re in the mood for self-flagellation, being me. Imagine arriving here in late 2014 – two months before DeflateGate, and shortly before Andrew Luck’s cycle of injuries led to his lost season of 2017, his retirement of 2019, and the ensuing QB carousel of Larry, Curly, Shemp and Moe.
Imagine having to write columns – honest opinions – about all of that … and then getting to write about all this!
Readers on my IndyStar text group are more fired up than I am, and I’m pretty fired up. You see what I wrote after the Colts trounced the AFC West-leading Los Angeles Chargers? Fired up. Then I started reading your texts – I get everything; readers get only what I send out – and saw you’re also fired up.
Giddy up!
(And join us on the text group. It’s open to all. Link below every column I write.)
Doyel: Colts are legit, swamping Chargers and keeping Super Bowl LX in sight
Colts have NFL’s best record?!?
Onto the Mailbagg™.
From: Howard L.
Doesn’t giving up 400 yards passing yards worry you?
You’re not fooling me, Howard. I can sense the fire down below.
But, fine. You raise a point. As I wrote in the story:
“Yes, Justin Herbert threw for 420 yards and three scores. He also threw it 55 times, was picked off twice and was hit 15 times. And the Chargers played the final 39 minutes trailing by at least 14 points.”
Does it worry me? It doesn’t make me feel great, no, but I’m convinced the CB situation will be improved soon. Corners will be coming back from injury, or acquired before the Nov. 1 trade deadline.
From: Michael W.
What a season. Never expected it.
The best kind of happy season – one nobody saw coming.
From: Ken S.
JIM IRSAY IS SMILING FROM ABOVE AS HIS 3 GIRLS ARE GUIDING HIS TEAM. RIP JIM!!!
Love this, Ken, even the all-caps. JIM WOULD APPROVE.
From: John W.
Has there ever been a better time for Indy fans? Pacers amazing run, Hoosiers No. 2 in football, Boilers No. 1 in men’s basketball, and Colts with the best NFL record.
Sounds like a glorious column for someone to write. So does that urgent note above from Howard. And the tear-jerker from Ken. Thank you for the ideas!
More on Colts’ Daniel Jones, Jonathan Taylor
From: Susan B.
Gregg, don’t you think it’s time to put Indiana Jones on Lucus Oil Stadium?
Great call, Susan. A gigantic Daniel Jones needs to be somewhere on the outside of that stadium. Who would he replace? Nobody. Find a spot. Make it happen. Another good column topic! I’m gonna poll you guys on all these ideas, and write the column the group wants to see most.
Democracy!
From: Nathan S.
Any thoughts on Jonathan Taylor deserving the NFL MVP award? I’m annoyed that the MVP award is primarily a QB award these days.
Hey Nathan. Another great column topic for the poll, though I touched on it in the story:
“The Colts have a quarterback playing at a borderline MVP level (and) a running back playing at an MVP level – nothing borderline about Jonathan Taylor – but it’s a quarterback league, yadda yadda yadda, so Taylor will have to settle for All-Pro and another sentence or two on his Hall of Fame bust in Canton, and perhaps Offensive Player of the Year.”
More from: Nathan S.
Thanks Gregg. I noticed that after I sent the text. I’m still shocked how rare it is for a non-QB to win the MVP award. Blows my mind a kicker actually won the award in the ’80’s.
Washington’s Mark Moseley, right? I remember! And that is truly crazy. A kicker won MVP in that strike-shortened season. Moseley wouldn’t receive a vote today. If the 1982 season were played out now, the MVP would be Chargers QB Dan Fouts.
More from: Nathan S.
I also wanted to extend my condolences on the loss of your mother. I lost my mother to cancer in 2016. It never leaves you and I miss her everyday, especially during the holidays. I read your article about your mother. She sounded like a magnificent person. My sympathies and I wish you and your family peace.
My man. God bless you.
Doyel last month: I didn’t know how strong my Mom was. Not until she started dying.
IU football’s Curt Cignetti not leaving for Penn State
On Wednesday morning last week, I predicted – no, I declared – that Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti was already at a football school, and wouldn’t be leaving for Penn State. Within 36 hours, Cignetti had signed a massive contract extension with the Hoosiers. I’m not saying I did that.
Yes I am.
Doyel: IU’s Curt Cignetti already at football school, not leaving for Penn State
From: Peter D.
Thank you sir. As I told others, including myself: “Let’s wait for Mr. Doyle’s thoughts” before we get too anxious.
It helps that “Mr. Doyle’s thoughts” are actually directives to be followed. Not that my column led to Cignetti’s contract extension 36 hours later.
Yes it did.
From: Rob F.
I know the world seems upside down at times, but if you had told me IU football had a chance to win a national title before IU basketball, I’d have thought you’d be out of your ever-loving mind. Yet here we are.
It’s a football school now. The basketball program has some work to do, but let’s see what Darian DeVries is all about.
Doyel: What’s #iubb coach Darian DeVries all about? All hoops. No frills. Or office furniture!
From: Stuart M.
Don’t forget Brian Kelly’s shaft of Cincinnati when he announced his departure for Notre Dame right before the season-end football banquet.
Brian Kelly is the personification of our tribal mentality: The world can see exactly what he is – well, everybody but the fan base of whichever school he’s coaching. And then they can’t see nuthin’. And how dare we!
Colts QB Anthony Richardson, for now
Remember when we were all obsessed with Colts franchise QB Anthony Richardson? Fun, while it lasted.
Doyel: Colts, media, me, you – everyone’s moving on from Anthony Richardson
From: John C.
You can’t be any more blunt than this. Somebody had to say this, but did you draw the short straw for this assignment?
Ha. No, my choice. The Colts and the rest of us are moving on from Richardson, right before our eyes. To have my job and ignore that would be ridiculous.
From: Joseph L.
Boo. I don’t like your article about AR. It is really mean-spirited and totally unnecessary at this time. AR is under contract for another year and can serve as a great backup to Jones. To jump on a man while he is down is really ugly. He doesn’t deserve it.
Richardson won’t be the Colts’ backup next season, and might not be the backup ever again. He’s gone, and no, I don’t take pleasure in writing so bluntly about Richardson. But my job isn’t to kiss his rump – or yours.
From: Jared D.
If I were GM Chris Ballard, I’d be calling the Raiders. Richardson seems like a perfect fit for them, and Pete Carroll would be good for AR. Even if the Colts get only a modest draft pick, it would be worth it.
Not sure another NFL team would invest anything more in Richardson than an invitation to training camp. Maybe the Colts get a third-day NFL draft pick from someone taking a flyer on Richardson’s athletic gifts. Or maybe they just release him. We’ll see soon.
Not printing these
From: John B.
I know this isn’t a sports topic, but as a journalist I hope you share my concern at the way my alma mater, IU, is censoring its student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student. It is truly disheartening and disgraceful to see IU not only capitulate to authoritarianism, but embrace it. I’m thankful that Purdue students stepped up this weekend to help the IDS get the word out.
It’s a slippery slope, and we’re skidding to the bottom fast.
From: Jeff B.
You have spent zero characters talking about Purdue since the NCAA Tournament, and this (Purdue loss to Northwestern) is where you start? I am a dedicated fan and also not happy about football … but not reading this.
Since the 2025 NCAA Tournament, this sports marketplace has had:
∎ Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers’ run to the 2025 NBA Finals;
∎ The death of Jim Irsay;
∎ The Fever’s run to the 2025 WNBA semifinals without Caitlin Clark;
∎ Colts training camp with the QB1 competition between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson;
∎ And the IU football team rising to No. 2 in the country.
Also I got married, had a honeymoon and, yes, took time off as my mother was fighting cancer.
Can’t do it all. I carved out time to write about Purdue-Northwestern, hoping to see more than … that. Want me to ignore it? I should’ve ignored your text.
Doyel: Purdue football with Barry Odom stalls in shutout loss at Northwestern
From: Dave J.
Chase I need the tumi suitcase – will message you but you can leave in garage part of your house Friday night and I pick it up sat morning
Wrong number, Dave – but man I needed this note about your tumi suitcase after sharing that tmi text with the last dude.
Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Threads, or on BlueSky and Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar, or at www.facebook.com/greggdoyelstar. Subscribe to the free weekly Doyel on Demand newsletter.