How good are the Indianapolis Colts?
Sixteen and oh good, that's how good, and maybe even 19-0 good, meaning Super Bowl championship good.
And who's responsible for all this goodness?
Peyton Manning is the most obvious chalk pick on that score, what with his unparalleled command of the offense, his presence in the huddle and the no-huddle, his ability to keep finding open receivers with laser throws timed out to the last millisecond.
The cliché answer in the area of responsibility also would have to include Manning's 52 teammates, the coaching staff and a Bill Polian-headed front office that has built this franchise into what could be the NFL's next mini-dynasty.
But if I were to pick one man mostly responsible for this year's 11-0 start, and possible 19-0 tour de force, at the very top of the list would be Tony Dungy, a head coach who ought to be the role model for any aspiring coach in the game, including his 31 colleagues in the NFL.
It was Dungy who waded into the cesspool of disarray in Tampa Bay a decade ago, rebuilt the team and took it to within spitting distance of the franchise's first Super Bowl, only to get bounced in favor of Jon Gruden, who essentially took Dungy's team to the promised land the very next year.
Dungy deserved far better in Tampa Bay, and truth be told, now he's getting it in Indianapolis, where the Colts operate in relative media obscurity, at least until all us national guys and girls start showing up to see if perfection can be achieved over the next two months.
In my mind, it's already there in the form of the head coach, as decent a human being as ever stalked a sideline, and arguably one of the most talented in terms of knowledge of the game, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, and in forging relations with his adoring players.
As a former player himself - a nondescript safety good for a cup of coffee for two seasons with the old '70s Steelers - he clearly knows how to push all the proper motivational buttons. As the de facto CEO of his team, he also has great faith in his assistant coaches, particularly long-time offensive coordinator Tom Moore, the key man in Manning's ascension as the heir apparent to the greatest Colt quarterback of all, the late John Unitas.
From a media standpoint, Dungy has no peers. While the current NFL trend seems to be swinging toward maniacal head coaches who won't even allow their assistants to speak to the press, Dungy has never had any such prohibitions.
Perhaps that's one of the reasons a guy like Jets head coach Herman Edwards, his long-time aide in Tampa, was able to so easily handle the media demands placed on any coach plying his trade in New York.
