Colts Went From 13-0 to One and Done

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 15 -- The Indianapolis Colts' locker room was nearly empty. Quarterback Peyton Manning had just headed out the door and team president Bill Polian was beginning to face questions about next season as afternoon gave way to evening on Sunday.

"I think we're a very good team, but I also think there are areas we can improve," Polian said. "That process starts tomorrow."

It's a process that's starting far earlier than anyone expected. The Colts won their first 13 games and spent most of the regular season chasing an unbeaten record and a place in history. They secured the top seed in the AFC playoffs, meaning they needed only to win two games at home to reach the Super Bowl. But their magical season ended with a bitter disappointment as they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-18, in an AFC semifinal.

"Pittsburgh came in here and played better than us," Manning said. "It's hard to accept that, but it's the truth. It's not okay. It's disappointing. I live and die with every season. I do feel a sense of urgency. But I'll just come back and try to be a better quarterback next season."

Manning, who will turn 30 in March, acknowledged that the "wait until next year" theme has become tiresome. He has yet to reach a Super Bowl, and he conceded that he and his team have yet to dispel their reputation for falling short in big games.

"I cannot argue with the truth," he said. "It certainly has not been for a lack of effort on our part. I never walk off the field thinking I could have done more to prepare for a game. . . . I'm going to keep trying. That's all I can say."

The Colts had difficulty Sunday knocking the rust off their game. They hadn't played a meaningful game since suffering their first loss of the season here on Dec. 18 to the San Diego Chargers, and it showed. Before Manning managed his first completion, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had thrown for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Still, Colts Coach Tony Dungy said he didn't attribute his club's sluggish start to the downtime.

"I attribute it to Pittsburgh," Dungy said. "They really came in and played inspired football. They got after it early."

Steelers linebacker Joey Porter repeated the claim he had made during the week that the Colts don't play hard-nosed football, and said "the whole world" wanted to see Manning reach the Super Bowl. Porter did have a point when it came to the Steelers' blitzes, which often overwhelmed Manning's blockers.

"I'm going to try to be a good teammate here," Manning said. "Let's just say we had some problems."

Dungy was gracious at the end of a season in which he had to endure the death of his 18-year-old son, James.

"From a personal perspective, there were a couple big disappointments," Dungy said. "This one doesn't rank anywhere close to the last one."

Dungy said his message to players Monday will be that they can rebound from this setback and get back to this point -- and perhaps beyond -- next season. But it wasn't the message that the members of the league's best team for most of this season expected to be receiving this week.

"Certainly it is disappointing," Manning said. "Certainly it is hard to swallow."