Two Colts Land On ESPN’s Quarter Century Team, Could It Have Been More?

On Wednesday morning, ESPN writers collaborated on an NFL All Quarter Century team. Aiming to build the best 53 man roster, with coaches and coordinators included, since 2000. The Indianapolis Colts landed two players on this quarter century list.

The first player is, obviously, Peyton Manning. As a 24-year-old myself, my football life was defined by Peyton Manning and Tom Brady exchanging heavy weight blows on prime time football for decades. The Sherriff retired a five-time NFL MVP, bringing Indy their first Super Bowl and winning one more in Denver.

“He has three of the top five seasons for total passing value — 2013, 2004 and 2006. His 2004 season has the highest passing DVOA (value per play) of any season since 1978,” Aaron Schatz writes. “Close your eyes, and you can still picture Manning audibling behind the line of scrimmage, moving his players around before the snap to take advantage of his incredible ability to read defenses.”

The second and final Colt to make the list is Marvin Harrison. Marv spent every single one of his 12 NFL seasons in Indianapolis. Harrison retired as, and remains to this day, the Colts franchise leader in career receiving yards with 14,580 in 190 games played.

“Harrison didn’t miss a first- or second-team All-Pro selection from 1999 to 2006,” Schatz writes. “Harrison had 205 targets in 2002, the third-highest total in NFL history, and he caught 70% of those passes. We chose Harrison for this spot over other options because he had a stronger peak.”

What About Reggie Wayne and Adam Vinatieri?

Reggie Wayne might be the biggest snub on this entire list. Marvin Harrison has the ninth most receiving yards in NFL history, do you want to guess who has the tenth? With just 235 yards less than Harrison, Wayne finished his 13 years in Indy with six Pro Bowls and a Lombardi. He played second fiddle to Marvin Harrison for the early years in his career, before taking on the brunt of the load after his retirement in 2008.

The player who took Wayne’s spot on the list was 26-year-old Justin Jefferson. Then to make matters worse, the duo included a “practice squad” with Antonio Brown and Andre Johnson on it. Continued disrespect to one of the leagues greatest.

Then there’s Adam Vinatieri. The NFL’s all time leading scorer. Nobody in the history of the world has put more points on the board than the stone cold killer Adam Vinatieri. Not to mention the four Super Bowl rings in his closet. He is 7/10 on field goals and 13/13 on extra points in his five career Super Bowl appearances, including two league defining game winning boots to create the New England Patriots dynasty.

Justin Tucker got the nod over Vinatieri.

Too Early For Quenton Nelson

Quenton Nelson was the sixth overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft and has been the single best player on the Colts ever since. He made first team All Pro in each and every single one of his first three seasons. A truly unbelievable accomplishment. He also gained second team honors two other times, as well as trip to the Pro Bowl in every season he has played.

It’s hard to imagine a player putting together a better first seven seasons in the league, but I guess ESPN doesn’t see it that way.

“There were a number of relatively equal, strong left guards to choose from, but we went with Hutchinson over Joel Bitonio, Logan Mankins and Quenton Nelson,” Schatz wrote when defending his selction of Steve Hutchinson. “His impact on the NFL also stretches past the field, as he was part of a deal that led to a rule change about contracts after the ‘poison pill’ that kept Seattle from matching the contract he signed with Minnesota in 2006.”