Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
On the night before Super Bowl XLVIII, the world of pro football celebrated their past and present, with their NFL Honors festivities. Several current and past members of the Indianapolis Colts were in consideration for various awards. Although the Colts didn’t leave the event totally empty-handed, there were some surprises and letdowns for the franchise.
The one member of the Colts did receive an honor, although it may not have been the only award he was in the running for. OLB – Robert Mathis was given the Deacon Jones Award, for leading the NFL this season in quarterback sacks. Mathis wreaked havoc all season for the Colts, finishing the regular season with 19.5 sacks.
Leading the league in sacks is no small feat, but Mathis also put together a career-best season overall, which had him mentioned as a possible honoree of the Defensive Player of the Year award. Aside from the 19.s sacks, Mathis also totaled 59 combined tackles and eight forced fumbles. However, the award went to LB – Luke Kuechly of the Carolina Panthrers, who totaled 156 tackles, two sacks, and four interceptions.
Mathis wasn’t the only member of the Colts to come up a bit short in their categories. Former head coach Tony Dungy, and former wideout Marvin Harrison were both looked over for the NFL Hall of Fame. This season was also the first year of eligibility for both men.
Another bit of a letdown and surprise omission for the Colts also involved the Carolina Panthers. Head Coach Chuck Pagano had as good of a chance as anyone to be mentioned in the running for coach of the year. Panthers’ coach Ron Rivera ended up walking away with that award, during the NFL Honors ceremony.