When one thinks of Indianapolis Colts history over the past 25 years, there could be many exciting moments to remember - for example, the epic moment the Colts won Super Bowl XLI. That may be one of the most notable examples, but there is no telling why CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin chose to ignore them in favor of an off-the-cuff rant from a former Indianapolis coach.
Jim Mora led the Colts for just three years, but it was at a perfect time; he helped develop Peyton Manning into the superstar quarterback he would eventually become, and put the Colts on the road to success, though Tony Dungy would be the one to take them all the way.
Yet what Mora is most famous for now is his "playoffs" rant in 2001 after an ugly loss to the San Francisco 49ers. And Manning, who struggled in his rookie season, was not up to the caliber Colts fans would know and love him for. He threw four interceptions during that game, including a pick-six, and to add insult to injury, the coach for the 49ers was none other than Mora's own son. And after the game, he held nothing back.
"That was a disgraceful performance in my opinion. We threw that game," he said. "We gave it away by doing that. We gave them the freaking game. In my opinion, that sucked. You can’t turn the ball over five times like that. Holy crap! I don’t know who the hell we think we are when we do something like that. Unbelievable.”
Still, he went on to really let loose after a reporter - Tim Bragg - told Mora the Colts would need to win out if they wanted to make the playoffs.
"Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs. You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game."Jim Mora
Benjamin gave that an honorable mention in his listing of the top NFL moments over the past 25 years.
"The Colts coach was absolutely incredulous that reporters would entertain a postseason bid after his team just lost to the San Francisco 49ers," Benjamin wrote. "'Are you kidding me?!'"
It's a bit of a shame that this is all the Colts were remembered for by Benjamin, but all the same - there's no denying that this rant really is unforgettable.