The glory days of the Indianapolis Colts seem to be behind them - for now, anyway, With Peyton Manning and his dream team, the Colts dominated year after year. After Manning left Indianapolis for Denver, the Colts briefly floundered, until Andrew Luck came along, and Indianapolis was back on top. Then Luck shockingly retired in 2019, and the Colts never quite recovered.
2024 was a rough season for the Colts, and the jury is still out on whether or not 2025 will be any better. There have been many takes from analysts on what the Colts need in order to be successful, but the latest hits the nail on the head... and for good reason. It comes from the GOAT himself.
Manning, through Omaha Productions, brought together a group of all-star Colts alums for a Night of Champions: Dwight Freeney, Marvin Harrison, Tony Dungy, Dallas Clark, Jeff Saturday, and Reggie Wayne. During this live show, Manning gave his opinion on the biggest issue facing Indianapolis right now: identity.
"“I think you’ve got to be careful trying to chase someone else’s identity. I think you have to be who you are. That’d be my advice to the 2025 Colts. It’s to create your own identity.""Peyton Manning
While Manning said members of the Colts roster should be aware of the storied Indianapolis history, they shouldn't take it too far.
“There’s a tradition here,” Manning said. “I think you want to play in places where there is a tradition, a history. … I hope when players get here, they do study about the history, the players and coaches that were part of the Indianapolis Colts. At the same time, go out and be who you are, try to create your own identity.”
This is a real problem for the Colts, who have been criticized for not having any real culture or identity - as one anonymous Colts player told the Athletic at the end of the 2024 season. “There’s no vision,” the veteran player said. “From the top down — from the front office, to the coaches, to the players — no one is ever on the same page, and every year at the end, we’re sitting here losing. If you look at the best teams in the league, they all have a vision, and they commit to it. The Chiefs keep winning because they have a vision. The Lions turned things around because they have a vision. There's no vision here."