Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts, The NFL playoffs opened in the most dramatic fashion as the Indianapolis Colts pulled off the second biggest comeback in postseason history to beat the Kansas City Chiefs.

Andrew Luck led a huge second half effort to overturn a 28-point deficit as Indianapolis won 45-44.

The Chiefs lost key running back Jamaal Charles to a suspected concussion early but it did not appear to affect KC as Alex Smith threw four touchdown passes and Knile Davis ran for a score to help the Chiefs to a 38-10 lead early in the third quarter of the wild card game.

From there though it was all about Luck, who overcame three interceptions to throw three of his four touchdown passes in the second half – including the game-winning 64-yard throw to TY Hilton late on – as the Colts pulled off the second biggest comeback in playoff history. Luck also scored on a fumble return.

Chosen number one in the 2012 draft as a replacement for Peyton Manning, Luck has already built a reputation as a comeback king, engineering 10 fourth quarter or overtime regular season game winning drives, more than any other quarterback in his first two seasons.

Luck’s greatest comeback to date, in front of a frenzied home crowd, takes the Colts to a divisional playoff against either the Denver Broncos or New England Patriots.

“One for the ages, never seen anything quite like that,” said Colts’ head coach Chuck Pagano. “Our guys are unbelievable, we’ve been there many, many times before.

“You think about all we’ve been through, they’ve always comeback. We signed up for one thing (a championship) and one thing only and we all know what that is.”

The comeback was indeed one for the ages. Only once before had a team erased a bigger deficit to win a playoff game: the Buffalo Bills beat the Houston Oilers 41-38 in overtime in 1993.

Peyton Manning Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning Denver Broncos, When Peyton Manning was released by the Indianapolis Colts, the Washington Redskins were ready to give him a hard sell. How far did they get with Manning? Well, a meeting at Coach Mike Shanahan’s home in Denver.

Sports Illustrated’s Peter King has the details; the scene begins with Denver Broncos Vice-President John Elway taking Manning to dinner at a Denver club.

When the Hall of Fame quarterback sat with Manning alone at the club, Elway saw a person “in shock” over being cut and imagined what it would have been like if the Broncos, for whom he played his entire career, had released him after 13 or 14 seasons. “There’s got to be a dagger in your gut right now,” Elway told Manning. “Take your time. Be thorough. Make the right decision, whether it’s us or someone else.”
“I put myself in Peyton’s shoes,” Elway told SI on Sunday night. “No pressure. Don’t give the hard sell. Let the organization speak for itself. I told him that as much as I wanted him to play for the Broncos, I knew it would be stupid if we forced him and it wasn’t a good fit. That’s how I’d feel.”
Midway through the evening Elway received a text telling him the Redskins had just pulled off a huge trade with St. Louis for the second pick in the draft, presumably to take prized Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. Elway told Manning, “Whoa—Washington just traded for the second pick. Looks like they’ll get RG3.”

Tim Tebow Dancing With The Stars

Tim Tebow Dancing With The Stars, According to People.com, DANCING WITH TS-EX- STARS champion J.R. Martinez has revealed to Celebuzz.com that his friend, Denver Bronco quarterback Tim Tebow is interested in becoming a contestant on the ABC dance competition.

Shared Martinez, “We chatted about [Dancing”]. … I thought he’d do pretty well on the show!” Martinez went on to qualify that while the football star would not be available for the upcoming season, he may be ready to hit the dance floor ‘maybe in a year.’

Recently, dance pro Karina Sminoff revealed to People that she would love for Tebow to come on the show, but added that she wasn’t sure if she would want to be partnered with him. Said Sminoff, “He can run, jump, pass, throw touchdowns. All [that] is missing is to see if he has the dance skills. That would make him an all-around athlete, and someone that I would love to dance with on the show.”

Karina Smirnoff Tim Tebow

Karina Smirnoff Tim Tebow, Karina Smirnoff wants Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow to strike a pose on the dance floor. The “Dancing With the Stars” pro, who turned 34 on Jan. 2, told People magazine that Tebow would be a worthy successor to the show’s all-star team of former and current NFL players – which includes Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Lawrence Taylor, Warren Sapp, Hines Ward and Jason Taylor.

“All I want for my birthday is for Tim Tebow to dance on ‘Dancing with the Stars,” she said at her Las Vegas birthday bash on Saturday. “Tim is a very talented athlete, that was clear when we saw his performance this past season with Denver.”

The 24-year-old Tebow has become a national celebrity in his first year as Denver’s starting quarterback, leading the underdog Broncos to a playoff berth. His season ended Saturday in a 45-10 dismantling at the hands of the New England Patriots. Tebow also has become a darling of religious Christians for his signature prayerful pose – a pose that has been repeatedly mimicked on the Internet in a sensation known as “Tebowing.”

A recent ESPN survey named Tebow as America’s favorite athlete – beating out the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers.

Tebow would also mark a nice consolation prize for “Dancing With the Stars” after Giants wide receiver sensation Victor Cruz – famous for his post-touchdown salsa celebration – turned down a spot on the show this month.

“They said it was like 20 hours a week or something like that,” Cruz told reporters. “I was like, ‘I’m not down, I’m not down with that.’ We’re in the postseason, that’s like 18 weeks. I’ve had enough practice.”

Tim Tebow Usa Today Interview

Tim Tebow Usa Today Interview, Zack McLeod is Tim Tebow’s kind of player – and man. And vice-versa. The 20-year-old former high school football player won’t snag any touchdown throws from his hero Saturday at Gillette Stadium when the Denver Broncos’ on-field miracle-worker challenges the New England Patriots in an AFC Divisional playoff game. But McLeod just may catch a pass – and more compassion and love than he ever might have imagined.

As kickoff approaches, Tebow will do what he always does at pressure-packed times – give of himself. The 24-year-old quarterback will spend precious moments with McLeod , who suffered a traumatic brain injury during a preseason game in 2008. They plan to meet on the sidelines as part of the Tebow Foundation’s Wish 15 program that grants special requests for young people with serious medical issues.

“When we told Zack (this week), he just screamed, ‘Nooooo waaaay!’ ” says his father, Pat McLeod, who along with his wife, Tammy, work as Harvard University chaplains. ” We are hoping Tim will throw him a pass. Zack still has great hands.”

One thing is certain: McLeod will receive a Tebow hug.

The son of evangelical missionaries, Tebow – voted America’s new favorite athlete in the latest ESPN Sports poll – says giving a warm embrace and words of encouragement to those in need “puts everything into perspective” before an important game.

“We’re playing a game, and you want to win, but you know that it’s not the end of the world,” Tebow says . “Even a bad loss on the football field is better than spending a day (recovering) in a hospital.”

Tebow discussed a wide range of topics in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY this week, including how he copes with his fame, which seems to gain by leaps and bounds with each week.

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