Colts

THE PEYTON Manning era in Indianapolis is expected to end today, according to a report. Citing anonymous sources, ESPN reported yesterday that the Colts plan to hold a news conference to announce the long-expected decision. Manning and team owner Jim Irsay are expected to attend, the network said. Neither Irsay nor Manning's agent, Tom Condon, responded immediately to messages left by the Associated Press. Manning has said in the past that all he wanted to do was finish his career in a Colts uniform, but an injured neck forced him to miss all of the 2011 season.

With a game plan that apparently owed much to botanical science, the Colts sowed the seeds of the Eagles' defeat early on yesterday, knowing that as the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined. Four big plays in the opening quarter had a huge impact on the Eagles' No. 2-ranked defense and thereby set the tone for the Colts' 35-13 upset that brought a beaming smile to the face of coach Tony Dungy. "I have to laugh, because about 10 months ago, I stood right here behind this podium and everybody thought I was dead," said Dungy, alluding to the playoff loss he suffered at the Vet in January, shortly before he was fired as coach at Tampa Bay. "It's a great feeling to come in here and win. When our running game is going, it just makes everything happen.

INDIANAPOLIS - If Super Bowl XLII is as good as Super Bowl XLI 1/2, the NFL and Fox TV will be very happy. Tom Brady added to his cleft-chinned legend as he led his 9-0 Patriots from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to a 24-20 win yesterday over the wilted, 7-1 Colts in what was subjectively billed as the best regular-season game in league history; certainly, objectively, no two undefeated teams ever met this late in a season. In what could be a preview to the AFC Championship Game, Brady was Brady, engineering his 25th fourth-quarter, game-winning drive after cruising through the season's first 8 weeks.

The Indianapolis Colts will open the NFL season on Thursday night, Sept. 6, with a home game against the New Orleans Saints. In what has become a recent tradition, the Super Bowl winner hosts the opening game 3 days before the full schedule begins. Yesterday at its meetings, the league announced the highlights of opening weekend, including a Monday night doubleheader for the second consecutive season, as well as the schedule for Thanksgiving games. The full schedule will be announced next month.

The Colts have a message for the NFL: The Triplets are back and better than ever. And still perfect. For the second straight week, Peyton Manning threw three touchdowns and Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James each topped 100 yards, helping the Colts (9-0) remain the NFL's only unbeaten team with yesterday's 31-17 victory over Houston. "In this offense, it can be anyone's day," said Manning (26-for-35 passes, 297 yards), the league's two-time MVP. "But when you see it on film, we do spread it around . . . It can put the defense in a bind.

The Indianapolis Colts said they are working to keep Pro Bowl wide receiver Marvin Harrison on the team, but haven't yet made a deal. Colts spokesman Craig Kelley denied a Fox Sports News report that the Roman Catholic product and the team had agreed to a four-year, $24.4 million contract, making him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL. Contract negotiations with Harrison continue, Kelley said, but "there's no official signed deal....

Linebacker Cliff Odom, cut loose by Indianapolis last spring, recovered a fumble for a touchdown and made a vicious sideline tackle that knocked quarterback Jack Trudeau from the game yesterday as the Miami Dolphins beat the Colts, 27-7. The victory was the fourth straight for Miami (6-1), its longest winning streak in the last five years. Trudeau suffered a torn ligament in his right knee, and rookie quarterback Jeff George went out with a bruised left knee on a sack by Karl Wilson late in the third quarter, leaving the veteran Joe Ferguson as the only healthy quarterback for Indianapolis (2-5)

Chuck Pagano beat the traffic and a blizzard into work Wednesday morning - all in an effort to beat the Texans. After spending the last three months fighting leukemia, the inspirational Colts coach arrived early at the team complex. He met briefly with his players to give them a succinct message about this week's game plan, then stepped onto the practice field for the first time since Sept. 26. While Pagano wanted to take a business-as-usual approach into his first regular workday, it certainly wasn't easy amid all the outside stuff.

The Indianapolis Colts are making perfection look easier every week. Now they'll have a chance to keep their historic quest going in the playoffs, too. Tennessee never had a chance as host Indianapolis rolled to a 35-3 victory yesterday over the Titans to clinch a playoff spot and remain the NFL's only unbeaten team. "Anything that comes along with winning, you accept it," two-time MVP Peyton Manning said. The Colts are the fifth team in league history to go 12-0, but must wait until next week at Jacksonville for a chance to wrap up their third straight AFC South title and first-round bye in the playoffs.

Despite its protective gear and rules concerning player safety, professional football remains a dangerous calling. Nowhere has that been more true than Indianapolis, where the snake-bitten souls who have quarterbacked the Colts have discovered that the game can be hazardous to one's health. Jack Trudeau, for instance, had his 1990 season ended a week ago by a knee injury suffered in a collision with Miami linebacker (and former Colt) Cliff Odoms. Trudeau became the fifth in a succession of Indianapolis quarterbacks whose seasons have been ended or interrupted by an injury that required major surgery.