2010 Indianapolis Colts season

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2010 Indianapolis Colts season
OwnerJim Irsay
General managerChris Polian
Head coachJim Caldwell
Home fieldLucas Oil Stadium
Results
Record10–6
Division place1st AFC South
Playoff finishLost Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Jets) 16–17
Pro BowlersQB Peyton Manning
WR Reggie Wayne
DE Dwight Freeney
DE Robert Mathis
Uniform

The 2010 Indianapolis Colts season was the franchise's 58th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 27th in Indianapolis, and the second under head coach Jim Caldwell. The defending AFC champions were looking to repeat as AFC champions and win it all in Super Bowl XLV to end their four-year championship drought. It was also the final season with Peyton Manning as the team's starting quarterback, as he would sit out the next season due to a neck injury and would be released by Indianapolis on March 7, 2012. Manning's last game as a Colt was on January 8, 2011, a 17–16 loss to the New York Jets in the Wild Card Round and would sign with the Denver Broncos a year later, on March 20, 2012.

The Colts also clinched their ninth consecutive postseason appearance, tying the then all-time record for consecutive postseason appearances by a team with the Dallas Cowboys, who made the playoffs every season from 1975 to 1983. Though the Colts failed to win 12 or more games for the first time since 2002, the team did win the AFC South division title for the seventh time in eight seasons, but were eliminated narrowly in the Wild Card Round by the Jets.

Offseason

Additions

Pos. Player Date Notes
G Andy Alleman March 6, 2010 Signed with Colts[1]
OL Gerald Cadogan January 20, 2010 Signed with Colts[2]
DL John Chick January 8, 2010 Signed with Colts[2]
WR
Dudley Guice
 January 6, 2010 Signed with Colts[2]
DL Mitch King January 23, 2010 Signed with Colts[2]
CB Terrail Lambert February 14, 2010 Signed with Colts[2]
WR John Matthews February 14, 2010 Signed with Colts[2]
RB Devin Moore January 14, 2010 Signed with Colts[2]
LB Brandon Renkart February 14, 2010 Signed with Colts[2]
DE J. D. Skolnitsky March 9, 2010 Signed with Colts[3]
WR Taj Smith February 14, 2010 Signed with Colts[2]
OT Adam Terry March 12, 2010 Signed with Colts[4]
OL Jaimie Thomas February 14, 2010 Signed with Colts[2]
QB Drew Willy February 14, 2010 Signed with Colts[2]

Departures

Pos. Player Date released Date signed 2010 team Notes
DT Raheem Brock March 5, 2010 August 12, 2010 Seahawks Released by Colts, later signed by Seahawks.[5]
WR
Roy Hall
 May 3, 2010 May 12, 2010 Saints Released by Colts,[6] later signed by Saints.[7]
DE Rudolph Hardie May 4, 2010 Released by Colts.[8]
G Ryan Lilja March 8, 2010 March 16, 2010 Chiefs Released by Colts,[9] later signed by Chiefs.[10]
TE Jamie Petrowski May 4, 2010 May 18, 2010 Panthers Released by Colts,[8] later signed by Panthers.[11]
RB Chad Simpson April 10, 2010 May 11, 2010 Bills Released by Colts,[12] later signed by Bills.[13]
QB Jim Sorgi March 5, 2010 March 9, 2010 Giants Released by Colts,[14] later signed by Giants.[15]

Free agents

Pos. Player Free agency
tag		 Date signed 2010 team Notes
WR Hank Baskett UFA March 12, 2010 Eagles Colts declined to tender an offer.[16] Later signed by Eagles.[17]
FS Antoine Bethea RFA June 11, 2010 Colts Colts offered a first–round tender. Re-signed with Colts.[18]
LB Gary Brackett UFA March 5, 2010 Colts Re–signed with Colts.[19]
SS Melvin Bullitt RFA April 14, 2010 Colts Colts offered a second–round tender. Re–signed with Colts.[20]
OL Daniel Federkeil UFA Colts declined to tender an offer.[21]
FS Aaron Francisco UFA April 12, 2010 Panthers Colts declined to tender an offer.[21] Later signed by Panthers. Re-signed by Colts as SS.[22]
LB Tyjuan Hagler UFA August 10, 2010 Seahawks Colts declined to tender an offer. Later signed by Seahawks.[23]
CB Marlin Jackson UFA March 10, 2010 Eagles Colts declined to tender an offer.[21] Later signed by Eagles.[24]
CB Tim Jennings UFA March 16, 2010 Bears Colts declined to tender an offer.[21] Later signed by Bears.[25]
DT
Antonio Johnson
 RFA April 17, 2010 Colts Colts offered a second–round tender. Re–signed with Colts.[26]
OT
Charlie Johnson
 RFA April 21, 2010 Colts Colts offered a second–round tender. Re–signed with Colts.[27]
LB Freddy Keiaho UFA April 27, 2010 Jaguars Colts declined to tender an offer. Later signed by Jaguars.[28]
DT Daniel Muir RFA April 14, 2010 Colts Colts offered a second–round tender. Re–signed with Colts.[20]
CB T. J. Rushing UFA August 18, 2010 Lions Colts declined to tender an offer. Later signed by Lions.[29]
K Matt Stover UFA Colts declined to tender an offer.
OT Michael Toudouze UFA August 10, 2010 Titans Colts declined to tender an offer. Later signed by Titans.[30]
UFA: Unrestricted free agent; RFA: Restricted free agent; ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent

2010 NFL Draft

Main article:
2010 NFL Draft

Having finished the season as the runner–up in the Super Bowl, the Colts held the 31st pick in each round. They had previously traded their sixth–round pick to the

2009 NFL Draft
.

Indianapolis Colts 2010 NFL Draft selections
Draft order Player Position Height Weight College Contract Notes
Round Choice Overall
1 31 31 Jerry Hughes DE 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 255 lb (116 kg) TCU
2 31 63 Pat Angerer ILB 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Iowa
3 30 94
Kevin Thomas
 CB 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) USC
4 31 129 Jacques McClendon
G
 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 324 lb (147 kg) Tennessee
5 31 162 Brody Eldridge TE 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Oklahoma
6 31 200 Traded to the Philadelphia Eagles
7 31 238 Ricardo Mathews
DL
 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 294 lb (133 kg) Cincinnati
7 33 240 Kavell Conner OLB 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Clemson Compensatory selection[31]
7 39 246
Ray Fisher
KR
 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Indiana Compensatory selection[31]

Undrafted free agents

2010 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
David Caldwell Safety William & Mary
Jeffrey Linkenbach Guard Cincinnati
Brett Swenson Kicker Michigan State
Blair White Wide Receiver Michigan State

Staff and roster

Staff

Indianapolis Colts 2010 staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Final roster

2010 Indianapolis Colts final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • 33
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • --
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 44
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 17
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 69 John Gill DT (NF-Ill.Tooltip Non-football injury and illness)
  • 52
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 11
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • --
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 37
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 45
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 25
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 21
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • --
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 40
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  •  2
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • --
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 49
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 53 active, 17 inactive, 8 practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 August 15 San Francisco 49ers L 17–37 0–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
2 August 19 at Buffalo Bills L 21–34 0–2 Rogers Centre Recap
3 August 26 at Green Bay Packers L 24–59 0–3 Lambeau Field Recap
4 September 2 Cincinnati Bengals L 28–30 0–4 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap

Regular season

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 September 12 at Houston Texans L 24–34 0–1
Reliant Stadium
 Recap
2 September 19 New York Giants W 38–14 1–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
3 September 26 at Denver Broncos W 27–13 2–1
INVESCO Field at Mile High
 Recap
4 October 3 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 28–31 2–2
EverBank Field
 Recap
5 October 10 Kansas City Chiefs W 19–9 3–2 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
6 October 17 at Washington Redskins W 27–24 4–2
FedExField
 Recap
7 Bye
8 November 1 Houston Texans W 30–17 5–2 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
9 November 7 at Philadelphia Eagles L 24–26 5–3 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
10 November 14 Cincinnati Bengals W 23–17 6–3 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
11 November 21 at New England Patriots L 28–31 6–4 Gillette Stadium Recap
12 November 28 San Diego Chargers L 14–36 6–5 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
13 December 5 Dallas Cowboys L 35–38 (OT) 6–6 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
14 December 9 at Tennessee Titans W 30–28 7–6
LP Field
 Recap
15 December 19 Jacksonville Jaguars W 34–24 8–6 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
16 December 26 at Oakland Raiders W 31–26 9–6
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
 Recap
17 January 2 Tennessee Titans W 23–20 10–6 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap

Postseason

Further information: 2010–11 NFL playoffs
Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
Wild card January 8 New York Jets (6) L 16–17 0–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap

Standings

AFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) Indianapolis Colts 10 6 0 .625 4–2 8–4 445 388 W4
Jacksonville Jaguars 8 8 0 .500 3–3 7–5 351 419 L3
Houston Texans 6 10 0 .375 3–3 4–8 390 427 W1
Tennessee Titans 6 10 0 .375 2–4 3–9 356 339 L2

Game summaries

Week 1: at Houston Texans

Week 1: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 10 01424
Texans 6 7 71434

at

Houston, Texas

Game information

The Colts began their season at

Reliant Stadium in an AFC South duel against the Houston Texans. Indianapolis started the season going 3-and-out on their first offensive possession of the new year. The Texans got good field position with a big punt return from Jacoby Jones to set up a 30-yard field goal to give them a 3–0 lead. The offense continued to struggle throughout the first half, getting two first downs on the next drive, however, eventually having to punt. The Texans continued to show energy on both offense and defense by scoring two more time, a field goal and a touchdown, giving the Texans a 13–0 lead halfway through the second quarter. The Colts eventually got the offense going late in the second quarter by scoring on a touchdown reception by Reggie Wayne, which broke the lead down to one possession. Adam Vinatieri made a 20-yard field goal at the end of the first half and the Colts went into the half trailing 13–10. The momentum was seemingly shifting to Indianapolis, until Houston took almost eight minutes off the third quarter clock on a 15-play drive, 13 rushes, that resulted in one of Arian Foster's rushing touchdowns on the day to give Houston a 20–10 lead. Peyton Manning
and the offense struggled throughout the third quarter with missed opportunities and continued to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties. With the start of the fourth quarter Houston scored another touchdown and broke the game open. The Colts would eventually score two touchdowns late in the game, only when there was no chance of a comeback.

With the final score 34–24, the Colts were 0–1 to start a season for the first time since 2008, when they lost to the Chicago Bears.

Week 2: vs. New York Giants

Week 2: New York Giants at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 0 7714
Colts 7 17 7738

at

Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

The 2010 meeting between the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Giants marked the second time that the two quarterback brothers of Peyton and Eli Manning met in a football game, the last coming in 2006. The game started out good early for the Colts with a running touchdown from Donald Brown and two separate stops by the defense against the Giants. As the second quarter began the Colts kept rolling on the offensive side of the ball. Two touchdown passes during the second quarter and a field goal from Adam Vinatieri helped the Colts extend a halftime lead of 24–0. With the start of the third quarter the Giants came out and scored early on a touchdown pass to Mario Manningham from Eli Manning. With a 24–7 lead, the Colts continued to pound the Giants on defense, forcing a fumble which was returned for a touchdown. The fourth quarter continued with a touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne while the Giants eventually scored their second touchdown in the last minutes of the quarter. The Colts won the ballgame 38–14 ending their three-game regular season losing streak and improving their record on the season to 1–1.

Week 3: at Denver Broncos

Week 3: Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 6 7 7727
Broncos 0 3 10013

at

Denver, Colorado

Game information

The Colts traveled to Denver, Colorado for an AFC conference matchup with the Denver Broncos. The game started with punts by both teams on their own opening drives. The Colts then drove down the field and scored on a 38-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri. After a defensive interception set the Colts up down field, Indianapolis was forced to kick another field goal to extend their lead to 6–0 at the end of the first quarter. The Colts offense did not stop firing with the start of the second quarter, Peyton Manning threw to Austin Collie for his first touchdown of the game and gave the Colts a 13–0 lead. With the start of the second quarter the Bronco offense came alive. However, many offensive mistakes and key plays caused Denver to get points only on a late field goal by Matt Prater. At halftime, the Indianapolis Colts held the lead of 13–3. Denver received the ball first in the second half and was able to capitalize with a touchdown drive closing the game to a three-point margin. After switching possession, the Colts were able to respond with a touchdown drive that included Blair White, who was just signed from the practice squad prior to the game. Denver then scored a field goal late in the third quarter making the game a 20–13 contest heading into the fourth quarter. After defensive stops, the Colts were able to score a touchdown on another Austin Collie reception to take a commanding 27–13. The defense was able to stop the Broncos on their next possession allowing the Colts to win 27–13, and take their second straight game of the season, improving their record to 2–1.

Week 4: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 4: Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 7 01428
Jaguars 7 7 71031

at

EverBank Field; Jacksonville, Florida

Game information