1995 Indianapolis Colts: Cardiac Colts

1995 Indianapolis Colts: Cardiac Colts

1995 Indianapolis Colts: Cardiac Colts

The term “cardiac” in sports refers to a team that is determined to be not as good on paper than what they prove to be on the field of play, but a team that manages to exceed expectations by winning close games that give fans a cardiac attack. This term would be very appropriate for the 1995 edition of the Indianapolis Colts as they were a team that had very little expectations going into the regular season. They were one of many teams just trying to get by, but it turned out that they had much to play for.

In the 1995 NFL season the Indianapolis Colts went 9-7, finishing 1 game behind the Buffalo Bills and tying the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East Division. The Colts would be ranked 5th in the playoffs over the Dolphins due to a head-to-head tiebreaker. The Colts went 5-3 at their home field of the RCA Dome and 4-4 on the road.

Quarterback Jim Harbaugh was the main driving force behind the sudden resurgence of the Colts as Harbaugh himself had plenty to prove. He went 7-5 as the starting quarterback, completing 200 of 314 pass attempts for 2,575 yards and 17 touchdowns while throwing 5 interceptions. Harbaugh would be named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and it helped that he finished the season as the overall Passing Leader with a passer rating of 100.7.

Running back Marshall Faulk was only in his second season in the NFL at the age of 22, but even at this time he was dazzling fans with his swift moves. Faulk had 289 rushing attempts for 1,078 yards and 11 touchdowns while having 56 receptions for 475 yards and 3 touchdowns. Fullback Roosevelt Potts had 65 rushing attempts for 309 yards while having 21 receptions for 228 yards and 1 touchdown. Running back Lamont Warren had 47 rushing attempts for 152 yards and 1 touchdown.

Wide receiver Sean Dawkins had 52 receptions for 784 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tight end Ken Dilger had 42 receptions for 635 yards and 4 touchdowns. Wide receiver Floyd Turner had 35 receptions for 431 yards and 4 touchdowns. Wide receiver Aaron Bailey had 21 receptions for 279 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receiver Willie Lee “Flipper” Anderson had 8 receptions for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns.

On special teams Aaron Bailey also contributed as he had 21 kick returns for 495 yards and 1 touchdown. Running back Ronald Humphrey had 21 kick returns for 453 yards. Lamont Warren had 15 kick returns 315 yards.

Indianapolis certainly had some talent on defense, some of which would move on to do bigger and better things for other teams in the future. Right defensive end Tony Bennett had 47 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery for 32 yards and 1 touchdown. Defensive tackle Ellis Johnson had 4.5 sacks. Right linebacker Quentin Coryatt had 87 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 3 fumble recoveries. Left defensive tackle Tony McCoy had 50 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Left linebacker Steve Grant had 76 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception and 3 fumble recoveries.

Right defensive tackle Tony Siragusa had 41 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble. Left defensive end Bernard Whittington had 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. Linebacker Trev Alberts had 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Left cornerback Ray Buchanan had 68 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. Middle linebacker Jeff Herrod had 82 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. Strong safety David Tate had 61 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. Free safety Jason Belser had 63 tackles, 1 interception, 1 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. Right cornerback Eugene Daniel had 3 interceptions for 142 yards and 1 touchdown. Defensive back Ashley Ambrose had 3 interceptions and 1 forced fumble. Defensive back Derwin Gray had 1 interception and 1 forced fumble.

Keeping it close would be a regular theme for the Colts in 1995, and that theme would carry into the playoffs as the Colts held on to beat the San Diego Chargers 35-20 in the Wild Card Round on December 31 at Jack Murphy Stadium. The Chargers got on the board first in the 1st quarter with a long 54-yard field goal booted by kicker John Carney. In the 2nd quarter the Colts responded with a 2-yard touchdown reception by Ken Dilger. San Diego tight end Alfred Pupunu had a 6-yard touchdown reception. Fullback Zack Crockett then picked the Colts up with an impressive 33-yard touchdown run.

In the 3rd quarter wide receiver Sean Jefferson had an 11-yard touchdown reception for San Diego, and then Sean Dawkins had a 42-yard touchdown reception for Indianapolis. In the 4th quarter Carney kicked a 30-yard field goal to make the score 21-20, but the Colts pulled away with a booming 66-yard touchdown run by Crockett and a 3-yard touchdown run by Jim Harbaugh.

Though adversity still struck the Colts in the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on January 7, the Colts didn’t have nearly as much to do as they would beat the Chiefs 10-7. In the 1st quarter wide receiver Lake Dawson had a 20-yard touchdown reception for Kansas City’s only score, and then Indianapolis found its footing. Floyd Turner had a 5-yard touchdown reception in the 2nd quarter and then kicker Cary Blanchard nailed a 30-yard field goal which won the game in the 3rd quarter.

The improbable run of the “Cardiac Colts” would sadly come to an end at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium as the Colts would lose to the Steelers 20-16 in the AFC Championship Game on January 14. Key parts to this improbable run, which included the team’s only Pro Bowlers in Jim Harbaugh and Marshall Faulk, gave the Colts a fighting chance each time the team took the field.

While it wasn’t meant to be for this version of the Indianapolis Colts, players on this team would go on to find more success in football. Flipper Anderson would help the Denver Broncos get in position to win Super Bowl XXXII. Ray Buchanan would help the Atlanta Falcons reach Super Bowl XXXIII. Marshall Faulk would be traded to the St. Louis Rams and help that team win Super Bowl XXXIV. Tony Siragusa would help the Baltimore Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV. Jim Harbaugh would go on to have a successful career as a head coach in football, both in college and in the NFL.