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With the NFL announcing the 2005 schedules for its 32 teams Wednesday, it certainly appears the spotlight will be directed toward the Indianapolis Colts in a big way this fall.
The team will be featured on four national regular-season television broadcasts, including a franchise-record three Monday night matchups - St. Louis Rams (Oct. 17), New England Patriots (Nov. 7) and Pittsburgh Steelers (Nov. 28). The St. Louis and Pittsburgh games will be played at the RCA Dome, while the Colts will make their fourth straight trip to New England's Gillette Stadium.
Indianapolis, meanwhile, also is scheduled to face the Baltimore Ravens in a Sunday night game Sept. 11 to open the 2005 regular season. The game at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium will mark the sixth straight season that the Colts have played their season-opening game on the road.
The previous high for multiple appearances on Monday Night Football in a season by Indianapolis was two (2000, 1988). Counting preseason road games with Atlanta on Aug. 6 (Japan Bowl, ESPN) and Denver (CBS) on Aug. 27, the Colts will have six nationally-televised games in 2005.
"We've won a lot of games the last two years and we've got the two-time MVP [quarterback Peyton Manning]," Colts Coach Tony Dungy said Wednesday.
"We knew there would be a chance to get three to four prime-time games. We were just hoping to get out share at home. It worked out that way."
In addition to the spotlight games, the Colts will face Jacksonville (Sept. 18), Cleveland (Sept. 25), Houston (Nov. 13), Tennessee (Dec. 4), San Diego (Dec. 18) and Arizona (Jan. 1) at home.
Other road games include matchups with Tennessee (Oct. 2), San Francisco (Oct. 9), Houston (Oct. 23), Cincinnati (Nov. 20), Jacksonville (Dec. 11) and Seattle (Dec. 24).
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The Colts will face five teams that made the playoffs in 2004, including four division winners and the two teams that squared off for the AFC championship (back-to-back Super Bowl champion New England and Pittsburgh).
"We knew what we were in store for," Dungy said, "[We knew] that we would have a lot of good teams to play. But I think it balanced out. We don't have any real treacherous spots, so I think it's exciting.
"It turned out really as well as we could hope for. We knew we were going to be on some national TV games with the year that our offense had and Peyton had last year. Getting two Monday night home games, I think is huge for the city and for our crowd."
Indianapolis' bye week is Oct. 30, giving the team two weeks to prepare for the pesky Patriots. New England has won the last four games against the Colts, including twice in the last two playoffs.
"The bye week comes midway through the schedule, which we haven't had in a long time. That's probably the most advantageous part of it. You'd like the bye in the middle of the season," team president Bill Polian told www.colts.com.
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"The focus on New England is all wrong. Peyton [Manning] has said it and I'm sure Tony [Dungy] has said it: New England is one team of 16 we have to play in this conference and deal with in this conference. It's nice for the fans to look forward to that game, but it's only one of 16 that we play. You've got to play every one. There's no way of knowing who's going to be good and who's going to be bad in any year. You don't know which games are going to be important and which ones aren't."
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-- Dungy wants to know - Indianapolis hasn't started a regular season at home since facing Buffalo in the RCA Dome in 1999. The Colts have gone on the road to face Kansas City (2000), New York Jets (2001), Jacksonville (2002), Cleveland (2003), and New England (2004). This year, it's Baltimore.
"I would like to ask the league office how that works," Dungy said. "I would say the odds against that happening randomly aren't very good. I don't know how that works."
-- Still no official word on training camp - Despite published reports to the contrary, there still isn't any official word concerning the site of Indianapolis' 2005 preseason training camp.
Officials from Rose-Hulman and Saint Joseph's College, two possible locations, aren't talking. The same goes for anybody associated with the Colts, most notably Polian.
The first week of May is expected to be the deadline when a final decision could be made on where the team will train this summer.
PRESEASON
Aug. 6, vs. Atlanta at Tokyo, 4 a.m.
Aug. 13, Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Aug. 20, Chicago, 7 p.m.
Aug. 27, at Denver, 7 p.m.
Sept. 3, at Cincinnati, 6:30 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON
Sept. 11, at Baltimore, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 18, Jacksonville, noon
Sept. 25, Cleveland, noon
Oct. 2, at Tennessee, noon
Oct. 9, at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.
Oct. 17, St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Oct. 23, at Houston, noon
Oct. 30, Bye
Nov. 7, at New England, 9 p.m.
Nov. 13, Houston, 1 p.m.
Nov. 20, at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Nov. 28, Pittsburgh, 9 p.m.
Dec. 4, Tennessee, 1 p.m.
Dec. 11, at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Dec. 18, San Diego, 1 p.m.
Dec. 24, at Seattle, 4:15 p.m.
Jan. 1, Arizona, 1 p.m.
With the NFL announcing the 2005 schedules for its 32 teams Wednesday, it certainly appears the spotlight will be directed toward the Indianapolis Colts in a big way this fall.
The team will be featured on four national regular-season television broadcasts, including a franchise-record three Monday night matchups - St. Louis Rams (Oct. 17), New England Patriots (Nov. 7) and Pittsburgh Steelers (Nov. 28). The St. Louis and Pittsburgh games will be played at the RCA Dome, while the Colts will make their fourth straight trip to New England's Gillette Stadium.
Indianapolis, meanwhile, also is scheduled to face the Baltimore Ravens in a Sunday night game Sept. 11 to open the 2005 regular season. The game at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium will mark the sixth straight season that the Colts have played their season-opening game on the road.
The previous high for multiple appearances on Monday Night Football in a season by Indianapolis was two (2000, 1988). Counting preseason road games with Atlanta on Aug. 6 (Japan Bowl, ESPN) and Denver (CBS) on Aug. 27, the Colts will have six nationally-televised games in 2005.
"We've won a lot of games the last two years and we've got the two-time MVP [quarterback Peyton Manning]," Colts Coach Tony Dungy said Wednesday.
"We knew there would be a chance to get three to four prime-time games. We were just hoping to get out share at home. It worked out that way."
In addition to the spotlight games, the Colts will face Jacksonville (Sept. 18), Cleveland (Sept. 25), Houston (Nov. 13), Tennessee (Dec. 4), San Diego (Dec. 18) and Arizona (Jan. 1) at home.
Other road games include matchups with Tennessee (Oct. 2), San Francisco (Oct. 9), Houston (Oct. 23), Cincinnati (Nov. 20), Jacksonville (Dec. 11) and Seattle (Dec. 24).
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The Colts will face five teams that made the playoffs in 2004, including four division winners and the two teams that squared off for the AFC championship (back-to-back Super Bowl champion New England and Pittsburgh).
"We knew what we were in store for," Dungy said, "[We knew] that we would have a lot of good teams to play. But I think it balanced out. We don't have any real treacherous spots, so I think it's exciting.
"It turned out really as well as we could hope for. We knew we were going to be on some national TV games with the year that our offense had and Peyton had last year. Getting two Monday night home games, I think is huge for the city and for our crowd."
Indianapolis' bye week is Oct. 30, giving the team two weeks to prepare for the pesky Patriots. New England has won the last four games against the Colts, including twice in the last two playoffs.
"The bye week comes midway through the schedule, which we haven't had in a long time. That's probably the most advantageous part of it. You'd like the bye in the middle of the season," team president Bill Polian told www.colts.com.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=photo-left></TD></TR><TR><TD class=photo-left></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
"The focus on New England is all wrong. Peyton [Manning] has said it and I'm sure Tony [Dungy] has said it: New England is one team of 16 we have to play in this conference and deal with in this conference. It's nice for the fans to look forward to that game, but it's only one of 16 that we play. You've got to play every one. There's no way of knowing who's going to be good and who's going to be bad in any year. You don't know which games are going to be important and which ones aren't."
<HR>
-- Dungy wants to know - Indianapolis hasn't started a regular season at home since facing Buffalo in the RCA Dome in 1999. The Colts have gone on the road to face Kansas City (2000), New York Jets (2001), Jacksonville (2002), Cleveland (2003), and New England (2004). This year, it's Baltimore.
"I would like to ask the league office how that works," Dungy said. "I would say the odds against that happening randomly aren't very good. I don't know how that works."
-- Still no official word on training camp - Despite published reports to the contrary, there still isn't any official word concerning the site of Indianapolis' 2005 preseason training camp.
Officials from Rose-Hulman and Saint Joseph's College, two possible locations, aren't talking. The same goes for anybody associated with the Colts, most notably Polian.
The first week of May is expected to be the deadline when a final decision could be made on where the team will train this summer.
PRESEASON
Aug. 6, vs. Atlanta at Tokyo, 4 a.m.
Aug. 13, Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Aug. 20, Chicago, 7 p.m.
Aug. 27, at Denver, 7 p.m.
Sept. 3, at Cincinnati, 6:30 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON
Sept. 11, at Baltimore, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 18, Jacksonville, noon
Sept. 25, Cleveland, noon
Oct. 2, at Tennessee, noon
Oct. 9, at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.
Oct. 17, St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Oct. 23, at Houston, noon
Oct. 30, Bye
Nov. 7, at New England, 9 p.m.
Nov. 13, Houston, 1 p.m.
Nov. 20, at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Nov. 28, Pittsburgh, 9 p.m.
Dec. 4, Tennessee, 1 p.m.
Dec. 11, at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Dec. 18, San Diego, 1 p.m.
Dec. 24, at Seattle, 4:15 p.m.
Jan. 1, Arizona, 1 p.m.
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