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Season Recap : 2002 Issues 22 - 39

Changing 'shoes: The Horseshoe turns three

Football Haiku

This season was disappointing, to be sure, but hopefully The Horseshoe brought a little consolation to the long suffering Colt fans out there. Next year may bring new coaches and new players. Let's hope it brings us a team hungry to be considered one of the NFL's elites. Before we take the long walk through the off season, let's look back and laugh a little at the disaster that was this year's season. I hope to see you loyal readers back next season for year four of The Horseshoe!

Congratulations go out to my Dad, Jim Conway who narrowly defeated The Horseshoe in our annual NFL pickem competition. For complete results, look here.

Issue 22

Be kind, ligaments
anterior and cruciate.
Colts need you Sundays.

Defense is like cheese.
Some are sharp, others smelly.
Colts like both sans holes.
   

Issue 23

Chukie Nwokorie
You outran malaria.
Vinnie had no chance.

He runs like water.
A river carves its own course.
Welcome to the Edge.
   

Issue 24

Catch your breath now, Bills.
Colts learned no huddle from you.
Peybacks are just hell. 

Quiet excellence.
Every score starts with five men:
our offensive line. 
   

Issue 25

Pusilanimous,
pygmies. Poor pudding-faced punks.
Pesky Patriots. 

Tradition has it
the Colts play up to good teams
and down to bad ones. 
   

Issue 26

Pats look like all pros.
Colts look like they overslept.
Damn Foxboro curse! 

Who played well last week?
Peyton said it best, I think:
only the holder. 
    

Issue 27

Pity the Raiders.
Their mascot wears an eye patch.
No depth perception 

Jerry Rice, Tim Brown.
Present greats meet future great.
His name is Marvin. 
     

Issue 28

Oh, Peyton, sometimes
you play smarter than the room.
Don't outwit our guys! 

Hiked, thrown, carried, kicked.
Fumbled and tipped, bounced and picked.
Fickle oblong ball. 
     

Issue 29

Sweet consistency,
why did you abandon us?
Without you, Colts lose.

Pollard sheds a tear.
"Why do they boo us?", he asks.
Did he watch the game?
     

Issue 30

Game day hangover.
Tailgating is not for apes.
Damn Touchdown Monkey.

Edge on the sideline.
Irreplaceable but not
indestructible.
     

Issue 31

White River city,
your waters aren't Dolphin safe.
Ponies like sushi.

Colts have Tradition.
Scramble for playoffs with Jay 
Fiedler on the roof!

  

  

Issue 32

Crack-jawed quarterback,
remember your retainer.
Touchdowns make you smile.

Horseflies are pesky,
but they can't cripple a Colt.
Injury bugs can.

  

  

Issue 33

Colts strike twice early,
then fall flat for three quarters.
Just Mora the same. 

Frowning football gods,
how can the Colts appease you?
Pray to John Madden. 

  

  

Issue 34

Mora says we suck.
"We gave them the friggin' game!"
Diddly poo, part two. 

Unitas, Manning
Harrison, Berry, James, Moore.
Horseshoes old and new. 

  

  

Issue 35

Six interceptions,
each returned for a touchdown,
daggers to the heart. 

Mora and Manning,
Their war of words goes public.
Only Colts can lose. 
  

  

Issue 36

Outmanned and outgunned,
Ponies pistol whipped by 'Fins.
Peyton hangs his head. 

You know the adage.
Players play and coaches coach.
What if both screw up? 

  

  

Issue 37

Rookie Colt runner
flirts with two hundred yard game.
All Rhodes lead to Dome. 

Proud endzone pylon,
rectangular and orange,
You stand on paydirt.

  

  

Issue 38

  

First quarter field goal.
Wobbling ball meets yellow post.
Doink! Colts lose by one. 

Go for jugular?
Colts don't know anatomy.
They go for jugglers. 

  

  

Issue 39

The Marshal Plan worked.
Too much aid to foreign teams.
Faulk scores four touchdowns. 

Football, game of pain.
Ten losses in fifteen tries.
Nightmarish season. 


  

 

Changing 'shoes

This marks year three for the Horseshoe. The 'shoe has a new look and a new attitude. The changes can be summed up in two words: football haiku. The two were made for each other. Both use speed, grace, and force. Both capture moments from the ridiculous to the sublime. Most importantly, both are just plain fun. So, this year, instead of lengthy analysis, each week you will find 5-10 haiku, each dealing with some aspect of the upcoming game. Silly? Well, yes.  But hopefully the new Horseshoe will give fans a different perspective on each game.

I welcome your submissions. They are loads of fun to write. I am using the 5-7-5 form, meaning the haiku should consist of three lines, the first line being five syllables long, the second being seven syllables, and the third five.  Submit haiku here

In addition to the haiku, every week, I'll pick winners for the full slate of NFL games. I finished last season picking 72% of the winners. Jim Conway, my Dad, is returning this year to try and put me back in my place. See our predictions

sconway@subverbis.com   Stephen Conway   1313 Old Town North Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46260   317-843-9744