INDIANAPOLISCOLTS (8-6) at OAKLAND RAIDERS (7-7)
DATE: Sunday, December 26, 2010
SITE: Oakland Coliseum
KICKOFF: 4:05 p.m. (EST)/1:05 p.m. (PST)
CAPACITY: 63,132
SURFACE:Grass
Finishing the road portion of the regular season, the Indianapolis Colts, 8-6, visit the Oakland Raiders, 7-7, on Sunday, December 26. Kickoff for the contest in Oakland Coliseum is 4:05 p.m. (EST)/1:05 p.m. (PST).
Indianapolis invades the Bay Area this weekend as the leader of the AFC South. The Colts earned the distinction with a 34-24 victory last Sunday at home over Jacksonville. Indianapolis holds the spot over Jacksonville based on a better record against common opponents, and can take another step towards a seventh AFC South crown in visiting the Raiders. The Colts would win the AFC South with season-ending victories over Oakland and Tennessee (based on a better record against common opponents with Jacksonville). Indianapolis also could win the division crown despite a loss at Oakland if it won the finale against Tennessee and Jacksonville lost one of its two remaining games. The Colts also could win the crown with a win at Oakland and a loss in the finale against Tennessee, but Jacksonville would need to lose its finale at Houston for Indianapolis to maintain divisional record tie at 3-3 and a better record against common opponents. Oakland topped Denver at home last Sunday, 39-23. Indianapolis and Oakland have met only eleven times during regular-season play since the 1970 NFL Merger.
The Colts are owners of the NFL's best regular-season record (136-54) since the start of the 1999 season, while being the only team to earn 10 playoff appearances in the last eleven seasons, including a league-best eight consecutive post-season berths. Indianapolis has won 81 of its last 103 regular-season games. The Colts own a 106-35 record (counting the playoffs) since the start of the 2003 season and are 92-30 since 2004. From November, 2003 to December, 2009, the Colts produced a regular-season record of 81-19, tying New England (2003-09) for the NFL's best 100-game regular-season mark. Indianapolis' winning ways include a 41-12 record in AFC South play, while the club has owned or shared the lead in 121 of 151 weeks of the division's existence. The Colts won five AFC South championships from 2003-07, the best divisional-title streak in club history. The Colts were wire-to-wire divisional leaders during the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 seasons. The club's nine playoff berths in the 2000-09 decade tied the NFL record set by Dallas (9) in the 1970s. Indianapolis is the only team since 2002 Realignment to earn annual double-digit victory totals and playoff berths. From 2008-09, the Colts set an NFL record with 23 consecutive regular-season victories (21, New England, 2006-08). The streak was the sixth 10 -game regular-season winning streak in franchise history (23, 2008-09; 13, 2005; 11, 1964; 11, 1975-76; 11, 1999; 10, 2005-06), the fourth since 1999. Indianapolis extended its NFL record as the only franchise to win seven or more consecutive regular-season games in six consecutive seasons (8, 2004; 13, 2005; 9, 2006; 7 and 6, 2007; 9, 2008; 14, 2009). Additionally, the Colts posted their eighth consecutive 10 -victory season, setting the 2nd-longest such streak in NFL history (16, San Francisco, 1983-98). Indianapolis earned its seventh consecutive season with 11 victories, surpassing the NFL record it had shared with Dallas (6, 1976-81). The Colts extended their league mark to seven consecutive seasons (2003-09)with 12 victories. The Colts produced 115 victories for the 2000-09 decade, surpassing the league record of 113 by San Francisco from 1990-99.
PERSONNEL REPORT: RB-Joseph Addai (neck), WR-Austin Collie (concussion), RB-Mike Hart (ankle), DB-Kelvin Hayden (neck), OT-Charlie Johnson (chest), DT-Fili Moala (knee), OG-Jamey Richard (hip), LB-Clint Session (elbow), TE-Jacob Tamme (knee) were questionable; OG-Jaimie Thomas (illness) was probable for the last game. Deactivated players for the last game were Addai, Hayden, Hart, Session, Richard, OG-Jacques McClendon, OG-Jaimie Thomas, DE-Jerry Hughes.
TELEVISION/RADIO: CBS Sports telecasts with Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf. 1070-The Fan/HANK-FM, 97.1 broadcasts with Bob Lamey, Will Wolfordand Kevin Lee (field reporter).
NEXT WEEK: Indianapolis hosts Tennessee on Sunday, January 2 at 1:00 p.m. (EST).
WWW.COLTS.COM: Please check the official website of the Indianapolis Colts for the latest in team information and merchandise.
* *
HEAD COACHES
* *
* JIM CALDWELL* was named head coach of the Colts on January 13, 2009, and this marks his ninth season with Indianapolis. Caldwell joined the club in 2002 as quarterbacks coach before adding the title of assistant head coach prior to the 2005 season. Caldwell was promoted to associate head coach with the club prior to the 2008 season. Caldwell has been a part of Colts teams that produced 10-6, 12-4, 12-4, 14-2, 12-4, 13-3, 12-4, 14-2 and 8-6 records. From 2003-09, Indianapolis was the only team to earn 12 victories in seven consecutive seasons, an NFL record. From 2002-09, Indianapolis had eight consecutive 10 -victory seasons, setting the NFL's second-longest streak (16, San Francisco, 1983-98; 7, Dallas, 1975-81), and the Colts (2003-09) surpassed Dallas (1976-81) as the only franchise to earn at least eleven victories in seven consecutive seasons. The Colts also have earned an NFL-best eight consecutive playoff appearances, and Indianapolis is the only team to post double-digit victory seasons and playoff berths each season since the 2002 realignment. From 2008-09, Indianapolis set the NFL record with 23 consecutive regular-season victories (21 New England, 2006-08). Indianapolis also won 115 regular-season games from 2000-09, the most by a team in a decade in NFL history. From 2004-09, Indianapolis became the only NFL team to win at least seven consecutive games in six consecutive seasons (8, 2004; 13, 2005; 9, 2006; 7 and 6, 2007; 9, 2008; 14, 2009). In 2009, Caldwell became the 5th NFL rookie head coach to reach the Super Bowl. Caldwell joined Chuck Knox (L.A. Rams, 1973), Red Miller (Denver, 1977), Mike Martz (St. Louis, 2000) and Josh McDaniels (Denver, 2009) as the only rookie head coaches in the Super Bowl era to start 6-0. He became the fourth coach ever to start 6-0 when succeeding a head coach who won 100 games (Blanton Collier, Cleveland, 1963, succeeded Paul Brown, 111 wins; Jack Pardee, Washington, 1978, succeeded George Allen, 116 wins; Josh McDaniels, Denver, 2009, succeeded Mike Shanahan, 146 wins; Caldwell, Colts, 2009, succeeded Tony Dungy, 139 wins). Caldwell joined the Colts after serving as quarterbacks coach with Tampa Bay in 2001. Caldwell has more than 20 years of collegiate coaching experience. He spent 1993-2000 as head coach at Wake Forest. He served as an assistant coach at Southern Illinois (1978-80), Northwestern (1981), Colorado (1982-84), Louisville (1985) and Penn State (1986-92). Caldwell has coached in six bowl games and won a national championship with Penn State in 1986. In addition to serving on Joe Paterno's title staff, Caldwell tutored under three other coaches who won collegiate crowns (Rey Dempsey, Southern Illinois; Bill McCartney, Colorado; Howard Schnellenberger, Louisville). Caldwell was a four-year starter at defensive back at Iowa and worked as a graduate assistant for Iowa in 1977. He holds a bachelor's degree from Iowa. Caldwell was born on January 16, 1955 in Beloit, Wis.
TOM CABLE became the 17th head coach of the Raiders in February, 2009, after being named to the interim post five games into the 2008 campaign. Cable served as the club's offensive line coach from 2007-08. He served in the same capacity with Atlanta in 2006. Cable served collegiate positions at Idaho from 1987-88 and 2000-03 (01-03 as head coach), San Diego State 1989, Cal State-Fullerton 1990, Nevada-Las Vegas 1991, California 1992-97, Colorado 1998-99 and UCLA 2004-05. Cable played on the offensive line at Idaho 1982-86. He is a native of Merced, Calif.
COLTS/RAIDERS SERIES NOTES
The Colts and Raiders have met eleven times in league play, with Oakland owning a 7-4 series edge. The teams have split two post-season meetings. The Colts will be making their fourth-ever visit to Oakland and its historic venue. The teams last met in this venue on December 16, 2007. In that battle, the Colts became the first franchise in NFL history to produce 12 victories in five consecutive seasons in topping Oakland, 21-14 (the streak would expand to seven seasons). The victory secured the club's fifth consecutive AFC South title. The Colts jumped to a 10-0 lead on an early field goal and a 90t punt return by PR-T.J. Rushing, only to see Oakland take a 14-13 lead in the final quarter. QB-Peyton Manning (22-39-276, 1 TD/int.) drove the club 91 yards for the go-ahead score with 4:49 left. Manning teamed with WR-Anthony Gonzalez (7-86, 1 TD) on a 20t strike to provide the winning score. The Colts could muster only 58 rushing yards, while Oakland rushed for 149 yards. The teams last met in Indianapolis on October 10, 2004. Indianapolis scored 6:03 into the contest and never trailed in posting a 35-14 win. Manning (16-26-198, 3 TDs/1 int.) tossed first-half scoring passes to RB-James Mungro (1t), TE-Dallas Clark (4t) and WR-Reggie Wayne (5-69; 35t), and the Colts defense tallied four sacks and three interceptions to complete the win. RB-Edgerrin James was 32-136, 1 TD rushing. LB-Cato June and DBs-Nick Harper and Jason David (42t) had interceptions. The win snapped a two-game series winning streak Oakland forged in Indianapolis. On October 14, 2001, Oakland K-Sebastian Janikowski's first of three field goals 5:11 into the contest gave the Raiders a lead they would never relinquish in a 23-18 victory over the Colts. Janikowski's 39-yard field was followed by 42- and 37-yard boots, the last with 2:22 left to provide the final margin. Manning was 26-41-241, 2 TDs/ints., teaming with WR-Marvin Harrison (8-60, 2 TDs) on 3t and 6t plays. James was 26-116 rushing/6-51 receiving. WR-Tim Brown was 7-145 for Oakland. These clubs also battled in the RCA Dome on September 10, 2000, with Oakland winning, 38-31. Oakland rallied from a 24-7 halftime deficit to pull out the victory. QB-Rich Gannon (3, 7, 6) and RB-Tyrone Wheatley (6, 1) produced rushing touchdowns to offset a Colts offense that totaled 462 yards, spurred by Manning (33-48-367, 3 TDs/2 ints.), James (18-91, 1 TD rushing/6-36, 1 TD receiving) and Harrison (10-141, 1 TD). The Colts jumped out to a 21-0 lead and led at the half, but Oakland produced 24 third-quarter points to take the lead. Manning hooked up with Harrison on a 50t scoring strike with 4:07 remaining, but he suffered an interception at the Raiders' goal line with 1:00 left to end the comeback hopes. The five rushing scores surrendered by the Colts tied a club record set back in 1959, while three rushing scores by an opposing quarterback was a first against the Colts since Green Bay's Tobin Rote on 11/13/54. The teams met in Oakland on October 22, 1995, with the Raiders posting a 30-17 win. The first victory for the Colts in Oakland came on November 28, 1971, 37-14. The first series meeting occurred on January 3, 1971, as the Colts took a 27-17 home victory in the AFC Championship Game. Oakland earned a memorable 37-31 double-overtime win in the Divisional Playoffs in Baltimore on December 24, 1977.
COLTS ARE NFL'S WINNINGEST TEAM FROM 1999-2010: The Colts stand as the NFL's winningest team since the start of the 1999 season. The Colts own a 136-54 record during that span.
