Release: Giants at Colts

NEW YORKGIANTS (1-0) vs. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (0-1)

DATE: Sunday, September 19, 2010

SITE: Lucas Oil Stadium

KICKOFF: 8:20 p.m. (EDT)

CAPACITY: 63,000

SURFACE:FieldTurf

                The Indianapolis Colts, 0-1, open the home portion of the 2010 regular season on Sunday, September 19 by hosting the New York Giants, 1-0. Kickoff for the contest in Lucas Oil Stadium, telecast nationally by NBC Sports and broadcast coast-to-coast by Westwood One, is 8:20 p.m. (EDT).

                The Colts and Giants will be meeting for the first time since the 2006 regular-season opener, when the Colts took a 26-21 nationally-televised victory at Giants Stadium. Each organization has captured a Super Bowl title since then. The teams will be meeting for the 14th time in regular-season play and the 16th time overall (see Series History). Indianapolis dropped a 34-24 decision last Sunday at Houston in the opener, while New York captured a 31-18 home victory over Carolina.

The Colts are owners of the NFL's best regular-season record (128-49) 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 73 of its last 90 regular-season games. The Colts own a 98-30 record (counting the playoffs) since the start of the 2003 season and are 84-25 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 38-11 record in AFC South play, while the club has owned or shared the lead in 112 of 137 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. 

            The Colts began the 2010 season with 14 new players on the roster.  The current roster breakdown of experience revealing the club with only 10 players exceeding 30 years of age, 35 players being 25 years of age and under and an average age of 25.5.  The NFL experience of the roster finds 22 players with four or more years of service, while 31 of 53 active players with the club have three years experience or less.  The average experience for a Colts player on the opening-day roster is 4.1 years.  A total of 39 of 53 players on the active roster finished last season with the club, while 14 new players are on hand (6 via the draft, 6 via free agency and 2 via trades or waivers).  As of opening day (9/12), the ages of Colts players are as follows: 22- 2; 23- 12; 24- 6; 25- 15; 26- 3; 27- 3; 29- 2; 30- 2; 31- 3; 33- 1; 34- 1; 35- 2; 37- 1.  As of opening day, the NFL experience of Colts players is as follows:  Rookie- 8; 1st year- 3; 2nd- 11; 3rd- 9; 4th- 6; 5th- 3; 6th- 1; 7th- 1; 8th- 3; 9th- 1; 10th- 2; 11th- 1; 12th- 1; 13th- 2; 15th-1.  The roster composition reflects 33 draft picks, 3 players acquired via waivers/trades, 1 acquired via unrestricted free agency and 16 acquired via free agency (including 2 rookie free agents).  The following players on the active roster entered the NFL as undrafted free agents (began as Colt):  K-Adam Vinatieri, C-Jeff Saturday, TE-Justin Snow, LB-Gary Brackett, DB-Melvin Bullitt, DT-Dan Muir, TE-Gijon Robinson, OG-Kyle DeVan, DT-Eric Foster, LB-Ramon Humber, DT-Mitch King, DB-Jacob Lacey, RB-Devin Moore, DB-Brandon King, OT-Jeff Linkenbach and OT-Joe Reitz.  Only four of 53 players on the Colts roster have played in a regular-season game on another team in the NFL.  The players who have NFL experience other than with the Colts are DBs-Deshea Townsend and Justin Tryon, Muir and Vinatieri.

PERSONNEL REPORT: LB-Cody Glenn (hamstring), WR-Anthony Gonzalez (back), OT-Charlie Johnson (foot), DB-Jacob Lacey (head), C-Jeff Saturday (knee) were questionable for the last game. Deactivated players for the last game were RB-Mike Hart, TE-Gijon Robinson, Glenn, OG-Jacques McClendon, OT-Joe Reitz, DT-Ricardo Mathews, DE-Jerry Hughes and Lacey.

TELEVISION/RADIO: NBC Sports telecasts with Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Andrea Kremer (field reporter). 1070-The Fan/HANK-FM, 97.1 broadcasts with Bob Lamey, Will Wolford and Kevin Lee (field reporter). Westwood One broadcasts nationally with Dave Sims and James Lofton.

NEXT WEEK: Indianapolis visits the Denver Broncos on Sunday, September 26 at 4:15 p.m. (EDT).

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. From 2002-09, Caldwell has been a part of Colts teams that produced 10-6, 12-4, 12-4, 14-2, 12-4, 13-3, 12-4 and 14-2 records. Indianapolis is the only team to earn 12 victories in seven consecutive seasons, setting the NFL's all-time standard. Indianapolis has had eight consecutive 10 -victory seasons, setting the second-longest streak in NFL history (16, San Francisco, 1983-98; 7, Dallas, 1975-81), and the Colts have 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 COUGHLIN was named the 16th head coach of the Giants on January 6, 2004. Coughlin has directed the Giants to 6-10, 11-5, 8-8, 10-6, 12-4 and 8-8 records. He has directed the Giants to four playoff berths, two division titles and to a World Championship in Super Bowl XLII. Coughlin joined New York after serving 1996-02 as head coach with Jacksonville. He earned an overall record of 72-64 at the Jacksonville helm, including four winning seasons. He took the Jaguars to four playoff and two conference championship appearances. Coughlin joined the Jaguars after three seasons as head coach at Boston College. A veteran of more than 30 seasons at the collegiate and professional levels, he held NFL stops at Philadelphia (1984-85), Green Bay (1986-87) and the Giants (1988-90). He was a coaching member of the Giants' Super Bowl XXV champion team. Coughlin was a wingback at Syracuse 1965-67. He is a native of Waterloo, N.Y.

COLTS/GIANTS SERIES NOTES

These storied franchises linked together largely by history will be meeting for the 14th time in regular-season play, but the 1958 and 1959 title matches won by the Colts help define the series. The Colts own a 9-6 overall series record with those title triumphs, and the teams will be clashing for the first time since the 2006 regular-season opener. Indianapolis took a 26-21 win in Giants Stadium on September 10, 2006, in the last series renewal. That meeting further etched rivalry in the history books as QBs-Peyton and Eli Manning played in the same contest for the first time. The first overall respective picks in the 1998 and 2004 drafts were the first brother duo to play at that position for competing teams. In that contest, scoring on their first four possessions and converting two second-half takeaways into 10 points, the Colts posted a season-opening road victory. Peyton Manning (25-41-276, 1 TD/int.) helped guide Indianapolis to victory. He teamed with WRs-Marvin Harrison (9-113) and Reggie Wayne (4-67) and TE-Dallas Clark (3-39, 1 TD; 2t) to lead the offense. Giants QB-Eli Manning was 20-34-247, 2 TDs/1 int., while New York amassed 186 yards on 28 rushes. The Colts tallied on the game's first drive and never trailed in the contest. The Giants' last series win was 44-27 in Indianapolis on December 22, 2002. QB-Kerry Collins was 23-29-366, 4 TDs, hitting WR-Amani Toomer (10-204, 3 TDs) and TE-Jeremy Shockey (7-116) as the Giants tallied 34 second-half points to top the Colts. Manning was 30-46-365, 3 TDs/2 ints., finding Harrison (10-128, 1 TD) and Wayne (6-104, 2 TDs) on scoring tosses, but Indianapolis never recovered from a deficit that reached 23-3. The club appeared against the Giants in New York on November 14, 1999, with the Colts taking a 27-19 victory. Manning was 20-35-237, 2 TDs, while Harrison was 6-109, 2 TDs (19t, 57t) and RB-Edgerrin James was 16-108 rushing/5-72 receiving. A 17-0 Colts third-quarter burst opened up a game that was 7-6 at intermission. Manning hit Harrison early in the third quarter on the 57t play, then WR-Terrence Wilkins' 39t punt return opened up the contest. James had a 72-yard rush early in the fourth quarter to set up K-Mike Vanderjagt's (40, 35) last field goal. Two late New York drives ended in turnovers in Colts territory. The win halted a Giants two-game series winning streak. The Giants topped the Colts, 24-7, on November 5, 1990 in the Hoosier Dome. Indianapolis fell in Giants Stadium on December 12, 1993, 20-6. The Colts and Giants first met in 1954 and played each other three times before the most defining game in series history occurred. The defining game known as 'The Greatest Game Ever Played' happened on December 28, 1958, as the Colts topped the Giants, 23-17, for their first world title. The Colts conquered the Giants, 31-16, on December 27, 1959 for their second world title. The clubs met in 1963 and 1968, then the Colts moved to the AFC as part of the NFL Merger. The teams met three times during the 1970's, with the Colts winning each time (31-7 at NY 10/17/71; 21-0 at NY 12/7/75; 31-7 at NY 12/16/79). 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

2010 RANKINGS (denotes ranking is tied)

RANKINGS            OFFENSE                     RANKING                         DEFENSE                   RANKING

                         Total    Rush      Pass        CONF.       NFL              Total     Rush   Pass         CONF.         NFL

Colts                 463.0     44.0     419.0       1-12- 1     1-27- 1           355.0   257.0     98.0       8-12- 1     20-28- 1

Giants               376.0   118.0     258.0       4- 4- 4     6-10- 7           237.0     89.0   148.0       2- 6- 1       3-10- 4                                                                                                                                         

BEST NFL RECORDS DURING 1999-2010 REGULAR SEASONS

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 128-49 record during that span.