Andrew Luck already has a blueprint for his month away from the Colts.If the Colts (2-13) lose at Jacksonville (4-11) on Sunday, they secure the top pick in the next NFL draft and get the opportunity to select Stanford star quarterback Andrew Luck.
If the Colts win, they would need St. Louis (2-13) to defeat San Francisco (12-3), which seems unlikely, for the Colts to still get the top pick.
Knowing this, will the Colts tank it? Nope.
“We come and play to win,” defensive end Dwight Freeney said.
The Colts have won their last two games, defeating Tennessee 27-13 and Houston 19-16, both at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“We just kept chopping wood, and the ball is just bouncing our way now,” Robert Mathis said. “It’s been a long year, so we just kept hanging with it. We are reaping the benefits of it.”
Since moving to Indianapolis in 1984, only the 1991 Colts (1-15) produced fewer than three wins.
While fans might want the Colts to reap the benefits of such a horrible season by getting Luck, perhaps the most ballyhooed quarterback prospect since John Elway was drafted in 1983, the players have no intention of laying down for the division-rival Jaguars, who beat them 17-13 on Nov. 13.
“Regardless of what the record was, guys in this locker room, we’re still playing with a lot of pride,” safety Antoine Bethea said. “We definitely want to end this thing on a good note.”
Linebacker Pat Angerer agreed.
“All that stuff (about the draft) is for the fans and all of the people who like to speculate about stuff that really doesn’t matter,” Angerer said. “We are trying to win the game.”
While stars such as Mathis, receiver Reggie Wayne, center Jeff Saturday and offensive lineman Ryan Diem are all playing under expiring contracts, others will be back next season. And they don’t think a three-game winning streak would be meaningless, even if it costs the Colts the top pick in the draft.
“It will be a good feeling just to go into next year right,” running back Joseph Addai said. “Knowing that we are going to have a season next year, that is going to happen, so to win out your last three games, that builds momentum going into the next season. Even though that is a long time from now, it is always good to win games. … You want to come back, get on that plane, be happy and kind of go into next season with a positive attitude.”
