Lucas Oil Stadium is massive. With seating for 63,000 fans, it sits on a total site of 39 acres. Two giant HD screens highlight all the action below the retractable roof and wide-angle windows that open to a view of the downtown Indy skyline.
It's always a sea of blue jerseys, from the crowd walking in to the seats in the top rows. The main walkways are marketing 'ops' and street parties with live bands, games for kids, and proudly displayed Lucas Oil sponsored racing machines. Cars, motorcycles, four-wheelers, souped-up tractors - anything that can run on Lucas Oil products are mounted in the entryways. Colts fans have really come together with their brand, and the Indy team spirit is electric.
New quarterback Andrew Luck has been living up to his name as he has turned the Colts around since the loss of famed Payton Manning. Up to this last regular season game on Dec. 30, Luck had completed 325 passes this year for roughly 4200 yards. Star receiver Reggie Wayne had caught 102 passes for 1315 yards. So the Colts had momentum coming into the last regular season game against the Texans.
Indy's own Sandie Patty sang the national anthem, as servicemen unfurled the enormous U. S. flag shown in the photo. It was all NFL theatre, as good as it gets. The halftime show was singularly unusual: Tim Lepard, a rodeo performer, wrangled a trio of border collies herding sheep. The dogs, on top of this, were ridden by capuchin monkeys. I'm sure kids watching thought this was great; the monkeys sat their saddles perfectly as the dogs wove and dodged abruptly. I guess we have to be shown something new, n'est pas? It was kind of odd, but we seem to be in an 'anything goes' culture.
Another thing notable about this game was that head coach Chuck Pagano was back for the first time after being treated for cancer. To honor and support his struggles, two of the glamorous NFL cheerleaders had shaved their heads. On the 'JumboTrons' they stood out, cute and sassy with butch haircuts next to all the long Barbie-esque locks on their squad mates. Pagano's return had ignited the team and fans, and helped push them to overcome the Texans this day.
Maybe the day will come again the Colts are Superbowl champs. Maybe one day people will stop stealing street signs that say "Manning." Time marches on, and any given Sunday..
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