It’s time to celebrate the greatest story in the NFL in 2009.

We interrupt this party to pay tribute to the 2009 AFC South champion Indianapolis Colts.

That’s right, folks. Division champs at 11-0 before the calendar flips to December. It’s the single-best story in the NFL this year, bar none.

Pick an angle, any angle.

Let’s start with Indy’s unbelievable and remarkable knack for the comeback. The Colts were down double digits on the road against a talented Texans team with much more to play for than the Colts. And for an unprecedented fifth straight week, Jim Caldwell’s Colts came back in the fourth quarter.

While you could see Matt Schaub, Gary Kubiak, Dunta Robinson and the Texans beginning to succumb to the pressure and unravel, it was as if the Colts had Houston right where they wanted them. And, let’s be honest, they did.

Caldwell told us on Monday on Sirius NFL Radio: “The players have a lot of confidence. They have a lot of poise. They never point fingers when things aren’t going right. They don’t get down at themselves. The poise is the unique quality about this group.”

On one play, Robinson was hooting and hollering as if he just had won the Super Bowl after popping Joseph Addai. Peyton Manning was cognizant of Robinson’s selfish, ill-timed act and got Indy to the line quickly to run a play. It resulted in a huge fourth-quarter stick to rookie Austin Collie for 31 yards. And that only set up the go-ahead touchdown to Dallas Clark.

Caldwell said: “Peyton assesses things so quickly. Every single nano-second he is processing, but not to the point where the other team notices. They don’t notice, and they become vulnerable. He is so resourceful.”

It’s a glimpse why Manning is getting my vote for league MVP.

That play, that sequence, is a snapshot of the difference between the Colts and everyone else. Indy rises to the occasion. If you give Manning and the Colts just one little sign of not being focused or ready, they will pounce and break your back, or, in this case, break Houston’s playoff dreams.

Indy, in theory, had every reason to lose. No Dwight Freeney. No Bob Sanders. No Kelvin Hayden. No Marlin Jackson. No Anthony Gonzalez. A ton of relative inexperience in the secondary and at receiver. And a double-digit deficit.

Caldwell himself deserves a ton of credit. Nobody knew what Indianapolis had in the rookie head coach replacing Tony Dungy. Frankly, I thought it was disrespectful to Dungy to expect there would be no drop-off. Instead, we are witnessing the most sensational neophyte effort in league history by a head coach.

Did Caldwell go nuts in the locker room when his team was down double digits? No. He just calmly reminded the Colts it was important to win the battles on the line. And Caldwell goes out of his way to praise his experienced and trusted assistants, especially Howard Mudd, Tom Moore and Larry Coyer, for getting his guys ready for these pressure fourth-quarter situations. If you follow the Colts, you know that isn’t coach speak. These guys, especially Moore and Mudd, have been staples and symbols of the brilliant coaching through the years.

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And if you really go in proper chronological order and give due credit, it starts with Bill Polian, who deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for how he has built the Colts, Panthers and Bills.

As Caldwell told us: “Bill Polian has an unusual eye for talent. The average personnel guy in this league doesn’t see what he sees. Look at his track record with lower-round picks and street free agents. We have suffered a lot of key injuries, and we haven’t missed a beat. That’s Bill Polian.”

And sure enough, when you peruse the Indy roster after the injuries, it evokes the scene from Major League when the construction workers ask: “Who are these bleeping guys?”

Come on, who thought Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie, Daniel Muir, Jerraud Powers, Jacob Lacey would be having this kind of impact on an undefeated team. Clint Session is changing games. Really, who the hell is Daniel Muir and how in the world is he making seven tackles against the Texans? That’s a Bill Polian special right there.

Whose starting 22 would you have picked on Sunday if you could pick sides? Think about it. Yet Indy was ready despite injuries because Polian had found the right reserves.

When Caldwell learned the Niners beat Jacksonville, giving Indianapolis the division, he took the moment to announce it to the team on the plane back from Houston. And they stopped and smelled the roses on the accomplishment. A lot of people didn’t pick Indy to win the division this year. I picked Houston. Many others thought it would be Tennessee. The Colts wrapped up the best division in pro football in November!

The Colts have won 20 straight regular-season games going back to last season, one away from the Patriots’ record of 21. Caldwell said it means something to him and goes out of his way to credit Tony Dungy for getting everything started. And it should mean something to Caldwell and all Colts fans. This is supposed to be the era of competitive balance and parity. Look at the consecutive years of winning double-digit games. This is flat out amazing. Think of all the close shaves this year, from Miami’s controlling the clock the entire game, to both Houston contests, to the incredible win over the Patriots, to the Baltimore game. Think about how many times you thought the other team was better.

And that leads us to an even bigger picture. Caldwell said he won’t consider resting his players until Indy can get home-field advantage in the AFC in the postseason. He said it is important, and I totally agree. Then he will consider the “delicate balance” between rest and rust. But Caldwell did tip his hand for if/when the Colts get that No. 1 seed when he said: “I think the most important thing is availability for the playoffs.”

And there’s a very realistic chance you’ll pick against them in January. I might, too. Another team will be better on paper. Or have good matchups. Or be healthier in the secondary. But there won’t be another team more ready for January football. The 20 straight regular-season wins, the 11-0 record, the five straight fourth-quarter comebacks make that statement a fact.

For the Colts to be this good and perfect, it’s just amazing and truly a wonderful accomplishment.

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ESPN.com news services

The injuries are starting to pile up for the undefeated Indianapolis Colts.

The team has placed starting cornerback Marlin Jackson on injured reserve, ending his season, and announced that on Thursday, wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.

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In addition, safety Bob Sanders consulted with noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews on an elbow injury he suffered in last week’s game against San Francisco.

Gonzalez, who has missed most of the season, suffered a recent setback in practice that led to surgery to clean out loose particles in his right knee, the team said. Gonzalez is expected to miss two to three weeks, a team source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Sanders, one of the Colts’ best defenders, made his season debut in Week 7 after missing the Colts’ training camp, preseason and the first five games of the regular season after having surgery on his right knee.

Jackson suffered a knee injury during a non-contact drill on Wednesday. A team source told Schefter that Jackson tore his ACL on the final play of practice and is expected to have surgery next week.

Jackson’s newest injury came a day after the Colts placed linebacker Tyjuan Hagler on injured reserve with a ruptured biceps.

The Colts signed veteran defensive end Josh Thomas to replace Jackson on the active roster. Thomas played with the Colts from 2004 through 2008, starting in 12 of 68 appearances, and was credited with 172 tackles, including six sacks.

ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter contributed to this story.

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Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — The unbeaten Indianapolis Colts have lost starting linebacker Tyjuan Hagler for the rest of the season with a ruptured biceps.

Coach Jim Caldwell said Hagler was placed on injured reserve Wednesday.

Second-year linebacker Philip Wheeler and undrafted rookie Ramon Humber are expected to replace Hagler. Indy also will promote rookie linebacker Cody Glenn to the active roster from the practice squad.

Hagler was fourth on the Colts with 36 tackles.

Running back Donald Brown (shoulder) and cornerback Marlin Jackson (strained ACL) were expected to practice Wednesday. Caldwell did not say whether they would play against Houston this weekend.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Colts safety Bob Sanders is on track to make his season debut Sunday at St. Louis.

The 2007 NFL defensive player of the year is expected to participate in most of Indianapolis’ workouts this week. Coach Jim Caldwell said Wednesday the team hopes he can play against the Rams but the decision will be made later this week.

Sanders missed all of training camp after having surgery on his right knee.

Sanders told reporters that he wants to play and is feeling better than he has in a long time. But he reiterated the importance of not rushing things too quickly.

The two-time Pro Bowler has played in just 43 of 85 games in six NFL seasons because of injuries.

You knew this day was coming sooner than later. The career of one of the most clutch kickers seems to be coming to an end as his primary tools (leg – IE: hip & knee) are failing. Adam Vinatieri winner of enough Super Bowl rings to take care of one hand may be done and dare I suggest he should be done.

It was obvious that having off season hip surgery was a telling sign that his body may be giving up on him. That coupled with the fact that the last couple years he has missed more than his fair share of field goal attempts. He has missed enough that if he were a lesser known name he would have already be cut from any team. He has missed a handful this season and a couple others have hit the posts and camera.

Now this injury to the knee of his kicking leg is the final chapter. Let’s certainly celebrate his successes and valuable contribution to the Colts Team. He deserves to definitely go out in style and that’s exactly what he should do “now”. Look at it from a team business standpoint. Does it make since to keep 3 kickers on the roster which is nearly unheard of? I think not. He has already passed the torch in regards to kickoffs because he simply doesn’t have the leg anymore.

The Colts did an awesome job replacing one of the best punters ever this past year when they drafted Pat McAfee to take the duties from Hunter Smith. They will undoubtedly be looking for kickers this next draft. Until then expect them to find an adequate replacement for the remainder of this season. First up, Matt Stover show us what you got left in your tank.

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Adam Vinatieri out 6 weeks; Stover signed
Adam Vinatieri – K – IND – Oct. 14 – 10:20 a.m. ET
Colts K Adam Vinatieri will miss at least the next six weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee.
The Colts, who are on a bye, signed Matt Stover to take over. Vinatieri, 36, hasn’t been an effective kicker in several seasons and is a candidate for injured reserve. The Colts have been highly effective in the red zone this year, but that probably isn’t sustainable. Stover, Baltimore’s all-time leading scorer, is worth a look in fantasy leagues when Indianapolis is playing at home.
Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter

The Colts cut Ed Johnson (DT) for the second and final time. They had given him a second chance by allowing him to come back to the team this year. Coming into this season, Ed was suspended for possession of marijuana and had to miss the first game of the season.

It is a tough blow for the defensive line since he is the teams best run stopper. It hurts the Colts ability to stop the run. We had become a pretty good run stopping team over the last 4-5 weeks. Much of that was due to Ed’s size and ability. We also have Anthony Johnson to help stop the run.

The Colts have yet to confirm the story, but the press has reported it. The team has obviously not given any indication as to why the move was made or what may have transpired. Stay Tuned.

By Adam Schefter
ESPN

Doctors are expecting Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney to miss two to three weeks with a strained quadriceps, a league source said Tuesday morning.

It should be pointed out that in the past, Freeney has been a notoriously quick healer. But if doctors are correct, Freeney would miss the Colts next two games against Seattle and at Tennessee before Indianapolis hits its bye week on Oct. 18. Under that schedule, Freeney could return for the Colts’ game Oct. 25 at St. Louis.

Freeney was apparently injured Sunday night, when Cardinals offensive tackle Levi Brown pulled the Indianapolis defensive end’s face mask and Freeney heard a pop in his quad. He underwent an MRI exam on Monday and the Colts received the results Monday night.

Adam Schefter is an ESPN NFL Insider.