The Champion Colts

The Colts are Super Bowl champions. It's hard to say which players seemed the most excited. I'd put Dwight Freeney high on the list. Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark (photo by Chad Ryan) were pretty happy, too. Coach Tony Dungy couldn't seem to quit talking. He came to the interview room with his son, Eric. It was a touching scene, considering the rough year the Dungy family had last season.

Reporters in attendance seemed to expect a little more excitement in Peyton Manning's face for finally winning a Super Bowl. He was happy, but not jumping around like Steve Young or John Elway. Maybe that's because the game was sealed with about five or six minutes to go, so it lacked any final suspense. More likely, this game couldn't reach the emotional high of knocking off the Patriots in the AFC Championship game.

At any rate, Manning's performance should grow in stature as the days go by. It's very impressive what he was able to do in the pouring rain. Other than a couple of special teams botches -- the Hester return, obviously -- the Colts played a thoroughly strong game. They're the Champs. That'll take some time to sink in. I'm a journalist, not a fan, but seeing a great guy like Dungy win was fun to watch.