As a fan, football jerseys have always seemed more practical
to me than wearing any other sports uniform to represent my favorite team.
Baseball jerseys are too expensive, basketball jerseys don’t have sleeves, and
hockey jerseys are sweaters.
To me, football jerseys are a perfect representation of what
kind of fan you are. So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that I’m pretty
meticulous when deciding which players I want to represent in my jersey
wearing. There are three main things I look for: 1) Someone that plays an
important role, 2) someone that’s going to be around awhile, and 3) and someone
that not many others own.
Naturally, there are some star players that everyone owns,
but you still have break down and buy them because you know they’re going to be
the face of the franchise for years to come (see: Andrew Luck). But for the
most part, I try to be different. Certainly they can’t all be winners.
Sometimes talents fizzle out, and sometimes players just leave through free agency.
I’m embarrassed to admit the players I’ve whiffed on, but when you pick the
right guy, it’s pretty satisfying.
I’m happy to say I’ve picked out the right guy for the Colts
on three different occasions. One of those, Antoine Bethea, left Indy prior to
last season, but I got four good seasons of wearing that jersey before his
exit. The second, Robert Mathis, I didn’t wear last season because of his
injury, but I look forward to dusting it off this upcoming season.
The third, and most significant to me, is Reggie Wayne.
It might surprise some fans to know that there was a time
when Reggie was the furthest thing from being a franchise guy, a time where No.
87 was almost nowhere to be found at Lucas Oil Stadium (and previously the RCA
Dome). While tailgating as recently as 2008, Reggie’s eighth season in the
league, I hollered at multiple fans wearing Marvin Harrison jerseys for not
supporting our other top receiver. I believe it was something to the effect of,
“I love Marvin, but Reggie is where it’s at!”
I think I only saw two No. 87s
that day, not counting the one playing on the field and the one on my back. By
that time, I was already in my sixth season of wearing my Reggie Wayne Jersey.
I think it goes without saying that it’s pretty fun to be a season
ticket holder. My brother bought me Colts season tickets as a graduation
present in 2003 and, as a family, we’ve been fortunate enough to get enough
money together to continue being season tickets ever since.
One of the most interesting things is forming relationships
with the fans that sit around you, often times without even knowing their
names. Anyone who made it to a Colts game with me in the RCA Dome likely
remembers the two guys that sat behind us, who I affectionately called, “The
Drunk Redneck” and “The Australian Guy.” I’m not sure what they called me when
just talking among themselves, but at the dome, they called me “Wayne.”
I got my Reggie Wayne jersey for Christmas in 2003, and I
wore it to nearly every game for the next three seasons. I obviously wore it
often enough to garner a nickname. At the time, Reggie was still somewhat of an
afterthought. He was drafted by the team in 2001 and became, at best, the
fourth most important player on the offense for his first few seasons. Peyton
Manning, Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James were already major cogs of an
offensive juggernaut and, it could be argued, that linemen Tarik Glenn and Jeff
Saturday were even more important. Reggie didn’t even catch a touchdown pass a
rookie (admittedly, I just discovered this).
Reggie had a good season in his third year, but he really
broke out in 2004 when Manning broke the single-season touchdown record. Even then, I remember seeing more Brandon
Stokley jerseys in the stands than Reggie’s.
The crossroads for Reggie came prior to the 2006 season. He
and fellow Miami alum Edge were both free agents, and it was clear the Colts
could only keep one of them. Since we had Marvin, I assumed keeping Edge was a
no-brainer, but the higher ups made the tough decision, and what proved to be
the right one. On Feb. 23, 2006, Reggie Wayne became a Colts lifer.
Obviously he cemented his legacy with the impactful years
that followed, and I’m not going to rattle off a list of stats that you could
easily find with a quick google search. And yes, there’s still the chance he
could sign with someone else to close out his career. But like Peyton Manning,
Dwight Freeney and a few others before them, Reggie is a legend in
Indianapolis.
If Reggie really just wants to hang on for one more year,
it’s incredibly sad that the Colts couldn’t find a way to make it work. I
honestly don’t think anyone is more upset about this than me. Reggie was THE
player that supported for years. My email and other usernames exist because of Reggie. After I graduated from IU, I needed a new email and rjlopez was taken, so I wanted to come up with a significant number to tag on it. I chose 587. 5 for then-Cardinal great Albert Pujols and the number of IU national championships, and 87 for the last national title IU won... and of course, Reggie.
But unfortunately he couldn't stay. It’s the nature of the business. Maybe
Reggie’s departure leaves enough cap space to sign the one or two players that
bring the Colts a Super Bowl in the coming years. That’s what I keep telling
myself anyway.
I wanted to cap this off by counting down Reggie’s top five
or even top 10 plays, but after watching some highlights, there are really just
too many to try to condense into a short list. Instead, here are my three
favorite Reggie moments.
3. The Near Fumble
The Colts were in the middle of what became the defining
drive of the Peyton Manning era, and it almost didn’t happen. Reggie caught a
pass over the middle and ran for extra yards when the ball suddenly popped out
of his grasp as he was being tackled. After going about three feet above his
head, somehow the ball miraculously fell back into Reggie’s hands, and he went
to the ground. The rest, as they say, is history.
2. The Comeback
Another come-from-behind victory against the Patriots. This
one certainly wasn’t as big as the first comeback victory against New England,
but aside from Peyton’s return to Indy, this was the best Colts game I’ve ever
been to. We trailed the entire game, and it was a three-possession game in the
fourth quarter. For most this game is known as the “4th-and-2” game,
but I’ll always remember it for Reggie hauling in the game winning catch. It
was also a valuable lesson in never leaving a game early. I was there for all
of it, but I can’t deny that I considered leaving a few times.
1. The Super Bowl
I felt very confident going into Super Bowl XLI, but after Devin
Hester took the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and Peyton threw an
interception, I had a brief moment of doubt. That all went away when Peyton
avoided the pressure, the Bears had a breakdown in the secondary, and Reggie
got loose for a wide-open touchdown reception. I’ll never forget his fist pump
celebration, and how (despite missing the extra point) I knew we were going to
win the game after that score.
Thanks for the memories, Reggie. I can’t wait until No. 87
is in the ring of honor.
