First place we went this morning: Indianapolis Star. Taken aback by this Kravitz column: The Colts are underachievers. Huh?

Another glorious chance to advance to a Super Bowl, their second in three years, with the New England Patriots out of the way and the AFC unfettered by the existence of a dominant team . . . and nothing.

Were Colts fans really thinking Super Bowl because of a lengthy winning streak and Manning’s MVP? Sorry, but that’s laughable. Expecting a dome team to go on the road for three games in a row without a running game or a sturdy defense (24th against the rush) is hilarious. Those expectations are unreasonable, even for one of the best QBs in the history of the NFL, Peyton Manning. How many fourth quarter comeback victories did Indy need? How many wins during that streak were compiled against inferior teams? This, however …

If (when) Tony Dungy decides to retire sometime next week, will there be a great hue and cry for him to come back and give it another shot? As much as this town loves and reveres him and appreciates him for everything he’s done on and off the field, isn’t it time for a new face, a new voice, something different?

… will be interesting. What if the Bucs decide to part with Gruden (or he walks), thus opening the door for Dungy to go to the town that most likely would be his next stop? How could Tampa not pursue a guy who has now been to the playoffs 10 times in a row, an NFL record? And if you say, “but he only has one title” then maybe you’re still drunk for New Year’s Eve.

We probably should say a nice word about Mike Scifres, SD’s punter with a penchant for pinning opponents deep. On four occasions, he boomed kicks that left Indy inside its own 20; twice inside their own 10-yard line, including the clutch one late in the fourth quarter. After Darren Sproles – anyone else considering getting a Sproles jersey? – Scifres was the Chargers hero.

(If we had to give a 3rd place MVP finish to someone, it would be the linebacker/safety who jammed Dallas Clark on that 3rd down late in the fourth quarter. The unidentified player jammed Clark enough so that Manning couldn’t hit his WR on that slant – because Clark was in the way – and Manning had to eat a sack. Actually, now that we think about it, did Clark run the right pattern? Shouldn’t he have done inside instead of straight upfield?) Oh, right, how about those Cards?

Great call on the game-winning TD by Al Michaels: “Here’s Sproles … Sproles inside the 10 (voices rises) … inside the 5 (voice really rising; nearly cracking) … and the Chargers win the game!”