Reggie Wayne is having his best year, but his value to the young Colts goes much deeper

INDIANAPOLIS — Reggie Wayne still is where it all started, where he's used to being, where he's comfortable. He's in his 12th season with the Indianapolis Colts, and together they're immersed in yet another drive to the postseason.

Some things never change.



Yet 10 months ago, Wayne had one foot out the Colts' door, ready to take his reliable hands, tireless work ethic and bulging resume somewhere else. He was a free agent, not to mention a 33-year wide receiver coming off his least productive season since 2003.

Wayne was looking, listening, considering offers. He had all but decided to sever ties with the organization that had taken him with the 30th overall pick in the 2001 draft.

"I was close. Very, very close," Wayne said.

Negotiations with one team — he steadfastly refuses to reveal its identity — had reached the point Wayne had packed an overnight bag and was preparing to leave his home in Miami for a visit when he gave the Colts a courtesy phone call.

"I promised (owner Jim) Irsay and I promised (first-year coach) Chuck (Pagano) that before I did anything, I'd give them a call," Wayne said. "I did, and I didn't walk out the door. I sat back down in my office."

The Colts offered Wayne a three-year, $17.5 million contract. The mystery team offered more. Wayne opted to remain a Colt.

"It's fair to say I left money on the table … probably a minimum of $3 million," he said.

Wayne talked with Pagano, whom he knew from when both were at the University of Miami (Fla.), and admitted he was taking a leap of faith. The old regime was gone: vice chairman Bill Polian, coach Jim Caldwell, quarterback Peyton Manning and so many others.

Wayne was one of the few holdovers.

"I knew it was going to be like this, me and a bunch of new faces," he said. "Once we released all the guys that had been here for years, I knew it was going to be weird."

But here he is, back among the NFL's receiving leaders. He's on pace for 122 receptions and 1,607 yards, which would both represent career highs.

An argument can be made Wayne deserves to be in the conversation for NFL most valuable player, certainly as the most influential Colts player. He's done it on the field, in the locker room.

And here are the Colts, heading into Sunday's game at Detroit with a 7-4 record and the tentative No. 5 seed in the AFC.

Quarterback Andrew Luck is the new face of the franchise. But he's quick to acknowledge Wayne's impact and realized Wayne's value from the outset. Of Luck's 449 pass attempts, a league-high 144 have been directed at Wayne.

They've developed a quick rapport even though Luck's academic requirements at Stanford forced him to miss the organized team activities during the offseason. He and Wayne put in extra time at the team complex when the offseason rules allowed, and they got together for a week in July near Wayne's home in Miami for additional throwing sessions.

"I called Andrew and told him, 'Use some of those frequent flyer miles and get down here,' " Wayne said.

The end result is possibly Wayne's best season and, likely, a sixth Pro Bowl selection.

"Every week he does something … 'Wow,' " Luck said. "Now it's to the point where you expect those type of things. Still, just how professional he is about everything. His work ethic, his leadership in the locker room. Everything he does is just top class.

"We all feel honored to be in his presence a little bit."

Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz, who dealt with Wayne on an annual basis as Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator from 2001-08, understands what Wayne means to the Colts. "He's stood the test of time," he said. "There's a lot of respect in this league for guys that are consistent and do it year-in and year-out."

From 2004-10, Wayne averaged 92 catches and 1,264 yards—and now he's on the verge of blowing away that average. Remarkable. "Reggie is having a Hall of Fame career," New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "I think he's a tremendous receiver."

Wayne's high level of play is more of a resurgence than a renaissance. His streak of seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with Manning ended last season when Manning's neck issues forced him to miss the entire year. Wayne managed 980 yards while working with inferior quarterbacks Kerry Collins, Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky.

The arrival of Pagano helped convince Wayne to re-up with the Colts. And the addition of Bruce Arians as Pagano's offensive coordinator required Wayne to expand his game.

Though he occasionally would move around in the formation during his first 11 years with the Colts, he primarily lined up split wide to the left. Arians determined the best way to maximize Wayne's skills was to move him around.

"It's a waste of talent to just have him out (left) all the time and let him be double-covered," Arians said.

"For me, motioning has helped a lot," Wayne said. "Defenses can't key on me. In the old times, they knew I'd be on the left side. There was no mystery to it. They could double me, roll coverage to my side.

"Now they really have no idea where I am. That causes confusion and helps me out with matchups."

Another role somewhat new for Wayne has been that of vocal leader. Previously, Manning or longtime center Jeff Saturday would command the locker room or meeting room when the situation was warranted.

Occasionally this season, it's been Wayne who has stepped to the front.

In late October, the Colts, lethargic and ineffective, trailed the Tennessee Titans 10-3 at the half in Nashville. Wayne had seen enough.

"There was no false enthusiasm on this one. I was pissed off," he said. "I was upset because I knew what we were capable of. I felt like we left some plays out there, offensively and defensively, and we had a field goal blocked.

"No Ron Artest stuff and I (didn't) throw any cameras or grab anybody like Bobby Knight. I just had to speak up."

His message resonated. The Colts won 19-13 in overtime. It was the second game of a four-game winning streak that proved critical in lifting a team expected to be an afterthought to contender's status.

The next week against Miami, Luck took the offense on a 13-play, 69-yard fourth-quarter drive. Adam Vinatieri capped it with a 43-yard field goal with 5:58 remaining that held up for a 23-20 victory.

On that critical drive, eight rookie or first-year players were involved, including Luck, wide receivers T.Y. Hilton and LaVon Brazill, running back Vick Ballard and tight end Dwayne Allen.

So was Wayne. He provided a clutch 6-yard catch on third-and-3 near midfield. He also had a hand in the young players being able to withstand the pressure.
The new receivers—Wayne refers to them as "Smurfs" because of their lack of size—follow Wayne. They hang on his every word. Hilton sits next to Wayne in the meeting room and jots down notes for future reference.

"All of the other rookies have followed the Pied Piper, and that's Reggie Wayne," Arians said. "He sets the tempo for us offensively, and then Andrew is the second guy in line.

"If he can handle it, then they can handle it. Reggie makes sure that receiving corps and everybody else is ready to go."

Through it all, Wayne has been at the forefront. Perhaps that's because he realizes he's on the downside of his career and understands the value of embracing every moment.

Wayne has been one of the remaining veterans who has bristled whenever someone described this season as a "rebuilding year." Even Luck distanced himself from being part of a rebuilding process. The idea, he said, is to win now.

"I hope he's not the only one that's preaching that," Wayne said, smiling. "We don't have time. I see the light, man. So I don't have the time to sit back and rebuild and say 'Oh, we'll be better at that next year' or 'In a couple years, we should be in the hunt.'

"We need to be in the hunt now. We are in the hunt."

And if they track down a playoff spot, it will have a lot to do with their veteran receiver. Another example that everything about Wayne, as Luck would say, is top class.


(aol.sportgnews.com)