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Cota, Colts are taking pro football by storm Commentary By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN Chad Cota and his Indianapolis Colts teammates believe they are on course toward playing in the 2000 Super Bowl. The sizzling Colts take an 8-2 record into today's game against the New York Jets at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Indianapolis took over the AFC East lead Thanksgiving Day when Miami (8-3) fell to the Dallas Cowboys, 20-0. Cota, 28, a former Ashland High and University of Oregon player, has started nine of 10 games at strong safety for coach Jim Mora's Colts. He missed one game with a shoulder injury. Cota has become one of the leaders of a team that is suddenly stocked with good talent -- enough to get them to their goals of winning the AFC East title and the Super Bowl, he believes. Biggest additions to the new Colts were the drafting and signing of quarterback Peyton Manning out of the University of Tennessee in 1998 and the pickup of free agents Cornelius Bennett (linebacker) from Buffalo, Sean Green (defensive lineman) from Carolina, and Cota. Those signings were done by Indianapolis General Manager Bill Polian, architect of the new Colts. Cota, who commands a salary of about $2 million per year for four more seasons, is glad to be in Indianapolis. After playing last season for the lowly New Orleans Saints, and controversial head coach Mike Ditka, Cota had to feel like he'd been given a pardon from football prison when he escaped the Saints and Ditka for Indy. Cota now plays for Jim Mora, who can also be very demanding. But there's a difference, Cota says. Mora has a way of pushing his players to their physical and mental limits, but also treating them like a players' coach after they perform to his standards, or even if they don't. For any athlete -- even the pros -- a coach must know how to push players hard on the field and then reward them with praise and confidence-building actions, or console and encourage them to do better after a day of struggling. Mora does that well, Cota says. "He can be tough, but the players like him," says Cota. "I've gotten used to his personality and coaching style. He will get on you, and stay on you, but he has a way of instilling confidence and getting you to respect him." Winning helps all of that work. Reinforcing the Mora way is Polian, who takes an active role as general manager and cheerleader, Cota says. "He's looking like a genius right now for what he's done here," says Cota, who says he has a good relationship with Polian after being drafted by him at Carolina and playing for the Panthers for two years (1995-96). "Bill knew me pretty well, and we had a good relationship," says Cota. "Fortunately, he drafted me out of college and liked me. That helped me end up here. This is where I think I want to stay." The guy who could probably run for Mayor of Indianapolis, and win, Cota says, is Manning. He's blossomed as a quarterback, a passer and leader during his second year in the NFL. Cota says in basketball-crazed Indianapolis, Manning and Pacers' head coach Larry Bird share equal billing as celebrities in town. "Peyton is a classy guy and knows how to handle being a celebrity," says Cota. "He's already become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL despite the adjustment he had to make from college. He may still be behind Larry Bird in popularity here, but it's close. "Peyton spends a lot of time with the press and fans," says Cota. "He's always courteous to them. It's hard not to respect the guy." The Colts added wide receiver Marvin Harrison of Syracuse and running back Edgerin James of Miami to bolster their offensive production in 1999. "It helps to have a good offense that puts points on the board," says Cota. "Defense may be the most important thing, but when you know your offense is going to score, it helps you relax and play better defense." Cota says the Colts will move toward perhaps their first Super Bowl appearance since they were the Baltimore Colts step by step. It will require patience and focus, he says. "Every game from here on out is important to winning the division and getting to the Super Bowl," he says. "We can do it. We have the players, the coach and the leadership from the front office." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.