Taking over the reins of a franchise directly following a legend like Johnny Unitas is one of the most daunting assignments in football history. Selected second overall out of LSU in the 1973 NFL Draft, Bert Jones met that challenge head-on, earning the nickname "The Ruston Rifle" for a bullet pass and fearless pocket presence that quickly won over the fan base.

Without the deep championship cast that surrounded Unitas in the late 1950s, Jones willed the Colts back into national prominence through sheer individual excellence. Orchestrating head coach Ted Marchibroda's offense, he led Baltimore to three consecutive AFC East division crowns from 1975 to 1977. The crown jewel of his tenure came in 1976—a dominant season where he led the NFL with 3,104 passing yards, threw 24 touchdowns against nine interceptions, and compiled a league-leading 102.5 passer rating. That brilliant run swept the league's top honors, earning him the 1976 AP NFL Most Valuable Player award, AP Offensive Player of the Year, and First-Team All-Pro honors.

Known as one of the toughest and purest arm talents of his era, Jones routinely earned the admiration of opposing coaches and players. Regrettably, persistent shoulder injuries beginning in 1978 siphoned away his prime years and limited his availability. After nine seasons anchoring the offense in Maryland, Jones played a single final campaign with the Los Angeles Rams in 1982 before a neck injury brought his career to an early close.

With the Colts, Jones had a 56.1% completion percentage for 17,663 passing yards, a 122-97 TD-INT ratio, alongside 1,350 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.

Taken fifth overall in the first round of the 1963 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, Bob Vogel landed in Baltimore and immediately stepped into one of the most demanding assignments in football: protecting the blind side of Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas. Vogel took over as the starting left tackle from day one and locked down the position for a decade, serving as the unsung protector who allowed Baltimore's explosive passing attack to flourish.

Vogel’s time in the blue and white was marked by exceptional durability and precise technique. He started all but one game for the franchise over 10 seasons, becoming one of the top offensive tackles of the 1960s and routinely challenging the league's most formidable defensive ends. He received five Pro Bowl selections (1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1971) and two Second-Team AP All-Pro honors (1965, 1968). Vogel was a key contributor to the 1968 team that claimed the NFL Championship, leading an offensive line that helped Baltimore finish 13–1 in the regular season.

His decade of elite play culminated on the game's ultimate stage in Super Bowl V against the Dallas Cowboys. Starting at left tackle, Vogel helped neutralize a suffocating Dallas pass rush, paving the way for Baltimore's dramatic 16–13 victory to capture the franchise's first Super Bowl title. Vogel retired after the 1972 season at just 31, walking away on his own terms as one of the most respected offensive linemen of his era.

Selected in the first round (19th overall) out of California in the 1997 NFL Draft, Tarik Glenn stepped into the Indianapolis Colts' starting lineup as a rookie at right guard before permanently locking down the crown-jewel spot at left tackle. Possessing rare functional strength and light-footed agility, Glenn anchored the blind side of the offensive line for a decade, serving as the trusted primary protector for Peyton Manning during the franchise's meteoric rise to elite status.

Glenn’s presence was the rock around which offensive line coach Howard Mudd built one of the most efficient pass-blocking units in gridiron history. Tasked with shutting down the league's most terrifying edge rushers without assistance, Glenn’s mastery at left tackle allowed Manning's high-octane, no-huddle offense to flourish without fear of backside pressure. He started all 16 games in seven of his 10 professional seasons, earning three consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 2004 through 2006 as national recognition caught up to his elite on-field production.

His career reached a fairytale climax during the 2006 campaign. After dominating through four postseason victories, Glenn’s final game in uniform came on football's grandest stage, Super Bowl XLI. On a rain-soaked field in Miami, Glenn neutralized the Chicago Bears' pass rush, helping clear the way for 425 total yards of offense in a 29–17 victory. Walking off the field as a world champion, Glenn announced his retirement that offseason at the top of his game. He was permanently enshrined in franchise lore when he was inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor in 2022.

Glenn notably started all 154 games of his career.

Selected in the first round of the 1965 NFL Draft out of Duke, Mike "Mad Dog" Curtis arrived in Baltimore with a reputation for raw, unchecked intensity. Initially deployed as a fullback on offense during his rookie season, the Colts quickly realized his vicious hitting and fiery demeanor belonged on defense. Upon shifting to linebacker in 1966, Curtis became the terrifying, central enforcer of a Baltimore defense that routinely punished opposing backfields.

Curtis weaponized a reckless, sideline-to-sideline playing style that made him one of the most feared middle linebackers of his generation. Known for his zero-tolerance attitude on the field—famously leveling a fan who ran onto the field to steal the game ball—Curtis proved to be as skilled as he was intimidating. His career reached its zenith in 1970, when the Kansas City Committee of 101 named him AFC Defensive Player of the Year. That same season, Curtis provided the defining play of Super Bowl V against Dallas: with the game tied late in the fourth quarter, he intercepted a Craig Morton pass and returned it to the Cowboys' 28-yard line, setting up Jim O'Brien's game-winning field goal to secure Baltimore's 16–13 victory.

A four-time Pro Bowler (1968, 1970, 1971, 1974) and a First-Team AP All-Pro selection in 1968, Curtis anchored the Colts' defense through both their 1968 NFL Championship and Super Bowl V title runs. Although sacks weren't officially recorded in the NFL then, PFR retrospective research credits him with 16.5 sacks during his Baltimore tenure, complementing his elite pass coverage. Curtis spent 11 seasons terrorizing offenses in blue and white before finishing his career with brief stops in Seattle and Washington.

For the Colts, Curtis accumulated 21 interceptions for 248 return yards, two defensive touchdowns, eight fumble recoveries, 16.5 unofficial sacks, and when you count his numbers elsewhere, he is an unofficial member of the defensive 20/20 club.