Drafted in the fifth round from FCS Alabama A&M in 2003, Robert Mathis emerged in Indianapolis as an underrated pass-rush specialist. His relentless energy and quickness off the edge challenged typical size expectations. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 245 pounds, Mathis progressed from a third-down specialist to a premier game disruptor, excelling in strip-sacks more than anyone else before or after him.

Teaming up with Dwight Freeney, Mathis helped form the premier edge-rushing tandem of the 2000s, generating non-stop backfield havoc that fueled the franchise's golden era. A cornerstone of the Super Bowl XLI championship squad, he was a five-time Pro Bowl selection (2008–2010, 2012, 2013) whose production spiked even higher when head coach Chuck Pagano shifted him to stand-up outside linebacker in 2012. That scheme change culminated in a historic 2013 campaign: Mathis earned First-Team AP All-Pro honors, won the inaugural Deacon Jones Award by leading the NFL with a career-high 19.5 sacks, and led the league with eight forced fumbles while finishing as the runner-up for AP Defensive Player of the Year.

After missing the entire 2014 season due to a torn Achilles tendon, Mathis demonstrated his signature resilience by returning for two final campaigns to close out his career. As the last remaining active player from the Super Bowl XLI championship roster, he played his final game in 2016, fittingly capping his legacy with a signature strip-sack against Jacksonville to pass Freeney on the all-time sack list. His unrivaled ability to swat the ball free left him as the NFL's all-time record holder for career forced fumbles (52) and strip-sacks (47). 

123.0 sacks, 538 combined tackles (408 solo, 130 assists), 108 tackles for loss, 141 quarterback hits, 52 forced fumbles.  In 2021, the team inducted Mathis into their Ring of Honor.

A Baltimore Colt for all twelve seasons of his career, Halfback, Lenny Moore was a bona fide dual threat.  Moore was one of the rare players who was equally adept at rushing and receiving and scored more than 100 Touchdowns.  Moore would lead the National Football League in Yards/Attempt four times, Touchdowns twice, and Yards from Scrimmage once.  The offensive superstar would be a five-time First Team All-Pro and was named the MVP in 1964.  

When the Indianapolis Colts drafted Dwight Freeney 11th overall in 2002 out of Syracuse, few envisioned how completely his hyper-explosive edge-rushing style would transform the modern defensive end template. Tipping the scales at 6-foot-1 and 268 pounds, Freeney weaponized elite low pad level, blinding first-step speed, and a legendary, lightning-fast spin move that left opposing left tackles frozen in their tracks.

Freeney's arrival catalyzed Tony Dungy’s Tampa 2 defense, providing the relentless pass rush needed to turn early-game leads from Peyton Manning's offense into third-down passing situations. As a rookie in 2002, he burst onto the scene with 13.0 sacks and a league-leading nine forced fumbles. Two years later in 2004, Freeney captured the NFL sack crown with a career-high 16.0 sacks. Teaming up with Robert Mathis off the opposite edge, the duo formed one of the most feared sack-and-strip combinations in league history, constantly disrupting backfields and setting the gold standard for strip-sacks.

His disruptive edge pressure was key to the franchise's 2006 championship victory. Despite injuries during the postseason, Freeney recorded two sacks, including one in Super Bowl XLI against the Chicago Bears, helping Indianapolis win 29–17. A three-time First-Team AP All-Pro (2004, 2005, 2009) and seven-time Pro Bowl pick with the Colts, Freeney was a dominant force throughout the decade and earned a place on the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team.

After 11 stellar seasons in Indianapolis, Freeney extended his career with stints in San Diego, Arizona, Atlanta, Seattle, and Detroit. Inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor in 2019, his game-changing legacy was ultimately immortalized in Canton when he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024.

For the shoe, Freeney accumulated 107.5 sacks, 316 combined tackles (274 solo, 42 assists), 112 tackles for loss, 44 forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.

Ilya Bryzgalov may never have been an All-Star, but there were a couple of seasons where the Russian was considered among the best netminders in the National Hockey League.