Not sure about this. The Braves constantly ran into one year teams.
Listen, I'm not going to the mattresses about this argument: there's an obvious parallel, and I think it's apt.
The Colts were incredibly talented and only won one ring. I think this damages their legacy.
The Braves were incredibly talented and only won one ring. I think this damages their legacy.
They were defeated by one year wonders aside from the Yankees.
But I have to say... huh?
So... what? Are you arguing the Braves lost to "lucky" or "fluky" teams? If anything, that would
further weaken their legacy, as much as consistently running into superior teams year after year. (And, as an aside, that's not even true -- those '91 Twins had won the '87 Series and were great in that stretch, and the '92 Blue Jays were the first of back-to-back Championships... and again, I don't get the point. A loss is a loss is a loss.) The Braves lost. The Colts lost. They lost to good teams, sure. But the great teams and players are able to beat the good teams they inevitably play in the playoffs. The Braves couldn't do it, and neither could the Colts.
The Colts ran into the teams who they would be contending against for years and could not get past any of them but once.
The Braves lost to the Twins, Blue Jays, Phillies, Yankees, Marlins and Padres. (6 different teams)
The Colts lost to the Patriots (x2), Steelers, Chargers (x2), Saints, and Jets. (5 different teams)
Different years, different sports, same story: regular season success and (generally) post-season failure to a collection of teams.
Don't take my word for it:
Bob Kravitz in Indy Star in 2008:
It must be said: The Colts have become the Atlanta Braves of the NFL. Five straight seasons of 12 or more victories is absolutely remarkable. But it's also relatively meaningless when you've got just one Super Bowl ring to show for it.
Edit: And really, I'm not trying to make a particularly sophisticated point here. I think it damages Peyton Manning's legacy that he'll walk away with only one ring and a litany of playoff duds.