The Indianapolis Colts learned of the death of legendary offensive line coach Howard Mudd on Wednesday as the 78-year-old passed following a battle with injuries that stemmed from a motorcycle accident.
Mudd was a big part of the Colts family, especially during the years in which Peyton Manning was the quarterback.
The Sherriff released this statement through the Colts about what Mudd meant to him:
“I’m extremely saddened to hear the news of Howard Mudd’s passing. I will be forever grateful for Howard’s tireless efforts and work to protect me as a quarterback and to help our team win so many games. He always told me the story about the day I got drafted – Jim Irsay came down to his office and left a note on his desk which said, ‘Howard, your job is to keep No. 18 protected. To keep No. 18 clean.’ Howard always kept that with him and always took that direct order from our owner very seriously. In every game plan meeting and every practice I know he was always thinking about how to protect me as a quarterback in the pocket with different blocking schemes and ways to run the ball. That was always on his mind and he kept that thought process with him throughout his whole career. As a quarterback, I can’t tell you how much that meant to me knowing that was on his mind and that was one of his top priorities.
Obviously, Howard was a great player in the NFL. He was a legendary coach. In my opinion, Howard Mudd was the best offensive line coach in NFL history. I would put him on that pedestal any day of the week. I know all the guys that played for him would feel the same way and a lot of the guys that coached with him would feel the same. He will be missed by many. I know so many like me are grateful to have played for him.
One of the all-time storytellers. Howard, Jeff Saturday and I had a lot of healthy arguments. If you had a point to make and you believed in it you had to stick with it because Howard was going to make you prove your point and he was going to counter you and fight you and argue with you. But we were all trying to accomplish the same goal – trying to figure out the best way to block this blitz or the best way to game plan versus this particular defense. We had a lot of healthy discussions – Tarik Glenn, Jeff Saturday, Ryan Diem and I. Howard was one loyal person and loved his o-linemen and loved the guys. He loved that meeting room and all the different places that he coached. We had a special group there with the Colts. It was an honor to have known Howard Mudd. It was an honor to have played for him. I was proud to be his friend and proud to be a quarterback that he was trying to protect all the time. I will be forever grateful. Shirley and their entire family are in my thoughts and prayers. May Howard Mudd rest in peace.”
Mudd and Manning worked together from the beginning of the latter’s career. Both arrived to Indy in 1998. They were together until 2009, and Mudd was known for crafting one of the best offensive lines around the future Hall of Famer.