海角大神

This weekend, something will happen that should not be happening. The Indianapolis Colts will play a National Football League playoff game.

At the start of the season, some media outlets ranked the Colts as the . Then the Colts won only one of their first six games. Now they鈥檙e the third team ever to make the playoffs after such a disastrous start. So what happened?

Take this comment from cornerback Quincy Wilson : 鈥淲e talk about love a lot鈥�. We all genuinely care about each other.鈥� Or this from tight end Eric Ebron: 鈥渘o one is selfish.鈥� No matter who鈥檚 playing, 鈥渨e trust them.鈥�

Sports pundits talk about the importance of 鈥渋ntangibles.鈥� But the word suggests these qualities are more mysterious than 40-yard dash times or weightlifting stats. Yet over and over again, the Colts confounded experts by building around players who showed not only talent but leadership, commitment to team, and a genuine love for the game. The coach is even a pastor who but once engineered the in NFL history as a backup quarterback.

The lesson isn鈥檛 new. This year鈥檚 Boston Red Sox were very much a family. The Boston Celtics of a decade ago embraced the The Colts鈥� surprising success this season just another reminder that character is very much 鈥渢angible.鈥�

Here are our five stories today. They include a look at one country鈥檚 unusual take on a classic 鈥渞eligious/secular鈥� debate, one city鈥檚 bid to address the roots of chronic poverty, and one man who has forced his homeland to wrestle with what patriotism is.