BERLIN – If there's one non-Jonathan-Taylor thing I'll always remember about the last week in Berlin, it's how much Germany loves football – and loves the Colts.

I arrived in Berlin on Wednesday and had the honor of hosting on stage at our Colts Fan Zone at Das Center, which is situated near the bustling Potsdamer Platz and only a block or two from a display of pieces of the Berlin Wall. Thousands of fans from all over the world joined us on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and I had a chance to meet and chat with plenty of folks who made their way to celebrate the Colts with us leading up to gameday.

Folks like Andreas, Stefan, Christoph, Andre, Marcel and countless others from Germany were fantastic to talk with, and I was so appreciative of their passion for and knowledge of the Colts. The only thing different about talking ball with those guys was their accents.

From outside Germany, I saw my guys Lucas from the Netherlands and George from England – George even had the honor of getting pied by Blue on stage – and both of them have been instrumental in growing our European fanbase and then connecting those fans with one another. I also met Colts fans like Stuart from Scotland, Lucas from Brazil, Anton from Sweden, the founders of our Austrian fan club, plus so many other folks from Europe.

And then all the Colts fans from Indiana, the U.S. and even Canada who made the trip and who I was lucky enough to chat with: Teresa, Colleen, Clayton, Nichole, Sam, Andre, Brandon, etc. – everyone helped create a melting pot of cultures that united around a collective passion for the Indianapolis Colts this week in Berlin. It was a spectacular thing to witness.

The reception everyone Larra Overton and I welcomed on stage at Das Center was indicative of the appreciation our German fans and those from across the world have for not just the current Colts, but for the history and traditions of the organization. Whether it was Colts Cheerleaders or Blue, or Dallas Clark, Edgerrin James, Bill Brooks and Joe Reitz, or Rigoberto Sanchez, Luke Rhodes and Michael Badgley, or Carlie Irsay-Gordon, or Bjorn Werner and the grand finale of the night – an electric live performance of "I Like It Loud" by H.P. Baxxter of Scooter – we had a ton of fun because of how into it fans were.

On Sunday, the Blue Crew Europe organized a march from the train station to Olympic Stadium, bringing a distinctly European tradition to the Colts' first home game hosted internationally – and the first NFL regular season game played at Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

And then the crowd on Sunday – 72,203 strong – was remarkable. Colts fans, you did your thing, getting loud on third down, cheering for player intros (Sauce Gardner got quite a pop coming out of the tunnel) and providing an atmosphere players won't soon forget.

"The atmosphere was crazy again," left tackle and Austria native Bernhard Raimann said. "Frankfurt two years ago was insane, and now in the Olympic Stadium here in Berlin, what a historic stadium, what a great place to play football, and yeah, I have all the emotions right now. I can't even put it into words right now."

"It was pretty loud. I know you guys like to sing. It's pretty loud when those voices come out," head coach Shane Steichen said. "It was fun, though, just a phenomenal, phenomenal atmosphere. For us to come over here and have the honor and privilege to play here in front of these fans in such a historic stadium was just awesome."

"The scene was amazing," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "Playing here in Germany, man, I couldn't speak more highly of the country and the hospitality or the fans or the environment. Playing in a historic venue -- we all know what Jesse Owens did here years ago, so that's fantastic. We're in that huddle with the game on the line, you're looking around that huddle, it's like, look, where would you rather be? Let's make these plays. Let's win this game."

"It was my first time playing in Berlin and the fans were electric, so I'm definitely never going to forget that one," Gardner said.

Cornerback Kenny Moore II, who earlier this year spent time in Berlin and Germany, already can't wait to go back.

"It was great, not just about me, but I want to spend more time here to be able to further the game of American football with the youth here, further their game, and then try to transfer and transition over to flag football," Moore said. "It was great for the guys to sightsee, seeing the city of Berlin, learning some history, not just about the stadium but all over Berlin with the time that we had."

And Taylor, who broke Edgerrin James' franchise record with his 64th, 65th and 66th rushing touchdowns of his career on Sunday, was deeply appreciative of the venue at which he did it – and, of course, won the game with his final touchdown.

"I'm humbled to just have a small piece of history here," Taylor, who set a Colts' franchise record with his 65th and 66th rushing touchdowns, said. "I hope that all of the residents of Berlin enjoyed the first ever NFL game here. I hope that we put a good product on the field and to be able to spread our love for the game."

Plenty of folks showed up to Berlin from near and far this week loving football – the passion of German fans for the NFL is palpable. But if you were in attendance for what the Colts did Sunday – how, if you didn't already, not also love the Colts?

On Sunday, the Blue Crew Europe organized a march from the train station to Olympic Stadium, bringing a distinctly European tradition to the Colts' first home game hosted internationally – and the first NFL regular season game played at Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

And then the crowd on Sunday – 72,203 strong – was remarkable. Colts fans, you did your thing, getting loud on third down, cheering for player intros (Sauce Gardner got quite a pop coming out of the tunnel) and providing an atmosphere players won't soon forget.

"The atmosphere was crazy again," left tackle and Austria native Bernhard Raimann said. "Frankfurt two years ago was insane, and now in the Olympic Stadium here in Berlin, what a historic stadium, what a great place to play football, and yeah, I have all the emotions right now. I can't even put it into words right now."

"It was pretty loud. I know you guys like to sing. It's pretty loud when those voices come out," head coach Shane Steichen said. "It was fun, though, just a phenomenal, phenomenal atmosphere. For us to come over here and have the honor and privilege to play here in front of these fans in such a historic stadium was just awesome."

"The scene was amazing," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "Playing here in Germany, man, I couldn't speak more highly of the country and the hospitality or the fans or the environment. Playing in a historic venue -- we all know what Jesse Owens did here years ago, so that's fantastic. We're in that huddle with the game on the line, you're looking around that huddle, it's like, look, where would you rather be? Let's make these plays. Let's win this game."

"It was my first time playing in Berlin and the fans were electric, so I'm definitely never going to forget that one," Gardner said.

Cornerback Kenny Moore II, who earlier this year spent time in Berlin and Germany, already can't wait to go back.

"It was great, not just about me, but I want to spend more time here to be able to further the game of American football with the youth here, further their game, and then try to transfer and transition over to flag football," Moore said. "It was great for the guys to sightsee, seeing the city of Berlin, learning some history, not just about the stadium but all over Berlin with the time that we had."

And Taylor, who broke Edgerrin James' franchise record with his 64th, 65th and 66th rushing touchdowns of his career on Sunday, was deeply appreciative of the venue at which he did it – and, of course, won the game with his final touchdown.

"I'm humbled to just have a small piece of history here," Taylor, who set a Colts' franchise record with his 65th and 66th rushing touchdowns, said. "I hope that all of the residents of Berlin enjoyed the first ever NFL game here. I hope that we put a good product on the field and to be able to spread our love for the game."

Plenty of folks showed up to Berlin from near and far this week loving football – the passion of German fans for the NFL is palpable. But if you were in attendance for what the Colts did Sunday – how, if you didn't already, not also love the Colts?

Cornerback Kenny Moore II, who earlier this year spent time in Berlin and Germany, already can't wait to go back.

"It was great, not just about me, but I want to spend more time here to be able to further the game of American football with the youth here, further their game, and then try to transfer and transition over to flag football," Moore said. "It was great for the guys to sightsee, seeing the city of Berlin, learning some history, not just about the stadium but all over Berlin with the time that we had."

And Taylor, who broke Edgerrin James' franchise record with his 64th, 65th and 66th rushing touchdowns of his career on Sunday, was deeply appreciative of the venue at which he did it – and, of course, won the game with his final touchdown.

"I'm humbled to just have a small piece of history here," Taylor, who set a Colts' franchise record with his 65th and 66th rushing touchdowns, said. "I hope that all of the residents of Berlin enjoyed the first ever NFL game here. I hope that we put a good product on the field and to be able to spread our love for the game."

The Colts, too, left a legacy in Berlin beyond the game with a first-ever playground build, supporting the youth of Berlin in a meaningful, long-lasting way. And hopefully, some neutral fans who showed up to Olympic Stadium on Sunday, who wandered through the Colts Fan Zone on Thursday, Friday or Saturday or saw the commitment the Colts have to their community saw that iconic blue horseshoe and thought to themselves: This is my team now.