Armageddon has a happy ending

And miraculously, I managed to work my VCR timer to successfully tape the Patriots Colts game.

It's not often a game lives up to the hype, but this one really did. I complained a few weeks ago about how the blowouts weren't as enjoyable to watch as the fun battles, and this game really reinforced that notion. From the first drive of the game, my heart was beating a mile-a-minute, I was literally on the edge of my seat, and the Wacky Chinawife and I were living and dying with every play. (this is despite the grainy quality of the VCR tape). I think I burned more calories watching the game than I did doing my open water dives in Monterey today.

This isn't to say I don't appreciate/enjoy the big blowout wins. It's just that the nailbiter wins are more rewarding.

Thoughts:

-Even though they won, I'm a lot less willing to hand the Lombardi trophy to the Patriots after watching the Colts outplay them for three quarters today. It was a little unnerving watching the present day Patriots resemble the '03-'04 Colts with their high-flying passing offense (and yes, Blogman, I'm willing to label them a "finesse" offense now).

-But more unnerving was seeing the present day Colts look like the '03-'04 Patriots. They established a power running game to chew up clock. They dinked and dunked in the passing game, while taking occasional shots down the field. Their defense laid some big hits on the opposition and generally looked like the more physical team. They played competitively despite having some premier players out with injuries. Heck, they even ran the QB sneak to score a TD on the goal line (as Brady did to them in the '04 playoffs). I don't like how these two teams have switched styles of play. I don't like it one bit.

-Did you see that one-handed catch by Randy Moss? Absolutely ridiculous.

-I love that Wes Welker. Even though the Colts shut him down early, he made some big plays in the return game, with some nifty jukes that could have broken the ankles of any would-be tacklers.

-How did the Patriots come back in the 4th quarter? Looked to me like the Colts defenders were worn down and more tired than the Patriots at the end of the game. Brady wasn't getting a ton of pressure in his face on the last two drives, and that was the difference. On that 55-yarder to Moss, I don't even think Dwight Freeney was on the field.

-On the flip side, it was a pleasant surprise to see the Patriots defense apply more pressure on Manning as the game wore on. I thought they would get tired out like they did last January, but it didn't happen. I don't know if it a new scheme was responsible, or if the Patriots players are just more well-conditioned. In the back of my mind, I want to think that the difference in the late-game performance had something to do with how the Patriots have played hard into the 4th quarter, even when they had a big lead (ye olde running up the score argument).

-I can't help but think that if the Colts had all their guys healthy, the outcome of today's game would have been very different.

-I might be finally willing to admit that Joseph Addai is a better RB than Laurence Maroney.

-I can't wait until January when these two teams will inevitably face off again (in Foxboro).