Dream Come True
What a pleasant surprise! Just when I give Peyton and the Colts some respect, they resume their old ways and find a way to lose their opening playoff game. It's good to see that 2006 was a strange anomaly and that Peyton, Dungy, and the Colts once again underachieve in the playoffs.
Some thoughts on the AFC divisional playoff games:
-The Patriots Daily blog summed up my feelings on the Jacksonville defensive strategy: "Correct me if I’m wrong, but did the Jaguars just try to beat Tom Brady by giving him the underneath receivers and forcing him to make error-free choices and accurate throws?" Before Randy Moss came along, this was probably the thing you DIDN'T want Brady to do. The result was that the Patriots punter didn't take the field until the final minute of the game.
-Jacksonville QB David Garrard played really really well. Some of his passes were unbelievably accurate. I think I might be sold on this guy being a legit starting QB. He seems like a very likeable personality as well, which is good because the last thing I need is to spend more time loathing another AFC South QB.
-Uh-oh. My Laurence Maroney man crush is back. I had almost written him off two months ago, but he stepped up big.
-As much as it pains me to say it, I think we're past the point where Peyton Manning should take the lion's share of blame for the Colts' postseason struggles. He threw for over 400 yards & 3 TDs, and both his interceptions came off tipped balls. Of course, since he calls the plays, we can at least blame him for his inability to win the game on the final two drives.
-But let's jump on Tony Dungy for somehow being outcoached by Norv Turner. With all three of the Chargers' playmakers hobbled (Gates, LT, and Rivers), the #1-ranked scoring defense rarely put pressure on the QB and allowed the Chargers backup players to make key plays. For a defense that's designed to not give up the big play, they allowed quite a few of them.
-I know this is petty, but I think I'm actually happier about the Colts losing than I am about the Pats winning.
-Speaking of petty, I thought it was hilarious how when the NFL was introducing the kids who won the NFL youth punting competition, the Indy crowd booed the 14-year old girl because she was a Patriots fan from New Hampshire. Man, we NFL fans will be damned if the athletic achievements of a teenager get in the way of our sports hatred.
-The Chargers-Patriots matchup next weekend will be much better for my heart than the alternative. Not only do I get to avoid reading all the stale Colts vs. Patriots columns during the week, but now I won't have the added stress of knowing that the Pats have a chance of allowing the Colts to win their second straight championship, thus opening the door for talk of a (shudder) Colts dynasty. Both the Wacky Chinawife and I agree that the Chargers winning the Super Bowl wouldn't be terrible.
-If it sounds like I'm writing off the NFC with that last statement...well, it's because I am.
3 Comments:
You know, you might as well start printing up that "2007 Super Bowl Champions - Best Team Ever" paraphernalia now.
There is NO way the Chargers win next week, and like you said, even less of a chance for the NFC in three weeks. At least I feel pretty comfortable rooting for Brett Favre or the Giants.
I was thinking about this... Why do you hate Peyton Manning and the Colts so much?
Is it the ads? Sure, it's obnoxious the number of ads that Peyton Manning does, but it's not like other players don't do a ton of ads (I saw a Brady Quinn ad the other day???) and he's legitimately a great QB.
Is it the hype? Yes, they get picked year after year to win, and they hadn't delivered until next year. But at this point, it's clear they're not as good as the Patriots, and especially off this year, nobody in the future is ever going to try and make the comparison.
Is it the way they score a ton of points without a great defense? That doesn't seem to be such a bad way to run a team all of a sudden, and that's not just referring to the sudden explosion of the New England offense.
Is it the way they are able to keep all their star players and yet not have any problems with the salary cap? As long as they're not breaking any rules, right?
It just surprises me - it's not like the Colts have beaten the Patriots so many times that there's some animosity there. In fact, the Pats have handled Manning and company pretty handily in general over the last 7+ years. Is it more of just a fear that last year's AFC Championship win was the reversal of a prior trend?
Fortunately, I've already posted about my irrational hatred of Peyton Manning as well as my perfectly rational hatred of the Colts.
But to answer your specific questions:
The commercials are really really irritating, but no, I can't say I hate Peyton Manning just for that. There was one that rubbed me the wrong way: the DirecTV ad where he suggests you change the channel to another game, because he's killing the Titans.
-Is it the hype? Yes, actually that has been a big part of it. I think that's natural though--the ridiculous amount of Patriots hype has probably generated quite a few Patriot-haters out there. And while you are probably right that no one will make Colts-Patriots comparisons after this year, you can be sure the Brady-Manning arguments will continue for decades to come.
-It's not the scoring points, but it IS the lack of a great defense. But more specifically, the constant illusion of having a great defense has bothered me the most--a lot of Colts players used to talk about how good they were even though they only ever looked good when defending double-digit leads. Oddly, this was the first year where I thought their defense was legitimately great.
Incidentally, I have the same issue with the 2007 Patriots defense--they talk a lot but haven't really been put to the test. But since the Pats defense has often been legitimately great this decade, I give them a pass.
-I have no problem with the way they keep their stars and manage the cap. I haven't always agreed with their strategy, but it's never been a reason for me to hate them. Incidentally, I do hate the Redskins for this reason; I am decidedly NOT a fan of financial recklessness.
One thing you did not mention is the Colts' style of play. I really enjoy the Patriots' ability to change the way they play in order to win. Contrast this to the Colts, who rarely change formations, seldom move their WRs from their set positions, or significantly deviate from their base defense. They are certainly effective, but I find their lack of creativity to be unimpressive and somewhat arrogant. I concede that this is simply a matter of taste.
When you get down to the fundamental reason though, it's pretty simple why I hate Peyton and the Colts. The Colts and Pats have developed a great rivalry starting with the 2003 AFC Championship game, and irrational hatred has grown out of that. I'd argue that generating irrational hatred is the mark of a great sports rivalry. Even if there weren't any good reasons to hate them, I would go out of my way to find some. Thankfully, I haven't had to do that.
I find it odd that you are surprised by this--I would think that you would feel similarly about both the Boston Red Sox and the Miami Dolphins.
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