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.