Sandeep Poonan said:
Excellent questions, Sandeep. But the second rule of Postgame Spread is to only answer one question at a time. So without further adoo-doo, I will explain why Indianapolis will lose to the Pats in the second round.
The Pats may not be as good as they've played against the likes of the Jets, Bills and outdoor Bucs. They've yet to beat an elite team this season. They're 3-5 against current playoff contenders. They've beaten Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Tampa, but lost to San Diego, Kansas City, Carolina, Denver and Indy. It doesn't prove they can't win, but it sure gives credence to the idea that they're getting well on bad teams and good matchups. (Tampa Bay in 30-degree weather? Brrr!)
But they sure look like they're back to me, and I have no choice but to give them the benefit of the doubt. They've looked good enough in their short-handed losses that I'm not worried. And they're peaking late, which is a great sign (pending possible letdown games against the Jets and Dolphins). Now that people are healthy again, Rodney Harrison's absence is the only key difference between the Pats of 2005 and the Pats of 2004. They're without their top two offensive linemen (Matt Light and Dan Koppen) but they're doing fine without them. So we're basically looking at the defending champs again... solid running game, excellent passing game, solid offensive line, best front seven in the AFC, and a weak-ass secondary. Could last year's Pats have beaten last year's Colts at home, without Rodney Harrison? I'd say yes.
Are the Colts better? Absolutely. Their secondary was already good, and now it's another year better. The defense is much improved, though not really dominant. Their offensive line is a juggernaut. Edgerrin is having his best season. They're not gonna get any better than this. And they beat New England in Foxboro last month, so they know they can win.
If the Pats beat them now, it would be the biggest of their victories over Indianapolis. But I do think they have the edge. Since the Week 9 loss, Corey Dillon has gotten healthy, Rosie Colvin and Tedy Bruschi have played possessed, and Richard Seymour is now healthy and wreaking havoc. Totally different defense. As masterful as the Colts' O-line has been thus far, I don't see how they can shut down Rosie Colvin, and Ty Warren, and Vince Wilfork, and Dick Seymour, and Willie McGinest, and Tedy Bruschi, and Mike Vrabel. It will take one of the best O-line performances in modern history to protect Peyton from all those guys for three and a half hours. Consider also that Seymour and Wilfork are drawing double-teams on a regular basis now. How's Peyton gonna have enough time for a seven-step drop against a rush like that? Now look at who's writing up the game plan, and ask yourself if you think a Bill Belichick team will come out flat against the Colts.
The difference will come down to improvisation, luck, and the mental edge. The Colts need to jump out to a big lead early, and force the Pats out of their game plan. I don't think they can mount a complete comeback against a good team.
...remarkably it is still football season and every single one of you assclowns has a team that will likely make the playoffs..... so why the lack of chatter? And why are Kelvin Schleif's testicles so small? They look like cranberries.
Excellent questions, Sandeep. But the second rule of Postgame Spread is to only answer one question at a time. So without further adoo-doo, I will explain why Indianapolis will lose to the Pats in the second round.
The Pats may not be as good as they've played against the likes of the Jets, Bills and outdoor Bucs. They've yet to beat an elite team this season. They're 3-5 against current playoff contenders. They've beaten Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Tampa, but lost to San Diego, Kansas City, Carolina, Denver and Indy. It doesn't prove they can't win, but it sure gives credence to the idea that they're getting well on bad teams and good matchups. (Tampa Bay in 30-degree weather? Brrr!)
But they sure look like they're back to me, and I have no choice but to give them the benefit of the doubt. They've looked good enough in their short-handed losses that I'm not worried. And they're peaking late, which is a great sign (pending possible letdown games against the Jets and Dolphins). Now that people are healthy again, Rodney Harrison's absence is the only key difference between the Pats of 2005 and the Pats of 2004. They're without their top two offensive linemen (Matt Light and Dan Koppen) but they're doing fine without them. So we're basically looking at the defending champs again... solid running game, excellent passing game, solid offensive line, best front seven in the AFC, and a weak-ass secondary. Could last year's Pats have beaten last year's Colts at home, without Rodney Harrison? I'd say yes.
Are the Colts better? Absolutely. Their secondary was already good, and now it's another year better. The defense is much improved, though not really dominant. Their offensive line is a juggernaut. Edgerrin is having his best season. They're not gonna get any better than this. And they beat New England in Foxboro last month, so they know they can win.
If the Pats beat them now, it would be the biggest of their victories over Indianapolis. But I do think they have the edge. Since the Week 9 loss, Corey Dillon has gotten healthy, Rosie Colvin and Tedy Bruschi have played possessed, and Richard Seymour is now healthy and wreaking havoc. Totally different defense. As masterful as the Colts' O-line has been thus far, I don't see how they can shut down Rosie Colvin, and Ty Warren, and Vince Wilfork, and Dick Seymour, and Willie McGinest, and Tedy Bruschi, and Mike Vrabel. It will take one of the best O-line performances in modern history to protect Peyton from all those guys for three and a half hours. Consider also that Seymour and Wilfork are drawing double-teams on a regular basis now. How's Peyton gonna have enough time for a seven-step drop against a rush like that? Now look at who's writing up the game plan, and ask yourself if you think a Bill Belichick team will come out flat against the Colts.
The difference will come down to improvisation, luck, and the mental edge. The Colts need to jump out to a big lead early, and force the Pats out of their game plan. I don't think they can mount a complete comeback against a good team.
posted by Jeff at
9:34 AM
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