Colts can take it

The NFL has reached the mid-season point, and quite honestly, I really don’t care any more. Sure I’ll watch every Sunday, manage my fantasy teams and make my weekly picks on the blog, but I don’t have the passion for it like I usually do at this time of year.

And that is because of the disaster known as the 2007 Chicago Bears. Watching this team week after week is so mentally draining, because it’s exactly like the ’06 team, except it’s the exact opposite. Last year, after every Sunday game, I couldn’t wait for the week to be completed so there would be another contest. Now I dread Sunday afternoons, knowing that for three hours I’m going to have to watch a beat up defense get taken advantage of, a horrible running back jog into holes for two-yard gains and a QB who can’t decide if he wants to win the game by throwing downfield or increase his completion percentage by throwing three yard dump-offs on third and eight.

Thankfully this week, two things will liven up my NFL Sunday. One is that the Bears have a bye, meaning I’m freed from watching the leagues most disappointing team. And the other is the game people are calling Super Bowl XLI.5. Patriots at Colts should be an incredible game, containing every element that is necessary for a special sporting event. Fierce rivalry? Check. Great players? Check. Hostile crowd? Check. Lots on the line? Check. Great announcers on the call? Eh, not so much. Ok, so maybe it doesn’t have every aspect, but it will still be the best regular season game of the year.

Exactly one year before this seasons game will be played, I wrote a preview for the same matchup from 2006. (Check the Nov. 3, ‘06 post “A big question to answer in Week Nine”) In that preview, I attempted to answer which QB was better, the Patriots Tom Brady or Indy’s Peyton Manning? Of course there is no correct response to that question, since both guys are heading to the Hall of Fame once their careers end. This years game is already getting enough hype from various media outlets, so there is no point in me breaking it down. But since I am what seems to be the only person who is picking Indianapolis, I thought I would share three reasons why I like the Colts in this game.


3- Last I checked, the Colts had won the last three meeting between the teams, including last years 38-34 AFC Championship classic. The last time Tony Dungy’s squad lost a meaningful game, meaning regular season or playoffs, was Christmas Eve of last year. That’s over then months ago. And the game is at the RCA Dome, where the crowd will be going crazy from the opening kick. These things have to be taken into account.

2-As good as New England’s receivers have been (And believe me, I know, since I got both Brady and Wes Welker on one of my fantasy teams), I still would take Indy’s pass game. With Marvin Harrison returning, that gives the Colts three guys that are nearly impossible to match up against, with Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark being the others. Add in rookie Anthony Gonzalez and running back Joseph Addai and the NE defense is going to have a difficult time limiting everything that Manning is going to do. I expect they’ll try to blitz him, limiting the deep throws, and hoping he doesn’t have time to sit back and pick apart a zone D. But with all these options underneath, it might not matter.

1- It used to be that the Colts had a high-powered offense that would crush bad and average teams, but against good opponents, the just didn’t have the defense to keep up. That has all changed. Indy’s D currently ranks as the second best in the league, giving up only 14.6 points a game. They have nine interceptions and twelve forced fumbles, both among the top ten in the NFL. Dwight Freeney is one of the best defensive ends in football, and nobody would argue that safety Bob Sanders (5-8, 206 pounds) is the best pound-for-pound defender in the league. New England has a top of the line defense as well, but there can be a valid argument that the better unit will be wearing blue jerseys on Sunday.

My Pick:
New England- 31
Indianapolis-40


Here’s the full rundown of my week nine picks. My picks in bold

Arizona at Tampa Bay

Denver at Detroit

Carolina at Tennessee

Green Bay at Kansas City

San Diego at Minnesota

Jacksonville at New Orleans

San Francisco at Atlanta

Washington at New York Jets

Cincinnati at Buffalo

Seattle at Cleveland

Houston at Oakland

New England at Indianapolis

Dallas at Philadelphia

Baltimore at Pittsburgh


Last Week: 8-5
Season to Date: 71-45 (61%)