Pats will win, and it won't be close

[Dr. K]

The way I feel about this game is the way I felt about the SuperBowl between Tampa Bay and Oakland a few years back. I jsut felt that the Raiders were going to come completely unglued in the game.

 

I hope I am wrong. I am really really sick of the Pats, though I give them their due as a remarkable team. The only way they lose is if Manning and the Colt somehow keep their heads together and make no mistakes. I'm not expecting that.

[jester43]

i agree, and i won a lot of money on the bucs that year.

[Ozymandius]

Why would they become unglued?

 

The way I read Indy's psychological mindset right now is NOT the Colts are peeing in their pants because they have to face their tormentors. The way I read it is this: they're confident. They've beaten NE two in a row on the Patriots field. Granted, those were regular season games, but that does not mean those games were meaningless--the Colts know the Patriots can bleed and if you can bleed, you can be killed. Now they FINALLY get the Patriots at home in the playoffs, something they've waited for years to happen. Do you think they're scared? Nah, they're excited. Weather won't be an issue. Their receivers will get to run on that fast track. With only one Asante Samuel, NE won't be able to cover both Harrison and Wayne. On the other side of the ball, the Colts can put 8 in the box with Bob Sanders without worrying about mismatches in the secondary. Frankly, I think this could be a Colts blowout. Footballwise, they matchup well. They'll have the home crowd and revenge on their mind, and these aren't the Patriots of old. Still a good team, but not great like they were.

 

I'll have a lot of money riding on Colts moneyline (-160) and some more on Colts -3.

[Ozymandius]

i agree, and i won a lot of money on the bucs that year.

 

I won a ton on the Bucs that year as well. But I'm taking the Colts here.

[Cornerville]

I got a bet for all of you.

 

Don't.

 

Enjoy the game

[AJ1]

Why would they become unglued?

 

The way I read Indy's psychological mindset right now is NOT the Colts are peeing in their pants because they have to face their tormentors. The way I read it is this: they're confident. They've beaten NE two in a row on the Patriots field. Granted, those were regular season games, but that does not mean those games were meaningless--the Colts know the Patriots can bleed and if you can bleed, you can be killed. Now they FINALLY get the Patriots at home in the playoffs, something they've waited for years to happen. Do you think they're scared? Nah, they're excited. Weather won't be an issue. Their receivers will get to run on that fast track. With only one Asante Samuel, NE won't be able to cover both Harrison and Wayne. On the other side of the ball, the Colts can put 8 in the box with Bob Sanders without worrying about mismatches in the secondary. Frankly, I think this could be a Colts blowout. Footballwise, they matchup well. They'll have the home crowd and revenge on their mind, and these aren't the Patriots of old. Still a good team, but not great like they were.

 

I'll have a lot of money riding on Colts moneyline (-160) and some more on Colts -3.

 

Manning's great when he's got 6 month's to study a defense. He won't have 2 minutes this weekend to study what B is going to prepare for him. I agree with original poster.

[billrooter]

Just curious did you feel the same way last weekend when the colts beat baltimore? I picked the colts but i insisted they couldn't turn the ball over,peyton had two interceptions and they still won, i am not saying the colts will win though thats my pick but people are underestimating the way they are playing. The patriots are real fortunate they advance last week, san diego basically handed them the game on a silver platter!

[1billsfan]

The way I feel about this game is the way I felt about the SuperBowl between Tampa Bay and Oakland a few years back. I jsut felt that the Raiders were going to come completely unglued in the game.

 

I hope I am wrong. I am really really sick of the Pats, though I give them their due as a remarkable team. The only way they lose is if Manning and the Colt somehow keep their heads together and make no mistakes. I'm not expecting that.

 

I feel the opposite way.

 

I think this is the Pats playoff Waterloo. The Patriots were able to to get the win against the feeble minded inexperienced Chargers, but the Colts will be a different story. Their defense has been playing "lights out" and Manning and Co. are at home inside the dome ready to explode. I'm throwing out the recent Colt failures against the Pats and thinking that they'll make Brady and Co. pay in a big way for all of their previous disappointments. Normally blowouts aren't enjoyable to watch, this blowout will be.

[Boatdrinks]

They've beaten NE two in a row on the Patriots field. Granted, those were regular season games, but that does not mean those games were meaningless--

 

 

I have to concur Ozy. They have won the last two, and those games were FAR from meaningless. Teams that expect to contend know who their competition is and those games were critical points on the schedule in the quest for home field and bye weeks. That's how you set yourself up for the postseason. So I have to laugh when I see so many posters discount those games as irrelevant, then cite a four year old contest as having more significance. Four years is a freakin' eternity in football, and no one would argue that the Pats are the same team they were in 2002. The stakes are higher in the playoffs,obviously. But anyone who saw those Sunday night meetings knows they had a playoff atmosphere. Remember Tommy Girl's frustration at getting smoked at home by the Colts in 2005?

The Colts as they are currently configured have shown they are not inferior to New England any more. They have them at home where their D is at its best. That's no guarantee of victory, but I don't expect any San Diego type meltdown or barrage of boneheaded plays. They are hardly a team of hotheads and showboaters. I hope Polian's crew can take care of business and spare NFL fans from yet another New England Super Bowl.

[leh-nerd skin-erd]

Why would they become unglued?

 

The way I read Indy's psychological mindset right now is NOT the Colts are peeing in their pants because they have to face their tormentors. The way I read it is this: they're confident. They've beaten NE two in a row on the Patriots field. Granted, those were regular season games, but that does not mean those games were meaningless--the Colts know the Patriots can bleed and if you can bleed, you can be killed. Now they FINALLY get the Patriots at home in the playoffs, something they've waited for years to happen. Do you think they're scared? Nah, they're excited. Weather won't be an issue. Their receivers will get to run on that fast track. With only one Asante Samuel, NE won't be able to cover both Harrison and Wayne. On the other side of the ball, the Colts can put 8 in the box with Bob Sanders without worrying about mismatches in the secondary. Frankly, I think this could be a Colts blowout. Footballwise, they matchup well. They'll have the home crowd and revenge on their mind, and these aren't the Patriots of old. Still a good team, but not great like they were.

 

I'll have a lot of money riding on Colts moneyline (-160) and some more on Colts -3.

 

 

tyson-holyfield? the infamous ear-biting fight? you may be right on this one---if you position the pats as the ones to beat, the ones who rarely back down, who rarely lose, and step up and punch them right in the face----maybe you get rid of that old history and make some new memories.

 

i don't think they have to come out of the box hot, but control the game and put some points on the board. that was something the chargers struggled with.

 

i concur as well, a good but not great team is coming in from new england. the house will be rocking...

[jester43]

I feel the opposite way.

 

I think this is the Pats playoff Waterloo. The Patriots were able to to get the win against the feeble minded inexperienced Chargers, but the Colts will be a different story. Their defense has been playing "lights out" and Manning and Co. are at home inside the dome ready to explode. I'm throwing out the recent Colt failures against the Pats and thinking that they'll make Brady and Co. pay in a big way for all of their previous disappointments. Normally blowouts aren't enjoyable to watch, this blowout will be.

except that the chargers are a much better team than indy. at least, that's my opinion.

[OCinBuffalo]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, but here's the problem for the Pats - run defense. Last week LT ran all over them. At first this seems like a no-schitt statement but hold on a sec. I have had a chance to watch the game again. I counted 7 times where LT ran for 5+ yards on first down. On 6 out of those seven the Pats d wasn't close to tackling him until he was 3+ yards downfield. What does this mean? The Chargers O line was knocking the snot out of the Pats D. In some cases, I saw a guard pulling across the line, run upfield, and find no one to block because the center and opposite guard/tackle(even the WR) had blown everybody up already. Anybody else notice we didn't' hear Tedi Bruschi's name once? (Well, except for that one time - I suppose that is some sort of league rule - talking about his helmet or something.)

 

Now, for the life of me, I cannot understand why Marty and the gang weren't calling running plays AGAIN on 2nd and 5,4,3 - in some cases 2??? when they had just given a clinic in run blocking the last play. I mean if it's working - and they can't stop it - why change? Seriously, there were some 1st and 10s where everybody in the stadium knew it was gonna be a run play and they still got 6-7 yards. In fact, I only saw 2-3 RUNNING plays where LT was the main reason they went well or where LT had to make something out of nothing. Certainly the passing plays to LT were all him - but they are designed that way.

 

Disclaimer: Except for the running touchdown in the Red zone going left, stopping, and going right - that was ridiculous - LT is the man.

 

Now, I am not saying that Addai/Rhodes = LT. I am saying that if you can give your RB 3+ yards on a play consistently(like the old Broncos O line) it starts not to matter who is carrying the ball(like the string of Broncos running backs who all "automagically" became "star" players). There is no way that the Chargers O Line is better than the Colts. If anything Colts>Chargers. BTW, Manning>Rivers so play action should be deadly.

 

Also, I do not believe that Dungy and his staff are as silly as Marty and his. In fact, I think that this is the key to beating the Pats. You beat them at their own game. They used to be able to demoralize a team by being sucessful calling 5-6 runs in a row. (Of course Brady is the reason why this works - it's his expert handing off skills - much better than Montana's ) But anyway, I think the Charges exposed the Pats D as old and slow last week - they just didn't press home their advantage

 

No way Dungy makes the same mistake - he's too smart and even if he wasn't he just got an object lesson last week from Marty in what not to do.

[Corp000085]

One team will score less, and the other will win!

[Fewell733]

The Pats always win close

[generaLee83]

I hope the Colts win by 85 points

[eball]

except that the chargers are a much better team than indy. at least, that's my opinion.

Don't discount the importance of playoff experience. SD essentially had none, and it showed.

[Dr. K]

I feel the opposite way.

 

I think this is the Pats playoff Waterloo. The Patriots were able to to get the win against the feeble minded inexperienced Chargers, but the Colts will be a different story. Their defense has been playing "lights out" and Manning and Co. are at home inside the dome ready to explode. I'm throwing out the recent Colt failures against the Pats and thinking that they'll make Brady and Co. pay in a big way for all of their previous disappointments. Normally blowouts aren't enjoyable to watch, this blowout will be.

 

Nothing would please me more than to be wrong about this, and to see the Colts absolutely humiliate the Pats this weekend. From your lips to heaven's ear.

[RuntheDamnBall]

San Diego does not have Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne. These guys will not be gift-wrapping dropped balls like SD did last week. Mark it.

[ILoveTomBrady]

I'm not going to be an obnoxious Pats fan on another team's forum. The Colts could win and I wouldn't be too shocked. Unlike SD, they've been in the playoffs before and aren't new to expectations.

 

As for the last two regular season games they've played, those are pretty meaningless. The Pats were too hurt by injuries last year to beat good teams and they were a much inferior team earloier this year. The passing game was still being sorted out. Brady and Caldwell were not yet on the same page and Gaffney wasn't around yet. In spite of all of that NE turned the ball over 5 times or so and were still in the game, only losing by 7. Manning kept making plays rolling out of the pocket which he cannot be expected to make every time (he even completed one pass while falling down).

 

As for the playoff games from 2+ years ago they don't mean much. They're good to measure how Manning handles playoff pressure and a BB defense though.

 

I think the #2 defense in the league is being largely ignored. Holding SD (the #1 offense in football) to 21 when their average drive started around midfield was a terrific performance. I think the Indy defense is being largely overrated. Defense is definitely in NE's favor.

 

Peyton is the wild card. If he plays a great game he's hard to beat, and NE would need to control the clock and score on almost every possession (which they've done to Indy in the past, though I don't know if this year's offense is up to it). He has traditionally struggled both against the 3-4 and in the playoffs. If he struggles I don't see how Indy can win this game.

[RuntheDamnBall]

I'm not going to be an obnoxious Pats fan on another team's forum. The Colts could win and I wouldn't be too shocked. Unlike SD, they've been in the playoffs before and aren't new to expectations.

 

As for the last two regular season games they've played, those are pretty meaningless. The Pats were too hurt by injuries last year to beat good teams and they were a much inferior team earloier this year. The passing game was still being sorted out. Brady and Caldwell were not yet on the same page and Gaffney wasn't around yet. In spite of all of that NE turned the ball over 5 times or so and were still in the game, only losing by 7. Manning kept making plays rolling out of the pocket which he cannot be expected to make every time (he even completed one pass while falling down).

 

As for the playoff games from 2+ years ago they don't mean much. They're good to measure how Manning handles playoff pressure and a BB defense though.

 

I think the #2 defense in the league is being largely ignored. Holding SD (the #1 offense in football) to 21 when their average drive started around midfield was a terrific performance. I think the Indy defense is being largely overrated. Defense is definitely in NE's favor.

 

Peyton is the wild card. If he plays a great game he's hard to beat, and NE would need to control the clock and score on almost every possession (which they've done to Indy in the past, though I don't know if this year's offense is up to it). He has traditionally struggled both against the 3-4 and in the playoffs. If he struggles I don't see how Indy can win this game.

To me it's going to be about keeping Dillon and Maroney in check, and that's going to be hard. I'd wager that's an even tougher challenge than stopping LJ. But we'll see.