Colts Finally Win One
Well it was bound to happen eventually. The Patriots have beaten the Colts time and time again over the last few years, almost single-handedly wiping out Manning’s Superbowl dreams.
The Patriots played pretty bad last night. Brady and the rest of the team leaders are angry at themselves and at the team. Not so much for losing, but for the way they lost. The team just wasn’t energized like they were in years past.
But this shouldn’t be a huge surprise to anyone, really. They lost both their offensive and defensive coordinators – Weiss and Crennel. So two of the three the guys who helped mastermind three Superbowls in four years are gone. “Kill the head and the body will die,” as they say.
Then there’s the injuries. So many injuries. Again. Losing Rodney Harrison was huge. Not just because of his playing ability but because he led that secondary – patchwork and all. Without him out there all but Asante Samuel seem to be sleep-walking.
Is this the end of the “dynasty?” Not necessarily. The Patriots will still likely win the division and most likely play better than .500. Which any Pats fan from the the pre-Kraft era knows is a blessing. They still have one of the best QB’s of all time, solid running backs, great receivers, and the core of a great defense – once Harrison, Seymour, and the rest can recover. Plus a great head coach, front office, and owner.
Pundits are already harking back to Pats teams of old like this team will fall apart and backslide completely now. These are the same pundits who picked against the Patriots in all but the last Superbowl, of course. And one of the positive aspects of the team’s character – the lack of the “me” complex – the lack of the arrogant antics that so many championship teams get into – is that they’ll be able to cope with a bad year or two better. They won when no one expected them to, they know it’s in their power to win again, its just a matter of getting back to business. No ego, no hype, it’s all about The Work, Bubbah.
Teams like the Steelers and Colts are peaking now – their growth fueled in part by getting beaten by the Patriots so often. So fine, let one of them go to the Superbowl this year. Maybe even next too. The Patriots don’t need to rebuild, just to refit and retool.
I hope that someone else keeps the Steelers and the Colts from going to the big game. Manning is so over-hyped because of his gaudy stats that it really made the Patriot’s achievements get underplayed. I will give him credit this year for being more focused on the team winning than on running up his numbers. I’d rather see the Colts win than the Steelers, Manning doesn’t deserve to be “the next Dan Marino” – so great, but never able to win when it counted.
And the Steelers, I just can’t stand Cowher. First of all, he’s a dead-ringer for one of the biggest assholes I ever worked with. Next is the fact that every time the Patriots play the Steelers “somehow” we seem to come away with a serious season-ending injury or two or three. And lastly I just don’t like his style – berating players, whining to the officials over everything, and advocating all that “in your face” attitude which has all but ruined the NBA.
The Colts and Steelers have a window of a season or two before the Patriots can get back to championship form. They best use it wisely.
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