ivanvamp

From Bill Simmons' latest article: "The 10-2 Colts continue to chug along toward a first-round bye. I hate everything that's happening with this season -- my beloved Pats look completely worn out by the quest to go undefeated, the fallout from CameraGate and three straight months of the media's glare, and on the flip side, the Colts are quietly biding their time for a home playoff game in Week 19 and a cold weather war in Foxborough in Week 20. Everything about this scenario makes me nervous. Everything."

So I ask you: are you nervous? I'll tell you why I'm not.

1. The Patriots, while "losing steam" the past two weeks, are still *winning*. I'd be worried if they went 0-2 the past two weeks. Great teams find ways to win.

2. No matter what happens (barring an unmitigated disaster), the playoffs will go through Foxboro. That's a HUGE advantage for New England.

3. If they're tired, they will need some rest, right? Good thing for them they get a 1st round bye this year. That will come at just the right time. They'll have a second wind just as the Chargers roll into town for the divisional round of the playoffs. Cold weather game, at Gillette, Pats fully rested and recharged, against a warm-weather team that the Pats have beaten twice in a row....it still won't be easy, but you have to give them the definitive advantage there.

4. If they lose one of the next four, is that really a bad thing? I know this may seem to contradict my first statement, but losing one game wouldn't worry me. It would, if nothing else, allow the team to not worry at all about going undefeated, and if they were playing for that historical mark, now they could just rest key guys and play a little looser. Not a bad thing.

5. Everyone is worrying about the running game, but I think the one real benefit to Maroney not running so much this year is that he'll be well rested for the playoffs. Not worn down at all. He should be very fresh come playoff time, and that may be needed.

6. When all is said and done, the Patriots still have Belichick and Brady, the best coach/QB combo in the league. And that matters.

7. Last year, we all know that the Pats should have beaten the Colts in Indy. The Colts are still great, but now they'll play in Foxboro, and the Pats are improved. Gotta like their odds in that matchup.

So I'm not worried. How about you?

Fixit

He's become a complete nancy-boy. He even buys into the "no running game" thing, because I honestly don't think he really follows football anymore.

MrBigglesWorth

the run defense and defense in general need to get fixed and start peaking. you have to wonder if they peaked too early.

this undefeated season thing has took on a life of it's own. the ultimate quest is the superbowl. hopefully the giants rest players week 17 so the pats can too. two weeks rest should be what the dr ordered.

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Fencer

The Colts are the defending Super Bowl champs. Their recent track record against the Pats is excellent. I've been nervous about them all season.

A blowout win vs. them would have changed that. A come-from-behind squeaker did not.

Until the Pats wallop the Colts twice in a row, or maybe if Manning himself is the injured guy there, I won't stop being nervous about the Colts.

Patjew

He also mentions how the Pats resemble the 2004 and 2005 Colts teams because neither had a running game. Just don't tell that to Edge James, who ran for over 1500 yards each of those 2 years! Really, Simmons seems to be getting lazy in his analysis and accepts alot of non-factual NFL statements from his readers. He's much more into the NBA, it seems.

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Bella*chick

Yeah, I wondered about that statement. I'm thinking, wait a sec, did they or did they not have Edgerrin James running around out there?

The Sports Guy has some great columns, but in his world you are what you did last week.

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tombonneau

I'm not nervous, but I'm not confident this team can beat the Colts in the AFCCG. Pats will be fielding pretty much the same D that Indy marched up and down on last year in the second half.

The only difference is they won't be coming off a draining cross-country trip to SD.

But anyone who thinks we'll kill Indy has another thing coming. I know I'm definitely rooting for a Pitt upset in Round 2 ...

MrBigglesWorth

I can't see the reffing being that horrendous two games in a row especially with home field advantage, not to mention crowd noise and brady's headset not working. I'm not sure much more could have gone against them.

__________________
"There are two categories of superbowl participants that nobody remembers:

The team that lost the game and the team that only won one." Dwight White- Steelers

bradmahn

Indy in New England is not the same as Indy in Indianapolis. Indy's defense is not the same without Freeney pressuring the QB. And Indy struggled to move the ball consistently against the Patriots at the RCA Dome. Indy does not scare me. No team scares me.

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I don't like Dungy and that's because he [was] the head coach of the Colts. Period. End of question. The degree to which I like a player or coach is predicated solely on the color of the laundry they wear on Sunday. When fans admit this and stop bashing players and coaches for any other reason, the world of sports will be infinitely improved.

jbb9s

PITT in a cold weather Jan. game with the AFC's leading rusher jamming it up the gut and driving the 35 year old linebackers back 3 yards?