Don Banks on Pats/Colts history

[Fencer]

Patriots-Colts is losing its luster - Don Banks - SI.com

He outlines just how dominant the Pats and Colts jointly have been.

E.g., the last time at least one of the Pats or Colts didn't make the playoffs was 1993.

 

[ALP]

i disagree...

this is one of the pats colts reg season games ive looked forward to...

maybe second most (after last years match of the unbeatens)

 

[ICSB]

i disagree...

this is one of the pats colts reg season games ive looked forward to...

maybe second most (after last years match of the unbeatens)

Yeah I am excited too. It still has meaning despite our record and no Brady.

It always has meaning. Last years was amazing. I was there too. Good game. I can't go this year though.

 

[Fencer]

For the teams involved, it's just as big as when both were flying high. Neither one is doing much this year without winning its share of regular season games against good teams.

But for the league overall? Well, if the Pats win then they're still one of the better teams in the league, while the Colts sink further toward a lost year. If the Colts win both teams move toward mediocrity.

 

[MassPats38]

The Article title is a little misleading. Given the game last year, it was tough to figure out how the rivalry was "losing its luster." That implies a trend and this is one game in one season.

He pretty much says 2008 is a weird year and the game doesn't have huge playoff implications as it seems to every previous year since 2003. Agreed, in one sense but in another these perennial playoff teams need all the wins they can get given injuries this season so this win is likely much more significant than it would be in previous years and the rivalry is still there. It just may not have the national appeal of the "battle of the best" that previous games have offered.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

The Article title is a little misleading. Given the game last year, it was tough to figure out how the rivalry was "losing its luster." That implies a trend and this is one game in one season.

He pretty much says 2008 is a weird year and the game doesn't have huge playoff implications as it seems to every previous year since 2003. Agreed, in one sense but in another these perennial playoff teams need all the wins they can get given injuries this season so this win is likely much more significant than it would be in previous years and the rivalry is still there. It just may not have the national appeal of the "battle of the best" that previous games have offered.

Agreed, Banks outlined the playoff implications, then foolishly focused his tears on the absence of a battle of titans. This is, as has been the trend in recent years, a measuring stick game.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

I think people are looking at the games backwards. This year's game is way more important than last years.

Last years match up was about who would get the #1 AFC seed and who would get the #2 AFC seed. Ho hum. Loser still gets a bye week. Neither team is at all at anything close to a serious risk of losing the division after their first lost at mid-season. That game was pretty meaningless as regular season games go. In fact so was every individual Patriots game for the rest of the season after that. Patriots could have lost one or two or three of them and still gotten a bye. They could have lost bunches of them and still won the division. A stinker of a game Brady against the Colts would not have resulted in articles about, "Is Brady for real can he really lead the team to the post-season"

OTOH, this years game the Colts are fighting for their life to stay in the playoff hunt. A young QB will be tested to see what he is made of. One of the best QBs to have played the game will test our rookie and 2nd year secondary. This game could very much be a defining moment for both teams. Last years game was not.

 

[JSn]

OTOH, this years game the Colts are fighting for their life to stay in the playoff hunt. A young QB will be tested to see what he is made of. One of the best QBs to have played the game will test our rookie and 2nd year secondary. This game could very much be a defining moment for both teams. Last years game was not.

Talk like this does nothing to help SUnday night get here faster! Grrr... lol

It's true, this game is just plain exciting. We should lynch PATSNUTme for even questioning it

 

[Robdude]

Definitely as a Patriots fan this is still an exciting game. Still I cant disagree with Banks' perspective. From a national viewpoint I do not think too many other people care about the match up.

I always wonder about the 'back against the wall' theory. At 3-3 last week playing the Titans weren't the Colts already in a must win situation. Aren't they trying to win every game. I just have a hard time buying into the idea that the Colts are NOW desparate. I am not sure why people are expecting them to turn into the old Colts all of the sudden

 

[patchick]

The Article title is a little misleading. Given the game last year, it was tough to figure out how the rivalry was "losing its luster." That implies a trend and this is one game in one season.

Totally agree, the headline writer did Banks no favors.

While this game clearly doesn't have the marquee value of a clash of the unbeatens, a Patriots win could set up a surprising storyline for the season: I'm seeing signs of the intense nationwide Patriots hatred giving way to more respect. Now that the "secret cameras," the "quest for perfection" and the "running up the score" are all out of the way, I think people are starting to look at this team team with fresh eyes. If they can claw their way to 6-2 without their MVP QB, that's pretty damned impressive. And the corresponding slide of the Colts to 3-5 with Manning would only underscore how tough it is to keep winning year in and year out.

 

[Carpentier]

If the Patriots win there still have a good chance to get a bye in the playoffs.