as Pats fans, the Bears MUST win

[brdmaverick]

To save the Pats fans from more suffering, the Bears MUST win the Super Bowl.

If the Bears win, then the Colts historic comeback against the Patriots becomes less significant.

Think about it. If the Patriots DID NOT win the Super Bowl in 2001, then the whole tuck rule thing becomes less significant. Sure, the Raiders would care about it, but it would become far less signficant to the rest of the country. That was one of the defining moments of their season, and it has become forever glorified because the Pats went on to win the Super Bowl.

It's like the Red Sox in 2004. Their historic three games down comeback against the Yankees would have been as glorified if they had not won the World Series.

If Peyton Manning wins the Super Bowl, then the Colts defining game against the Patriots will be forever glorified to an ultimate degree. We will be seeing clips of that game on the NFL Network all the time. As Patriots fans we must at least hope that Manning loses and thus the Patriots choke becomes far less significant. In 2003, if the Yankees had won the World Series after Grady Little's choke, it would have been pouring salt in an open wound.

 

[Michigan Dave]

I'm pretty certain that the Colts' win will be like the 94 49ers win. They beat Dallas, won their Super Bowl, and then Dallas came right back the next season and won. Only we're Dallas, and we'll be around for longer than next year.

 

[richpats]

IMO the only way to make the Colts go away is if they win the SB. Then comes the inevitable fall from grace.... think Baltimore, Pittsburgh or Tampa Bay is winning the SB anytime soon? Even if NE doesn't win another one at least they had a good run over a number of seasons.

 

[MrTibbs]

No way the Bears win this Sunday. All I can see is the Colts getting a nice lead and then playactioning the Bears to death. The more I think about it the more I see a blowout.

 

[Michigan Dave]

IMO the only way to make the Colts go away is if they win the SB. Then comes the inevitable fall from grace.... think Baltimore, Pittsburgh or Tampa Bay is winning the SB anytime soon? Even if NE doesn't win another one at least they had a good run over a number of seasons.

I'd rather they linger around as a perpetual loser than win and go away.

 

[BelichickFan]

I'll be rooting for the Bears but they'll probably lose. Let's face it, a lot of people hate the Patriots as much as we hate the Colts. They have to put up with our winning as much as we have to put up with the stupid Colts. We're stuck with having to suck it up and hoping not to lose in the playoffs next year.

 

[JoeSixPat]

The Colts will be more pumped for this game than any other - will they be over pumped? Perhaps and that can hurt a team, along with the pressure they must be feeling, but I just don't think its going to happen - Colts in a cake walk. The Bears should be loose with nothing to lose going into the game.

Let's not forget the Patriots were considered as much an underdog as Chicago is right now if not more when the Rams were already calling themselves a dynasty (because they had one SB under their belt!) and we all know how that turned out.

I've already accepted the high likely hood that Peyton and the Colts are getting the monkey off their back. Something of the rivalry will be lost when that happens - its fun watching them choke every year! And if it happens on Sunday it will be especially entertaining!

And while I don't want to beat a dead horse, given the fact that one colt was already euthanized this week there's always the possibility it could happen again!

 

[RayClay]

The Bears are Pats fans?

 

[richpats]

Something of the rivalry will be lost when that happens - its fun watching them choke every year!

The fact that the Colts won the AFC title game makes it a BETTER rivalry now. The Jets/Pats rivalry was in hiding until NY won in November.

Even if the Colts win the SB, they will take an unceremonious exit in the playoffs and we'll all say "same ol' Manning, same ol' Colts". This season is an aberration for them.

 

[Michael]

I think the NFL needs to get this out of it's system. If not we'll see another year of lop-sided officiating (see playoffs Colts v. Steelers 2005, playoffs Colts v. Patriots 2006). Hopefully, this will satisfy the NFL and quiet Polian and Manning will get his one and only SB ring and the media can officially anoint him the best QB ever. Then the less great Brady and the rest of the Patriot team can get on with winning their 4th Super Bowl.

 

[Michael]

Also Colt fans will discover the joy of having a Super Bowl Champion team in a salary cap league.

 

[aabtec]

I think that the Bears win. Yes I am being putz. But I cannot stand Payton Manning. I have never liked him. After last year I wish one of his OL would have punched him in the mouth.

If Hrossman starts off rocky I see a quick switch to Griese. Also the Colts will have to 8 or 9 in the box to stop the Bears running game. I think that the Bears eat the Colts alive with play action...

 

[Crowpointer]

I'd rather see Urlacher get a ring than anybody on the Colts plus it will be interesting to see if Manning rolls anybody under the bus like he did with his O Line after they lost to Pitt.

 

[wdkantro2]

I really don't think either team "deserves" to win. The Colts have awful people like Polian running the team, while the Bears have a guy who owns 6 unregistered guns starting for them, and a coach who said "We went 12-4, there is no reason for us to make adjustments to stop Reggie Bush."

I think a Bears win would make me feel a lot better, but I am not getting my hopes up, because I have had enough disappointment for one season.

 

[sieglo]

I want the Bears to win, largely because of Polian.

My enmity towards Manning has faded into a grudging respect. He has tremendous talent, works his ass off, is cerebral as hell, and can win the big gae. Not only that but he was the anti-LT in his comments about the Pats classiness after the AFC Championship. Good for him.

I don't believe the Colts are the biggest threat to the Pats dynasty. I think the Chargers are. This year, the Colts had to get lucky to beat us, but we had to get lucky to beat the Chargers. That team is ******* scary. It's also a young team and the talent there is only going to improve.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Unlike some I will always root for the NFC to take one when we are not the team representing the AFC. Of course my strategy didn't work last season, although in the aftermath what happened to both teams seemed to underscore the significance of what we have done that continues to seperate us from the rest of the league - generally speaking of late both teams appearing in this game undergo humbling next seasons. Even we did in 2002.

What has truly made what we did in XXXVI more memorable is what we did again in that aftermath in 2003 and 2004, coupled with what we nearly did in 2005 and 2006 as all the talking heads took shots at sticking a fork in the dynasty. That is what has seperated this team from say the one and done Rams, Ravens, Bucs, Steelers. In the cap era not only has the winner struggled to stay afloat after briefly basking in the glow of victory, even their foe has crumbled into a steeming pile of loose poop.

Next season should be a rough go for both of these teams. One will have a ring to temporarily placate their critics. I prefer it not be the team whose fans are taking a stab at designing one over on Indy Star. This has been the year of the underdog upset and I'm rooting for that trend to continue.

 

[maverick4]

I completely agree with brdmaverick.
- A Bears win will diminish the Patriots collapse.
- Polian should never win the Superbowl in a just world.
- Manning would be the media's golden god if he won.
- Chicago hasn't had a good NFL team in years and deserve it.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I want the Bears to win, largely because of Polian.

My enmity towards Manning has faded into a grudging respect. He has tremendous talent, works his ass off, is cerebral as hell, and can win the big gae. Not only that but he was the anti-LT in his comments about the Pats classiness after the AFC Championship. Good for him.

I don't believe the Colts are the biggest threat to the Pats dynasty. I think the Chargers are. This year, the Colts had to get lucky to beat us, but we had to get lucky to beat the Chargers. That team is ******* scary. It's also a young team and the talent there is only going to improve.

I too feel that Polian alienates and polarizes opposition to a team and HC who media ballwashing aside wouldn't warrant that level of dislike.

As for the Chargers, talent is all well and good but teams win championships. They have a lame duck HC, just lost their OC and may yet lose their DC. Not to mention they are desperate for a new stadium which SD will not provide for them and that undercurrent can shift management focus and become increasingly distracting to a franchise. I'm not going to worry about their hollow threats (we got lucky but we were also decimated underdogs when we faced them down) until they can get past the wild card round of the playoffs.

 

[denverpatsfan]

- Chicago hasn't had a good NFL team in years and deserve it.

Nobody DESERVES a championship. You have to be friggin kidding me! You sound like those crass Eagles fans from Philly who always say they are due for a championship because they are such great fans and have "suffered". Well let me tell you something. Those Chicago fans just won the SB not too long ago. They have also had the Bulls to watch win 37 championships too. I don't feel sorry for them one bit.

86 years and 42 years are a long time to wait for a championship.

 

[JoeSixPat]

The fact that the Colts won the AFC title game makes it a BETTER rivalry now.

Not for me. I've had absolutely no respect for the Colts, the way they've always found a way to lose and then blame others for their inability to win.

If they can actually win a SB I will need to give them a certain amount of credit and respect - we all should - winning a SB is not easy and they will deserve some respect.

If they lose - likely blaming the rules, refs, anyone but themselves, the legend and rivalry grows further.