May the best team win

[los1sol]

Welcome, Los1sol - - great stuff from you.

This is the game. I have enormous respect for the Colts - - can't believe they (and their fans) wouldn't be ticked that the media has pretty much overlooked them copmpared to the Pats this year. They have won 12 straight, they are the Champs and they have won two tough road games the past two weeks in very impressive fashion.........and they are 4.5 point underdogs.

This is the way I felt in 2004 when the Pats were steamrolling as Champs in the midst of the 21 game winning streak, and all the national media could talk about were the Colts. I guess we could say the tables have turned a bit.

That being said, Maroney is nowhere near the RB he was last January. In the AFCCG he was running with his left arm practically taped down and clearly was flinching away from contact. This year, he had a bad groin for a few weeks, but is now well rested and has been averaging over 5 yards per carry the past two weeks. More impressively is how tough and aggressive he ran last Sunday against a normally very stout Washington D. I believe it truly was the key to the game. The Pats established the run early, with Maroney running it right up the gut (instead of his sometimes unsuccessful "french pastry" running). This punch in the mouth early took the Skins out of their D gameplan and they were in trouble the moment they realized that they would have to pay equal attention to the run and not take it for granted. This basically was too much for them to handle.

In a nutshell, Maroney looks quite healthy now and he is rested. This is the first Pats-Colts game in memory where the Patriots were not the more injured team.

That being said, the Colts deserve all the credit in the world and they too could go 16-0.

Thanks Shmesssy. I think the whole media attention being payed the pats is definitely something the Colts players will use to their advantage all week. As far as the fans go, I can't speak for anyone else, but I actually don't mind it. The less pressure they have to deal with, the more focus and relax they should be, in theory.

Besides, not all the press the patriots have gotten has been positive, so I'm content to let the media circus be all-pats all the time.


For now...

 

[cblesz]

Oh, they do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8vTi4H6qiQ

He just keeps getting up after them.

I know. he gets hit hard and gets up. But what I am saying is whack him at the line...knock him down so he does not get into his pattern quickly...shouldn't that throw timing off? Have a D lineman hit him and a linebacker right behind him and hit him again...

 

[los1sol]

I know. he gets hit hard and gets up. But what I am saying is whack him at the line...knock him down so he does not get into his pattern quickly...shouldn't that throw timing off? Have a D lineman hit him and a linebacker right behind him and hit him again...

The problem is few teams put that much focus on Clark. Can't blame them. You got Harrison and Wayne demanding attention not to mention Addai who will get a first down every time if you make him an afterthought.

If opposing teams want to stop Clark, they're going to have to game plan for him, but that usually means leaving another weapon open.

Same can be said of Wes Welker, who is a Brandon Stokley clone, btw.

 

[cblesz]

The problem is few teams put that much focus on Clark. Can't blame them. You got Harrison and Wayne demanding attention not to mention Addai who will get a first down every time if you make him an afterthought.

If opposing teams want to stop Clark, they're going to have to game plan for him, but that usually means leaving another weapon open.

Same can be said of Wes Welker, who is a Brandon Stokley clone, btw.

Clark ate us alive in the AFCCG...

 

[Airkuhl]

I have a lot of respect for the Colts players and agree with all the hype that these are the only 2 teams that matter this year.

I think the Colts will do everything possible to pressure Brady. They will break several streaks the Pats have going, including scoring every 1st possession. The Pats stats this game will not be as high as prior games as the Colts roll up serious offensive yards. Brady will throw a rare int and might have his lowest QB rating this year. (still over 100 though ) Indy will score more points against us than any other team has this year so far.

...and none of that will matter. It'll be a good try by a good team, but barring any significant injuries on either team, the final is Pats 45, Indy 31.

 

[los1sol]

I have a lot of respect for the Colts players and agree with all the hype that these are the only 2 teams that matter this year.

I think the Colts will do everything possible to pressure Brady. They will break several streaks the Pats have going, including scoring every 1st possession. The Pats stats this game will not be as high as prior games as the Colts roll up serious offensive yards. Brady will throw a rare int and might have his lowest QB rating this year. (still over 100 though ) Indy will score more points against us than any other team has this year so far.

...and none of that will matter. It'll be a good try by a good team, but barring any significant injuries on either team, the final is Pats 45, Indy 31.

Oh, the gall...

Sunday can't get here fast enough!

 

[Airkuhl]

Oh, the gall...

Sunday can't get here fast enough!

Agreed! I expect to be entertained regardless of what happens and that's all that matters.

Are you willing to throw a score prediction out there?

I'm happy that the Colts finally won a SB, if only because the Colts fans showing up here now are more interesting than the "Stats>SB wins" tools we used to get infested by.

 

[PromisedLand]

I just want to break in here and say that I LOVE THIS THREAD.

Mutual respect, good sportsmanship, honest discussion of football strengths and weaknesses, and no smack talk. This is what I come to this board for, and so often we need to wade through so much sewage to find the gold nuggets. Hail to fans of both teams who want to partake in this kind of discussion.

OK - back to the discussion. Thanks for listening.

 

[Oswlek]

Hey guys, colts fan here. Just wanted to stop by and say congratulations on the season you're having. Fine team you got there.

Super bowl 41 1/2 is finally here and for the better part of a week we can both enjoy the hype and the build up and have some good football talk.

Let the best team win and let's hope nobody gets seriously hurt. Even Brady, god knows I hate him.

So, how do you guys see this going down?

I see a tough game being played in the trenches. Both teams have had excellent pass protection so far, I'd say the Pats' have actually looked better. It's going to be a challenge from Freeney and Mathis to get to Brady, but hopefully big Ed Johnson (undrafted rook) will help out in flushing Brady out of the pocket a few times.

Our new corners, Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden, are better than David and Harper were last year as expected. Both are taller, too, which should help against 18, but I still think he will use his height advantage to catch an improbable touch down. Hopefully Bob Sanders will be in the vicinity when this happens so he can force an incompletion or fumble.

I'm really looking forward to seeing our defense against your offense. I think it will be fascinating to watch Dungy come up with a plan to stop a powerful offense. As you know, the cover-2 is very simple. All our guys have to do is execute and execute quickly. I think games like these are great for a young defense because the less thinking they have to do, the more they can let adrenaline and instinct take over.

On the other hand, with inexperience comes jitters and mistakes. This is where I expect your defense to shine because of it's experienced veterans.

How are your tackles this year? I haven't watched too many pats games, except for the highlights, which have all been offensive plays. Have they had to sustain long drives and if so, how did they fare?

My hope is that Addai and Keith tire your defense out and force it to play slower than they'd like. Keep Brady off the field and tire you guys out. That's what I would do.

This battle will be won in the trenches and in the secondary. I fully expect the colts to give up the underneath and protect against the big play. Colts haven't allowed a 100-yard receiver since I-don't-even-remember. Will the streak continue?

I hope so. Should be a good game.

1) Indy's defense has never stopped NE's offense. Never even slowed them down, really, except for the middle of last year when NE was still trying to figure out what they were doing. Even then, NE had several long sustained drives and were driving at the end when Faulk tipped a pass up. Those 20 points were the least that Indy has even allowed to NE (tied with the playoff game in 2004). I realize that Indy isn't cover-you-eyes awful on D anymore, but they have been aided tremendously by facing some terrible offenses. Even the decent ones were missing key parts. I will be shocked if Indy holds NE to less than 30. NE is the best offense that Indy will have faced in 5 years or more.

2) The tackes are playing very well. They are also being helped by aged TE Kyle Brady who is just a behemouth of a man out there. Frankly, NE's entire offensive line is playing just about as well as I've seen an OL in recent times. The one complaint is running the ball in close quarters. They were exceptional at power situations last year, but this year they have shown some minor issues in that area. Pass protection has been unreal for most of the season, though.

3) NE had shown some tackling issues in the prior games, but this past one certainly showed what NE can do. I fully expect Indy to move the ball well, but they won't be running at 5 yards a pop like they usually and like they did in the last matchup.

4) I don't know if a 100 yard receiver happens, but I can all but guarantee you that you will see a 300 yard passer. I also think that NE surprises Indy by running it more than expected and Maroney goes for over 100.

 

[los1sol]

Agreed! I expect to be entertained regardless of what happens and that's all that matters.

Are you willing to throw a score prediction out there?

I'm happy that the Colts finally won a SB, if only because the Colts fans showing up here now are more interesting than the "Stats>SB wins" tools we used to get infested by.

34-28 Colts.

 

[shmessy]

34-28 Colts.

It's funny, for this game, I have absolutely no idea for a prediction.

Last week I saw 28-0 Pats over Redskins - - I was certain that BB's lashing of the defense during the week would yield a shutdown kind of game, and it did (had no foresight for the Offensive show, however).

The beauty of this week is that the prediction is waaayyyyyy harder. Dungy is right: This IS Ali-Frazier.