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Hahah, you got it. I take this message board that serious
) Indy will be a very good team next year. Their offense will be dangerous as long as Manning and Harrison are going strong. But they will *need* to pull 4-5 solid immediate starters from the draft or else many will be surprised at how easily they are bounced from the playoffs. NE is a prime example of how much a team can be affected by a single offseason.
Seems like as good a place as any to put my thoughts on Indy/NE:
I don't think that the November game was as close as many Pats fans make it out to be. Adam missed one more FG than Gost, and Indy seemed to be in control of that game the entire time. Brady and the WRs were awful so when Indy adjusted to stop the run, NE's counter to the pass failed miserably. I believed that NE would pull it out when AV left the door open at the end, but it was mostly because of being a homer. The game itself should not have led me to think that.
Indy most certainly was the better team in the AFCCG. But what is lost on many fans (not just Indy fans, but all those praying for NE to collapse) is the fact that NE had numerous oppurtunities to put that game away long before the end despite losing players at an alarming rate and some shoddy officiating. Indy won enough of those critical plays to give themselves a chance and, to their credit, they pulled out a terrific win.
Make no mistake, however, had Indy been the victim of all the in game injuries and a couple incorrect PI calls, NE would have won that game by 14+ points. I recognize that Indy had season long health issues themselves, and that is why I only count guys lost duing the game. But when your passing offense is patchwork as it is, losing the top two most productive players (Dillon and Faulk) was a critical part of Indy's comeback. Again, health opened the door, but Indy still had to storm through it. They deserve much credit for that.
Indy's SB championship actually reminds me a little of NE's 2001 run. NE faced much better teams, but they still needed to get some help. Oakland's offense was slowed down with some help by the snow. Pitt (even though Burress/Ward/Slash all had great seasons) was largely one-dimensional and I think we can all agree that StL played right into NE's hands. NE had some clear warts that the SB helped mask, but were exposed quickly the following year. I truly believe that Indy will have a similar fate next season. They will be better because the 2002 Pats team was not very good, but Indy's 2006 playoff performance would be good for a first round exit 9 out of 10 years. That is were I think they will have issues, not the regular season.
I think that the two Indy games are the reason that NE was so active on the WR market. Both games featured running games that seemed capable of being dominant, but were proven easily neutralized due to the lack of passing threats. NE loves the cat and mouse game of lining up in different formation and attacking in certain ways until they get matchups that work in their favor. Last year, particularly in those two games, NE was incapable of really taking advantage when teams gave them passing opportunities.
I do find it humorous that some Indy fans are passing off their team's lack of FA signings as if it were a sign of strength. Considering that, until the cap was bumped up last season, Indy was in serious straits (even having a couple reworkings declined by the league), this is not anything all that new. It is not a positive attribute to not be able to be a player in one of the primary team developing manners. There is no way that anyone could tell me with a straight face that Indy wouldn't have taken on just about any of NE's FA contracts.
I have more, but this is going on long enough. I will be shocked if anyone actually reads this. Long story short (too late
