Colts to repeat

[Nordberg]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20138312/

Opinion: Colts have sights set on repeat
Patriots signed big names, but Indy has solid plan in place

By Bob Cook
Updated: 6:33 p.m. ET Aug 6, 2007

Every champion talks of having what it takes to repeat, but the Indianapolis Colts have a better case to make than most. For instance, while he got the Super Bowl monkey off his back in January, history-conscious Peyton Manning is as aware as anyone that the overall ledger on quarterbacking immortality still reads Brady 3, Manning 1.

Also, even though Brady’s New England Patriots loaded up on offseason free agents such as Adalius Thomas, Randy Moss and Wes Welker, for the Colts those acquisitions play less like a way to re-establish AFC dominance and more like desperation moves.

But for Indianapolis and team president Bill Polian, the key is not how many you sign, but who you sign. And the Colts have enough of their offensive and defensive core locked up long enough to make at least another three or four Super Bowl runs.

After taking care of Manning and receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne a few years ago, the Colts last year also gave long-term, big-bonus deals to right tackle Ryan Diem and guard Ryan Lilja. But the bulk of the money has gone toward defense. Last year, defensive end Robert Mathis, defensive tackle Raheem Brock and linebacker Gary Brackett split $24 million in bonuses on their way to long-term deals.

...

I guess none of the Colts losses has changed this guys opinion on the Colts repeating as SB Champions...but what no one points out is, what happens if the Colts suffer more losses...you know...when they starting hitting in real live games.

Their depth is a big?

 

[BelichickFan]

Sigh. We didn't sign "big names", we signed "really good players". If injurues are the same in quantity and quality from here out I will be stunned - STUNNED, HE SAID - if the Colts beat us this year.

 

[aabtec]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20138312/

I guess none of the Colts losses has changed this guys opinion on the Colts repeating as SB Champions...but what no one points out is, what happens if the Colts suffer more losses...you know...when they starting hitting in real live games.

Their depth is a big?

This is why we need drug testing for the media...

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

Another Colts ballwasher article. :horn: This guy stretches pretty hard on a few points though.

That said, until we kick em' of the perch...

 

[Pats726]

I also think with the bull's eye on their back they will have MORE problems as teams will be gunning for them early and every little falter will have other teams taking advantage of them.
NE's being viewed as the team to beat shadows that some, but I think the glasses are a little too blue and white for me. Desperation moves?? I think that is laughable at best. Who they have locked up?? We'll see if their moves and signings really show genius.

 

[SVN]

This year has been the most ironic in terms of predictions. Every year people picked the Colts to win when the pats won it all or were close to win it. This year we sign Moss, Thomas and everyone jumps on the Pats to win it all.

Clearly all these predictions are based on 'perceived' star power. Obviously this writer is trying to be different. And this line about "But for Indianapolis and team president Bill Polian, the key is not how many you sign, but who you sign." - The pats have done this for last 5 yrs but it took signings of Moss and Thomas to recognize them as a Superbowl contenders.

All about the big names because thats the only way writers can support their theories.

 

[spacecrime]

My favorite parts:

Also, even though Brady’s New England Patriots loaded up on offseason free agents such as Adalius Thomas, Randy Moss and Wes Welker, for the Colts those acquisitions play less like a way to re-establish AFC dominance and more like desperation moves.

I never understood why it is a desperation move to sign three good WRs if last year your main weakness was your WR corps. Was it a desparation move by the Colts to sign a kicker last year when their own kicker was their weakest link? A desperation move by the Saints to replace Brooks with Brees? I don't think so.

Colts president Bill Polian didn’t seem too heartbroken about Glenn’s departure, telling Sports Illustrated, basically, that Glenn was a fat guy who might not have been re-signed after this year.

This is poor.

Sanders is more of a toss-up. He can void the final two years of his contract after this season.

Happy happy joy joy. Let him be a FA and maybe the Patriots can make a desperation signing and grab him. I wanted to Pats to draft him. I'll consider us more than even, if we end up swapping Vinatieri-Klecko-Reid for Sanders.

 

[BelichickFan]

Colts president Bill Polian didn’t seem too heartbroken about Glenn’s departure, telling Sports Illustrated, basically, that Glenn was a fat guy who might not have been re-signed after this year.

Did Polian actually say that? I guess nothing surprises me with him.

Sanders is more of a toss-up. He can void the final two years of his contract after this season.

Happy happy joy joy. Let him be a FA and maybe the Patriots can make a desperation signing and grab him. I wanted to Pats to draft him. I'll consider us more than even, if we end up swapping Vinatieri-Klecko-Reid for Sanders.

The night before that draft Curran said Sanders was a guy we were very interested in for the second round. Unfortunately the stupid Colts took him 10 or so picks earlier and we took Marquis Hill.

 

[scout]

Who dd they sign as free agents? Then they lose the most important offensive lineman and apparently, the defensive lineman (Booger) that helped their shoddy run defense? If Thomas had signed with them, this guy would be talking about the Colts going undefeated.

 

[Jacky Roberts]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20138312/

I guess none of the Colts losses has changed this guys opinion on the Colts repeating as SB Champions...but what no one points out is, what happens if the Colts suffer more losses...you know...when they starting hitting in real live games.

Their depth is a big?

I wonder if my wife wants to cover football fro MSNBC. I mean, she clearly knows as much about the NFL as this guy does. I wonder if he wrote this before the retirement of Glenn and Booger's injury, I would hope he did.

 

[Canada's #1 Pats Fan]

Talk about desparation moves - every media outlet has the Dolts swooning like ravenous vultures at the slightest indication that Warren Sapp will be released as well as Tank Johnson. Those are desparation moves. It is more desparation to throw 'huge' money at a good (not great) undersized DL in Freeney because of the fear that he might leave next year and the revolt that the fans would have had.

Manning is 'sexy' right now in the eyes of the media and has been for awhile. He also looks extremely sexy to the Pats Defense. As much as Belichick only allows players to focus on the next game being the big one, believe that all of the def. has the Nov. game circled against the Dolts.

Lets allow the media to make those predictions, it is snack food for Harrison et al.

 

[Rob0729]

You know what is funny? All these media people talked about the Pats not having a chance last year even before the fate of Branch was resolved because the Pats lost Vinatieri. A kicker?!? Yes, in the past, he has been very clutch for us and may be the most clutch kicker in history; but he didn't have a spectacular 2005 season and he is still just a kicker. I even heard morons like Sean Salisbury talk about how Vinatieri alone would win the Colts three more games last season and make the Pats lose one or two games.

Now the Colts have lost five starters (Nick Harper, Jason David, Cato June, Tarik Glenn, and Booger McFarland) from the 2006 (six if you count Dominic Rhodes as a starter). Yet, everywhere I read or see on TV is that all those losses are minor. So these so-called experts truly believe that a single kicker even the quality of Vinatieri is a costlier loss than five starters. I will give this guy the benefit of the doubt and say that he didn't know that McFarland is probably lost for the year.

As for this guy's act of desperation comment, why is it an act of desperation when you have plenty of cap space to go after players who are going to make their team better. If this guy looked closely, he would have saw that the Pats pushed a lot of last year's cap money forward into this year so we could be an active player in free agency this year long before they lost the AFC Championship game. Did Belichick have the foresight to know we were going to be "desperate" to chase after the Colts that he knew he would have to move money into this year?

 

[patpatriot]

I don't think that the Colts have lost much on the offensive side and on the defensive side, who cares? They stunk defensively last year and still won. As long as they can keep ringing up 35 PPG they are going to beat a lot of teams. Their real issue is depth. They don't have any. If the injury bug bites them, they're screwed; unlike the Pats who have good depth at pretty much every position (except perhaps Running Back).

Anyway, let the Colts be the favorites. Best to fly under the radar.

 

[Phokus]

Talk about sloppy/lazy journalism.

 

[pats1]

Who dd they sign as free agents? Then they lose the most important offensive lineman and apparently, the defensive lineman (Booger) that helped their shoddy run defense? If Thomas had signed with them, this guy would be talking about the Colts going undefeated.

Nobody, really.

They haven't signed any decent free agents since Dungy got there. They've done all their work through the draft.

 

[godef]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20138312/

I guess none of the Colts losses has changed this guys opinion on the Colts repeating as SB Champions...but what no one points out is, what happens if the Colts suffer more losses...you know...when they starting hitting in real live games.

Their depth is a big?

Bob Cook who?

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Like Tony Dungy smartly put it the other day,there is no such thing as repeating - There are different players year in and year out so when you think about it 'repeating' another Super Bowl win is just a title for the team name,The team NEVER remains the same thus there is no such thing as a team repeating another Championship.

Something to ponder when they talk about stupid dynasties which in reality,technically do not exist and impossible to exist.

This is not the 70s and 80s anymore where 99% of players on multi-championship teams stayed until they retired.

The cap era took care of that.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Nobody, really.

They haven't signed any decent free agents since Dungy got there. They've done all their work through the draft.

That's why, hate him or not, Bill Polian is simply the best in the business when it comes to the draft and picking players to fit their schemes and system which is why Gonzalez is the early favorite for ROTY honors.

The Colts have never been really big into free agency. The GM just knows how to pick guys that will blossom into good players - Just like Pioli is doing here - Pioli is a close second when you look at draft management, of course BB helps in that department as well and our scouts are not too bad either.

 

[cstjohn17]

I don't think that the Colts have lost much on the offensive side and on the defensive side, who cares? They stunk defensively last year and still won. As long as they can keep ringing up 35 PPG they are going to beat a lot of teams. Their real issue is depth. They don't have any. If the injury bug bites them, they're screwed; unlike the Pats who have good depth at pretty much every position (except perhaps Running Back).

Anyway, let the Colts be the favorites. Best to fly under the radar.

First off, why does anyone care at all what any member of the media thinks or writes?

I agree with PP, on paper they are not on the same level as the Patriots or San Diego. But as BB says paper doesn't win games...

Manning is a superior QB and they have well established schemes, a good coach. They should be in the playoff tournament, once a team is in anything can happen (see 2001 Patriots, 2005 Steelers, 2006 Colts).

I still think they present a lot of matchup problems for the Patriots and shouldn't be under-estimated. Hopefully the Patriots can get the one game at a time mentality going and take home field advantage, it is going to be critical this year to be a high seed.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

I think a desperation move is trading away future draft picks, not accumulating them......If the Pats were desperate, they would have used their other first round pick, not parlayed it into another first rounder, probably higher next year. IIRC, it was the Colts that traded their 2008 first rounder to use this year.
Regarding journalists as Bobby Knight once said, " we all learn to write in 1st grade. Most of us go on to do other things."