If you missed the last five minutes of last night’s game between the Colts and Patriots–which is not a rivalry but a fine matchup nonetheless–you saw Bill Belichick instantly shed the label of “coaching genius” when he sent his offense back out onto the field for a 4th and 2 play from his own 28 yard line. With a six-point lead, Tom Brady threw a screen pass to Kevin Faulk, who bobbled the ball in front of the chains, completed the catch, and was knocked backwards by the Colts’ defense. The ball was spotted short of the first down just before the 2-minute warning, and the Patriots, having used two timeouts on their very short drive, could not challenge the call. Peyton drives the Colts down the short field for a Reggie Wayne TD catch, and the extra point seals a 35-34 Colts win.
There’s only so many ways to say “insane.” Belichick didn’t seem confident after the failed 3rd and 2 pass that he was planning to go for it all along. Who throws it when (a) you need two plays for two yards, and (b) you’re trying to kill the clock, even if Tom Brady is your quarterback?
Was Belichick so immersed in his own excellence that he just assumed he could get the two yards? Or was he so convinced that Peyton Manning was going to beat him anyway? Of course, if Belichick gets his two yards, we’re not having this discussion, but that still doesn’t mean it wasn’t the dumbest call ever.
I can appreciate that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are both great NFL quarterbacks. They and their teams are the Stuffed Chicken Marsala and Tour of Italy of the NFL–perennially delicious and on the brain without so much of a glance at the other fare on the menu. They’re always good. And I understand that, yes, these teams have played each other every year since 2003 and occasionally meet in the playoffs. But does that really make Colts-Patriots a rivalry?
Merriam-Webster defines rival as simply, “one of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess.” But doesn’t that apply to all 32 teams in the NFL? You know, besides the Browns? What makes this “rivalry” different. Well, aside from the fact that the Colts and Patriots shared a division until the 2002 season, not a whole hell of a lot.
The teams don’t exactly share similarities–the Patriots are a shrewd, defensive-minded team cast in the image of their maker/videographer Bill Belichick. The Foxboro defense relies on both exuberant team speed and sometimes parts discarded from other clubs. The Colts, conversely, let it all hang out, and are happy to let Pey-Pey lead the offense’s expeditions to the end zone and hope that the defense can keep up. It’s the same blueprint that the Saints have used in their own digs; when a team plays more than half their games in favorable climates, you can do that.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to be a badass game. But that’s all it is. There’s no turf war between Boston and Indianapolis, no bolstered competitiveness that can’t be found in any other game involving great teams. But when two of the league’s best get together on national TV, there’s doesn’t have to be.
People tend to play less attention to you when you’re 0-6. Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher, who has held his job as head coach longer than any other in the league, recently appeared at Lipscomb’s Allen Arena to introduce former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy for some benefit thinger. So you can imagine everyone’s surprise when Fish pulled off his shirt to reveal a Peyton Manning jersey.
“I just wanted to feel like a winner,” Fisher joked as the crowd erupted in applause and laughter.
Asked about Fisher’s unorthodox introduction, Dungy said, “He made me feel right at home. Jeff is always the master of the unusual. That was quite a surprise but something only he would do. But just being here, and coming out and supporting this even with the team being 0-6, just to come out and be supportive, that’s who Jeff Fisher is. That’s why he is special.” –Nashville City Paper.
I’ve never thought of a Peyton Manning jersey as a pick-me-up, but I guess it’s better than putting on women’s lingerie with heels and wandering out to the Meatpacking District. I always thought that “meatpacking district” was a euphemism. Maybe it should be. Thanks, Mike [for the imgs] and Walker.
Orchestrating another offensive explosion onto his opponents’ face, neck, and trendy eyewear? On national television, no less? That’s just another day at the dojo for Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. After throwing for 279 yards and four touchdowns on the Cardinals’ home field, Pey-pey had sufficiently buried Arizona in Week Three’s Sunday Night game, 31-10.
The Colts only converted on 3 of 11 third down attempts, but it was Manning’s quick-strike ability that allowed the Colts to score from anywhere on the field, including a 53-yard touchdown toss to Pierre Garçon, who’s probably still available in your fantasy league. If Manning had been in Vietnam, not only would we have won, but Dallas Clark would probably have become the white Hồ Chí Minh. Hey, somebody has to oppress those people…
“We were kind of figuring things out as we went along,” he said. “Once we got into a comfort zone, we really executed from there.”
He threw 20 yards to Reggie Wayne(notes) for the first score, 10 yards to Dallas Clark(notes) for the second and a nifty 53 yards to Pierre Garcon(notes) as Indianapolis took a 21-3 halftime lead. Manning added a 3-yard TD toss to Joseph Addai(notes) in the third quarter to make it 28-10. via.
It was the 50th 300-yard passing game in Manning’s career, and I have to think that Peyton might be able to make a living at this “football” thing. Certainly, those 50 or so endorsement deals of his couldn’t hurt, either. Even though he probably has to fill out like 90 W-2s every year. Makes sense that the only one that could keep Manning in check is his accountant. Those greedy little bastards have their hands on everything.
It’s hard to believe that Colts tight end Dallas Clark only catches 5 or 6 balls a game, because every reception he makes seems to be some backbreaking third down conversion to sustain a critical drive in a big game. But Clark mixed it up last night, catching a pass on the first play from scrimmage and taking it 80 yards to the house en route to a 27-23 win.
“Give credit to our defense,” Clark said. “They were out there for probably 100 plays, and for that last drive I know they were tired. For them to come up with those plays and keep them from scoring was just tremendous effort.” via.
Indeed, Miami enjoyed three times to Indy’s time of possession, so it looked like a foregone conclusion that Miami would reach the end zone when they had the ball and 3:13 remaining, but no. Clark finished the game with seven catches with 183 yards and a touchdown. And then he probably went out and bench-pressed a cement truck while getting blown by a parade of gorgeous Latina women. You know, because that’s just how he rolls.
Here’s a new Snickers ad with Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, and I gotta say, I don’t get it. Okay, so dude kicks the ball–from a hold–straight up into space? And it hits a satellite. And not only does that satellite not burn up on re-entry, but crashes on the same field just yards away from where the ball was kicked. Was he aiming for that satellite? Or was he just being a dick because dude was eating candy on the field? Kickers probably eat candy all the time. It’s not like they’re doing any work out there. Thanks, Samer, via.
