Go Colts 2003!
Friday, January 30, 2004
Super Bowl weekend is upon us. Some are calling it the Super Bore, but honestly it has a chance to be a really good game. You have two really good D's and two efficient offenses.
Now the Colts played both of these teams. Lost to them both as well although the games in the regular season were nailbiters and in fact the AFC Championship was still in doubt with just a couple minutes left.
So who will win Sunday? Hell I don't know. If I did I would bet! But here is how I see it playing out and some of the key factors in the game.
Both teams play a rugged, tough defense. I really don't see an advantage for either team except that New England has more veterans on its side. Carolina presents a better pass rush, but NE has better coverage DB's. Both teams will try to get away with as much holding as possible on defense. If the refs call holding early and often it will have more of a bearing on NE.
Offensively, Tom Brady is vastly underated as a QB. He doesn't make many mistakes. He doesn't throw deep down the field much and doesn't have that strong of an arm. He also is not very mobile. But his command of the game is superb and he has emerged as his team leader. We will see if all the accolades everyone is laying on him and his little trip to the State of the Union Address will swell his head. He is looking at winning his second Super Bowl in only his third season.
Jake Delhomme on the other hand has a stronger arm than Brady and is probably more mobile, but running is not his forte. A career backup until this season Delhomme is trying to compete a rags to riches story rivaled only by, ironically, the team he is on.
At the skill positions the Panthers would seem to have better players. Mushin Muhammad and Steve Smith would seem to be better receivers than the Pats Deion Branch and David Givens. In fact I would completely give the edge to the Panthers on this one. The TE position would favor Christian Fauria of the Pats.
At RB the Panthers tandem of Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster make a deadly 1-2 combination. Trust me, as a Colt fan I saw what they could do. NE has Antowain Smith who is solid, but they will use Kevin Faulk, Mike Cloud and FB Larry Centers as well. Again, I would give the advantage to the Panthers.
So that is a quick look at the offenses. Looking at that alone I would say that Tom Brady would have to have a near perfect day to beat the Panthers. A lot will depend on the refs. A lot has been made of the missed holding calls in both conference championship games. How will the refs respond? If they allow an all out holding extravaganza then that will favor the Pats, if they make some calls early I like the Panthers D.
My pick? I like the Panthers 28-10.
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Here we are a week and two days removed from the loss at New England and I still just hurt. I don't feel like reading the message boards, I don't want to think about the draft, I don't care about the free agents. Hell, I just want to find a poker game for Sunday.
Anyway, life goes on. Over at the Colts, they have raised ticket prices after a couple of years of remaining steady. Unfortunately, our group took the biggest hit. $14 per game increase to $790 for the season ticket. Some went up $10, some $5 and some $6. The cheap seats stayed at $15. It's getting up there, but I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Thursday, January 22, 2004
There can be no doubt that one of the biggest topics of this offseason will be the future of the Colts in Indianapolis. It was a hot topic last year and will only get hotter until something is resolved. On Tuesday, Colts owner Jim Irsay held a press conference to congratulate the team. After reading a statement he took questions and naturally he was asked about the teams future. Here are his answers and my takeÖ
Question: Would you characterize the current state of the negotiations with the city?
Irsay: We met before Christmas. Theyíre ongoing. Weíre continuing to look at ways and how we can come up with solutions for a long-term deal, for the lack of a better word. Progress has been made. Thereís nothing substantial that came up at that meeting, but they will be heated up and obviously continuing on in the new year.
Q: Is there a timetable to meet again?
Irsay: Thereís not a date set up to meet again, but I would imagine it would be sometime in the next month to six weeks.
Q: Discuss the monetary figures that have been reported. Are those accurate?
Irsay: Those figures youíre mentioning are based on what our lease says, which is that the city is committed to making median payments two out of three years starting in 2003. That doesnít bring you to the middle of the pack (in the NFL in terms of revenue). That wasnít put in there as a solution, so to speak. In terms of going into the next century, I think that was put in there with the anticipation that there would be a new deal struck ñ potentially and eventually a new stadium. I think probably somewhere around $30 million over the next three years is probably a good guess.
Q: Is it your belief that a new stadium will be part of the agreement?
Irsay: I think obviously we have to get to a new stadium eventually. There could be a bridge to a new stadium with this type of negotiation. I think if you look at, for instance, New Orleansí deal ñ there was a short-term solution that looked to a longer-term solution with a new stadium. However, how that stadium would come about and when wasnít defined. I think that certainly would be taken into consideration. Eventually, thatís where we have to end up. When you look around other markets in the NFL and you see the old domes coming down in places like Detroit and Seattle, eventually thatís where itís going to lead. How soon, itís hard to say.
Q: So would you say you expect something in writing within this negotiation?
Irsay: You canít say for sure, but I would imagine there would be something that would lead to a new stadium. How clearly thatís defined is really in question. Itís one thing to agree on something. Itís another thing to write it down in a document. Sometimes, the second part is more difficult. Itís too early to say how that language would read in terms of a new stadium. Certainly, as we go into this decade and this new century itís going to be something we have to look at. I would imagine it would involve something that will speak toward how we get to a new stadium eventually. But itís too early in the process to say that for sure.
Q: How big of a role will the success of this season play in getting a new stadium?
Irsay: I donít think it plays a huge role. To know the heart of a competitor and to know the heart of a champion and what an owner and coaches and players go through, when youíre trying to win, you do it for the passion and for the joy of winning. When Mike Vanderjagtís lining up for a field goal or you see the conclusion of a big win, you donít think, ëOh, great. Now we can get a new stadium.í Thatís really not the way it works. When Peyton Manning throws a touchdown pass, he doesnít think, ëThat will help in my contract.í Thatís really not the way it works. I think the mayor has spoken about this as well. New stadiums, whether theyíre in Arizona or Detroit or Seattle ñ there are many places where they havenít won for a long time and there are new stadiums there. I think the public-private partnership in a city is based more on just wins and losses. Obviously, from a perceptional point of view, the wins make you more popular. Itís something thatís really positive. I know a lot has been written about, ëThe Colts need to win to get a new stadium,í but thatís not really the way it works in reality. Thereís a little perceptional aspect to that, but thatís about it.
Q: Talk about the need for ñ and the concerns over ñ a new stadium.
Irsay: When you come to a deal thatís good for both sides ñ the city and the team ñ youíre open for any sort of arrangement. Both sides would have to feel itís a good deal for both sides. Looking at that, itís way too early. Some of my concerns have been, ëHow can we sell the products, for lack of a better word, that a new stadium would provide?í Thatís a big part of it, because I think if you build a new stadium and you have the new suites and 15,000 more tickets, you have to be concerned about how youíre going to sell those. Right now, weíre number 32 in (the NFL in) terms of our capacity and our ticket price. Weíre last in the league in terms of what our stadium produces as revenue. Itís difficult, because when youíre in a system where your main costs are player costs and thatís derived from an average, thatís what youíre up against. You see Houstonís stadium, or Tennesseeís stadium, or New Englandís stadium, thatís the kind of competition weíre up against. Thatís ultimately where your player costs get derived ñ from all the revenue that these stadiums have generated.
I know, I know, he really doesnít say anything here that we didnít already know. But you can almost sense the frustration of having to continually answer these questions. Irsay is not the most eloquent person in the world and he looks less than comfortable in front of the camera. But as the owner he has certain responsibilities and he doesnít shun them.
So what, if anything did Irsay say? First off Irsay says that the team and the city have met recently and expect to meet again in the near future. And make no mistake; both sides are looking for a long term that is beneficial to both. He offers no real timetable for the next meetings, but hopes they will be soon.
Irsay also said that the long term solution is a new stadium. I think this is the first time I have heard him actually say that. In the past he has said there needs to be an arrangement that will allow him to remain fiscally competitive in the league, but that a new stadium didnít necessarily solve the issues. He realizes the revenue to be earned on a new stadium and you can thumb back through my blog and find my thoughts. Both sides can be embiggened by a new stadium.
Irsay also said that the success of the team this year would not have a bearing on whether or not a deal gets done. Sure this season has prompted more people to buy season tickets for next year, but that is just the first step. Before we build a stadium to seat 70,000 people we have to have a season ticket fan base greater than 35,000. If we can get to 40-45,000 then we will be in the ballpark. Next year we will have that. And I think the prospects for the future of this team, on-field, is excellent. That will help the team sell more and more season tickets. The real key is that if we stumble, fans have to stay with the team. Remember, in this day of salary cap a team can go from the bottom to the top in a hurry and vice versa. The teams that manage the cap well can stay competitive. We will have to hope Irsay and Bill Polian can do this. I am sure there are fans who are saying ëYeah, great season, but what about next year?í. After all this team has had more lows than highs and I donít really begrudge anyone their ìwait and seeî attitude.
The bottom line seems to be this. The Colts and owner Jim Irsay want to stay in Indianapolis. The city of Indianapolis wants the Colts to stay. There will be some troubled and turbulent times ahead. On the field we look good. We have a great team and a great coach. We have a GM, while having his shortcomings, consistently makes good draft picks. And we have an owner who seems willing to open his checkbook. We also have a city starved for a champion, and the Colts offer a legitimate opportunity to get that. But with all that being said, a new stadium will be the only way both the city and team can be satisfied.
Much more later.
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
As the pain begins to subside, and believe me, there was pain, I canít help but feel good about the season. We did a 12-4 regular season record. We beat the piss out of the Broncos at home in the playoffs and got a big win on the road in KC. If you go back and look, you will see that I had NE as my top rated team for every week I made my standings of the best teams. While there may be some shame in the way the Colts played on Sunday, there is no shame in losing to NE nor in the season we had.
Of course there are many coming out now and saying the Colts donít deserve a new stadium because they lost and various other bullshit reactions. Some people are just fucking stupid. A loss in the conference championship and they are ready to run the team out of town. And honestly, most of these idiots are just the ones who just pop out of the woodwork when anything bad happens. They are useless to me and are non factors as we will get the new stadium and the team will be here for a long time to come.
Another particularly galling thing is the whining Colts fans are doing and the whining Pats fans are doing about Colts fans. First of all, the referees did not lose that game for the Colts. The Colts lost it. Saying differently demeans the sport, the Colts and the Pats. Get over it. And Pats fans move on to the Carolina message boards. You won, congrats, now move on. By the way, I hope ALL of your players end up in body bags on February 1st.
So on the offseason we go. Job number one has to be the resigning of Peyton Manning. Manning will command the largest salary in NFL history, but we have no choice. If he wants to leave we canít stop him. Here is a list of the restricted and unrestricted free agents for the Colts:
Unrestricted Free Agents:
CB Cliff Crosby
CB David Macklin
QB Peyton Manning
LB Jim Nelson
LB Marcus Washington
DT Josh Williams
Restricted Free Agents:
S Cory Bird
TE Joe Dean Davenport
OG Rick DeMulling
OT Ryan Diem
S Jason Doering
CB Nick Harper
RB Dominic Rhodes
LB Donnel Thompson
I will be going into greater detail on these guys in the upcoming weeks. Keep in mind that UFA can go anywhere they want. The Colts have no recourse on them. Their contracts have been played out and if they choose to leave, they may. The RFAís are a little different in that the Colts can allow them to leave, but must be compensated for them. On the other hand, if we demand they stay, the get either the ëTransitionalí or ëFranchiseí tag, which requires the Colts to match and average of the highest salaries in the league at those positions.
Now I have already said that Peyton Manning is job 1. He probably will get a contract that pays him about $15 million dollars a year. He also will probably get a signing bonus of around $30 million. For those interested there is some good info at
http://www.askthecommish.com/salarycap/faq.asp
Regarding the cap. But just to put things in perspective, the salary cap for 2003 was just over $71 million. It might go up to $75 million for 2004. At that cap, a $15 million salary would be 20% of our salary cap for the WHOLE TEAM. Big numbers for one player, and that is where knowledgeable fans debate.
As for the other guys, I will get into more depth and more on Peyton as the days go by, but in my estimation there are a few of our FAís that we have to keep. Manning, Marcus Washington, Rick DeMulling, Ryan Diem, Nick Harper and Dominic ìRockyî Rhodes. The others can piss up a rope. They havenít been productive or effective.
Of the guys I would keep only Rock is not a starter. I would love to keep him, but I have a feeling he might try to take it elsewhere to try to start.
Well kids, that is all for now. Hope you stay tuned for more Colts talk this offseason.
Monday, January 19, 2004
Today, the game. Later in the week when I am over this Blue hangover I will begin to assess the season and start to look forward to the offseason and the 2004 regular season.
Let me first say that it just sucks that I am having to do this today. I really wanted to be writing this in a couple of weeks from now. But alas, it just wasnít meant to be.
This is probably going to sound pretty harsh regarding the QB, but Peyton saved his worst for last. He was pathetic. He threw 4 picks, three to Ty Law and was off target many more times. Most of the passes he completed were low, high or somewhere the receivers had to really reach to make catches. He also seemed to have enough time but held on to the ball for way too long on several occasions. I donít want to get too down on Manning, but he sucked yesterday. Plain and simple sucked. Peyton had a stellar post season until yesterday. As good as he was against Denver he was that bad yesterday. Now we go to the offseason with Manning as an unrestricted free agent. I havenít been to the message boards yet today, but I am sure there are people saying ëcut him looseí. I disagree, but I certainly understand the frustration. This guy stands to get a contract worth nearly $15 million a year. The biggest in league history. Is he worth it? My gut says no one person should take up such a huge portion of the salary cap, but Manning is special and he is guilty only of having a bad game. The monkeyís he shed this post season were 800-pound gorillas. Heíll be back and so will the Colts.
Iíll talk more about the salary cap as time goes on and how Peytonís contract will affect the rest of the team.
Back to Peyton and the game. The opening drive was nice. The Colts marched right down the field and were at the 3 when Peyton threw behind Marcus Pollard and was picked off in the end zone. Things pretty much unraveled from there for the Co-MVP.
Lest one thinks that Peyton was the only problem allow me to push on. No Peyton wasnít the only problem, albeit he was the obvious one. The defense also struggled early. On the Patriots first two possessions they drove easily down for scores. The first a TD and the second a FG. In fact the Colts did hold the Pats to two field goals in the first half after the TD. The second half the Colts D toughened up and played pretty solid. Once again this week though they had trouble mounting a pass rush as well as struggling with the short pass and the middle run defense. Once again Rob Morris was just nowhere to be found. Dwight the Fright did another disappearing act. Mike Doss is too slow and Walt Harris is too old. With the likely departure of Chad Bratzke due to the salary cap this offseason the defense will be young and not that good. Polian has admitted he would like to upgrade at MLB. We will have to see what happens. Bratzke had a heck of a season. If there is a way to keep him we should.
Special teams had another fuck up. Justin Snow snapped a ball over Hunter the punters head in the second quarter leading to a NE safety.
The only bright spots were Pollards 6 catches and Edge running for 78 yards on 19 carries. Edge, especially early, had some very nice runs. Unfortunately we were put in a passing situation by being down. The Martian was another invisible player Sunday. In his biggest game he had a paltry 3 catches.
Overall it was a bad game. I guess what really bothers me most is that the Colts came out and looked beat from the start. They just never competed. I donít understand that. This team had been as hot as a team could get, but yesterday they were simply manhandled. I donít want to take away from the Patriots either. They played a great game and my hat is off to them.
They move on to face the Carolina Panthers in Houston in a couple of weeks. Suffice it to say that I want the Panthers to win, but I really, today, donít care. More later.
Sunday, January 18, 2004
Patriots 24 Colts 10 and it really wasn't that close. Yes we had a chance down the stretch. Too painful to really talk about now. Season wrap tomorrow.
Guarantee. Colts win 2005 Super Bowl.
It's finally game day and confidence is high. I just don't think the Patriots are gonna be able to stop the Colts any better than Denver or Kansas City did. The weather? Looks like 35 and snow. Here's hoping that helps the Colts. Not much else today. I will be back tonight to recap the days activities.
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Here is wishing the best to Brandon Stokely and his family today. Brandon left the team yesterday to be with them after his young son became ill and was diagnosed with meningitis. Stokely's wife is encouraging him to play Sunday but no one could blame him if he chose not to. Hope everything works out okay for the Stokely's.
One other quick note sort of related. Some moron on the message boards names "coltsux" has really stepped over the line and has slammed both the Stokely's and the Colt fans for their concern. People like this eventually get what is coming to them. Sometimes you just wish it was sooner than later. Here's to you going to the game Sunday coltsux and getting your dick frostbit. Loser.
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
Boy them Patriots are a bunch of name calling wusses! I guess if they keep telling themselves how great they are and how bad we are long enough, they will eventually believe it. On a side note Pats OG Damien Woody is out of Sunday's game with a knee injury. No one has endured as much injury hardship as the Pats and the Colts, but in a game of this magnitude that is a big injury!
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
This just in. Colt season ticket holders are getting their Super Bowl ticket invoices today. Price of tickets...$510 each. And I have no idea where those seats are in Reliant Stadium.
This is a little late, but what a weekend of football it was. All four games were as good as advertised. Carolina with the win in double OT, NE barely getting by the second place in their division Titans, the Colts and the Eagles winning on a FG in OT over the Pack.
The one thought I did have on all of it was that Brett Favre is done. The Packers have some really good wideouts and a kickass RB in Aha Green. Yes, Favre did throw a league high 31 TD's in the regular season this year, but he just seems to not care anymore. That was no more evident than in OT of Sunday's game. He looked like a guy who has had enough.
The guy had a tough year. He lost his dad in December and dealt with a broken thumb for a lot of the season. Hell, he even managed to play fairly well. But in every athletes life, from league bowler to pro bowler, that they have just had enough. Maybe Favre will continue on. He eschewed talk of retirement all season. Even when things looked bad for the team. But Sunday evening seemed to paint a different story.
I've already talked about the Colts so I won't add anything about them. Some more items about the Eagles-Packers game. Philly isn't that good. Donovan McNabb sat on the sidelines looking forlorned after making mistake after mistake in the game. He did run the ball well, but he also fumbled and threw some real shitty passes. The Philly D was also suspect as a MF. Aha Green is good, but he ran at will on them. They had this problem last year and it doesn't look like they have found a solution.
Carolina beating St. Louis was the biggest surprise to me. I never thought they could go into the dome and beat the speedy Rams. But then I was discounting the Martz factor. This boob played for the tie and then I assume the win in OT. That is good conventional wisdom for basketball. Doesn't work so well for football.
The Panthers are a lot like the Colts. They seem to be coming together at just the right time. Stepen Davis was running all over the Rams until he got hurt. Then Deshaun Foster took over. Jake Delhomme just keeps playing mistake free ball.
Right now you have 3 QB's in the final four who are on top of their game and you have Donovan McNabb.
The Titans. Well those assholes just suck. Couldn't even muster 20 freaking points. No wonder they are out. McNair, you suck! Co-MVP my ass.
Well here's hoping the games this week are as entertaining as they were last week.
Random thoughts
Tom Brady is a helluva QB. He makes no mistakes and is a good team leader. But let's face facts NE fan: He is not Peyton Manning. There is nothing that Brady does that Manning doesn't do better. And before you tell me he has a ring and Peyton doesn't, remember we are talking about this year. Not ancient history.
The Colts are going to have to have to deal with NE faking injuries if the game is close and they need to change defensive personnel while we are in the no huddle.
Currently weather.com is reporting a hi of 31 and a low of 10 for Sunday in Foxboro.
Ambassadair is offering a Super Bowl trip for $3900. Tickets right now are going for anywhere between $1000 and $1600. If Carolina makes it those proces will drop.
A quick check of ebay shows 24 tickets for sale for the low, low price of $199,999.00. They are in a suite at least. Generally there are some good deals for those seeking accomodations. About $2-3000 for 2 tix and rooms Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Early word is that in addition to the separated shoulders that Idrees Bashir and Rob Morris suffered Sunday, the Martian has some sore ribs and Marcus Pollard is nursing a sore ankle. Both are expected to miss a couple of days of practice but all are expected to play Sunday.
NE QB Tom Brady is also nursing a sore knee injured in the last game of the season. Word is that they have drained more than 4 pints of fluid off the knee since then. Brady is also expected to play.
For the past 20 years it has seemed that New England has owned the Colts. This year feels different. Ihave a lot of faith in coach Dungy and in the game plan he will come up with to finally get this monkey off our backs too.
New England fans remind me of Philly fans. You'll probably hear me say that a lot this week.
Monday, January 12, 2004
Colts 38 Chiefs 31! We are off to Foxboro to face the evil New England Patriots. I am just in sort of a state of shock. Not so much that we beat the Kansas City Chiefs, just that we are pulling it all together at the right time. WOW! And on top of that, the hot stew Pawly made was OUT-standing! More on that later, first the game.
What can you say about Peyton Manning? Yesterday he didnít get the perfect passer rating, but he did manage a 138.8. Manningís stats: 22 for 30, for 307 yards, 3 TDís and no INTís. SO far this post season Manning has gone 44-56 for 641 yards, 8 TDís and no picks. A 153.9 passer rating. Manning was razor sharp yesterday. KC defensive coordinator was completely embrangled. Peyton hit 7 receivers including 6 to the Martian and Reggie Wayne. Even little used FB Tom Lopienski got in the mix with a nice 2 yard reception for TD in the second quarter. For a while it looked like KC was going to quit biting on the play action, but they only managed one sack and very little other pressure.
Edge turned in another solid performance, in fact his best playoff performance. He ran for 125 yards on 26 carries and generally blistered the Chief D. He also caught a huge pass late in the game that helped seal the deal.
Offensively the Colts were unstoppable, literally! The only two times the Colts failed to score were at the end of the first half and the end of the game. Hunter the Punter only saw the field on extra points and a 43 yard Vandy FG. The Colts were perfect in the red zone.
Defensively we werenít that good. We had real problems stopping Priest Holmes. He rambled for 176 yards, but he did lay the ball on the ground for us once. The KC receivers also helped by dropping a myriad of passes. The Colts did make a good stop on the Chiefs in the second quarter and a missed Morten Anderson FG was a crucial play in the game.
Unfortunately we also gave up a 92 yard TD return to Dante Hall. He scrambled nearly untouched all the way to the goal. That fucker is fast!
But all is well in Coltland! Next week we get a shot at avenging one of our losses this year. At Patriots will be a killer game. Right now the temps are expected to be in the upper 20ís. But this team seems destined. Neither the Pats nor the weather are going to stop us. I am sure the idiot NE fans will invade the message boards and then not show up to eat crow next Monday, but thatís Boston fans. Bunch of babies!
Now back to that stew. It was great. Just hot enough without being too hot. A little Jack in the meat, garlic, paprika and cayenne. Onions, a green pepper and some banana peppers. Good schtuff!
More as the week continues. Is it Sunday yet?
Friday, January 09, 2004
This thing has been a lot of fun! I think I will start another just for random thoughts. But rest assured, the Go Colts 2003 blog will remain intact until the start of the 2004 season. After we win the Super Bowl watch for draft analysis and opinion, free agency talk and thoughts and predictions on all things Colts and NFL!
Now on to today's post. I have my Freeney jersey on. It is allowed out on Friday's, just not on game day! I even made up a mayoral proclamation that all employees and students wear blue today. Looks like a lot of my coworkers have done just that.
Edgerrin James is every bit as good as Priest Holmes. Holmes won't run inside. This means he will bounce outside to our speed and strength. It will be a long day for him, but honestly I think they will be passing to catch up most of the day. Edge on the other hand runs anywhere and will have a huge day.
The monkey is off Peytons back and he is loaded for bear. This guy can't do it alone, but he sure can motivate others to join with him to complete the mission. Now Trent Green has had a nice season, but let's face it, he's not Peyton Manning. He played football at IU for Christs sake. How good could he be. And before anyone says "Well Indiana used to have a good team" let me say this. No they didn't. The last time they went to Rose Bowl was 1969. End of argument.
D-Fence..D-Fence....I still hate Rob Morris, but he played pretty well last week. He is the weak link and that is scary. But seriously. Our speed will keep Holmes tracked down unless they try to run up the middle. I think we can get pressure on Green and force him into mistakes.
Vandy rocks. Keep it up Mike. Not sure what the wind will be like Sunday at Arrowhead, but Vandy has been kicking better and better this year. A lot of people say he still can't kick off. Well those people haven't been paying attention. We definitely have to keep track of Dante Hall, but they have to worry about the Rock as well.
If anyone is going, bring back barbecue!
Someone is trying to get a thread started asking if the season is a success. I say that gets tabled until the season is over. I mean shit, even if we do win the Super Bowl, some people will still have problems with what happened or how they did it.
Go Titans! God that hurt!
My picks from here on out...
Divisional Round
Colts
Titans
Rams
Eagles
Conference champions
Colts
Eagles
Super Bowl
Colts
Thursday, January 08, 2004
It is getting a little crazy here in Indy! The fans are really ready. You can just feel it! Tomorrow is Blue Friday. Everyone here should be in blue. The message boards are hopping with both Colt and Chief fans. I still don't think those morons have a chance, but they are sure talking shit. At lunch I went to their board at KCStar.com. Irritating format, but the Colts fans are over there representing.
I am so ready! Hell I just wish Saturday would get here so we can watch some NFL. That would at least tide me over until our game! Nothing else really right now.
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
This POS was in the special Let it Out section this morning....
"Come on, Indy, wake up. The Colts won on Sunday because the rich owner wants a new stadium. They'll at least get to the AFC Championship game so they can say, "Look what we did!" And then, "Give us a new stadium, or else!" It's rigged! How could we lose so badly to a team and then turn around and beat the same team even worse? Did anyone notice a lack of replays of a certain Denver offensive lineman's holding penalties? There were four of them."
I can't even comment on such ridiculous drivel!
I'm sitting here at the end of the day watching the IndyStar.com message boards. The Chief fans have been pretty lively this week. Most are good natured. A couple are assholes. And I will give them credit, they are optimistic. Not sure why, but they are.
One of the latest ones claims that the Colts are 1-3 against playoff competition while the Chiefs are 3-1. Wrong. The Colts are 3-3, defeating Denver and Tennessee twice. They also lost to NE, Carolina and Denver once. KC on the other hand has only played one playoff team in the past 90 days and they were skull fucked by the Broncos, who just happen to be one of their wins. Another of their wins was against Baltimore. A team already eliminated.
Keep it coming KC fans. Your posts have the same ring our replies to Smacky and the rest of the Philly fans last year. We exuded bravado, but you could sense we really didn't expect a win. The only difference you ask. This time, the fans who are scared will have their worst fears realized Sunday afternoon!
Monday, January 05, 2004
Holy Cow! What a game by YOUR INDIANAPOLIS COLTS!!!!! A 41-10 trouncing of the Denver Broncos. By the time this one was over they looked like a Denver omelet! The Colts just kicked the crap out of the same team that beat them 31-17 two weeks ago. And while that 31-17 score wasnít indicative of the way the Broncos beat up the Colts, 41-10 hardly tells the story of how dominating a win it was for the Colts.
The NFLís Co-MVP Peyton Manning threw for 5 TDís. He threw for 377 yards on 22 of 26 passing and had a perfect QB rating for the second time this year. He was simply brilliant. His play action continually fooled the Bronco D and he sliced and diced their defensive backfield like a Popeil knife.
There was no bad or ugly to this game with the possible exception of Edgeís fumble in the third quarter, but the game had long since been decided. In fact, early in the fourth quarter, Denver just started running the ball. They were beat and they knew it. They lay down in the end. They just could not stop the Colts in any phase of the game. Rock had an excellent day returning kicks. Brandon ìVan Campî Stokely had a superb day with 144 yards receiving and 2 TDís. Martian had 2 TDís and 100+ yards. Edge rambled for 78 yards rushing and had another 37 receiving. It was as good of a game as the Colts have played this season and they have had some doozies!
In a game that featured 2 equine themed name teams, with the Colts being counted out by most of the media and many fans, the Colts turned out to be Seabiscuit to Denver being War Admiral.
Now we go to Kansas City. I have to tell you they just do not scare me. I am sure the team is not thinking that way but I honestly think we will get over on them. What would be sweet would be Tennessee getting by New England. If that happens and we win at KC we would have a game here in two weeks. This place would be going crazy! The Pats are riding a nice 12 game winning streak, but they could slip up. It would be tough to beat the Titans three times in one season, but we have pretty much manhandled those punks this season. So go Titans! See you here in two weeks!
For the record, pregame was at my place yesterday. Paw was pretty lit up. It was a great time. One of the coolest things I have ever seen!
Sunday, January 04, 2004
I have to tell you, this has been one long week! Today the Colts get another shot at the playoffs. A stern test awaits the boys in blue. Will the Colts D show up? Will MVP Peyton Manning play mistake free and not try to force the issue? Will we be able to get Edge the ball 20 to 25 times so he can be effective? The answers to these and many more questions will be answered starting at 4:30 this after.
I have a good feeling about the game. I honestly think the Colts will win and win in convincing fashion. But it is only a premonition. The Colts could certainly be on the short end of the stick when it is all over tonight. After all, todayís competition simply spanked the Colts two weeks ago right here in Indy.
I really donít have anything else right now. A full report will be forthcoming.
One last thing though. Peyton Manning did, along with Steve McNair, garner the 2003 MVP Award. Peyton and McNair tied on the ballot with 16 votes each. I think it is a freaking joke considering McNair missed two games that the Titans won AND the fact the Colts beat the Titans twice this year. Oh well, I donít get to vote. Congrats Peyton! I think you deserved it outright this year. I guess you will just have to add a Super Bowl ring to the collection!
