Call me stubborn with my Broncos fixation, call me overly skeptical, call me what you will, but I'm STILL not convinced that the Colts are the best team in the AFC. Last night's victory in New England doesn't prove anything as far as I'm concerned. Here's why:
1. For all of the improvements the Colts have made to their defense, they still didn't shut the Patriots down. Tom Brady had a huge night and his wide receivers were open on most of their routes.
2. The Patriots represent a "name" opponent but aren't as good this year as in years past. They're completely banged up, missing their entire starting secondary and two other starters starters (Matt Light, Richard Seymour). The Colts STILL haven't beaten an upper-echelon team.
3. Should the Patriots make the playoffs and face the Colts again, they still have the mental edge over Indy come January. One regular season victory doesn't wipe away the fact that Peyton's always been accused of being ARod-esque; unbeatable in the regular season, ghost-like in the playoffs.
4. Along the lines of #2, "Genius" Bill didn't do his best job last night. Onside kick early in the 3rd quarter? Maybe the karma's turned on New England (they would've recovered that last year) but I still don't see how you can tell your defense that you don't have confidence in them - that's a bad move.
5. The Colts going for the two-point conversion late in the 4th quarter was bush-league Spurrier-style football. Only the most insecure teams have to pile on when they've already won the game running away. The Colts KNOW they haven't been tested yet. They KNOW they're not as good as the media and fans believe.
This isn't to say the Colts aren't good. They're damn good. They're good enough to win the Super Bowl if things break their way. But we just can't say it yet because they've won eight games and have only played one semi-quality opponent (last night). The rest of their victories read like shit -- Baltimore, Houston, San Francisco, Cleveland (sorry Mighty & Gutsy)...
1. For all of the improvements the Colts have made to their defense, they still didn't shut the Patriots down. Tom Brady had a huge night and his wide receivers were open on most of their routes.
2. The Patriots represent a "name" opponent but aren't as good this year as in years past. They're completely banged up, missing their entire starting secondary and two other starters starters (Matt Light, Richard Seymour). The Colts STILL haven't beaten an upper-echelon team.
3. Should the Patriots make the playoffs and face the Colts again, they still have the mental edge over Indy come January. One regular season victory doesn't wipe away the fact that Peyton's always been accused of being ARod-esque; unbeatable in the regular season, ghost-like in the playoffs.
4. Along the lines of #2, "Genius" Bill didn't do his best job last night. Onside kick early in the 3rd quarter? Maybe the karma's turned on New England (they would've recovered that last year) but I still don't see how you can tell your defense that you don't have confidence in them - that's a bad move.
5. The Colts going for the two-point conversion late in the 4th quarter was bush-league Spurrier-style football. Only the most insecure teams have to pile on when they've already won the game running away. The Colts KNOW they haven't been tested yet. They KNOW they're not as good as the media and fans believe.
This isn't to say the Colts aren't good. They're damn good. They're good enough to win the Super Bowl if things break their way. But we just can't say it yet because they've won eight games and have only played one semi-quality opponent (last night). The rest of their victories read like shit -- Baltimore, Houston, San Francisco, Cleveland (sorry Mighty & Gutsy)...
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