Colts Adjust, Pats Go Home

First off, let me say, that was one of the single most entertaining game I have ever watched. Certainly that is the most invested I have been in a game that my beloved Jets were not a part of.

With that out of the way, lets get directly to the questions that everyone is, or should be asking today. What happened to the Patriots? Five minutes, thirty five seconds into the second quarter I sighed at the realization that the Pats were going to the super bowl yet again, and would likely win. This game was looking like a typical Bill Belichick, super genius, vs. Peyton Manning, super choke, mismatch. New England went punt, touchdown, touchdown, interception for a touchdown, punt, kneel down. Their offense was efficient and their defense dominant. Manning on the other hand was struggling to get anything done offensively. 3 and out, long drive for a field goal, interception for a TD, 3 and out, 15 play drive for a FG. The score at the half was 21-6. NE was dominant. Their defense had Peyton's number again.

But something funny happened in the second half. The Colts adjusted and the Patriots did not. Except for Ellis Hobbs returning kicks, the Patriots were not prepared to play the second half. Indy got the ball and scored a TD. The air should have been out of the Colts when Hobbs returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards to the Colts 20 and 5 plays later the Pats had a controversial touchdown. but the Colts just came right back and scored another TD, forced a 3 and out and scored another TD. This looked like a Rocky movie. Rocky was getting his face mashed in the entire fight, but he was still standing, still throwing punches of his own, and as long as he was throwing punches, as long as he was still standing on his feet, he had a chance.

Another short field field goal by the Patriots. At some point you had to figure that Manning would throw the crucial interception, or the Patriots defense would make the key stop as they have done, year after year. But not yet as Peyton drove the Colts to another tying field goal. About 5 minutes left, New England has the ball on their own 46 yard line. 5 plays later they have a 3 point lead.

Finally, the Patriots defense makes the plays you have grown to expect them to make. 3 plays by the Colts, 0 yards and a punt. They only have 2 time-outs because they lost one in a futile challenge. The Colts had one of the worst rushing defenses in the league. New England had an efficient, pounding running game. A first down and the game was basically over.

But, uncharacteristic of the Patriots, they take an inexcusable too many men in the huddle penalty, backing them up 5 yards. Now they need 15 yards to win the game. That was a Herm Edwards penalty, not a Bill Belichick penalty. Needed to run out the clock, Belichick throws. 7 Yards on first down. 4 yards on second down. Time out Colts. Game on the line. Ball in Tom Brady's hand. I say to my wife. Damn Tom Brady is going to pick up this first down. He does it every time. I was again resigned to another Patriots Super Bowl.

I am caught up in the emotion. I scream out loud. Tom Brady did something very unusual. Not only didn't he pick up the first down, but he almost ended the game himself as Bob Sanders should have had the interception and returned it for a TD. Instead it was just a pass breakup and a touchback later, The ball was in Peyton Manning's hands with 2:17 left. I figured in about 2 or 3 plays Teddi Bruschi would intercept a pass intended for Dallas Clark and I'd have to watch Bill Belichick be sloshed with Gatorade yet again. Maybe it was the losses of Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini. maybe it was the aging linebacker core, or maybe it was the make shift secondary playing without Rodney Harrison. But, with the help of a questionable roughing the passer call on Tully Banta-Cain, Rocky had finally turned the corner on Apollo Creed. Unlike Rocky 1, where Rocky couldn't pull it out, this time, the Colts were Rocky 2. Surviving everything the Pats had to offer until they finally threw the punch that won the game in the last second.

This time it was Tom Brady who couldn't complete the pass when he had to. This time it was Tom Brady who had the game end after throwing an interception. This time it was Patriots fans, who for once, left the game decrying what could have been. Peyton Manning put his knee down. Tony Dungy exhaled having finally gotten over the hump. The State of Indiana cried tears of joy having finally slayed the playoff beast. The NFL said "shit!" knowing that the super bowl would never come close to as entertaining as this came. And in a luxury box in the RCA Dome, a sullen Eli Manning realized that Peyton Manning just created another expectation, another point of comparison, another level, that Eli could never live up to.

I don't this spells the end to the Era of the Patriots. They need to get younger and better at WR (If you had to point to a "goat" in this game, the only choice would be Reche Caldwell, who dropped 2 TDS, including one where the Colts simply forgot to cover him). They need an influx of youth and speed at LB, and they need help in the secondary, especially if Asante Samuel leaves as a free agent. These are the things that Patriots fans are thinking about right now. Because, like the fans of every team but two, they are counting the days to the NFL draft.