JohnnyU
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Here they come again. The vaunted Patriots. The hated Patriots. The incredible Patriots. The Patriots who just keep showing up every January, standing in the doorway, refusing to allow the Indianapolis Colts past them.
You think that's going to be a football game at the RCA Dome next Sunday?
Wrong.
That's going to be an exorcism.
All of the Colts' demons will be there.
Bill Belichick, the mad genius in the $10 hoodie. Tom Brady, the pretty boy with the assassin's heart. Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel, all of those familiar New England defenders, intent on once again haunting and taunting Peyton Manning.
Here they come again.
Really, don't they ever go away? They're the Colts' eternal speed bump. Twice, they've stepped over Indy on the way to their own Super Bowls. Twice, they've done the deed in rather overwhelming fashion.
Well, this time, it's on the Colts' terms. In their home dome, which figures to be eardrum-puncturing loud Sunday. On their fast turf. Away from the outdoor elements. There are no excuses this time, no room for complaints about the officials not calling defensive holding.
This is the ultimate opportunity.
The chance for Manning, who has been quite ordinary in playoff victories over Kansas City and Baltimore, to cast off all the lingering doubts about his ability to win playoff games, and especially playoff games against New England.
The chance for coach Tony Dungy, whose 114 regular-season victories without a Super Bowl rate him fourth on that unfortunate list, to show that he can not only get to the biggest game but beat the best coach of his generation in the process.
The chance for the Colts, the entire organization, to show that the past two Colts regular-season victories in Foxborough, Mass., were not an aberration, to show they've finally moved past their longtime nemesis.
This Sunday, the Colts get the chance to send their tortured history to the showers. One victory, at home, and all the whispers will be stifled. One victory, and all the long-held perceptions will give way.
Patriots-Colts.
Isn't this the way it's supposed to be, anyway?
Isn't this what Dallas had to do, finally getting over on the powerful Green Bay Packers? Isn't this what San Francisco had to do, beating that same Dallas team with the famous pass to the corner and Dwight Clark, setting up their Super Bowl runs?
If the Colts want to be the best, they've got to beat the best.
After Saturday's Colts victory in Baltimore, Manning anticipated there would be questions about where his rooting interest would be directed Sunday.
"You have to be careful what you wish for,'' he said.
Somehow, you saw this coming, didn't you? The Patriots have been under the radar all season, as low-key as any team could be after winning three Super Bowls in five years. They've even been farther under the radar than the Colts, who were written off (blush) after that 3-4 finish to the season.
Well, here they come again.
Because Brady, who was harassed all day by San Diego's defense, is still the greatest big-game, big-moment quarterback since Joe Montana. Because San Diego's Marlon McCree was stripped of an intercepted ball by the Patriots' Troy Brown, who plays offense, defense and several woodwind instruments.
Because Marty Schottenheimer, whose 200 regular-season coaching victories still haven't led him to a Super Bowl, strangely eschewed a long field goal try early in Sunday's game, going for it on fourth-and-10.
You don't have to like the Patriots. But you have to admire them. However grudgingly.
So Patriots Week begins.
Can't wait for Belichick's rousing news conferences, with all those gut-busting one liners and witty bon mots. Can't wait to see the teams' injury lists. Each team will have 35 players listed as questionable or worse. Don't be surprised if the guys who write the list are marked as doubtful with carpal tunnel. Can't wait for another breakdown of the whole Adam Vinatieri Leaves New England saga.
Once again, you understand why you just can't take your eye off this league, not for a second. To think that Indy could go into Baltimore and punch out the league's most ferocious knockout artists. To think Seattle, reduced to using plumbers and real-estate salesmen in their secondary, could take Chicago to overtime. To think New England could come back and beat a San Diego team with the league's best offensive and defensive players, LaDainian Tomlinson and Shawne Merriman.
And here's the craziest thing. When the Colts were stumbling down the stretch, going 3-4 and looking atrocious defensively, it was ridiculous to think they could somehow put themselves in a strong position to reach the Super Bowl. They had to win three games. They had to win one on the road, and probably two. And now look. They're playing at home, where they were unbeaten this season, and they're playing with a defense that's suddenly channeling the 2000 Ravens.
Get ready.
Here they come again.
Bob Kravitz is a columnist for The Indianapolis Star. Call him at (317) 444-6643 or e-mail bob.kravitz@indystar.com.
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