Not too sure if the ending of an epic rival went as plan, but this is why over the years we’ve embraced the Patriots-Colts rivalry. Sure, it’s not as bitter as the Celtics-Lakers, North Carolina-Duke, or Red Sox-Yankees, but in an epic period where football has paranoid our senses and allured our interest, the two premier quarterbacks in the league are the beauty of the league.
In the last decade, each of them has captivated our consciousness. In the last decade, the epic theater of the National Football League is Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, indeed, having absolute admiration without even giving each other the evil stare or clowning with silly trash-talking.
Although each of them plays the game with class and dignity, we as fans are entertained and waited for a much-friendlier, less-bloodier rivalry. So again, our country appeared brainwashed with the calendar broadcasting, presumably the game of the year.
None of us were brainwashed, forecasting an epic finish in NFL history and absolutely it was a remarkable finish, in which astoundingly the Indianapolis Colts trailed exactly with two minutes and eight seconds remaining.
The New England Patriots controlled their own destiny and were minutes away from knocking off the unbeaten Colts and almost ruined perfection. But, obviously, the team of the decade and the three-time champions aren’t nearly as ideal as they were, when their potent and dynamic defense posed agony and created discomfort.
As New England rebuilds a new roster defensively, opponents are intimidated or hesitant to attack, which could have easily forced so-called coaching guru Bill Belichick to foolishly lose confidence in the lackluster defense and strictly prayed for a stud offense to come through at desperation times.
Sunday night transformed into a hapless collapse, upsetting Patriots' faithful, but generated loud cheers inside the spacious Lucas Oil Stadium, where echoed sounds and choruses are heard louder than anywhere else.
Belichick was known as one of the most intelligent masterminds in football, knowing when to toss the red flags for challenging difficult plays, knowing when to organize successful plays, and knowing when to take gambles.
He also has been known for his devious demeanor, a psyche animus people cannot stand. As usual, in their biggest game and test, Belichick wore a blue hoodie and stood on the sidelines with an arrogant stare that mostly everyone loves to hate.
The Patriots, by far, might have experienced the biggest miscue and errant call during Belichick’s tenure. After not having enough belief in the defense, he daringly relied on The Brady Bunch to conserve clock and earn first downs. Instead, punting the ball made sense, but on 4th-and-2 at their own 28-yard line they selected to attempt an adventurous task costing the Patriots a possible victory over the Manning and Dangerous.
The smart decision would have been forcing Manning and Dangerous to start at the 20, in which Manning would have had to showcase his unbelievable arm strength and closely imitate NFL legend Dan Marino.
There are solid weapons surrounding the perilous Manning, in which the Colts are riding a perfect season because of youth and aptitude, discovered on their electrifying drive to advance to a splendid 9-0 pulling off an astounding 35-34 victory over the 6-3 Patriots.
The fans sported blue and anointed Manning and booed the Spygate suspects. It was silent much of the game, on a dicey night everything seemed to be working accordingly for the Brady Bunch.
Throughout the night, Brady connected with primary target Randy Moss, who caught two passes for touchdowns and blew pass the Colts shorthanded and depleted secondary without the most dangerous safety in the league Bob Sanders, the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
But with a composed and experienced Manning, anything is possible. Winning, indeed, was possible when he typically called his no-huddled plays orchestrating on the most breathtaking drive all season.
Next thing viewers knew, Manning hurled a fascinating 14-yard pass to wideout Reggie Wayne, tying the game with 13 seconds left and took advantage of Belichick’s foolish mistakes to turn a tense night into amazingly a cheerful atmosphere.
If he never had burnt his final timeout or went for it on fourth down, the Patriots could have survived and eased closer to home field advantage. Oh sure, New Englanders have awakened this morning, wondering what faltered and angry with Belichick.
Oh definitely, the Brady Bunch has given us reason to believe they could upset the Colts, when the Pats damn-near left Indianapolis with a satisfying victory.
Considering the Colts have decisive depth, the Manning and Dangerous are Super Bowl caliber. Two receivers Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie are emerging in their performance level each game, though both struggled in an intense matchup.
As years progress, in previous seasons, Dwight Freeney is a fierce and physical defensive end whose speed allows him to pressure opposing offenses.
But the particular, star on this night, was strong safety Melvin Bullitt, who was silent for much of the night until he bull-rushed and denied Kevin Faulk of the first down when the Pats needed a yard and a half. He never had full control when Bullitt’s hit stopped him short of the first down, setting up good field position for the Colts.
Near the end, Brady stood on the sideline helplessly disappointed with the turn-of-events. His precision and natural abilities were overshadowed, and his 375 passing yards for three touchdowns was eclipsed for playing on the same field with Manning.
The Pats are fortunate he recovered successfully from reconstructive knee surgery, and thrown for a remarkable 1,395 yards the last four games. But the Brady Bunch was least favorites, as the Manning and Dangerous dominated as time trickled. It’s impressive rookie coach and Tony Dungy’s successor Jim Caldwell is unbeaten, while the Pats continue to shrink as the decade recedes.
But for now, the Colts are a team everyone doubts, when the Brady Bunch should be the one’s accepting most of the doubt.
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