The New England Patriots won a half size Lombardi Trophy by beating the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl 41 1/2. The Patriots and the Colts are who we thought they were: the two best teams in football. The Colts lost because they couldn't get it done in the red zone. The Patriots won because they could. They were down by ten points with under ten minutes remaining--down but not out. With great speed, ferocious pass rushers, and solid hitting from the secondary, the Colts defense looks better than ever. There's no shame in their game, particularly with the absence of Marvin Harrison and starting left tackle Tony Ugoh. Joseph Addai is a stud. Gary Brackett's interception was an awesome display of athleticism--and concentration. With the aid of the referees, the Patriots set a franchise record for penalty yards. The officiating was horrible, and it detracted and distracted from an otherwise epic battle. Randy Moss is the man at wide reciever again. The one-handed circus catch was as amazing as the 55-yard reception was predictable. As soon as Brady let go of the ball, everyone knew who it was going to and that it would be caught. Here's a picture of Tom Brady's girlfriend. The Colts will get another crack at Patriots, but it will be in Foxboro in January instead of inside the dome. The Patriots have defeated a great team in the Colts, beat on some of the league's stronger teams in the Cowboys and Chargers, and laid waste to every other team they've played. Is it too early for that conversation about "best ever"?

Yes it is too early. The Pats are very good, there's no doubt, but a healthy Colts team figures to be better. Let's hope both teams are at full strength and playing well for the AFC Championship game.

By the way, is there any doubt that Adrian Peterson is already the best running back in the NFL? Naturally, he's from Texas, along with Doak Walker, Earl Campbell, Erik Dickerson, and Ladainian Tomlinson.

Tom Brady's girlfriend (the smart little minx), just signed a big contract with Pantene hair products for, dare I say, big BUCK$.

I dare not say. Because recognizing that the dollar has hit an all time low against the euro, she will take payment in euros.

All that and brains too.

And, oh by the way, she was smart enough to rope Brady and will be at his side when he holds up the Lombardi trophy in February.

The Colts are a very good team. There was never any doubt about that. Their defense was stellar. Mathis and Freeney were fast and dangerous, easily handling the Pats’ offensive line and making Brady look like a mere mortal, their no-name linebackers were solid and their defensive backfield was a advertised. Manning is very good and Addai has to be considered one of the top two running backs in the league.

But the best team prevailed despite penalties and some shoddy offensive play because they have better players, better coaching and are a better team.

These two teams will likely meet in Foxboro in January and win or lose, that is what this game was about. Home field advantage in the AFC Championship game is huge and I will venture to say that unless something drastic happens between then and now, the Pats will win by a score well in excess of four point.

"I will venture to say that unless something drastic happens between then and now, the Pats will win by a score well in excess of four point."

Based on what? Home field will certainly give the Pats an edge, but Harrison will give the Colts an equal or greater edge. The Pats won by four yesterday. Harrison is worth far more than four points. For example, it's doubtful those early Colts' drives would have ended in field goals instead of TDs if Harrison had been on the field with Wayne and Clark.

Pardon the pun, but defensively the Patriots made a deal with the devil yesterday. And they chose stopping Peyton and his receivers over stopping the Colts running game. They did one very effectively to plan. Harrison would have made some difference but the move to bench Adalius Thomas and use Rodney Harrison as another linebacker for pass coverage was brilliant and still would likely have limited Harrison as it did with Wayne and Clark.

I don’t like to do “if onlys”, but consider that Peyton’s one big pass play was a short dump off to a running back and lousy tackling for 7 points. And that a really bogus non-penalty pass interference call produced (luckily) just three points, that game could have been even more lopsided.

So, Harrison is always a factor (one of the best possession receivers I’ve ever seen) but the Pats would have handled him. I’ll give you that he could have accounted for 7 points. But I don’t think he would have had a big day.

We’ll see in January.

And Ralphy: the Pats would still beat yo’ Boyz any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Although, they only needed to beat them once! ;-)~

"And Ralphy: the Pats would still beat yo’ Boyz any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Although, they only needed to beat them once!"

This month, and maybe next, but the Boys are getting better. We had our full set of corners last night (they'll be fully healthy in a week or two). Tank Johnson joins the D-line this week. And Terry Glenn is a few weeks away from his first action. By the time Dallas would meet the NE again, in February, they would be better suited to give the Pats a closer game.

I don’t know man. The Boyz have the meat of their division left and have to beat the much improved Giants after a bye again, Green Bay and Deriot. Plus, they need to get through the NFC field in the playoffs.

Considering though that the NFC is the JV, if they are good enough to meet them in February, I suspect you’ll be one unhappy camper. Again.

Unless Philips learns how to cheat. Right?

well i was wrong, i thought the colts had the D to put a hurt on the pretty boy. they did for 45 min. but its a 60 min. game. now i hope my "stillers" can kick his @ss.

Steelers got biatch slapped by the Cardinals and the Broncos and they're going to come into Foxboro and beat up on Brady? Ah, ya.

I don't know about cheat, but I wouldn't have minded him running up the score last night. We have a score to settle with Philly. We still owe them for the fake kneel-down by Randall Cunningham (and Buddy Ryan) in 1987.

Way too early for "best ever" talk to begin. After winning the last 3 the Colts have been re-patriated, but there is no doubt that they are a top flight team that has a chance to beat the Pats if they meet again, even in the nasty weather of NE in the winter. 2-3 years ago that probably wouldn't have been the case but the Colts are much more of a grinder team now. BTW, what was with the icy encounter between the coaches at the end of the game?

Altogether, a great weekend for sports. The Calzaghe-Kessler fight and Colts/Pats both were excellent. The only stain on it was those dam Cowboys winning.

That's the point. If you have a good team, you don't need to cheat. That's why all of that foolishness about the Pats' "alleged" cheating scandal continues to make the media and a lot of fans just look stupid.

"Yes it is too early. The Pats are very good, there's no doubt, but a healthy Colts team figures to be better. Let's hope both teams are at full strength and playing well for the AFC Championship game." - Ralph

Having Tony Ugoh and Marvin Harrison out is made up for the fact that they played in their dome, on their turf, and that they cheated during the game: http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/11/05/colts-fans-have-a-funny-way-of-cheering/

Not to mention the fact that the refs may as well have been wearing Colts jerseys.

"Based on what? Home field will certainly give the Pats an edge, but Harrison will give the Colts an equal or greater edge. The Pats won by four yesterday. Harrison is worth far more than four points. For example, it's doubtful those early Colts' drives would have ended in field goals instead of TDs if Harrison had been on the field with Wayne and Clark." - Ralph

The Patriots would have won the game by much more than four if the refs were not following a clear agenda of doing everything in their power to insure a Colts victory in the game, and if the Colts had not been cheating by pumping in artificial crowd noise (see above).

"This month, and maybe next, but the Boys are getting better. We had our full set of corners last night (they'll be fully healthy in a week or two). Tank Johnson joins the D-line this week. And Terry Glenn is a few weeks away from his first action. By the time Dallas would meet the NE again, in February, they would be better suited to give the Pats a closer game." - Ralph

Just stop talking about sports Ralph. You're literally always wrong.

To quote from Yahoo Sports:

"3. Pats have every right to be upset

Though the New England Patriots got out of Indy with a win, the NFL's lone remaining unbeaten team has every right to be livid about the quality (or lack thereof) of the officiating. The worst calls involved cases of pass interference.

It started when Colts tight end Dallas Clark mauled Pats safety Rodney Harrison in the end zone on a ball Harrison might have been able to intercept. No call.

It continued when Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel was flagged for interfering with Colts receiver Anthony Gonzalez on a ball that was simply not catchable.

It happened again when New England corner Ellis Hobbs was flagged for interference after Indy wideout Reggie Wayne literally tackled him.

The worst call was made in the fourth quarter, with the Patriots driving and trailing by 10. From the Indianapolis 3, New England quarterback Tom Brady threw to Randy Moss in the end zone. When the dust settled, Moss was flagged for offensive pass interference, even though he did nothing that would remotely classify as offensive pass interference. While New England overcame the 10-yard penalty to score a touchdown, the victory was a lot more difficult than it should have been because of the questionable decisions of the officials.

So what gives? Was it sheer incompetence? Or have the Patriots become the equivalent of the Raiders in the eyes of the NFL and those who officiate its games?"

Any ways, this game was very dirty. The fix was in from the beginning; the NFL wanted the Colts to win this game and the refs a mission to make sure this happened. Kraft should demand a full scale investigation and if it is found that the Polian-controlled competition committee was engaging in foul play, everyone one it should be expelled from the league and Goodell should possibly be fired.

AM, my comment on the faux handshake at the end of the game is based on the same reason these guys don't always pat each other on the azzez during or after games.

These are very competitive people playing a sport at a high level that dictates that you try your hardest to put the other guy in the hospital.

These guys are not good old boys. They're nasty aggressive individuals who are not necessarily nice guys.

This is why the media and fans make me laugh when they bring up all of the extracurricular dramatics and nuances outside of the game.

For all intents and purposes, Bill B. is an @-hole. But, he's our @-hole and he wins. Most of us are ok with that.

Speaking of "extracurricular dramatics and nuances outside of the game", hows about watching Keith Obermann by candle light during the broadcast of a professional football game so that the network can tout their "greenness"?

Between the stomach wrenching human interest stories on MNF with those knuckleheads and the other network phonies, it's getting hard to watch the games in the process.

It appears the Colts also may have been screwing with headsets: http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/11/05/coltgate-bill-belichick-says-patriots-coaches-couldnt-communic/

Pats fans are accusing others of cheating. That's rich.

Would the absence of Randy Moss be made up for by the fact that the AFC Championship game will be on the Pats' turf? I didn't think so.

The officiating was not as bad as you Pats homers make out. It certainly didn't affect the score.

So the media's got it right this time? Do they have it right when they criticize the Pats?

Do we have to put the gloves on you guys and take you out back? Man!

AM,

It's all in good fun. I love arguing sports even more than I love arguing politics.

Too bad your wrong most of the time Ralph. You should stick to politics.

You're wrong that I'm wrong.

"Pats fans are accusing others of cheating. That's rich." - Ralph

Since you have no rebuttal, I assume you concede the point. Thanks.

"Would the absence of Randy Moss be made up for by the fact that the AFC Championship game will be on the Pats' turf? I didn't think so." - Ralph

The loss of Wes Welker. Reggie Wayne is the Colts #1 receiver and has been for a while.

And yes.

"he officiating was not as bad as you Pats homers make out. It certainly didn't affect the score." - Ralph

This comment is remarkably stupid. An offensive pass interference call on Randy Moss which would have been a touchdown did not affect the score. Right. Giving 145 yards to the Colts, the majority of which they should not have received, did not affect the score.

The fact that you actually wrote that has caused me to lose all respect for any of your opinions at any time.

"You're wrong that I'm wrong." - Ralph

There isn't anything to be debated. Its not disputable, its a hard fact that you have been wrong almost every time you have opened your mouth on the issue of sports this season. You believed Dallas would beat New England. You believed Dallas lost by 14 points when they lost by 21. You believed Indy would win. You made the statement that the play calling in the Indy game did not affect the score, making yourself look like a complete idiot. Your statements and predictions about the NFL have been consistently incorrect. It's not something up for debate.

You're getting sucked in again Ben. Blood pressure, blood pressure.

Still, it is a tad entertaining.

Anyway, as I alluded to in an earlier post on this topic, you give Brady the receivers he has this year in that AFC Champ game last year, and the Pats win their fourth Super Bowl.

That's really all you need to know and what sums up this game yesterday.

Your memory is failing, much like your arguments.

I changed my pick to the Pats once I learned Harrison was out. And I've won the FlynnFiles AYRFSF twice this season. I'd measure my record against yours.

As for Moss and home-field advantage being equally important for NE, that's complete idiocy. Let me explain something to you about your team that, given your loose grasp of the game, I'm sure you don't know. What makes NE's offense so special is the fact that they have three good receivers (one of which is great). If they were to lose one, especially Moss, their passing attack would be no merely good, not great. Compare them to the "Greatest Show on Turf." What made the Rams devestating was that they had three good receivers (one of which was great), Bruce, Holt, and Az-Hakim. As soon as they lost Az-Hakim to free-agency, their offense returned to earth. If the Colts had Harrison together with Wayne and Gonzalez (a very good receiver as the third option), as well as Clark, their offense would be as prolific as NE's. The same will be true of the Cowboys once Terry Glenn joins Owens, Crayton, and Witten.

Wayne better than Harrison? You're a fool.

The offensive pass interference call on Moss in the endzone was offensive pass interference. Granted such pusing off is routine, and is rarely called (and so it appears arbitrary when it is called), but there's no doubt that Randy pushed off. Of course, if I had complained about the officiating in the NE-Dallas game, it would have been whining, right?

As for the margin of victory in the Dallas game, I've already made my (correct) case that garbage points are not significant when judging the difference between teams. I see no need to rehash that discussion.

48-27 embarrassment. Deal wit' dat'.

I've dealt with it. We got beat by the better team. But I'm hoping to see the Pats again.

wow patsie fans whinning about bad calls. man thats a laffer, first off you would have never got'n to the first superbowl if you didnt get one of the worst calls ever when the prettyboy fumbled in the raider game. as for the cheat thing, its kinda funny how the commish destroyed the records. hmmm. if i was a lib. i'd say it was Bushs fault and the evil neo-cons up to there old tricks.

ps. hey tommie look out for Troy commin around the corner :) you might get dirty.

"Reggie Wayne is the Colts #1 receiver and has been for a while."

In 2006 Wayne had 86 receptions for 1310 yards and 9 TDs. That season Harrison had 95 receptions for 1366 yards and 12 TDs.

In 2005 Wayne had 83 receptions for 1055 yards and 5 TDs. That season Harrison had 82 receptions for 1146 yards and 12 TDs.

Next.

Well, I was hoping to have more argument with Super Fan, but in the absence of that, I'll elaborate on the importance of the three good receivers.

Every team's base defense consists of two corners and two safeties. Usually opposing offenses have one good receiver. Even for offenses that have two, you can play cover two (that's corners in press coverage and safeties over the top) on both and still have seven defenders in the box. However, against those rare teams that have three good receivers, there's going to be single-coverage and mismatches.

If the defense stays in its base scheme, that puts a good receiver (e.g., Welker) against a linebacker or safety. If you stay in cover two, the slot receiver is on a linebacker, which is like shooting fish in a barrel. If you put a safety on him, it's still a mismatch (many corners can't cover a good receiver like Welker, much less a safety), and now you've got single coverage on an outside receiver.

If the defense goes to a nickel or dime scheme, there are still mismatches (most teams don't have two good corners, let alone three or four), and now you're soft against the running game.

It's a real pickle, which is why NE has destroyed opposing defenses. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Ralph: Harrison is now the Colts #2 receiver. He's a first-ballot hall of famer, but his best years are clearly behind him. Wayne's on the uptick. Moss is at his peak. You conveniently omit Harrison's stats for this year, which, even considering the injury, are pretty anemic: 20 catches for 247 yards and 1 touchdown.

Dan,

Even when he's played this season, he's played with pain in his knee. The reports I've read is that the pain might subside with some rest, but even if it doesn't, he can play at a high level for a limited time. That's why Dungy didn't play him against the Pats, even though team doctors had cleared him to play; he wants to rest Harrison for the playoffs. Obviously, if his knee is shot, Wayne is the better receiver. Just like if Randy Moss were run over by a train, then Welker would be NE's best receiver.

Then what is your point? You are admitting that Wayne is there #1 guy now. What matter is it if age or injury caused Harrison to get surpassed by Wayne? Wayne is their top guy. Harrison is #2 (but a #2 every team would covet).

My point remains. It is this: With Harrison in, playing at a reasonably high level, the Colts have three good receivers (Gonzalez, though a rookie, cannot be covered by a linebacker). For the reasons I've outlined above, it is very difficult to defend three good receivers, especially when they are accompanied by a good tight end and running back. In short, Harrison as that extra receiver makes all the difference in the world.

Ralph, you do have a point. But if you put a hat on, nobody will notice it.

Hey Bagm',

What's with the fairy Steelers uniforms? You telling me that a bunch of guys dressed for a Gay Pride parade are going to beat the Mighty Patriots?

Agreed: The Colts are a better team with Marvin Harrison.

I think home field advantage has a bigger impact on Pats-Colts than whether a 35-year-old, banged up Marvin Harrison plays. The betting world generally accepts a three-point advantage for the home field team, all things being equal. In other words, there is a six point swing from the Coltdome to the stadium formerly known as Schaeffer. I would argue that the Colts, with the crowd noise and the peculiarity of playing in a dome, have an even greater home field advantage than three points. I would argue that an indoor team playing outdoors in New England in mid January has an even greater deficit to make up than three points. In other words, home field advantage is bigger when you are talking Colts-Pats than it would be if you were talking Pats-Steelers (two cold weather teams).

Also, I think you miss the Colts true #1 receiver in yesterday's game. It was neither Harrison nor Wayne, but the refs. The pass interference calls, as Phil Simms recognized on the broadcast and Boomer Esiason recognized today on the radio, were completely atrocious and uniformly against the Pats. The call against Ellis Hobbs was particularly absurd and costly. It is unlikely that the Colts will have as valuable a wide receiver the next time around, should there be a next time, as they had in the refs this time.

Alas, I make unnecessary excuses. The Pats beat the defending Super Bowl champions in their own house, and did so in heartbreaking fashion.

Are odds really the best indicators of advantage? I don't know that much about betting, but don't the lines move according to the number of bets being placed on one side or the other?

At any rate, if I were the Pats and I was given the choice of playing at home without Moss or away with Moss, I'd definitely choose the latter. The same is true concerning Welker. Again, what makes their offense go is the strain that their three receivers put on defenses. Without Moss or Welker, it wouldn't work. And if it doesn't work, it doesn't much matter where you play.

asdf, did you see the beatdown. gay uni and all. but what was the gayest? i say the old patsy uni, you know the one with the guy bent over LOL you prob hated to see that uni go. other than san fran. aint mass, vermont ,or were ever the patsys play a homo hotbed?

Yeah, and it was clear that the Steelers were running up the score too!

You have a point there as NE is infested with f'ing old hippy liberals who are locked into the GAgenda. But it will be the Steelers bending over and singing Moon River when the Pats slap em' silly in Foxboro.

Ben-T,

I'm feeling guilt about being so abrasive. I usually don't respond that way to disagreements, even anonymous ones on the internet. Please accept my sincerest apologies.

Football is making you crazy. I understand. Although, I'm naturally abrasive.

Don Shula is a hypocritical phony corrupt old a-hole.

Too bad Goodell destroyed those tapes. I'm sure they would vindicate the Pats and silence the likes of Shula.