Talking NFL

Before we get to the prediction (almost certain to be way off) and the importance of Sunday’s epic contest, some late breaking injury news, which includes a stunner:

First, a report from ESPN indicates that Marvin Harrison has been medically cleared to play Sunday against New England.  However, the All-Pro wideout has been told his knee pain could last throughout his remaining career.  Harrison is a consummate professional and one of the all-time greats, but it does appear that father time is catching up with the 35 year old.  Should he play, it will be interesting to see just how effective he is.

One the other side of the field, a bit of a shocker; Mike Reiss from Boston.com is reporting that the Patriots have placed veteran running back Sammy Morris on injured reserve, ending his season.  When Morris was hurt in the chest against the Cowboys just under three weeks ago, it was thought at the time he might be out for only a month.  Apparently, the injury was more serious that the Patriots let on (wait, the Patriots weren’t completely forthcoming with an injury report?  Get out!).

As Mike reports, this opens the door for the Patriots to activate WR Chad Jackson or CB Eddie Jackson from the PUP list.  We’ll see what happens…

Regarding the game itself, it’s safe to say there’s been just a tad of hype surrounding this contest.  And while there’s no question that it promises to be an epic battle, one has to wonder just how important it is in relation to the rest of the season.  Past the two undefeated teams aspect, most experts and not-so-experts agree that the winner of this game should lock down home field advantage for the inevitable AFC Championship game rematch (at this point, the only thing that could prevent these 2 teams meeting again would be some unforeseen disaster, like an injury or meteor shower).

So how important is home field advantage?  Really, not that big a deal.

During this ongoing feud between the modern day Hatfield’s and McCoy’s, both teams have won on the opponents soil (the Colts have won the last 2 regular season games in Foxboro, and the Patriots won in the RCA Dome back in ‘03).  In addition, both teams proved last season that they can win a big playoff game in a hostile environment on the road (the Pats in San Diego, and the Colts in their old home town Baltimore).

More importantly, the teams styles have changed dramatically within the last year; so much so that they both almost seem better suited for their opponent’s field.  The Patriots have the #1 passing offense in the league, with Moss, Stallworth and Welker ready to sprint all over an indoor playing surface.  Meanwhile, the Colts have turned into a bit more of a ball control offense, preferring shorter passes and the run game, which could come in handy during the cold weather.

Bottom line; this thing will be fun, but it’s only setting the table for the real showdown.

So here’s the call on the final score.  I think the Colts are really miffed that the Patriots are grabbing all the headlines even though they’re the defending champs, and are itching for a fight.  The guy that scares me the most?  Bob Sanders - the new Ronnie Lott.  He’s making at least one big play in this game & I just pray it’s not a back-breaker.

Having said that, the Patriots are quite obviously on a mission this year…

(Whether it’s from God or the Devil depends on which team you root for)

Furthermore, I think they successfully did in this off-season what Denver tried to do for years; put together a team designed to beat the Colts at their own field.  So Bill Polian wants to complain about d-backs pushing off on receivers until they change the rules (which they did)?  Fine; we’ll sign Randy Moss who’s impossible to cover UNLESS you push off.  You want to kill us in the middle of the field with Dallas Clark (which they did)?  Fine; we’ll sign Adalius Thomas, a stud linebacker who can cover him.  And your coach wants to compare us to Barry Bonds in the wake of CameraGate (which he did)?  Fine; we’ll become just as disliked as he is as we destroy every other team in the league.

Now I don’t think that they’ll destroy Indianapolis (they’re too good a team for that), but I do think they now have the advantage.  This Patriots team is much better than the one that fell a failed 3rd down conversion short of beating the Colts last year in the AFC Title game.

And don’t forget the X-factor: Peyton Manning.

That’s right, I’m going after the walking billboard yet again.  Hey, he’s a Super Bowl MVP bound for the Hall of Fame yada yada yada.  I still contend that ol’ Happy Feet will have at least one big game hiccup that will cost him.  Whether it’s Asante Samuel, Rodney Harrison or a different name (keep an eye on the gay guy - Randall Gay, that is…), I think someone from the Patriots will turn a Peyton Manning moment into points the other way.  And that will be the difference.

Patriots 28 - Colts 21

Now let’s play the freaking game!

New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Sammy Morris, Marvin Harrison, NFL, big game