Colts win with foreign concept: Defense
Given the choice between the defenses of the 1985 Chicago Bears and the Jan. 6, 2007 Indianapolis Colts, I'd still take the Bears. But, you can make an argument for the Colts. And that is the strangest thing, even a day later, about the Colts' 23-8 playoff win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
If Bob Sanders makes that much difference, he needs pay commiserate with Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Worst to first? Least to best? Unable to stop anyone to able to stop everyone? (Or at least the Chiefs.) I think the word "unbelievable" is used too often in sports, but it might apply this time. Larry Johnson, 32 yards rushing. Yes, unbelievable.
Here's how I saw the game overall:
Passing game: Manning should stay away from Ty Law, or convince Bill Polian to acquire him immediately to replace Brandon Stokley. That's spooky. It's probably true Manning was due for a game when he wasn't perfect, but why does that have to happen when the playoffs come. It's a measure of his greatness that his bad day still came with 30 of 38 completions and a touchdown. By the way, Dallas Clark's kind of valuable, huh?
Running game: Joseph Addai finally got a start, and delivered. But Dominic Rhodes looked inspired, too. Anyone missing Edgerrin these days? Didn't think so.
Pass defense: I would have asked Trent Green what he thought, but 20 minutes after the game, he was still trying to get up from under Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Booger McFarland and a half-dozen other Colts who joined in the fun.
Run defense: As usual, it was flawless.
Special teams: They kept Dante Hall from doing anything significant, and Adam Vinatieri punched through a Colts record-tying 50-yarder. Hunter Smith was forgiven for fumbling a snap.
Coaching: If Tony Dungy could face Herm Edwards every game, they wouldn't remain friends. It wasn't even close. The Colts so controlled the game strategically, Ron Meeks (defensive coordinator) even showed his face in the locker room after the game.
Everything went so well, I'll only bring up one possible explanation for the domination as a cautionary note: Maybe the Chiefs weren't really a playoff team. Just a thought.
The Colts will need more to win at Baltimore, but at the very least they head into the divisional round with some strut and confidence.
If Bob Sanders makes that much difference, he needs pay commiserate with Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Worst to first? Least to best? Unable to stop anyone to able to stop everyone? (Or at least the Chiefs.) I think the word "unbelievable" is used too often in sports, but it might apply this time. Larry Johnson, 32 yards rushing. Yes, unbelievable.
Here's how I saw the game overall:
Passing game: Manning should stay away from Ty Law, or convince Bill Polian to acquire him immediately to replace Brandon Stokley. That's spooky. It's probably true Manning was due for a game when he wasn't perfect, but why does that have to happen when the playoffs come. It's a measure of his greatness that his bad day still came with 30 of 38 completions and a touchdown. By the way, Dallas Clark's kind of valuable, huh?
Running game: Joseph Addai finally got a start, and delivered. But Dominic Rhodes looked inspired, too. Anyone missing Edgerrin these days? Didn't think so.
Pass defense: I would have asked Trent Green what he thought, but 20 minutes after the game, he was still trying to get up from under Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Booger McFarland and a half-dozen other Colts who joined in the fun.
Run defense: As usual, it was flawless.
Special teams: They kept Dante Hall from doing anything significant, and Adam Vinatieri punched through a Colts record-tying 50-yarder. Hunter Smith was forgiven for fumbling a snap.
Coaching: If Tony Dungy could face Herm Edwards every game, they wouldn't remain friends. It wasn't even close. The Colts so controlled the game strategically, Ron Meeks (defensive coordinator) even showed his face in the locker room after the game.
Everything went so well, I'll only bring up one possible explanation for the domination as a cautionary note: Maybe the Chiefs weren't really a playoff team. Just a thought.
The Colts will need more to win at Baltimore, but at the very least they head into the divisional round with some strut and confidence.
posted by Reggie Hayes at 8:42 AM
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