I’m a fairly big Colts fan, but I have learned over the years not to expect much when we are playing New England. Even going back to the Eric Dickerson days it seems like we have always struggled against the Pats. Is it because we are a Dome team? If that’s the reason why does it seem like we almost always tend to play so well against the Dolphins and Bills (keep in mind I’ve only followed the Colts since they’ve been in Indy). Is there something about a “team character” that extends beyond the tenure of QBs, players, and even coaches that makes them do well (and conversely poorly) relative to other teams?
For the same reason that the Astros almost always lose to the Braves in the playoffs.
Pssst… over the last few years, MOST teams have lost against New England! And that’s not because of any magic or special “character” the Patriots have- it’s because they’re a very good team, and they’re just plain BETTER than most of the teams they play- including the Colts.
I think it’s silly to ascribe the Patriots’ success (or the COlts’ failings) to anything more complicated than that.
Bad luck, bad plays and just not having enough.
Here’s hoping that’ll change this weekend.
Is it true (historically) that New England does well against Indy?
Keep in mind, since the colts moved to Indy, NE has been to the Superbowl 4 times and the Colts, ZERO, so NE has had better teams.
Over the last couple years, NE has beat Indy, but BARELY. They needed an historic goal line stand to win at Indy last year, won by 10 in the playoffs last year, and only won by 3 to start this season.
When teams are matched that closely, something as simple as the Pats missing Ty Law might make the difference in a game like next week’s. They’ve played well with key injuries before, but the Colts are really playing well. Even their defense played respectably down the stretch.
An upset of New England next week wouldn’t surprise me.
new england is just a really tough team. they’re as balanced as you can get. great defense, very good offense. with the addition of corey dillon i’m suprised they didn’t get through the season undefeated.
the colts have a tough time against well balanced teams. if the defense can disrupt the passing game just a little, and the opposing offense can score (which isn’t difficult against the colts) you have the colts on their heels. and manning tends to get a little too eager in those situations. sometimes it gets ugly. but he’s been rock-solid this year. but anyway, if you get them back a few touchdowns, they have to claw their their way out of a hole. but you can never count them out, because if one team can come back from behind, it’s the colts.
but i don’t think the pats play especially well against the colts, either. the colts always seem to be in a position to win it at the end. but they choke. so until the colts step up, the pats still have their number.
i think it’ll be a great game. the colts look great, and it seems like the offense is better than it’s ever been. every eligible reciever is a touchdown threat. i just hope they come out guns blazing next weekend, because i’m sick of them being new england’s bitch…
5 of 5 in the Manning Era. Yup. Before that, Indy sucked anyway.
Rumored to be due in part to Belichick’s game plans, which against Indy depend on playing mind games with Manning. The Pats only do enough to win, so they can keep more tricks hidden for the next time, goes the thinking. On offense, they just play their game, because Indy’s defense is one of the league’s worst.
Belichick and Crennel seem to glory in ruining the confidence of a hotshot opposing quarterback, and Manning and Bledsoe are their favorite targets. They’ll throw a different look at him every time, disguise coverages, switch linemen and LB’s in and out and around, and physically abuse the receivers. That works especially well on a guy like Manning, who has never won the big game even in college (i.e. 0-4 vs. Florida), and feels more pressure and less confidence because of it every time he plays another one. He is one of the greatest athletes in the game, and knows the playbook cold, but he simply lacks the poise that a championship QB must have. He can be rattled into making mistakes far too easily. Every time he leaves the field against the Pats, he has his helmet off, shaking his head, looking up, and practically saying “Why the hell does this always happen to me? They shouldn’t be allowed to intercept me but the refs always let them do it!” It’s a glorious thing to see, let me tell ya. Bledsoe’s expression is more the glazed Dan Quayle In The Headlights look, though, and it does feel kinda bad to make him lose, but hell, that’s the game.
The cold wind and often muddy field in Foxborough take away Indoor Indy’s speed game, as well, and that of every other hothouse-flower team that comes in.
The Pats will play with the same secondary they’ve gone half the season with, and have shut down some pretty good offenses with it. This will be the toughest one yet, though, and yes, it’s a cause for worry. Look for the Pats to play ball control to keep Indy off the field - lots of Dillon, lots of sideline passes, lots of Vinatieri.
Vols fan checking in here. I watched Peyton in college, and have followed him in the pros. I’ll be rooting for the Colts this weekend, but historically there is one easy way to beat Peyton: hit him really hard three or four times in the first quarter. His confidence gets shaken and he starts spending more time looking for the rusher than looking for the reciever.
Having said that, I don’t think it’s that simple any more. I think he’s tougher this year and has won a couple of big games. It’s going to be a good game.
Slight correction, the Pats are 5-0 vs. the Colts in the Belichick era.
Since this involves a New England area team, the only logical explanation is, of course, a curse…
Are there any former Colts on New England?
Tyrone Poole, but he’s on injured reserve. Jeff Burris retired in training camp.
Kevin Faulk is a cousin of former Colt Marshall Faulk; does that count?
Their coach in their first Super Bowl was Raymond Berry, but he never played in Indianapolis.
Bill Belichick followed the Colts when he was growing up in Annapolis (his dad coached at Navy).
Former Colt Eric Dickerson’s stablemate at SMU was Craig James, who played for the Pats.
Naw, I got nothin’, sorry.
I don’t think it’s that surprising that the Colts have been losing to the Pats of late. What’s strange is the way the Pats seemed to beat the Colts most of the time–even in the dome in Indy–back when the Pats were a pretty bad team and the Colts were still pretty good (Right around when Jim Harbaugh was the Colts QB and the Colts went to the AFC Championship game againts Pittsburgh). I will check the years and stats later but I think this was around 1990-1994 or so.
I remember conversations with fellow Colts fans back then about not being able to beat those mediocre Pats.
That AFC Championship game was in January, 1996. It’s pretty well etched in my head (due to reasons non-relevant to this thread) and was a damned good game.
I think this years team has a really good chance in spite of the traditional loss to the Pats; Peyton is doing better at not getting thrown off his game in the early quarters, and with the Pats secondary not really where it was, well, there’s a good chance.
Besides, the last couple times we met New England, they were still undefeated. Going up a team that’s been beaten will, I think, make a difference also.
shrug Either way, I root for the Colts. Kinda funny since I was rooting for the Red Sox back at World Series time.
GO BLUE!
All though its all been said above, being a long suffering Pats fan, I have to say something. The Colts always lose to NE? Not from what I seen, Ive always dreaded the Colts games. More so than Marino, Kelly or the Jets.
In the upcoming game, I can’t believe NE is or will be favored.
If NE loses I’ll have to be either an Eagles or a Jets fan :eek:
(from eagle land) :smack:
Indy games are usually tough, yes (except in last year’s playoffs), but somehow they usually end with NE on top, don’t they? I’m a little worried about the secondary too, but they have done the job for half a season now. I’m a little worried about Dillon’s fumbles, too, for that matter.
The Pats have been beaten, yes - in Pitt without Dillon, and in Miami in a meaningless game. Kind of brings back memories of the Nineties here too, when the Pats could never win down there and the Phins could never win up here … which brings up the mental block issue. The Colts can’t beat the Pats perhaps in part because they go into the game doubting they can ever do it.
Well, I severely dislike the Indy version of the Colts, and am indifferent to Manning, but in the championship game last year he had reason to be shaking his head, New England’s secondary absolutely mugged the Indy receivers and if the Refs hadn’t been blind as well as dumb, they’d have called the fouls. NE won that time by a gift of the refs, let’s see if the rules change this year causes a different outcome.
Oh, and for your list, Bill Belichick’s first pro football job was with the Baltimore Colts back in the 70s.
long-suffering? I’m a Pats fan too, but don’t act like it’s the Sox.
The Pats have been a pretty good team to root for over the last 20 years. They’ve been in 1/5 of all Superbowls since 1984.
The Miami game wasn’t meaningless. They still had a shot at home field throughout.
In retrospect it was meaningless, as Pitt won out, but at the time it was important.
wd: A team has to adjust to how the game is being called. The Colts chose to whine, the Pats chose to win. The new pass coverage rule enforcement standards, btw, were never invoked as strongly as in this year’s opening game, in which the mean ol’ Pats stomped all over your precious Ponies. Only some sloppy NE turnovers let them crawl even partway back from 21 down. So I see no reason to worry.
trunk: Conference title games have been won by the home team only about half the time. This year, the Stillers were simply not going to lose both of their last 2 games anyway.
Jesus Christ man, do you even read what you’re responding to? First the pit, now this. Do you mind telling me how:
Becomes:
I HATE the fucking Colts, and I, along with every other football fan who watched it clearly saw the Pats benefit when the rules weren’t applied as they should be, it’s why they clarified the damn rule going into this season. Are you so insecure that you can’t even admit in a football thread “Hey, my team benefited from some of the calls”?? You lack even that basic objectivity??? That’s pathetic!
They didn’t have to.
NE had 1 loss going into the Miami game. Steelers also had 1 loss with remaining games home to Baltimore (never easy) and on the road at Buffalo (at the time, as hot as anybody). If Pats had won out and Steelers lost just one, NE would have had home field.
After the loss, Steelers needed to lose 2, but at the time, it still mattered.
I think NE can win in PITT. I don’t think PITT can win in NE. NE has to get by Indy first, though. I consider that game 50-50 right now.