TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Colts-Patriots rivalry adds another chapter

ADVERTISEMENT

Ira Kaufman Ira Kaufman

@tampatrib.com The NFL

Published: November 15, 2009

TAMPA - As good as it gets.

When the two most prolific winners of the decade meet tonight at Indianapolis, look for NBC to emerge proclaiming victory with huge rating numbers for a riveting midseason matchup.

The Patriots (6-2) and Colts (8-0) renew acquaintances for the 10th time since 2003 and Indianapolis has reeled off 17 consecutive regular-season wins, dating to last season.

Tony Dungy's hand-picked successor, Jim Caldwell, is the first NFL rookie coach to start 8-0 since 1931, when Potsy Clark broke out quickly with the Portsmouth Spartans.

"From a coaching standpoint, it's a tremendous matchup," said Dungy, who won four of his last five duels against Bill Belichick before ditching the sidelines for the broadcast booth. "It's been a great game and one I'm looking forward to seeing for the first time from a different perspective."

In a season when a quarter of the league's 32 teams are on pace to win four games or fewer, tonight's game has taken on a Super Bowl aura.

Tom Brady's Patriots have won three Super Bowls this decade and Peyton Manning led the 2006 Colts to an NFL title, rallying past New England 38-34 along the way in an epic AFC Championship Game.

"Now that I'm covering it from a media standpoint, it gets me even more excited," said NBC analyst Rodney Harrison, the former Pats safety who always looked forward to preparing for Manning. "I've played in this rivalry many times and you get really excited about facing the biggest challenge of the year, which is always going to be the Indianapolis Colts. It'll be exciting and hopefully the Patriots can go out and kick some butt."

Old allegiances die hard, but the Pats have reason to be confident.

Although Indy's defense hasn't slipped a bit in Dungy's absence, a stingy secondary now must cope with the loss of S Bob Sanders and CB Marlon Jackson for the season.

Sanders prides himself on being Indy's defensive catalyst and the timing could hardly be worse for the slightly favored home team.

Brady, 7-3 against the Colts, has passed for 1,020 yards during New England's three-game winning streak and RB Laurence Maroney is providing balance for the AFC's top-rated attack.

With a victory tonight, the Patriots would tie the Colts with 109 regular-season wins since 2000. More importantly, New England would pull within a game of Indy in the chase for the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed.

"We always know Indianapolis is going to be there at the end," Brady said. "With them being 8-0, it makes it tough if we get behind them with a loss here."

Harrison offers a unique perspective on the Brady-Manning duel, always the focus when these NFL titans clash.

"Peyton Manning is the best pure quarterback in the NFL, but Tom Brady is my quarterback with a minute left and we're down four points and we need a touchdown because he's done it," said Harrison, who played six more seasons after joining New England in 2003. "Three Super Bowl rings, Super Bowl MVP, a guy whose preparation goes above and beyond anyone in that facility ... he's my guy with a minute left."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT