Stampede Blue

Too bad they have so many high draft picks, they can afford to suck on half of them.

Unsung hero.

Weatherford was a huge difference maker in this game. He put on a clinic.

Stew Blake - February 5, 2012 via mobile reply

I went to high school with him in Terre Haute, IN

We weren’t personal friends or anything, but that guy has always been a beast. The most athletic guy on the team (link), and he was the freaking punter. (To be fair, he also handled field goals and played safety).

Really happy that he did his job well (was phenomenal in the NFCCG game too) and helped pin the Pats deep every single time.

Luck - February 5, 2012 reply

Thats cool

when did he graduate from the Haute? North or South?

JHetfield99 - February 5, 2012 reply

He graduated from North

I was on the soccer team with him (he was a senior I was a freshman).

Talon Cain - February 6, 2012 reply

Welcome to the Elite QB club Eli!

That’s it. Nice passes all night long, no risky hail Eli plays tonight. No Ballard or Beckum, down to 3rd string TE Bear Pascoe. Missed pass interference calls, calls on his own offensive line, some poor route running by Manningham. Man, Eli played damn well.

As for the Pats, their window is beginning to close. I guess it’s hard to beat a team when you don’t know their defensive call signals.

And Chase Blackburn, what a journey, school teacher one day, starting MLB the next day. And Steve Weatherford, wow. Complete team effort tonight!

“We’re only going to score 17 points? Ok…” – Tom Brady

They're (Pats) going to get crushed by free agency as well.

Eli played with a lot of composure tonight. Some of those calls (the hold on Wilfork and non call PI) could have really rattled that team. Eli held strong. I am really proud of Indy. They put on an amazing week. Wish I could have been there.

Odin1980 - February 5, 2012 reply

Same, same.

This year’s Super Bowl half time show was so much better than some of the past year’s. Especially better than last year’s in Dallas. Can’t believe Madonna is like 53, still entertaining. I gotta go to Super Bowl XLVIII in New York’s MetLife stadium

Clutch.

That throw to Manningham… Amazing. In that situation, with defenders in his face, throwing away from the safety, and perfectly adjusting it for the receiver. Wow. Can’t say enough about that throw.

Stew Blake - February 5, 2012 via mobile reply

What a catch.

I thought he was either be out of bounds or drop the ball, but Manningham came up big in the 4th quarter. LeBron James should take lessons.

And anyone notice the Brady-Chase Blackburn interception was almost David Tyree like but reversed?

I thought that too

Me during the play:

(Brady gets a ton of pressure, looks like he’ll get sacked) :-)
(Brady escapes) :-(
(Brady chucks the ball toward the endzone) :-O
(Blackburn intercepts the ball) :-D

Luck - February 5, 2012 reply

It was a bad decision to throw it up for grabs... Brady should've known better.

That pass and catch to Manningham looked like Peyton-to-Marvin

It was a thing of beauty.

Congrats to the Giants!

I was rooting for them (they seem to have the Pats’ number, which is awesome). Not to take anything away from the Giants, but I feel like their win is some sort of weird cosmic redemption for Peyton’s lost season.

light_the_lamp - February 5, 2012 reply

I love listening to patriots fans say brady played so amazing

He played incredible for 2 drives and he was incredibly below average for the rest of the game. Am I crazy and really biased or was he not that good today?

jopat18 - February 5, 2012 reply

He failed at the end when it mattered. Thats all I care about.

fanatik - February 5, 2012 reply

And the beginning. (which really set the tone)

In his defense,

there were some crucial dropped balls. Same thing happened to us vs Saints.

Odin1980 - February 5, 2012 reply

A lot is being made about drops that were bad decision throws based on clock management.

If some of those balls were caught down the middle, the Patriots run out of time much earlier.

badtimeoutcaldwell - February 5, 2012 reply

Ehh

Hernandez flat-out dropped a pass on the final drive.

Welker’s “drop” was a bad pass. The fact that Welker even got his hands on the ball was impressive. In 2 steps, he had to turn jump/turn180*/get his hands up for the pass.

I believe 2 passes to Branch were bad throws, especially a 20-yarder over the middle of the field. That ball should have been another 5 yards out in front of Branch, away from the MLB in coverage.

kmbryant09 - February 6, 2012 reply

He went over 23 minutes in 2nd half without a score...

If they would have scored just 1 TD in the final 25 minutes of the game, it would have been a 2 score game and likely would have put the game away. He didn’t get it done… period.

Does anyone remember Garcon’s drop in the SB 2 years ago?? No one gave Manning a pass when his WR’s drop passes, why should Brady be any different?

Still 0 SB wins since spygate

Not crazy, at all.

I’d argue that his line played incredible for those two drives. No pressure. No problem. He made some nice throws, but I didn’t witness anything spectacular (as we did with Eli). I was impressed with his pocket presence, at times.

Stew Blake - February 5, 2012 via mobile reply

Did you see the TD throw where they clocked his pocket???

How the hell does a o-line give over 5 seconds to throw the ball???

Credit the Patriots offensive line for being great year in and year out.

He didn't play well

He played better than he did against Baltimore, but he didn’t play all that well. That Blackburn interception summed his performance up. If Gronk was healthy, I wouldn’t mind him taking that shot, but Gronk was essentially useless all night.

badtimeoutcaldwell - February 5, 2012 reply

It's funny.

Brady’s decision to make that throw actually reminded me a lot of Eli circa 2010.

Stew Blake - February 6, 2012 reply

Absolutely,

I was in my chair and cheered when Brady was about to get sacked, but when he escaped and threw that ball like 40 yards down the field, I got up from my chair and I thought about the helmet catch of SB 42. Thankfully that ended well for the Giants and bad for the Pats (again)

fanatik - February 6, 2012 reply

Brady was good not great

Last 25 minutes of the game — 7 for 18, 1 pick, 0 points. No clutch when they needed him. The 16 in a row and 2 TDs were perfect but then it was downhill.

JTBLA - February 6, 2012 reply

I know Eli gets the credit... but...

In all 7 of his playoff wins, his defense has given up less than 21 points (Avg giving up 15 ppg). I know he’s going to get compared to Peyton, but does anyone think the Colts would have kept the Pats to 14 point in 2007 or 17 points this year??? Peyton would have had to throw up 35 points to beat this Pats team…

It’s a lot easier to be “Clutch” when your Defense performs like that… when they were playing poorly earlier this year, this was a 7-7 football team.

Gotta give him credit.

This just is the tip of the iceberg in the ridiculous and insane Peyton v. Eli comparison. It’s not even close. Without getting into it, Peyton changed the philosophy of the game and consistently had a defense that relied on him. Coincidentally, Brady battled with much of the same this year.

Stew Blake - February 5, 2012 via mobile reply

Give Eli credit

But the whole Giants TEAM was MVP tonight!!!

shoospa - February 6, 2012 reply

no doubt

its the pinnacle team sport – pity for Peyton the stars never aligned consistently enough – sometimes he played badly – sometimes the D played badly – sometimes the ST played badly

sigh…

manningtoharrison - February 6, 2012 reply

'sometimes' the ST played badly?

Sometimes?? Can you ever remember a time when Peyton was able to start a drive past the 20 yard line?

Ayrshire - February 6, 2012 reply

in college lol

Phillycolt - February 6, 2012 reply

Eli wins.....not surprised

Unlike his older brother…he has not had to contend with an ass like bill Polian…..but yet their are still colts fans who support bill Polian…..THE ARCHITECT OF MEDIOCRITY!

sundaywager - February 5, 2012 via mobile reply

just stop

danorocks17 - February 6, 2012 reply

Manning has an 2-14 supporting cast

Eli was at .500 until his D stepped up at the end of the season and into the playoffs… averaged giving up 15 ppg

badtimeoutcaldwell - February 6, 2012 reply

GIANTS DEFENSE

THEY DO NOT BUILD A DEFENSE TO PLAY WITH A LEAD! WOW! WHAT A CONCEPT…..BILL POLIAN…..AND COLTS FANS WONDER WHY PEYTON ONLY HAS ONE RING!

sundaywager - February 5, 2012 via mobile reply

They have one ring because...

The whole team Peyton included choked in 03,04,05….

It’s not all on the GM or D. They didn’t get torched by NE or Pit but if you only
Score 3, 18 and 14 points your probably gonna lose…

Peyton has been great but come up short in many big moments…the whole Polian held him back is a farce. Yes in recent years the drafting was bad and coaching sucked then Peyton carried it all but 6 one and dones many of those off of 13 win seasons is on Peyton also

Well he has a point what kind of moron says you need to build a defense to play with a lead. You build a defense to actually you know play defense. When you build an offense and devote most of the cap to that but leave little to the defense this is what you get: Great regular seasons and flameouts in the postseason.

The Pats have become the Colts of 2003-2005 but the AFC is so weak they managed to get here when they should’ve been one and done weeks ago.

You also seem to forget the Bills teams that went to 4 SB’s in a row and were exposed in the SB.

Regardless this follows Polian wherever he goes. He’s vastly overrated as a GM however he’s not solely to blame for the Colts postseason failures. We also had conservative coaching.

I didn't say Polian was perfect

Glad Polian is gone!

If you win 12 games and play at home
in the playoffs every year and only make 3 AFCCGs then you choked. Peyton choked! I said it…

Football is determine by 4-5 plays.

I dislike Polian but it’s not his fault Norwood missed a FG and Baskett dropped an onside…Polian didn’t throw 4 picks vs NE…

Dungy was a good coach and the best available at the time. Let’s not make him to be a bum. Great? No but good. Those Colt teams had talent to win 3 rings and choked…

Regular season records really don’t matter this season proved as much look at the Giants they were 9-7 and won the SB.

Pats were 13-3

The Giants are build in the postseason the Colts were built for the regular season.

Defense matters and the Giants get this.

The time we did win it all the defense showed up when it counted.

Rec'd

I’m a firm believer of the motto “Defense wins Champions”

every team in the past few years who have a had a defensive turnaround made it far into the players or even the Super Bowl, take this year’s Texans D for example or the 2009 Saints.

If you win 12 games every year you should be able to win more than one SB

Yes its clear they were built wrong but in the losses Peyton played poorly. He wasn’t losing games 41-38. He had a HOF RB an WR a great OL before 07 at least. They had a HOF DE another all pro DE and a DPOY safety…Shouldnthey have had some better corners and DTs yes! But all teams have weaknesses.

The year he had 49 TDs they scored 3 points at NE. That’s not Polians fault…

Peyton Manning particularly early in his career choked on the big stage many times…

I know y’all think 18 is god almighty but he choked away some
Chances IMO. He is still great but it’s a part of his legacy

In the NFL

If you are lucky you get a 4-5 year window of greatness.

The Colts and Mannings was from 2003-2007…they had 3 ring talent but choked!

They didn’t really win 12 games every year 10 in 2010

14 in 2009 and 2005

13 in 2007

If you haven’t noticed the Packers went 15-1 one and done

Last season Pats were 14-2 and were 1 and done

The team with the best regular season record doesn’t win the SB at least not in recent years.

Regardless if he’s such a choker then we should just ditch him after all we need a real QB to win it all….

So why does anyone care if Manning doesn’t stay with the Colts.

I’m just sayin….

Didn't choke his whole career...

Carried the team by himself since 07! Almost won a SB in 09 with aging players and a really bad D and OL…

Doesn’t erase the choke jobs too…

Teams win SBs not players alone! Hopefully we learn and build around Luck accordingly

Yet he still choked so like I said why should we bother with the guy if he doesn’t deliver?

I mean according to your logic and all

These records are slightly misleading

The Pats hadn’t beat a team that finished over .500 until they beat Ravens in the playoffs, and they needed a lot of divine intervention to do it. This Pats team was probably one of the worst 13-3 teams in recent memory. They had a soft schedule, but their defense seemed to be peaking at just the right time (like when the Colts won the SB) which made me nervous, but it all worked out in the end.

Bromantic - February 6, 2012 via mobile reply

my rant against Polian is...

ever since he found UDFA gems like Rhodes, Saturday, Lilja and Brackett. He seems to be obsessed with starting games out with UDFAs. Instead of using them for their true worth like depth and special teams roles, he had them as starters in such.

Some of the guys he brings in can be solid from time to time, but once they have proven to suck, he can’t find ways to release them. We had Jacob Lacey facing #2 WRs and Terrence Johnson as a nickleback and with UDFA at SS. No wonder our defense sucked last year.

Yep he got real lazy after the SB win I mean we didn’t notice because Manning was still playing but they got exposed in the playoffs and with Manning out for the season it was hard to hide it anymore.

all of my giant fan friends are saying Eli>>> Peyton because he has more rings

Idk what to say to them

Keysta101 - February 5, 2012 via iPhone app reply

Considering weeks ago they wanted Coughlin fired and really had no faith in Eli even after winning the last SB they’re ones to talk

Ask them if Brady is better than Eli...

He has three.

EVLGNUS - February 6, 2012 via mobile reply

Tell them they're wrong

If the crux of their argument can be shattered by a simple Marino to Dilfer comparison, then there’s no real argument there at all, because nobody would even broach the idea that Dilfer could hold Marino’s jockstrap.

Super Bowl rings are the icing on the cake, no doubt. But, much to the contrary of what ESPN would have you believe, they don’t define a QB. Super Bowl wins are team victories. This is the NFL, not Tennis.

Tell all your Giants friends that their team is better than the Colts, and if Peyton were QB’ing their Giants team with that defense, he’d be polishing at least his 3rd ring by now. Eli is 31 years old right now. When Peyton was 31, he was coming off a 31 TD, 9 INT season and a Super Bowl victory. Ask them if they’d rather have a 31 year old Peyton or a 31 year old Eli.

And to go a little further - to say SB Championships are the end-all, be-all for QBs is just plain lazy analysis

Does any really think that if Big Ben were QB of the Bengals, he would’ve led them to a SB championship his 2nd season? Or does anyone really think it was Brad Johnson who led his Tampa Bay team to victory in the 2002 Super Bowl? Of course not – but they won’t ever bring up Brad Johnson or Trent Dilfer or Big Ben’s 9/21, 0 TD, 2 INT, 22.9 QB rating in Super Bowl wins. Why? Because it disproves the idea that Super Bowls are the only real way to measure QBs. If that argument can be shot down so easily, you have to wonder why it persists to this day. Probably b/c it will always conjure a good debate, but reason should remind you that football is and always will be a team sport.

Great Game- as it ended up!

Somehow the Pat’s made it all the way here…not sure how…but it was damn sure sweet that a Manning crushed them for a second time in the biggest game of the year. Not sure I could have ever dealt with the NE team winning in our crib…looking forward to a new Colts era- I don’t expect the moon- I just want a tough, smart team moving forward…for God’s sake- someone realize that there are 3 facets to football, not just offense…Go Colts!

Mr. Horse - February 5, 2012 reply

Should have kept Underwood...

…looks like the Pats could have used the guy they cut yesterday. So many dropped passes, especially on the last drive.

Antillar - February 6, 2012 reply

Yeah if I were him I’d be laughing right now

You mean the same short passes up the middle that would've eaten huge amounts of clock if caught?

Weird reasoning...

There is a thing called hurry-up offense. Also would you just spike the ball if the corner routes are covered? Makes no sense…

Antillar - February 6, 2012 reply

Look at the throws in the middle that were dropped...

It worked out better that they didn’t catch the ball as they wouldn’t have been able to get any more YAC or run out of bounds. When you’re working with 40 seconds and you’re on your side of the field… you need to get to the sidelines.

knightridah

Stellar points
I still despise Bill Polian
In unsure why people consider that guy HOF?

sundaywager - February 6, 2012 via mobile reply

Because he won in Buffalo Indy and Carolina

An arrogant guy but a winner. He built teams that won big every single year and competed for SBs

stonewall12345678 - February 6, 2012 reply

Assholes can be good at their job too

What really matters to me

Tom Brady is winless in the superbowl post-spygate

ruseriousclark? - February 6, 2012 reply

now that is a good damn point

omahacolt - February 6, 2012 reply

still*

ruseriousclark? - February 6, 2012 reply

Looks like the Colts will build right

Focus on D let their franchise QB develop…hopefully 12 will be great

If pattern holds

2006- Peyton
2007- Eli

2011- Eli
2012- Peyton?

I said the same thing myself

First Peyton got his 1st ring and Eli followed right behind
now Eli has received his 2nd ring and hopefully Peyton will follow behind.

What a great win by the Giants

Eli definitely had his game face on tonight and the Giants D-Line was incredible. I my heart was pounding hard in the 4th Quarter ( a feeling I haven’t experienced since the win against the Texans)

Yes, it was a great super bowl!

The outcome is what Colt fans wanted, Indy was spectacular as a host city, and the weather cooperated. Plus, the icing on the cake is that it was an incredibly close thriller of a game!

Ayrshire - February 6, 2012 reply

Nice to see

It was a great to see some drama on the field instead of in the media for a change. It was a great game and from all acounts the city of Indy did a GREAT job of being the host. Hats off to everyone involved.

shoospa - February 6, 2012 reply

Brady's legacy is DESTROYED

Take that, media douchebags

C'mon. It's not destroyed.

Lell87 - February 6, 2012 reply

That’s what he has to get. If Colts lost, Manning’s legacy was question, when Pats choke, noone questions Brady’s. I level it out on my part.

And after 2 SB losses to Eli and the Giants, nobody can call him best ever, ever again.

you didn't hear they are blaming it on welker

Phillycolt - February 6, 2012 reply

Brady is not the best...

But we call 18 the best (and thats a legit and debatable statement not blind homerism) and he has only1 SB!

You can’t bash Brady for going 3-2 and then say Peyton is the GOAT when he is 1-1 and only been to 3 AFCCGs and Brady has been to 7…

I don't call Peyton the best ever

I think there are 5-7 QBs, who can be considered best ever, and there is no higher level of QBing than being considered best ever.

If you really are a Colts fan then you'd know that the Colts teams that were carried by Manning...

NEVER were the equals of their Patriot counterparts. The fact that Manning could lead a much of shmoes the the SB is testament to his greatness.
Cassell takes a Brady-less team to 11-5.
The Colts? 2-14. If it’s also a credit to Belicheat, then give some credit where it’s due. The guy can still coach circles around anyone we’ve had.

(geez... sorry for the autocorrects and lack of edits)

Naw...

The 2004 and 2005 teams were excellent

(206)NightRidah - February 6, 2012 via mobile reply

Brady never had...

Someone like Marvin…Marvin in his prime was completely unstoppable! Edge is also a HOFer…Pats were built great on D…I don’t think it was that lopsided.

I think the Colts had less heart…

I do agree that what Manning did the last 3 yes was amazing

(206)NightRidah - February 6, 2012 via mobile reply

So those you think we had a great defense in 2004 and 05?

You realize we were in the lower half of the league in points allowed and almost near the bottom in yards allowed? How is that having a great TEAM? Because we had a good offense? How’d that work out for the Saints this year?

Actually

In 04 they were 19th in scoring D while 1st in scoring O…

In 05 they were second in scoring D and 2nd in scoring O…

But don’t let facts get in the way of your assessment :-)

(206)NightRidah - February 6, 2012 via mobile reply

You really aren't a smart guy are you?

How many teams are in the NFL? Is 19 part of the top half or the lower half?
Did you choose to ignore that we were 29th in yards allowed?

As for 2005… we have a kicker (who is rated as the most accurate kicker in NFL history) completely shank a makable FG. Not even close… he literally shits his pants. We have a cornerback whose wife decides to stab him in the leg with a steak knife, the same leg that Rapelisberger grabs to keep him from scoring the winning TD. But that of course is Peyton’s fault.

You said that in 04-05 The D was bad...

That statement was wrong…

They were mediocre in 04 and excellent in 05…
both of those years they were top 2 in Offense.

The Giants just won a SB with a 26th ranked D. Patriots had a low ranking D also. If you are 2nd in O and D you should at least win one playoff game that year…

In those games they scored 3 and 18 points. If you average 30 points and only get 3 it’s on the QB too.

I get it though. Manning is God…he never made a mistake. Everything is the defense or Dungy/Polians fault. The pick six vs New Orleans was Reggies fault…The four picks vs NE was because of bad refs…that’s cool if you want to hero worship.

I live in the real world and IMO the whole team choked. Manning is the leader and the highest paid and apart of those choke jobs

(206)NightRidah - February 6, 2012 via mobile reply

When it's a game of inches...

you can’t be the only one carrying the team week in and week out. Sure he makes mistakes but that shouldn’t have to guarantee a loss.

Take a look at Brady’s game a couple weeks ago against the Ravens. It was frickin’ awful. Yet he won. Look at Rapelisberger’s Super Bowl performance against the Seahawks. The Steelers literally won despite Ben’s best attempts to will them to lose. Manning has never been afforded those luxuries… thus the lack of SBs victories. How well did he need to play against New Orleans? Did the defense ever make New Orleans punt in the 2nd half? Could the coaching staff be aware of the potential for an onside kick? When did we ever sit on the ball with two minutes before halftime? But it’s just Manning’s fault. Funny… without Manning they go 2-14.

3 poins vs NE

17 Vs NO
18 vs Pit
14 vs Ne

You not gonna win a lot of playoff games scoring < 20 points

(206)NightRidah - February 6, 2012 via mobile reply

Team Sport

Colts have lost many playoff games (too many). Everyone is to blame really, some players more than others. Manning’s part of the team. He shoulders some of the blame. The Patriots always had a good gameplan against him, and I would say the two losses to New England were a lot on him.

Coltsfan1345 - February 6, 2012 reply

Super Bowl wins do not define QBs - they are the icing on the cake

Brad Johnson. Trent Dilfer.

People who aren’t die hard Dolphins fans still call Dan Marino the best QB because the dude had the fastest release, the tightest spiral and passed the ball like no one had ever seen before. In an era when 25 TDs and 3000 yard seasons were epic for QBs, he threw the ball for over 5000 yard and 48 TDs. It was awesome.

Calling Manning the best isn’t blind homerism at all. He ushered in the era of QB dominance by changing the way the position is played. His nuanced and measured approach to dismantling defenses has been mimicked throughout the league, and his preparation is absolutely unrivaled.

One thing Manning will never have hanging over is head, questioning the legitimacy of his titles, is SpyGate and the specter of cheating. Brady and Belichick cheated to gain an advantage in their Super Bowl victories (and make no mistake, knowing the defensive signals of your opponents is an ENORMOUS advantage), and since their cheating has been found out, they haven’t won another title.

Peter Storgaard - February 7, 2012 reply

So very true.

Though defining THE best is almost impossible.
To me the best QBs of all time are a quartet of Unitas, Peyton, Marino and Montana. You can make the case for each one of them.
The reason I leave out Brady is due to the fact that I think the best ever should be a guy who really revolutionized the game in their day and age. That holds true for the quartet mentioned above.

Eli could be joining the group, if he keeps up his playoffs-mojo. He has a shot at going down as the greatest postseason QB ever. He is 8-1 since 2007, and 8-3 all-time.

And hopefully I will be able to put Luck into the same category in 10 years or so.

I don’t think Manning is the GOAT there’s no such thing

Different eras, rules all subjective I think Manning is better than Brady though.

WOOO!

way to go giants!

Marked Hoosier - February 6, 2012 reply

Props to NYG

But only loooooser fans sit and debate the legacies of other freakin QBs. We are better than that! The Blue Horseshoe is still a great franchise! Rebuilding yes, but in a great city, good ownership, great fans, and a great venue!!!

Frankly I dont really give a f*ck about any other QB than whoever is behind center for the Colts. Brady or Eli were gonna hoist a Lombardi tonight not Curtis Painter or Dan-O… We currently have a great QB and (if) he is gone I will be cheering for Luck, RG3, or whoever the Colts replace 18 with to be great and quickly!

If Luck is as good as they hope they should have another run at greatness. This isnt personal as im sure these guys are solid citizens and deserve to be successful…but to hell with Eli, Brady, Rodgers, Bress, and whomever!

I love Peyton and hope he is happy wherever he lands and maybe wins that second SB…but if he plays the Colts…I hope Freeney and Mathis or whoever is on D beat him like a piñata and the Colts win by 50…that’s unlikely but that’s how I feel

Go Colts!
F*ck 31 other NFL teams!

Considering how rarely one team wins

You have to find happiness in other results too.