Paul Kuharsky on Colts' Superbowl Chances

by peytonsthebest on Dec 5, 2008 4:47 PM EST Comment 12 comments

Indianapolis Colts (8-4, second)

Analysis: The Colts have weathered all sorts of things that would kill a lot of teams. They were decimated early by injuries to their offensive line as quarterback Peyton Manning needed time to round into form after missing all of training camp and the preseason after two knee surgeries.

Remaining schedule

Sunday: vs. Cincinnati
Dec. 14: vs. Detroit
Dec. 18: at Jacksonville
Dec. 28: vs. Tennessee

This team has a similar look and feel to the 2006 version that won the Super Bowl. It has functioned for a good share of the regular season without safety Bob Sanders -- just like that championship team did. The Colts hope to have him lined up and healthy for a postseason run. They'll enter as a wild card.

Indianapolis has fallen short a lot more than it has succeeded in the postseason, but these Colts are gritty. They still have Manning running the show and could be a dangerous draw in January.

Difference-maker: Presuming Sanders' knee injury settles down and allows him to play in the weeks leading up to the playoffs, the key Colt come January could be center Jeff Saturday.

In an offense with Manning, Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison and Joseph Addai, Saturday's sometimes underappreciated. But he works in sync with Manning and communicates the calls to the offensive line. He's currently out with a calf injury, with Jamey Richard playing in his spot.

Odds are to make a run, the Colts will have to beat a team or two with an imposing defensive tackle like Tennessee's Albert Haynesworth, the Jets' Kris Jenkins, Pittsburgh's Casey Hampton or Baltimore's Haloti Ngata.

Saturday's going to need to be recovered from his calf injury and ready to go to maximize the Colts' chances.

Ticket to Tampa: They aren't a favorite, but don't be surprised.

-- Paul Kuharsky, AFC South blogger

But they survived 1-2 and 3-4 starts, and another rash of injuries to the defensive backfield. The Colts are riding a five-game winning streak in which they've consistently found clutch plays they needed to win close games.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.

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Faith

It’s what keeps me believing we can win it all. My doubt comes from the realization that we will have to win three road games, with at least two in potentially nasty weather and against teams suited for such weather. All just to get to the super bowl.

@ Pittsburgh scares me the most. Time will tell.

by coltsfanawalt on Dec 6, 2008 1:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

@Pittsburgh should scare you

but @Nashville will kick you chumps to the curb.

Forget Tampa, it’s not gonna happen. Cinderella is a fairy tale.

by BeansCarter on Dec 6, 2008 9:36 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

hmm

Brett and the Jets are walking into our house. Harper should be back; we have a hard-hitting, ball-hawking secondary that can get the job done.

Brett’s gonna have a long day against our pass rush, especially if KVB comes back.

The Jets are not as good as advertised… case in point – the Jets have lost to Oakland, barely squeaked by KC, got blown out by San Diego and split their series with NE. The St-Louis blowout means nothing; St-Louis would lose to an arena league team. The NE overtime win? Nice win, and nice game for Favre, but teams that beat the 2008 Patriots don’t impress me very much, what with their geriatric defense and all.

Brett has 18 touchdowns and 12 Interceptions. Let’s take away that Arizona shootout that was really a statistical aberration… and you end up with 12 TDs and 11 picks. Media’s talking about how they have gotten hot lately… sure, last two games Brett has had QB ratings above 100; but let’s not forget that one of those games was against the Rams.

My guess is that this week, against a top 5 defense, Brett’s gonna toss up a real stinker. 2 picks and one TD.

When you dig into the numbers, they’re just not that scary. Lay the 5 points or whatever your bookie is quoting you, and take that to the bank.

Shonn Greene for Heisman
Big Ten's leading Rusher, Leads FBS
144 yards per game
6.2 yards per carry
08 TDs per game > 06 GPA

by shake n bake on Dec 6, 2008 12:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Awesome

by coltsfanawalt on Dec 6, 2008 4:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ok ya got me.

I was wrong that time. Ex-ante, I had good reasons to feel that way. But one disappointing loss doesn’t erase my confidence. It also doesn’t erase 11 wins, and it doesn’t mean we’re not the best team in the AFC.

If the Colts beat us in the playoffs I’ll come here and eat the shit i deserve, then I’ll slit my wrists.

by BeansCarter on Dec 6, 2008 7:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

you have such confidence

its like your team has actually won a super bowl before…

titans fans are like san antonio spurs fans… always so angry and since they have nothing else to root for in their city… they are a little crazy GOOOOoooo predators!

by zkmavz on Dec 6, 2008 1:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

haha

Yeah, go easy on him. After all, it’s probably punishment enough that he’s a Titan’s fan. Poor guy.

by burc on Dec 6, 2008 2:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, but...

San Antonio Spurs fans have at least seen their team win championships.

by coltsfanawalt on Dec 6, 2008 4:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Seriously, don't you have

a Titan’s blog to go spew your idiocy on?

by Ayrshire on Dec 7, 2008 9:53 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

@Pittsburgh

Has been won. Period. An old timer I know at work, who’s hardly a colts fan, but seems to know more about football than all the collective heads at sports channels, said that the Pats in the early half of the decade had the title of the team nobody wanted to meet in January. Not because they were more talented, but because they wanted to win more than the other team and now the Colts are that team.
My money is on the Titans being sated at winning the division and being 1 and done in the postseason. Pitt also doesn’t have a stellar record in the playoffs other than 2006, and maybe its time to return the favor.

"Winning is not everything;the desire to win is" - Vince Lombardi

by rangerover76 on Dec 6, 2008 1:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I believe that and hope that.

Further, I believe we can beat ANY team in the playoffs. @ Pittsburgh just scares me the most of all options. We won at Heinz Field this year, our first win there in what, thirty some years? And it came down to the last pass of the game.

Can we do it twice in a year? Absolutely.

Does that matchup scare me? Absolutely.

by coltsfanawalt on Dec 6, 2008 4:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs