The Colts win SBXLIII
by shake n bake on Jun 17, 2008 3:25 PM EDT
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PrintFrom Dave Gardner at Mocking the Draft
Well, here we are in February in my lovely hometown of Tampa, Fl. We ran through the regular season and the playoffs for both conferences to determine the matchup for Super Bowl XLIII. It'll be the Indianapolis Colts attempting to keep the Lombardi trophy in the Manning family for the third-consecutive season against the Dallas Cowboys trying to bring it back to the Lone Star state for the first time since Troy Aikman was under center.
Let's break from the brief game summaries of the playoffs and detail some more specific matchups.
Keys for the Colts:
1. Peyton Manning vs. the Dallas secondary. This should be a matchup that the Colts win easily. Dallas features a young, unproven secondary. There aren't many better route-running wide receivers than Reggie Wayne, and there aren't many more accurate quarterbacks than Manning. Odds are that the Dallas secondary would have to rely on the pass rush to disrupt Manning and his receivers.
2. Dallas Clark vs. the Dallas linebackers. If Marvin Harrison is healthy this season, the Colts would likely feature three-wide receiver sets for most of this game, leaving the Cowboys in nickel. They won't switch to dime because of the fear of Joseph Addai running all over the field, so a linebacker will be covering Clark -- who is basically a wide receiver. If Clark can go up the seam and keep drives alive, the Cowboys defense will not be coming off the field except to make way for the special teams unit to defend the PAT.
3. Bob Sanders in the box. The Cowboys would like to run the ball against a smaller defense in the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have one small advantage over other Tampa 2 defenses, and his name is Bob Sanders. Sanders will need to be in the box almost exclusively -- save for a few passing downs -- to help contain the powerful Marion Barber III. It'd be wild to see those two hit each other at full speed.
Keys for the Cowboys:
1. Offensive line vs. defensive line. This is the Cowboys best matchup against the Colts. The Colts, who feature a small defensive line that has a tendency to get worn down toward the end of games, face the biggest offensive line in football. It's important for the Cowboys to both protect Tony Romo (because the Indianapolis secondary is good) and open up lanes in the running game.
2. Jason Witten vs. the Indy linebackers. Jason Witten is a monster of a tight end. He's an excellent blocker and pass-catcher, and he is very, very large. That doesn't bode well for the undersized Indianapolis linebackers. Witten will need to be able to catch tough passes over the middle and break tackles after he does. This could open up the outside passing game a little more for Romo and T.O.
3. The 3-4 rush vs. the Colts offensive line. The Colts line, although it has gotten better in recent years, has historically struggled against pressure from 3-4 defenses. This is because it's harder to anticipate where the pressure might be coming from. The Cowboys have some of the best pass-rushing outside linebackers in the game, and if they can knock around Peyton Manning early in the game, they have a chance of disrupting him for the entirety of it.
This would be a high-scoring game, and while it might not be as exciting at last year's Super Bowl, it will certainly attract a large audience as America's team faces off against another very popular team in the Indianapolis Colts. There are plenty of stars on each team, and the each coaching staff would have a great game plan in place. Ultimately, though, we have to go with the more experienced team in Indianapolis. The Cowboys will make it interesting for three quarters, but the Colts pull away in the end.
Indianapolis wins the first-ever Mocking the Draft Super Bowl, 34-24
1. San Diego Chargers (14-2): AFC West Champs, best record overall in AFC
2. Indianapolis Colts (13-3): AFC South Champs by virtue of a better division record than Jacksonville, head-to-head tie breaker with New England
3. New England Patriots (13-3): AFC East Champs, better record than Pittsburgh
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5): AFC North Champs
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (13-3): 2nd place AFC South, top wild card
6. Cleveland Browns (9-7): 2nd place AFC North, wild card by virtue of 2-0 record versus Broncos and BillsWild Card Round:
New England Patriots (3) defeat Cleveland Browns (6): For the city of Cleveland, and for a proud Browns franchise, this would be a welcome return to the playoffs. However, there couldn't be a more difficult place to play the game than New England. Brady and Belichick are undefeated in Foxborough in the playoffs at 8-0.
Jacksonville Jaguars (5) defeat Pittsburgh Steelers (4): In a rematch of last year's thrilling wild card matchup, the Steelers would come out with a lot of motivation. In the game this past January, the Jaguars benefitted from a huge non-call on David Garrard's famous 32-yard run on the fourth-and-two play late in the game. There was an obvious hold on the play. Still, with the Steelers' shaky offensive line, and the Jaguars front four that now features Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves, the Jags once again prevail.
Divisional Round:
Jacksonville Jaguars (5) defeat San Diego Chargers (1): As the Chargers once again prove, being the one seed isn't all it's cracked up to be. This Jacksonville team is so talented on both sides of the ball. "But Dave, so are the Chargers," you might be thinking. You're exactly right. However, the Jaguars coaching staff is exponentiall better than that of the Chargers. The Jags have two coordinators who have been head coaches. The Chargers head coach should still be a coordinator.
Indianapolis Colts (2) defeat New England Patriots (3): You have to respect New England's chances to win any game in the playoffs, and they are certainly getting hungrier with each passing season that they fail to hold that Lombardi trophy up again. However, the Colts will return an extremely young, yet experienced defense that boasts what I'll call the best secondary in the NFL. The Patriots used to get in the Colts' heads, but that won't happen in Lucas Oil Field, which will see a great first playoff game of many to come.
AFC Championship Game:
Indianapolis Colts (2) defeat Jacksonville Jaguars (5): Wow. What a matchup this would be in the AFC Championship Game. Besides Colts-Patriots here, there wouldn't be a game that would be more fun to watch. According to Matt, these teams will split their regular season matchups, with the home team winning each contest. I don't see this game being any different. I'd call this one a defensive struggle with a big play from Reggie Wayne being the difference
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The Cowboys...
Have to win A (read singular) playoff game before they can even think about the Super Bowl.
Honestly
Ho Hum.
I know that this whole “study” is just for fun, but if I have learned anything as a Colts fan where my team spent years trying to get over the hump to win a Super Bowl, it is take it one game at a time. I quite frankly don’t care what Mocking the Draft thinks as a lot of things can change from now until January. Call me boring.. but you know it’s true.
Besides, if we learned one thing from last year’s Patriots season it’s that they don’t hand out Lombardi’s in June. We also learned that Randy Moss STILL doesn’t know anything about winning a Super Bowl feels like, but that’s besides the point.
with Pacman
Cowboys will have by far the best secondary in the league and the most talented team, I’d love to see Romo and the Boys spank Manning and the Colts..again…in SB XLIII
In Romo we Trust
Terry
Too bad Pacman will be makin’ it rain by week 4 and Tank Johnson wil be his bodyguard.
In all seriousnes.. I do think that the Cowboys have a good squad, but shouldn’t they win a playoff game first before you get so confident?
not really
I don’t what the big deal about winning a playoff game is? You guys make way too much of it. The Cowboys as a very young club learned a lot over the last few years. The are primed to win it all this season.
In Romo we Trust
Well..
Because the Cowboys are showing a track record of not being able to get it done in the playoffs. It happens to all teams, the getting over the hump thing, but I’m not sold on the the Cowboys coaches nor Tony Romo to get it done in the playoffs.
Regardless… this whole “study” is pure speculation and I’d rather wait and see.
I wouldn't call 2 years a track record
The Colts and Manning’s track record of not getting it done was much longer. I wouldn’t expect you or any other Cowboys hater to being sold on them but it will happen, its only just begun.
In Romo we Trust
Again
the Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since the Clinton Administration. While Romo has only been at the helm for the last two chokes, the organization as a whole has had a pretty poor “track record” in the playoffs for quite some time now. Any reasonable person would agree that the Cowboys have a lot of talent and should be one of the contenders in the NFC. But to assert with full confidence that they are “the most talented team” and that “they are primed to win it all this season” when they haven’t been able to so much as get past their first postseason game since the mid-’90s—well, that’s a pretty huge dose of the same homerism that you routinely accuse us of.
considering a lot of football
publications are predicting the same, its not homerism at all. What the organization has done pre-Romo or even pre-Parcells for that matter is absolutely meaningless and doesn’t matter at all.
Look at the Rams in the late 90s, they sucked for a very long time and then assembled some talent and won the SB.
This revisionist theory about not winning a playoff agme makes no sense to me at all and is just a haters way of telling themselves that the Cowboys won’t win this season. The fact is they will whether you like or not.
In Romo we Trust
Defensive much?
Again, as I said before, if you had been paying attention you’d see this, the Cowboys are a talented team and should be contenders. However, for whatever reason, sometimes teams have trouble winning when you think they should. Look at the Colts: for some reason they can’t beat the Chargers. The Patriots are an excellent team—unless they are playing the Broncos. For the Cowboys, their bugaboo seems to be playoff games. It has been going on for quite some time now. Of course every team is different, but the Cowboys team of this year is not going to be radically different from the ones that choked in the last two years.
Can they win? Of course. Anything can happen. Odds are they’re gonna break their playoff drought sometime; it could be this year. However, to confidently assert that they’ll definitely win it all - with largely the same team, including QB and coaches that couldn’t get it done in the past two years - is the definition of homerism. You accuse us of being homers. Well, I do think the Colts have the best talent in football. But I realize that this does not mean they’ll necessarily win it all. They are one of about 7 or 8 teams (including the Cowboys) that have a shot. In the real world, reasonable people know that anything can happen and that nothing should be taken for granted. In “homerland,” unreasonable people shout to the rafters, “My team is winning it all and that’s an absolute fact!”
See what I’m sayin’?
Who is Pacman?
The Cowboy formerly known as Pacman now wants to go by “Adam”.
The Colts ranked 2nd in Passing Yard Defense, 2nd in Passing TDs allowed, tied for 2nd in Interceptions.
The Cowboys? 13th, 8th, and 6th. A guy, who hasn’t played football in over a year, will not even come close to closing that gap.
when was the first 'spanking'?
if you are referring to the regular season game in ‘06, a game that came down to the final plays and a 21-14 score…not really sure that is a ‘spanking’. but small victories terry, small victories…
considering the Colts were undefeated
and favored to win the SB and the Cowboys were a non playoff team at that point, yeah, I’d consider that a spanking.
In Romo we Trust
BTW
That was the season that ended in the Cowboys losing in the opening round of the playoffs (with Romo in tears on the field) and the Colts winning the super bowl. You can have that close regular season game all day long if we can have that playoff result, Terry. In the end, you know you would switch places that year if you could.
You are right,though. The Colts won the super bowl, and the Cowboys were a non playoff team.
by coltsfanawalt on Jun 18, 2008 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Adam Jones
I fail to see how he is so great and how he would help you against the Colts. In two seasons played, he has 4 career interceptions, none against the Colts. In fact, in 4 games played against Peyton he has 16 Tackles and 1 Pass Defensed. In 3 of those games, the Titan secondary was scorched by Harrison. Wayne scored a few times as well.
Jones is overrated and he won’t be enough to make up for the fact that Williams can’t cover anyone and you will have to rely on your rookie, Mike Jenkins.
If they play against the Cowboys this season, Peyton will throw for 250+ and 3 TDs.
SB XLIII
From your keyboard to God’s ear. Nothing would make me happier than to win another SB (especially if it would be by defeating the Cowboys)!
PacMan only scares me as a return man
he proved he was good there. And the Colts coverage teams have been awful forever.
They ball when they can and I'm ballin' by nature
Addicted to the game like Jordan and Peyton
-Lil' Wayne "Fireman"
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