By now, you have finished reading much of the established media's Monday narrative about the Colts division-clinching, come-from-behind win over the Texans. The narrative goes something like this: Yeah, the Colts won, but really they should have lost. The Texans, Ravens, Patriots, and 49ers all had those games "virtually" won, but the Colts got lucky and ended up winning in the end. But forget that the Colts are 11-0 and have set an NFL record by winning five straight 4th quarter comeback wins. Did you see the comeback by Vince Young and the Titans? OH WOW! Talk about clutch! The Titans, and Vince Young, are just winners, baby!
Yeah, I just felt hot vomit shoot up my throat as well.
The knock on the then 6-0 Colts heading into Week Eight was that they were undefeated because they hadn't played anyone. Indeed, Yahoo!'s supposedly intrepid sage of all things football (Jason Cole) stated in a video interview that the Colts were due to lose a game to the Patriots or Ravens because both teams play 3-4 defenses, and the Colts struggle on offense against 3-4 defenses.
Cue the facepalm.
Well, after the Colts scored 21 fourth quarter points to beat the Patriots, made several impressive defensive stands to top the Ravens, and swept the Texans again this season (this time overcoming a 17-0 first half deficit), Jason Cole felt the need to try and face what little face he has left. You see, when big media people are shown up to be totally and completely wrong in their assessments, their best comeback mechanism is to demean and dismiss the team that proved them wrong.
Thus, Jason Cole's article is morning bashing a team that is currently 11-0, and has done so by beating some of the best teams in the NFL... on the road no less. Or, you get Vic Carucci's article from a few weeks ago, which pretty much flat out states that the Colts are "lucky" they are undefeated.
Indeed, even some in the blog world seemed a bit upset that the Colts are continuing their ride through the AFC. The Big Lead, which is run by a woefully football ignorant Jets fan, picked the Texans to upset the Colts yesterday. Nice pick there, Jason. Love your blog, man... but, you don't know squat about football.
The bottom line in all this is that a lot of people, and I mean a lot, predicted that the Colts would regress in 2009. With the Titans coming off their first AFC South title in six years, and with the Texans and Jaguars looking so promising after making several off-season moves, this was the year the Colts would finally fall. We all recall Marshall Faulk on NFL Network doing his AFC South preview back in early September saying the Colts window to win the AFC was "closed."
Now that they've all been proven wrong, again, my advice for all Colts fans is to sit back, relax, and enjoy watching these fools flip, flop, and slop all over the place as they look to salvage whatever semblance of credibility they have left. While you are relaxing and watching this circus of incompetence, take the time to enjoy a friendly game of bingo (Big tip to szquirrel). Most in the media circus will do what Cole did: Acknowledge the accomplishment, ignore their previous comments, and point out that the Colts have lost in the playoffs the last two years.
Highlight the negatives to drown out the positives.
Yes, it is a sad, petty media world we live in. But, people don't like being wrong. The reality is that the Colts are the first team in the 2009 season to clinch a playoff birth. They have won the AFC South by Week Twelve despite playing one of the more difficult schedules in the NFL. They have won 20 regular season games in a row, one short of tying the NFL record held by the Patriots. They have won five straight game by coming back in the fourth quarter and winning each game by less than 10 points (also, an NFL record). Their quarterback is the unquestioned MVP, especially when you look at the cupcake schedule Brett Favre and the Vikings have played.
That's reality.
And what Sunday's game showcased is that the Colts are not just good, they simply do not quit at any point during a football game. Why this wonderful trait is not being celebrated by big media instead of propping up this tired, silly buffoon who once quit on his own team DURING A GAME, I don't know.
By the way, Indy's record against 3-4 defenses the last two season is 10-1, with wins over the Patriots (twice), Ravens (twice), Steelers (in Pittsburgh), and Chargers (in San Diego). Peyton Manning has thrown for 3,140 yards, 22 touchdowns, and only 8 INTs against teams who run base 3-4 defenses.
Dear Yahoo! Sports, Jason Cole does not know anything about football. This guy is stealing money from you.