Let me help you with that shoe as you try it on the other foot.
We finally got what was coming to us and the entire nation probably couldn’t be any happier. For what seems like an eternity, the Patriots have been the gold standard in the NFL. They could do no wrong. They were well coached, executed plays to perfection and always did the right thing at the right time.
They always found ways to win against seemingly stacked odds (see past Colts, Steelers and Rams playoff triumphs). They could disguise glaring weaknesses and make sure they weren’t exposed.No more.
The true nature of the2005 New England Patriots was exposed Monday night in an embarrassing 40-21 smackdown by the Colts: a mediocre team that will have its hands full just to win the putrid AFC East.
If your stomach isn’t churning yet, allow me to submit a few examples that symbolize just what a fraud of a contender this team has been so far.
During the second quarter, Corey Dillon fumbled in the red zone on a game-tying drive. The Colts take advantage of the timely turnover (remember such an animal?) and drive down the field to make it 21-7 at the half.
Perhaps most nauseating was the third-and-goal touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne. Everyone in the stadium knew the ball was going Wayne’s way once it was evident that Duane Starks was out there by himself in coverage.
There are plenty of ways to slice the Patriots’ defensive-blame pie but Starks probably should get the biggest piece. In the first half, his primary responsibility, Wayne, had six catches for 65 yards. Starks didn’t see the field in the second half and likely won’t see practice on Wednesday. Where art thou, Earthwind Moreland? We miss you.
After a Daniel Graham touchdown made it a 14-point game in the middle of the third quarter, the Patriots uncharacteristically tried an onside kick (look up “panic move” in the dictionary) that was a cross between a Shrine Circus act and an Australian Rules Football kickoff. The result was a stunning minus-8 yard kickoff that gift-wrapped at least three points for the Colts after they were awarded the ball on the New England 22 yard-line.
I understand that it’s easy to be an armchair quarterback and criticize failed, high-risk calls. But an onside kick in the middle of the third quarter with the very real possibility that it may not work out?
For all the times that Bill Belichick and his coaching staff have put his team in a position to win games over the years, on this night they did just the opposite with such a bizarre call.
If you have a shred of decency – and perhaps humanity – you do have to feel sympathy for long-suffering Colts fans (see Red Sox 2004 for emotion verification). The monkey is finally off of their Hoosier backs and they can legitimately put AFC Champs t-shirts for sale on the Colts website.
Nobody is going to catch them.
As for the rest of the Patriots’ season, I offer one observation.
(Warning: objects in the Patriots rearview mirror (namely the Bills, Jets and Dolphins) may be closer than they appear.)
After watching Peyton Manning rip apart the Patriots secondary for 321 yards, how can any objective observer be convinced that the Patriots are a legitimate playoff team in the ultra-boring AFC East?
I hope you enjoyed the Patriots run over the last few years. I know I sure did. It fulfilled all of my dreams and then some. And now the plug has been pulled.
It’s time for a new dominant NFL machine to be juiced up. And that appliance is the Indianapolis Colts. It slices, dices and makes quick work out of other NFL teams.
Just ask the shredded New England Patriots.
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