I think the deal here might be that Indy ran out of gas.
Joseph Addai has some history, by his own admission, of being wiped out late in games. The Colts’ defense is so reliant on quickness, and played with so much energy early, that maybe they just couldn’t physically sustain it for four quarters. Who was it that said fast guys get tired, but big guys don’t shrink?
They supposedly keep it hot on purpose in the RCA Dome, but it might have backfired in this case.
On the other hand, the Colts played without two starting linebackers, their No. 1 and (for the most of the game) No. 3 wide receivers, and their left tackle, which some consider the second-most important position on the field. And losing WR No. 3, Anthony Gonzalez, was a big deal because obviously the Colts couldn’t plan for it, and because it brought reserve WR Aaron Morehead, obviously not ready for something like this, into play.
So this could be seen as an encouraging loss for Indy and maybe even the rest of the league.
It didn’t feel that way, though. The Pats beat the second-best team in the league on the road despite two brutal pass-interference calls that went against New England, one of them a 55-yard play.
And if they play again, it’ll be in Massachusetts in late January.
I hope they play again. These might be the two best football teams since the early-90s Cowboys.
ETC: I know everybody wants to be or sleep with Tom Brady, but he’s starting to annoy me.
First, in the final seconds, the game won, when all they’re doing is taking a knee, he’s screaming at the officials. Screaming.
Then he shows up for the post-game press conference in some sort of velvet sportcoat/tuxedo jacket deal with a white spread-collar short and a matching pocket square.
I mean, what are you, David Niven?
Brady used to seem like a good guy, but lately you get the feeling he’s quaffed the Belichickian Kool-Aid and become one of those stomp-everybody-into-the-ground competition nerds you’re not sure whether to admire, fear, or even, in a weird way, pity.
