It’s not everyday of the week that you get a hole in one,( ok , I didn’t get a hole in one, but probably closest to the pin.) figuratively speaking, but with your permission and understanding, I wanted to reiterate that in my NFL picks last week, I did predict the Colts would win 31-17, and that the big difference would be at quarterback. This,by the way, is no suggestion of disrespect for Mark Sanchez, who executed some tremendous pass plays with exceptional poise for a rookie. Jets coach Rex Ryan really said it all in his post game comments, that the biggest difference in the game was the MVP, Peyton Manning. With his Colts down 17-6, and the Indianapolis defense looking vulnerable against some surprise plays by New York, the future Hall Of Famer slowly but surgically began shredding the Jets defense, something he’s done so many times before, to so many teams. Manning broke an NFL postseason record he shared with both Kurt Warner and Joe Montana, by surpassing 300 passing yards for the 7th time in his storied career.
While the Colts did get burned early in the game, on the 80 yard touchdown pass to Braylon Edwards, and the surprising Brad Smith’s completion to Jerricho Cotchery, they did adjust well at the half, and Indianapolis’ highly underrated defense, shut down Sanchez and the New York running game. As mentioned in my preview as well, this game also highlighted Colts team president Bill Polian’s supreme ability, to find players who can get the job done. With the Jets paying close attention to both Dallas Clark and especially Reggie Wayne, both Pierre Garcon( 151 yards,3rd most in Colts postseason history, on 11 receptions,an AFC title game record, and the weight of family and friends in Haiti on his mind.) and Hamilton Ontario native, rookie WR Austin Collie, stepped up to the plate ( 7 receptions, 123 yards ) and were huge in helping the Colts get back to Miami again, for the second time in 4 years, for another shot at the Super Bowl.
Jets coach Rex Ryan did a great job in guiding his team to the conference championship game. But perhaps he should pay close attention to the postgame comments of Peyton Manning, who may have been offering some subtle advice the to the Jets, sometimes braggadocios bench boss,by stating:” I thought we just kept our mouths shut and went to work this week.” Safe to say,the New York coach might learn from the ‘mouths shut’ segment of the quote, from the Indianapolis quarterback.
You can’t ask for a better emotional roller coaster, than what the Saints and Vikings provided, and what a great story for both the team and the city of New Orleans.It’s obviously not the kind of ending Brett Favre ever imagined, or would want to be remembered by, with the Saints 31-28 overtime win. The Super Bowl has as many good story lines as any that was ever played. Peyton Manning tries for his second Super Bowl win, going against the team he grew up cheering for, and his father Archie,such a big part of their early history.