Sure, Manning made a throw that everyone thinks was bad. But were they in the huddle when the play was called? What most people fail to realize is that the game they were watching is nothing like the game they go out and play with their friends on a quiet street. There’s more to a play than just  some dude drawing routes on his palm in the huddle. Did Peyton make a bad throw or did the receiver bung up the route?

You know what, it doesn’t matter. Yea the play was a mistake and yea it seemed to have cost the Colts the game. But it didn’t. That wasn’t the only play the Colts failed to make. The offense could have done a better job executing all game. The defense could have done a better job creating negative plays on first downs and getting off the field on third downs. Special teams could have done a better job on coverage and returns. The coaches could have coached better.

Games aren’t won or lost on one play. Every play is an opportunity that can be capitalized on. The Colts, not just Manning, could have played better. But they didn’t. The Saints made more plays in the game then the Colts did. And that’s why the Colts lost.

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They selected linebacker Pat Angerer from Iowa. He’s a fast playmaker that brings needed depth to the position. Another area of need is corner back, which brought in USC corner back Kevin Thomas. He’s a gifted athlete will speed to spare and should work well in the Colts defensive scheme. The drafted offensive guard Jacques McClendon who was a standout at Tennessee and should bring some depth healthy competition. While you’re not going to get any better of a receiving tight end than Dallas Clark, it doesn’t hurt to bring in a big, blocking tight end. That’s exactly what Oklahoma giant Brody Eldridge is and he’ll be a contributer right away. The interior of the d-line got some depth with the drafting of Cincinnati tackle Ricardo Mathews, who did a good job in college of plugging up the middle.

Clemson linebacker Kavell Conner brings some speed and toughness to the position and may contribute right away on special teams. One more special teams player was added, cornerback Ray Fisher of Indiana. He should compete for return duties. The Colts did a great job of adding depth and potential to areas where they needed it. This is a typical draft for the Colts and that’s why year in and year out they’re usually at the top of the league.

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Last night the Saints had something to say and they said it on the field. There can be no excuses made by the great Colts or Manning, they definitely aren’t making any. The game had few penalties and few mistakes. The costliest mistake was made by Peyton Manning when Tracy Porter picked off a Manning pass and returned it for a touchdown. That’s something you never saw Joe Montana do or something Tom Brady has yet to, and possibly may never do.

Manning may not be fully to blame for the interception, Porter diagnosed the play to perfection and stepped in front on the pass. However you rarely see Manning make such a mistake with such tight coverage.

The turning point in the game was no doubt the call by Sean Payton to attempt the onside kick at the beginning of the second half. The idea behind it was brilliant, keep Manning on the sidelines. If it wound up not working Payton probably would have been ridiculed for it by many people. But he stayed true to his philosophy of needing to take big chances in big games. Wether that play worked or not, you have to respect the man for staying true to his game plan.

While the world watched Peyton Manning prove he’s not even the best quarterback in the game today, let alone ever, they witnessed another quarterback take his game to a new level. Drew Brees played an amazing game. In the biggest game of his life he remained calm and poised. Right from the beginning of the game you could see his focus.

In the first quarter the offensive line of the Saints struggled a little with the pressure the Colts were putting on. But with all the chaos going on around him Brees slid around in that pocket and remained poised. The Colts came out and threw a lot at the Saints in the first quarter, the fact that New Orleans handled it played a huge role in the way the game went. Drew Brees handled the pressure of the big game like all the other quarterbacks that are considered to be the greatest did. Peyton Manning handled the pressure of the big game the way he usually does. His record in the postseason is 9-9. Now, remind me again of who dat everyone was anointing the greatest quarterback ever?

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Freeney had 13.5 sacks this year and his pass rushing abilities are second to none in the league. He’s the last player the Colts could handle losing going into this game.

The Saints passing attack is the best in the NFL. When Brees gets time in the pocket he has a habit of picking defenses apart. Although he was noticably off in the NFC championship game, it’s fully expected he’ll bounce back from that and have a performance worthy of being in the big game.

If, in fact, Freeney does happen to miss the biggest game of the year it may hurt the Colts quite a bit. Their defense is built around getting pressure on the quarterback. If the pressure isn’t there the Colts corners are going to have to play extremely well. The Colts still have Mathis coming off the edge on the other side, but now you can put the focus solely on blocking him instead of having to split the attention.

If Brees gets all day to throw the football the Saints are going to score a lot of points. Hey, maybe Freeney missing this game could be a good thing. We may be in store for the most offensive Super Bowl ever, and I mean that in a good way.

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The Jets play the kind of football that seems to give the Colts the most problems. They play physical on defense and force their will on the quarterback. And their offense plays ball control, not making very many mistakes which could keep Manning with his arms crossed shaking his head on the sidelines. This game won’t be as easy as some may think for the Colts.

The Jets seem to hang around like a bad cough. They keep games close and capitalize when the other team gets frustrated and makes a mistake. Both the Bengals and the Chargers had leads on the Jets, but they failed to put them away when given the opportunities.

The Colts will have their opportunities on Sunday. The key for them will be to take advantage when they arise. If the Colts can get up on the Jets by a couple of touchdowns they’ll win, the Jets won’t have any kind of chance if they have to start throwing and playing catch up. But if the Colts don’t make something of the opportunities and let the Jets hang around into the fourth quarter, their season may come to an abrupt end and people are going to have to stomach Rex Ryan for at least another two weeks.

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“I’m confident,” boasted Ryan. “There is no question about it. We’re going into the game expecting to win. I’d be shocked if we don’t. Absolutely would be.”

While he might be shocked if they lose, pretty much anyone else who isn’t a Jets fan wouldn’t be. The Jets little run was initially sparked by a win over the Colts. A game in which the Colts pulled most of their starters resulting in the teams first loss of the year.

The Colts took a lot of flak for doing what they did in that game and you could say it’s served as motivation for them as well.

To be alive this late in the season means you’re a good football team. So I guess Ryans arrogance confidence is called for. But in the process he’s only managing to increase the pressure on his squad and enrage the Colts even more.

The Jets are built to beat the Colts, ball control offense and physical defense. You gotta wake up pretty early to get one over on Manning though. He’ll be prepared for this game.

So Ryan can talk all he wants, which you know he will. His team better be ready. The Jets have become a target of dislike by many, if they lose the amount of pilling on that will take place could cause Manhattan to sink.

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I understand the Colts fans frustrations, especially since the team that they were chasing for the 16-0 season is the Patriots. But looking at it from the Colts perspective it’s hard to argue their logic.

Everyone saw how badly the Colts struggled without Manning in the game. Having him healthy, since they’ve secured the number one seed in the AFC, is clearly the main priority. If he had gotten injured during the Jets game fans would be pissed that he was playing in the first place in a meaningless game. The Colts couldn’t win on this one so they played it safe.

The reality of the situation was that, even when Manning was in the game, the Colts were out of sync. Pulling Manning may have been a good move. What if Manning played the game and they’d lost when he was playing? That could be a more damaging loss than the one they sustained Sunday.

A perfect regular season is great, but ask the Patriots when they would have rather had that one loss. New England fans don’t give a shit their team went 16-0, they probably don’t even want to remember that season. The Colts want their season to end with them hoisting up the Lombardi trophy. If they do all this talk about a perfect season will be forgotten.

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As a matter of fact, if it weren’t for Reggie Nelsons need to tie his shoe in the middle of a play, they may have won. Well Nelson wasn’t tying his shoes but how the heck did he let Wayne get over top of him like that?

The Jaguars hung in there though. They played the type of football you need to play to beat the Colts. You have to play physical in all 3 phases of the game. And as always your best defense is a good offense that keeps Manning off the field and on the sidelines with his arms crossed, shaking his head wondering why the heck the defense can’t get him the ball back.

The Colts really do like to keep it close though. Seven of their games this year have been won by 4 points or less. One thing that does for you is builds confidence in your team that you can win the close ones.

But here’s the problem. The Colts have been beating up on struggling teams. Well not really beating them up, more like stealing a win in the final minutes.

Now a win is a win, but you can still draw some conclusions from it. Mainly the fact that what will happen to the Colts when they face a team that’s hotter than they are. I’m mainly thinking about the Chargers here.

I can’t see the Colts beating the Chargers now or in a few weeks from now. Why? Because the Chargers finish games. Something the Colts last 8 opponents couldn’t do.

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As for the Colts, it’s pretty much the same old story. The Colts are 11-0 and looking like, well, the Colts. So what makes anyone think the Titans can beat them.

Right now the Titans are playing the kind of football that is designed to beat the Colts. They’re running the ball well, Vince Young isn’t making mistakes, and the defense is playing smash mouth.

These are the kind of teams that can beat the Colts. Keeping Manning off the field with well balanced, error free drives. Playing aggressive on defense and getting in the quarterbacks face.

Tennessee is going to have to play their best game of the year to beat the Colts, but they can do it. If Chris Johnson can have a big day running the football and they can put pressure up the middle on Manning, they’ll have a really good chance of winning this game.

The Colts need to score early and take the run game away from the Titans. If theTitans are forced to play catch up and throw the ball, it could be trouble for them.

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Jim Caldwell has done an excellent job replacing Tony Dungy, although you can never really replace a guy like Tony Dungy. But Caldwell has quietly been a part of the Colts great success since joining them as quarterbacks coach in 2002. After three years as quarterbacks coach he spent up until this season in the role of assistant head coach.

The Patriots seem to have things falling into place for them. Tom Brady looks like he’s becoming more in sync with his offense, and their young defense seems to be finding ways to make plays without guys like Bruschi, Seymour, Vrabel and Harrsion.

You can talk about matchups or whatever in this game but the bottom line is that it’s going to come down to mistakes. The team that’s able to capitalize on the others teams mistakes is going to win this game. There won’t be many. The big thing to look for is red zone efficiency. In a close game sometimes the key is the team who can get 7 instead of 3 in the red area.

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