Brady and the Bunch

The Colts went into Foxboro this year and came away, yet again, with a severe whipping.  Are any of us surprised?  Not really.  Most fans understand the Colts are built for nice, indoor weather where Peyton Manning can throw all over the field and his receivers will have no problem with the conditions; unlike Sunday.

Best all around linebacker in the NFL?

The Pats defensive backfield is going to get exposed is what I heard all week.  'Peyton is going to tear them apart' was the general assumption.  So much for that idea.  Charlie Weis, departing for Notre Dame at the end of the season, had his defense ready for anything the Colts had planned.    Snow, a freezing temperature, fumbles and dropped balls didn't help Indy either. 

Who really can doubt Tom Brady in big games?  Other than a couple times in the past four years, he just does not make mistakes.  CBS threw up a poll asking 'Who would you rather have in the clutch...Tom Brady or Peyton Manning?'  Gosh, I wonder.  Tough call there.  Especially in New England in January.  Maybe my answer would be different in Indianapolis where the RCA Dome temp is a cozy 72 degrees.  Corey Dillon helps.  Brady doesn't have to sit back and make as many decisions when you have a back like Dillon ready to do anything that is asked of him.  I never would have said that last year when Dillon was in Cincy complaining about playing time. 

 Not a bad first playoff game for Corey

My Top Eight Reasons the Pats are going back to the Super Bowl

1. Tom Brady -- Don't doubt him.  He just keeps on keepin' on.

2. Corey Dillon -- Being on a winning teams helps his mentality a bit.  Juuuuuuuust a little bit.

3. Troy Brown -- Is there anything else for him to do?  Talk about doing it all.  Catch clutch passes, return punts, play defensive back like an All Pro. 

4. Tedy Bruschi -- Yikes.  He is a monster in the middle.  I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley I'll tell you that much.

5. Rodney Harrison -- Boy he likes to run his mouth, but he backs it up so who am I to tell him to shut it? 

6. Ben Roethlisberger -- I love him, but he's still a rookie and next Sunday is going to get to him.

7. Romeo Crennel -- His defensive schemes, along with the elements, completely shut down one of the best offensive teams in the history of the NFL.  Not bad. 

8. Bill Belichick -- Tell me he won't have the Pats ready for the Steelers.

 

Quick and Painless

 

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How many expected of you expected USC to completely trounce Oklahoma last night in the Orange Bowl?  I know I didn't.  Go figure with me being an OU fan right?  What can I say?  That was disgusting.  OU's phrase all year was 'Finish What You Started' because we all remember last year and how Oklahoma throttled everybody until the Big 12 title game.  Kansas State ran all over my beloved Sooners and so did the Tigers of LSU in the Sugar Bowl.  Last night was no different as USC did whatever the heck they wanted to the poor Sooner defense.  I just don't get it. 

 Turn pro Matt, you have nothing left to prove.

I was not the only one who thought OU would win.  Every ESPN Gameday commentator (besides Lee Corso, whose opinion doesn't matter anyways...) picked OU big time.  'This game could get away from USC' is what Trev Alberts said.  Mark May said over and over again the offensive and defensive lines of the Sooners are just completely going to dominate the game and run over the Trojans.  Well so much for that idea. 

When did it all go wrong?  Was it Mark Bradley's braindead decision to pick up the punt rolling down at the 5 yard line?  Was it Jason White's awful interception (and you know the one I'm talking about) standing on his back foot trying to throw in between five Trojan defenders?  Come on Jason...think a little bit.  Five turnovers are not going to beat USC. 

I congratulate USC.  They were the best team by far.  Do I feel my Sooners didn't show up for the game?  Yes.  Would Auburn have showed upready to play?  Good question.  I think their defense would have done a lot better job than OU did at stopping USC's incredible offense.  Carlos Rogers, Auburn's All American DB, could have stopped a lot of what USC did last night. 

My Top Eight 2005 College Football Teams

1. USC -- Hello, it doesn't matter if Leinart comes back.  They have everything including All American high school QB's Rocky Hines and John David Booty waiting in the wings.  And yes, his last name really is Booty.

2. Texas -- No Cedric Benson and Derrick Johnson but Vince Young showed what he can do in the Rose Bowl.  He has it all and will have to prove it next year, especially vs OU.

3. Miami -- The Brock Berlin era is finally over in South Beach and the Canes will be better because of it.  Can you say Kyle Wright?  Just let him get his chance.  We have all been waiting.

4. Michigan -- QB Chad Henne will just be a Soph as will RB Michael Hart.  Steve Breaston is a great WR who will have to step into Braylon Edwards' spot as the go to guy. 

5. Oklahoma -- I have to be honest with this pick.  I have no idea what Stoops is going to do at the QB position (Tommy Grady, Rhett Bomar, etc), but with Adrian Peterson in the backfield they'll be just fine thank you very much.

6. Tennessee -- Boy, they laid a whipping on a very, very good A&M team in the Cotton Bowl.  The Vols had two solid QB's (Eric Ainge and Brent Schaeffer, both freshman) and found a third in Rick Clausen (Casey's brother).  I really like Gerald Riggs.  He could find himself rushing for 1,500 yards next year.  The Vols finally have things going in the right direction after the bowl season.

7. Louisville -- Stephen LeFors was great but now it's time for Brian Brohm to lead the Cards to the promised land.  He has all the tools and with Michael Bush in the backfield Louisville is in for a good, if not great, run next year. 

8. Florida -- Is Chris Leak finally going to step up and take over?  Urban Meyer will have the Gators ready to go next year but it won't matter if Leak can't step up.  It's all on your shoulders Chris...now play like it.