Nightmare in Indy
Today on January 15, 2006, the Indianapolis Colts faced the Pittsburgh Steelers at home in an AFC Divisional Playoff Game. The final score was 21-18 Pittsburgh, and with that final score, the whole sports world went silent. What had just happened? The unthinkable had just happened. How in the world does a team that starts out 13-0 with a chance at an undefeated season suddenly go hay-wire in their first playoff game? Well, the answer could lie in a number of things. First off, the Colts had not played a serious game in a month. Perhaps they were just simply rusty, while Pittsburgh was more fresh and lubricated. But I tend to think the contrary. Believing that too much rest cost them the season is a slap in the face to the ’72 dolphins and any other team that is guaranteed a first-round bye.
Entering this season, teams who had a first round bye won roughly 80 percent of their games. This season, only 50 percent won. Yes, Chicago lost to Carolina. Seattle scorched Washington, and Denver cruised passed New England. Of course, Pittsburgh beat Indy. So I guess you could say that this is the year of upsets. But, nonetheless, when you have home-field advantage in the playoffs, and you look unbeatable until the last couple of weeks of the season, you better at least win your first playoff game.
So, what other excuses does Indy have besides rest? Well, the loss of Tony Dungy’s son did not help. But, I still can’t find that to be an excuse because first off, I would think that the players would try harder because of that. Perhaps, they would want to win one for Dungy. Even if they did not have that positive out-look, I don’t think that it would make them not want to play football. I mean, these guys are pros. They are not college or high school players, they are NFL players. So, for a team with this kind of reputation, and a team of this high quality, there is no excuse to lose. I don’t care what it is. They have no excuse. Look, Pittsburgh is a very good football team. But, there is no way to expect them to win this game. Seriously, I think that Pittsburgh was just as surprised as we were.
If they expected a win, they expected a flat out dog fight. Not an early 21-3 lead and then a near collapse at the end. This win was not expected in its form or in its result. Quite frankly, Pittsburgh should feel like they ought to win the Super Bowl. If they can beat Indy at Indy, then they can sure as hell beat Denver in Denver.
But enough of me giving my opinion, let me tell you what happened in this game. Well, in the first quarter, Pittsburgh came out hot. They scored easily on their first possession, and pretty soon they had a comfortable 14-0 lead. Indy came roaring back, but only was able to punch in field goal. In the second half of the game, the Steelers scored another TD making Indy’s chances seem further out of reach.
But, the game was far from over. Oh indeed it was. After a 21-3 Steeler lead, the Colts scored a TD. Making it 21-10 Pittsburgh. Then, Indy scored another TD, converted on the 2-point conversion, and was within three. Now we have a 21-18 score with Pittsburgh hanging on by a shoe string. Game over for Pittsburgh? Oh no. As a matter of fact, with 1:20 to go in the forth, the Steelers had the ball on the Colt’s 2 yard line. They just needed a quick TD, and game would be over. Amazingly, they gave the ball to Jerome “The Bus” Bettis who blatantly fumbled the football which was then immediately scooped up by Indy and nearly taken back for a Touchdown. Had the Colt player not been barely tripped up by Ben Roethisburger, the Colt’s would have scored a TD and the game would have been practically over.
But now the ball was roughly around mid-field, and Indy looked like they were going to win after all. Soon, Peyton Manning threw a couple of really nice passes to get the Colts in field goal range with just 21 seconds remaining. Mike Vanderjagt came on to attempt a 46 yard field goal. The kick would be in his house with no wind, no jeering fans, no moisture on the field, no body trying to ice him, and more pressure than one can imagine. But despite the pressure, Mike Vanderjagt is one of the best kickers in the NFL. He would split the uprights from 46 yards out in this dome 20 times in a row in practice. But apparently, the pressure got to him, because he shanked the kick like you would not believe. It almost looked like he was aiming for a different set of goal posts. It was that bad. Now the game was over. Indy blew it, the Steelers had done it, and everybody in the United States watching from coast-to-coast froze in their seats as they thought to themselves “Holy Shit!”
The Colts lost! I thought that if the Steelers got within 10 points, they would have put up a fight. Instead, they knock off the number one seed in the AFC and the NFL for that matter.
So, what does this mean for Pittsburgh? It means that they will have a shot at a Super Bowl. What does this mean for Indy? That just had a shot at a Super Bowl and lost. What does this mean for people who value regular season achievements? Regular season stats don’t mean jack-squat once it is playoff time. The answer to the “How did Pittsburgh beat Indy?” equation is very simple. The Steelers out played them. Period! If you want to sit back in your seats at home and mope and complain about that questionable pass-interference call, or a chicken-shit kicker, you can’t cry to me, because the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to Denver to take on a very difficult Denver Bronco football team.
Who wins that game? Well, lets let fate decide that one.
Note: What does this all mean for Peyton Manning? Well, first off, the Manning home is going to be very gloomy on Super Bowl Sunday. Eli got crushed, Peyton got mauled, and Archie just saw his sons get sliced and diced by two very good football teams. Now, let me just say, that Peyton Manning should not take all the blame. Oh no, but just as all the praise comes with success, all the beating is going to come with the losses, and no loss is more devastating to the psyche of the Indianapolis Colts than this loss right here. Think about it, they had the best regular season record in the NFL and the best record under Peyton Manning. I thought that this was their year, and if they can’t win under those heavily favorable circumstances, I don’t know if they ever can. I think the world can truly say “The Colts can’t win the big one.” I’m not saying Peyton Manning can’t because it is a team game, and hey, Peyton Manning did not play a flawless game, but he played pretty damn well. It’s not his fault that his offensive line false started at the 3 yard line. Or that the running game could not punch in the TD ultimately making Indy settle for a field goal. It is also not Manning’s fault that his defense gave up 2 quick Touchdowns in the first half of action. He went for it on 4th and 2 after waiving off the punt team which eventually got them a TD. Manning played well, but the rest of the colts could not deliver when it counted. After watching this game and following Indy’s season, you can’t help but wonder if Manning will ever get a shot as good as this.
Entering this season, teams who had a first round bye won roughly 80 percent of their games. This season, only 50 percent won. Yes, Chicago lost to Carolina. Seattle scorched Washington, and Denver cruised passed New England. Of course, Pittsburgh beat Indy. So I guess you could say that this is the year of upsets. But, nonetheless, when you have home-field advantage in the playoffs, and you look unbeatable until the last couple of weeks of the season, you better at least win your first playoff game.
So, what other excuses does Indy have besides rest? Well, the loss of Tony Dungy’s son did not help. But, I still can’t find that to be an excuse because first off, I would think that the players would try harder because of that. Perhaps, they would want to win one for Dungy. Even if they did not have that positive out-look, I don’t think that it would make them not want to play football. I mean, these guys are pros. They are not college or high school players, they are NFL players. So, for a team with this kind of reputation, and a team of this high quality, there is no excuse to lose. I don’t care what it is. They have no excuse. Look, Pittsburgh is a very good football team. But, there is no way to expect them to win this game. Seriously, I think that Pittsburgh was just as surprised as we were.
If they expected a win, they expected a flat out dog fight. Not an early 21-3 lead and then a near collapse at the end. This win was not expected in its form or in its result. Quite frankly, Pittsburgh should feel like they ought to win the Super Bowl. If they can beat Indy at Indy, then they can sure as hell beat Denver in Denver.
But enough of me giving my opinion, let me tell you what happened in this game. Well, in the first quarter, Pittsburgh came out hot. They scored easily on their first possession, and pretty soon they had a comfortable 14-0 lead. Indy came roaring back, but only was able to punch in field goal. In the second half of the game, the Steelers scored another TD making Indy’s chances seem further out of reach.
But, the game was far from over. Oh indeed it was. After a 21-3 Steeler lead, the Colts scored a TD. Making it 21-10 Pittsburgh. Then, Indy scored another TD, converted on the 2-point conversion, and was within three. Now we have a 21-18 score with Pittsburgh hanging on by a shoe string. Game over for Pittsburgh? Oh no. As a matter of fact, with 1:20 to go in the forth, the Steelers had the ball on the Colt’s 2 yard line. They just needed a quick TD, and game would be over. Amazingly, they gave the ball to Jerome “The Bus” Bettis who blatantly fumbled the football which was then immediately scooped up by Indy and nearly taken back for a Touchdown. Had the Colt player not been barely tripped up by Ben Roethisburger, the Colt’s would have scored a TD and the game would have been practically over.
But now the ball was roughly around mid-field, and Indy looked like they were going to win after all. Soon, Peyton Manning threw a couple of really nice passes to get the Colts in field goal range with just 21 seconds remaining. Mike Vanderjagt came on to attempt a 46 yard field goal. The kick would be in his house with no wind, no jeering fans, no moisture on the field, no body trying to ice him, and more pressure than one can imagine. But despite the pressure, Mike Vanderjagt is one of the best kickers in the NFL. He would split the uprights from 46 yards out in this dome 20 times in a row in practice. But apparently, the pressure got to him, because he shanked the kick like you would not believe. It almost looked like he was aiming for a different set of goal posts. It was that bad. Now the game was over. Indy blew it, the Steelers had done it, and everybody in the United States watching from coast-to-coast froze in their seats as they thought to themselves “Holy Shit!”
The Colts lost! I thought that if the Steelers got within 10 points, they would have put up a fight. Instead, they knock off the number one seed in the AFC and the NFL for that matter.
So, what does this mean for Pittsburgh? It means that they will have a shot at a Super Bowl. What does this mean for Indy? That just had a shot at a Super Bowl and lost. What does this mean for people who value regular season achievements? Regular season stats don’t mean jack-squat once it is playoff time. The answer to the “How did Pittsburgh beat Indy?” equation is very simple. The Steelers out played them. Period! If you want to sit back in your seats at home and mope and complain about that questionable pass-interference call, or a chicken-shit kicker, you can’t cry to me, because the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to Denver to take on a very difficult Denver Bronco football team.
Who wins that game? Well, lets let fate decide that one.
Note: What does this all mean for Peyton Manning? Well, first off, the Manning home is going to be very gloomy on Super Bowl Sunday. Eli got crushed, Peyton got mauled, and Archie just saw his sons get sliced and diced by two very good football teams. Now, let me just say, that Peyton Manning should not take all the blame. Oh no, but just as all the praise comes with success, all the beating is going to come with the losses, and no loss is more devastating to the psyche of the Indianapolis Colts than this loss right here. Think about it, they had the best regular season record in the NFL and the best record under Peyton Manning. I thought that this was their year, and if they can’t win under those heavily favorable circumstances, I don’t know if they ever can. I think the world can truly say “The Colts can’t win the big one.” I’m not saying Peyton Manning can’t because it is a team game, and hey, Peyton Manning did not play a flawless game, but he played pretty damn well. It’s not his fault that his offensive line false started at the 3 yard line. Or that the running game could not punch in the TD ultimately making Indy settle for a field goal. It is also not Manning’s fault that his defense gave up 2 quick Touchdowns in the first half of action. He went for it on 4th and 2 after waiving off the punt team which eventually got them a TD. Manning played well, but the rest of the colts could not deliver when it counted. After watching this game and following Indy’s season, you can’t help but wonder if Manning will ever get a shot as good as this.
posted by Ben Parker at 11:20 PM
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