GarageGabs

Ok, before I get into all the technicalities of this weekends (not that I usually do that) AFC Championship Game, I’d like to bring your attention to this post over at Kissing Suzy Kolber. I haven’t seen someone sum up my exact thoughts and feelings since church this past weekend.

Seriously, which of these teams do you pull for this weekend?

On the one hand, you’ve got the Patriots. Somehow after 3 Super Bowls, and a 12-1 playoff record, you grow tired of a team. Not to mention that the Patriots don’t play the most exciting brand of football….at least for non-Patriot fans. Bill Belichick is certainly not lovable. Basically, New England has become the San Antonio Spurs of the NFL…when they are in the playoffs, I don’t really care to watch them play. I haven’t actually pulled for them since they played the Rams in Super Bowl something another. That team was likable….Tom Brady was the wonder kid replacement for Bledsoe, Belichick was the success story that failed in Cleveland, and they ran out as a team in that Super Bowl, rather than individual introductions. They beat the Rams that year in a great game, and of course went on to win 2 more Super Bowls. They’ve become less likable, and more faceless along the way…robots of victory so to speak. However, one part of the Patriots existence has always tickled my fancy….They exist to beat and frustrate the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs!!!

Ahh, yes, Peyton Manning and his crew of bambi-like wide receivers….seriously, Marvin Harrison slides better than any quarterback and probably better than Jose Reyes. Twice they’ve ran into New England in the playoffs; only to discover that Manning is a creature of rhythm and timing. The Patriots ability to pressure Manning along with disrupting (often illegally, but who’s counting?) the timing of the Colts physically challenged wide receivers has led to the early exit of Manning and his crew….not once, but twice. Problem is, both of those contests were in New England. This year, Manning and crew finally get the home field advantage on the fast turf of Indy. Weather won’t be a factor. If Manning is able to advance to the Super Bowl I will no longer have reason or opportunity to continue my personal assault on his career. The media will generate this huge Pre-Super Bowl Peyton Manning Love Boat and half of America will jump on board…..including that guy you work with…you know, the guy that knows about 4 NFL teams but pulls for the Colts because he sees Peyton Manning on commercials everyday? Yeah him….he’s gonna give you hell about Manning and the Colts. Everyday during the 2 weeks leading up to the Super Bowl you’re going to have to see Archie Manning drool over his son’s new found success. You’ll see special interviews with the “Manning brothers”, and learn how this “football family” overcame all odds to become champions. Sound like a stretch? Well, it might be…but the fact is, you don’t know.

However, A Patriots victory is something we have all experienced in the past. Yes, it is tiresome and redundant, but we’ve all be immunized against the Patriot plague. The Patriots are like snake venom….if you get bit by them a few times, you eventually learn to ignore them. (Yes, I ignore snake bites, don’t you?) So, lets all get on the same boat and pull for the Patriots this weekend. Remember, Peyton Manning exists so we can call him a playoff failure.

With all that being said, I of course, am going to pick the Patriots this weekend. Lets see…..an ironic way for things to end would be if Manning actually played a good game…..but still came up short. New England 26 Indianapolis 24. Manning leads the Colts to a 24-23 lead VERY late in the game only to see the Patriots pull out a miracle in the end. That sounds heartbreaking enough.

Colts or Pats? I Prefer the Lesser of Two Evils (Kissing Suzy Kolber)