In the Crease With Javier Gorriti-The Chin vs. The Neck

This is it. The annual game of the year between the Pats and Colts. Fans from both cities enter this week a little nervous, excited and straining with anticipation. The debate rages. Who is better, Manning or Brady? Clearly they are both great QB's, maybe two of the best to ever play the game.

For the rest of the country the debate never ends. Who is more annoying? Is it Brady with his dimpled chin, good looks, modeling shoots and wayward children, or Manning with his clean-cut persona, goofy charm, and his endless commercials?

Strong cases can be made for both.

The onslaught which is the "Manning commercial machine" has Peyton in our living rooms constantly. It literally never ends. Whether it's Peyton trying to stuff Oreos down our throats, or pimping NFL Sunday Ticket he simply never goes away. I find myself wondering how Peyton ever gets to practice. Of course, every time one watches a Colts game we are reminded about the rout-tree he and his chosen receivers run before every game. We are reminded that the almighty Manning has to invite said receivers to the pre-game tree. No loser third string nobody is going to throw off Peyton's pre-game warm up ritual. We are also reminded incessantly of Peyton's legendary work ethic and attention to detail. The adoration and adulation of the commentators on a weekly basis with regards to said super-QB makes anyone watching feel inferior and lucky to be in the same room, even if he's on our TV. (Editor's note:This is called "The Tim Tebowing of America")

Tom Brady and his supermodel wife remind us all every day of how great it is to be Tom-Terrific and how not great it is to be us schlepping to work every day, hoping we can pay the bills at the end of each month and hoping that our significant others might actually hit the gym at some point. Tom's GQ shoots, or even worse his Stetson ads are revolting. Quarterbacks should be tough and focused. Tom is in focus, but when we see pictures of Tommy carrying Gisele's bags and wearing a Yankee hat while he prances around Greenwich Village, it's very, very difficult to associate toughness with him. Tom has three rings. Tom is a winner. Tom is cool under fire and always comes up big in big games. Tom has a kid in LA he never sees. I don't know if it's the combination of clutch greatness, modeling shoots and the willingness of the media and public at large that chooses to ignore all of Tom's fairly dramatic off field faults that makes him so annoying, but that seems to hit it on the head.

Both of these guys are better than us. We are constantly reminded that they work harder, are better looking and are more successful than we could ever hope to be. They are both perfect in every way and have the love and adoration of their fans. Either could win the Governorship of Massachusetts and Indiana respectively. Brady has said he wants to be a politician when he retires (God help us, it makes me sick to think of having to look at Brady long after he's gone from the gridiron). Manning will probably keep making commercials until he's eighty years old. I guess the question really becomes which one of these two great QB's can sustain their annoyance level the longest. This is a very high standard they have set, but I am confident they can both live up to this standard for many, many years to come. I think in the end, it's a tie.(Editor's note:Which means fans of teams not named the Colts and Pats all lose) Oh, by the way....Pats 38 Colts 35 this Sunday.

Javier Gorriti, UMaine Black Bear from 1994-1998, is a frequent contributor to the CMSB and the co-host of the PM JAB with Chris Sedenka. He is the president of Mermaid Seafoods in Portland ME. and has been working and living in Maine over the past 5 years. He can be reached at javier_gorriti at hotmail.com. Scientists credit him with slowing down global-warming single-handedly, simply because "He's so cool".

AFC Playoffs..You Kidding Me...Playoffs

Angry? Yes. Bitter? Yes. In denial? Sadly, yes. The Miami Dolphins and the Indianapolis Colts made the playoffs and the New England Patriots didn't. After watching this set of AFC playoff games, one has to wonder what could have been.

Now, do I think the Patriots would have beaten the Baltimore Ravens or the San Diego Chargers? I can't say for certain. Would they have provided the NFL a better playoff game than the Phins and Colts, which was aided by a San Diego team that continually shot itself in the foot only to limp off with a victory? I think so. Miami has gotten by all season with smoke and mirrors on the offensive side of the ball. From a gimmick offense, to the weak-armed Chad Pennington (look at his turnovers, faster defenders managed to catch up to his change-up), the Dolphins scraped by week after week. The Colts made it this far because of one guy (gulp) a much-deserved MVP performance of Peyton Manning (you could argue that Sage Rosenfels helped them too).

Look at the Dolphins. They beat the Pats early and that made their season, no question about it. They worked harder then they did last season and should be applauded for it, but to throw that stinker, in the playoffs, suggests that they really weren't ready to take the next step. Look at how the Pats and the Fins ended the season and say which team looked playoff ready to you.

As for the Colts, well, Manning just ran out of gas. He had willed that team this far, but in the end, they couldn't muster enough for a back up running back and an 8 - 8 team. Did you really think we were heading toward another Super Bowl season for Manning and company? They held tough, but no where near tough enough to beat an 8 - 8 team that was on onside kick away from being eliminated three weeks ago at Arrowhead Stadium.

Now I'm not calling for an overhaul of the playoff structure, I'm not calling for the NFL to add a team to the playoffs, to adopt the BCS, or anything like that. The Dolphins just didn't look like a playoff team down the stretch. Does just barely getting by the Raiders, 49ers, Seahawks and KC make you playoff worthy? Hmm, well, no! Indy was the beneficiary of some bone-headed opponent plays through out the season (looking at you David Thomas and Jabar Gaffney) The best part is the Dolphins got in on a tie-breaker based on conference record, and the difference was a 17-10 win over San Diego in week 2, while the Pats got blown out in San Diego on a Sunday night. Every game matters folks, in case you had forgotten.

The Patriots had control of their own destiny and blew it, make no mistake. A Pats win at Indy, against the Steelers, the Jets, game one against the Dolphins, or Chargers and this is a VERY different playoff story. When the ability to take control was there, the Patriots failed, end of story.

What could have been...what could have been...

Eric Hartz-ColtPower.com

Eric Hartz, the editor from ColtPower.com, joined Matty on the Vortex to talk about the Indianapolis Colts and preview tomorrow night's game between the Patriots and Colts.

Thursday Morning Quick Hits

MLB

The Red Sox put another nail into the Yankees coffin last night.

Hank Steinbrenner is not impressed.

The White Sox got rundown by Orioles magic...

Denard Span saved the Twins, and helped the Twins gain a game.

The Mets bounced back against the Phillies.

The Cubs finished off the Bucs. Craig Hansen was shipped to the minors.

NFL

Ahman Green took a pay cut to stay with Houston.

Good news for one of my fantasy teams (not the case in real life), Peyton Manning looks good so far.

Sports Illustrated will have 6 regional covers for the NFL preview, who do you think gets the nod in the northeast?

NBA

With the injury to Monta Ellis, Marcus Williams will get a chance to run the point for GSW Hoops.

NCAAF

College football starts tonight. My wife is less than thrilled.

Super Bowl Winner, Yes, Big Game QB, No

With the NFL season just a couple weeks away, two of the game's biggests stars, Pats' QB Tom Brady and his Indy counterpart Peyton Manning, have been hobbled with injuries. Brady has yet to suit up for a pre-season game while Manning is still recovering from surgery to remove an infected bursa sac and has not yet practiced with the team. They are considered the game's two best QBs with NFL pundits often ranking them 1 and 1A because making a clear cut choice, for some anyways, is not easy.

Brady has been nothing short of a winner since taking over for Drew Bledsoe in 2001. He has won 3 Super Bowls, been to another, and has appeared in 5 AFC Title games in a 7 year span; very impressive in the era of free agency. 2007, despite the disappointment, saw Brady rewrite the record books as he tossed 50 touchdowns and amassed over 4,000 passing yards on his to an MVP award.

Meanwhile. prior to the Colts' winning the Super Bowl during the 2006 season many had labeled Peyton Manning as the NFL's Alex Rodriguez because both players would have unbelievable statistics yet neither had been able to bring their repsective teams to the promised land. That all changed on a rainy February night in Miami as the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17.

While Manning finally won his title and shed the Alex Rodriguez label, there is another label he cannot shed.....Peyton Manning is not a big game QB. Now I know that is hard to say about a Super Bowl winning QB who will probably replace Brett Favre's name in the record books, but looking back at his career it is not hard to arrive at that conclusion. Let's start from the beginning.

Manning, prior to winning the Super Bowl, was often excused for not having performed well in the playoffs because of how poor his defense was. I refer this as the 'Marino Myth' where a prolific QB struggles in the playoffs only to have their defense become the scapegoat. The blame placed on the Colts' defense is misplaced and here is why. These are the overall rankings of every Colts' defense since 2002:

2002---8th overall

2003---11th overall

2004---29th overall

2005---11th overall

2006---21st overall

2007---3rd overall


Mmmmm. Of the last 6 years Manning has had a top 11 defense in 4 of those years and somehow the defense is to blame? In the 4 years they had a top defense only once did they get to an AFC Title game (2003) and the three other times they were bounced in their first game of the playoffs (twice at home as a 1st or 2nd seed). Now, this is not to say the defense has not faltered in the playoffs. In 6 of Peyton's 14 playoff games the defense has surrendered 24 points or more resulting in a 3-3 record. While there certainly can be blamed placed on the Colts' defense during Manning's time in Indy, he himself is not without blame. Here is a look at his recent playoff record:

In 2002 the Colts lost a Wild Card game in New York against the Jets, 41-0. That year the Colts were 10-6 while the Jets, 9-7, won the right to host based on winning a weak AFC East. For most the first thing that pops out is the 41 posted on the Colts. However, let's not forget about the goose egg that the Manning led Colts posted as well. In that game Manning went 14-31 with 137 yards and 2 picks against a Jets' defense that ranked 24th that year in total defense and 21st against the pass. Yes, the defense failed, but so did the offense.

In 2003 the Colts rolled over the Broncos and Chiefs at home as Manning tossed 8 touchdowns to no picks. However, in the AFC title game in New England Manning struggled throwing 4 picks, completed less than half his passes (48.9 QB rating), while the offense posted just 14 points and did not score until the third quarter as the Pats built a 15-0 lead. With the score 24-14 late in the 4th, Manning would have the ball two more times but would go just 2-9 for 24 yards, failing to bring the Colts any closer.

The 2004 playoffs would be much like the 2003 playoffs where the Colts rolled their way to New England, this time in the Divisional Round. This time the Colts offenes, which saw Manning set the record most TDs in a season with 49, mustered just 3 points and were shut out in the second half as Manning went 27-42, 238 yards and one pick (64.3 QB rating).

2005 saw the Colts begin the season with 13 wins. They would finish 14-2, good enough for the 1st seed, and be matched up against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Round. That game saw the Steelers jump out to a 21-3 lead heading into the 4th quarter before a late charge by the Colts cut the lead to 21-18. However, despite having the ball, again, on two more occasions in the 4th quarter with 2:31 remaining, Manning could do nothing more than get the Colts a 46 yard field goal try (which failed).

2006 was the Super Bowl year that finally allowed Manning to shed the label, but it was the defense that carried Manning during the first two games. Against KC the Colts were victorious 23-8, but despite going 30-38, Manning did not find the end zone until the fourth quarter and was intercepted 3 times while the defense held KC to 126 of total offense and Adam Vinatieri's 3 field goals were all the scoring the Colts could generate in the first half. The next game saw the defense once again carry Manning and the offense in a field kicking contest 15-6 over the Ravens. In that game Manning went 15/30 with 170 yards and 2 more picks. Manning did, however, come up big against the Pats in the AFC Title with a 4th quarter drive for the winning score and played fairly well against the Bear.

2007 saw yet another 12 win season from the Colts as they again won the AFC South and earned a first round bye. Against the Chargers Manning had a huge game going for 402 yards with 3 TDs but had 2 INTs (including one in the 3rd quater with the ball on San Diego's 4 yard line and another also in San Diego territory). However, he failed to put the Colts ahead as he AGAIN was in a playoff game and saw the ball twice late in the game but was unable to score--including a 4 down series that started on the Chargers 9 yard line.

Overall, Manning is 7-7 in the playoffs (7-4 since 2003) with a 21-17 TD/INT ratio, an 84.4 QB rating and 5 300 yard games (including 2 400 yard games). However, remove the two games against two very overmatched Broncos' teams and his numbers look a lot less impressive; 12-16 TD/INT ratio, only 3 300 yard games and a QB rating of around just 73. Even more stunning are his number in the AFC Title Game and Super Bowl(the actual big games); 75-132, 833 yards, 3-6 TD/INT and a 64 QB rating. Take away the 2003 AFC Title Game (which many are critical in terms of judging Peyton Manning's performance that game because of weather and the Pats secondary) his QB rating is still just a modest 80, under his career mark in both the regular and post seasons. Finally, many say that the monkey came off of Manning's back when he "led" the Colts to a Super Bowl, but when you look at his numbers it would seem otherwise; 97-153, 1,034 yards, 3-7 TD/INT and a QB rating of 70.5.

Further, in 2005 against the Steelers and 2007 against the Chargers, despite having the ball late in the game multiple times, Manning failed to score in the fourth quarter. The 2006 Super Bowl victory was propelled by a very strong defense and running game. Manning did shine against the Pats in leading the Colts down the field for the winning score, but outside of that victory he has yet to engineer a 4th quarter, game winning drive in the playoffs. In those situations the Colts' "bad defense" (which has been way over blown) does not come into play, it is simply he and that prolific offense that falters regardless if they have the number 1 or number 32 ranked defense.....Peyton Manning could not get it done in key situations.

Manning is an elite QB, no doubt, but he is still not the Big Game QB come playoff time that some think he is. A Big Game QB is the one who can, despite having a poor statistical night, a poor defense, or other adversity,find a way to win in a big game. Manning, again outside of the Pats 2006 game, has not shown he can do that.