But the Real Story is the New England Patriots...

[slagonia]

So the question was posed to the group of analyists before tonight's Monday Night Football game; Should the Colts feel bad that the Patriots seem to be getting all the press? The analysts, of course, shruged the question off. They claimed the Patriots weren't getting as much coverage as people have been saying.

Now, I've failed to watch a single MNF game since the begining of the year, simply because my work schedual forbids it. But tonight I had the night free, and decided to watch. Even from my limited exposure, I knew they were lying through their teeth, being a very pro-Patriots station and all, but I didn't realize just how bad it was.

"The Colts have had an amazing year-"
"Yes, but the real story is the the New England Patriots..."

Didn't even start the game and alread I heard this quote from the commentators.

"Manning having an excellent year-"
"But the real story has been out of New England with Tom Brady..."

So this went on for about ten minutes and I got sick of it, so I muted the TV and turned to ESPN radio on instead. What's the first thing I hear?

"Marvin Harrison with the catch-"
"Harrison having a good year, but not nearly the year Randy Moss of the Patriots is having..."

After hearing those same basic comments for another ten minutes, I decided not to watch the rest of the game. I'm sorry, but ESPN is ruining the NFL for me.

[lakerfan]

I definetly don't think it's a bad thing; on the contrary, i think this serves as more of a 'chip on their shoulder' if anything.
understably, the patriots have gotten their fair share of press, but the fact is that they have a giant target on their back, at least moreso than indianapolis. this leaves them vulnerable to the possibility of a big fall later on in the season. if anything, this relieves pressure on indianapolis who are seen as inferior to the pats, and who knows, could surprise people when these teams match up later on in the season.

[slagonia]

Originally Posted by lakerfan

I definetly don't think it's a bad thing; on the contrary, i think this serves as more of a 'chip on their shoulder' if anything.
understably, the patriots have gotten their fair share of press, but the fact is that they have a giant target on their back, at least moreso than indianapolis. this leaves them vulnerable to the possibility of a big fall later on in the season. if anything, this relieves pressure on indianapolis who are seen as inferior to the pats, and who knows, could surprise people when these teams match up later on in the season.

But I'm watching a Colts/Jags game. Why are they doing nothing but talking about the Patriots? Mention them one, sure. Mention them occasionally, whatever. Mention them more than the teams on the field and I just don't want to listen anymore.

[Korrupt]

Fact of the matter is, is that the Patriots' ground attack is mediocre at best, and they can be passed on (and I personally think they can be run on as well). The problem is that nobody has played well enuogh to slow down that passing attack. First team to apply pressure to Brady wins.

And I'm glad someone brought it up, because you can't avoid ESPN (or any sports media outlet, for that matter) talking about the New England Patriots (and unfortunately, it's looking the same way with both the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Celtics. I'm beginning to harbor a strong dislike for the Boston area, at least its sports franchises) based on this alone.

I also find it humorous, because I'm among those who believe that unless they prove otherwise, the defending champs are still top gun, and clearly the Colts have done nothing to dissuade me from believing they are anything but. Still, the success of the Patriots (aided by them running up the score and piling on unnecessarily on opponents) should be a huge help in avoiding the media...

[lakerfan]

Originally Posted by slagonia

But I'm watching a Colts/Jags game. Why are they doing nothing but talking about the Patriots? Mention them one, sure. Mention them occasionally, whatever. Mention them more than the teams on the field and I just don't want to listen anymore.

oh, don't get me wrong, i'll agree with you 100% that the preference is tilted more to the New England Patriots, than to the Indianapolis Colts...
to me it's a bit surprising, considering Manning gets his share of media coverage when it comes down to it...

but let's downplay it though-
most of the talk, from what it seems like, is that the colts are indeed inferior- perhaps disproportionately so, but inferior- to the new england patriots.
how many would argue that, at this juncture, the opposite is true?

as much as many would argue the colts deserve more coverage, to many, well, at least me, their points are valid, are they not?

[NEsince92]

Fact of the matter is, is that the Patriots' ground attack is mediocre at best

When both Laurence and Sammy are in uniform, that's not true. The two of them are just as much of a force as Laurence and Corey were.

First team to apply pressure to Brady wins.

You make it sound as though Brady is sloppy under pressure. If you really think that's true, then you haven't been paying attention since he took the field back in 2000.

[lakerfan]

Originally Posted by Korrupt

Fact of the matter is, is that the Patriots' ground attack is mediocre at best, and they can be passed on (and I personally think they can be run on as well). The problem is that nobody has played well enuogh to slow down that passing attack. First team to apply pressure to Brady wins.

eh, mediocre is a stretch, if you ask me....
the patriots rank 7th among teams in rushing yards, the colts rank 6th...
i'm sure the schedule will come up in the argument somewhere, but the patriots did run against decent run stopping teams in Dallas and San Diego, albeit Brady having great offensive games in both respectively...
despite the injuries, they've shown they can run the ball, and saying the opposite seems like an exaggeration at best.

[oscarheyman]

Their game against each other on Nov 4 will settle the issue (until at they meet up in the playoffs anyhow).

[Korrupt]

I know their ground attack is ranked high, but I personally think it's more of a product of their aerial attack opening up running room (I don't yet think particularly highly of either Maroney or Morris).

As far as Brady is concerned, I know he's not sloppy under pressure. I also know that he, like every other quarterback, doesn't play quite as well when he's constantly harrassed (unlike the way it is right now, when he has ten seconds to make a decision on every play, and secondaries cannot cover for that long), and I think it's a team's best shot to beat the Patriots.

Also, the other three teams in their division might be three of the four worst teams in the NFL.

Regardless, I will have a lot of answers when the Patriots meet the Colts (who has given me no reason to believe that they're not top gun in the NFL as the undefeated defending champions...)

[linusbox]

The network and obviously the NFL are trying to build a bitter rivalry between New England and Indianapolis. We all know that two of the premier QBs play for these teams. They happened to mention it on MNF that Peyton Mannning broke most of Dan Marino's passing records and then here comes Tom Brady to overshadow Manning's accomplishments. Believe me, for all we know, Peyton Manning and the Colts would want nothing more than to prove their critics wrong. You can thank the media for building up the hype. So don't think that the networks are pro-NE or pro-IND. This rivalry is just big business.

OTOH, why not promote the New England Patriots? How many times have you seen Peyton Manning's face on television commercials? DirecTV, Mastercard, Sony, Sprint, Gatorade, etc. Don't you think that he's not promoting the Indianapolis Colts with his commercials? I can pretty much say that people are getting sick and tired of Peyton Manning.