Before the season started, I wasn’t too sure the Colts were ready to return to the Super Bowl. Now, in hindsight, I’m not sure what I was so concerned about. I’m not saying that I should have known from the beginning that the Colts would return to the Super Bowl, but I think there have been so many disappointments in past playoffs that it’s hard to be  over confident.

I actually thought that Dungy leaving was a good thing. I think he was distracted and while I believe he is an excellent coach, he was too willing to keep certain coaches around too long. When Caldwell came in, he immediately addressed the defense and special teams. Finally, this Colts team looks solid on both sides of the ball.

As for today’s game, the Jets came out ready to play. While I previously stated that the reason the Jets would lose was because Mark Sanchez is a rookie, I did not say that they would lose because of his poor play. He played very well in the first half and really didn’t do much wrong in the second.  It really just has something to do with the “football gods”.  A rookie has never led a team to the Super Bowl, so why start now? It’s just too big a stage, and I was proven right (I like that).

So, now the Colts are going to the Super Bowl. Actually returning to the “scene of the crime” where they dominated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI in Miami. Can they do it again? Can they beat the Saints or the Vikings. Well, whatever team comes from the NFC, it should be a great game.

So, at the moment, I’m thinking the Colts will win because of their defense. It’s hard to believe that the Colts defense would be the difference maker, but that’s the way it’s been all season. So, now I’ll go finish watching the NFC Championship and bask in the thrill of the Colts victory.

Rookie Quarterback

I’m biased.  I’ve been a Colts fan since they rolled into Indy on the Mayflower trucks in 1984.  So what I’m about to write is probably a bit slanted.

The Jets will lose on Sunday to the Colts.  And they will lose for one reason.  No, it’s not because Peyton Manning is Indy’s quarterback.  It’s not because the Colts defense is underrated and overlooked.  It’s not because the Colts are the home team.  It’s also not because Indy had the best record in the NFL this season.  It has nothing to do with the Joe Namath Jets beating them in the Super Bowl eons ago, and nothing to do with the 2002 Jets playoff win over the Colts.

Why will the Jets lose?  They will lose because Mark Sanchez is a rookie.

Can you name the last rookie starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl?  No.  What about the last rookie starting quarterback to go to the Super Bowl?  Again, you can’t because no rookie starting quarterback has ever gone to the Super Bowl.  Ben Roethlisberger is the youngest quarterback to ever go to the Super Bowl (age 23), but his rookie season ended in a loss in the AFC Championship game.

So, while all the “experts” on television are claiming that the Jets will win, I’m pretty skeptical.  I heard Tedy Bruschi on ESPN radio this morning tell me all the reasons why the Jets will win, however once I ran his commentary through my “Former New England Patriot Decoder”, I found that his bias was causing glaucoma of the brain.  In addition, all the guys on Dan Patrick’s radio show were predicting the Jets.  Can you say, “East Coast Bias?”

I’m all for the “experts” picking the other team.  Many of them know a lot about Xs and Os, but they can never really separate themselves from their personal biases.  Remember the midseason game between the Colts and Patriots?  On NBC, Rodney Harrison picked the Pats to win, and Tony Dungy picked the Colts.  Sure they had their reasons, but no one would ever convince me that their hearts didn’t make their final picks.

While I’m extremely confident that the Colts will win this Sunday, I’m admittedly biased.  I also have a healthy fear that something will go wrong for the Colts.  That’s why they play the game, right?  But in the meantime, I’ll keep listening to the “experts” discount the Colts chances, knowing they are usually incorrect.