Rematch...

Sunday. 3pm Eastern Time. The biggest match of this extremely talented Indianapolis Colts team’s season will arrive. The upstart New York Jets are rolling into town, led by brash Head Coach Rex Ryan, former Baltimore Ravens Defensive Coordinator. There are more than a few similarities between the Jets Defence and the Ravens legendary unit that Ryan coached to victory in Super Bowl XXXV. The Colts have a lot at stake here: they forsook the chance at the perfect season (16-0) by pulling their starters in a week fifteen matchup with…you guessed it, the Jets. The Mean Green Machine rallied against the Colts’ slim lead and rattled off a string of unanswered points to take the victory, leave the Colts with a 14-1 record and put themselves firmly in playoff contention, despite the fact Ryan had ruled his team out that very week. The Jets went on to secure an unlikely playoff berth, while the Colts lost their next game to a Buffalo Bills team who had nothing to play for but pride.
The Colts entered the playoffs as the number one seed; the jets number five. The Colts were widely tipped to steamroll opponents en-route to a second Super Bowl appearance in four years; the Jets were widely tipped to crash and burn against a Cincinnati Bengals team they beat in week seventeen to tie up their wildcard spot.
Well, it turns out the Jets’ thrashing of the Bengals in the final game of the regular season was no fluke – they shut out the boys from Ohio with relative ease and in their rematch a week later, played solid, smash-mouth football to set-up a date with the streaking San Diego Chargers who had won eleven on the trot.
The Colts shook off some rust by picking apart a highly-touted Baltimore defence on their way to a 20-3 win. Meanwhile the Jets stunned the nation by beating the Chargers by 3 points. That said Nate Kaeding, Chargers ‘money’ kicker, missed three field goals – two from a routine distance – that would have given the boys in sky blue the win.
So the Jets travel to Indi to take on the winningest (that’s football terminology for you) team this decade. They are led by rookie coach Jim Caldwell, and steering the plays on-field is veteran Quarterback Peyton Manning – winner of one Super Bowl and three-time league MVP. There aren’t enough words to do Manning’s stand-out career justice – he is quite simply remarkable. A singular talent in a family of pro-football players: his father Archie was Quarterback for the New Orleans Saints (possible Super Bowl opponents for the Colts should they beat the Jets) and his brother is current Quarterback for the New York Giants, having won his first, and wholly unexpected, Super Bowl the year after Peyton achieved the feat in 2006.
So who’s got the edge? Three years ago we could’ve answered this question with a tongue-in-cheek nod to Edgerrin James – former Colts running back and Pro Bowl staple for many years. But this year there can be no jokes – this game will come down to the dominance of one of two of the most contrasting teams in the NFL.
Who will triumph: the Colts quick-strike offence or the Jets destructive defence? One man scrutinises the good and the bad of these two hungry teams.

Quarterback: This matchup is a story in itself. Manning, the on-field general of the rampant Colts has won every award going. He’s a sure thing for induction into the Hall of Fame on first ballot. His numbers perennially rank amongst the best, but what is often overshadowed by the ease with which he orchestrates winning drives, is his poise. When the Colts lose, it is rarely because of Manning. He is not a Favre. He is like Tom Brady or Joe Montana in the way he runs the offence. With a look or a nod his talented supporting cast can shift on the line of scrimmage and run straight through the opposing defence. He makes plays, but doesn’t take risks: he doesn’t have to. Under the recently retired Coach Dungy, the Colts were the epitome of the total team. Caldwell has stayed true to his mentor’s philosophy and that alone is the reason for his immediate success. Belichick and the Patriots may have more Super Bowls, and Brady may be remembered as the guy who led his team to three championships in four years, but Manning has more wins; more touchdowns; more consistent success.
He could do with another Super Bowl to solidify his claim of being the greatest of all time: he hasn’t said that of himself, but many experts are eager to attach the label that is in no way undeserved.
Now to his counterpart: what to say? Rookie Mark Sanchez has already matched Joe Flacco’s feat of winning two playoff games as a rookie, but both benefitted from the safety-blanket provided by Ryan’s stifling defences (he coached the Ravens last year when Flacco went to the AFC championship game last year). Sanchez, though, has not been as impressive as Flacco was. He is green, not only in jersey colour, but also experience. Flacco had poise and a huge arm; Sanchez has talent, but does not fare well in clutch situations. That said, he’s made some pretty special plays in the last two games and has protected the ball extremely well, which will be crucial if the Jets are to pull-off upset number three. The Jets have the top ranked defence and run game and Sanchez would do well to rely heavily on those two playoff essentials. But who gets the nod? It’s a no contest: Manning will lead his team to the Super Bowl without a hitch (though maybe one or two hitch-routes).

Running backs: The Jets have the number one defence for a reason: they are punishing up front. They run with decisiveness and power. Veteran Thomas Jones and rookie Shonn Greene have blown apart better defences than the Colts’, and I think they will have no little success on Sunday. The Colts have Joseph Addai who was instrumental in the Super Bowl XLI victory over the Chicago Bears, but is really a bit-part player in the Colts pass-first offence. The edge goes to New York. It’s about all they’ve got going for them in terms of offence skill.

Receivers: Need you ask? The Colts’ Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon, Hank Baskett and Anthony Gonzalez are unstoppable. Throw into the mix the bully of a Tight End Dallas Clark and you have one potent force. The Jets have Braylon Edwards can’t catch a cold and he’s supposed to be their star receiver. Manning and Wayne have one of the greatest relationships between Quarterback and Wide Receiver ever seen – it smacks of Jerry Rice and Steve Young, and that’s a beautiful thing. The Colts will probably come out firing, run the ball to keep the Jets fantastic defence on its toes, and then fall back on the aerial attack, which will control the outcome of this game. The Colts run away with this one.

Offensive line: Two of the best face off in this game, but are skilled in different areas. The Jets wrecking-ball of an O-line can punch holes in any defensive front before the holes are entered and exited by a flash of green and white carrying the football. They are the number one rushing team for a reason and its right there in the trenches. Also, Mark Sanchez has not been sacked anywhere near as much as a rookie QB should expect to be. His line have protected him and given him adequate time to make plays if only his composure holds-up. Manning too is not that well acquainted with the turf. He stands in that wonderful pocket all day and hits his receivers in stride. This is a tough one to call, but I think I have to give it to the Jets because of their explosiveness. Notch one up for the green machine!

Defensive front seven: Hmm. This is tough. The Jets never quit, but the Colts are fast beyond compare. The Jets will blow your eyeballs out of your head, but the Colts will be all over you like a nasty rash. There is simply no getting away from these fronts. They are both extremely talented units. I think I have to give this one to the Colts for their aggressiveness on the line. They could be a real factor in this game if they somehow manage to shut-down the Jets motoring running attack.

Defensive backfield: One man – Darelle Revis – has set alight the league in this, his first season. He has made the Jets secondary a truly terrifying thing to behold and he is by far and a way the best shut-down corner in the league. He held Chad Ochocinco to zero catches in week seventeen. Zero. Chad. Number 85. That’s good enough reason to award the Jets with this category, although the presence of Pro Bowl Safety Antoine Berthea cannot be underestimated. If Sanchez is instructed to throw deep look for him to grab a takeaway and put Peyton back in the game.

Special teams: Both sides have playmakers on what could prove a goldmine for the Jets’ explosive return men. I’ll give this to the New Yorkers, because they’ll need to generate points from somewhere other than just offence if they are to win this game. The defence is capable of putting points on the board, but I fancy a few long kickoff returns to put the Jets in at least field goal range. They can win this game if they grind it out; play hard on defence; be methodical on offence and scintillating on Special teams.

Who’s got the edge?
I’m a believer in the Colts organisation. The decision to sacrifice 16-0 for a healthy playoff team is a good one in my mind. Momentum means less to teams who are genuinely talented and with the Super Bowl as the only acceptable outcome this season, it would have been foolhardy to play Manning through two meaningless games and risk their only trigger-man going down hurt. The Colts simply have too many weapons for the Jets to contend with: even if you stick Revis on Wayne and take the number one Receiver out of the game, passes will be caught over the middle and the Colts will drive right down the gut. Expect to see a lot of traffic in the middle of the field from both teams: the Jets pounding the rock on the ground and the Colts airing it out to Tight End Dallas Clark who should have a big game as Indianapolis try to find holes in the softest part of New York’s close-to-airtight defence.

My prediction is that Manning will make it to his second super bowl and make history no matter which team meets him there from the NFC: will is be his hometown team, the Saints; or will he face-off against a fellow legend in the form of the Vikings’ Brett Favre.

I can not wait.


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