That is the exact comparison I thought of.

Has Peyton ever commented on what happens on those occasional "ducks" he throws? (Yes, I know that NFL game balls, are not the tacky balls of a backyard game.)

But on the Colts first second half poccession, he threw two. (The first bounced harmlessly to the ground, but it did look like Garcon was open on a short out.) Then after making a great throw to Reggie for a first down, that deep ball he was trying to throw to Frenchy was doomed from the moment it left his hand.

Does the ball slip out of his hand? I mean it is one thing to have a miscommunication or make a bad decision. But that ball acted like someone hit his arm. (Even though no one did.) I know Peyton does not always throw the tightest of spirals, but that thing was not even wobbling... saying it was fluttering would be kind.

Yeah he threw some ugly ones last night. The funny thing is the TD to Garcon was a really pretty spiral.

Before I ask this, I just want to apologize for usually coming here and asking questions instead of contributing more. It's just you guys are pretty thorough and any points I have are usually made.

Anyways, does anyone know of any sites where I can watch some old games? I'd really like to watch the '06 AFC Championship game after last night's classic. Rewatching that Tampa game would be nice too. I haven't seen that since I watched it live.

If you want to download games via bit torrent, I recommend

http://leech.tenyardtorrents.com/

An odd thought occurred to me on the drive to work this morning: Addai has performed very well this season, particularly in scoring/clutch situations. Whom does he remind you of? Really, nobody in particular for me, but in some sort of vague way he reminds me of so many Pats role-players who always seemed to come up big when they needed it most. I'd watch them beat us from 01-04 and say "who the hell is that guy? He's not even a starter and he makes that great pick!" or "gets 11 on 3rd and 10!) or whatever.

Addai's not Edge and maybe not what many fans think a 1st round RB pick should be, and that seems to be the main complaint. He's not producing in the standard mold of preconceived "greatness."

He reminds me somewhat of Kevin Faulk, who has hung around 13 years as a nightmare for us--would any other team pay him big bucks to switch teams? Probably not. He fits what they do perfectly and is sort of a sucker punch when the opponents are not paying careful attention. When he needs to start, he starts and produces okay. When they put him in 3rd down situations, he does that too.

There are a lot of 3rd 4th WRs out there who fit this mold--they always seem to do well but are clearly not pro bowl type WRs. I suspect a lot of LBs/nickel backs, etc around the league who are fan favorites and productive contributors. Rob Morris comes to mind--excoriated for not being Mike Curtis and a "waste of a 1st round pick," but as we know around here, our SB win probably doesn't happen without his lack of ego and on-field contributions on ST and coming off the bench.

That's a little below where I see Addai--he's a good starter who can do everything we need when we need it. Just don't expect a bunch of 100 yard rushing games anymore. Maybe 110 combined yards, a few key 1st downs and TDs and blitz pickups, and that's what the need is.

Thoughts?

We've never had a Colt like him. Nice call on the Kevin Faulk analogy.

All I know is that on every play I hope for two things: Manning to throw deep or for him to hit Addai.

Speaking of throwing deep, what's the stat on Peyton's completed throws of 20+ yards in the air (only) in the first four games vs. the last five?

Write Paul Kuharsky at ESPN and ask him. He can get that data

The Pats wanted to win that game... badly. But I'm wondering, if the Pats team is taking the loss as bad as all their fans and the Boston media scribes who are going ballistic. I kinda doubt it.

First of all, the story today is all Belichick going for it on fourth down. And nothing about the Colts gritty comeback. And certainly not, an 80 yard Peyton Manning led game winning drive that could have been. (And how different the perspective of the game would have been if that had happened.)

Secondly, the way this Pats team is built, are we so sure that they wouldn't almost prefer to play in the comfy confines of the Luke, as opposed to the unpredictable weather of January in Foxboro?

As I posted earlier, I think Demond's 2004 regular season game is a perfect comparison. The reason is that the Colts really did dominate that game. (Much more so than the Pats did last night.) Yet, still found a way to lose.

But that game was during the Colts losing streak, when the Pats really believed that they were mentally toughter than the Colts. (If Edge hadn't fumbled twice in the red zone, we would have still found another way to win the game, because the Colts in their pretty all-white uniforms are a bunch of wusses and we own their asses.)

And if there is a rematch, we Colts fans will be nervous wrecks. But I don't think the Colts players will be... because they are the daddy now.

Thanks for the link, DZ, but I have a Mac. I've never really had any luck with torrents on my Mac. I'd even be willing to purchase it if it's sold anywhere. That's really why I bought the commemorative DVD that comes out after every sports' championship, but that turned out to be a waste of money. It showed about 4 or 5 plays for each playoff game and that's it.

Doug England, I'm confused now. Are you a Colts fan living in New England or a Pats fan that frequents a Colts blog?

I know the stats are seeing the decision one way - focusing on success rates - but my initial analysis was looking at it from the other direction which was cost of failure.

Not counting penalties, there were two likely outcomes by choosing to go for it - success or failure. Success means another set of downs, although the Pats would need another 1st down because of the two minute warning and the Colts' timeout. Failure gives Manning the ball at the 29.

There were three likely outcomes for punting it: a quick runback which gives the Patriots the ball right back and time to kick a winning field goal, a long time-consuming drive by the Colts which gives the Colts the go-ahead touchdown and no time left on the clock, or a hold by the Pats defense. Two of the three options there would be manageable by the Patriots.

I don't do math - I know there are lots of variables to consider, but my initial read was that going for it meant half the outcomes sucked for the Pats, while punting it meant only a third of them did.

Still, if they'd chosen a running play on third down instead of a pass, I think the Pats would have won this game.

there is the "Colts Road to Super Bowl XLI" which will at least give you the game broadcast of the Colts Super Bowl run, including the Title Game.

35er, Doug's true blue. He even said "we Colts fans" in his last post. Don't tell him, be've had a private eye go through his wardrobe, just to be sure. No flying elvis gear in evidence.

Sadly, all the Colts DVD's I hvae ever seen only go for Region 1, so for me being in Region 2 with a Region 2 DVD they don't do any good. Would love to find them for Region 2 (Europe, that is).