Battle of AFC’s Best: New England Patriots @ Indianapolis Colts

This season was a rough one for the New England Patriots in the beginning of the year with Tom Brady back from his knee injury that kept him out an entire season last year. Brady looked really unsure of himself in the first few weeks of the season, but after the 59-0 win over the Tennessee Titans Brady has gotten back on track and led the Patriots to the top of the AFC East once again.

The Indianapolis Colts on the other hand have been very impressive this season winning the first eight games of the season. There were a lot of question marks about the Colts coming into this season as they were dealing with some pretty drastic changes with a new head coach in Jim Caldwell and very young receiving core without veteran wideout Marvin Harrison.

All signs led to a rough season for Peyton Manning and company, but they have failed to disappoint their loyal fans as they have arguably been the best team in all of football. The defense has always been a weakness of the Colts in the Manning era, but with the high powered offense firing on all cylinder much like the New Orleans Saints, the Colts have just dominated their opponents so far this season.

Now both teams face their biggest challenge of the season in the much anticipated head to head AFC battle in week 10. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are in top form right now and this matchup promises to be one of the best games of the year once again. Not only will it be the most anticipated game of the year, but it also is one of the most bet on NFL games every single year.

As of right now the Indianapolis Colts are favored to win by -3 points and that sounds about right to me! This will without a doubt be a very close game, but in the end the Colts have just been the better team this season and look to make a legitimate run at another Super Bowl title. The Patriots could easily pull off the upset, but in my opinion the Colts will be the team to come out on top on Sunday.

Colts Stay Perfect at 8-0

It has seemed to get tougher and tougher for Peyton Manning and company as the season progress, but they keep living up to the challenge of staying undefeated as they are able to come through in the clutch time and time again!

Last week the San Francisco 49ers almost did the impossible and nearly pulled off the unlikely upset over the Colts as they were able to hold Peyton Manning to no touchdowns, but in the end the Colts once again found a way to win and pulled off a trick play with running back Joseph Addai throwing a touchdown pass to wideout Reggie Wayne and take the victory 18-14.

Week nine against the division rival Houston Texans was another tough game for the Colts as Houston were able to hang with Indianapolis for the majority of the game.

The Texans have played surprisingly well this season as quarterback Matt Schaub has been able to turn this offense into a force to be reckoned with in the AFC. There only problem has been consistency, but at times the Houston offense has been arguably one of the best in the league with Schaub connecting with wide receiver Andre Johnson and tight end Owen Daniels.

Unfortunately last week the Texans suffered a major blow to their offense when Daniels went down for the season. Even though Daniels is done for the year, the Texans were still able to make this game against the AFC South leading Colts a competitive one taking the game down to the wire.

Despite the Colts undefeated record and their success against their division rival, the Texans were getting a lot of upset buzz before this game and had a favorable point spread.

Needless to say the Texans were no longer considered bottom feeders in the NFL and one of the better teams in the AFC, but they despite covering the +4.5 spread the Texans were unable to pull off the upset losing 20-17 and falling to 5-4 in the standing while the Colts improved to a perfect 8-0.

Next week the Colts will face their toughest challenge yet going up against the New England Patriots. This game always gets a lot of hype and this season is no exception as both teams come into this matchup playing very good football.

Definitely a must see matchup for any football fan!

Colts Injury Update: Anthony Gonzalez Out 2 to 6 Weeks

Despite all the changes that have happen to the Indianapolis Colts recently with both head coach Tony Dungy retiring and future hall of fame wide receiver and Peyton Manning’s favorite target in Marvin Harrison getting released, the Colts are still a very good team and should still be a title contender and force to be reckoned with in the AFC.

Even though they are still a big threat in the AFC these drastic changes will not go without a learning curve and a few bumps down the road. One of the bumps will be Reggie Wayne going from number two receiver to the top spot and Manning’s new favorite target in Indianapolis. I get the feeling that will not be too hard considering Wayne’s 168 yards and touchdown in week one against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but what about the rest of the squad and new number two wideout Anthony Gonzalez.

Well, first of all, the Colts got the win over the Jags in week one despite a close game and an uncharacteristic low scoring game for the Colts with only two touchdowns in the 14-12 win over Jacksonville.

Second of all, the Colts will struggle over the next month or so due to the fact that Anthony Gonzalez will be watching from the bench due to a knee injury for the next two to six weeks which is potentially a long time to be with another offensive threat for Peyton Manning.

There are few things I have already noticed this season and the most important is that Peyton Manning is not as quick on the draw as he used to be. Not saying he still can’t do the job because Manning even at 50% is better than the majority of the quarterbacks in this league, but he is definitely slowing down.

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Marvin Harrison Could be in More Trouble

Just when you thought Marvin Harrison was cleared of wrong doing in the Philadelphia shooting, another story gets brought up about Harrison actually shooting one of the victims in the back.

Apparently, a man from Philadelphia named Robert Nixon claims that he was shot by Harrison while the ex-Colts wide receiver was double fisted with guns back in April of 2008. Supposedly the bullet that hit the man who claims to be shot by Harrison is still lodged in his back to this day.

Now if this were Adam “Pacman” Jones or Chris Henry or even Ray Lewis then I might believe there is something to this story, but now this is just getting ridiculous. Marvin Harrison would be the last guy in the NFL I would think would do something like this. Not saying he isn’t capable because sometimes it is the person you least expect, but I really don’t see Marvin Harrison going all cowboy and shooting up a storm.

Nixon has filed a law suit against Harrison which alleges reckless misconduct, assault and battery negligence.

In a surprising twist, Nixon was gunned down recently near by where he was allegedly shot by Harrison. Nixon is now in critical condition nearby at Hahnemann University Hospital.

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Marvin Harrison Still Hasn’t Found a Team

It has been a while now since Marvin Harrison parted ways with Indianapolis Colts and at first I believed it would not be long before he was picked up by another team looking for a veteran wide receiver, but it is mid April and the future hall of fame wide receiver is still unemployed in the NFL.

What isn’t there to like about Marvin Harrison?

He puts up solid numbers, even though they are on the decline, he is as professional as they come at the one position in football filled with drama queens and knows how to win. I really don’t see a reason that he has not signed with another team yet.

Here are a few teams that could use a receivers like Marvin Harrison:

Oakland Raiders

Now at first glance you would say no way, but what better way to get a young franchise quarterback like JaMarcus Russell going then bringing in a veteran receiver like Harrison. It will probably be a very unusual move for Harrison, but if Jerry Rice pulled it off why can’t he.

Dallas Cowboys

Without Terrell Owens the Cowboys offense doesn’t look so good. Yes, they Roy Williams and Jason Witten, but with a vet like Harrison in the mix Dallas would be Super Bowl contenders yet again minus all the drama of TO.

New York Giants

No Plaxico Burress for Eli Manning just destroyed the Giants offense. Harrison won’t put up Plax like numbers, but he will definitely help fill the void at wide receiver. Not to mention the family ties with Peyton.

Here are a few other notable teams: New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings

Can the Cardinals Pull Off the Upset on Super Bowl Sunday?

Every season regardless of who is in the Super Bowl or who is favored to win the Lombardi trophy, the media adds so much hype that even the biggest underdog can pull off a miracle.

The Arizona Cardinals are a great football team with all the right weapons on offense, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are just as good on the defensive side of the football. With that being said Betting on this game can be frustrating with no straight answers.

No matter how into NFL football you may be, everyone in the country seems to fork up some dough and bet on the Super Bowl. Whether it be just within your Super Bowl party or with family members, it is hard to ignore the temptation to place a bet on Super Bowl Sunday.

The problem is, the average person knows absolutely nothing about Sports Handicapping and is therefore lost when it comes to betting on the big game. To solve this problem you only have to do one thing go to Free NFL Picks and be ahead of the game!

Marvin Harrison is Off the Hook in Philadelphia Shooting

It what was a very uncharacteristic incident for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison, who keeps to himself and out of trouble (unlike other NFL players), the future hall of famer was thought to be involved in a shooting in Philadelphia back in April of 2008.

Sadly, this is not out of the ordinary for professional athletes, especially football players, but Harrison has been known to keep his nose clean throughout his entire career much like teammate quarterback Peyton Manning. These two are never in the headlines for anything negative, but that all changed when a gun owned by Harrison was said to be used in shooting.

Ok, maybe I could see this happening to Plaxico Burress, Ray Lewis or Adam “Pacman” Jones, but no way would I ever suspect or think that Marvin Harrison would be involved in something like this. Fortunately, the way it is turning out for Harrison he didn’t have a part in the incident, at least for the time being.

In the beginning, it was said that five bullet casings were fired from Harrison gun in the shooting, but after a close investigation they are having trouble proving that the bullets found at the scene were actually fired from his gun.

The shooting did take place near a car wash owned by the future hall of famer and the victim Dwight Dixon, who Harrison admitted to having a fistfight with a couple weeks earlier after Dixon came into Harrison’s bar with a gun.

So I would say there is some probable cause and something fishy going on, but for the time being Harrison is in the clear.

Chargers Get the Best of the Colts in Overtime Thriller

These teams have history, this isn’t the first time the Colts and Chargers have had a game that has come down to the wire, but this game may have been the most entertaining.

Usually opponents of the San Diego Chargers are worried mostly about one player, LaDainian Tomlinson, but today it was the player that no one saw coming.

Chargers running back Darren Sproles is a relatively unknown player and a non factor most of the time because LT running the show, but with Tomlinson a spectator for most of this AFC wildcard match up Sproles came through for the Chargers and was a God in San Diego on Saturday.

With 2 rushing touchdowns, one of which was the game winner, 105 yards on the ground and 178 combined yards on special teams Sproles was the key to the Chargers 23-17 victory and a nasty thorn in the Colts sides all night long that they had no answer for.

Even though the Colts will not be on to Pittsburgh or Tennessee next weekend, Peyton Manning played brilliantly with 310 yards and a passing touchdown outplaying Phillip Rivers who failed to reach the endzone and threw a pick.

Although the passing game was clicking for the Colts with Manning connecting with 7 different receivers including Reggie Wayne for 129 yards and touchdown, the running game just couldn’t get going. Joesph Addai did score a rushing touchdown in this game, but he only averaged about 2.8 yards per carry on 16 carries for 44 yards.

When it was all said and done these teams were more evenly matched than predicted, but the real Achilles heel for the Colts was the costly penalties in overtime which gave the Chargers plenty of chances to capitalize and that they did with Sproles breaking free for the game winning touchdown with 8:48 left in overtime.

Now that the Colts are out and done for the season the big question in Indianapolis with be the future of head coach Tony Dungy. With this early loss I’m betting he returns for another go around, but who knows, anything can happen.

Tony Dungy Might Call it Quits After this Season

Even though Peyton Manning won the NFL MVP, it was all good news for the Indianapolis Colts today as head coach Tony Dungy considers calling it a career after this season is officially over.

With the way Peyton Manning and company are playing right now the Colts have a very good chance of making it to the Super Bowl and wining their second Lombardi trophy under Dungy, so maybe he sees this as the perfect opportunity to go out on top.

When Dungy does decide to pack it in as an NFL head coach he has said that he has no intention of returning to coaching in the NFL (heard that before).

Tony Dungy thinking about retirement is nothing new to Colts fans though as he has made statements like this for the past four years, but never went through with it.

If Dungy does retire the season is over, the Colts already have a plan in place which would have current quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell.

My guess is if the Colts manage to get to the Super Bowl, which could be a battle of the Manning brothers, win or lose, he will be done, but if they get knocked out before than he will be back for another go around.

Peyton Manning Wins Third AP NFL MVP Award

It would be hard to argue that Peyton Manning wasn’t the best quarterback in the league to finish the season. The Colts may have not won the AFC South, which they seem to do every season, but after winning the last 9 games in a row against some the NFL’s best teams this year (New England, Tennessee and Pittsburgh) Manning has gotten his team back to dominant status and playing great football at the right time.

Not only has Peyton tied Brett Favre for most AP NFL MVPs at three a piece, but he has also arguably had the best season of his career against adversity.

When the season began Manning was coming off his first major injury to his knee which required surgery. Once Peyton was healthy enough to take the field his was noticeably not himself as the Colts dropped four of the first seven games of the season, but once the 2007 Super Bowl champ and Super Bowl MVP got things going for his team, there was no stopping the Colts as they came from behind and clinched a AFC wildcard berth.

With 28 touchdowns (one rushing TD), over 4,000 yards passing and a nine game win streak going into the playoffs after a terrible start to the season Manning has probably never deserved the award more.