Did Vanderjagt Put Foot In Mouth?

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Peyton Manning, who rarely speaks ill of anyone, referred to his teammate, kicker Mike Vanderjagt, as "an idiot kicker" before the 2003 Pro Bowl.

Vanderjagt, who handed the Patriots a 27-24 opening night victory when he missed a 48-yard field goal that would have sent the game into overtime, has been cementing his reputation for running off at the mouth. After the Colts beat the Broncos last Sunday in Indianapolis to set up Sunday's playoff against the Patriots, Vanderjagt said that the Patriots, who beat the Colts in last season's AFC Championship Game, aren't as good as they once were and "I think they're ripe for the picking."

"You're asking me to comment on what a kicker said?" linebacker Tedy Bruschi said.

But safety Rodney Harrison, never scared to make his feelings known on or off the field, couldn't resist a swipe.

Bill Belichick declined to comment on what Vanderjagt said, but the Patriots coach did admit that he sometimes has used what opposing players say to motivate his team.

"I'm sure he'll be out there a few times in the game to do his one special thing," Belichick said. "I don't think this game is going to be decided by some comments ... in the paper."

The Patriots have been winning close games for three years now. This is one of the reasons that they are regularly underestimated. They play to win and not to dominate.

Exactly. All they do is win. They don't make a habit of scoring 40+ points a game. They just win. The thing that makes the Pats so unique and special of a team is that they don't have an identity that they are glued to. They are adaptable to whoever they play and can morph into whatever type team they need to be. The other teams in the league simply don't have the ability to do that. The other teams have a formual for success and hope they can execute it better than you stop it or execute what you do best. The Patriots, on the other hand take away your basic strength and force you to try to beat them another way. And whatever you take away from them, they will simply adapt and beat you another way.

Yes, the Pats are very under-rated. All year long, hearing the chirping heads on ESPN and other sports media, when they would talk Super Bowl, they would rarely even mention New England. Hello!? This team is a dynasty in the making, having won 2 of 3 Super Bowls in the age of parity, and went 14-2 this year! And now they aren't even favored by a FG at home in a playoff game? With a QB that is undefeated in playoff games? And, oh, the Pats haven't lost a home playoff game since 1978 and are 6-0 since. I also did a little checking to see when a defending SB Champ has gotten so little respect in a home playoff game. I went 20 years and could find only one time that a defending SB champ was anything less than a TD favorite at home in a playoff game. That was in the NFC Champ game back in the 90s with Dallas at home against the 49ers. Cowboys were only favored by 3.

Oh, yeah. Dallas won 38-21. :-)

Ok, we'll play by those rules.

Not if the Colts want to get out of Foxborough alive.

Quit crying over yesterdays spilt milk, fic! There's always the next game or the next year. And you may be right, this might be Peyton's year.

But if I were a betting man, I'd go with the Pats.
;O)

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