Tag: Colts

I Love That Jonathan Kraft is Roasting DeflateGate Creator and Recently Fired Colts GM Ryan Grigson

By on • ( Leave a comment )

jkraft

ESPN – “The New England Patriots obviously haven’t forgotten who started Deflategate, as team president Jonathan Kraft expressed little sympathy for former Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson, who was relieved of his duties on Saturday. On Kraft’s weekly pregame interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Sunday, Kraft initially deflected a question about the Colts’ firing of Grigson, before referring to the AFC Championship Game against Indianapolis that started Deflategate. Said Kraft: “That game might have been Ryan’s pinnacle, I don’t know.” The Patriots beat the Colts 45-7 in the conference title game on Jan. 18, 2015.”

Jonathan Kraft is throwing shade and I love it. Robert won’t do it, at least not outright. Brady won’t do it. You know Belichick won’t do it. So it’s up to Jonathan to throw out these subtle little digs.

Oh you wanna create a gigantic fugazi scandal about something the NFL had never cared about to actually check or measure in the history of the league? It’s entrapment really. Just like that Sean Connery movie, but not as good. Grigson – you want to cause us to lose draft picks, get fined and have the greatest player in Patriot history suspended for 4 games? Cause an absolute shitstorm in the media that lead to investigations, league sanctioned and biased reports on how Tom Brady maybe, possibly knew about something? TB12 getting dragged into court over air pressure in footballs?

Well guess what, when you get fired because you can’t draft for shit, Jonathan Kraft will roast you. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

grigson

PS – Has there even been a more appropriate quote to describe Tom Brady and the entire DeflateGate saga than the one from the end of The Dark Knight?

“Because he’s the hero Foxborough deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we’ll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he’s not our hero. He’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.”

I Miss Peyton Manning (and his Playoff Woes)

By on • ( Leave a comment )

pro-bowl-mvp

It’s Wild Card Weekend and, as usual, the Patriots have the weekend off. The Patriots have reached the playoffs 14 times in the Brady Era, and have received a first-round bye 11 times in the Brady Era. Peyton Manning wasn’t able to take this weekend off nearly as often, though.

Peyton Manning reached the playoffs 15 times in the 17 seasons he played, including each of his last 13 seasons. His teams received a first-round byes in eight of those seasons, meaning he made semi-regular appearances on Wild Car Weekend, unlike Brady.

Manning’s teams were 3-4 on Wild Card Weekend, and 3-5 after a first round bye. That adds up to nine one-and-dones, by far the most of any NFL quarterback. That means Manning’s teams only won a game in the playoffs 6 out of the 15 times he took them to the playoffs. His career playoff record stood at 11-13 before last year’s magical run gave him his second Super Bowl ring and a just-barely-over-.500 career postseason record of 14-13.

I must give Manning his due. He did knock down the Patriots more times than I care to remember in the playoffs. The Colts win in the 2006 AFC title game is still in my top five worst Boston sports moments. But I can give Manning his due, and still look back at some of his more memorable playoff losses.

[I’ve omitted the Foxborough Follies from this list for the sake of brevity, and because those are obviously well-remembered by Patriots fans.]

2002 Jets 41 – Colts 0. Not much else needs to be said about this playoff disaster. Manning had a dreadful night in Giants Stadium as the Colts lost to Chad Effing Penington. This loss put Peyton at 0-3 in the playoffs, and really started the “Peyton sucks in the playoffs” conversations in earnest.

2005 Down 3 to the Steelers with 1:20 to go, Peyton Manning took a sack on fourth down at his own 2-yard line. Looking to put the Colts away,  Jerome Bettis coughed it up and gave Peyton and the Colts one last shot. Peyton got the Colts into field-goal range, but Mike Vanderjagt couldn’t connect on a 46-yard attempt, and Pittsburgh held on to win this wild one. [As a side note, this was Vanderjagt’s last game as a Colt. That offseason, the Colts went out and got Adam Vinatieri. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.]

2007 Looking to defend their Super Bowl title, the Colts received a first-round bye and hosted the San Diego Chargers in the divisional round. The Colts led 24-21 in the fourth, but the Chargers took the lead late and Peyton Manning had to orchestrate another last-minute comeback. He led the Colts inside the 10, but couldn’t put it in the end zone thanks to pressure from Shawne Merriman (remember him?). The Colts would actually get the ball back one more time, but that drive also stalled out. This was also the last game to be played at the RCA Dome.

2012 New team, same result. Peyton’s first trip to the playoffs with the Broncos ended the same way so many of his previous trips did. Much of this loss can be pinned on the Broncos defense, but this Peyton Manning Playoff Meltdown receives special mention because of how excruciating this loss was. The Ravens trailed the Broncos 35-28 in the final minute. That’s when Joe Flacco connected with Jacoby Jones for a 70-yard touchdown with 31 seconds remaining. The Ravens would go on to win the game in overtime, and defeat the Patriots the next week en route to winning Super Bowl XLVII.

 

With Andy Dalton and the Bengals sitting the playoffs out this year, no other quarterback playing in the playoffs this year immediately comes to mind when thinking of another quarterback to carry on the legacy of Peyton Manning Playoff Meltdowns. With backup quarterbacks all over the place in the AFC, though, this should still be a fun (and sloppy) Wild Card Weekend to watch.

Bill Belichick Sneaky Rips the NFL for Rule Changes Designed to Stop Ty Law

By on • ( Leave a comment )

So Mike Reiss had a great article today with what Bill Belichick had to say about Ty Law and his Hall of Fame candidacy. I have to point out some of the excellent nuggets of Bill subtly ripping the league once again.

“Asked if he felt Law was among the best at his position for a period of time, Belichick said Thursday morning, “He’s pretty good. When they start … I don’t want to say changing the rules, but changing the rules because of the way he plays, there’s probably something to be said for that.”

I think what he means to say is when Bill Polian bitched and moaned to the league and the Competition Committee (which Polian is on) because Ty Law and the Patriots dismantled the Colts. Ty Law just dominated receivers, mugged them and absolutely disrupted everything that murderous (allegedly) psycho Marvin Harrison, Peyton Manning and crew tried to do.

ty_law_afcchampionship

That 03 AFC Championship Game Ty Law and the Pats beat the Colts 24-14. That defense set up shop in Peyton’s head and baited him into FOUR interceptions (3 from Ty Law alone). Like 2 weeks off winning the MVP, Peyton had one of his patented meltdowns. So Polian said enough is enough and petitioned the league to CHANGE THE FRIGGIN RULES.

“Belichick was referencing how the NFL made a point of emphasis against illegal contact in 2004. “I know they didn’t ‘change them’ change them, but we all know what happened,” he said.”

Oh we know Bill, we know. Luckily Ty Law’s game was more than just jamming receivers though, hence the HOF candidacy.

RIP Rex Ryan; the Guy That Revived the Patriots Jets Rivalry

By on • ( Leave a comment )

rexandroboverniagra

After 8 years as a Head Coach, all in the AFC East, Rex just got canned by Buffalo from his second HC gig less than 2 seasons in. Is this the end of Rex as a head coach? It very well might be. He’s obviously gonna have multiple high paying offers to do TV next season. The guy is wildly entertaining with a bunch of catch phrases spawned from his time on Hard Knocks.

*or as this guy on YouTube savagely titled the same video: “Disgusting Fat Pig Jets coach talks about food during speech”

I don’t know if he has the piss and vinegar to say “fuck you guys I’m a head coach” and hunt for a HC job. I did laugh out loud though at the ESPN update announcing the move: “Rex Ryan fired by Bills…Rob Ryan also relieved of his duties.” Uhh yea, you’re fired…and take your fucking brother with you.

robryan

I just think the guy is a prototypical coordinator. Highly knowledgeable in one area, pretty loose, gets along with the players etc. But he hasn’t been able to put it all together. Now a lot of head coaches in the NFL specialize on just one side of the ball and will defer to their coordinators while they act as more of a CEO of the team, but that ain’t Rex.

So if this is the end for Rex, I will miss you dearly. This guy singlehandedly revived the Patriots/Jets rivalry. He built a roster of hateable, mouthy assholes that competed with and beat the Pats on a few big occasions. I’ll always remember the bitter, bitter humble pie after the loss to the Jets in the 2010 playoffs, which I never saw coming because of the 45-3 thrashing of them in the regular season. Those games were heated. The Jets were finally good enough to legitimately threaten the Pats. Rex’s Jets were ultimately brought down by a mediocre offense lead by the immortal Mark Sanchez (never forget the 3 INT game from LEIGH BODDEN), but from like 2009-2011 this was a rivalry again with palpable hate between the fan bases. I still take great joy in mocking the Jets fans and their 09-10 BACK TO BACK AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME APPEARANCES. Sounds like a shitty Colts banner.

coltsbanner

I think that heated rivalry ended though when the Patriots put a bullet in Fireman Ed and the entire Jets franchise on national TV with the Butt Fumble beatdown on Thanksgiving 2012. Best football game I’ve ever been to still to this day.

PS – Is it just me or was Fireman Ed the worst firefighter ever? What, are there no fires on Sunday, Ed? I mean, I don’t want to be cliche, but you know what Belichick would say to the guy?

doyourjob