A look at the week that was in the Indianapolis Colts’ blogosphere . . .
”As great as the Tom Brady-Peyton Manning matchups have been through the years, the aftermath of these meetings has been compelling as well,” John Clayton writes, adding that “Both organizations learn and transform themselves from these games because they know the odds favor a rematch in the playoffs.”
Clayton, longtime NFL writer for ESPN and one of the better information guys around says there will be plenty going on beyond the battle for playoff seeding and home-field advantage — and plenty beyond the obvious matchup of quarterbacks.
“Years of trying to defend Manning convinced Patriots coach Bill Belichick to adjust his offense to counter the Colts,” Clayton writes. “Belichick decided a few years ago to switch to a pass-heavy offense with Brady. In doing so, he was able to ease the inevitable transition for a defense that was getting older.
“The idea was to control the ball on offense in order to keep his defense off the field.”
Clayton also breaks down a few key matchups for Sunday, notably Patriots S Brandon McGowan and Colts TE Dallas Clark. McGowan will be taking over the role held by longtime Patriots S Rodney Harrison. Clayton also links to a solid profile of Clark by ESPN.com’s Jeffri Chadiha here.
Clayton’s other key matchup: Colts DE Dwight Freeney and Patriots LT Sebastian Vollmer, and I agree Freeney is the defining player of this game.
“Because Freeney is short and plays at such a low level of gravity, he’s a matchup nightmare for tall tackles,” Clayton writes. “Once he gets under the pads of a tall blocker, Freeney can win the battle with strength or his spin move. Belichick naturally must commit a tight end or running back to help Vollmer against Freeney. . . .”
