Indy festival

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

As much as I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, I can't wait to get to Indy for the Pats-Colts game. This one is going to be a lot of fun. I spent a few days in Indy last week and the Colts are really a tough team to read. They're a very confident team, that's for sure. Tony Dungy has really added an urgency to their overall game and attitude. They believe they now have the added dimension of a defense that can make plays because of their speed.

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Dungy is one of those coaches who needs to get to the next level. He's been a superb NFL coach. Of the coaches who have entered the league since 1970, Dungy's teams have allowed the fewest points per game (17.59) than any coach in that 33-year time span. Second is Bill Cowher (17.74) followed by George Seifert (18.03) and Chuck Knox (18.4). His teams are also 40-19 in the second half of seasons. Dungy is also the only coach top have defeated all 32 teams in the league.

The Colts have the second-best conference record at 7-1 while the Pats are 6-1. This is obviously the team the Pats need to beat, at least at the moment, to gain that first-round bye they covet.

The Patriots have played their first 11 games against teams with a 62-58 record, while the Colts have played against teams that are 53-67. The five remaining Pats opponents have records of 26-29, while Indy's remaining five are 30-22.

Field goal kickers could definitely enter into the outcome. It's the Battle of the Vs - Vanderjagt and Vinatieri.

Here's what Bill Belichick had to say about the Colts:

"This is a very explosive offense. They are very fast on defense as Tony [Dungy’s] defensive units always are. They have a lot of quick guys up front. They are a very penetrating style of defense. They run a lot of gains, run a lot of stunts, do a fair amount of blitzing and put some pressure on you in terms of their overall team speed is where they are very difficult to match up against. That carries over in the kicking game. Their specialists are outstanding, [Hunter] Smith and [Mike] Vanderjagt are two of the best in the league and now they have [Terrence] Wilkins back there returning kicks, who we have seen plenty of before. Their overall specialist are good and their team speed is good in the kicking game. There is a good reason why they have had as much success as they have had. They are solid all the way through. They are well coached, they have a lot of good players, they are talented and they are playing very well. It will be a big challenge for us out there, playing Indianapolis out there, on their turf with the way they are playing right now. It will be a big test for us. I think that our team has a lot of preparation work to do this week. We will need a good effort out there Sunday if we are going to do well."   Continued...