Manning faces final hurdle

Boston Globe football writer Nick Cafardo answers your questions about the Patriots every Thursday. Click here to submit a question for next week ...

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Happy Holidays to you and your family.. I think its safe to say, that on Jan 16 the Pats will be playing Indy, and I’m sure Belichick is already preparing for the most explosive offense in the league.. With our secondary in such peril, how do you see the matchup turning out, and also, I know fans are hoping for snow, but I don’t want snow, knowing it benefits the offense more than the defense...

Sean McLaughlin, Hazleton, PA

A: I love it. I want it to be Indy. Peyton Manning is having the greatest year ever for a QB. It's the ultimate challenge for the Pats defense. I'm certain that Ty Law will have returned by that game. You're not getting Ty Poole back, so while you don't have your full arsenal for Manning, you're pretty close. But having said that Indy's offense is tough because they have so many receivers you have to cover, their two tight ends can catch the ball and Edgerrin James is a threat running and receiving. This is Manning's last challenge - beating the Patriots in the post-season. I know he won't feel his record-breaking season is complete until he beats the Pats. Will he? If he ever has a chance to do it, it's now.

Do you think Ty Law will be at 100 percent for the playoffs?

Marty, Fall River

A: No. Ty Law won't be 100 percent any time this season. Is 80 percent good enough? That's what we'll find out. He tested the broken foot prior to the Jets game and came up limping. He wanted to play and tried to convince the coaching staff, but it fell on deaf ears once he pulled up lame.

This weekend's game against the Niners does not matter in the least. How long do you expect the starters to play. A quarter? A half? Not at all? I'm particularly worried about Tom Brady and Corey Dillon. These guys need the rest!

Josh, Newton

A: We're getting mixed signals. I think the deal is this - Belichick wants them to prepare like they're going to play the entire game, but if they take a good sized lead he'll start to relieve the starters one by one. Don't forget, he'll hold out a bunch of guys who have injuries like Richard Seymour, Law, maybe even Samuel, Graham, etc. Brady said he wants to play the whole game, but that's a pipe dream. He'll likely come out in the third quarter if they have a comfortable lead. Same with Dillon. Don't forget, Dillon has a final incentive to reach. When you sign an incentive-laden contract, and you have a chance to make all of your money, you're going to want to do it. I don't care what Dillon says publicly. I don't care if he has a chance to make it up with a new contract this ff-season. You never get it all, So if you have a chance to make an additional $375,000, I'm sure he'll do everything in his power to gain 89 yards to reach 1,600 yards. As far as Dillon's health, certainly you don't want him to get hurt, but he says he feels fine.

Hope you had a good holiday, Nick.

Amongst all the various Patriot injuries, which players do you feel are at the top of the Playoff wish list to come back healthy? Among those, how realistic would it be to see them back and healthy come mid-January?

Adam J. Roth, Pasadena, CA

A: Adam, thank you. I hope your holidays have been joyous as well. As far as a wish list goes, I'm sure they're hoping Richard Seymour's knee injury is indeed a two-week ordeal and that he'll be back for Indy or whomever on Jan. 15 or 16th. All signs point to that happening, though it's obviously very early in the healing process. A bigger question might be Law. I know Law has wanted to play for a couple of weeks now, but the Patriots haven't seen all the signs they need to see to set him free. It's probably wise

just to wait the playoffs, which is really when some of Law's teammates and agent want him to play again. If those two guys are back, the Patriots are in good shape for the post-season.

I note that all of your mailbag last week was devoted to questions from fans who thought that the Miami game showed major weaknesses in the team.

My question: how far do you think that the Jets game answered those doubts?

Michael Rosen, Oxford, UK

A: Michael, they answered some questions, but their weaknesses haven't really gone away. The Dolphins were able to expose them; the Jets were not. Until Law returns the secondary is still in shambles, and I'm guessing a good passing team like Indy will be able to do at least what Miami and Cincinnati did. The offensive line played well against New York, but they weren't tested fully because John Abraham didn't play. The o-line will have to contend with the Indy bookends - Freeney and Mathis - and they are quite a challenge.

Last week you outlined how you thought the o-line was small, and it was detrimental to the pass protection. Yet, this week against New York, we saw Brady have (what seemed like) minutes to throw the ball. This was surprising considering how the television announcers were praising the Jet's D-line. I attribute this to the Pats o-line being a lot better than most consider them to be. Do you agree, or do you think this was a result of a smaller and injury affected jets d-line?

Greg Lusk, Braintree MA

A: I think the offensive line has generally done a decent job of protecting Brady. I think he still gets hit more than he should, though as you pointed out Greg, last week he did not. Part of that was Abraham being out, part of it was a conscious effort by the tight ends helping out in pass protection and the terrific job Dillon does blocking on blitzes. One area the team should be concerned about is the right side. Brandon Gorin can be beaten, and we're starting to see opposing D-Lines stack that side with their pass rushers. Gorin is going to need a lot of help in the coming weeks. Also, Matt Light, by his own admission, isn't having the strong year he had last season.

I think performance was the best of the year and it couldn't have come at a better time. Having said that, I'm still very worried about the Colts. I've been saying their D is awful all year and really, it is but it's making ust enough plays to win. As for the Steelers, They are reminding me of the 2001 Pats. I've found myself saying lot's of woulda, coulda, shoulda's and they would lose but that's what everyone said about NE in 2001. Of course we're good enough to win again but what team to you fear the most, assuming the Colts win their first round game?

Joe Lemery, Rome, Ga

A: Well, I think I fear Pittsburgh the most because they're well-coached, they have balance in all areas of play and they do have a home field advantage in the playoffs, including the AFC Championship game. They've also solved the Patriots. Granted, they beat them without Dillon, but I think they would have won that Halloween game anyway. The Steelers are also banged up and that might help the Patriots. While there aren't a lot of good teams in the NFL, the top echelon ones are all in the AFC. I give the Colts a lot of respect because of Manning. San Diego is also pretty balanced. Buffalo is red hot. You have no idea what to expect from Denver. The one team I've begun to dismiss is the Jets, if they get in. The team that emerges as the AFC Champion, will have earned it. There are no shortcuts to be found.

It seems that even Genius Bill and his staff eventually will run out of ways to motivate the team week after week. remember last year’s controversy this time of year? Benching Richard Seymour when he missed practice to attend a funeral. That seemed to serve as a notice that no one is untouchable even the Pro Bowl captain so everyone better focus. Do you think that the staff, while not coaching to lose, put the team on notice that they are not invincible and that in order to prepare for another run all cylinders must be firing? No big conspiracy theory but it is easier to win five games in a row than 11.

Ken Rahaman, Boston

A: Ken, I think the Miami game might have served as that rallying cry they usually get at this time of the season. It doesn't happen very often that Belichick will play up some lousy team during the week and then they have trouble beating them. But Belichick really played up Miami during the week and then his team went out and lost to them. That sucks the team right back in. Now, they're all ears again, because Belichick's worst fears were realized. That's why during this week, despite the fact they're playing

another terrible team (San Francisco), Belichick has tried to keep things as normal as possible and accentuated the theme that you don't want to lay a stinker this close to the playoffs.

What's with Corey Dillon and Tedy Bruschi not making the Pro Bowl? It seems to me both are having career years, so what gives?

Shannon, Albany, NY

A: No argument here with Curtis Martin and Edgerrin James making it. LaDainian Tomlinson doesn't have the number of yards as Dillon, but he does have a lot more receiving yards and catches. Toss up there. Tomlinson was also left off last season when he shouldn't have been so there's a little makeup going on with that. Dillon is certainly deserving. As for Bruschi, he just doesn't get the respect he deserves. I'm on the Bruschi for Pro Bowl bandwagon because he's as much the heart and soul of that defense as Zach Thomas was in Miami when they were a good team. I think James Farrior has had a sensational season in Pittsburgh, and Ray Lewis is the best middle linebacker in the game. He's always going to get the votes. Personally, I don't care for how the Pro Bowl balloting is done. It really leaves out the most objective people - the reporters - who should have a say.

Are the Jets really as bad as they seemed on Sunday against the Pats? Which team would you rather see in the playoffs, the Jets or Bills?

Ryan, Richmond, Va.

A: I don't get how you don't come to play when you're home, it's a big game (against NE), a chance to shut up all the critics who say the Jets can't beat an elite team, and a quarterback who inserted his foot in his mouth and then couldn't back it up. You have to be hugely disappointed if you're a Jets fan. I respect Herm Edwards; love the way the guy coaches and motivates players. Well, he did a lousy job leading up to that game. I'd rather see the Bills than the Jets because of the storylines. It would be great to see the Bills back in the playoffs. They're an organization that's taken a lot of grief and abuse - everything from Bledsoe to Lawyer Milloy to drafting McGahee, but to come from 0-4 and make the playoffs would be quite an accomplishment. This is what Tom Donahoe had in mind for this team. The guy has always been a terrific GM and talent evaluator. Now we're seeing his great vision.