Indianapolis (0-0) at New England (0-0)
Currently: - Game info: 9:00 pm EDT Thu Sep 9, 2004
- TV: ABC
In an NFL era of free agency and a salary cap, dynasties are expected to become extinct. The New England Patriots seem primed to prove that notion wrong.
The Pats kick off the defense of their second Super Bowl title in three years when they host the Indianapolis Colts in a rematch of last season’s AFC championship game.
Unlike the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s and San Francisco 49ers of the ’80s, the Patriots must deal with an economic system that promotes parity. The presence of a hard salary cap makes it more difficult to keep successful teams intact and to add productive veterans at reasonable costs.
If the Patriots win again this year, though, they would join the Dallas Cowboys of the early 1990s as the only teams to win three Super Bowls in four years.
“Dynasty is a funny word,” said Adam Vinatieri, who has kicked two Super Bowl-winning field goals. “You’ve got to be so dominant for so long. We’ve been a pretty good team for a while now but we’ve got a long way to go and a lot of things to prove still.”
Debates about NFL dynasties often include the Cowboys, the Steelers, who won four Super Bowls in six years from 1975 to 1980, and the San Francisco 49ers, who won four in nine years from 1982 to 1990.
New England missed the playoffs in 2002, the season after Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal on the final play beat St. Louis 20-17 for the Patriots’ first championship and the season before his 41-yarder with four seconds remaining beat Carolina 32-29 for their second.
Coach Bill Belichick, the orchestrator of New England’s current run, continues to keep the Patriots focused, starting with the NFL season-opening matchup against the high-powered Colts. New England defeated Indianapolis 24-14 on Jan. 18 in the AFC title game.
“Right now I’m thinking about this week’s game and the opener against Indianapolis,” he said before an exhibition game at Carolina last month. “That’s long term for me.”
That could be bad news for Colts star quarterback Peyton Manning, who fell victim to Belichick’s focus in last season’s conference title game. The Patriots harassed Manning and his receivers, forcing the quarterback to throw four interceptions and sacking him four times. Manning went 23-of-47 for 237 yards and just one touchdown in the loss.
The Patriots have only 21 players left from the first Super Bowl team, but their unmatched ability to keep reloading with quality players despite the salary cap is what has them looking for another championship.
Wide receivers Deion Branch and David Givens, drafted in 2002, combined for 91 catches last year, and each scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Safety Eugene Wilson and center Dan Koppen, products of the 2003 draft, each started 15 regular-season games last year.
Five of the team’s top six defensive linemen and two of their tight ends are 25 or younger. The oldest starting offensive lineman is 29-year-old Joe Andruzzi.
Quarterback Tom Brady, just 27, is a two-time Super Bowl MVP.
The Patriots also filled needs with veterans by trading for running back Corey Dillon and signing free agent punter Josh Miller in the offseason. Linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, limited to two games last season by a broken hip, is healthy again.
Indianapolis, featuring what should again be one of the league’s best offenses, is expected to challenge New England for AFC supremacy for the second straight year. The Colts are led by Manning, arguably to NFL’s best at his position and last season’s co-MVP along with Tennessee’s Steve McNair.
Indianapolis’ offense, in fact, could be even better. Manning is coming off his best season and has a deep, established receiving corps, led by Pro Bowler Marvin Harrison. Running back Edgerrin James says he’s better now than a year ago, when he was coming off a knee injury.
“There’s always things you can improve on,” said Manning, who signed the NFL’s richest contract during the offseason ($98 million over seven years, including with $34.5 million in bonuses). “We’d like to score every time we have the ball.”
The Colts learned last year, however, that even a prolific offense led by Manning, Harrison, James and Marcus Pollard doesn’t guarantee a championship. Indianapolis went 12-4 to win the AFC South and scored 447 points, behind only Kansas City. Then the Colts beat the Chiefs in a postseason shootout for Manning’s first playoff victory.
But the Colts’ mediocre defense couldn’t match that of the Patriots in the conference title game. Indianapolis must have improvement from that unit if it is have a realistic shot at its first Super Bowl.
The Colts defense, however, remains young and somewhat untested. Both starting cornerbacks from last year’s playoffs are gone and there is uncertainty at safety. Neither Donald Strickland nor Joseph Jefferson have played well enough to earn one of the starting cornerback jobs. Second-round draft pick Bob Sanders was expected to compete for playing time at safety, but was a holdout until Aug. 30.
2003 STANDINGS: Colts - 1st place, AFC South. Patriots - 1st place, AFC East.
COLTS LEADERS: Offense - Manning, 4,267 passing yards and 29 passing TDs; James, 1,259 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs; Harrison, 94 receptions, 1,272 receiving yards and 10 receiving TDs. Defense - David Thornton, 104 tackles; Dwight Freeney, 11 sacks; Nicholas Harper, 4 INTs.
PATRIOTS LEADERS: Offense - Brady, 3,620 passing yards and 23 passing TDs; Kevin Faulk, 638 rushing yards; Mike Cloud, 5 rushing TDs; Branch, 57 receptions and 803 receiving yards; Givens, 6 receiving TDs. Defense - Rodney Harrison, 94 tackles; Mike Vrabel, 9 sacks; Ty Law and Tyrone Poole, 6 INTs.
2003 COLTS TEAM RANK: Rushing Offense - 105.9 yards per game (19th in NFL); Passing Offense - 261.2 ypg (1st); Total Offense - 367.1 ypg (3rd). Rushing Defense - 123.8 ypg (20th); Passing Defense - 175.6 ypg (2nd); Total Defense - 299.4 ypg (11th).
2003 PATRIOTS TEAM RANK: Rushing Offense - 100.4 ypg (27th); Passing Offense - 214.5 ypg (9th); Total Offense - 314.9 ypg (17th). Rushing Defense - 89.6 ypg (4th); Passing Defense - 202.0 ypg (4th); Total Defense - 291.6 ypg (7th).
LAST MEETING: Jan. 18; Patriots, 24-14. At Foxboro, Mass., Law had three interceptions and Brady threw for 237 yards to lead New England.
STREAKS AND NOTES: Colts - Indianapolis scored a team-record 447 points last season. … Manning is 2-8 against New England. … The Colts are 51-29 in the regular season since 1999. Patriots - New England has won 11 straight at home, including the postseason. … New England set an NFL record with 68 points allowed at home last season. … Brady is 4-0 against Indianapolis.
2003 ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Colts - 7-1 on the road; Patriots - 8-0 at home.
INJURIES: Colts - OUT: LB Gilbert Gardner (ankle); CB Joseph Jefferson (knee); S Bob Sanders (foot); WR Troy Walters (wrist). QUESTIONABLE: S Cory Bird (concussion); RB James Mungro (wrist); WR Brad Pyatt (thigh). PROBABLE: WR Aaron Moorehead (ankle); CB Donald Strickland (shoulder/hip). Patriots - OUT: RB Kevin Faulk (personal reasons). QUESTIONABLE: WR Brown (knee). PROBABLE: QB Brady (right shoulder); QB Jim Miller (right shoulder); TE Ben Watson (knee).
Team Comparison
| Team | Records | Standings | PF | PA | Road/Home | AFC | NFC | DIV | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis | 12-4-0 | 1st AFC South | 522 | 351 | 5-3-0 Road | 8-4-0 | 4-0-0 | 5-1-0 | Lost 1 |
| New England | 14-2-0 | 1st AFC East | 437 | 260 | 8-0-0 Home | 10-2-0 | 4-0-0 | 5-1-0 | Won 2 |
Blog Coverage from SB Nation
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Pats PulpitInjuries
Daniel Federkeil T, Pierre Garcon WR, Dwight Freeney DE, Eric Foster DT, Antoine Bethea S, Adam Vinatieri K, Kelvin Hayden CB, Anthony Gonzalez WR, Aaron Francisco S, Gijon Robinson TE, Jim Sorgi QB, Justin Snow TE, Hank Baskett WR, Bob Sanders S, Marlin Jackson CB, Tyjuan Hagler LB, Jamie Petrowski TE, Rudolph Hardie DE, Roy Hall WR
Benjamin Watson TE, Shawn Springs CB, Tom Brady QB, Ty Warren DT, Rob Ninkovich LB, Stephen Neal G, Sammy Morris RB, Matt Light T, Dan Koppen C, Jarvis Green DE, Julian Edelman WR, Ron Brace DT, Tully Banta-Cain LB, Chris Baker TE, Eric Alexander LB, Sam Aiken WR, Fred Taylor RB, Brandon Tate WR, Chris Taylor RB, George Bussey T, Shawn Crable LB, Tyrone McKenzie LB
Notes
No team notes.
Despite winning their final four games, the Patriots became the first 11-win team to miss the playoffs since Denver in 1985. ... New England beat the Bills for the 11th consecutive time. The Patriots also kept up their late-season brilliance, extending their winning streak in December to 12 games and improving to 24-2 in the month since 2003. ... With howling winds gusting over 50 miles per hour, QB Matt Cassel attempted a season-low eight passes. He completed six for 78 yards. ... The Patriots set an NFL record for fewest penalties called against them in a season. They were whistled for 57 infractions, breaking the record of 59 held by Seattle for a 16-game season. ... WR Randy Moss had just one reception for 13 yards, but it was enough to put him over 1,000 yards for the ninth time in his 11 seasons.
Dec 28, 11:19 pm EST