How Pats outlasted Colts; Saints' dramatic rise

If ever I wanted to do a game analysis, it was last weekend after the Pats-Colts. Unfortunately, I was not asked to, but there's some stuff I wanted to mention. So if you'll just bear with me for just a short while, I'll cover it right now, and feel better. OK?

Even if Marvin Harrison had played, there was little chance he'd be more than the 10-yard threat he's been since the second game. But just having him on the field ... well, they could have blown some smoke during the week about how much it meant to have him back, and then have thrown deep to him early, as the Jets did with Don Maynard in Super Bowl III, just to show it, to create an awareness. But with him out, Anthony Gonzalez went to his spot, and he clearly wasn't ready for that kind of action. When he hurt his thumb, they were stuck with Aaron Moorhead, a non-factor.

The Patriots didn't want to be hurt downfield, though. Bill Belichick always comes up with something new in big games -- most of the good coaches do -- and this time it was a modified 4-2-nickel, with Richard Seymour as the extra lineman, Rodney Harrison playing the weakside linebacker, but also doing a lot of lining up and rushing from the edges, and Randall Gay, normally the nickel back, at a safety. I thought Adalius Thomas, the high-priced Baltimore import, would be the secret weapon to control Dallas Clark, but I had that one wrong. He was in the witness protection program Sunday ... try to find him. Clark belonged mostly to Harrison.

Now, Indy offensive coordinator Tom Moore is a simple kind of guy. You're going to play nickel, we'll run at you, and that's what the Colts did. Joseph Addai was the best player on the field, running and catching, just as he was in the Super Bowl. But as tough as he was, the Patriots clung stubbornly to their nickel, the reasoning being, OK, you'll run on us but there will be no big strikes. And that's the way the first half went ... long field goal drives for the Colts. Except at the end of the half, when Addai blew it apart with his long TD. I'll bet that even Belichick was a little worried at this point. Holy hell! What is it with this guy? And then in the final period, Indy stretched its lead to 10, on a drive that featured three straight blasts by Addai. They had tried to keep him rested as much as they could, but now he was spent. Worn out. And as far as Tom Brady was concerned, the argument was just beginning.

The Colts were without their starting outside linebackers. They were left with Rocky Boiman, a journeyman, and a nickel back, Tim Jennings, a teeth-gritter ... a heart and desire guy. They got away with it for a while, thanks mostly to some great effort from the pass rush, but by the fourth quarter, they were on their heels. And that's when Brady went to his big guns, his speed guys, the game breakers -- Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, and even, to a certain extent, vastly underrated Kevin Faulk.

It was too much. I saw Bob Sanders wobbling, cornerback Marlin Jackson trying to limp back to the lineup. Over. Curtains. The Colts had one last possession, and now the final injury kicked in, the one that had taken away the starting left tackle Tony Ugoh. The Patriots' right defensive end, Jarvis Green, is a very rough dude, and he had worn down Ugoh's back-up, Charlie Johnson, and now it was time for the KO. Sack, strip, fumble, game's over. (As always, send comments to siwriters@simail.com)

NFL Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 New England Patriots (9-0) See above. 2 2 Indianapolis Colts (7-1) See above. 3 3 Dallas Cowboys (7-1) Well, Tank Johnson's been activated from his eight-game suspension for stocking an arsenal. And the organization has made it very clear that after three or four more violations they will think very seriously of having a talk with him. 4 4 Green Bay Packers (7-1) Mike McCarthy's record on the road is 9-3. Better than that of any Packers' coach in history at the start of his career, Mike Holmgren (4-8), Vince Lombardi (7-5), and then going waaaay back to the first coach the franchise ever had, Curly Lambeau (4-5-3). I mean are they going to bronze the guy or what? 5 5 New York Giants (6-2) Nah, I won't bump them from their spot just because the Steelers looked so good during the Giants' bye week. But this Sunday ... you know, it's dies irae at home against Dallas. 6 6 Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) You know the difference between Big Ben last year and this year? Last year he was just trying to survive the rush. But what he showed Monday night was absolute disdain for it. Get lost, punks! He buys time, and sometimes he'll get greedy downfield, but what the hell, at least he goes there. 7 7 Tennessee Titans (6-2) If I were an editor in Nashville, I'd keep this headline always ready for use: Young Struggles, Titans Win. 8 10 Detroit Lions (6-2) DT Shaun Rogers, 380 now and the Player of the Game last Sunday, was suspended after the sixth game last year for "violation of the NFL's policy on banned substances." He admitted to taking an over the counter product to help lose weight. "What's wrong with that?" the Flaming Redhead asks. Everything. The NFL does not favor the image of skinny linemen. "That can't be true," she says. "You made that up? You mean you didn't?" No. Yes. I don't mean that. 9 11 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4) Good time for the bye week. Come quick, officer, they're trying to wear out Earnest Graham. I mean 34 carries against the Cards. Enough already! If he goes down before Pittman gets back, you're really in the soup, Gruden. 10 16 Cleveland Browns (5-3) Kellen Winslow's 11-catch, 125-yard game against the Seahawks had us all drifting back to the legendary game his father had against the Dolphins in the playoffs 26 years ago. The Browns' Kellen played in pain the entire way, made big catches to set up two touchdowns, including the final one. A correspondent who was in the postgame locker room described the scene as follows: "Someone asked him, 'Is this your sweetest day as a pro?' He put his head down for a few moments. When he looked up there were tears running down his face. 'I'm sorry,' he said." You think that after something like that, I'm not going to raise the Brownies to the top 10?