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Pastimes : The new NFL -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sandintoes who wrote (15809)	1/16/2007 12:11:02 PM
From: sandintoes	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89753

Pats-Colts takes center stageESPN.com The playoffs are in full swing. We asked our experts for their opinions on the five Burning Questions heading into this weekend. 1. Which title game will be the better? Peyton Manning Quarterback Indianapolis Colts Profile 2006 SEASON STATISTICS Att Comp Yds TD Int Rat 557 362 4311 31 9 101.0 Eric Allen: The Colts-Patriots game will be better because of the history that the two teams have against each other. Many experts thought the Colts would be one and done in the playoffs this year and now Peyton Manning is just one win away from finally going to the Super Bowl. Also, most of the criticism that has been lobbed at him over the past few seasons has been due to his inability to defeat the Patriots in a big game. Now is his chance to make that happen. Joe Theismann: The Colts hosting the Patriots is going to be the better game because of the emotion on the field and in the stands. The Colts' players and their fans know the Patriots are the team they are constantly being compared to. The Colts have to beat the Patriots in a big game like this to get the respect they deserve. Meanwhile, the Patriots look at the Colts like a little brother they can beat up any time they want to. 2. What will be the big headline next Monday? Allen: The Saints marching into the Super Bowl in what could be the most improbable story in the NFL's history will be the biggest headline next Monday. It's amazing that the Saints will be in the Super Bowl just one season after Katrina displaced them for an entire season and they finished 3-13. They aren't playing perfect defense, but they won't need to against the Bears' offense. On the other side, the Saints' offense will be able to attack the middle of the Bears' defense. Theismann: The biggest headline will be about the play of Rex Grossman. Good or bad, his play has been one of the biggest stories of the past few weeks. His play drives this offense and if he doesn't play well, the Bears' goose is cooked and they will face an offseason of turmoil surrounding Grossman's future. 3. What could cripple the Saints' chances to win the NFC? Allen: Turnovers could cripple the Saints' chances. They are playing an aggressive, ball-hawking defense that has the ability to take over the game with pressure and turnovers, and the Saints have shown a propensity to turn the ball over against this kind of defense. But if they go the whole game with only one turnover, then we'll see Tom Benson doing the Benson boogie on the sidelines at the end of the game. Theismann: The Saints can't afford to turn the ball over multiple times against Chicago. The Bears' defense has won games all by itself this season and the unit plays with more passion and determination than any in the NFL. This group realizes it's the strength of the team and takes a tremendous amount of pride in that. If they can force the Saints into turnovers, that could be enough to come out with a win. 4. Can the Colts win the AFC if Peyton Manning continues to play below par? Allen: They can win without a 300-yard, four-touchdown game from Manning and they know that now. They aren't playing the New England Patriots of a few seasons ago. This Patriots team has flaws on both sides of the ball and the Colts have the ability to exploit those flaws even without a Superman-like performance from Manning. Theismann: They can't win with a subpar game from Manning. They need him to step up and make big-time plays for them to be successful. They were lucky earlier in the playoffs because the defense played over its head. The Colts can't count on that happening again against Tom Brady and the Patriots. 5. How do you stop New Orleans' offense? Drew Brees Quarterback New Orleans Saints Profile 2006 SEASON STATISTICS Att Comp Yds TD Int Rat 554 356 4313 26 11 96.2 Allen: To stop the Saints' offense you have to take a page from the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals and create turnovers. Against the Ravens and Bengals this season, the Saints were successful driving the ball, but couldn't execute their offense because of turnovers, especially interceptions by Drew Brees. In those two games, Brees threw six of his 11 interceptions for the season. Theismann: I honestly don't believe there is a way to stop this offense. The best bet is to use your offense to keep the Saints' potent offense off the field. That means successfully running the ball and chewing up clock. What makes this offense so special isn't the number of playmakers it has, but the rhythm in which every offensive player plays. They do a wonderful job of getting on the field and executing their game plan with precise timing. It's imperative for the Bears to break that up this week.

To: sandintoes who wrote (15809)	1/16/2007 2:26:03 PM
From: Robert F. Newton	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89753

Can we change the Indy/Pats and round up a 1/2 point so ties don't come into play