Familiar nemesis awaits Colts in road back to Super Bowl has 0 comments

Sep 3rd 2007, 11:07 | FFN-Score: 3 points

Phoenix, AZ --- The Indianapolis Colts don't have to look over their collective shoulder. They know who's coming. It's right there behind them, impossible to ignore, and it's as clear as the red, white and blue breathing down their necks.

Yes, the Colts and quarterback Peyton Manning finally vanquished their demons and captured the Big Game, beating the Chicago Bears to win Super Bowl XLI in Miami.

But that's yesterday's news. Now it's the road to Glendale, Ariz., and another quest for greatness, and as the start of the 2007 NFL season approaches, the Colts hope to maintain their stride and stay ahead of the New England Patriots.

"We know all about them, trust me," Colts starting linebacker Rob Morris said by telephone after a recent training-camp workout. "They've been one of the better teams in the league for the last six, seven years. They're a great team. And just because we won it all last year doesn't change the fact. In the AFC, you've still got to beat the Patriots to get to the Big Game. Everybody knows it."

The Patriots blew an 18-point lead in losing to Indianapolis in last season's AFC title game, and after winning three Super Bowls from 2002-05, they spent the offseason determined not to fall short again.

New England spent big money on free agents such as linebacker Adalius Thomas (Baltimore Ravens) and wide receiver Donte' Stallworth (Philadelphia Eagles), made a draft-day trade to acquire wideout Randy Moss from the Oakland Raiders and added depth throughout, with cornerback Tory James (Cincinnati Bengals), tight end Kyle Brady (Jacksonville Jaguars), running back Sammy Morris (Miami Dolphins) and receivers Kelley Washington (Bengals) and Wes Welker (Dolphins).

Adding them to a stellar core that features quarterback Tom Brady, linebackers Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel and defensive end Richard Seymour— not to mention perhaps the best coach in the league in Bill Belichick — and the Patriots just got that much better.

"Personally, I'm not too worried about it," Colts right tackle Ryan Diem said during a phone interview. "Yeah, we keep hearing about them on TV and in the papers and all the magazines, but we can't be worried about what everyone else is doing.

"We've had teams shooting for us for a while, too. When you win the Super Bowl, everybody wants to knock you off. But we're not going to lose our focus. This team doesn't get too worked up about anything. We've got a nice group of guys that are even-keeled and just go about our business."

In that respect, the Colts follow the lead of their coach, Tony Dungy, who has been a calming influence. His demeanor and quiet confidence are big reasons that Indianapolis usually is in the hunt, even though the club's roster seemingly gets raided every year.

"We are a team that is always going to live through the draft and bringing young people in," Dungy said. "We felt like once we won, people were going to want some of these guys even more, because you always want the guys that have been successful and come from Super Bowl teams."

Linebacker Cato June went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Running back Dominic Rhodes went to the Oakland Raiders. Cornerback Nick Harper went to the Tennessee Titans.

It didn't help that veteran left tackle Tarik Glenn announced his retirement in the prime of his career, at age 31, after going to three consecutive Pro Bowls. Taking his place and protecting Manning's blind side is rookie Tony Ugoh, a second-round pick from Arkansas.

"Tony's picked things up real well, and he knows the system," Diem said. "But it goes back to how we prepare around here. The backup guys have to be ready at every position, and our coaches emphasize that every year — that you're one snap away from playing, so you'd better be ready to fill in and not miss a beat."

As for Manning, who passed for 4,397 yards and 31 touchdowns last season, he's as eager as anyone to show that the Colts are capable of repeating. Glenn's retirement or not, Manning isn't fretting about his blind side, either.

"He wants to get another ring," Morris said of Manning. "He's fired up."

He had better be, because the Patriots work like the perfect machine. They almost are robotic by nature in that they seldom make mistakes, take penalties or get flustered. And from the locker room to the field, they are the definition of the word "team."

But even Brady is quick to remind people that with so many new players, the chemistry might not be there yet. Brady has more experienced receivers to utilize, but they still were trying to work out their timing with the quarterback during the preseason.

And there could be questions about whether Laurence Maroney can handle more than 300 carries this season as the featured running back.

Still, it would seem that only a series of key injuries could derail the Patriots Express from rolling into Glendale and University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 3 for Super Bowl XLII.

The Colts will try to stop them. And so will the San Diego Chargers, who went an NFL-best 14-2 last season and feature perhaps the game's most electrifying talent in running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

Other contenders include the defensive-oriented Ravens, the Bengals, Jaguars, Denver Broncos and New York Jets.

The NFC won't be so much of a pushover, with improved clubs such as the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints, the defending NFC-champion Bears, standards such as the Eagles and Carolina Panthers and anyone from the hotly contested NFC West.

"It was fun to win it, and the fun lasted the entire offseason," Diem said. "But it's back to square one for us, and we're not thinking we're going to go out and skate through the season, because when you start thinking that way, the next thing you know, you're not even in the playoffs and the season is lost."

Brady, who passed for 3,529 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2006, knows the feeling. That's why, at least publicly, he's trying not to buy into the hype surrounding the Patriots and their drive for a fourth Super Bowl victory in a seven-year span.

"The potential of this team, that's one thing," Brady said. "But going out there to see what we can accomplish starting Week 1 is what's most important."