In the years between 2001 and 2004 the Patriots were racked with obstacle after obstacle.
Riddled with injuries the Patriots some how managed to adjust and overcome all
adversity and walk away with 3 Super Bowl victories in 3 appearances. They never won
handedly, they never won pretty, eeking out just enough to put another W in the column.

In that same time period, the Indianapolis Colts were an offensive juggernaut, racking up
points. The defense, though not top notch, was often overlooked as Peyton Manning and
such high-profile receivers as Harrison and Wayne controlled the game with ease.
Despite their dominance, and a career season in 2004, the Colts were not overcome the
speed bump known as the Patriots. Even in 2006 when the Colts finally earned their
Super Bowl title, the AFC championship against the Patriots was a close battle to the end
(We are not going to discuss "the call" that changed the outcome of the game).

Fast Forward to 2007 and the roles have been reversed.

The Patriots are the hot team. Brady and the Patriots offense, fueled by controversy and
spite, have dominated the league with a legitimate shot at going 16-0 and are a Super
Bowl favorite.

The Colts, in contrast have been riddled with injuries. One of Manning's favorite targets
has been taken away for most of the season. The defense has been all but wiped out. The
list of injuries is alarmingly long, and a lot of these names are huge. Harrison, Freeney,
Sanders, Morris, O'Neil, McFarland, Worsely and the list goes on and on.

While many teams would crumble and fall with far less injuries especially with key
players. Manning and coach Tony Dungy have managed to adjust and find ways to win,
in a very Patriots-esque manner. The wins have not been pretty, struggling against teams
they normally would roll right over, but they are still wins. At a time when they were
most vulernable in week 9, they played a great game against the Patriots (albeit with
again some help from the zebras) and held their own. They may have lost the game but
you have to think that keeping the game close was a small moral victory for them.

On a personal level, I have always equated Manning and Dungy with Satan. Manning
looks like a chicken on the field with his constant-audible offense not to mention not
being able to go 10 minutes without seeing him on TV 24-7. Dungy never got the job
done in Tampa with great talent, and was not getting it done with an all-star team in Indy.

2007 has put them both in a new light. Peyton still looks spasmodic on the field, but
somehow, him and Dungy are defying all logic and getting the job done despite
nightmarish obstacles. They have found new weapons, more of them and honestly present
more of  a threat to stopping the Patriots than ever before.

If anyone, especially Patriots fans are overlooking the Colts and think they have no
chance in the post season you need to seriously take another look at the Colts and think
again. As a Patriots fan myself, I can only hope that the Patriots are not falling into the
trap and believing their own hype. If they are then it will be the gravest mistake in
Patriots history,