Over the past several years we've become familiar with a rivalry between the Patriots and Colts that may be one of the best in the NFL. It's no Bears-Packers, but it has many earmarks o####ood rivalry.

At least one side (New England) hates the other with a passion. I'm not sure how much Colts fans hate the Patriots, but since just about every fan in the NFL seems to be developing a hatred for that team from Foxboro, I can assume there is some animosity toward them in Indianapolis. These two teams possess the NFL's two best quarterbacks, and there's still debate over which one is better (well, at least there is to anyone who isn't a Patriots fan). They've been considered the AFC's best two teams just about every year this decade and they've met in the Playoffs three times in the last four seasons, twice with the conference championship on the line. The Patriots have managed to win the Super Bowl three times, and the Colts finally won one of their own last year. Put it all together and you can see why these teams make good rivals.

How old is this rivalry? About five years? Perhaps its current incarnation is a fairly recent thing, but for old-school Nintendo fans, the debate over which of these teams is better dates back to 1991. In those days there was a popular game for the NES called Tecmo Super Bowl. It was the most realistic football game of its time and is beloved by many to this day. It had all the NFL teams and used the rosters from the 1990 season. Kids who spent a lot of time playing it knew which teams to pick. The Oilers, 49ers, Eagles, Giants, Bills, and Raiders were among the cream of the crop. They also knew which teams to avoid. There's little debate among Tecmo fans that the two worst teams in the game were (you guessed it) the Colts and the Patriots.



These two teams were truly miserable, but which one was worse? Most people say the Patriots, but the Colts have some arguments in their favor. Much of it depends on which elements you valued most. Shall we compare them (to each other, not a summer's day)?

Forget Manning and Brady, their starting quarterbacks (Jeff George and Steve Grogan) were the two worst starters in the game. Their backups (Jack Trudeau and Marc Wilson, respectively) were both better than them, and they were pretty bad in their own rights. Grogan was actually the worst quarterback in the game if you added up all his ratings, and that includes both starters and backups.



Then again, George wasn't too far ahead of him.



Grogan had a much higher "Avoid Pass Block" rating, but aficionados know that the two most important ratings were "Passing Speed" and "Pass Control," areas where George had the clear advantage. In real life Grogan was a pretty good quarterback during the '70's and '80's, while George was a #1 overall draft pick that never quite lived up to the hype. In this game though, George was the better of the two.

How about the running game? Though the Colts had Eric Dickerson at the time, he was left out of the game due to contractual issues, leaving the mediocre Albert Bentley as the team's best running back. He wasn't terrible, but he wasn't anything close to elite with his 44 speed. None of the Patriots' running backs had a speed rating higher than 31, which in Tecmo terms translates into "worthless." Neither team's offensive line was very good, though the Colts' was somewhat less crappy.



Then you have the receivers. The Colts' wide receivers were pretty good, while the Patriots' were slightly above average at best. The Patriots' Irving Fryar had a very good "Receptions" rating of 63, but the Colts had a guy of their own with a 63, and another with a 69. The Colts' guys were also slightly faster. The Patriots' best receiver was actually a tight end, Marv Cook. His speed of 44 and good hands (another 69 "Receptions" rating) made him the fastest player on offense and a tie for the best at catching the ball. The Colts' tight ends were nothing special.



Overall the Colts were much better offensively, but what about the defense? Here's where the Patriots had the advantage. The Patriots were somewhat balanced on defense, with one pretty good player each at defensive line, linebacker and defensive back (Ray Agnew, Andre Tippett and Ronnie Lippett, respectively). After those three it was fairly weak, but sometimes in Tecmo you didn't need depth, just one great player in a certain area. While their defense wasn't among the best in the game, it was much better than the Colts'. The Colts didn't have any above-average players on defense. It was just one big lump of sub-mediocrity.

Special teams are of minimal importance, but they can make some difference. The Colts had the better punter (Rohn Stark) while the Patriots had the better kicker (Jason Staurovsky). Stark was a Pro Bowler, while Staurovsky was just a bit better than average. The Patriots' punter and the Colts' kicker were both pretty bad. The Colts' returners were better, but not by a ton. Since I think the kicker makes the biggest difference of any special teamer, I'd give the Patriots a slight advantage in this area.



It's still pretty much a judgment call as to which team is better. While most people probably don't want their team to be known as the worst, sometimes it's better to hold that distinction. For one thing, people remember the really bad teams. Also, if you've played a game long enough that it becomes easy, playing a season as a bad team can present a good challenge. If you can win the Super Bowl with the worst team you'll truly feel a sense of accomplishment. Being the worst means you're the ultimate challenge. I have a friend who played a season as the Patriots, and he just narrowly lost to the 49ers in the Super Bowl. It was heartbreaking, but certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

Would my friend have won with the Colts, or would their horrific defense have prevented him from getting that far? Well, he only lost because of one costly play, so he could've won just as easily. Even if he won the Super Bowl with the Colts it would only prove that he's a really good player, not that either team was better. In other words, the debate continues.

As both teams have the talent to stay in contention down the road, we'll probably be hearing about the Colts-Patriots rivalry for years to come. It's best not to forget its roots though. The relative merits of these two teams have been discussed long before Brady and Manning showed up.




Special thanks to Mr. Paul Schulzetenberg for writing this Tecmo Super Bowl FAQ. It was a great reference for this piece.