Wet and wild

Standing in a torrential, wind-blown rainstorm with your boots covered in mud for eight hours sucks.

Standing in a torrential, wind-blown rainstorm with your boots covered in mud, while drinking, eating meatball subs, steak tips. scallops, baked stuffed tatos, and pecan pie with friends and family and then watching the Patriots crush the Colts in a playoff game ... that doesn't suck at all.

From the wet and wild ride in to the Pats running wild into the AFC title game to that long-anticipated hot shower at 2 a.m. ... it was a great day.

Wild and crazy stuff

If you are a fan of the NFL the next two weekends are as good as it gets. Sure, championship weekend is a lot of fun with the best of the AFC and NFC squaring off and of course Super Bowl Sunday is a national holiday. But Wild Card weekend and the Divisional Round are the two best weekends of football. Two games Saturday. Two games Sunday. Grab a beer, some snacks, and your spot on the couch.

AFC



Cincinnati (10-6) at Houston (12-4): The Texans were the team to beat in the AFC for the first three months of the season. In December, they just turned into a beaten team. They lost three of their last four games and looked bad doing it. They were stomped by playoff team New England, Minnesota, and Indy. Can they pull it together for the playoffs? I think so, but the Bengals will certainly make it difficult for them. The Texans are 8th in the league in rushing yards and seventh in the league against the run. And they are solid in the passing game. All the talk is about Matt Schaub but he is not the key. Schaub will be lucky to get out of this game alive against the Cincy pass rush led by Geno Atkins and Michael Johnson. The key is Arian Foster. He is the best player on the field for either team (slight edge over A.J. Green). If Foster can dominate on the ground and make life easy for Schaub then Houston, with the home field, should be able to get the win. Cincy's best chance rests with Green. He's one of the top playmakers in the game. The Bengals need QB Andy Dalton and Green to have a huge game. That's going to be tough to do with J.J. Watt getting in the way. Texans 27, Bengals 24.






Indianapolis (11-5) at Baltimore (10-6): You couldn't write a script better than this. Colts coach Chuck Pagano, who missed most of the season being treated for leukemia, has returned to the sideline just in time for the playoffs. Playoffs? Playoffs? Yes, last year's worst team won a very surprising eleven games and is in the playoffs. And they are playing the Ravens in Baltimore. The team that Pagano was a defensive coach with for four years. And the Ravens' Ray Lewis, who is very close with Pagano, has announced that he will retire when the Ravens season ends. Talk about your story lines. The Ravens are like the Texans, they have stumbled towards the playoffs, losing four of their last five games. And their defense is no longer elite. Old and injured, but not elite. So the question is can the Colts led by rookie QB Andrew Luck and a young group of players go on the road and beat the veteran, this-might-be-our-last-chance Ravens? I don't think so. Ray Lewis won't be winning a title in his last game, but he won't be losing at home either. Ravens 23, Colts 17.

NFC





Minnesota (10-6) at Green Bay (11-5): This is the one man vs. the team game. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson came back from major knee surgery to post one of the greatest seasons in NFL history, coming up just nine yards short of the single-season record for yards rushing. He is the Vikings. Just like Aaron Rodgers is the Packers. It's a great running game vs. a great passing game. The difference is that Rodgers has a lot more help around him than Peterson. Jennings, Cobb, Jones, Nelson, Finley. And the Green Bay defense is better than the Minnesota defense. And the game is being played at Lambeau Field. The Pack won the title two years ago. They are still a serious contender. Packers 30, Vikings 20.




Seattle (11-5) at Washington (10-6): Two of the most exciting and surprising teams in the league meet up in the first round. It should be a great game. It's a rare thing when two rookie quarterbacks play each other in the playoffs. RG3 and Russell Wilson are rookies in name only. They are the "new breed" of quarterback that can run and throw on a dime. Of course there have always been quarterbacks like that (ever hear of Randall Cunningham) but that's OK. It makes for a good headline. All the attention will be on  the quarterbacks but it's the running backs that will decide the game. The two runners that I had on my fantasy team -- Seattle's beast Marshawn Lynch vs. Washington's beast Alfred Morris -- will set the tone early and often. It's a tough decision as to which back will prevail. I'll go with the home team again. Redskins 21, Seahawks 20.

Playoff picture

As they say on ESPN... "If the playoffs started today..."

In the AFC, the Pats would host their longtime rivals the Steelers and in the other game Peyton Manning and the Broncos would host his old team the Colts. In the NFC, the Bears would host the Seahawks in a battle of nasty defenses and the Packers would get another shot at the Giants, the team that has knocked them out of the playoffs a few times in the last several years.

That's a great Wild Card weekend. I wish the playoffs did start today.

Week 11 rewind

It's the dreaded short week for the Pats. Play (and win big) on Sunday and play (and hopefully win big) on Thursday night. Win two games in four days and you go from 6-3 to 8-3 and are in charge of your division. Lose two in four days and your season suddenly changes for the worse. The Pats took care of the first step Sunday with a convincing win over the surprising Colts. Is there much doubt they will take care of business against the Jets on Thanksgiving?

GOOD

• Offense, offense, offense. The Patriots are one of four teams that have a point differential of more than 100 points on the positive side. The other three teams -- Niners, Bears, Texans -- do it mostly with defense. Not that Pats. They put up lots of points. They have lots of weapons. Gronk (before he got hurt) had two more TDs. Edelman had a score. Ridley. Vereen. Throw in Welker, Lloyd, and a soon-to-return Hernandez and the offense with Brady at the helm is as good as it has ever been.
• Special teams. Julian Edelman's 68-yard punt return for a touchdown was the second big kick return this season. The other being McCourty against the Jets. Edelman had 117 yards in punt returns and McCourty added 94 yards in kick-off returns. Nothing like giving the best offense in the league great field position.
• Turnovers. The defense had four more Sunday against the Colts. They returned two of their three picks for touchdowns. The defense is still giving up too many yards and too many big plays, but the turnovers are offsetting that for now.

BAD

• Gronk broke his arm on the extra point at the end of the game. Now that's bad. There'll be lots of talk about why Belichick leaves his starters in games when they are out of reach blah blah blah. But really? Gronk breaks his arm blocking on an extra point? Has a guy ever broken his arm on an extra point? It's just bad luck. He could have just as likely broken his arm standing on the sideline.

The Gronk-less Pats head to the new Meadowlands for a Thanksgiving night clash with their enemies. It's a game all Pats fans couldn't wait for when the schedule came out. With or without Gronk, the Pats will be ready for this one.

An early feast

WEEK 11
Patriots 59, Colts 24 (11/18/'12): When it comes to tailgating, every day is Thanksgiving.

Although the holiday wasn't till later in the week (Did someone say there's a Pats game that night, too?), the turkey fryer was put into action in the Enchanted Forest. Not for turkey. There'll be plenty of that later. This time it was used to make rotini for pasta bolognese with sausage. The portable stove was also fired up for the garlic bread. What's better than a crisp, November day for a little Italian feast? Nothing.

And what's better than a crisp, November day for a Pats blowout of the Colts at Gillette? Nothing.

In a battle of 6-3 teams, the Pats showed why they have been near the top of the NFL for a decade and why the Colts are still a team in rebuilding mode. Although it sure didn't look like that at the end of the first quarter as rookie phenom Andrew Luck had his team ahead 14-7, engineering two scoring drives on his team's first two possessions. Luck opened with a seven-play, 80-yard drive and followed that up with 10-play, 84-yard drive. The Pats secondary didn't look any better with new cornerback Aqib Talib making his first start. Not any better at all.

That all changed in the second quarter, a second quarter that could be looked at as a turning point in the regular season. If the Pats continued to let the Colts have their way with them and lost at home to fall to 6-4, they could be fighting for their playoff lives down the stretch. And that's what makes Belichick's teams as good as they are. When those moments arrive, they very often respond. Julian Edelman -- who had a monster day that should quiet most of those who questioned why Belichick was trying to use him more -- returned a punt for 68 yards and caught a touchdown pass. He finished with more than 200 total yards. A Troy Brown-like performance. Brady had another MVP game, throwing for 331 yards, three touchdowns, and no picks. There are a lot of solid MVP candidates this year (Luck being one), but is there really anyone who should be ranked ahead of Brady? 21 touchdowns and only three picks with an offensive line that has not been healthy all year. He has a great group of talent around him, but Brady -- like Big Vince on the other side of the ball -- is the one who elevates everyone else's game. That is the definition of an MVP.

It was another outstanding day for the offense, but it also turned into a very good day for the defense as well. After giving up touchdowns on the first two drives, the D only allowed Luck and the Colts 10 more points. Not only that, the defense scored two touchdowns. Rookie Alfonzo Dennard -- who seems about to take over for Arrington if he hasn't already -- returned a pick 87 yards for a touchdown. Talib, who had his ups and downs in his first game as a Patriot, had one very big up with a sensational 59-yard interception return that came right after Edelman's kick return. Luck did throw for more than 300 yards (I guess that's just a given against the Pats D), but the defense kept pressure on him and forced four more turnovers. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough. And that's what the team needs from the defense.

It was an entertaining home game that included lots of big plays and the return of Billy (his son's football team's great season sadly over) to the tailgate. That meant everything seafood, including scallops wrapped in bacon. A great day of football and food. I'll be ready for a lot more of both in just a few days.

Just their Luck

Just when it looked like one of the best rivalries in football had run its course ... the Colts are back.

When the schedule came out in the spring, tomorrow's game was probably the least appealing home game on the list. Arizona would have had that honor but the Cardinals were coming for the home opener. Always look forward to the home opener no matter who the opponent is. But the Colts in the chill of late November didn't look all that enticing. The Colts who won two games last year. The Colts who no longer have Peyton Manning at quarterback. The Colts who the Pats beat pretty easily last year.

It was clearly going to be all about the tailgating.

Then something unexpected happened. Andrew Luck -- the top player taken in the draft and the reason the Colts felt they could let the greatest player in franchise history leave -- started to play up to those impossible expectations. The rookie has led his team to five wins in the last six games and has the Colts sitting at 6-3. Just like the Patriots. Suddenly this has become a very interesting game and a very big challenge for the Pats' challenged pass defense.

The rivalry between the Pats and the Colts has been one of the best NFL story lines of the past decade. The two teams have staged some epic battles during that time. There was that 4th-and-2 game. And the greatest game I have ever had the good fortune to have a ticket for.

Patriots-Colts. Brady vs. Luck. It's the game of the week again. Just as it should be.

Face time

The Manning face looks the same in Bronco orange as it did in Colt blue.

If you have been following the Pats-Colts, Manning-Brady rivalry since 2001 then you are very familiar with the Manning face. If not, then look at the photo. That's it.

I like Manning. He's the third-best quarterback I have ever seen. (1. Montana. 2. Brady). Although I was rooting against his Colts, I was glad he finally got a ring. And also glad he didn't get a second one. I like Manning, but I like him better when he's wearing the Manning face. I hope to see a lot of the Manning face on Sunday. The weather is supposed to be lousy. That usually increases the Manning face sightings.

Bring on the rain.

The next one

Tom Brady has been asked "What's your favorite ring?" many times over the years. He often answers by telling a story from when he was a quarterback at Michigan in the late '90s. He said he once asked his offensive coordinator which of his many Big Ten championship rings was his favorite. "He looked at me and said 'The next one. The next one'," Brady recalled. "I said, "Ya. The next one."

Brady gets a shot at the next one today. It should be a great game. It got me thinking of all the great playoff games that Brady has played in. Before Brady and Belichick the Patriots had appeared in 17 playoff games in 40 years of football and their record was an underwhelming 7-10. There were some great games in there but also some heartbreakers (Steelers 7, Pats 6 in '97 is a good example). Since Brady walked on the field in September of 2001 the team has played in 21 playoffs games, going 16-5. What a run it has been.

As the Pats get ready for another Super Bowl, it's a good time to look back at the last decade and rank the top playoff games (not including this year just yet). It's not really a ranking as much as a list of great memories...

10. '06 Divisional Round (vs. Chargers): The only non-Super Bowl year game to make the list. This was one I watched mostly with my hands partially blocking my eyes, fearing the Chargers next score that would have blown the game open. San Diego led 14-3 early but the Pats scratched their way back to 21-13 with eight minutes to go. The Pats were teetering on the brink of disaster the whole game and when Brady was picked by Marlon McCree with about five minutes left it looked like they were done. But McCree kept running with the ball and the ever-alert Troy Brown stripped it and the Pats recovered. New life! Brady quickly cashed in on the second chance with a TD and two-point conversion (direct snap to Faulk of course) to tie the game at 21. The Pats D held and Gostkowski nailed a 31-yarder for one of the all-time great playoff thefts.

9. '04 Divisional Round (vs. Colts): When a team's most impressive, dominating defensive playoff performance of the decade only comes in at #9, well, you know you've been treated to some great games. This was the "Clock Killin' '' Corey Dillon game. This was the game where the unstoppable force (Colts' offense) met the immovable object (Pats' D). The league had changed the rules after the Pats beat the Colts (and beat them up) the year before, allowing more freedom for the receivers. The new rules didn't help. Bruschi ripped the ball from Dominick Rhodes's hands. The Pats (with the help of the cold and snow) ripped the heart right out of the Indy offense. They beat the Eagles for the title two weeks later but this was the '04 Super Bowl.

8. '03 Divisional Round (vs. Titans): The coldest playoff game in Patriot history. Every now and then a shiver will run through my body leftover from that day. How the players were able to play such a great game is beyond me. It took all my strength just to drink my beers. Brady hit Bethel Johnson on a 41-yard bomb as if it was a sunny September afternoon. Rodney Harrison hit everything in sight (and had a pick) and Adam Vinatieri hit yet another huge kick, nailing a 46-yarder with five minutes to go. I can still hear his foot smack the frozen ball as if he was kicking a cinder block. It hurt just to listen to it.

7. '01 AFC Championship (vs. Steelers): I watched this one at a bar with Paul. I was supposed to be at work. It seemed like a good day to take a three-hour lunch break. Other than the Sox Game 7 win over the Yankees this was the best bar game I've watched. The place was raucous. The Pats were big underdogs. The Steelers were way too cocky. Then Brady went down and Drew Bledsoe came in to play the role of hero. It was Bledsoe's shining moment as a Patriot -- and his last. He sure deserved it. Troy Brown made two huge special teams plays and the Pats found themselves headed to New Orleans for the Super Bowl.

6. Super Bowl XXXIX (vs. Eagles): A Super Bowl not in the top 5? A Super Bowl that gave the Pats back-to-back titles not in the top 5? That's right. It wasn't all that great a game. The Pats only won by a field goal (24-21) but the game never felt that close. Not every Super Bowl is a classic. The key is just to win it. The beauty always lies in the final score. The Eagles and T.O. put up a good battle but the Patriots were too experienced, deep, and confident to let the chance at history get away. Linebacker Mike Vrabel made an acrobatic TD catch and Rodney sealed the victory with a pick, ending the game by flapping his arms like Eagles wings. The Pats had soared to the level of a dynasty.

5. '03 AFC Championship (vs. Colts): When someone says Gillette Stadium isn't a great home-field advantage its pretty clear that they weren't there for this game. The rivalry was just starting to build at this point. If you asked most people (outside of NE) which of these teams was about to win back-to-back titles I bet 90 percent of them would have chosen the Colts. They would have been wrong. The Pats D forced Manning to throw four picks (three by Ty Law) by harassing him and knocking his receivers all over the field. Rule changes would follow. And so would more Pats victories.

4. '04 AFC Championship (vs. Steelers): Oh, this game was fun to watch. The rematch with the Steelers in Heinz Field. Three years later the Pittsburgh players were still whining about their '01 loss and, having put a beating on the Pats in the regular season, were predicting a blowout. They were right. It was a blowout. Pats 41-27. And it wasn't that close. Deion Branch caught a TD bomb to open the scoring and then ran one in on the reverse to close out the scoring. Brady was an efficient 14-21 for only 207 yards and two TDs. But the D forced three picks -- Rodney taking one 87 yards for a touchdown. Blowout.

3. Super Bowl XXXVIII (vs. Panthers): One of the strangest Super Bowls ever. And the most exciting. The first quarter was a defensive war. Neither team scored. Then Vrabel forced a fumble, Brady hit Branch for a touchdown, and the two teams busted out to score 24 points in the last three minutes of the half. 24 points in three minutes after a bruising defensive first half. I've never seen anything like it. The two teams went back into their defensive stance, both coming up empty in the third quarter. That all changed again in the fourth quarter when the teams combined to score 37 points. Most of them on big plays. The game kept swinging from a standoff to a shootout. The Pats had Brady and Vinatieri. They got off the last shot for one of the greatest Super Bowl victories in NFL history.

2. Snow Bowl (vs. Raiders): "After review, the quarterback's arm was going forward ..." Tuck that! I'll be watching the tape of this game when I'm a happy old man. Hopefully I will be able to remember what it was like to be there as well as I can now. I think I will. The weather. The old stadium. A franchise's luck changing forever. A kick for the ages. A game for the ages. Most of the talk now centers on the fumble-that-wasn't and Vinatieri's clutch kicks, but the Pats receivers (Patten, Brown, Wiggins, Faulk) made some incredible catches in the blizzard. It was a memorable way to close out the old place. There's only one game that could top this instant classic.

1. Super Bowl XXXVI (vs. Rams): I was sitting on the floor next to the television in my parent's den. I wanted to be as close to the TV as I could. Brady spike the ball with just seven seconds left, the ball bouncing straight up and landing gently in the palm of his hand. Everyone was silent as Vinatieri walked out for the kick. "If he makes this we are Super Bowl champs," ran through my mind about 100 times in 30 seconds. I'm sure it was going through the mind of everyone in the room. But no one dared say it. The ball was snapped. Vinatieri kicked it smoothly. The camera angle switched to behind the goal post, the ball heading right towards me. It was right down the middle. Right down the middle! We yelled and danced and hugged and laughed -- and even cried a little -- for hours. The kick was good. I still can't believe it.

Here's hoping there's a new No. 1 for the list by the end of the day today.

Time to kill

When the team you root for is in the Super Bowl, the first of the two weeks before kickoff is a long week. There's a lot of chatter in the blabosphere but not a lot of information or analysis. There's lots of dead time. Time for one's mind to wander...

• It's not good when the NFL Network shows their top five plays from last weekend's championship games and the two that are from the Pats-Ravens game is the pick by the Ravens in the end zone and the great touchdown catch and run by the Ravens' Torrey Smith. Not one good Pats play. They were really lucky to get out of there with a victory.
• I heard Jim Irsay, owner of the Colts, say that he was disappointed that his soon-to-be-former franchise quarterback spoke out about his frustration with all the staff changes since the team's impressive 2-12 season ended. "I don't think it's in the best interest to paint the horseshoe in a negative light. The horseshoe always comes first." The horseshoe? I could understand if he said "the team" always comes first. Or "the franchise." Or "all my millions." Something like that. But the horseshoe? And people hate Belichick? And that kind of talk coming from the guy whose family packed up the horseshoe in the middle of the night and drove it out of its sacred Baltimore and took it to Indianapolis. Ya, the horseshoe comes first... if it's wrapped in money.
• Watching a replay of the Week 9 game between the Pats and the Giants at Gillette did not fill me with confidence. With just two minutes to go in the third quarter the Patriots offense had three points and just as many bad turnovers. Brady, to quote him, "sucked." The offense had more punts than first downs. It's not pretty to watch. And then Brady, Welker, Gronk, and Hernandez caught fire and the Pats would score 17 points in the final quarter to take a lead with just more than a minute to play. Then little Manning attacked our shaky defense and pulled out another last-second victory. I can't take another one of those.
• The Jets implosion just keeps getting better and better. After team "leader" LT blamed everyone else for the Jets missing the playoffs amid a storm of tantrums and arguments, actual leader Darrelle Revis came out and said that coach Rex Ryan had no idea of the turmoil that was bubbling through the locker room all year. The coach who keeps predicting he's so good he will take his team to every Super Bowl played on this planet had no idea that his players were abandoning ship? Well, there might be another ring on Belichick's hand that he didn't come to NY to kiss.
• The Globe's Greg Bedard, one of the best football writers the city has had in years, says that people are being too hard on Brady's AFC title game performance. Two picks (should have been three), no touchdown passes. He said Brady got the job done when he had too. True enough. But I think he's going a little too easy on #12. Brady has passed Neely as the player I have had the most fun watching, but it hasn't been that much fun in the playoffs the last few years. And it's not just because things come harder and defenses get better in the playoffs. Brady made several unforced errors last week. He wouldn't have made it through the first round at the Australian Open. I'm counting on that not happening two games in a row.

When's kickoff?

Beating a dead horse

WEEK 13
Patriots 31, Colts 24 (12/4/'11): Entering the fourth quarter at Gillette yesterday, the Pats had a very comfortable 31-3 lead. It was about halfway to what I thought would be a 42-6 final. The crowd was enjoying the glow from a beautiful late fall day. A look down at the Pats bench showed the players were mostly doing the same.

A check of the final score shows that the Colts scored three unanswered touchdowns in the final quarter. I can't say I really noticed. The game was -- of course -- never in doubt. The final score came with about 30 seconds left to play. It was more annoying than anything else. Like the last two weeks (KC, Philly), the goal was to beat an inferior team, get the W, and move on. It will be the same next week in Washington.

If the Pats can get a road win next Sunday and get to 10-3 they can lose one of their last three and still have a good shot at a bye. The final three will not be easy. A trip to Denver to play the fifth Beatle Tim Tebow. A home game Christmas Eve against a rejuvenated Miami team and then a New Year's Day home against always tough Buffalo. That's why the stretch of KC, Philly, Indy, Washington was so important. Run the table there and you have room for error. They are one win away from that.

Yesterday's win against the Colts was not supposed to be among the win-and-move-on games. But the Manning-less Colts are closing in on a perfect season. 0-16. I wonder if they will hang a banner for that next to the one they have for losing in the divisional round? (They really do have such a banner). The anticipation in the parking lot at 9 a.m. was for the spicy wings warming up, not so much for the game. The reason we were in a good mood was not because we were excited to watch Dan Orlovsky play quarterback. We were in a good mood because of the partly sunny, 50 degree day. We were in a good mood because of beer for breakfast.

The game was another slow start for the offense. (Insert "that has to stop" comment here). But once Brady, Welker, Gronk, and company got going it was game time. Gronk scored three more touchdowns. He is one shy from setting the record for TDs in a season by a tight end. Whenever I get annoyed that the Pats can't seem to find a young NFL-caliber wide receiver (Bethel, Tate, Price) I remember that they have drafted Gronk and Hernandez. Two of the best pass-catchers to enter the league in years. Welker had another great game and the defense -- at least while people were paying attention -- continued to improve. Most importantly the D is getting healthy. Mayo looks to have his speed back and Chung and Spikes should return soon.

It wasn't a perfect day. The fourth quarter was full of mistakes. And some in the crowd decided to boo Adam Vinatieri. It certainly wasn't loud enough to warrant all the talk on the Blabosphere today (or maybe I just wasn't paying attention again), but it was still surprising. If people want to boo #4 because he went to the enemy Colts and helped them win a Super Bowl that's up to them. But they are wrong. Vinatieri delivered the greatest moment in New England sports history. I can close my eyes right now and see the ball sailing right down the middle of the Superdome. I hope the few hundred who were booing don't plan on coming to #4's induction ceremony into the Pats hall of fame. There should only be cheers for him.

The Pats held on for the victory in front of a nearly empty stadium. Brian Hoyer even played. It just wasn't a playoff intensity kind of day. Even at the tailgate.

Mark boarded the Amtrak at Penn Station in New York at 2 in the morning. In tow he had a bottle of wine, newspapers -- and two large tin trays of wings that he had marinated and a tin tray of celery, carrots, and ranch dressing for dipping. Bergs gathered him in Providence and after a stop for breakfast they arrived at the Enchanted Forest. Shep set up the new portable oven and Mark put one of the trays of wings in to warm up. We toasted another day of great weather, turned on some Allman Brothers, and enjoyed the glow.

Twenty minutes later the tin tray of wings was set on the table and the eight of us gathered around with plates at the ready. Mark pulled off the foil cover. The next second we were all bent over laughing at the sight of a steaming tray of celery, carrots, and two plastic containers of ranch dressing. Seems that in the glow of the morning Mark hadn't checked to see if it was actually the tray of wings he was putting in the oven. Clearly, our tailgate is not quite in playoff form either.

"i'll be ready come January," Mark said.

When we all finally stopped laughing I took a closer look at the steaming tray of raw veggies and dip.

"I don't think it's quite done yet."

Early to rise

The Pats host the Colts Sunday at 1 p.m. It was originally scheduled to be the Sunday night game and it was originally circled on my calendar as the home game of the year. Pats-Colts. Brady-Manning. Battle for AFC supremacy. Cold beer on a cold December night. Billy dressed as Santa.

Then Peyton Manning's fused neck put him out for the year. And the Colts proceeded to lose every game since. Every game. They come into Gillette at 0-11. Indy's run of consecutive years in the playoffs is over. So the television execs decided Pats-Colts was no longer worthy of prime-time viewing and moved the start time to 1 p.m. I can't blame them, but it begs the question why Eagles-Seahawks was deemed still worthy of being on last night. That game was a dog (sorry Vick) before the season even started.

The time change means that this is now the first 1 p.m. game of the year. 1 p.m. games make for the best tailgating. Why? Well, how often do you get to stand outside and drink at 9 in the morning? (If you answered "All the time" then you might have a problem.) For me, it's a few Sundays every winter. 1 p.m. games mean getting up around 7 in the morning, packing the car, grabbing a large coffee at Dunkins' while filling up the thermos, and getting into the lot when it opens at 9. The first beer cap is popped shortly after that.

The forecast is for temps in the mid 50s and mostly sunny. Perfect tailgating weather. That will make up a bit for the fact that this game probably won't add much to the greatest sports rivalry of the past decade. The Pats and Colts have staged some great battles, with each taking their share of huge wins. I've been lucky enough to be at most of them. The best one is captured in the video at the top of the post. What a game that was.

Who's No. 1?

Every sports section, magazine, website, and blog starts the NFL season by ranking the 32 teams. It's always a fun read for fans. And a quick way to remember where the QB carousel sent different players and who all the new coaches are. (Mike Munchak has his hands full replacing Jeff Fisher in Tennessee, I can tell you that.) That's what makes the NFL so great. I'm interested in all the teams in the league. I can't say I'm that interested in the Milwaukee Brewers at the start of the baseball season. Or actually ever.

The 2011 season -- the one that almost didn't happen -- promises to be a great show. Offenses should have an advantage early in the season because of the shortened training camp. But there will be as many great 17-14 games during the long season as there will be 34-31 games.

Offenses will run the show, but the teams with the best defenses will be there when the playoffs start. Here are my rankings entering the season. What do I know? Hey, I watch a lot of football.

1. New York Jets: Yes. This is a Pats blog. The Jets at the top? What do I know, right? ... I know the Jets have been in back-to-back AFC title games and almost won them both. I know they have a big coach who is as entertaining to root for -- or against -- as they come and who is a leader.  I know they have a QB who has proven he can make big plays. I know they have a nasty defense. I think the Jets have earned starting the season as the favorite. I just don't think they will end it as the champ. Sorry Rex.

2. New England Patriots: The Jets 1. The Pats 2. Or the Pats 1 and the Jets 2. Doesn't matter. It means when these two meet in the playoffs (and in Week 5) it will be epic ... again. The Jets are the new Colts. The Pats biggest rival. But enough about them. Tom Brady. Bill Belichick. 14-2 with a young defense. The best offense in the league. The Pats may not win 14 games this regular season. Odds are they won't. But they could actually be a better team at the end. When it counts. The additions of Haynesworth, Ellis, and Carter on the D line could be huge -- or just a huge bust. That  will be  key.

3. Green Bay Packers: I have a rule that the defending Super Bowl champ should be ranked #1 to start the next season. Unless a guy like Elway retires or something. They are the best till they lose. But I can't give the 10-6 Packers that much love. They were not that impressive several times last season. But they have big playmakers on both sides of the ball. A top rate QB in Rodgers. An attacking D. And the confidence from raising the Lombardi. They should win more than 10 games this year. That's for sure. But are they the best?

4. Baltimore Ravens: The team that I thought was going to destroy the AFC last year might actually do it this year. If they can get back to running the ball like they did in '09. The Ravens are big and brash and always talking trash. That's the way their leader Screamin Ray Lewis likes it. They are well coached and battle tested. Flacco, Boldin, Rice, Lewis, Reed. They are loaded. If they can get the best of the Steelers in the regular season then they will be a force in the playoffs.

5. Philadelphia Eagles: Dream Team! Michael Vick is my fantasy QB. I haven't won my family league's title since '05. I'm not just drafting guys I like anymore. I'm not a big fan of Mike Vick the guy. I love watching Michael Vick the QB. He could break lots of records with the Eagle offense. Or he could implode. Or blow out a knee. Anything's possible with him. And with the Eagles.

6. Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons were the NFC's Patriots last year. They had a great regular season, were impossible to beat at home, had a balanced attack and a solid D. And then went into the playoffs and got beat at home. A learning experience. Matt Ryan and his offense put up 414 points last year. They could be better this year.

7. New Orleans Saints: But so will the Saints. And they play in the same tough NFC South. The '09 champs had an up and down year defending their crown. Drew Brees took a lot of beatings. The defense struggled and the offense couldn't make up for it this time. And then New Orleans got pounded by a weak Seattle team in the playoffs. But Sean Payton is a very good coach and the Saints still are a very good team. Now that the pressure is off look for them to come back strong.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers were back in the Super Bowl with Big Ben. Again. This time they lost. This was my favorite Steeler Super Bowl of all. Although coach Mike Tomlin is growing on me. But the Steelers have had a history in the past decade of following up great years with mediocre ones. With the defense getting old (Palumalu's hair is 30) the Steelers will have to rely on their offense more to win games. That shouldn't be a problem with Roethlisberger and Mendanhall. But they will be playing some very good defenses so maybe it will be a problem.

9. Houston Texans: (See Colts below.) The Texans finally beat the Colts in the opener last year and there was a lot of talk (me included) that the expansion team would make the playoffs for the first time in their history. They won five more games. Five. But... Peyton Manning is out for the year. The Texans have a talented offense. Now that the Colts are out of their way, they should be playing in late January for the first time.

10. San Diego Chargers: I give Norv credit. He doesn't give up. After years of having good regular seasons only to gag in the playoffs, Norv took a talented team and brought it down to 9-7 and out of the playoffs. But he's back again. And he still has Phillip Rivers. The guy is the Papelbon of quarterbacks but he can light it up. If the Chargers can get running back Ryan Matthews on track they should move back past the Chiefs for the AFC West crown.

11. Chicago Bears: Another coach I don't believe in... Lovie Smith of the Bears. Yet there his team was in the NFC title game again. So he must be doing something right. And he's never had a great QB. Maybe I've underestimated him. Maybe he's just too darn nice. The Bears have never had a great QB but they have had one of the best LBs the game has ever seen. Brian Urlacher. As long as they have him they are a playoff contender.

12. Kansas City Chiefs: KC was my dark horse AFC team last year. They came through with a 10-6 record but that was after a 5-2 start so they stumbled to their division's title. And then got schooled by the playoff tested Ravens in Arrowhead. The Chiefs have Matt Cassel, Jamaal Charles, and Dwayne Bowe on offense. They'll put up points. They don't quite have the playmakers on defense.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs surprised me last year. I may be the last NFL fan to know that Josh Freeman is a good quarterback, Or that Raheem Morris is one of the better younger coaches in the league. I know now. The Bucs won 10 games in the tough NFC South thanks to a solid defense and an offense that did not make too many mistakes. That will need to be the formula again.

14. Indianapolis Colts: It could be a tough year for Colts fans. I'm worried about them. Their team is not nearly as prepared to handle life without Manning as the '08 Pats were to handle life without Brady. The signing of Kerry Collins is all you need to know about just how unprepared they are. The Colts are old almost everywhere but wide receiver. But now they don't have anyone to get those guys the ball. Indy could finish outside the top 20 teams when the season is over. Be good to Colts fans when you see them.

15. Dallas Cowboys: Speaking of fans. This year has to better for fans of the 'Boys. It has to be. Because the Wade Phillips years are over. They were fun for me. But I'm assuming the folks in Texas were not so happy. The much heralded Jason Garrett will finally get his shot to be a head coach. Good luck dealing with Jerry Jones. Dallas has a tough schedule to start but with Rex Ryan's brother Rob as their D coordinator they should be a playoff contender. Romo should have a good year with Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, and Jason Whitten.

16. San Francisco 49ers: The team I picked as my NFC dark horse last year turned out to be a mule. The guy I thought might win coach of the year turned out to be a nut. The Niners were a disaster in every way. They finished a pathetic 6-10. Funny thing is they were only one game behind division winner Seattle. That's how bad the entire division was. Now that San Fran is free from Iron Mike Singletary I think they can win the NFC West. It should only take eight wins.

17. Detroit Lions: This may turn out to be a bit too low for the team from Motown. That's right. The Lions may end up a top 10 team at some point this season. But they are in a tough division. And they were only 6-10 last year. And they have a young QB. It's far from impossible for a team to jump from six wins to the playoffs, it's just harder to do it when you are in the division with the two teams that faced off in the NFC title game. Detroit's ferocious pass rush may just make them a playoff team.

18. New York Giants: Poor Tom Coughlin. Ex-players always seem to want to take shots at him. First it was Tiki. Now Plaxico. (And why is it always guys with goofy names?) Sure. Coughlin's old school. As in veins popping out of his forehead when his team plays like morons. But he's a winner. He has the Super Bowl rings to prove it. If Eli can stop trying to play like Peyton and just play like Eli, the Giants are a playoff contender.

19. Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags were sitting at 8-5 and looking good with three games to go last season. They lost all three. Jeff Fisher is gone but Jack Del Rio (who I like) is still there. Huh. Jacksonville (and my fantasy team) has MoJo. That's worth a bunch of wins right there. Luke McCown takes over as QB to replace the erratic David Gerrard. Like I said, the Jags have MoJo and a pretty stout D so they could be sitting at 8-5 again.

20. Oakland Raiders: I enjoy the NFL better when the Dolphins, Steelers, Colts and other longtime AFC powers are good. It makes it more fun when the Pats beat them. But not the Raiders. I love it when they stink. And they sure have been giving off an odor for a few years now. Ever since that little game in the snow ten years ago really. But that may be changing. The Raiders are picked as one of 2011's surprise teams by many. The key will be if QB Jason Campbell can take the next step. I'm not so sure of that.

21. Miami Dolphins: One of the more offensively challenged teams. Which is why they became the Miami Wildcats a few years ago. That entertaining experiment is gone, as are running backs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. The two guys who made it work. In their place is Reggie Bush. As a lead rusher? I'm not buying it. The Miami D (especially the DBs) keeps them out of the bottom five.

22. Tennessee Titans: One of my favorite coaches is gone. Fisher came within an inch of the first overtime Super Bowl way back in 2000 and it seemed like he would get back to the big game... but it never happened. The Titans brought in veteran QB Matt Hasselback from the northwest. If he still has anything left -- and if Chris Johnson plays -- the Titans will be one of the better non-playoff teams.

23. Denver Broncos: It seems so long ago that Josh McDaniels was running around Mile High (I know, but it will always be Mile High to me) pumping his fist after his undefeated Broncos beat his mentor. It was long ago. Denver looked like they had the right guy to bring the Orange Crush back to the top ... and then they didn't. Now they bring in John Fox. He's kind of the coaching equivalent of Matt Hasselbeck. Difference is Fox has less talent around him than Hasselbeck.

24. Washington Redskins: Sometimes the look in Mike Shanahan's eyes scares me. Guess it scared Donovan McNabb too. I've never seen a coach-QB marriage sour so quickly. McNabb is now off in Minnesota (see below) and Shanahan has a new quarterback to mess with in Rex Grossman. This marriage could work out a little better. The Skins  play in the toughest division in football so finishing last won't be a disgrace.

25. Arizona Cardinals: I'm still pissed at the Cards for losing that Super Bowl to the Steelers. They had it in their hands. Then gave it away. And have been on the downward slope ever since. Arizona grabbed uber-backup Kevin Kolb from Philly to team up with Larry Fitzgerald the way he did with DeSean Jackson. Unfortunately that is all the Cards have going for them.

26. Minnesota Vikings: Doesn't anyone in Vikings management watch the NFL Redzone? If they did they would have seen what I saw last year ... an even slower Donovan McNabb than I ever thought possible. I don't know why teams keep going out and getting players and coaches who clearly have lost it. Or clearly never had it. McNabb hasn't been a good quarterback since he was barfing on the field of the Super Bowl against the Pats. But I guess after the Favre fiasco of last year anything looks good to the Vikings.

27. St. Louis Rams: The Rams are one of those teams that I often forget about. Until I pop in my tape of the '01 Super Bowl. The Sam Bradford years have begun. I don't think they will ever come close to the Kurt Warner years. I'm not sure they'll even match the Marc Bulger years. Stephen Jackson is one of the best running backs in the game. He just has a hard time staying in the game.

28. Cleveland Browns: There should be optimism in Cleveland. The Rat is gone. Eric Mangini should not be a head coach in the NFL. Ever. It took a lot longer for Mike Holmgren to realize that than I thought it would. Holmgren's a smart guy. But he finally did figure it out. The Browns could turn out to be a surprise this year. Colt McCoy and Peyton Hillis combine for a balanced offense. If McCoy had some decent receivers the offense could be really dangerous.

29. Carolina Panthers: The lengthy John Fox era is over. It peaked a long time ago. My brother and nephew down in NC are glad to see him gone. I kind of liked him. He reminded me of Ron Earhart a little. Who I also kind of liked. A regular guy. The Panthers took Cam Newton with the first pick in the draft. He will be starting right away. He's a definite wild card factor. Even if he plays well, the Panthers are looking at last in a division with New Orleans, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay.

30. Buffalo Bills: Is there hope for Bills fans? Will they ever return as a force in the AFC East? Can they ever beat Tom Brady? That is the only question that I'm concerned with. The Bills have some talent on offense with Ivy Leaguer Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing to Steve Johnson. Fred Jackson is one of the more underrated backs in the league. But the defense is a problem. As is the fact that Chan Gailey is the head coach. He didn't show much in Dallas.

31. Cincinnati Bengals: Sorry Mike. I just don't have much hope for the Bungles. The Carson Palmer era is over. Turned out to be a real waste of a good QB. Just like the Corey Dillon era was a waste of a good running back. And the Ochocinco era was... well, you get the idea. The Bengals fell back to earth last season after winning the tough AFC North in '09. And when the Bengals fall, they fall hard. Marv Lewis is still the coach. No. Really. He is.

32. Seattle Seahawks: Pete Carroll may be pumped and jacked that the Hawks won the NFC West but his team still stinks. They were 7-9....  The first sub-.500 division winner. Quite an accomplishment. If Carroll continues the pattern he set when he was coach of the Pats back in the '90s, the Seahawks will go 6-10 this year. Then 5-11. Then, hopefully for Seattle fans, Carroll will enroll for another semester at college.