SB Nation User Blog: 2ndBlueGeneration

A good time for a rivalry

2ndBlueGeneration — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:47:19 -0000

I was crusing Pat's Pulpit, just getting a feel for what is being said and goofing off instead of working on my thesis. In the story about the Colt's injuries, I found and interesting post that I'm going to reproduce below:

championship caliber rivalries

Tend to engender a lot of respect; the thing about Pats/Colts is that whenever they’ve met in the past decade, it’s always meant something. We play the Colts either in the playoffs, or because both teams made the playoffs in the past years (the NFL schedules playoff teams from prior years for regular season matchups), as opposed to our divisions, where we play them twice a year in the regular season regardless of how good or how bad either team is doing that year.

I think their being contemporary juggernauts means a lot too. We all know that no teams will be on top forever; the Colts and Pats are either others’ Sith/Jedi (pick which side you like for your team :) ). Once they fade, and we’re watching the next dynasties start to grow in other cities, we’ll think back to when these two teams were on top and inextricably tied to one another

That post really got me thinking. Both Pat's fans and we Colt's fans know what it is like to be so bad you're a "circle team" as Peyton said. Both fan bases circle this game and get pumped for it all season and, in some cases, all year. Both know how luck they are to have great quarterbacks and great teams.

Both teams also have memories. The Patriots pounding of Indy in '04 at Gillette. The Colts comeback in '06 at the Dome. These are immortal moments that will live on once both teams are no longer where they are today.

For some reason, that post got me thinking about how, one day, a Colts fan and a Pats fan meet randomly at a bar, have a beer and talk about "the good old days."

Hopefully those day's aren't for a long time though.

Lighting a Fire

2ndBlueGeneration — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:24:21 -0000

I remember Tony Dungy saying in the America’s Team episode about the Colts that he didn’t use bulletin board material. I certainly hope that Jim Caldwell does, because goodness knows there has been enough of it of late. The sheer idiocy of “commentators” like Michael Irvin and Rod Woodson with their crackpot analysis of the Colts offseason should be more than enough to light a fire in the locker room. If we as fans are getting riled up at the fact that our team is, as the late great Rodney Dangerfield said, getting no respect, then imagine what it is doing to the team. Remember in ’06 how the defense played with a chip on their shoulder during the entire playoffs? How they held Larry Johnson, the best back in the game that year with 1,732 yards gained, to only 32 that day? With BBS great post on how the players are taking to Coyer, great personnel moves by Polian in the draft and free agency, and Peyton’s drive I expect a team that will win the AFC South and make a push deep into the playoffs. Should be a fun season.

First post and Hansbrough reaction

2ndBlueGeneration — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:51:37 -0000

I’m new to the Pacers blog here on SB Nation, but I am not new to the Pacers. I remember playing basketball in the driveway with my friends and we all wanted to be Reggie Miller. I still have my Rik Smits jersey in my closet, though it stopped fitting me years ago. I remember watching the blue and gold battle with the Knicks and the Bulls for Eastern Conference dominance.

And then something happened. The team changed quickly. The brawl. Arrested players. Divas creating locker room drama. And I, like so many others, began to pay the Pacers less and less attention because they were not putting out a product that I wanted to see.

But in the last two years, things have changed. I’m beginning to watch Pacers basketball again. I’m watching games on TV and going to them when I have a chance. I recognize this team for what it is: rebuilding. People seem upset about the Psycho-T pick, but it fits the mold of what LB and the front office are doing. Chad Ford of ESPN had what I thought was spot-on analysis:

I like the strategy Larry Bird and David Morway have been employing the past couple of years in Indiana. Instead of swinging for the fences in the draft, they are trying for singles and doubles, and they're connecting.

No, Hansbrough wasn't as sexy a pick as Earl Clark or Jrue Holiday, but he will be in the league for 10 years, maybe as a starter, and he brings a toughness and energy the Pacers really need.

Price isn't going to wow anyone, either, but he is steady and can be a solid backup for the Pacers.

Eventually the Pacers will need to find one more star to pair with Danny Granger. And when they do, they'll have built a terrific supporting cast around them that should be able to compete deep into the playoffs.

The baseball metaphor in the first paragraph sums up the last two drafts for me. We as fans have to be patient. The pieces are being put in place. Once that happens, then the front office starts to swing for the fence. Roy Hibbert has shown the potential to the center of the future. Brandon Rush also showed flashes once he got his confidence. Results don’t happen over night. I have the feeling that Hansbrough will be a fine player for the Pacers and that we will look back on this very poor draft and feel glad we got a good player out of a group that produced mostly busts.

Something I found funny.

2ndBlueGeneration — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:24:11 -0000

This will be a very brief fanpost. I’m busy packing for my return to the U.S. from a semester in Europe, but this was just too much and I had to comment on it. I was reading through a chat with Fran Charles on NFL.com and a Patriots fan named Paul asked if the Patriots would have another perfect season. I burst out laughing.

First, if you want to call it a perfect season, was a fluke. There were a large number of games that year the Patriots almost lost, including their annual November contest against the Colts. So there is only the slimmest of chances that it happens again.

Second, and most importantly, it was not a perfect season. The Patriots were not undefeated; they lost the Super Bowl. The ’72 Dolphins won EVERYTHING. The Patriots may have gone 16-0 in the regular season, but they went 18-1 overall. Not even the Pat-loving media refers to that as a perfect season.

Only Pats fans will refer to that as their ‘perfect season.’ To the rest of us, it is the ultimate poetic justice: winning every game but the one that matters.

Perception vs. Reality

2ndBlueGeneration — Sat, 16 May 2009 01:44:02 -0000

This is probably my least favorite time of the year, at least as far as football is concerned. I don’t like the lull between the NFL Draft and the starts of training camp, because things are, well, slow. Usually all is quiet on the Colts front, since the stories that fly around are usually about the latest trade and free agency rumors. This means, more often than not, the Colts are not involved. Unfortunately, this is not the case this time around.

As I’m sure we all know, Tom Moore and Howard Mudd officially retired. The speculations had been swirling around for a week and a half, (the story first appeared on May 6 and I first found out about it on Indyfootballreport.com). For the last week and a half, the blogosphere has been alight with opinions from writers, both named and unnamed to send a dig at Bob Kravitz, have been predicting the Colts will not win the AFC South and some, to mention Rod Woodson on NFL Total Access specifically, feel the Colts won’t even make the playoffs (and that was only with rumors of Moore and Mudd leaving the team). As a fan, but gut impulse is to react with a violent storm of words but, to again credit John Oehser, it is difficult for a national reporter or blogger to get the local feel of a team.

Yet is does not change the reaction, the intense disbelief, the shout of “How dare you! That is complete BS!” (or other words that are not so nice) to the uncaring computer or TV. I think we all have that reaction, at least I know I do. But, because they do not look as in depth at the Colts as some others do, they don’t understand the two key facts that have enable to Colts to be a perennial playoff contender for the last decade: Bill Polian and Jim Irsay. As long as these two men remain involved in the running of the Indianapolis Colts, the blue and white will continue to be a power and a playoff contender year in and year out. Polian has established himself as one of the great minds of the NFL building three separate teams into Super Bowl contenders: Buffalo, Carolina, and Indy. Jim Irsay, who Sports Illustrated did not rank in the top 5 owners in the NFL, learned to run a football team by watching his father drive the Colts into the ground. These two men understand how the business of football works and are always a step ahead.

The examples are numerous. In the 2007 draft, Anthony Gonzales was the first pick. Many people thought Gonzo was taken to replace Brandon Stokley, who was released after the season ended. What many, including myself, felt, was that Gonzo was to be Marvin’s replacement. The rule of thumb is that it take 3 years to develop into an NFL ready receiver. Now, 3 years into Gonzo’s career, he is the slotted number 2 and Marvin has been released. Edge wants too much money? We have a strong incoming running back draft class and it has one of the easier transitions to the NFL, let him walk we’ll draft someone. And, the most recent example, Jim Caldwell having studied under Tony Dungy in preparation for his eventual retirement.

The situation with Tom Moore and Howard Mudd was no different. Clyde Christensen was brought into the organization in 2002. Before that, he had been with Tampa Bay, including a year as the offensive coordinator. Last year, he interviewed for the OC position in San Francisco. People may not have heard of him, but Clyde Christensen is ready to be an OC again and has had 7 seasons under Moore. The same is true of Pete Metzelaars, who has been with the Colts for the last 4 seasons learning under Howard Mudd. Before that, he spent several years playing for Bill Polian in Buffalo and Carolina and turned to coaching soon after his retirement from the NFL. Both of these men are highly qualified and have been preparing for their elevations.

My point is this, while it is a bit disturbing to see the Colts so prominently in the news, a lot of the speculation concerning the status of the Colts is just that: speculation. National figured like Rod Woodson haven’t, in my opinion, grasped that the Colts have been preparing for his transition for the last several years. The expected bumps will likely be worked out in training camp and in the preseason. The Colts are a stronger team coming into this year than last year, in my opinion. The wide receiving corps is young and deep, and a leading storyline in training camp will be the battle for the third wide -out slot. Defensive tackle is once again a deep position with the re-signing of Ed Johnson, the addition of Antonio Johnson from last season, and the additions of Fili Moala and Terrance Taylor. Donald Brown rotating with Addai and a year of experience on a young offensive line should rejuvenate a running game that was last in the NFL. Most importantly, players are getting healthy again and the Colts have managed to re-sign both Jeff Saturday and Kelvin Hayden. The Colts are deep and dangerous and overlooking them because of coaching changes is a big mistake. Writers may be predicating New England to win it all, but what else is new? The Patriots have been pre-season favorites for the last half decade, but they have not won the Super Bowl since 2004. Come January, the boys in blue will be right in the thick of things.

When Bill Polian retires, then I’ll worry.