Long Day's Pigskin Journey

Is there more to this game than the other fifteen? It doesn't count for two wins, does it?

 

Okay, when Tom's dad said he hopes the Pats serve up a 60-burger to the Colts tonight, yeah, he was speaking for most of the good citizens of Patriots Nation. Except for those of us hoping for a 70 point triple with cheese, bacon and a fried egg on top.

Yes, I'm looking at me. And I'd like that triple medium-well and the egg sunny side up. Side of shoestring sweet potato fries and a tall, cold Sam Adams Octoberfest, please.

Does Tom Brady want this game more than he wanted the Bills game of Week 1? More than Super Bowl XLIX? He's the winningest QB in NFL history for a reason; because he wants them all. Overall, he wins 77.1% of the time; better than second-best Russell Wilson by 5 points and better than Peyton Manning by almost 9 points. On the road he wins 68.1% of the time and if that was all we counted, it would still put him in a tie for fourth overall with Aaron Rodgers.

What?

Are you kidding me?

The consensus amongst pigskin pundits and bobbleheads is that Tom Brady wants this game more. He's Bruce Banner-level angry. He's planet killing meteor splitting laser-focused. Wait, he's always planet killing meteor splitting laser-focused. Oh, and he may be a cyborg (it would explain a lot).

Look, anyone who's ever played a sport knows that some games are bigger than others and this is one of them. The Colts-Patriots rivalry pre-dates Deflategate. It survived the Colts move from the AFC East to the AFC South and barely missed a beat in the transition from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck. This would've been a big game even without the theater of the absurd surrounding football air pressure, science denial and labor law we've watched with fascination and revulsion for the last 10 months. So, yeah. Big. Game.

Without Deflategate, I might like the Colts' chances in this game. Well, if Andrew Luck's shoulder wasn't broken I might've liked the Colts' chances in this game. They could've had a chance in a shootout. Minus Deflategate, this game would've meant so much more to them, having lost the last four games to the Pats by a million points (rounding up). Not to mention being constantly reminded of their most recent and perhaps most embarrassing loss, 45-7 in the AFC Championship Game, thanks to a quizzical decision by Colts' ownership to hang a participation banner in Lucas Oil Stadium commemorating having their asses handed to them in a big steaming bowl of New England clam chowder.

With Deflategate, nobody likes the Colts' chances tonight. (Take a drink during the pre-game show every time you hear the phrase "over by halftime." Oh, and remember to name a designated driver before you start.) As noted above, we should expect Tom Brady and the Patriots to turn this one up to 11. Or 12. Or 20.

It's important to understand this won't just be about Tom Brady tonight. Or that it is, in the sense that every man active for this game will want to play up to Brady's level of intensity. He's not just the face of the franchise, he's the heart and soul of the New England Patriots. He's the sixth round draft pick who still comes in early and stays late, who buys dinner for his offensive lineman and can probably still (as described in "Brady vs. Manning") outdrink them, who talks trash in practice and makes everyone better because he brings it on every snap in every drill.  

Everyone has said the right thing in the run up to this game but we all know what's going on. I expect there will be a rash of penalties in the first half, false starts and unsportsmanlike conduct flags for late hits and roughing the quarterback. I think we might even see a scoreless 1st quarter. Oh sure, I'd like to see Brady throw for a single game passing record, the Patriots to score 60+ points, the defense pitch a shutout, scores from the defense and special teams and entire sections of empty seats in the 4th quarter. Instead, I expect this to be a more methodical if still savage beating, with the Patriots running the ball – and the clock – making it difficult to score more than 30 points. Well, many more.

I'll be happy with a win.

Regardless, I'm looking forward to the post-game press conference and Bill Belichick being asked if this game meant more than your usual regular season game and if it was more satisfying (if a win) or more disappointing (if a loss) and responding, "We're on to New York."

I'm also looking forward to Brady in his post-game presser, pulling out a knife and peeling the skin off his titanium right hand and saying, "Do you finally understand that PSI in the football doesn't matter to me?" Then he crushes and drops the mic.

Tom better win his 5th ring in Super Bowl 50. You just know the owners will pass a "no cyborgs" rule for next year after that.