Different perspective

I'm watching the NFL Network broadcast of the Indianapolis Colts-Buffalo Bills preseason game. It's almost the same crew from the Patriots-Tampa Bay Buccaneers preseason game with Sterling Sharpe and Marshall Faulk. But listening to the broadcast, you wouldn't think so.

Just like the Patriots, Indy hasn't played franchise quarterback Peyton Manning all preseason long. In fact, Manning had surgery to remove an infected bursa sac in the knee with a six week recovery period. The Colts haven't won a preseason game and have looked bad on both sides of the ball. By halftime Buffalo was up 17-0. At one point near the end of the first half, Buffalo had 30+ offensive plays to the Colts' seven. Seven!

Led by back-up quarterback J.P. Losman, Buffalo engineered a long touchdown drive and another one that led to a field goal. While on the other side Indianapolis couldn't get much started.

But the Colts will be fine, said the broadcast team. Peyton Manning never misses games! It's only preseason. They don't care about the preseason. They win in the regular season.

And a week ago, when the Patriots struggled with Matt Cassel, the sky was falling. Tom Brady's foot is bothering him. It's an injury concern. We don't know how bad it is so it must be serious. If this is how New England plays in the preseason, then they are in trouble when the games become real.

Wow, really? How is it teams in similar situations get completely different evaluations?

Repeatedly it was noted that Brady said that 1. this injury had nothing to do with the Super Bowl ankle that hobbled him for that game, and 2. if the game against TB was a regular season game, he would play. Shoot, Brady attended training camp and practiced frequently, unlike Manning who showed up late but went through the motions a half speed away from the team practices.

But yet the Colts are fine and the Patriots are in trouble. Gotta love it.

To prove their point, a graphic was put up showing from this preseason back to 2005 that the Colts were 3-13 in the preseason but 39-9 in the regular season.

During that same period the Patriots were 6-9 in the preseason and 38-10 when it matters.

So does one less win over the same period mean the Pats will be terrible in 2008? The NFL Network apparently thinks so.