Press Coverage Week 10 | A link-heavy look around the Indianapolis Colts blogosphere (part two). . . - Indianapolis Indianapolis Colts

Peyton Manning: "An Animal" (Jeffrey M. Boan/AP Photo)

A link-heavy look at the week that was in the Indianapolis Colts' blogosphere as the Colts (8-0) prepare to play the New England Patriots (6-2) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., Sunday at 8 p.m. . . . (PART TWO OF TWO PARTS. PART ONE. HERE) . . .

"The Game" . . .

And then there's Christopher L. Gasper, who writes in the Boston Globe that, "With apologies to Harvard and Yale, Patriots vs. Colts is now The Game."

Not only that, Gasper calls Colts-Patriots the best rivalry in New England regardless of sport -- and this is an area of the country where the Boston Red Sox have something of a rivalry with a certain baseball team from the Bronx.

"It has reached rarefied air among rivalries, going beyond a much-anticipated matchup and becoming, like all great rivalries, a measuring stick for both teams and their iconic quarterbacks -- Tom Brady and Peyton Manning," Gasper writes.

It might be a bit extreme to say Colts-Pats is equal to Sox-Yanks, but not by much, and it's sure no reach to say it's the NFL's defnining rivalry. It's on par with Steelers-Cowboys in the 1970s, Steelers-Raiders in the 1970s and 49ers-Cowboys of the 1990s as a a rivalry that defines eras. When historians write the history of the decade, the Pittsburgh Steelers with their two Super Bowls will have to be mentioned, but this rivalry -- and these quarterbacks -- will be the headline.

"You're playing against an animal"

My favorite story of the week -- and favorite quote -- may have come early in the week. Again, Rapaport was writing in the Herald, and this time, he was quoting Patriots CB Shawn Springs talking about Manning:

“You’re playing against an animal. You got to be on your (game). If you’re not, he’s going to know it. He’s going to know what (fellow defensive back) Darius Butler does well, what he can’t do. He knows me, everybody. He’ll do (stuff) that shows he knows your technique. It’s unbelievable. You read the three-step (drop), he knows it.”

That quote seems to define Manning in a very raw, unique way. That must be what it's like to play against Manning in the sense that perhaps more than any quarterback in the NFL, he is going to mercifully attack a weakness and do so repeatedly. Few in the NFL go for the jugular as Manning does.

Not a newbie . . .

Caldwell’s a rookie head coach, but he's no rookie when it comes to Colts-Patriots games, ESPN AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky writes. "As one of Tony Dungy 's former assistants, he has been part of nine Colts-Patriots games, including three in the postseason," Kuharsky writes.

“[Caldwell] is not like most first-year coaches. He’s been there for seven years, he’s seen it, he’s dissected the matchups, he’s supervised a lot of the game-planning especially offensively for however many games they’ve played,” Kuharsky quotes Dungy as saying on a conference call arranged by NBC, for whom he’s now an analyst. “So it’s not like a new guy coming in. He’s very aware of everything that’s taken place those last seven years. I really don’t look at this like a first-year coach in a normal sense.”

Kravitz weighs in . . .

Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz appeared on the Dennis & Callahan Show on WEEI in Boston Thursday, picking the Patriots to win giving "the nod to Tom Brady in a career comparison to Peyton Manning."

"I've always picked Brady," Kravitz says. "I have this argument all the time. ... The stats are virtually the same over the years. I think Tom has done more with less, with fewer offensive weapons, and it's hard to ignore three Super Bowls."

The WEEI site also said Kravitz discussed Jim Caldwell: "I think right now that he is doing a better job than Tony Dungy has ever done. If you look at the two areas where the Colts have improved the most, special teams and defense, those are the two areas where Caldwell came in and said, 'Look, we've got to make changes in our coaching staff.' ... Even though [Dungy and Caldwell] are very similar as far as the way they operate and the way they do things ... he has put his stamp on the organization. I'm very impressed."

I've said it many times: I enjoy Bob's writing and consider him a friend. No problem with him picking Brady over Manning, although I would argue the other way by saying Manning's stats are notably better and that you have to count Manning's three MVP Awards over Brady's for something.

It does always amaze me, though, the not-so-veiled shots at Dungy that Kravitz still takes. I'm as as impressed with the job that Caldwell has done as anyone, but to say that Caldwell is going a better job than Dungy did is to ignore the accomplishments of a coach who not only won 12 games an NFL-record six consecutive seasons -- not to mention a Super Bowl.

MAGNIFICENT SEVEN XIV (PART ONE): ON COLTS DE DWIGHT FREENEY AND THE WEEK'S KEY MATCHUP. HERE

MAGNIFICENT SEVEN XIV: ON COLTS TE DALLAS CLARK AND HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL. HERE.

PEYTON MANNING: PATRIOTS IN 2009 AS GOOD AS EVER. HERE.

COLTS 2009 MIDSEASON REPORT: PART ONE. HERE.

COLTS 2009 MIDSEASON REPORT: PART TWO. HERE.

Reviewing Bill Polian’s Weekly radio show:

Part 1: Bob Sanders likely to return. Here

Part 2: “We are always going to want the football” Here

Part 3: Matchup with New England Patriots “One of 16″ Here

Part 4: Jerraud Powers Rookie of the Year? Here

RECENT COLTS NEWS

* S Bob Sanders placed on injured reserve. Here.