The hype builds

• Jeff Chadia places this rivalry in the top five all time.

• Dwight Freeney talks to Mike and Mike.

• John D sends us a great link to an article about clashes of the all time great QBs. The best QB matchup that I remember from my youth was the Elway/Montana Monday Night Classic. It was easily one of the top 5 games I've ever seen. It was so thrilling to watch those two heavy weights (and #s 1 and 2 on my personal all time QB list which reads: Elway, Montana, Unitas, Manning, Marino).

• Dr. Z wonders if payback isn't coming to NE.

• Fox sports rolls out more good vs. evil stuff.

• Mike Tanier of FO likes the Pats, but cautions that this game doesn't really matter that much.

• Clark Judge says the game means more to the Colts than the Pats. I whole heartedly disagree. New England will have trouble in the wind, cold and snow. They have built a passing offense that won't work nearly as well in windy Foxborough as it did in Sunny Miami. I don't think they'll be able to run the ball effectively in a game in which they can't pass because of the elements. I'm not scared at all of playing in New England in January. The Colts have already won their last two up there as well.

• Jeremy Green thinks we need to rename this blog. We love Reggie Wayne, man, but we will never forget all the great years by 88.

• Yahoo Sports says that the Colts are the gold standard for offenses for nearly a decade.

• CBS contrasts the various styles of the two teams going into this week. The Colts are playing the "Aw shucks, they're awesome" card, and the Pats won't even discuss their opponent. The piece on the Colts might make you sick. So read it at your own risk.
• Judge and Prisco face off on several topics.

It was fun and a little eye opening to go back over that 2004 season. Manning is way better than anyone realizes. That team really wasn't that good. They won a lot of games, but Manning had to completely carry them. We tend to only remember the Houston-Chicago-Detroit-Tennessee run, and forget what a rough go the early part of the year was.

Meanwhile, I'm doing my best to be excited and not nervous for this game. I think that as long as the game is close and competitive, it won't mean a whole lot to either team in the end. That doesn't mean it won't be fun.