Die Sportsmanship Die!!!

In all the “Who is Better?” comparisons between the Patriots and the Colts in the preceding week to their big week 9 showdown many things were actually missed by the headline hungry media. Hard to believe when you think about the startling amount of airtime that was dedicated to this one game, but through all of the hating and hyping certain aspects of this showdown went unsaid.

Great System: Where has the great infallible Bill Belichick System gone? Where is all the talk of the system that doesn’t rely on superstars and allows the infamous coach to plug anyone into the field of play and win championships? But all the talk these days in New England is the fire power, dangerous weapons, and a record breaking season by a superstar Quarterback. So which is it? Has the Belichick system that has been regarded for so many years as masterful been selling itself short without the presence of superstar talent? Would Tom Brady agree with that statement? Or is the system simply better with better talent thrown into the mix? Either way, no one in New England is talking about the system since Moss, Welker, Stallworth and A.D. came to town.

The Difference Maker: These two teams might be some of the best teams the NFL has ever seen. Two great Quarterbacks, two great coaches, two great receiving corps, two great defenses, and two intimidating home field advantages. To me that is all common knowledge and it doesn’t take much to break down what both the Colts and the Patriots do to win football games. But in a game of powerhouse football teams it is always the small things that change the game. Forget interceptions, fumbles, big plays and great catches. Both teams will have plenty of both. The real difference maker in this game was dropped passes and penalties at key moments. Would the outcome of the game been different if Reggie Wayne doesn’t drop a deep ball after he had beaten cornerback Asante Samuel? Do the Colts score on that last drive if they don’t get a false start call and Aaron Moorehead doesn’t drop a pass for a sure first down? Can’t say. But what I can say it that was the difference of the game.

What is Sportsmanship? According to the score, New England won the biggest game of week 9. But according to the Monday headlines you might have missed that, in favor of the article claiming the Colts cheated on Sunday by pumping artificial crowd noise into the RCA dome. What kind of team complains after they won a big game? It is one thing that Eric Mangini busts Belichick in the Spygate scandal after an embarrassing loss to his mentor, but to try to add insult to injury by accusing a team you just beat of cheating seems a lot like whining. Tom Brady jawing with Colt defenders after a kneel down play to end the game also sounds a little bit like whining. Is Sportsmanship so dead that these guys can’t appreciate a good rivalry without taking every moment personally? I’m just glad Belichick isn’t coaching peewee football with his twisted sense of fair play. And can someone please tell these guys to quit whining. They won the game!

An Unspoken Quality: Tom Brady “not finding” Peyton Manning at the end of the game to shake his hand, and Bill Belichick brushing Tony Dungy aside during their handshake illustrates to me exactly what aspect of these two teams that will never be compared. Class. You can’t coach class and you can’t teach it. You can only try to hire it. A direct quote from Tony Dungy says that “We’ll win with class, and if we ever go down we’ll lose with class.” Tony stood by those words on Sunday even after seemingly handling the high powered Patriots for most of the game. Perhaps there is someone in football that still does understand the concept of Sportsmanship, and no matter what they say in the post game press conferences it is the unscripted moments that define a man. And his character.