EXCORCISING DEMONS, PART 2 (of a 5-act play)

The Indianapolis Colts have wished for this for years: a home field playoff game to go to the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. And now, their wish has been granted.

There are more angles for media stories to this one than an origami swan: Peyton Manning trying to win "the big one", Tony Dungy's playoff failures, the comparisons of Brady & Bellicheck to Montana & Walsh, Adam Viniateri now a Colt instead of a Patriot, a playoff game in Indy instead of Foxboro, etc.

Here's one I want to know: why do Patriots fans (and for that matter most of the northeast) hate Peyton and the Colts? Baltimore I can understand (although after stealing the Cleveland Browns their gripe is one of duplicitious hypocrisy), but Patriots fans? I mean the Pats have owned the Colts until recently, and went through the playoffs on Indy's backside. The national media certainly has annointed Brady as the superior QB, and why not? He's got 3 rings, Peyton hasn't even been in The Game. So what's to hate? The Colts are stocked full of classy players and coaches who's only sin with the media is generally not giving anything quotable or controversial.

Maybe it's because the northeast is so full of people who work in absolutes: the Yankees HATE the Red Sox and Boston HATES New York. Philadelphia HATES the Giants (and anything else that steps into their stadiums). Baltimore Ravens fans apparently just HATE. It's as if somehow those fans believe that their actual lives are bettered by their team beating another team, even though they neither know or control any of the players on the field. Or do they just have a deep-seated need to hate something?

Maybe that's it: they don't understand that in most of the midwest, people don't actually have a high culture of hate. They can love their team and passionately want to beat the opponent, but can also sit next to an opposing fan without coming to blows. Maybe Patriots fans think Indianapolis fans must be filled with hate and must be targeting it at the Patriots, so they have to defend themselves by sending that hate back.

If that is indeed true, then note to New England: the Colts aren't the Yankees and their fans aren't from New York. The Indianapolis fans aren't sending evil thoughts back at you or even your team.

If that's not it, then I'd love a better explanation than "Because I just hate Peyton Manning" or by listening to someone recount stats as an actual justification to hate another human being. Obviously, I've missed something.

Here's another question: just like the above seeming unending vile thrown from The Corridor in the general direction of Indiana, is there really a point where Manning can ever stop hearing the pundits trying to tear him apart? They've beaten the Patriot the past two games (both in Foxborough)...actually, they dismantled them...but still the story of the upcoming game is 'the Patriots have the Colts number.' Apparently, it's now just an ownership in the playoffs, so the other two games don't really count. If Peyton wins this game? 'Well, he hasn't won a Super Bowl.' If he wins the Super Bowl it's kind of hard to believe the next one won't be 'he's only won one' or if he doesn't throw for 300 yards with a QB rating of 135 it will be 'the Colts won in spite of Manning.' I guess if he wins 3, the critics will be spouting something like 'he didn't do it in a 4-year stretch.'

The only thing that the Colts in general and Peyton in particular can hope to put to rest with a win this Sunday is to exorcise the demons of New England once and for all. Nothing more. And they can do it if they remember one thing that San Diego apparently forgot: for all the hype and all the head games, Indianapolis is the better team. If Indianapolis plays with the fervor and passion they did last year in the Monday night drubbing of the Patriots they will go to their first Super Bowl. They will permanently end any talk about NE owning them on any level or at any venue. And really, there should be no additional pressure on Indy, because what if they lose? They simply are back to the same spot they've been for years. It doesn't get any worse.

It does kind of makes one wonder, though: if they can summon a bit of disgust and distaste for their opponent and the critics, just this once, perhaps it would be a good thing.