DEAR DIARY... IT'S ME, PEYTON

Sunday was scary. We nearly lost... again. That would have made me sad. I got so nervous that I'd cry if we lost, that I started to cry. Usually when I cry, Jeff Saturday consoles me, but I couldn't find him. Nor could I find Dallas, who usually lets me play with his sock puppets when I'm upset.



We won though, and Coach Tony took us all out for pizza (YAY!). Adam got the last slice, which made me sad. Tony said "You threw two interceptions and Adam won us the game, sorry little buddy." I didn't cry, but I locked myself in the Chuck E Cheese bathroom for 3 hours, pouting.

But ESPN cheered me up this morning. They reminded everyone that I didn't get to play in the preseason because of an owie. And they focused on how I brought the Colts back from 15 whole points down, even though it was my fault we were down by 15.

I was happy we played in Minnesota. They have a dome too! I don't like playing sports in the outside, especially in chilly places like Minnesota and Indiana. Brrrrrrrrr! Football was meant to be played away from bad weather with sunshine and short sleeves and rainbows!



Looking at that picture reminds me to ask Bill Polian to rename the Colts. We should be the Indianapolis Unicorns. Colts are mean. Unicorns are magical!

Well, I have to go, it's Monday which means the team is watching film. Last week it was The Muppets Take Manhattan. This week I hope it's Toy Story 2. I love Buzz Lightyear! I've dressed up as Buzz the last 6 Halloweens.



After that I have 15 commercials to film. But you know my normal Monday routine.

Goodbye, diary! I'll miss you!

To infinity, and beyond!

Love,
Peyton

PATS STILL AMONG THE BEST IN THE AFC

After winning against Kansas City, but losing Tom Brady, the Patriots slipped from 1st to 9th in ESPN's NFL Power Rankings last week. Many others had them falling further then that. Meanwhile, 0-1 San Diego, and 0-1 Indianapolis moved up ahead of them.

But neither of these teams have impressed. The Chargers defense looked godawful yesterday, giving up 39 points to Denver. The Colts may have won their game against Minnesota, but they they played like shit.

The Steelers are legit. 10-6 wins might not make much for highlight reels, but that's how Pittsburgh wins games when they're playing well. They threw 19 times and ran 31 times last night. That's a good indicator that they're on their game.

The Bills could prove troublesome, especially once the weather turns in Buffalo (which happens alarmingly quick, believe me). The 0-2 Jaguars don't look like the "team nobody wants to play." The Titans look solid even without Vince Young. But that's about it for impressive AFC teams.

The Pats have a not-so-secret weapon on their side: the schedule. Going by last week's power rankings, they get to play the 32nd ranked Rams, 30th ranked Raiders, 28th ranked Dolphins (twice), and the 27th ranked 49ers.

J-E-T-S STILL SUCK SUCK SUCK

A friend of mine put it best:

Mangenius + Favre - Brady = 10 points and still lose

What Patriot fan wasn't reminded of 2001 during this contest? The 19-10 score looks like something you'd see from that season. Matt Cassel's stat-line was eerily similar to Tom Brady's typical day 7 seasons ago. 16/23, 165 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT. And when was the last time a Patriot kicker had 4 field goals?

Matt Cassel didn't look great. He didn't look bad. He was a bit unpolished at times, which is to be expected for someone making their first NFL start. But he didn't play like the "career backup" some have labelled him. He looked like a talented guy that's played behind two Heisman winners and a Hall of Famer.



I'll admit, it was frustrating at times. Last year, the Pats scored at will, and could do so in one big play. That wasn't true Sunday afternoon.

But with the offense becoming less explosive, the defense has stepped up and become much more exciting. How many times can you remember the Pats forcing 3 and outs last year? The defense had four 3 and outs yesterday.

They pressured Favre, did a good job in coverage, bent, but didn't break.

Ellis Hobbs had a great game, as did Deltha O'Neal. Seymour and Adalius did a good job of pressuring Favre. It was Adalius' double-sack of Favre and Jones at the end that sealed the victory.



We learned two very important things Sunday:

#1: The Jets still suck. Their coach is a wannabe. Brett Favre isn't a savior. The Bills are more of a threat than the team from New Jersey.

#2: The Patriots DON'T suck. Matt Cassel isn't a bum. The defense is making big plays. Bill Belichick is an amazing coach (although we already knew that).

Dolphins @ Patriots, next Sunday.



Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
AP Photo/Bill Kostroun