Indianapolis receives no respect

You may have heard of them. They won the Super Bowl last season. They have some guy named Peyton Manning calling the signals on offense. And by the way, they’re undefeated this season.

So what gives? Why is no one talking about the Colts?

Oh, that’s right; the Patriots are undefeated, too. But they’re a bit more garish. They score 40 points a game (and allow 17). Their quarterback is pacing himself for a 62 touchdown season, and not one pundit will pick against the Patriots this season.

Well, maybe one.

See, the Patriots circa 2007 are a bit reminiscent of the Colts circa 2003-2005. And the Colts remind me a lot of the Patriots during that string of Super Bowls. So much, in fact, it’s eerie.

Look at how New England ranked in 2004: 4th in points scored, 2nd in points allowed, and 9th in yards allowed. Now the Colts this season: 7th in points scored, 3rd in points allowed, and 2nd in yards allowed.

Think that’s weird? Check out how a certain quarterback was throwing in 2004: Peyton Manning set the touchdown record with 49 touchdowns. He threw 22 in the first seven weeks of the season before he hit a hot streak and threw 19 over his next four games. The Colts had the best offense in football that year.

Do you remember the hype? No one paid attention the defending champions, New England. We ogled as Manning made things look way too easy on the field. We watched in awe as he effortlessly approached the record and eventually broke it.

Sound familiar?

Well, if you remember, and I’m sure you do, New England won the Super Bowl that season. Of course, there were some dissimilarities, too. The Colts that season weren’t undefeated (they lost the first game of the year) and they had a horrid defense.

But can you see the point here? Indianapolis might be the best team in the NFL. We don’t know. They’ve beaten tough opponents all season long. New England? They’ve beaten one — Dallas — maybe two if you count San Diego (when the Chargers were cold). Indianapolis is quietly 5-0 after taking down Tampa Bay, Denver, and division rivals Tennessee and Houston.

Point is, no one is giving Indianapolis any respect. They’re the defending Super Bowl champions. They have a great defense this season. They’ve fought through injuries. They have one of the best coaches in the NFL whose moral code would appear to be opposite that of Bill Belichick who, in case you forgot, was involved in an incident earlier this season.

Somehow, some way, the 5-0 Indianapolis Colts are underdogs tonight when they face Jacksonville. Every pundit seems to want Indianapolis to lose. No one is sold on them, despite their season. No one is granting them the respect they demand. It’s an attack on their pride. It’s what will fuel them all season long.

Colts fans know how good their team is. Do you?