Apparently, I'm quaking in my boots over the Colts

Anyone else notice how quiet the Colts have been since being handed ignominious defeat at the hands of the San Diego Chargers last year? Yeah, me either, until I came across an article on IndyStar.com pointing it out.

According to the article, by Mike Chappelle, entitled "Colts inactive in free agency, but foes remain worried," twenty of twenty-two starters from last year's team, which, again, was beaten in the first round of the playoffs by a San Diego chargers team operating largely without Philip Rivers or LaDanian Tomlinson, are back this year, and therefore all is right with the world. 

"Rest easy, Colts fans," writes Chappelle. For, you see, Houston's coach, Gary Kubiak, has surveyed the field and found none more mighty than the squad from Indianapolis.  Quoth the article: "I don't see them coming back (to the pack) at all,'' [Kubiak] said during last month's NFL Scouting Combine. "I think we're all going to have to go out and get them.''

The article then takes a pooh-poohing look at the activities of the six other playoff teams from last year, beginning, of course, with the New England Patriots, who are "in serious retooling mode on defense, and must get younger at linebacker." The fact that those teams are doing any kind of retooling at all while the Colts are kind of just sitting there gives the Colts the upper hand? I guess?

The tone and slant of this article might not seem noteworthy to someone unaccustomed to following Boston sports. Of course the hometown papers serve up the angles the hometown fans enjoy, right?

Around here, though, we get the likes of Ron Borges and Dan Shaughnessy, mean-spirited men with healthy streaks of loathing, and I guarandamntee you that had the Patriots so far been silent throughout free agency, we'd already have much hand-wringing, criticism, uses of the word 'arrogant' and five-foot-tall headlines about the situation.

So I guess what I'm trying to say, with apologies to Bob Lobel, is: why can't we get sportswriters like that?

Comments

[Jamie]

Not to pooh pooh my fellow Boston sports fans, but perhaps the writers reflect the sentiments of the fans? We Boston sports fans are a fickle bunch.

[Let me tell you about Philip Riverss Quick Roundup]

[...] http://mvn.com/nfl-patriots/2008/03/17/apparently-im-quaking-in-my-boots-over-the-colts/… but foes remain worried,?� twenty of twenty-two starters from last year??s team, which, again, was beaten in the first round of the playoffs by a San Diego chargers team operating largely without Philip Rivers or LaDanian Tomlinson, … [...]

[AlfonseFromNY]

What do you call someone from Massachusetts?

A Masshole.

[beth]

omg alfonse, never heard THAT one before.

we get that from new hampshireites all the time. got any original material?

[Football Apparently, I??m quaking in my boots over the Colts]

[...] Beth wrote a fantastic post today on “Apparently, Iâ??m quaking in my boots over the Colts”Here’s ONLY a quick extractThe article then takes a pooh-poohing look at the activities of the six other playoff teams from last year, beginning, of course, with the New England Patriots, who are ??in serious retooling mode on defense, and must get younger at … [...]

[Craig]

Tampa 2 sans the rush = elimination.

Pretty much the exact same Colts team and a healthy Freeney . . . I'd keep my eye on them.

[Philip Rivers s roundup Blog Archive What others have been saying about philip river]

[...] http://mvn.com/nfl-patriots/2008/03/17/apparently-im-quaking-in-my-boots-over-the-colts/… but foes remain worried,?� twenty of twenty-two starters from last year??s team, which, again, was beaten in the first round of the playoffs by a San Diego chargers team operating largely without Philip Rivers or LaDanian Tomlinson, … [...]

[Greg Adams]

I know your story was dealing with Chappelle's article/editorial on the lack of action the Colts have taken this offseason. However, the Colts tend to do this every year. This season's no exception. Irsay and Polian just don't put a lot of value on acquiring hig-priced free agents in the offseason.

Not to make excuses for the debacle against San Diego, but one of the 20 starters coming back this year is Dwight Freeney, who was lost for the season after the first S.D. game. Not that he would have made the difference in that game, but it's hard to recover from losing a Pro Bowler from your D-line.