The Indianapolis Colts, who haven't played a game for keeps since mid-December, will be well rested when they host the Baltimore Ravens Saturday night in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. Might they also be rusty?
Peyton Manning and the Colts lost their final two games after starting 14-0.
"I think we've had good work since that time. We certainly got a number of guys healthy that were injured," Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said Tuesday during a teleconference with Baltimore-area reporters.
"We've had good preparation time. ... If we continue that and keep focusing like we have, I think we'll be ready to go Saturday."
Baltimore is coming off a big win over the New England Patriots in last weekend's wild card round. Indianapolis had a bye.
At his post-practice press conference Tuesday, Ravens coach Jim Harbaugh was asked if he viewed a playoff bye as a positive or negative.
"I just haven't thought about it. I don't know. What would be interesting to do would be to look at the numbers and just see what the numbers are with teams coming off a bye," said Harbaugh.
A member of the media quickly told Harbaugh that the Colts are 0-4 coming off playoff byes. In the 2007, 2005, 1999 and 1987 seasons, they were defeated in the divisional round after sitting out the wild card round.
When they won the Super Bowl in the 2006 season, the Colts were division champs but they played in the wild-card round.
Harbaugh laughed off the significance of that post-bye trend for Indianapolis.
"If that matters, then I guess there's an edge there somewhere. Tell me if it matters. I don't know," said Harbaugh.
With their 13-0 start, the Colts clinched home field advantage for as long as they're alive in the AFC starters. They played their starters the following week in a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars that boosted them to 14-0.
The following week, with the Colts pulling Manning and other key starters in the third quarter, their shot at a perfect season ended with a 29-15 home loss to the New York Jets. Indianapolis fans filled Lucas Oil Stadium with boos when rookie quarterback Curtis Painter replaced Manning and a 15-10 Colts' lead quickly vanished.
First-year Colts coach Jim Caldwell and team president Bill Polian took heat from the fans over that decision to put preparing for the playoffs over perfection.
Have the Colts put themselves in a position where they have to win the Super Bowl title to erase the memory of letting 14-0 slip away?
Does Caldwell feel more pressure because of his decision to rest players?
"We don't feel any more pressure than anyone else would at this time of year," Caldwell said in his teleconference. " ... There's always pressure, but we approach it the same way, and that's kind of our approach at this point."
Indianapolis edged the Ravens 17-15 on Nov. 22 in Baltimore. It was the Colts seventh consecutive victory over Baltimore.
This weekend, Manning will faces another test against a Baltimore defense that forced four turnovers last weekend by New England quarterback Tom Brady.
"It's going to be a tough game," Manning said. "... It'll be two really good teams playing against each other."
One well rested; the other on a roll.
SOURCE: USA Today
Gary Mihoces
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