The elite shall meet. I’ve already described it as this season’s Super Bowl. Many others are claiming it will be the best game of 2007. It’s still too early to make a prediction, so I’ll join in on the week-long Colts/Patriots hype with some interesting factoids about the big game this Sunday:

• This will be the first-ever meeting between teams that started a season at 7-0 or better.
• The game will feature the two winningest head coach-quarterback combinations since 1970. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and head coach Tony Dungy lead the category with a .770 winning percentage. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, who rank second with a .765 percentage, can surpass Manning-Dungy with a win this Sunday. Amazing.
• Of course, if the Colts win, they will join the 1929-31 Green Bay Packers as the only teams in history to start three consecutive seasons at 8-0.
• Not only will the Colts and Patriots put their undefeated records on the line, but Tom Brady will seek to continue a streak of his own. He has thrown three or more touchdown passes in all eight games this season, which matches Peyton’s record of eight such consecutive games in 2004. With three passing touchdowns on Sunday, Tom would own the longest such streak in history.

Fellow b5 blogger James Edwards is calling this game an “offensive showdown.” Check out his thoughts over at SquibKick.com.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Colts vs. Patriots: Excellence on Display as Two Remaining Undefeated Teams Meet

The price of fame usually means an invasion of your personal life and in the case of New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, it’s no different. At Pats minicamp yesterday, Tom enjoyed talking about football, including his team’s embarrassment of riches at wide receiver. But, he shied away from the topic of becoming a father. And rightfully so. It’s really nobody’s business but Tom Brady’s. Because of his status as the starting quarterback of the three-time world champion New England Patriots, though, it suddenly becomes everyone’s business.

Just in case you missed it, Tom’s ex-girlfriend, actress Bridget Moynahan, is pregnant with his child. They split-up last year after three years of dating. From the podium of a post-practice presser, Tom said:

“I don’t want to talk about that much, guys. Let’s try to stick to why I’m up here. Life changes for everybody. There’s different things that everybody deals with in their life, you guys deal with, I deal with. I’m excited about this season, I’m excited about this year and, as with life and maturing, come other challenges as well. I’m just looking forward to seeing what this team is all about. I’m looking for a great year. People make money, pictures and magazines. Maybe there’s so many multimedia outlets at this point that everybody’s jockeying for the latest and greatest of whatever it might be. You just try to go through your life and learn and grow and mature. You have happy moments and you have moments that you learn from. Those are the challenges we all face, myself, my teammates, my family. You can only control the way you react toward it. I’m also very proud of the things that have gone on over the last 10 years of my life. I’ve got a great mom and dad, a great family and I’m very proud of the way they raised me.”

Well said. And expectedly so from someone who knows how to deal with the media. I got to participate in a conference call with Tom a couple years ago and he is still one of my favorite interviews of all-time. Sure, having a child out of wedlock is not the way Tom or his family would have drawn up his perfect life plan, but life doesn’t always work out the way you want it to. He is still a good guy, a positive role model, and arguably the best QB in the NFL.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Tom Brady Pays the Price of Fame