TitanHope
05-17-2009, 09:43 PM
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AnaMLUrzlHSNCYDki4H97saE2bYF?slug=ravens steelersmovestotop&prov=tsn&type=lgns
2. Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots
This has become the NFL's most anticipated matchup. The window for both teams to win another Super Bowl with their current core groups is closing—maybe more so for Indianapolis—which should add desperation to the usual intensity of this game.
It also helps that Tom Brady(notes) will be back to duel with Peyton Manning(notes), and the '09 game will be in the controlled environment of Lucas Oil Stadium. The best games in the series tend to be played at Indy. This year's big twist is Jim Caldwell taking over as coach Bill Belichick's counterpart.
Don't plan anything for Nov. 15, because this year's prime-time game follows Packers-Cowboys.
...
8. Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans
This one also had a good comeback last season. After a few down years for Tennessee, it appeared as though Jacksonville had taken its place as Indianapolis' chief AFC South rival. Then Jeff Fisher's team snatched the division crown away. Really, this rivalry started when the division was formed seven years ago, with the Volunteers' favorite son Peyton Manning taking on a team from Nashville. It then hit an early peak when Manning and Steve McNair(notes) were named league co-MVPs in 2003. Expect a great series in '09.
This has bugged me for a while. Well, not bugged, but well you know... Our division wasn't really formed until 2002 (Way to go Houston! I blame you for the Titans lucking out with Peyton Manning in the division! ;)). So we've been grouped for less than a decade and through similar yet different paths. The Colts came to Indianapolis from Baltimore, and the Titans came to Tennessee from Houston and underwent a name-change and a game of musical stadiums. The Jaguars were an expansion team that joined the NFL in 1995, along with Carolina, and the Texans were also an expansion team. So we've got two transplants and two expansions.
Needless to say, when I read the article above, I was surprised to see that someone thought the Colts/Titans as being a Top 10 NFL rivalry. Colts/Patriots is no surprise at all. They were both in the AFC West since 1970. Then factor in the Manning vs Brady duels, especially in the Playoffs, and you have the outra-division history. So while the Colts were in the East, the Titans/Oilers were in the AFC Central. Honestly, I would have been expecting Steelers/Titans to be higher than Colts/Titans, especially after we stomped the Terrible Towel and are now lined up for the season opener. Adding in sharing the same division for 30 years, there's a history.
When I think of the teams I dislike the most in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens are the first team to come to mind. Not the Colts, who've dominated the division, or the Jaguars who've been our most evenly matched division rival, or Houston the city that the Titans transferred from. Am I the only one that kinda feels this way? Not about the Ravens specifically, but you know. Maybe I'm just too friendly... ;)
I want to get a discussion going, if you guys will humor me. I'm especially interested in how Texans fans feel. I know if the Titans were to move from Nashville to another state, I'd probably drive up to Nashville and lay down in front of the moving trucks. You guys lost a franchise that the people of Houston loved in the Oilers, have gained an expansion team, and now are in the same division as the Titans. Or do ya'll feel like some Titans fans do - we don't really feel much of a connection to the Houston Oilers franchise, especially because of the simultaneous relocation and name change (even though we were the "Tennessee Oilers for a baby bit). How do the people of Houston see the Titans, and as Texans fans, do you dislike the Titans more?
I dunno. I just feel like we're the league oddbunch. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. :D
2. Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots
This has become the NFL's most anticipated matchup. The window for both teams to win another Super Bowl with their current core groups is closing—maybe more so for Indianapolis—which should add desperation to the usual intensity of this game.
It also helps that Tom Brady(notes) will be back to duel with Peyton Manning(notes), and the '09 game will be in the controlled environment of Lucas Oil Stadium. The best games in the series tend to be played at Indy. This year's big twist is Jim Caldwell taking over as coach Bill Belichick's counterpart.
Don't plan anything for Nov. 15, because this year's prime-time game follows Packers-Cowboys.
...
8. Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans
This one also had a good comeback last season. After a few down years for Tennessee, it appeared as though Jacksonville had taken its place as Indianapolis' chief AFC South rival. Then Jeff Fisher's team snatched the division crown away. Really, this rivalry started when the division was formed seven years ago, with the Volunteers' favorite son Peyton Manning taking on a team from Nashville. It then hit an early peak when Manning and Steve McNair(notes) were named league co-MVPs in 2003. Expect a great series in '09.
This has bugged me for a while. Well, not bugged, but well you know... Our division wasn't really formed until 2002 (Way to go Houston! I blame you for the Titans lucking out with Peyton Manning in the division! ;)). So we've been grouped for less than a decade and through similar yet different paths. The Colts came to Indianapolis from Baltimore, and the Titans came to Tennessee from Houston and underwent a name-change and a game of musical stadiums. The Jaguars were an expansion team that joined the NFL in 1995, along with Carolina, and the Texans were also an expansion team. So we've got two transplants and two expansions.
Needless to say, when I read the article above, I was surprised to see that someone thought the Colts/Titans as being a Top 10 NFL rivalry. Colts/Patriots is no surprise at all. They were both in the AFC West since 1970. Then factor in the Manning vs Brady duels, especially in the Playoffs, and you have the outra-division history. So while the Colts were in the East, the Titans/Oilers were in the AFC Central. Honestly, I would have been expecting Steelers/Titans to be higher than Colts/Titans, especially after we stomped the Terrible Towel and are now lined up for the season opener. Adding in sharing the same division for 30 years, there's a history.
When I think of the teams I dislike the most in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens are the first team to come to mind. Not the Colts, who've dominated the division, or the Jaguars who've been our most evenly matched division rival, or Houston the city that the Titans transferred from. Am I the only one that kinda feels this way? Not about the Ravens specifically, but you know. Maybe I'm just too friendly... ;)
I want to get a discussion going, if you guys will humor me. I'm especially interested in how Texans fans feel. I know if the Titans were to move from Nashville to another state, I'd probably drive up to Nashville and lay down in front of the moving trucks. You guys lost a franchise that the people of Houston loved in the Oilers, have gained an expansion team, and now are in the same division as the Titans. Or do ya'll feel like some Titans fans do - we don't really feel much of a connection to the Houston Oilers franchise, especially because of the simultaneous relocation and name change (even though we were the "Tennessee Oilers for a baby bit). How do the people of Houston see the Titans, and as Texans fans, do you dislike the Titans more?
I dunno. I just feel like we're the league oddbunch. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. :D