Also, who knows? Maybe the defense let the other team take the lead and they had to score again to regain the lead and this happened a few times throughout the game?

Trying find a statistical measurement of the 'better' team, I think is nearly impossible, unless you really, REALLY dig deep. And even then, I don't think it would be entirely accurate because of injuries, home field noise, weather, etc ...

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http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/65706132.html 



Of course this can change when looking as specific games, but as a whole, defensive penalties seem to not have a significant correlation to wins and losses.

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This reminds me of all the talk last year about the Hawkeyes. We had four losses but lost those games by a combined 12 points. Everyone was saying how good we were since those losses were by such a small margin, but at the end of the day we still had four losses.

The argument is a moot point, because if Tampa Bay had better players at every position, they could be 13-0. Each team has what it has and needs to make due. O-line play and penalties are such a huge part of the game that you can't just say ignore them and look at the rest of the stats. I'd rather be 13-0. But even with our record I still like our chances against any team with any record.

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In the end of the day, the only way to really measure the best team is the one who goes the farthest. I don't care if the Colts go 16-0, win the Divisional Playoff game by 50 points, then the CG by 50 points, then we lose the rest of our regular season games, squeak into the Playoffs, then squeak by all 3 Playoff games and win the SB in the last second by 1 point. We'd be the better team.

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No way anyone with as bad karma as Peyton Manning should ever be allowed to go 16-0.

Of course, he should never have been allowed to win a Superbowl or an MVP either. (mutter)

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What's with all the Manning hate? (I hate Peyton too, I just want to know why, as I don't know the reason myself)

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Ah, but hate is supposed to be irrational (i.e. without reason). :)

As to why I don't like him:
1. Partly because he's going to own all of Favre's records.
2. But mostly its just gut feeling ... sort of like he's a really good used car salesman ... has a great rep but there's the sense that under the surface he's a sleaze.
When I was in high school, the star athletes were of three types. Some, a few, were nice and deserved all the "leadership" and "popularity" they got. Barry Sanders types. Bart Starr types. Some were pricks and got all that stuff just because they could do the athletic thing better than anyone else. And then there were the third type, the kind that had a great image as being nice like the first type, but under the surface, they were bigger pricks than the second type. I've always felt Peyton fit that third category.

To be honest, I tend to feel similarly about most icons, be they teams (ND football, Duke BB) or players (Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, virtually any tennis player, Joe Montana). I'd rather have an honest prick (Charles Barkley, Bobby Knight) than one of these image-meisters (Jordan, Coach K) anyday.

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I have nothing against Peyton. Eli, on the other hand, sucks. You don't shoot teams down and tell them you won't play for them after they draft you, before you've thrown ONE pass in the NFL. Seriously, go to hell Eli, you over-privileged punk. Rivers is 10 times the QB you are.

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I don't mind Peyton at all. If someone is going to break Favre's records, I'd rather it be a guy like Peyton whose work ethic is ridiculous. Plus, he was flippin' hilarious on SNL.

Now Eli on the other hand, I can't stand. All I saw when he was drafted was a little kid standing behind his daddy and his last name. I'm pretty sure his dad has a link to the radio in his helmet and he tells Eli what to do. After the Giants beat the Packers in the NFC championship game, all I could think about was how Eli looked like a below average QB. He has yet to impress me. That's not saying much, but I just don't see anything impressive about him. If I was in that locker room, it'd be hard for me to look at Eli as a leader.

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That smelled like a misleading stat to me, so I did a little research. The Colts are 30th in the league in rushing yards per game, averaging 88.0, and they are tied for 29th in rushing yards per attempt, averaging 3.8. I'm not going to give their rushing game a lot of credit if the passing game gets them near the goal line and they punch it in from there.

I've never seen any reason to hate Peyton Manning. I don't especially like him, either. I just think he is a phenomenal QB--among the best ever, and he is still in his prime. Eli is more of the crafty Kenny Stabler or Jim Plunkett type. He's not consistent but he keeps plugging away and is always capable of gutting out a win when it is least expected.

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