Jets or Colts?

Is this God's cruel way of punishing Patriots fans for all the success of the past decade? How is one to root -- for the New York Jets or the Indianapolis Colts? To be honest, I am torn at the moment. Seeing as I can't count my vote to have the game cancelled and removed from our memories, I must sit here debating, who do I root for?

The easy answer is the Colts. They don't have any "bad" guys. Can you root against Peyton Manning? Reggie Wayne? Dwight Freeney? The one person I can say yes to is Bill Polian. However, big picture he has nothing to do with the on the field play day to day - he's not a player nor is he a coach. His complete and utter hatred of Bill Belichick and the Patriots has been clear for years. He is the main reason why the "chuck" rule came into effect. Defensive backs can no longer maul receivers outside of 5 yards from the line of scrimmage. Polian cried and moaned to get the rule change shortly after Ty Law and company manhandled the Colts yet again in Foxboro during the 2003-04 playoffs. Outside of Polian, I find it hard to root against a single person within that organization.

So I took a different approach. Lets look at this from the Patriots perspective. From 2001-2009, there has been no team as consistantly dominant as the Colts and the Pats. The Patriots have won 3 Super Bowls to the Colts 1. The Colts have won 115 regular season games to the Patriots 114. The Colts feature Peyton Manning, who has won 4 regular season MVP awards. The Patriots feature Tom Brady who has won 2 Super Bowl MVP trophies. The numbers go on and on. As a Patriot fan, this game comes down to ultimate decade supremecy. A Colt victory and eventual Super Bowl title could put the Patriots title of team of the decade in jeopardy. So do I root for the Colts?

Now we move on to the Jets. Lets face it, I'd rather watch paint dry while poking out my eyes than actually "root" for a team from New York ...and one coached by someone as arrogant and stupid as Rex Ryan. However, last week against the Chargers something strange occurred. I actually found myself rooting for the underdog Jets at the end of the game. I have no idea why. Something came over me. Something changed. I had been pulling for the Chargers. Perhaps it was their defense, led by all world cornerback Darrelle Revis or perhaps it was rookie Mark Sanchez. The embattled quarterback has been through your typical rookie season. He threw 20 interceptions and at times looked lost. However, just like the team he leads, he stayed focused and confident. Sanchez has made the plays the Jets needed at the right times. Now he finds himself in the AFC title game against Peyton Manning and the Colts.

I ask the question again, who do I root for? The Jets or the Colts? I'll go with the Colts, as much as I dispise Bill Polian and as much as I want the Patriots success to not be overshadowed. The Colts winning also sets up a more intriguing matchup in the Super Bowl with either the New Orleans Saints or the Minnesota Vikings. If my favorite team can't be involved, then I must root for the best chance at a great Super Bowl. I do give credit to the Jets for making it as far as they have. They were once 4-6 and left for dead. Since then they have won 7 of 8 and are 1 step from the ultimate goal ...a Super Bowl title.