Originally Posted by TuffCall

Fair and Balanced. This sums it up quite well (taken from another board)

I see Grossman having the goat horns hung on him, and that's unfair. He didn't lose that game for you on the two forth quarter (or practically) interceptions, you were already losing at that point. It was sometime earlier, about midway through the third quarter when the Colts passed the 30 minute time of possession mark that lost you the game.

You lost because your defense couldn't get any pressure on Peyton Manning, couldn't stop Joseph Addai and Dominick Rhodes, and couldn't get off the field. It wasn't your quarterback, who didn't throw an INT until time was running out in the third quarter and who went a remarkable 12-16 in the forth quarter.

I think you put too much on the shoulders of your QB who was in his first year starting more or less. No QB anywhere has ever won a Super Bowl his first year as the regular starter. Your team didn't make the big show on the strength of your passing game, but through the strength of it's dominant defense. That defense was unable to stop Peyton Manning yesterday, that's why you lost. It didn't play badly--just not good enough to win a superbowl.

If you want to blame anyone on your offense, blame that expensive offensive line that couldn't open holes for Thomas Jones with any consistancy against--by far--the worst rushing defense in the league. A unit that gave up a mind-boggling 173 yards per game at a unreal 5.3 yrds/attempt clip. A defense that yielded an astonishing 150 first downs against the run.

They weren't helping Rex out much either, unlike Peyton Manning who had enough time out there he packed a picnic lunch, far too often there was someone in Rex's face, meaning the Colt's defense took away Rex's opportunity to get the ball down the field which is his strength as a quarterback. Your defense didn't take that away from Peyton Manning, so he could survey the field and just about always find a good play.

It may be traditional to burn the quarterback at the stake after a disappointing loss, but this one wasn't on Rex. He didn't lose you the game, your defense didn't win it. It was missing Mike Brown and Tommie Harris which was too much to overcome and wasn't the outrageous crew that won the Arizona game all by themselves.They'll be back next year and you'll have another shot at it with your trump card intact perhaps; but Rex Grossman wasn't the reason you were in the Super Bowl, and with his 70% completion ratio wasn't the reason you lost it.