The Indianapolis Colts once again proved the New England Patriots are the better team, period. There is nothing you can really say in the defense of the Colts, who were beaten 20-3 by the Patriots last week in Foxboro Stadium. The offense of the Colts never really threatened the stingy defense of the defending NFL Champion Patriots.

Let us review why the Colts lost. Their starting running back, Edgerrin James had only 39 yards on 14 rushing attempts, and no other player on team other than quarterback, Peyton Manning ran the ball. No running game in the cold, wintry weather will lead to your defense being on the field too long. The Colts' defense was on the field 37 minutes: 43 seconds out of a possible 60 minutes. It was the kind of game that played into the hands of the New England Patriots. The team from Foxboro ran the ball 39 times for 210 yards. You think this may have been the difference in the football game?

Some people may believe the Indianapolis Colts' defense let them down last Sunday. Yes, they allowed the Patriot's running back, Corey Dillion to run wild on them; by gaining 144 yards on 23 carries. Yet a defense built around the philosophy of "bend but don't break" need not be on the field for more than 60% of the game. Let us turn the tables, if the Colts had rushed the football 39 times and the Patriots only 15 times, then the outcome would have been in favor of the Indianapolis team.

I would not deny the Colts' defense is better suited for football on turf, than the cold weather. Yet the coaching staff and Peyton Manning need to understand there is nothing more demoralizing then a team running the ball on you, 60 times in a game. This is the strategy the Colts must adopt for cold weather conditions, or otherwise make sure they win home field advantage.

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