Aside from a curiously formed preference for Dan Marino over Joe Montana, I didn't start following football with any rooting interest until I went to college in Illinois. My roommate Rick made sure that he had more than enough time to watch the Bears game every weekend, and since the Colts were the regional AFC team, I ended up watching both teams most weeks as well. One solid defense, one solid offense. The Bears also played in Champaign during my time in school, but given my complete inability to purchase tickets for live sporting events in advance, I missed out on that opportunity.

I suppose the Marino over Montana bias lingered, since I have always preferred Manning's big numbers and play-clock theatrics over Tom Brady's winning ways. My dislike for the Patriots started after they won their first Super Bowl. Beating the Rams (I may have lived in the Midwest, but I have no affinity for any St. Louis team) and Kurt Warner was one thing, but after they beat ther Colts to make it to Super Bowl XXXVI and subsequently defeat the Carolina Panthers (a hard team to root for, I assure you), the talk of their "dynasty" and Tom Brady's place in history began. I couldn't believe that two championships in three years equated to a dynasty, even in an age of parity. When they came back the next season and defeated the Colts in the opening round on their way to beat the Eagles, I couldn't begrudge their claim to such language, but that particular game brought the realization of my primary reason for disliking the Patriots: how arrogant they'd become from this success.

So much of the national hype and love for the Patriots has involved how they "do the right thing" and set a positive model for a "true team." I remember hearing constant talk about how they were above poor forms of sportsmanship, but nevertheless, they routinely stepped down to T.O.'s level in that Super Bowl to mock his celebrations. I started noticing just how much they celebrated after every play, every down. L.T.'s post-game tirade last week was overblown, but got at the core of my issue with the Pats. Acting like you've been there before isn't the most exciting form of celebration, but it's not nearly as off-putting, either.

Meanwhile, I enjoyed watching the Colts. Peyton Manning was the opposite of the caretaker quarterback; he took chances, tried to make plays, brought excitement to the game. He wasn't coming up huge in the playoffs, but I remember watching the Red Wings have to claw their way up the playoff ladder before they finally broke through to the finals and to the Cup two years later. Every response to Manning's shortcomings, to the Colts' failures, seemed overblown, unaware of this progression. Tom Brady stepped into a situation and won a Super Bowl, but certainly didn't win it on his own, which was what analysts expected Manning to do.

Last year's push for an undefeated season was great, but even if Nick Harper's shoestrings hadn't betrayed a sure touchdown, the fact that the Broncos, not the Colts, had dethroned the Patriots made a potential Colts championship seem underwhelming. The Colts didn't manage to get homefield throughout the playoffs this year, but beat the Patriots to get homefield against them. I couldn't bring myself to actually root for the Patriots against the Jets or Chargers, but I knew the Colts had to beat them in order to truly get over the hump.

Manning's first two playoff games were different from playoffs past. Despite the interception totals, he wasn't risking his team's chance to win. It's hard not to think of Yzerman's shift from offensive juggernaut to two-way threat under Scotty Bowman. Yzerman's statistics went down, but they had to for the good of the team. The Colts defense also finally looked impressive, particularly Bob Sanders, who I enjoy thinking of as a human missile.

The AFC Championship delivered almost every poetic turn I could imagine. The Colts were down big early on the strength of another baffling display of the Patriots' combination of grit and luck (the fumble for TD) and a poor decision on Manning's part, but the last drive of the first half helped them regain their composure. I was watching the game with a few Patriots fans and enjoyed pointing out how the Colts could easily score a TD with the opening possession of the second half and bring the game within one score. Once Manning wore down the Patriots' defense with his newfound patience, he could finally play his game. The Colts scored on a two-minute drill with Manning's seemingly injured thumb and a nearly catastropic Reggie Wayne reception (the sort of play that would have gone the other way almost any other game), but won the game with the Brady interception. The Wings not only needed to beat the Avalanche in order to have another shot at the Stanley Cup, but had to adjust their game in order to beat the Avalanche. The Colts adjusted.

Throughout the season I had hoped that the stars would align in the playoffs and I would be granted a Bears v. Colts Super Bowl. With a few rare exceptions, I'm typically underwhelmed by the teams that make the Super Bowl, but this match-up is great on paper and for my rooting interests. As you might have guessed from the comparative emphasis in this post, I'm rooting for the Colts, but it's great to have a championship game in which I'll be happy with either outcome.

Now all I need is a Detroit Red Wings v. Buffalo Sabres Stanley Cup final.