[Stonecutter]

Bill Simmons always makes good points.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...simmons/041210

Colts (-10) over TEXANS

All right ...

People keep asking me why I have a grudge against Peyton Manning. Not true. I just feel like we make a mistake -- not just the media, but fans, too -- of placing too much emphasis on statistics and not enough emphasis on actual success. Certain superstars have a knack for coming through when it doesn't matter: guys like Karl Malone, A-Rod, Bonds, C-Webb, Manning, even Donovan McNabb. I would rather see us celebrating the players and teams that come through when it matters.

To me, the best example of this argument was always "Emmitt vs. Barry." Whenever people argued that Barry Sanders was better than Emmitt Smith, my head would practically explode. So you'd rather have the guy who gets tackled behind the line of scrimmage eight out of 10 times, then breaks off a 40-yard run, over the guy who rushes for five yards a pop, keeps moving those chains and gets stronger as the game goes along? You really think the Cowboys were winning those Super Bowls because of Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin? Emmitt was the heart and soul of those teams. I loved watching Barry Sanders, and he's in the Pantheon for "Guys You Should Never Bet Against," but for one game with my life on the line ... sorry, I'm taking Emmitt. No contest.

Anyway, here's the bottom line: Manning and the Colts had a chance to beat the Patriots three times over the past 13 months ... and they couldn't do it. After Week 8, they were 4-3 and everyone was saying "same old Colts." They barely held off the Moss-less Vikings at home on a Monday night, then exploded for 182 points against Houston, Chicago, Detroit and Tennessee (four subpar teams by all accounts). Now we're supposed to think they can beat Pittsburgh and New England in January -- on the road, in back-to-back games -- just because they've been rolling up the score against crummy teams? Please.

Is Manning having a remarkable statistical season, even when you throw in the relaxed pass defense rules that have bumped up everyone's stats? No question about it. I'm just more impressed with stats like "Ben Roethlisberger is 10-0 as an NFL starter" and "Tom Brady is 51-13 as a starter and 7-0 in overtime games" than "Manning has thrown 62 TDs in a single season." Let's see him play like this when it truly matters. That's all I'm saying.