This is the second weekend of the NFL's postseason, and for the second time in two years the New England Patriots begin another journey facing QB Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.

Also for the second year in a row, Manning has been named the league's MVP because he has had a blowout year at QB, and has everyone convinced that this year, destiny belongs to them.

From my point of view... I watched the Colts game last weekend, and during the game I had this ball of phlegm and upchuck welling up deep in the recesses of my stomach. The Broncos didn't blitz aggressively or harass the wideouts, and by the end of the game that ball of Manning had made it's way up to my throat and burned for release.

But, it wasn't just Manning that disturbed me either, it was the announcers and the media who just seem to put Manning on this pedestal. This is a guy who has yet to win the BIG games, and the only reason why the Colts got so hot was because after the alignment they were placed in a division I had predicted they would dominate with the likes of the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans.

Having those divisional teams wasn't the only other benefit the Colts had, they also had nine indoor games per season, and two mild climate away games. What better for a QB that spends most of his season playing in a dome on turf where his WR's can show off their speed.

As I had mentioned months ago, this year the Colts had 12 games indoors with four of those coming in the month of December. This is a crucial month when gearing for the playoffs.

Another reason why Manning and other QB's have been so successful this year was mostly in part of his head coach Tony Dungy, and St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz complaining to the NFL's higher authority about the Patriots secondary, a move that their WR's may come to regret come Sunday.

If the refs call this game the way they did during the season, look for the Pats secondary to get very physical after any reception is made. Also, after seeing S Rodney Harrison talk about Colts K Mike Vanderjagt, he will be ready to dish out punishment and show that this team is hardly ripe for the picking.

The distain for the Colts and Manning doesn't stop there because my feelings for this team are similar to the ones I felt for the Rams in the late ?90s. Don't get me wrong, I know Manning broke Marino's TD record, and that is a great accomplishment, but this team has no defense and they are about to face a RB in Corey Dillon that has been thirsting for this moment to put the Bungles past behind him.

The Pats are going to pound the ball, and as long as he's successful Manning will be watching time tick away from the sidelines know that there is a couch waiting for him next weekend and Super Bowl Sunday.

However, the Colts defensive problems don't stop there because the Patriots have the most underrated receiving corps in the NFL.

WR David Givens this season had a streak of consecutive first down receptions, David Patten had seven TD receptions; some of which were great circus catches; Deion Branch missed seven games this season, but came back to pull down three TDs; Bethal Johnson averaged 17 yards per reception and had one TD, but his contribution came on special teams where he gained over 1,000 yards on kick returns (24.8 avg.), and ran one back; and lastly, WR Troy Brown saw most of his time on defense, but still averaged 10 yards per reception when called upon, and caught one TD.

This receiving corps also is successful due to whatever routes Charlie Weis devised up for this year. I have never seen WR's so open on this team ever, and it was something that was showcased in the second half of the Pittsburgh loss, when Tom Brady picked apart the Steelers secondary.

Brady is another intangible to think about in a year when critics are saying his numbers dropped off and he?s not repeating his performance from last year. That to me is a STUPID argument when you have a RB that put up 1,500 yards for the season. It's obvious a QB's numbers are going to drop with a successful running game.

The problems for Indy still don't stop there, because the Pats have an under the radar threat with their TE's. TE Daniel Graham finished third in the AFC ahead of Indy's TE's Marcus Pollard and Dallas Clark for TD receptions, and even though Christian Fauria saw limited time and only had two TD receptions, he was a positive performer when he took the field.

A key to this weekend's game is the play of off-the-bench performer Jed Weaver, who played in the Niners game and finished with four receptions over 62 yards.

Defensively, the Patriots are the better team hands down even without Ty Law, Tyrone Poole and possibly Richard Seymour.

This week, when it was announced Ty Law was being placed on the IR and would be headed for surgery, New England didn?t waste anytime. In a flash, the Pats signed FA CB Hank Poteat, who was released by the Carolina Panthers after this year's preseason. Last year he played only one game for Tampa Bay, but here's the jinx kicker... before Tampa Bay, Poteat played three years with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

DE Jarvis Green will probably be the go to guy if Seymour doesn't play, and to be honest... that's not a bad thing, because Jarvis Green has proven this year and on other occasions, he can make things happen. During the Ravens game he recovered a fumble that rolled into the end zone for a TD, and with the limited time he's played he has racked up four sacks and 15 tackles. One of those sacks was in NY after coming in for the injured Seymour. In his only start against the Niners, Green had seven tackles for the day.

The main success for the Patriots defense this weekend will be executing whatever game plan that Bill Belichick and Romeo Crennel have come up with to confuse Manning for his seventh match-up. A

It is a match-up in which his record, coming into the game, is 0-6, because the Pats don't seem to beat Manning physically, they beat him up mentally to the point where he becomes his own worse enemy. If he starts to audible on the line... forget it. If he starts to throw picks... open the flood gates, because Manning tends to lose his composure and at times blames team mates for his mistakes setting the wheels of defeat in motion.

I'd like to see the Pats terrorize Manning with false blitzes at the line or maybe confuse him or the O-line with the "no down" linemen. A scheme that confused the hell out of Bledsoe and impressed everyone watching.

Another guy who can be a serious threat is Mike Vrabel on offense and defense. If Mike can beat his assignments LT Tarik Glenn and TE's Pollard or Clark, Manning could be in for a long day.

Stopping the run will be up to a guy who has played with almost no props this season. NT Keith Traylor was signed to replace NT Ted Washington, and for the most part he has done his job, but when you have Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson in back to give you a hand it's enough to boost anyone's confidence at the line.

The Colts also have to play in the Razor where the Patriots haven't lost in two seasons, and after hearing all this talk on the television, radio and satellite stations, 60,000 fans are going to be ready to suit up come Sunday as much as the players are.

The last point I have to make is that the Colts will be exposed to the elements and grass. The grass will slow down their WR's and may cause problems with pass timing.

If you look at the Colts four losses this year, every loss came to a team that plays outdoors. Some people don't like to read too much into that, but it is something to think about, especially when Manning hasn't won in games 35 five degrees or less. The temp for the 4:30 p.m. game time Sunday is 25 five degrees, but everyone in New England will tell you that by the time the sun goes down it will be in the teens.

As for the odds makers, PointSpreads.com had the Patriots +1.5 and the Colts -1.5 today at 4:44 p.m., which means this will be the game that most people will stay away from this weekend with the exception of the possible over and under.

For the rest of this weekend's games I like the Atlanta Falcons over the Rams, and even though they are without Terrell Owens, Philly did get to the NFC Championship without him last year. The problem during that game was that the WR's couldn't make receptions, and dropped some crucial passes. If they can keep their composure they should win the game sending the Vikings home yet again.

As for the Steelers, I want a rematch, and I think every NFL fan would like to see these two AFC titans match up more than the Colts rematch. But if there was any upset to happen this weekend, it could come out of this game. The Jets lost to the Steelers 17-6 this season, but it was a game they could have won because sloppy errors and penalties cost them dearly. A Jets win would then bring the AFC Championship game to Foxboro, but that would be thinking too far ahead.

Hit me up: Sinista1@msn.com