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MIAMI -- Cue it again.

All the talk about Peyton Manning's failures in the clutch, all the comparisons of the Indianapolis Colts to the Atlanta Braves.

Boy, the Colts sure are good in the regular season, but when it comes to collecting rings …

A team that made a season out of fourth-quarter comebacks couldn’t find one Sunday night, and when it came to explaining Tracy Porter's game-sealing 74-yard interception return with 3:12 left, the Colts didn’t have a lot to say.

"Porter made a great play on the ball," Manning said not long after New Orleans’ 31-17 Super Bowl XLIV was in the books and red and silver confetti littered the Sun Life Stadium floor. "He made a good break on it. And he just made a heck of a play.”

"He jumped the route," said Reggie Wayne, the intended receiver. “He did a good job jumping the route.”

The quarterback and receiver both treaded lightly, not wanting to cast blame about what went wrong on a play Manning said they’ve run quite a bit. The throw was a bit off, or the route was, or both. And while we want to dissect it precisely, they weren’t interested parties.

Brett Favre threw an interception that hurt the Vikings' shot in the NFC title game in New Orleans. Like Manning, he owns a 1-1 record in the Super Bowl. I expect, though, that while Favre keeps people’s attention cast as a rugged gunslinger, Manning will get a new round of holes punched in his résumé for being a cerebral signal-caller with just a .500 playoff record.

A win would have done a lot for those wanting to crown him the best of all time. A loss led to a classification in much more terrestrial terms.

“I don’t think it dents him,” Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. “He’s one of the top three quarterbacks in the league right now. Would he like to have that throw back? Of course. But every quarterback would like to have his interceptions back.

“I don’t think it really does anything to his legacy. He’s still going to be a Hall of Fame quarterback. And if he wins another, he’ll probably be the best quarterback to ever play the game.”

Indianapolis’ Jim Caldwell, the rookie coach who guided an improbably successful season, shared the sentiment.

“I don’t think it will have any bearing on his legacy,” he said. “Obviously, he’s a great player. It never comes down to just one single play in a game. There are a lot of different things that could have happened in that game that could have put us in a different position. He’s still a great player, and outstanding performer, a great competitor. And that doesn’t diminish it at all.”

Even the most confident Saints had to think that Manning could tie the score quickly after Jeremy Shockey caught a 2-yard touchdown pass and Lance Moore added a two-point conversion to put the Saints up 24-17 with 5:42 on the clock: That’s a lot of time for that quarterback and that offense.

Manning and the Colts regularly march the field in less. Their 11-play, 96-yard drive in the first quarter matched the 1985 Bears for the longest touchdown drive in Super Bowl history, and that one took just 4:36.

The way they played in a 14-2 season made them believe they would simply do it again. The worst that could happen was overtime.

With no huddle and out of the shotgun, Manning moved them 39 yards before the fateful third-and-5, which followed a timeout.

Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said Porter trusted the play, knew the rush up the middle wouldn’t allow Manning the time to beat him deep, allowing him to make the read and jump the pass.

“I felt that was the route they were going to run,” Williams said. “Tracy knew that was the route they were going to run.”

And so with a chance to bolster his legacy, Manning and his Colts instead watched Drew Brees build his. Instead of joining Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger as multiple Super Bowl winners, Manning was joined by Brees in a club of quarterbacks with one.

Brees posted the second-best completion percentage in Super Bowl history as the Saints’ 10-point comeback matched the largest deficit overcome to win the ultimate game.

“Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are two of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League, and the people tonight got their money’s worth watching two great warrior quarterbacks play,” Williams said. “We were able to come up with a play, but he made plays also.

“We were able to hit him, we were able to hurry him, we were able to move him off his spot. He was still making plays. We made one play right there that was the difference in the ballgame. I’m sure he’d like to have that one back. But I’m happy we made it.”

MIAMI – For a good while it all seemed within reach:

The spot in the conversation with the Patriots and Steelers as the premier franchises in the sport.

The boost to Peyton Manning’s legacy with the coveted second ring.

The Lombardi Trophy for rookie head coach Jim Caldwell.

But a team that mastered the fourth-quarter comeback in the regular season couldn’t muster one at Sun Life Stadium. And rather than solidifying its status, it watched another team break through.

With a 31-17 win, the New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl champions, and the Colts have to come to terms with missing out in a game they tried to win for the first time all season.

The game might have given us the first overtime in Super Bowl history, but on a third-and-5 and the Colts trying to drive for the the tying score, Peyton Manning made a poor throw for Reggie Wayne against a blitz. Cornerback Tracy Porter jumped it, grabbed it and took it 74 yards for a touchdown.

It was the only turnover of the game, and clinched it for the Saints who got a marvelous performance from Drew Brees. He solidified his spot in the conversation of the best quarterbacks in the league right now, and did his part to keep alive the criticism of Manning’s big-game prowess.

I’m certain the Colts will graciously offer congratulations. It’s a team led by classy people.

Then they will kick themselves for months, probably a calendar year’s worth of them. For some, maybe a lot longer than that.

The Colts' official pool report on practice, filed by Charles Robinson on behalf of the Pro Football Writers Association:

DAVIE, Fla. -- Not a great deal changed in the health department for the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, as the team held its final practice of the week before Super Bowl XLIV. Defensive end Dwight Freeney sat out once again, making his absence a clean sweep for the week as he spent Saturday’s entire session on a golf cart. Cornerback Jerraud Powers once again did light work, and wideout Reggie Wayne returned to his duties with the first team offense, showing no effects of a minor fat pad injury to his right knee on Thursday.

The light 35-minute walkthrough was held in gentle breezes and the mid 70’s, and the Colts moved swiftly through their final tune-up. Freeney spent the session circling different personnel groupings in a cart, wearing his standard practice dress, including cleats. After practice, he exited his cart and walked gingerly into the locker room, however his right ankle was not wrapped and he didn’t receive treatment of any form during the short session. Colts coach Jim Caldwell said that Freeney had improved since Thursday, but wouldn’t comment on his availability for Sunday’s game.

“He’s better than yesterday,” Caldwell said. “He and Powers both are better than yesterday. It’s still day to day.”

Powers was limited to light work.

Wayne left Friday’s practice 20 minutes early after injuring the fat pad in his right knee, but he was available for the full session Saturday. The fat pad is the soft tissue below the kneecap. Wayne has been playing much of the season with some irritation in the pad. But he moved without restriction Saturday, and at the conclusion of practice ran about 40 yards to the locker room without favoring the knee in any way.

With the slate of practices wrapped, Caldwell said he was pleased with the week and that all of the work “went according to plan.” Caldwell also said the team’s overall health had improved during the course of the week, and was pleased with the slightly varying conditions, which included some gusting wind and rain at various times.

“The weather has been great,” Caldwell said. “Obviously yesterday we got a little taste of rain, which was good, just in case we have some. A shower could pop up at any time. The wind has been fairly consistent. We got a chance to throw with the wind, against the wind. That’s all been good.”

“We’ve done extremely well and been attentive. The [players] have been very, very focused and our practices have been sharp as well. Overall we’ve been moving in the right direction.”

The Colts' official pool report on practice, filed by Peter King on behalf of the Pro Football Writers Association:

DAVIE, Fla. -- On a day when defensive end Dwight Freeney did not practice but cornerback Jerraud Powers got in some work, another player had to leave the Colts’ third Super Bowl practice of the week after aggravating an existing injury: Indianapolis all-pro wide receiver Reggie Wayne.

Wayne pulled up short running a pass-route late in the workout and left Colts’ practice 20 minutes before it ended Friday with what coach Jim Caldwell said was an injury to the fat pad in his right knee.

Caldwell said he didn’t believe the injury was serious, and Wayne walked off the field unassisted into the trainers room at the Miami Dolphins practice facility. Backup wideout Hank Baskett took his place in the remainder of the 1-hour, 25-minute workout, covering mostly short-yardage and red-zone work on a typical Friday practice day for the Colts.

“He just irritated the fat pad in his knee,’’ Caldwell said.

The fat pad is the collection of soft tissue below the kneecap that protects the underlying structure of the knee. Wayne has had the injury much of the season and played through it, and it apparently was quite manageable: He finished his second all-pro season in the last three years with 100 catches for 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns, playing all 16 regular-season games and both so far in the playoffs.

In other Colts’ injury news, the team got a boost with the limited practice work done Friday by Powers. It’s the first time Powers has practiced or played since injuring the foot in the first quarter of the Jan. 16 division playoff victory over Baltimore. “There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll be out there Sunday,’’ Powers said on Wednesday, but the team listed him as questionable in its final injury report of the week.

Wayne was listed as probable to play against the Saints on Sunday in Super Bowl XLIV, while Freeney was listed as questionable. Caldwell said Freeney “may do’’ a little running or simulated practice work later Friday afternoon, and though Freeney had said Thursday he would try to practice some on Friday, Caldwell said, “This is right in line with our plans. He’s making very good progress.’’ Freeney suffered a third-degree ankle sprain in the AFC Championship Game victory over the Jets on Jan. 24 and has not practiced in the 12 days since.

The Colts will have their customary 40-minute walkthrough practice Saturday at noon, but for all intents and purposes, this was the team’s last serious pre-Super Bowl practice. Caldwell said he was satisfied with the quality of work and the site of team practices while in south Florida.

“We get spoiled because we practice so well all year long,’’ he said. “Overall, these practices were right in line with what we’ve done all year, and we’re pleased. The Dolphins have a first-class facility and have given us an open-arms reception. We’re grateful for it. Things have worked out great for us here.’’

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- In his rookie season as a head coach, Jim Caldwell has said over and over that he believes in self-fulfilling prophecy. He's quoted this Chinese proverb several times:

"Be careful how you think. Your life is shaped by your thoughts."

This week he also pointed to Proverbs 23:7: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

If one thing is clear about Caldwell -- a serious, guarded and thoughtful man -- it is that he is a spiritual person, unafraid of using biblical messages to help guide his players.

Members of his staff are in line with that.

“One thing that’s neat about coaching is it makes you walk by faith, it’s not a by-sight thing,” receivers coach Clyde Christensen said. “We could be home next week and I could be unemployed. You just trust. There is a great verse in Exodus that we shared as a staff Tuesday morning: 'God doesn’t take you the most direct route.'

“He didn’t take the Israelites the most direct route to the Promised Land because they couldn’t handle it. They needed to develop some character and of course they screwed it up and took 40 years. But he didn’t take them the most direct route.”

Hearing Caldwell and Christensen early Wednesday morning, I started to think about how I view the spiritual aspect of the Colts.

Certainly the atmosphere Tony Dungy created and Caldwell inherited fosters faith. But it’s not a pushy environment and wouldn’t make someone who might be uninterested in such things uncomfortable.

That’s because when Caldwell points out a biblical passage, it typically has undeniable football and life applications. When coachable guys are offered such nuggets, they generally gobble them up.

“He’ll tell you it’s all about winning football games,” special-teams coach Ray Rychleski said. “Now he has a certain belief beyond football obviously, but he wants to send a message that helps our football team -- ‘This is how it’s been, this is what can work for us.’

“Everybody makes analogies with things and tries to compare things and that’s his way of doing it and people understand it. Whatever he’s selling, everybody’s buying into it.”

Clint Session said he feels like the bulk of the team’s roster is invested in the spiritual and biblical, that Bill Polian even works to find guys who will fit in with it.

“Guys that know, ‘Whatever this coach is telling me, it’s for a good reason,’” Session said. “… He comes out some mornings and throws a Bible verse on the board, and you look at it and think, ‘This has so much of a connection to our team and what I deal with throughout life.’

“He’s not only teaching us to be better players, he’s also teaching us to be a man with dignity and pride and integrity. Words we will be able to use throughout football and after football. When you take care of that, it’s going to show on the field.”

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- We spoke to Jerraud Powers earlier this week and he expressed no doubt about playing Sunday.

But I asked Jim Caldwell this morning if Powers had surgery and he confirmed Powers had.

Here’s the news story.

If Powers can’t play or is not effective, I think it might be a bigger concern than a limited or missing Dwight Freeney.

The depth at defensive end is better than at corner, where the Saints would surely look to target Tim Jennings if he’s the nickel and go after whoever is at dime -- Aaron Francisco (who needs surgery on both his pinkies, by the way), T.J. Rushing or Jamie Silva.

The pool report for the Colts from Peter King, who's representing the Pro Football Writers Association this week:

DAVIE, Fla. -- Veteran left guard Ryan Lilja missed the second day of the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts’ practice week Thursday with what coach Jim Caldwell called a back injury that he did not think would jeopardize the six-year-veteran’s status for Sunday’s Super Bowl match against the New Orleans Saints.

“I suspect he’ll be ready to play,’’ Caldwell said as night fell in south Florida, after the Colts’ two-hour, 15-minute practice that ended under the lights.

The severity of the injury to Lilja, who was one of 20 Colts listed on the injury report, was unclear. Seventeen of those 20 players practiced without restriction Thursday, with only defensive end Dwight Freeney (ankle) and cornerback Jerraud Powers (foot) missing any portion of practice. Both missed the entire workout while receiving treatment inside the Dolphins’ practice facility, Caldwell said.

Asked about the health of Freeney and Powers, Caldwell said: “They’re both improving rapidly.’’ Freeney said earlier in the day he may try to test his grade-three ankle sprain in Friday’s practice or during Saturday’s walkthrough.

Caldwell said this was a typical Colts’ Thursday practice, though almost all of the team’s gameplan was installed last week in Indianapolis. He said the team “wasn’t as sharp as we’d like to be,’’ though you couldn’t tell by the effectiveness of the first-team offense. In four nickel and two-minute offensive sessions in the last hour of practice, Peyton Manning completed 25 of 28 throws against a crew of Colt backups posing at the Saint scout. His last throw in one of the two-minute sessions was a perfectly thrown rollout to Dallas Clark in the end zone. It was the second straight sharp practice for Manning, prepping for his second Super Bowl start in four seasons.

“If you watch us practice,’’ Caldwell said, “the thing you notice with Peyton is the ball is not on the ground very often. The way he threw today was typical Peyton.’’

The highlight for the defense was an interception off scout-team quarterback Curtis Painter by linebacker Clint Session on a deflected pass off the hands of backup receiver Hank Baskett. To the cheers of his defensive mates, Session picked the ball off and ran up the left sideline.

For the second straight day, the Colts seemed loose and businesslike on a perfect day for football -- 71 degrees, mostly sunny with a slight wind from the east. Manning finished the last offensive drive of the day as dusk fell on the complex with a short touchdown strike to Clark.

The Colts resume practice Friday at the Dolphins complex at 2:15 p.m., with a final walk-through tuneup here Saturday.

No, I’m not passing along a link to this piece because it includes a link to one of my blog posts.

I just thought you might enjoy a take on Jim Caldwell from a much different perspective than you get here or most of the other places we generally do our Colts reading.

Robin Bates is both a big Colts fan and an English professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

His blog, "Better Living Through Beowulf," has taken a Colts turn this week, and I found this piece on Caldwell to be an interesting read.

It picks up on one point I’ve made this week: Caldwell is monotone and admittedly often intentionally unrevealing. But asked a thoughtful question on a topic he feels he has room to discuss, and you get quite a thoughtful answer. Because of his delivery it’s often better in ESPN.com’s AFC South Blog or "Better Living Through Beowulf" than it is on television, and because we want our television sound bites, he tends to be underplayed.

Curious what you think. Unless you hate it. Then keep a lid on it, OK?

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Just back from the Colts’ first media availability of Super Bowl week. Let’s start our highlights with Peyton Manning’s take on arriving early for the Pro Bowl, which he didn’t play in.

“We were told what the expectations were for coming to the Pro Bowl and I don’t know -- I got to fly on a private plane with six of my best friends and teammates, we had Ruth’s Chris steakhouse, took a private escort right into Miami, shook a few hands, had to wave, did one interview and we made $45,000. I can think of some worse things to put yourself through. ...

“We’re glad everybody’s here now and we’re ready to go.”

The popular topic was Dwight Freeney. You see a Chris Mortensen report in the post before this one and here’s the news story on what was said.

Some other highlights that don’t quite match up to that, many on familiar themes:

• Pressed for a difference between Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell, Kelvin Hayden came up with: “No eating in the meeting rooms. Coach Dungy felt like if guys were relaxed and comfortable in the meeting rooms, they’d pay attention a little more. But coach Caldwell, I guess he didn’t buy into that and he shut it down, so no eating in the meeting rooms.”
• Asked about reconciling giving up so few sacks and blocking for the 32nd-rated running team, right tackle Ryan Diem said: “I think a lot of that can come to rhythm in a game. And once you start throwing a lot, you kind of get out of that run rhythm obviously and it’s hard to get a rhythm when you only run 12-15 times a game. So I guess that’s really the only way I can explain it is that we don’t run the ball often enough to kind of feel that run rhythm that some other teams do.”
• Someone asked Gary Brackett, does anyone do as much as the Saints in terms of offensive formations and packages? “A few teams try but I don’t think they have quite the talent level that the Saints have that can spread out. Obviously Reggie Bush can play several positions. Robert Meachem is another speed guy. [Marques] Colston has the ability to be that matchup problem. They do a good job of opening up the playbook.”
• Manning was asked about another championship further validating his career: “I have the same excitement that I had three years ago. ... Your question had a lot of 'I's phrased in it. I really think of it as a we. This is our opportunity and I feel fortunate to have a number of guys on my team that you’d feel fortunate to go into any type of battle or game with. That’s kind of my approach to it and I’m sticking to that.”
• And as for the team staying in the same hotel, working on the same practice field out of the same facility as they did when they won the Super Bowl following the 2006 season, he said: "I don’t think staying in the same hotel or practicing on the same field, I certainly don’t think it helps you stop Drew Brees’ offense or figure out where Darren Sharper’s going to be.”

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Greetings from the Super Bowl XLIV press room. It’s a quality set up. The lighting is a little dim, but when one is sitting opposite Tim Graham, that can be a good thing.

Barring delays, the Colts make their official debut in about 90 minutes at their nearby hotel, where we will hear from Jim Caldwell and six players. I’ll bring you all of the necessary commentary as quickly as possible after that.

Players and coaches won’t quite be getting the full media day experience Tuesday, as heavy rain has prompted the league to move the festivities indoors. Instead of lining people up at podiums along a sideline of Sun Life Field, they’ll be inside on the club level. I suspect it will dampen the circus-like atmosphere, but we'll withhold judgment as to whether that’s a good or bad thing until after.

Offense and defense may be split up, and odds are it will be a more cramped situation than usual. But talking time is talking time, and we’ll get our questions asked.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Making a point in a conversation with his defense, Larry Coyer planted an idea and image with lasting power.

“During training camp he was talking about how balance is the key to everything and he said that he could stand on one leg and hold a TV over his head,” rookie cornerback Jacob Lacey said, chuckling at the memory. “I don’t know if he could do it. I’d like to see him try. It’d be a small TV. A hand-held TV.”

The picture of the white-haired, 66-yard old veteran coach in a Karate Kid pose pressing a Sony overhead says a lot about Coyer's first year as the Colts' defensive coordinator.

In preaching balance, Coyer reflected on a theme that has keyed a Super Bowl year and remains important as the Colts prepare for New Orleans. A once-predictable defense now mixes things up. Like new players, he plugged in and didn’t rock Indianapolis’ boat. Like his boss, Jim Caldwell, and the rest of the staff, Coyer’s been an effective teacher.

In a league where young players can sometimes experience a disconnect with old coaches, Coyer’s methods have worked quite well.

“The guy’s got a lot of life lessons and stuff that he instills in us. He’s got some pretty funny stories that he tells,” Lacey said. “He’s a great teacher, a hands-on guy. He’s been around for a while so he knows a lot of inside things."

Said veteran cornerback Kelvin Hayden: “He’s an old guy, but he brings energy. He tries to do things to get us going, especially the night before a game. He sometimes puts music on and he gets to dancing. Everybody’s watching him, laughing at him. Just to loosen guys up and let them know we’re going to take care of business but we want to have fun as well.”

And how’s the dancing?

“I think the 'Pants on the Ground' guy is better than Coach Coyer,” Hayden said.

Coyer passed on a chance to defend his moves. He politely declined interview requests last week and the Colts didn’t act on league rules that say coordinators must be available to talk weekly.

When Caldwell took over for Tony Dungy, his biggest change was at defensive coordinator. He let Ron Meeks go and brought in Coyer. The talk was of being a bit bigger and more aggressive defense.

During training camp, a coach with another team told me he expected it would take a much longer work week to prepare for a Colts defense moving forward. Dungy’s Cover 2 system was a straightforward deal, and the variations of coverages and rush packages were minimal. The Colts relied on their basics and played them well.

Under Coyer, there has been more blitzing, and more man-to-man coverage change-ups from the bedrock zone principals.


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The Colts had 20 players on their first injury report in the build up to the Super Bowl.

Three players didn’t practice: Dwight Freeney (ankle), Jerraud Powers (foot) and Jacob Tamme (ankle).

Antoine Bethea (back) was limited.

Jim Caldwell talks before practice, not after. Here’s what he told Indianapolis press about Freeney and Powers who are the two big issues.

“I do know that they’re getting better. I think Powers is really coming along. Dwight, we’ll have to work hard to get him ready, and he’s working at it. Powers has a little bit of a head start on him. Hopefully, both of them will be ready, but I’m not certain of their status at this point.”

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts don’t generally say a whole lot. Last week while preparing for the Jets, they turned it down a notch. Now, with Super Bowl XLIV approaching, they’ll really scale things back.

Peyton Manning will lead a majority of his answers with “I can’t really get into that,” or one of several alternative versions of it, mixing in good humor in a way that helps offset the dearth of actual information.

We’ll try to ask the Colts about trends, matchups, X's and O's and philosophy.

And they will tell us only what they’ve predetermined is sufficient and allowable, leaving us wanting. It’s as much a part of their strategy as they head toward Miami as their plan to protect Manning or their methods for slowing down New Orleans Saints star Reggie Bush.

“I think you’ve probably gotten a little feel for me as time has gone on,” Colts head coach Jim Caldwell said recently when asked a question about the shaping of his philosophies. “I’m not certain you get a great feel for me, because we certainly don’t allow that at times.”

So reserved are the Colts, that admission amounted to news.

From my time around the team, I’ve concluded this sort of shutdown mode -- the shield they raise -- has four sources/purposes:

• It starts with Bill Polian. The team president is a great conversationalist on broad topics, league issues and player résumés. But try to walk him down the wrong avenue -- be it about a strategy or something he considers created outside team headquarters -- and he’ll respond with a quality scowl. Caldwell and Manning aren’t scowlers, but they are in line with the philosophy and help make sure it trickles down to everyone else. Nobody’s nasty about it. They generally have a polite way of not sharing.
• They fear giving away any useful information that could somehow be put to use by an opponent.
• The less they say, the more humble they come across. And it’s important to them that they not be viewed as brash in any way.
• Polian and Manning might be allergic to cork -- their team has severe bulletin board aversion. The Colts want to ensure nothing they say lands on a photocopy machine in New Orleans, then gets passed out in the Saints' locker room.

If you want to see the full effect of these elements in action, watch and listen to youngsters on offense over the next two weeks. This week will be somewhat normal in Indianapolis. Next week in Miami will be unlike anything they've experienced, especially at Tuesday's media day. Receivers Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie, guard Kyle DeVan and running back Donald Brown might break a sweat as they attempt to be as bland as that dry toast and warm ginger ale you had after your last bout with the flu.

Center Jeff Saturday is a thoughtful, well-spoken veteran completely plugged into the plan.

“I think it’s common sense,” he said. “I think what we do offensively and what we do as a team is nobody’s business but our own until we get on the field. It doesn’t help us telling teams anything or talking about what we do or what we have done.

“They’ve got film. They can go watch it. That’s the way I’ve always looked at it. Go look at it and you decide what we’re doing. There is no reason for us to talk about it.”

So what are players advised to do in interview situations?

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INDIANAPOLIS -- For weeks I've been harping on how critical it is for the New York Jets to maintain a one-score game. That allows them to keep pounding the ball and prevents them from leaving their fate to Mark Sanchez's rookie right arm.

There's another type of one-score game the Jets must be mindful of Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

A score, as in Gettysburg address parlance, also means 20. That's been a magical number of points for the Jets. When they've surrendered 20 or more points this season, they are 0-5. When they've allowed less than 20 points, they are 11-2.

The Jets gave up an NFL best 14.8 points per game in the regular season. They've allowed 14 in each of their playoff victories over the Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers.

"It's still a burr in my saddle that we gave up seven touchdowns without the defense being on the field because that number would be less than that," Ryan said this week at the Jets' facility in Florham Park, N.J. "It's just that it shows that we understand how to keep people out of the end zone for the most part."

The most points the Jets yielded in a victory this season was 17 against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3. The Jets also held the Atlanta Falcons to 10 points in Week 15, but lost.

The Colts averaged 26 points in the regular season and posted 20 on the Baltimore Ravens last weekend.

"They score about as well as anybody," Ryan said. "So it's a huge challenge. If we're going to keep Indianapolis from scoring 14 points, that's even a stretch for me to say. I know one thing: We're darn sure going to try."

Ryan-influenced defenses have had their troubles against Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

Since Ryan joined the Ravens' defensive staff in 1999, his teams have given up an average of 26.1 points a game, not counting the Week 16 game in which Colts coach Jim Caldwell pulled Manning with almost six minutes left in the third quarter.