10 With Them: Naptown's Finest

Jonathan and Mike from Naptown’s Finest were nice enough to respond to 10 of my Chiefs-Colts questions. Quality stuff! You’ll be able to find my responses to 10 of their questions here.

10. Herm Edwards and Tony Dungy are a lot a like. I played football and always wonder how these guys motivate without raising their voices or cursing. Any ideas?

"You have to act like you’ve been there…and Tony’s definitely been there. There’s no telling why Herm acts the way he does."

9. Sean Salisbury recently said Bob Sanders is the most important player to his team in the NFL. Who was more vital during last year’s Super Bowl run: Bob or Peyton Manning?

"No matter how full of it Sean Salisbury can be, he’s right about this one: Bob Sanders is the most lethal defensive player in the league. And that’s not even counting his play. It’s his attitude and intensity that fired that Super Bowl run up! Peyton was just a really good QB last postseason, but Bob led the team to the big win. The Ravens game being the case-in-point when it was 15-6 and absolutely no offensive scoring on either side. And let’s not forget the Chiefs first first-down coming in the 3rd quarter of the Wild Card game."

8. Is Marvin Harrison really that hurt? Or is he just really that soft?

"A 100% healthy Marvin by playoffs or an 85% Marvin now, when it doesn’t really matter that much? The Colts are making the playoffs in some way, shape or form, so why not make sure he’s healthy? And everyone knows Marvin’s soft, but how many times do you see Moss or Owens take a hit? Moss ducks under and bows out-of-bounds from just as many tackles as Marvin does. You don’t become great on talent alone; keeping yourself healthy is key."

7. Do you guys honestly think Dallas Clark is as good as Tony Gonzalez?

"Maybe not better when it comes to catching a pass, but definitely better in terms of versatility. How often do you see Gonzalez line up in the slot or behind whoever the Chiefs have under center that week in the fullback position?"

6. As outsiders, give us a few passing thoughts on Brodie Croyle, the Chiefs’ new starting quarterback?

"Who? Sorry, we’re all getting pretty confused as he’s something like the 51st QB change this season so far. Seriously, if the Chiefs can learn to build around him, Croyle is young enough and talented enough to become a franchise QB in K.C. More power to him…just not this week though. This week, we pray he crashes and burns."

5. What Chiefs players stand out to you guys?

"Priest Holmes! He’s an amazing player (when healthy), and he’s one of the few guys in the league that you can tell plays for the love of the game…and then a paycheck. He just wants to play some football. Hoosiers admire that purity of sport. And Jared Allen is aces in our book, too, especially since he put down the bottle and moved into a retirement community in his mid-20s. We admire that kind of audacity."

4. Are the Colts screwed without Dwight Freeney? I know we’d be screwed without Jared Allen (we were 0-2 without him). We might be screwed with him.

"That’s the great thing about the Tampa 2 defense. Simeon Rice is going to fill that void (though not completely…that’s a damn big void to fill), no matter how old or broken he is because he’s already familiar with Dungy’s defensive philosophy. Besides, with Rice over on the right, maybe everyone will finally notice Robert Mathis a little bit more. That guy’s good."

3. I’ve never been a fan of domes when it comes to football. How can the RCA Dome even compete with a stadium and atmosphere like Arrowhead?

"Since ’85, Indy’s worked with what they were given: a dome. And when that dome is full there is nothing like that crowd echoing off the teflon-coated fiberglass roof. Next year, we’ll have a fully retractable-roof stadium built so we’re out in the elements more times than not. Besides, it’s a “good thing” then that your stadium Chiefs are coming into our loud and proud Colts dome this Sunday!"

2. Is Peyton Manning the best quarterback in the NFL? The best player?

"No question, Peyton is the best in the league today. He doesn’t just memorize his responsibilities, but he memorizes his teammates responsibilities, as well. What’s more, he memorizes other defenses inside and out, not to mention individual giants like Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis (he still can’t seem to figure out Asante Samuel, though). That’s his main edge over every other player in the league…not to mention, have you seen his stats?"

1. Give me your prediction for the big game this Sunday?

"To be honest, “big games” around Indy are games like those against New England, but if it’s a “big game” to Chief fans then we’ll go ahead and call it a “big game” here in Indy, too. The only “big” thing about this game is how our third-stringers and practice-squad graduates will hold up when we beat your healthy (4-5) Chiefs, 31-17."