Just hours from kickoff, the storm has begun to brew over Gillette Stadium. The clouds and the rain have steadied as game time inches inches closer. Cars began polka-doting the parking lots as early as noon and have only filled in more since. For the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, it has come down to this, a one game season, for the chance to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
After a week of preparation, lets go three a piece in looking at some of the key players that will take the field tonight for the Pats and Colts. First up the Pats.
Josh Kline, OG
Normally this is not a name that would pop as “key” in a playoff game. However, what is “key” is the loss of starting center Bryan Stork. The rookie helped stabilized the line after taking over starting duties in Week 4. Stork left the Divisional Round playoff game last week versus the Ravens with a knee injury after being rolled up on.
With his departure, starting right guard Ryan Wendell shifted over to center (the position he manned for the past two seasons) and Kline filled the gap on the right. Kline performed admirably and the Patriots ultimately beat the Ravens 35-31. If the Patriots want to make an impact on the ground Kline will have to play strong.
Brandon Browner, CB
Browner has had a solid and colorful first season with the Patriots. The physical corner has been hit almost gamely with some sort of penalty, however he has helped bring a swagger to the defense after missing the first four games of the season to suspension. Despite his missed time (seven games overall) he still has tallied 26 tackles and an interception and six passes broken up. With that said, Browner last week’s playoff victory as well with a knee injury. He has been listed as probable for the AFC Championship, but there is still room for concern.
Browner’s replacement last week was Logan Ryan, the second year man out of Rutgers. While leading the team in interceptions last season, Ryan has regressed to some degree in year two. On the nearly game capping play, Ryan was beat by Ravens receiver Torry Smith but was saved by safety Duron Harmon who intercepted what could have surely been a touchdown pass.
Akeem Ayers, LB
A mid-season addition to the team after a trade with the Tennessee Titans, Ayers has performed admirably for the Patriots. He has appeared in nine games, starting four and tallied 15 tackles and four sacks. Despite his production especially in the wake of losing veteran starter Jerod Mayo in Week 6, Ayers did not appear much in the playoff game last week, only making one tackle. He could see an increase in time tonight.
And here is a glimpse at the visitor’s sideline and the Indianapolis Colts.
Dan Herron, RB
Also known as “Boom”, Herron has been key for the Colts down the stretch. In their Week 11 match-up, the Colts top-two running back were Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson. Bradshaw has since landed on IR after breaking his leg in the game versus the Patriots. Richardson, has been ruled out of the game for a personal reason and did not make the trip to Massachusetts with the rest of his teammates.
In their absence, there has been the rise of “Boom”. With three starts down the stretch, Herron has given the Colts a more traditional running attack. In their Divisional Round win over the Denver Broncos, Herron rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown, in addition to catching eight passes for 32 yards. Herron could pose a threat to the Patriots run defense who was gashed last week by Justin Forsett.
Dwayne Allen, TE
Fellow tight end Colby Fleener has been the big man as of late for the Colts. Especially with his seven catch 144 yard performance against the Patriots in Week 11. But the key tight end in this second bout will be Allen. Hobbled by injuries throughout the season, most notably a high ankle sprain, Allen is a red-zone threat. At 6’3″, 265-pounds, Allen has notched 29 receptions for 395 yards and a career high eight touchdowns. In last week’s win over Denver, Allen had four catches for 30 yards and a touchdown.
Sergio Brown, S
The saga of Sergio and Gronk comes full circle in tonight’s game. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski had a big game in the Week 11 match-up, especially his huge effort touchdown near the end of the first half in which he bested Brown for the touchdown. Later in the game, things got chippy as Gronk viciously blocked Brown out of bounds.
Postgame, when Gronk was asked about the play, he answered, “(Brown) was yappin’ at me the whole time, so I took him and threw him out of the club.” The play ultimately landed Gronk with a $8,268 fine by the league.
After the game, Brown responded via Twitter. Most notably writing in one tweet, “It’s OK someone has to b the villain. I take that job. As long as ya’ll know that boy had straps on him.”
Brown would later delete the Tweets but with a rematch on the horizon, Brown was eager to stoke the fire again saying to CSNNE.com that he would like to return the favor.
“Of course I would,” Brown said. “But you know it’s just football. I’m an aggressive football player and I would like to play well.”
