**You can always find past Diary newsletters and can subscribe to new ones on Bulletin**
Colts Head Coach Frank Reich
Every hot take I gave on television last week -- please erase them. I hope they burn those show tapes. (We don’t even have tapes anymore, but I sure miss those days.) It’s how it always goes. As soon as I go all-in on teams like the Cowboys, Packers, Titans, or Bills, like I did on “Get Up!” this past week … this happens. You can’t get mad, but it goes to show you how difficult it is to predict anything. Every week is a new chapter. It’s really that time of year that makes your Thanksgiving dinner debates even more annoying because we don't know anything. The teams you thought were dominant, look weak. The teams you thought were dead, are showing signs of life. Can anyone figure this out? I’m in Buffalo right now and just watched the Bills get dismantled by the Indianapolis Colts. Bills fans headed to the exits midway through the third. The sadness there continued when the DJ played Guns N Roses "November Rain" at the end of the game as we all stood there soaking wet.
Before I catch my flight back home, one more quick stop to get some wings. This time at Anchor Bar. I know it’s very basic to get wings while I’m in Buffalo, but they are just that good. Do what makes you happy people!
Let’s get to it!
Garlic bread: A little something that tastes so good.
The Houston Texans are not a very good football team but watching QB Tyrod Taylor launch his body over two players into the end zone to score a touchdown shows some kind of pride and fight that exists. Taylor always has been known as an overall great competitor but seeing him on the field play as if it was playoffs was impressive.
Oh, the Texans also beat the Titans, who were on a six-game winning streak that included victories against the Bills, Chiefs, Rams, and Colts.
Pasta: We cook ours al dente (Al dente literally translates to “to the tooth.”). So, let’s take this literally.
Head coach Mike Zimmer said after the Vikings’ win against their division-rival Packers that he hates Sundays. He is so consistently miserable, even when he has every right to be happy, he’s annoyed. Maybe he has the right to be irritated though. Look at how many games this season the Vikings have lost or won on the final score. That is a stressful way to live life. Minnesota won a big divisional game, and as we are seeing across the league, almost every team has a chance to string together some victories to put themselves in a position that will have them dancing in 2022. Why not the Vikings?
The Sauce: The most important part of the meal. All the ingredients have to come together at the right time. Some people like it spicy, some people like it sweet, but either way the sauce is the star of the show. When it’s good, it’s memorable and delicious.
The Colts started the season laying a big egg, going 0-3 and losing to teams in the first half of the season that made us all believe that GM Chris Ballard made a huge mistake trading for quarterback Carson Wentz. Now, Indy is setting itself up as strong competitor in the AFC and peaking at the right time. Superstar running back Jonathan Taylor is dragging the Colts through the second half of the season with ease, too. What he did Sunday against the Bills was simply incredible, against the No. 1 defense in football. Taylor finished with five touchdowns.
Five freakin’ touchdowns. Was he tired? See below.
I spoke to Colts head coach Frank Reich before the game and he told me he wanted to get Taylor more touches. You think?
Taylor’s teammates were gushing over his performance. They all just wanted to discuss Taylor when we asked about the game. When your peers are in awe of what you do at this level, it usually means you did something extraordinary, which he did. Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox said: “One play at the goal line I’m blocking, and I turn my head and see him fly through the air like a f---ing superhero.”
Colts owner Jim Irsay said he texted former Colts greats Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, and Edgerrin James during the game, telling them to turn on the TV to watch what Taylor was doing. Wentz told me after the game, “It’s the least amount of work I’ve ever done.” I reminded him that his wife gave birth a few days ago and that might be the least amount of work he’s ever actually done. Just kidding.
The Colts aren’t going anywhere. Now if they can just fix their secondary …
What a meatball! Most of us really like meatballs and they are essential on our Sundays, but if you are called a “meatball” by one of my uncles, you probably did something really stupid, so this could be a play, a team, or a coach.
I have gone back and forth on this one and I’ve settled on the Bills. The Titans came really close to being the biggest meatballs of the day for losing to one of the worst teams in football after going 6-0, but the Bills’ loss feels bigger than just a loss to the Colts. The Bills have the coaching staff, the players, the continuity. This is supposed to be the year, and it still might be: The Bills are 6-4 and technically the 7th seed in the playoffs. The Patriots are now in first place in their division. Buffalo was going from a home playoff game to potentially being on the fringe with games coming up against the Saints on a short week, hosting the Patriots, at Tampa Bay, and the Patriots again over the next five weeks.
Also: All six teams playing on Thanksgiving, lost. Sunday scaries indeed!
Wings and writing.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section or Subscribe!
Subscribe to The Diary of NFL Insider Dianna Russini
