INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Colts may not be playing in Super Bowl LX this Sunday, but Colts fans still are invested in the outcome of the Patriots vs. Seahawks matchup.
That’s because the Colts-Patriots rivalry is still front and center on Colts fans’ minds.
“I don’t root for (the) Patriots,” Colts fan, and founder of the Blue Crew, Randy Collins said. “Nobody in my family roots for the Patriots. They better not.”
For years, the Colts vs. Patriots matchups were thrilling, typically with a lot at stake. Of course, that was expected as two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, went head-to-head.
“I owned a sports grille and Patriots fans, they had my (phone) number,” Collins said. “So every time we’d lose, they’d be calling after the game, you know, and they would rub it in.”
One would think that because that both Brady and Manning have retired, the rivalry would have cooled a bit. That is not the case though.
“It was actually pretty nice when they were actually being pretty bad,” Colts fan Gary Snyder said. “But all of a sudden, now they’re good again. Now, we hate them even more.”
The players feel the rivalry too, like former Colts cornerback Marlin Jackson. Jackson was the player who intercepted Tom Brady in the AFC Championship Game 19 years ago. That interception punched the Colts’ tickets to Super Bowl XLI.
“I never found myself in a situation where I’m pulling for the New England Patriots,” Jackson said. “It’s like the same thing…. I never found myself in a scenario where I’m pulling for the Ohio State Buckeyes. You know what I’m saying? Some things you just can’t do.”
Long-time Colts fan Deb Withrow will never root for the Patriots either. She even makes a point of that each Sunday whenever Brady is broadcasting games for FOX Sports.
“When he comes on and does the games, I mute it when he talks,” Withrow said. “Because I don’t want to hear him.”
Collins, Snyder and Withrow are all obviously rooting for the Seahawks on Sunday.