Old rivals Jets, Colts meet in AFC showdown

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It's almost like a midseason game between division rivals. Almost.

Not since the 1969 Super Bowl have the Colts and Jets met in a game as important as today's first-round AFC matchup at the Meadowlands. It seems fitting that the longtime division rivals from the AFC East would collide in the playoffs of their first season apart.

Indianapolis switched to the AFC South in the 2002 realignment, then earned a wild-card berth with a 10-6 record. New York stayed put and rallied from the depths of the East to win the division at 9-7.

"They know us, we know them," said Curtis Martin, the Jets' star running back. "And the thing is that both teams have gotten better. So it is going to be a war."

In addition, the two coaches are close friends. Tony Dungy, who was fired by Tampa Bay a year ago and then hired by the Colts, has known Herman Edwards since 1977, when both played in a college all-star game. Dungy hired Edwards as his assistant head coach and defensive backfield coach in 1996 with the Bucs, and Edwards spent five years there before taking over the Jets.

"Well, we know them," Edwards said, referring to the Colts. "We know them on offense. Their offense really has not changed. Their defense is similar to Tampa's defense.

"I think I know the coach down there."

The Colts hold a 38-26 edge over the Jets since the NFL-AFL merger. But this will be the first time Dungy has faced off with Edwards as head coaches -- and the first time two black head coaches worked against each other in a playoff game.

"We're both old school, and we have the same philosophy and believe in the same things," Dungy said. "We both believe in fundamental football and winning in a simple kind of way. We both believe in how you do things, rather than the end result, because things will come if you do things right."

The Colts did a lot of things correctly on defense this season, surging from near the bottom of the league to eighth overall, second against the pass. While Dungy says those rankings can be misleading, he has overseen a renaissance that should make the Colts a championship contender for a while -- particularly if the Peyton Manning-Marvin Harrison-Edgerrin James offense remains intact.

The Colts have won some big games on the road, most notably against the Eagles and Broncos while going 5-3 away from Indianapolis. Just like the Jets, who are 11-5 on the road in the regular season under Edwards, the Colts don't get frightened by foreign locales.

"We've done it," tackle Tarik Glenn said. "We've gone into Philadelphia. We've gone into Denver. We've won those games."

Adds Manning: "For whatever reason, we seem to have played our best football on the road, which is going to be a good thing going into the playoffs, because we're going on the road."

It's always nice to see some familiar faces on the road, isn't it? Well, maybe not in this case.