R-E-S-P-E-C-T?

We're only a handful of days away from the Colts playing for a trip to their 2nd Super Bowl, yet a lot of the talk this week has revolved around a perceived lack of national respect for Indy.

My response: who cares?

Let's face facts - the Colts aren't the story. In fact, out of the four remaining teams in the playoffs, the Colts are the least interesting.

Take a look at the Jets, Indy's counterpart for the AFC Championship game. They have a brash, honest-to-a-fault head coach in Rex Ryan, plus a confident, ball-hawking defense and physical rush offense. They're also a five-seed that was left for dead after scoring just seven points against a Falcons' team that had already learned they would not make the postseason in Week 15. Oh, and did I mention they're from New York?

Over in the NFC, the New Orleans Saints have been the Los Angeles Clippers of the league for years. They're one of the only pro sports teams that I know of with a negative connotation nickname (Ain'ts). But, the fans have rallied around the Saints since Hurricane Katrina ravaged their city just three short years ago. New Orleans' high-powered offense (this decade's "Greatest Show on Turf"), led by the likeable Drew Brees, has them a game within their first Super Bowl.

The Vikings have Brett Favre. Brett Favre, people! He of the Wrangler jeans, vicodin-addictions, and crocodile tears. Favre is always a story. Despite a lot of success on the football field (Minnesota has been to eight Conference Title games), the Vikings have NEVER won a Super Bowl. They have exciting players all over the field like Percy Harvin, Adrian Peterson, and Jared Allen.

Indianapolis is making its third Conference Title game appearance in seven years. Peyton Manning just won his fourth MVP. They've won at least 12 games in seven straight seasons. They've won an NFL-record 115 games over the past decade. The Colts won the Super Bowl three years ago, something that the three other teams remaining in the playoffs have combined to do just once in their collective 136-season existence, and zero times in the last forty years. Yawn.

Been there, done that. Nobody cares.

The only thing that matters is being front page news on the morning of February 7th.