Tuesday rumblings and ramblings...

If Colts DE Dwight Freeney can't play (torn ligament in his ankle) I think it greatly cuts down on what the Colts want to do defensively. Freeney downplayed the significance of his absence, should it occur. His contention is that the Colts are better in their secondary and at linebacker than they were even two years ago, and less reliant on their front four. But you tell me how a team isn't affected when their best defensive player is out, or not near 100%? If this game developes into a track meet, like it could given both offenses, not having Freeney will greatly hurt the Colts, IMHO.

Big day for high school football players is coming up tomorrow. And it's a big day for college football coaches. It's National Signing Day, where scholarships are handed out and players will make or break college coaches.

Check out my latest Broo View Podcast. It's on my web site www.kenbroo.com. My gues this week is Brian McLaughlin, the recruting writer for The Sporting News. Our conversation is how the NCAA needs to bring some sanity to the process of recruting players, and how it might be a good idea to have an early signing period, much like college basketball. If you're on the fly, here's a quick link.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are everything the Cincinnati Bengals want to be. And can't. You watched the number one franchise in the NFL, maybe all of sports, stage a methodical, spirited comeback to win Super Bowl XLIII. In your wildest dreams, do you think the Bengals could do that, even in a regular season NFL game?

The Steelers are what the Bengals aren't. They have stability at head coach, just three in the last 38 years. Since 1971, only Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin have had that job. Since, 1971, the Bengals have had nine head coaches (Paul Brown, Tiger Johnson, Homer Rice, Forrest Gregg, Sam Wyche, Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet, Dick LeBeau and Marvin Lewis). Each staff has had different assistant coaches.

The Steelers have a bona fide general manager and ten fulltime scouts. The Bengals have no general manager and five full time scouts. And it's not just all on the team.

It's on you and me. Steeler fans demand excellence from their team. Bengals fans reward medicocrity, or worse. Pittsburgh fans sell out Heinz Field because they know what their team is going to do. Bengals fans sell out Paul Brown Stadium and down deep, probably know what their team is going to do as well.

I'm not a Steeler fan, never have been. You wouldn't be able to guess what NFL team I silently root for. But I admire what Pittsburgh has done over the course of the last 38 seasons. And if you can't, or won't because of jealousy, you're missing out on the big picture: winning isn't easy. It's hard work, dedication and focus. The Bengals could use a lot more of all of that.

How does Indianapolis not win this game Sunday? The way I see it, only one way: if Peyton Manning doesn't show up. If he goes to a movie theatre by mistake and gets engrossed in a film, the Bears have a chance. If Manning hits Taco Bell on the way to the stadium and it doesn't go down so well, the Bears have a chance. If, by chance, Manning is abducted by aliens and flown for a rendezvous with the Hale-Bopp Comet psychos, the Bears have a chance.

But if Manning shows up in Miami Sunday night and is the Manning we all have come to know and respect, the Bears don't have a shot.

I know all about the track record for big favorites in this game. I know if you give a good coaching staff two weeks to prepare for a giant, the giant can be slayed. But I don't see it happening Sunday.

Colts 27 Bears 14.

Just posted on my web site, the latest edition of Broo v. Broo. We get into it this week about who'll win Sunday and various other disagreements. Zip on over to www.kenbroo.com and check it out on my "Podcasts and More" page.

Also, get a grin from my latest offering "Broo Ha Ha", a weekly bit of sports humor. It's posted on the front page of www.kenbroo.com