Manning vs. Brady. Belichick vs. Dungy. Cut that meat. Fourth-and-2. “Throw the damn flag.” Willie McGinest stops Edgerrin James. The Manning Face. Mike Vanderjagt. Adam Vinatieri. Super Bowl 41½.

While the Patriots have had longer-running feuds with other teams, over the better part of the last decade, no rivalry defined the NFL better than Patriots and Colts: From 2001 until 2010, every time the two teams met, it was always important. On most occasions, it was the rarest of sports events: a rivalry that actually lived up to the hype. Two teams who were at the height of their powers, using each other as a measuring stick for what defines a truly great team.

But now, with the firing of Indy vice chairman Bill Polian earlier this offseason and Tuesday's news that quarterback Peyton Manning will be released, it officially brings down the curtain on a long-running drama that never failed to provide must-see TV. Whether it was a regular-season showdown (usually with home-field advantage on the line), division title or conference championship, Patriots-Colts was always Masterpiece Theatre in shoulder pads for a decade, dominated by larger-than-life players and immense story lines.

Even after Indianapolis was shuffled out of the AFC East to the AFC South at the start of the 2002 season, it was no coincidence that the league made sure they continued to meet on a fairly regular basis during the regular season -- usually during sweeps month in November to maximize TV dollars.

“They always seem to mean something,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said in 2010 on the eve of the last New England-Indy game to feature Brady against Manning.

“It’s been a great rivalry for a lot of reasons,” Brady added. “We’ve played so many meaningful games against them. … I think whenever you have the opportunity to play teams that have been as good as they have been over the years, it’s always a great challenge for us. You kind of look at them and say, ‘Ok, well, how do we measure up against a really good team?’ ”

In all, from 2001 until 2010, the Manning/Belichick/Brady combination met 15 times, including 12 regular-season games. The Patriots went 7-5 in regular-season matchups and 2-1 in the postseason. In that stretch, only two of those games -- 2005 and 2006 regular-season wins in Foxboro for the Colts -- could be classified as less-than-memorable affairs. (Even 2008, the game without Brady, came down to the fourth quarter.) Some of the highlights:

•The Patriots' Super Bowl run in 2001 started when Mo Lewis knocked Drew Bledsoe sideways, but players on that team will tell you it really began when Bryan Cox blasted Indianapolis receiver Jerome Pathon in Tom Brady's first career professional start, a hit that kickstarted New England's run to glory.

•In 2003 and 2004, there were the two regular-season meetings -- both classics -- and two memorable playoff games. The Patriots won all four of the contests, usually in the most dramatic ways possible. At that point, it looked for all the world that Manning and the Colts would end up being a perennial punchline for the Patriots, who always seemed to get the better of them when it counted.

•But in 2006, it was the Colts' turn, as a late rally in the AFC title -- sparked by Manning -- ended up propelling them past the Patriots and into the Super Bowl. It was that loss that ultimately provided New England for the fuel the following year. And despite falling behind Indy in a November 2007 clash, the Patriots gutted one out against their rivals to keep their perfect season alive.

•In 2009, it was Manning and the Colts who prevailed, a victory that was assured after Bill Belichick made the controversial call to go for it on fourth-and-2 late in the game. The following season saw the last great Colts-Patriots game involving Manning, an underrated contest between the two that saw New England secure things after Manning threw a fourth-quarter interception.

Even if Manning returned to the rivalry in 2012, it would have had a different feel. (Like Roger Clemens when he returned to the Yankees in 2007.) This offseason has already seen several of Indy's key players in the drama step aside, as Polian and Manning join a group that will likely include veterans Jeff Saturday and Reggie Wayne, all in an attempt for the Colts to start the rebuilding process.

Several teams will kick the tires on Manning going forward, and the quarterback could again serve as the foil to Brady at least twice a season if he does land in the AFC East. (And wouldn't it be interesting if he ultimately landed in Florham Park with Rex Ryan?) And when it comes to the Brady-Manning rivalry, it's important to remember that even after Wilt Chamberlain left Philadelphia for the Lakers, he was still the closest thing Bill Russell had to a historical counterpoint.

But in the end, the conclusion of the Manning era in Indianapolis means that while we'll always get a chance to enjoy the reruns in syndication, when it comes to Patriots-Colts, one of the NFL's longest-running dramas has officially come to an end.