18 Plays Titans (home) Write up

Demond forgot to hit record on the game this week, so there’s no podcast.  Instead we bring you 18 Plays the old fashioned way.  It’s practically like painting on a cave wall…

FIRST QUARTER

1. 1-10-IND 25 (14:53) 18-P.Manning pass short right to 85-P.Garcon to TEN 48 for 27 yards (22-V.Fuller). TEN-22-V.Fuller was injured during the play.
   • Two WRs right.  Ugoh gives up serious pressure, but Manning steps up (this becomes a major theme of the game) and fires hard out to Collie who can’t hang on. The ball goes off his hands and Garcon is in the right place at the right time.  Manning is excellent at avoiding one rusher.  Generally, if four of the five guys on the line can do their jobs, Manning can avoid a sack.  Trouble comes when there are multiple fails.
2. 3-6-TEN 44 (13:56) (Shotgun) 18-P.Manning pass deep right to 85-P.Garcon to TEN 8 for 36 yards (33-M.Griffin).
   • Indy goes four wide on third down.  Diem gives up a big rush this time, but Manning steps up and avoids the rush.  The Titans have a safety over the top and they are clearly worried about Garcon going long.  Frenchy stops and cuts inside, running a nice route.  Nick Harper stumbles around and Garcon continues to pick up yardage after the catch.
3. 3-3-TEN 36 (11:47) 28-C.Johnson right end to TEN 39 for 3 yards (33-M.Bullitt).
   • The Titans run to the right and Melvin Bullitt does an incredible job making the play twice.  First he cuts in and forces Johnson to the inside.  Then he spin off the block and makes the play knocking Johnson down nearly a yard short  of the yellow line.  The spot is unconscionable.  This was a great defensive stand, and I think that had the Colts challenged, they would have won.  The problem is that the truck never showed the replay, and my understanding is that coaches upstairs are dependent on the game production.  Why isn’t there a coach with a DVR in the box who is checking each play himself?  There were lots of terrible calls both ways in this game, but this spot was easily the worst.
4. 3-2-IND 2 (6:42) (Run formation) 10-V.Young pass incomplete short right to 85-N.Washington [99-A.Johnson].
   • The Titans’ drive stalls as Mookie knifes in and hits Young at the ankles as he throws.  He forced Young to throw quick and without stepping into the throw.  The result is a wild toss and a field goal for the Titans.
5. 2-3-TEN 35 (4:10) (Run formation) 10-V.Young pass incomplete deep left to 85-N.Washington.
   • Indy catches a break as Washington just flat drops the ball.  This looked like maybe a miscommunication between Powers and Bethea.  Bethea was back deep, but never bothered to pick up Washington.  Powers just got beat, but shouldn’t he have had help?  It’s impossible to know without the coaches’ tape.
6. 3-10-IND 47 (1:15) (Shotgun) 10-V.Young sacked at TEN 45 for -8 yards (93-D.Freeney).
   • Indy comes with the blitz, which means the back who is in to block has to account for Clint Session, leaving Freeney 1 on 1 on the outside.  Dwight wins that battle.
7. 1-10-IND 23 (:38) PENALTY on IND-71-R.Diem, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at IND 23 – No Play.

SECOND QUARTER

8. 3-8-TEN 10 (12:34) (Shotgun) 18-P.Manning pass short left to 29-J.Addai to TEN 1 for 9 yards (31-C.Finnegan).
   • This time it’s Ugoh giving up a serious rush on Manning (our tackle play is the single biggest weakness).  Manning steps up in the pocket (because Saturday is having an incredible year), and finally finds Joe out in the flat.  Addai takes on two guys and spins free down to the one, picking up a huge first down.
9. 3-2-TEN 46 (9:59) (Shotgun) 18-P.Manning pass incomplete short left to 44-D.Clark (33-M.Griffin)
   • Indy goes 5 wide with Clark on the outside left.  He cuts in right at the marker and simply drops the pass.  Caldwell elects to punt.  I get mad.  In the playoffs, they had better go for that.
10. 3-5-TEN 43 (5:54) (Shotgun) 10-V.Young pass short right intended for 18-K.Britt INTERCEPTED by 27-J.Lacey [41-A.Bethea] at IND 48. 27-J.Lacey ran ob at TEN 42 for 10 yards.
    • Indy goes with the blitz with Freeney lined up at DT (uh, Vince…AUDIBLE TO A RUN!).  Freeney stunts and gets great pressure on Young, forcing him to run to his right.  Bethea drops down as the spy and forces Vince to throw the ball.  Young sees Britt open for the first down, but Britt just stands there.  Lacey is covering him and jumps inside of the receiver for an easy pick.  The more I watched this play, the more I think it was at least as much on Britt as Young. 
11. 3-1-TEN 33 (4:49) 29-J.Addai right tackle to TEN 30 for 3 yards (53-K.Bulluck).
    • After another poor spot by the officials (what an awful crew), Indy faced third and inches.  They go with two TEs and run the ball with Addai.  Lilja just gets DESTROYED by Brown who has Addai dead to rights in the backfield.  Joe jukes him, and busts through for the first behind a solid push by the right side (Saturday, DeVan, Diem).  Incredible run by Addai who continues to do everything the team needs.
12. 3-1-IND 6 (:24) 10-V.Young pass short right to 18-K.Britt for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
    • Indy blitzes, but it doesn’t land and can’t disrupt Young.  Britt just runs a slant and Lacey has great, tight coverage, but the only defense for that route is to disrupt the rhythm of the QB.  A good throw is a touchdown every time.

.   1-10-TEN 45 (:10) 18-P.Manning pass incomplete short right to 85-P.Garcon [97-T.Brown]. PENALTY on TEN-97-T.Brown, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced at TEN 45.

• Major league dumbassery.  After Garcon trips on what would have been a nice pick up, Brown just loses his cool. Stupid.  The 15 yards put Indy in FG range and helped kill any momentum the Titans would have gotten from scoring to end the half and getting the second half kick off.  Brown probably should have been tossed, but the crew was too incompetent do anything right.

THIRD QUARTER

14. 1-10-TEN 33 (8:55) 18-P.Manning pass short left to 17-A.Collie pushed ob at TEN 32 for 1 yard (22-V.Fuller). PENALTY on IND-87-R.Wayne, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at TEN 32.
    • Collie lines up in the slot left.  They swing the ball out to him and Reggie Wayne picks up possibly the weakest holding call of all time.  You can sort of see what the official thinks he saw, which was Wayne grabbing the jersey of the defender, but from a better angle you can see it was basically a clean block.  Bad call knocks Indy into no man’s land and leads to a missed FG.
15. 3-3-IND 35 (4:08) 10-V.Young pass incomplete deep right to 18-K.Britt. PENALTY on IND-27-J.Lacey, Defensive Pass Interference, 20 yards, enforced at IND 35 – No Play.
    • Hey, it’s another awful call!  The safety is late coming over to help Lacey, who puts his hand out and touches the arm of Britt.  Again, you can see what the official THINKS he saw, but it’s clear that Lacey did not grab Britt and in no way impeded his progress.  Instead of the Titans facing fourth down, they got the ball at the 15.  This crew had a horrible day.  Ron Winter should not be allowed within 500 miles of a playoff game.
16. 4-2-IND 2 (1:05) 10-V.Young pass incomplete short left to 18-K.Britt (25-J.Powers)
    • Another Indy blitz forces Young to throw quickly.  They run a fade route, and Powers jumps up and clearly smacks Britt in the facemask as the ball is in the air.  It was a stupid play call.  It was probably pass interference, unless the officials were ruling that the ball was thrown out of bounds, and the catch could not have been made.  If nothing else, it should have been illegal hands to face.  Awful crew.  Worst I’ve seen in a long time.  They simply stank all day in all aspects of their job.

FOURTH QUARTER

17. 4-5-IND 14 (10:41) (Shotgun) 10-V.Young pass incomplete short right to 87-L.Hawkins.
    • Indy goes with the jail break blitz, initially bringing 7 guys (though one drops back into coverage after forcing a blocker to account for him).  Young just panics and throws the ball away.  All this blitzing would have been DESTROYED by Phil River or Tom Brady.  Vince Young?  He couldn’t handle it.
18. 3-5-IND 31 (8:32) (Shotgun) 18-P.Manning pass short left to 87-R.Wayne to TEN 46 for 23 yards (26-K.Kaesviharn).
    • Indy salts the game away.  The Colts go four wide with Clark in the slot left alongside Wayne.  Manning gets great blocking and Clark runs a pick (legal) to screen Finnegan off of Wayne.  Reggie cuts inside, makes the catch and streaks downfield for big yardage.  Wayne was quiet most of the day, but when the Colts needed him late, he was there.