Non-Manning Thoughts on the Game

Thanks to Derek Schultz of XL950 for sharing that beauty with us.

Peyton is the best.  We all saw it.  He’s the MVP this year, and in 50 years most of us that can still remember anything will remember this season as his greatest no matter what happens from here on out.  Let’s talk about the rest of the game:

• I found Gonzo’s night to be enlightening.  I expected a big game from him, but in the end, he posted a very Marvin-like 4 for 38 yards. In other words, Gijon Robinson had a better night.  Perhaps Marvin’s numbers have more to do with the role of the #2 in the offense right now.
• Only 5 players caught balls. That seems very low to me.  Right now, Manning trusts who he trusts.
• Reggie Wayne has shown up large the last two weeks.  I’m wondering if he’s finally healthy.
• The Jags completed 10 passes to Tight Ends.  The Colts cannot win in January if Brackett doesn’t play.  We said this would be a massive problem and it continues to be one.
• More predictable:  AV yanking the 30 yarder or hitting the 45 yarder?
• Del Rio was going for two if the Jags had scored.  Thank God for Dwight Freeney.
• I say it every week, but don’t ever be fooled into thinking that Dom is better than a healthy Addai. 14 for 27.  Ouch.  In fairness, Walter Payton would struggle behind this line.
• Three holding calls in three games for Pollack.  He’s young, but if he’s improving, it isn’t showing up in the run game.  A run right is almost a sure loss.
• Ugoh failed on one of the third and shorts.
• One of the little things the offense did was take up a deceptive amount of clock. The final ToP was 32-28 Jags, which isn’t bad considering they had drives of 9:35 and 7:58 AND two straight possessions in the fourth quarter thanks to the pick.  The Colts countered with zero three and outs on the day.
• I believe it was Demond who insisted on predicting that MJD would wear out in the second half.  In the final half he had 25 yards on 7 carries.  Nice call.  He did have 4 catches as well, but wound up injured on the field to kill 10 key seconds.  He isn’t an every down back.  That much is clear.
• The D was putrid, gawd-awful bad for three quarters and then suddenly caught fire.  It’s disturbing how little pressure there has been for the last two weeks.  If I had to guess (and I haven’t rewatched either game), I would say Mathis and Freeney are getting doubled and teams are just running short patterns to TEs and RBs and #1 WRs on most plays. Suddenly, the Colts can’t cover TEs without Brackett, and that means teams can exploit the D.  In the last two weeks the Colts have given up 17 passes to #1 WRs, 14 to RBs, 12 to TEs, and only 8 to other WRs.  Again, it’s just a guess, but that would be my initial reaction as to why there has been less pressure.  Extra men in blocking means fewer WRs in the pattern and more screens and short crap.
• Normally, a rational person would look at this team and say that there is a definite ceiling.  The problem is that ceiling is about 6 wins.  Now they have 11.  Go figure.
• I’m pulling for at least a half of football from the starting offense.  My fear with going all out in week 17 is that the Colts seem to have some one blow a ligament every time they step on the field.  I would like to see the O just try and work on the run though.
• God help you Denver. If you take the lead in two weeks, you’d better go up 28. Anything less and you should be afraid.

Links:
Marevez is riding the train.

I find Frennete a little condescending.

Bill Simmons likes the Horse more than I do.  What the hell is going on here?

Kuharsky looks at the stats and the coverage.

Judge goes out on a limb to say that Dungy is great.

Nice quote by Mike Peterson on regaining his starting role after Darryl Smith went down with a groin injury:  “It’s not a time to make it spicy, one of my bro’s is down.  I don’t want to celebrate on nothing like that.”  (Orlando Sentinel)

The Colts have had fewer opposition penalties than any team in football.  Weird.

Vince Young Files has taken on a whole new meaning.  But seriously. . . Is attempting to cash in on VY really a winning business model?

Kuharsky schools a Texans fan.  Atta boy.

Demond Sanders:  Ask Vic continues his long-held tradition of printing a snippet of our comments out of context.  After he ripped the city of Indianapolis for the 1000th time for stealing the Colts I wrote him this:  “You do realize that Baltimore stole the Colts from Dallas in 1953?  The truth is franchises have been moving from town to town since the very beginning of professional sports.  I would think someone from Jacksonville of all places would be keenly aware of that.”  It is worth noting that the Colts have now been in Indy for 25 years which is nearly as long as they were in Baltimore.