Oswlek
Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal
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I put this in this thread, but it seemed to die there.
I'm sure that this isn't going to go over well with out Indy brethren, but Indy's D wasn't nearly as good as some want to make it out to be yesterday. They were largely just the beneficiaries of some of the worst quarterbacking one will ever see.
I have to admit that I didn't watch all that much of the first half, so some of this may be a tad bit off, but I don't expect it to be by much. Anyway, there are a few plays that I want to highlight:
* On Bob Sanders' int, the WR nearest looked open because Sanders was playing the ball instead of running to where the WR was, but no one was anywhere near Gray and he had plenty of time to find the underneath guy who looked open to me.
* On the other int, the WR would have been able to waltz into the EZ had the pass been where it was supposed to be. He blew right past the CB and the one safety on the field was nowhere near the play. Instead the ball was underthrown by about 10 yards (if not more) and on a line, so the WR had no chance a play of any kind. Easy completion for big yardage most of the time - and not just with Brady/Manning throwing the ball.
* On the drive after the tipped Manning int, there were two plays that I can remember. 1) A WR was free on a slant pattern - he had inside position and no one was in the throwing lane - but despite the WR only being 7 yards downfield the ball was still off by 4 yards. 2) The play either just before of after that one, Gray dumped it into a guy who had two guys right on him despite the WR in the zone beyond that one being completely free.
The other negative that seemed exploitable was Indy's selling out to stop the run. Jax came in with a decent plan to pass on 1st down to take advantage of this selling out, and they would have been more successful had they any real threats at WR. Once the human misfire took over and Indy extended their lead, it was all over.
I can say unequvically that if Indy covers like that against NE that the Pats will slap a 40-spot on the board.
Now, that said, I was very impressed with Indy's running game. I knew that it was improved, but I didn't realize just how improved it is. They took it to a good Jax front and just mauled 'em. That Kenton or Toby Keith kid looks like a decnt player, not just a product of the system. Unless my eyes deceived me, I saw a lot more power running from Indy rather than just stretch-stretch-stretch.
NE is going to have to get their tackling issues taken care of because Indy will be hard to keep under 30 points themselves.
Edit to add: Indy's defense is still quite a bit better than they have been in a while. They have maintained the swarming aggressiveness that they picked up in the playoffs last year. Their tackling has improved immensly, and their run D is obviously a lot better as well. I just wasn't impressed at all with their pass coverage.
Where Indy may catch a huge break is if Watson misses this game. Welker is a bad matchup for them, but Welker and Watson is a matchup *nightmare*.
I'm sure that this isn't going to go over well with out Indy brethren, but Indy's D wasn't nearly as good as some want to make it out to be yesterday. They were largely just the beneficiaries of some of the worst quarterbacking one will ever see.
I have to admit that I didn't watch all that much of the first half, so some of this may be a tad bit off, but I don't expect it to be by much. Anyway, there are a few plays that I want to highlight:
* On Bob Sanders' int, the WR nearest looked open because Sanders was playing the ball instead of running to where the WR was, but no one was anywhere near Gray and he had plenty of time to find the underneath guy who looked open to me.
* On the other int, the WR would have been able to waltz into the EZ had the pass been where it was supposed to be. He blew right past the CB and the one safety on the field was nowhere near the play. Instead the ball was underthrown by about 10 yards (if not more) and on a line, so the WR had no chance a play of any kind. Easy completion for big yardage most of the time - and not just with Brady/Manning throwing the ball.
* On the drive after the tipped Manning int, there were two plays that I can remember. 1) A WR was free on a slant pattern - he had inside position and no one was in the throwing lane - but despite the WR only being 7 yards downfield the ball was still off by 4 yards. 2) The play either just before of after that one, Gray dumped it into a guy who had two guys right on him despite the WR in the zone beyond that one being completely free.
The other negative that seemed exploitable was Indy's selling out to stop the run. Jax came in with a decent plan to pass on 1st down to take advantage of this selling out, and they would have been more successful had they any real threats at WR. Once the human misfire took over and Indy extended their lead, it was all over.
I can say unequvically that if Indy covers like that against NE that the Pats will slap a 40-spot on the board.
Now, that said, I was very impressed with Indy's running game. I knew that it was improved, but I didn't realize just how improved it is. They took it to a good Jax front and just mauled 'em. That Kenton or Toby Keith kid looks like a decnt player, not just a product of the system. Unless my eyes deceived me, I saw a lot more power running from Indy rather than just stretch-stretch-stretch.
NE is going to have to get their tackling issues taken care of because Indy will be hard to keep under 30 points themselves.
Edit to add: Indy's defense is still quite a bit better than they have been in a while. They have maintained the swarming aggressiveness that they picked up in the playoffs last year. Their tackling has improved immensly, and their run D is obviously a lot better as well. I just wasn't impressed at all with their pass coverage.
Where Indy may catch a huge break is if Watson misses this game. Welker is a bad matchup for them, but Welker and Watson is a matchup *nightmare*.