No Realistic Predictions?

[MoLewisrocks]

Colts fans have selective memories. It's less likely they can muster 38 points against a Patriots D that added Thomas in the offseason and has Rodney Harrison back at SS and Junior Seau in the LB rotation and Randall Gay as it's nickle CB and a youngster like Merriweather lying in the weeds. Particularly not with a less than healthy Marvin and a rookie slot receiver and a ? at LT.

The Colts have sputtered somewhat on offense so far this season, but facing a number of QB'less opponents have been able to wear down the competition and put up some points late. They won't have the luxury of sputtering on Sunday because they are facing a HOF QB who managed to put up points against essentially this D even when his best available receiving weapons were the Redskins 5th WR this season and his own 4th WR this season and a 35 year old slot receiver who remains on PUP after having his balky knee dealt with in the off season.

Colts fans can't seem to grasp the simple fact that they have never faced this offense, and they didn't beat this defense in 2006. Or in 2005 for that matter.

But then again look at the screen name this dunderhead selected. Can you imagine naming yourself after a mediot whose sanity, nevermind objectivity, even most of his peers are now questioning. Unfortunately that is the nature of the Indy fan base since 2005. Larger than ever yet dumber than a brick.

A couple of things I'll be watching in this game are how Randy fares against another cover 2 - he did OK last week when we practiced against the 'Skins. And Deion opined a few weeks ago that uber-talent WR's love Cover 2. The Colts 2 young CB's are bigger and more physical than their predecessors. However using them to advantage against this speedy receiving corps may be easier said than done since Polian chose to lobby for the handcuffing of bigger physical corners back when he didn't have any (and we did). Vic Carrucci was on WEEI yesterday recalling a conversation he had with Polian at the time where he pointed out to him that the rules emphasis he initiated might one day haunt him were his own secondary to become more physical...

 

[chrisfx811]

True, the Pats offense is MUCH better this year. But the Colts defense is MUCH better this year. NE also had a defensive TD in that game, and a couple of long kick returns from Hobbs to get those 34 points. You can't count on any or all of those things happening again.

I'll disagree that the Colts defense is MUCH better than it was in the AFCCG.
I don't see it. I see them being as good as they were then, and possibly having refined their tackling. They have not faced an offense worth it's salt yet this year unless you consider the Saints as good as last year.

As pointed out, we've proved we can score on the Skins, Chargers, and Cowboys. 2 of those teams have balanced offenses, capable of keeping the ball away from an offense against many teams. The Colts are better on offense than both those teams for sure.

Now look at the Colts schedule and find me one, just one, solitary example of the Colts defense squaring off against a team that is within 20% of the Patriots production this year.
Brady has more td's throwing than most teams have total. The Pats have scored 13 td's aside from Brady's arm. That's over 11 points per game from the ground, defense, and return game alone.
Factor in field goals, and the Patriots average right near 15 points per game.
The Titans avg 20.7 ppg
The Jags, 18.7 ppg
Carolina, 18.6 ppg.
The Texans are a juggernaut @ 22.4 ppg.

The Colts have proven their defense can stop those offenses, and have won handily in most games, save for the 2 point 'shootout' they had against the mighty Titans, and the 6 point win against the 'potent' Texans.

The Texans scored more than their average against the Colts w/o Andre Johnson.
The Titans met their average against the Colts.
Denver was 3 points over their average against the Colts.

So, I think it's safe to say that the 41.4 ppg average of the Patriots might pose a little bit more problems than what the Colts have faced.

 

[chrisfx811]

It's true, its the other teams job to make a stop, but what's the purpose of trying to inflict more harm when the game is over? As Herm would say, "the purpose is to WIN the game."

I trust Edward's words would carry more weight in the context you are using them if he had any Super Bowl wins, or post season success to fall back on.

 

[RobAllan]

I trust Edward's words would carry more weight in the context you are using them if he had any Super Bowl wins, or post season success to fall back on.

They'd also have been less funny if he'd said "The purpose is to WIN the game" instead of "You play to win the game!"

 

[Ring 6]

Well, I have to admit only once during a Colts game have I seen them score a TD I thought was inappropriate, and that was vs. Tennessee when they won 51-24. It didn't make any sense to me.

But Sorgi gets plenty of mop up action, and even when Manning is in there, he is usually handing the ball off.

It's true, its the other teams job to make a stop, but what's the purpose of trying to inflict more harm when the game is over? As Herm would say, "the purpose is to WIN the game."

History is littered with examples of zealotry causing downfall. I can't even think of a zealot who was in the end successful. Such emotional tangents can cause people to lose focus of the ultimate goal.

Once again, you are out of your mind. Bradys last drive started with 2 minutes left in the THIRD QUARTER. It would be STUPID for a team whose first unit on offense played less than 3/4s of the prior weeks game to stop playing offense IN THE THIRD QUARTER.
Brady was removed after that drive. After that we ran the ball 7 times and threw in 3.
Let me guess, YOU shoudl decide for BB whether when he gets the opportunity to put his backup QB in who has never played significant snaps, whether throwing the ball a couple of times would be helpful to his development?

This is what is so stupid. No one has come close to the Patriots all season.
So now there must be something created. They must be evil, so lets find an argument to fit it.

It is very simple.
1) Until the game is TRULY out of hand (see the Colts comeback vs Tampa a few years ago, 21 point deficit erased in 5 minutes) you keep playing football. That is why Brady came back in against Miami. It became a 21 point game. In a nightmare scenario, they could have gotten back in it. If there is a 1 in 1,000,000 chance that the lead isn't safe, a smart coach doesn't worry about how the other team will feel about the # of points they let up.
2) When the scoreboard still says 3rd quarter, no matter the score, you don't start pulling people out. They need to stay sharp and play football.
3) When you bring your subs in, they are in the game TO GET EXPERIENCE, not in order to pad the psyche of the other team by helping them feel better about the final score.

 

[Ring 6]

Well, you're entitled to your opinion. But I'll just point out that:

DL:
Freeney: healthier than last year.
Mathis: still a good pass rusher, substituted more for Thomas this year to beef up the run D.
Brock: is about 500x better this year than last year.
Johnson: losing McFarland wasn't good, but Ed Johnson has played very well.

LB:
Brackett: playing 200x better than last year.
Keiaho: big time upgrade over June. June could cover more ground in pass defense, but he couldn't tackle for anything. I'd take the better tackler, because you can scheme pass defense, you can't scheme for bad tackling.
Hagler: I'm not really sold on him yet, but when you consider we had Gilbert Grape most of last year, he's an upgrade over him if not over Morris.

Secondary:
Bob Sanders: come on, he's Bob Sanders. Need I say more?
Bethea: was a rookie last year, MUCH better this year.
Hayden: overall, I'd say he's about equal to Harper, but is MUCH more physical and the coaches trust him more than they did Harper.
Jackson: enormous upgrade over David. Top 3 CB in the league.

How is that not better than last year?

OK, I will stop reading and responding to any of your posts, because you just called Marlin Jackson a top 3 corner in the NFL.
You have proven you know less about football than the paperweight on my desk.

 

[RobAllan]

How is that not better than last year?

Well, I think it's better than last year. But the argument that it is MUCH better is where the line is being drawn. The production of the teams you've faced says plenty to support the notion you're not a great deal better, which is why it was posted earlier in this thread.

Comparatively, the Pats are MUCH better on offense. That's undeniable. And the Pats D is healthier by leaps and bounds... I'd venture to say the Pats D is as much better as the Colts D is.

 

[RobAllan]

OK, I will stop reading and responding to any of your posts, because you just called Marlin Jackson a top 3 corner in the NFL.
You have proven you know less about football than the paperweight on my desk.

And his paperweight is probably a Sox baseball.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

I trust Edward's words would carry more weight in the context you are using them if he had any Super Bowl wins, or post season success to fall back on.

You don't call a 52-51 coaching record or 2-4 in the post season success?????
Herm also said,
When we score seven points, I’ll say we’re slow starting. If we score 21 points, I’ll say, ‘Whoa, we scored a lot of points.’ Twenty-one points – that’s a lot of points. Thirty points? That isn’t even a football game. That’s Arena Football. We’re talking about real football.” [16]

What would he classify 40 points a game as??????

 

[RobAllan]

What would he classify 40 points a game as??????

Madden 2008 on "Rookie"

 

[PatriotsReign]

You didn't really offer anything football related to help your case. What I'm saying is, unless the Pats get a defensive TD, force the Colts into half a dozen three and outs, throw long bombs against a cover two, and convert in the red zone at will, they can still win, but they won't have the time/possessions to put up that many points. Same goes for the Colts offense.

The Patriots are playing like a team possessed this year. They are 40 men focused on one goal and are playing with one soul. They have soooo much venom they have been holding inside that is the result of blowing the lead last year against the Colts and all the negative media that has been released upon them.

If you watched the Charger game, you saw what the "one soul" means when they play a team where revenge is a factor. And we all know in Sunday's Patriots/Colts game, revenge is a factor.

So it's really not necessary to talk football talk to explain why we believe what we believe. We both know we have the weapons on offense that NO defense can shut down. Our defense has been overshadowed and you will see just how damn good they can be Sunday night.

So what is the point of getting down to specifics? You don't know the game anymore than we do...that's a given. So tell us, what is your point?

 

[RobAllan]

Come on, it's indefensible to call a play action pass with the 3rd string QB and only a minute or two left in the game or whatever it was

Scoring points on offense is never indefensible. It is their job. You'll not win that argument on these boards. Don't waste bandwidth making it.

 

[PatriotsReign]

Name me 3 who you think are better? I'll throw in Samuel for you, but if you start with Champ Bailey, Ronde Barber....overrated players like that, then your football IQ isn't as smart as I thought.

That's ok, you've already shown us that yours is pretty low.

 

[RobAllan]

Name me 3 who you think are better? I'll throw in Samuel for you, but if you start with Champ Bailey, Ronde Barber....overrated players like that, then your football IQ isn't as smart as I thought.

http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/answers2/frontend.php/question?qid=20070627190151AAnNpJB

There's tons of names on here. And remember, just because someone is overrated (in your opinion) does not mean they aren't better. You can both be overrated and be better than someone. It's not mutually exclusive.

 

[Ring 6]

Name me 3 who you think are better? I'll throw in Samuel for you, but if you start with Champ Bailey, Ronde Barber....overrated players like that, then your football IQ isn't as smart as I thought.

OK, I will stop reading and responding to any of your posts, because you just called Marlin Jackson a top 3 corner in the NFL.
You have proven you know less about football than the paperweight on my desk.

 

[Ring 6]

Well, it's opinion of course. Marlin Jackson is a player that not a lot of people know about because it's his first year as a starter in the NFL. So I don't expect many people to think that much of him, but his game is already there.

Sometimes you have to say give him time he'll improve, but with this guy that's not the case. The only time that is needed is for him to get a reputation that fits his game. He's better than nearly all of the people that others would say are top CBs, IMO...from watching him play.

OK, I will stop reading and responding to any of your posts, because you just called Marlin Jackson a top 3 corner in the NFL.
You have proven you know less about football than the paperweight on my desk.

 

[Ring 6]

And Bob Sanders is overrated. :bricks:

Your own board members didn't even buy that kool-aid.

OK, I will stop reading and responding to any of your posts, because you just called Marlin Jackson a top 3 corner in the NFL.
You have proven you know less about football than the paperweight on my desk.


And Bob Sanders is the most overrated player in the NFL. Go back and read my comments. There is no doubt.

 

[chrisfx811]

Well, you're entitled to your opinion. But I'll just point out that:

DL:
Freeney: healthier than last year.

He didn't miss the AFCCG or have off season surgery did he?

Brock: is about 500x better this year than last year.

What did he hijack Harrison's HGH shipment? 500x?

LB:
Brackett: playing 200x better than last year.

How do you distinguish between 200x and 500x?

Secondary:
Bob Sanders: come on, he's Bob Sanders. Need I say more?
Bethea: was a rookie last year, MUCH better this year.
Hayden: overall, I'd say he's about equal to Harper, but is MUCH more physical and the coaches trust him more than they did Harper.
Jackson: enormous upgrade over David. Top 3 CB in the league.

How is that not better than last year?

2 players are still the same, one has a bit more experience, one is equal, and the other one's trusted more.

Again, I don't know that they're MUCH better, as you said initially.
But again, I used stats to back up their performance, and you said things like 200x, and 500x.

 

[PatriotsReign]

Well, it's opinion of course. Marlin Jackson is a player that not a lot of people know about because it's his first year as a starter in the NFL. So I don't expect many people to think that much of him, but his game is already there.

Sometimes you have to say give him time he'll improve, but with this guy that's not the case. The only time that is needed is for him to get a reputation that fits his game. He's better than nearly all of the people that others would say are top CBs, IMO...from watching him play.

ARe you serious? You are NOT an expert nor do you possess the ability to evaluate NFL football players on a professional level. So given a list of the top NFL cornerbacks, you really think you know something the experts don't? And Colts fans call us arrogant! go figure

 

[Ring 6]

I did. They're still as comical as they were the first time I read them.

:bricks:

OK, I will stop reading and responding to any of your posts, because you just called Marlin Jackson a top 3 corner in the NFL.
You have proven you know less about football than the paperweight on my desk.