Colts Have had ONE Good Game Against the Run Recently

[BelichickFan]

The NEW defense isn't that great.

Since the Cincy game in which the run defense was good; not stunning but good, the Colts have had one good game. One.

Dayne : 32-153
Ronnie Brown : 21-115
Larry Johnson : 13-32
Jamaal Lewis : 13-53

The run defense isn't that great, teams just haven't been running. Jamaal Lewis averaged 3.6 YPC on the year but 4.1 this past week against Indy.

Jeez, keep the ball, throw plenty but run the damn ball. I GUARANTEE this new found defense has no chance to stop it.

 

[JGaffney]

The NEW defense isn't that great.

Since the Cincy game in which the run defense was good; not stunning but good, the Colts have had one good game. One.

Larry Johnson : 13-32

The run defense isn't that great, teams just haven't been running. Jamaal Lewis averaged 3.6 YPC on the year but 4.1 this past week against Indy.

I ain't no coach, but I can take a stab at this one.

The single stupidest thing I have ever heard from an NFL coach was from Herm Edwards:

In the aftermath of Kansas City’s 23-8 loss to the Colts, Edwards was asked to explain how one of the NFL’s worst defenses shut down an offense that had set records for five years under Vermeil.

“I have no idea,” Edwards said. “I’m puzzled, too, just like you. … It’s the same plays. We didn’t change it.”

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/16401256.htm?source=rss&channel=kansascity_kansas_city_chiefs

Hmmm. Well, why might the Colts have been able to defend the run against KC? Could it be because they KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?

Imagine if BB thought that way. We'd all be sitting here saying "Suck it, Chargers - you may have won, but at least we have Zero Rings in the last 5 years".

 

[unoriginal]

As the Pats have demonstrated this year, its not about the yards you give up, its the points. The Indy D has forced turnovers and protected the red zone.

 

[AzPatsFan]

The Colts are gambling agaisnt the run. they are run blitzing. trying to disrupt a running game. They'll give up several biug runs and then get a stop wiht a run blitz. There opponents haven't been able to sustain drives doing that and that is enough for Colts to out score them...

Neither KC nor the Ratbirds had enough of a passing game to sustain.

 

[BelichickFan]

As the Pats have demonstrated this year, its not about the yards you give up, its the points. The Indy D has forced turnovers and protected the red zone.

My point was that the Colts would have given up more points if teams had kept running. The last two teams have ran 26 plays (with their main RB) against a team setting records for futility defending the run. The Colt defense hasn't suddenly become a brick wall especially with Jamal Lewis averaging 0.5 YPC more than his season average but only getting 13 carries.

 

[JoePats]

I ain't no coach, but I can take a stab at this one.

The single stupidest thing I have ever heard from an NFL coach was from Herm Edwards:

In the aftermath of Kansas City’s 23-8 loss to the Colts, Edwards was asked to explain how one of the NFL’s worst defenses shut down an offense that had set records for five years under Vermeil.

“I have no idea,” Edwards said. “I’m puzzled, too, just like you. … It’s the same plays. We didn’t change it.”

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/16401256.htm?source=rss&channel=kansascity_kansas_city_chiefs

Hmmm. Well, why might the Colts have been able to defend the run against KC? Could it be because they KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?

Imagine if BB thought that way. We'd all be sitting here saying "Suck it, Chargers - you may have won, but at least we have Zero Rings in the last 5 years".

I love Herm.

 

[onegameatatime]

I did not see the KC game, but it looks like they had to move away from the run and it was not effective.

I thought Indy looked good against Baltimore, although McNair did not look sharp (could have partly been the defense). Booger could turn out to have been a huge addition for Indy, and Sanders is looking good.

Dungy likes the deep safeties, so I'd think a 3-wide set spreads out the DBs while keeping Graham in to block. I also like using Watson as a slot WR. I'd like the see more running by the Pats.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

You know, someone said something like "the best defense is having a lead." I think that's so true. We've seen it plenty with our own team. When you're losing -- even by just a field goal or a point, you tend to press a bit. I think it's one of the reasons we're so good in the last two minutes of the half. It's one of those weird times in football where the consequences of a bad play on offense are not always going to be so dramatic.

Indy plays with the lead a lot. I think the first quarter of this game really will be important.

Anyway, their defense the last couple of games has looked pretty darned good to me. I think it's actually a good thing that we're playing them in the championship round instead of the division round, because it gives the team two playoff games worth of tape to see what they're doing.

I'm not an X and O guy by any means, but there's only so much that a team can change this late in the playoffs, and I have a hunch based on the way that Indy has played defense in the last two games that there's something there to exploit. I don't know what it will be, but I think our guys will find it.

How we're going to keep them off the board is another story. I just don't know how that's going to happen in that dome. I think we're going to need a fairly significant number of points and a little bit of luck to win this one.

 

[RayClay]

I ain't no coach, but I can take a stab at this one.

The single stupidest thing I have ever heard from an NFL coach was from Herm Edwards:

In the aftermath of Kansas City’s 23-8 loss to the Colts, Edwards was asked to explain how one of the NFL’s worst defenses shut down an offense that had set records for five years under Vermeil.

“I have no idea,” Edwards said. “I’m puzzled, too, just like you. … It’s the same plays. We didn’t change it.”

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/16401256.htm?source=rss&channel=kansascity_kansas_city_chiefs

Hmmm. Well, why might the Colts have been able to defend the run against KC? Could it be because they KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?

Imagine if BB thought that way. We'd all be sitting here saying "Suck it, Chargers - you may have won, but at least we have Zero Rings in the last 5 years".

Beautiful quote ha ha ha. Talk about inspiring confidence.

How would I know, I'm only the coach?

 

[workhorse]

My point was that the Colts would have given up more points if teams had kept running. The last two teams have ran 26 plays (with their main RB) against a team setting records for futility defending the run. The Colt defense hasn't suddenly become a brick wall especially with Jamal Lewis averaging 0.5 YPC more than his season average but only getting 13 carries.

I know that all plays count and you can't really take any away from the stats, but Lewis had one run for 18 yards. If you take that one play away, he averages 2.9 a carry. I think he had one other good run that went for 8 yards. Those two carries account for 26 of his 53 yards. That probably has something effected how long they tried to stick with the run.

 

[RayClay]

I know that all plays count and you can't really take any away from the stats, but Lewis had one run for 18 yards. If you take that one play away, he averages 2.9 a carry. I think he had one other good run that went for 8 yards. Those two carries account for 26 of his 53 yards. That probably has something effected how long they tried to stick with the run.

No you can't take that long run away from any runner.

And you shouldn't have to. You guys are playing tough gritty ball and you're getting it done on defense, which is all that counts.

Having seen the run defense against Denver particularly, I still think it's exploitable, but it's about getting it done on Sunday.

 

[RayClay]

Any team can stop anything if it's predictable. Even the strongest defenses will leave some area exploitable to shut down something else.

The teams that can pass rush without blitzing or cover without doubling obviously leave less areas to exploit.

and People forget, Dungy's a defensive coach.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

I don't think you can completely look past Indy's last two games on defense. But at the same time, look who it came against.

Kansas City's offense is completely one dimensional. Their receivers are awful. Trent Green was generally awful after he came back from his head injury.

Baltimore has no identity on offense at all. Lewis is a shadow of what he once was. McNair was awesome in his prime, but not so much anymore.

I have to give Indy some credit, but had we gone up to Baltimore there's not a doubt in my mind the possibility of a shut out would have been in the cards.

Also, playing the Chargers D was excellent preparation for our offense when it comes to this week's game. Let's say Indy's defense is on track. SDs defense in on a whole other level in terms of ability to put pressure on the QB and stopping the run.