Our depleted secondary vs. Peyton & friends

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

I predict all the naysayers who this week claim the Patriots defense can't stop Peyton and that the Colts defense will kill Cassel, will next week be posting how the Colts are a poor team and that the game means nothing because the Patriots still haven't beaten a "good team"

 

[JSn]

I predict all the naysayers who this week claim the Patriots defense can't stop Peyton and that the Colts defense will kill Cassel, will next week be posting how the Colts are a poor team and that the game means nothing because the Patriots still haven't beaten a "good team"

Wow Gord, that's a BOLD prediction raht thar!

 

[condon84]

James Sanders will blow his coverage assignment, then completely whiff on the tackle, and his assignment will have a wide open jog into the run way.

Guarantee that happens at least once next week.

I co/sign this post. Sanders being responsible for a deep half is downright scary. I hope they play Lewis Sanders next to Merriweather next week. We need range and speed back there. Maybe Spann can fill in, but Sanders is gonna blow a coverage or tackle.

 

[Deus Irae]

I co/sign this post. Sanders being responsible for a deep half is downright scary. I hope they play Lewis Sanders next to Merriweather next week. We need range and speed back there. Maybe Spann can fill in, but Sanders is gonna blow a coverage or tackle.

The Patriots were 16-0 last season with Sanders often "responsible for a deep half".

 

[PatsFanSince74]

The Colts are getting better every week and they're still only two games out of the Wild Card. But, there's no way they'd be able to recover from a 3--5 start, considering the records of a bunch of other teams. So this will be a do or die game for them before their home fans and a national TV audience.

I haven't checked the spread yet, but I can't imagine that we're not 4--7 point dogs. Going into Indy and beating Peyton would be a real statement for our guys. I don't know how to call it and this will be one of those weeks when I wait until the last minute to put in my Predict the Score entry.

 

[Ring 6]

This could get real ugly real early, especially if Hobbs is out. What do you suppose BB has up his sleeve to attempt containing Wayne, Harrison, et al?

Have you been paying attention to what the Colts offense has been doing?

 

[JSn]

Have you been paying attention to what the Colts offense has been doing?

Yeah. Not completing passes, getting picked off. Gotta love it!

 

[Deus Irae]

Have you been paying attention to what the Colts offense has been doing?

Aren't the Colts 10-0 and knocking down the door of the '72 Dolphins? Isn't Manning toting around a 139.8 passer rating, with 30 touchdowns and only 1 interception so far this season?

 

[Rob0729]

The Colts are getting better every week and they're still only two games out of the Wild Card. But, there's no way they'd be able to recover from a 3--5 start, considering the records of a bunch of other teams. So this will be a do or die game for them before their home fans and a national TV audience.

I haven't checked the spread yet, but I can't imagine that we're not 4--7 point dogs. Going into Indy and beating Peyton would be a real statement for our guys. I don't know how to call it and this will be one of those weeks when I wait until the last minute to put in my Predict the Score entry.

And last night the Colts' division hopes were on the line and they failed and worse than the final score indicated. They had the AFC South Division Title hopes on the line last night and then gave up 24 unanswered points in the second half. The Colts showed me what they have been showing all season - a team that cannot play 4 quarters. last night was the biggest game of their season, bigger than the Pats game this week, and where were Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison? They combined for 4 catches and 41 yards. Only Dallas Clark showed up on the receiving end.

 

[Rob0729]

I predict all the naysayers who this week claim the Patriots defense can't stop Peyton and that the Colts defense will kill Cassel, will next week be posting how the Colts are a poor team and that the game means nothing because the Patriots still haven't beaten a "good team"

I'll say it before the game. The Colts right now are not a good team. I won't say that the Pats haven't beat anyone yet though. I don't think there are many "anyones" in the NFL right now.

 

[Deus Irae]

I'll say it before the game. The Colts right now are not a good team. I won't say that the Pats haven't beat anyone yet though. I don't think there are many "anyones" in the NFL right now.

The thing about this game is that the Patriots have shown that the are perfectly capable of getting blown out, and they are perfectly capable of winning the game. It has little or nothing to do with Manning.

 

[Rob0729]

Have you been paying attention to what the Colts offense has been doing?

It's crazy. I swear people are watching the Colts games and seeing the Colts' offense from 2004. I think the Colts' offense may actually be one of the worst offense the Pats have faced in almost a month especially in the passing game. Both Cutler and Rivers have more yards, TDs, better completion percentage, and fewer INTs than Manning this year. Ok, he has been better than Bulger this year.

Did anyone see Wayne or Harrison do anything scary last night? How about Gonzalez? Dallas Clark was their entire passing offense. Dominic Rhodes was more of a receiving weapon last night than Wayne or Harrison.

 

[Rob0729]

The thing about this game is that the Patriots have shown that the are perfectly capable of getting blown out, and they are perfectly capable of winning the game. It has little or nothing to do with Manning.

I'm not guaranting a win. The Pats could very well lose. I just don't buy the premise that the Colts have shown anything to say that the Pats are going into this game seriously overmatched. The Colts offense is inconsistent and only dangerous in spurts. They haven't looked good consistently in any game other than Baltimore and turnovers by the Ravens played a factor in that.

 

[Tunescribe]

Did anyone see Wayne or Harrison do anything scary last night? How about Gonzalez? Dallas Clark was their entire passing offense. Dominic Rhodes was more of a receiving weapon last night than Wayne or Harrison.

The Titans were at full strength and are at the top or near the top of the league in defense. We're dinged up in the secondary. It's all about matchups, and the Colts and Pats know each other well, plus they'll be playing again in an Indy indoor roller rink. I agree with what folks are saying about the Colts offense being down a peg or two this year, but I'm just concerned about them suddenly returning to form against our D backfield as it's currently composed.

 

[Rob0729]

The Titans were at full strength and are at the top or near the top of the league in defense. We're dinged up in the secondary. It's all about matchups, and the Colts and Pats know each other well, plus they'll be playing again in an Indy indoor roller rink. I agree with what folks are saying about the Colts offense being down a peg or two this year, but I'm just concerned about them suddenly returning to form against our D backfield.

The Titans were missing their best pass rusher and his back up. Nick Harper is banged up. Tony Brown, their starting DT, is coming off an injury which made him miss the previous week's game. They were not 100%.

Face facts. We are going up against an AVERAGE offense this week. We are not playing the reputation of the Colts' offense like many people think, we are playing the actual Colts offense that has been unable to be good for more than a quarter or two all year.

 

[Deus Irae]

I'm not guaranting a win. The Pats could very well lose. I just don't buy the premise that the Colts have shown anything to say that the Pats are going into this game seriously overmatched. The Colts offense is inconsistent and only dangerous in spurts. They haven't looked good consistently in any game other than Baltimore and turnovers by the Ravens played a factor in that.

I agree, absolutely. That's why I posted facetiously about the Colts being 10-0. They are a shadow of what they have been recently.

 

[Tunescribe]

The Titans were missing their best pass rusher and his back up. Nick Harper is banged up. Tony Brown, their starting DT, is coming off an injury which made him miss the previous week's game. They were not 100%.

Face facts. We are going up against an AVERAGE offense this week. We are not playing the reputation of the Colts' offense like many people think, we are playing the actual Colts offense that has been unable to be good for more than a quarter or two all year.

OK, I hope you're right about the Colts offense being average and our D backfield not making them look all-world again.

 

[Garbanza]

they will have to scheme the devil out of the defense - and never, ever go man coverage.

 

[neuronet]

I am worried about this game. The Colts will be treating it as their Super Bowl, cuz there is a good chance they won't even see the postseason.

Our Pats O-line is going to have to step up, Moss needs to pull in those catches, and our secondary needs a big night. I think we can win it, but it is a long shot. The crowd is going to be insane, the Colts electrified.

But they don't have BB. They have much, much worse than BB.

 

[NYCPatsFan]

Funny, I watched the game last night and other than early in the game and one drive in the second half, I was encouraged. Manning clearly isn't right. He is clearly less than 100% and it is showing on the field. Even without the Titans' best pass rusher or his first back up, Manning was rattled last night and his passes were off.

As for the Titans, they don't give up a lot of sacks because they don't throw the ball all that much. That wasn't the case last night. Collins even after last night is 26th in number of pass attempts with 170 or 24.2 per game. He passed for 37 times last night. Last night's game and his game vs. the Ravens accounts for 69 of his 170 pass attempts. That is a big reason why he doesn't get sacked.

The Pats have been able to move the offense even with sacks. Matt Cassel was sacked six times vs. the Broncos and the offense still scored 41 points and the 4 times vs. the Rams and still scored 23 points. Sacks aren't neccessarily killers as long as you don't turnover the ball.

Good points and though I would like to share your optimism that we should be fine against the current Colts, I am afraid I don't have that much confidence on our D as of now. The Fins and the Bolts games rankle me a lot.

Let's discuss again after the game and see how our expectations/hopes/fears played out.