The importance of stopping Addai

[JoeSixPat]

Indy has always been an excellent running team. EJ did avg about 1500 hundred yards in his years there.

Very true - but in the past for most games the Colts have run up a big lead and then turned the ball over to their RB to run out the clock.

This game presents a different challenge for the Colts who can't count on being up by multiple TDs and the RB will be in a different role

Though through their first 7 games they have been using Addai as much more of a primary weapon.

 

[LoveDemPats]

I tend to agree that taking Addai out of the game is huge. So how do you do it without opening up the deep balls?

Can the front 7 (really front 6, as you have to assume one LB will drop into coverage virtually every play) stop Addai without Safety support?

Or do you bring Rodney up to defend the run and trust that Thomas can cover Clark?

Haven't they used Rodney when faced with a great TE? He has better cover skills than Thomas, obviously. Thomas can cover, and does it very well for a LB, but he is not in the same league as a safety.

 

[indyfan1985]

Agree. Pass offense is less than what it was with an aging Harrison struggling to get on th field. They lean heavily on Addai and he has come through. If you can make them one-dimensional, the Colts cannot win with the passing game. Got to contain the stretch play and keep him between the tackles.

haha did I just hear you say the Colts cannot win with the passing game!?!?! Hello, let me introduce Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and Anthony Gonzalez. I gotta say though, that if the Colts do indeed win this game, I will be VERY impressed since they will probably be playing without at least 2 key starters(Harrison and Ugoh).

 

[ColtinIraq]

Best and most reasonable thread of the week. Props to you!

 

[cbear]

Yardage isn't everything. Indy with Edge (and even last year in Addai's first year) was notoriouosly terrible in short yardage situations. Anecdotally, look at the 2003 and 2004 reg season matchups, where Indy couldn't get 2 yards on 4 tries and Edge fumbled on the 1 yard line.

They no longer need to pass to run. Even when the defense knows that the run is coming they still haven't stopped it.

Indy's run game is significantly better than it has been since 2003.

You are very well informed on the Colts. More so than even the so called experts.

There are two major differences with the Colts running game this year.

1. They can get the short yardages now. They were absolutely pitiful prior to Addai.

2. The run is no longer seen as a little brother of the passing game. They actually emphasis it.

As such, Manning is no longer trying to take what he wants. He goes with the flow and is content to run the ball.

Which is why I agree with those that say stopping Addai is the key for the Pats. How you do it though is the key.

You will have to do it primarily with your front seven. No safety help. Keep them deep. Manning is still a master at exploiting a secondary that trys to cheat with the safety.

Secondly, the front seven will have to do it WITHOUT selling out to stop the run. If they do, Manning will burn them with the play action.

If they can do this, your team has a great chance to hold the Colts offense down.

 

[Oswlek]

You are very well informed on the Colts. More so than even the so called experts.

There are two major differences with the Colts running game this year.

1. They can get the short yardages now. They were absolutely pitiful prior to Addai.

2. The run is no longer seen as a little brother of the passing game. They actually emphasis it.

As such, Manning is no longer trying to take what he wants. He goes with the flow and is content to run the ball.

Which is why I agree with those that say stopping Addai is the key for the Pats. How you do it though is the key.

You will have to do it primarily with your front seven. No safety help. Keep them deep. Manning is still a master at exploiting a secondary that trys to cheat with the safety.

Secondly, the front seven will have to do it WITHOUT selling out to stop the run. If they do, Manning will burn them with the play action.

If they can do this, your team has a great chance to hold the Colts offense down.

In a thread with He Ban Me, I went throught the PBP of NE and Indy games to see who ran more and I was surprised at just how evenly Indy's split was. Really, the only drives that weren't close to 50/50 were end of half drives or drives that started with a negative play (sack, penalty, etc.).

I was extremely impressed with how well Indy move the ball against Jax's front as well. There was no way any of the prior teams could have pulled that off. Oddly enough, though, I bet they would have moved it pretty easily through the air and scored more points - leading people to not realize the issue.

I completely agree with you that, despite Manning's greatness, NE will have to gameplan for Addai. I have to admit that I was very nervous about this very issue prior to the Washington game and Seymour's activation. I do believe that NE can slow down Addai enough that Indy will have a couple decent sized 3rd downs per drive. The key to the game is going to be who wins those plays.

 

[Seacoast Fan]

In a thread with He Ban Me, I went throught the PBP of NE and Indy games to see who ran more and I was surprised at just how evenly Indy's split was. Really, the only drives that weren't close to 50/50 were end of half drives or drives that started with a negative play (sack, penalty, etc.).

I was extremely impressed with how well Indy move the ball against Jax's front as well. There was no way any of the prior teams could have pulled that off. Oddly enough, though, I bet they would have moved it pretty easily through the air and scored more points - leading people to not realize the issue.

I completely agree with you that, despite Manning's greatness, NE will have to gameplan for Addai. I have to admit that I was very nervous about this very issue prior to the Washington game and Seymour's activation. I do believe that NE can slow down Addai enough that Indy will have a couple decent sized 3rd downs per drive. The key to the game is going to be who wins those plays.

Os-man, I agree that they have to shut down Addai, I think he is a much better runner then alot of backs, but the reason why I am confident about this game on D is that the Pats front line can do this. And without using safety help. But covering Clark makes me a bit nervous, I think that is also goign to be key. If we can do that, I think this game is going to go very well.

 

[cbear]

Oddly enough, though, I bet they would have moved it pretty easily through the air and scored more points

You know, I've sort of felt the same way. I think Manning has finally bought in a little bit to "Dungy ball," which is to protect it at all costs. As such, I think he may run it even in situations where he could have thrown it.

 

[TommyD4207]

Forgive me if this has already been discussed, but it seems to me that the Colts strategy will be to avoid a shoot-out as best they can.

I'm over simplifying, but the more a team can keep the ball out of Brady's hands the better.

I suspect they'd prefer to see a game in which the Patriots have as few posessions as possible - which means they should employ a ball control offense that keeps the ball in their possession as long as possible, keeping the score within striking distance at all times.

So for me, stopping Addai, rather than stopping Manning or Dallas Clark etc will be the key to the game for the Patriots.

Do others see it this way too?

Absolutely 100%.
It's kind of scary no one is talking about this; but this will be (I'm guessing) the "Marshall Faulk Defense".

Addai is the engine that makes that Colts offense go. Stop him, and the Colts will have a long afternoon.

 

[Easterbrook]

Absolutely 100%.
It's kind of scary no one is talking about this; but this will be (I'm guessing) the "Marshall Faulk Defense".

Addai is the engine that makes that Colts offense go. Stop him, and the Colts will have a long afternoon.

It's hard to stop Addai when the safeties are over the top and the linebackers are being told 1,000 times all week to make SURE he has the ball before they commit.

But yes, the Colts running game is very solid. In the past they were a situational running team, not a smashmouth team. Now they are both.

 

[TommyD4207]

It's hard to stop Addai when the safeties are over the top and the linebackers are being told 1,000 times all week to make SURE he has the ball before they commit.

This makes no difference in the "Marshall Faulk Defense".
Thomas will play the McGinest role and shadow Addai everywhere. The other 3 will just stay at home.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Seems like this played out as the Colts game strategy - Addai was tearing it up in the first half - I haven't had a chance to review the time of possession in the first half, but my guess is that the Colts had the ball for the majority of the time.

Seems like the Patriots adjusted well in the 2nd half - and that might have turned the tide (and overcome the most one-sided officiating ever)

Addai seemed more limited in how he was hurting the Patriots in the 2nd half and time of possession began to swing back the Patriots way, putting the ball in their hands for more time with the Pats scoring enough points to win.

In the end the ToP wound up being even but my guess is it was heavilly in the Colts favor in the 1st half and in our favor in the 2nd.