The Official "Colts are better than I thought" thread

[Joker]

Addai amassed 30 yards running in the 2nd half...I'm really impressed.

Colt trolls amassed 1000's of posts whining about every dyam thing imaginable and then run back to their Indy Star cesspool and b!tch and moan about "trolls!!!" ,led by that racist, xenophobic piece of total human garbage, Mouf O Dee Souf.

Proud day to be a Colts troll, eh?

 

[Ring 6]

You mean against Indy? My guess is Indy is going to play a very sloppy game and the Chargers will win. I think it's just going to be way too difficult for the Colts to win after playing such an emotional game against the Pats.

But over the long haul, you just cannot trust the Chargers. Their coach is terrible, the players know the coach is terrible, and it's affecting their play. They will not be a problem for either the Colts or the Pats if they even see them in the playoffs.

I don't know how much you can expect from a team that just let AP break the alltime single game rushing record, while their 'MVP' ran for 40 yards.

Chargers are headed to 8-8, exactly what they are. They will lose to good teams, and beat bad ones, with an upset either way sprinkled in here or there.
The Chargers have a very dangerous combination of factors:
1) Awful coaching, that only knows how to lose
2) An attitude that they are better than they are, and an on-field demeanor that they are owed something. (Did anyone notice the SD LB--Cooper I think, that slammed into the pile after the play was over when Peterson broke the record. It looked so obviously like a childish 'how can you do that to US' move.
3) An extremely overrated QB who has the weapons to look good when everything goes right and shrivels up like a raisin when things get tough
4) A 'big play' defense that is out there trying to make individual names for themselves by making big plays to get noticed while ignoring their basic team defense responsbiliities. (Having a terrible coaching staff makes this even worse)
5) A team that does not know how to handle losing, and loses enough that it needs to learn to.

 

[He Ban Me]

I think they are a little better than I expected, but I think the gap is larger than yesterday showed.
For the first time all season we short-circuited on offense a few times. The issue with that isnt that we cannot overcome it and still score 35+ points, the issue, against the Colts is that we get fewer opportunites with the ball, because their offense holds it.
If we played like we did yesterday on offense, against any other opponent (playing d just like Indy did) we would have ended up with 35-36 minutes of time of possession and 34 or more points, because we would have had more drives.
The missing 2-3 drives and 6 minutes of t.o.p. was because of Indys offense staying on the field, not because our offense was tremendously worse than it has been. Add 2-3 drives, let Brady take back 2 throws, and we end up with at least 34 points, maybe more.
It doesn't matter though, because the job isn't to score 37 points, it is to win. It was a complementary game where the O and d played hand in hand.

C'mon Andy, you were a little worried, weren't you??

I could end up eating these words, but I am not AT ALL concerned about losing this game.

 

[Ring 6]

C'mon Andy, you were a little worried, weren't you??

I posted that I wasnt worried at all last week, and I wasn't.
Surely with 9 minutes left down by 10, I knew we had our work cut out for us, but I was more plssed that we had missed on opportunities, and let it get to that stage.

There was never a point during the game where I was worried we would lose.
As I said I was upset that we blew some chances to stay in control of the game. But when the Pats took the ball with 9:30 left, I fully expected Brady to lead them to a TD, fully expected a stop by the defense after that.
The most worried I got was that we would only have enough time for a FG to send it to OT, but as it turned out we had more than enough.

 

[xTROx]

im not gonna lie, I was worried


After last years AFC Championship game you can never be too safe.

 

[RodRustsGhost]

I reject the premise of this thread. The patriots were off last night, no doubt. Played their worst game of the season. THe Colts are pretty good. I'll give them that, but they aren't really better than i thought. If anything they're less good than i expected. I am really excited to face them again.

 

[stinkypete]

The Colts have:

1) A legend at QB. You're blissfully ignorant if you consider Manning anything less than one of the top 10 QB's in the history of the game.
2) An elite RB, look at Addai's game by game log. There is no other RB in the league, Tomlinson included, this consistent. After Brady, Addai is #2 in the MVP discussion right now.
3) A top 5 offensive line.
4) A WR/TE core that is among the league's top 5 and rivals our own.
5) One of the games best pass rushing defensive lines.
6) A group of fiery, physical, opportunistic defensive backs who fit perfectly in a cover 2 scheme
7) One of the most accomplished coaches in the game, and a staff that was worked together for YEARS.

In 9 years out of 10, this is the best team in the NFL, hands down. Unfortunately for the Colts, this is year 10.

 

[pheenix11]

The Colts are much better than I thought.....

........at bribing refs.

 

[He Ban Me]

I posted that I wasnt worried at all last week, and I wasn't.
Surely with 9 minutes left down by 10, I knew we had our work cut out for us, but I was more plssed that we had missed on opportunities, and let it get to that stage.

There was never a point during the game where I was worried we would lose.
As I said I was upset that we blew some chances to stay in control of the game. But when the Pats took the ball with 9:30 left, I fully expected Brady to lead them to a TD, fully expected a stop by the defense after that.
The most worried I got was that we would only have enough time for a FG to send it to OT, but as it turned out we had more than enough.

I haven't read EVERY post authored by you, but I have seen you call out folks for "not knowing football". Tell me again how this was going to be a blow out? Even in a hard fought victory against a very capable team, you seem very reluctant to let loose and give props. Now, maybe I haven't read all your comments, so I could be wrong. I too was VERY DISAPPOINTED at all the opportunities the COLTS let slip by. Colts had all kinds of chances to create "separation" in that game, but didn't take advantage. Now, I am smart enough to recognize that the Pats need to get some credit for that. Pats deserved the win, but had the Colts won, I would have said they were equally deserving. The defense absolutely shut that offense down for 3+ quarters, and were so close with a near pick six when that ball was tipped by Moss (before the 55 yarder IIRC). But hey, we didn't make the plays, you guys did. Congrats to NE.

 

[xTROx]

The Colts are much better than I thought.....

........at bribing refs.

oh please

WE WON who cares

and they don't bribe refs

 

[He Ban Me]

I reject the premise of this thread. The patriots were off last night, no doubt. Played their worst game of the season. THe Colts are pretty good. I'll give them that, but they aren't really better than i thought. If anything they're less good than i expected. I am really excited to face them again.

You couldn't be any more "less dumb"

 

[Joker]

disgruntled loser troll says what?

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

I thought a lot of what the Colts did yesterday defensively was the result of good coaching - time and again they blitzed confidently as if they were reading our formations spot on whether we running or passing. This led me to feel like McDaniels wasn't responding to what he was seeing, unitl late in the game. Did we drive late in the 4th because of better plays or better execution? A little of both I think.

The Colts D doesn't cover much better than other teams we've faced but they can get pressure on Brady by only sending 4 which allows them to swarm to the ball, something they did a little better than I thought they could. Their D was more 'physical' thans ours most of the game and that surprised me - but this aggressiveness wasn't really exploited by the Pats very well.

But overall I felt like the Colts were lucky to be ahead late in the game. Take away the indisputably horrible PI call on Hobbs when Wayne tackled him, and the Keystone Cops TD run by Addai at the end of the half, and the Colts would have hardly even dented the scoreboard. Sure, they might have gotten some points on those drives anyway but considering how much they struggled moving the ball after the 1st quarter, I'm not so sure.

The Colts were playing at home where they had won 13 straight, the opposing QB threw two picks and his team set a franchise record for penalty yards, while the Colts had an RB account for 220 yds. All this and they still lost. I don't see how you can say the Colts were better than you thought when this was the best they could deliver. We played a crappy game and won - I'm tempted to say the Colts weren't even as good as I thought.

 

[patpatriot]

The Colts *made* them play as bad as thye did. Don't sh*t yourself. Th Pats are 1A and the Colts are 1A-. The Pats are going to have the "homefield" effect in their next meeting so I'm not worried but the Colts are the real deal.

 

[patsfaninpa]

The Colts have:

1) A legend at QB. You're blissfully ignorant if you consider Manning anything less than one of the top 10 QB's in the history of the game.
2) An elite RB, look at Addai's game by game log. There is no other RB in the league, Tomlinson included, this consistent. After Brady, Addai is #2 in the MVP discussion right now.
3) A top 5 offensive line.
4) A WR/TE core that is among the league's top 5 and rivals our own.
5) One of the games best pass rushing defensive lines.
6) A group of fiery, physical, opportunistic defensive backs who fit perfectly in a cover 2 scheme
7) One of the most accomplished coaches in the game, and a staff that was worked together for YEARS.

In 9 years out of 10, this is the best team in the NFL, hands down. Unfortunately for the Colts, this is year 10.

Put me in the they're better than I thought camp. I didn't think their D would give our offense as much trouble as they did. I'm sure our ol will play better in Foxboro. A healthy Marvin Harrison makes them much more difficult to defend. I thought we played better when we went to our 3-4 in the 2nd half. I didn't rewatch yet. But, I don't like the 4-man line. Makes us too slow. If we're going to play nickel. Maybe something like Vrabel,Warren,Wilfork and Seymour. LB A.Thomas and R.Colvin. Could have probably used E.Wilson yesterday. Rodney played more like an olb than a SS.

I'm not playing chicken little. But, they are a team we should respect. A win with a lot of things to gripe about for BB. Nothing better than that. I think they are going to have even more trouble with Moss and Welker given better protection.

 

[Ring 6]

I haven't read EVERY post authored by you, but I have seen you call out folks for "not knowing football". Tell me again how this was going to be a blow out? Even in a hard fought victory against a very capable team, you seem very reluctant to let loose and give props. Now, maybe I haven't read all your comments, so I could be wrong. I too was VERY DISAPPOINTED at all the opportunities the COLTS let slip by. Colts had all kinds of chances to create "separation" in that game, but didn't take advantage. Now, I am smart enough to recognize that the Pats need to get some credit for that. Pats deserved the win, but had the Colts won, I would have said they were equally deserving. The defense absolutely shut that offense down for 3+ quarters, and were so close with a near pick six when that ball was tipped by Moss (before the 55 yarder IIRC). But hey, we didn't make the plays, you guys did. Congrats to NE.

I called out the poster who said Marlin Jackson was a top 3 in the NFL corner for knowing nothing about football. I stand by that. (And in his posts after that, he confirmed it further)
If you thought the Colts would win, and I thought the Pats would win BIG, how am I more wrong than you when the Pats win?
I posted before the game that we would be facing a good defense.
I think it was a very good game. I also have extreme confidence in the Pats, and particularly Brady that if we have enough time on the clock to win the game in the possessions remaining, we will.
It sounds like you are looking for a moral victory. I dont do those.

 

[Ring 6]

I thought a lot of what the Colts did yesterday defensively was the result of good coaching - time and again they blitzed confidently as if they were reading our formations spot on whether we running or passing. This led me to feel like McDaniels wasn't responding to what he was seeing, unitl late in the game. Did we drive late in the 4th because of better plays or better execution? A little of both I think.

The Colts D doesn't cover much better than other teams we've faced but they can get pressure on Brady by only sending 4 which allows them to swarm to the ball, something they did a little better than I thought they could. Their D was more 'physical' thans ours most of the game and that surprised me - but this aggressiveness wasn't really exploited by the Pats very well.

But overall I felt like the Colts were lucky to be ahead late in the game. Take away the indisputably horrible PI call on Hobbs when Wayne tackled him, and the Keystone Cops TD run by Addai at the end of the half, and the Colts would have hardly even dented the scoreboard. Sure, they might have gotten some points on those drives anyway but considering how much they struggled moving the ball after the 1st quarter, I'm not so sure.

The Colts were playing at home where they had won 13 straight, the opposing QB threw two picks and his team set a franchise record for penalty yards, while the Colts had an RB account for 220 yds. All this and they still lost. I don't see how you can say the Colts were better than you thought when this was the best they could deliver. We played a crappy game and won - I'm tempted to say the Colts weren't even as good as I thought.

I think it was execution. Eliminate Bradys 2 poor throws (which he hadnt made it 8 games) and the devastating penalties, and our offense would have looked much like it did in the first 8 weeks (would have scored less because the game had fewer possessions).
I don't think 24 points vs an average of 41 meant we were only 58% as good yesterday on offense as in weeks 1-8, but that we had more instances of single plays that killed scoring drives, which we haven't had up until now.
Play by play by play, I think we ran our offense similarly well as we have been, but rather than an odd drive killing play or penalty here or there, we had quite a few.
If you drive 90 yards and turn it over at the 3, is that a worse offense, or one bad play? All season the only thing that has stopped our offense is one bad play (turnover, penalty, blown assingment). Typically we have maybe 2 a game, yesterday we had maybe 5. That is very different than just not being able to move the ball.

 

[ATippett56]

The Indianapolis Colts defense is much better than I thought. I'm impressed with their new starting cornerbacks this year (Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden). Please note that both cornerbacks were selected in the 2005 NFL draft in the first and second rounds, respectively. Bob Sanders is as good as advertised, but you have to wonder with his style of play whether he will be healthy for the playoffs.

However, there is a major caveat. The New England Patriots offensive game plan was flawed from the very start. Starting the first series from the shotgun formation plays right into the Colts defensive strength, their pass rush. To keep the Colts defense at bay, one must first establish the running game, then throw off play action. The best offensive formation to achieve success would be two wide receivers, two tight ends, and one running back. There was no excuse whatsoever that Laurence Maroney did not have at least twenty rushing attempts against the Colts. Furthermore as seen against the Washington Redskins, Laurence Maroney can be a weapon in the passing game and should have been in more offensive plays than Kevin Faulk. Wear down the Colts undersized defensive line with the running game and the passing game will open up.

In obvious passing formations, the running back (in this case Kevin Faulk) must chip Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney prior to releasing in his route in order to slow down the pass rush from the quarterback's blind side. It's obvious on probably the fastest surface in the NFL, that Patriots left tackle Matt Light was overmatched against Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney.

 

[sieglo]

and they don't bribe refs

They don't need to when the NFL tells the refs to call the game unevenly for them.

 

[ATippett56]

and they don't bribe refs

Polian would.