What is Your Gameplan for Beating the Colts?

[MrBigglesWorth]

On offense

1.) Run Maroney on sweeps to the left, and use Dillon and short passes to wear down the interior D-line.

This will develop too slowly and plays to the strength of the Colts as they are an undersized but fast defense. You need to run right at them with zone blocking as Albert Breer of the Herald stated.

2.) Alternate formations quite a bit, using a spread, a power formation and a 1 back. Use tight ends to chip on the edge rushers frequently, to wear them down faster.
I agree on this but I would use spread about 70% of the time and run out of this so the Colts have less guys in the box. Also I would go double tight end and this will provide versaility as you can go power with them lining up aside the tackles or they can reallign be put in the slot and this will not allow the colts to substitute and creates matchups.

3.) Do the one thing this team seems to have abandoned without Branch, even if it's just to get the Colts thinking: run some double moves with the outside receivers.
Totally agree on this if they can provide enough time for Brady.

4.) Some draws for Faulk out of passing formations are always appreciated, particularly with speedy edge rushers.

Most definitely on this and I wonder why they don't let Maroney do this more and of course I think we'll see some Brady QB sneaks.


On defense

1.) Use the 4 man line more often than usual, allowing Jarvis to get to know Manning again. When not doing this, allow TBC to rush the QB a lot, bother to cover his problems with the run and to add to the pressure on Manning.

I think you'll see more of TBC and Colvin creating a "4" man line if anything. I doubt you'll see 4 true linemen. Also I think you'll see on occassion 2 linemen on 3rd and long.

2.) Focus on shutting down Wayne and slowing down Harrison. Allowing Samuel to play Harrison while playing Hobbs on Wayne and sliding the safety to Hobbs side should allow for the possibility of big plays for both Harrison AND Samuel, while severely limiting Wayne's impact. Without Stokely, that should be enough to keep the score relatively low.

I think you'll see two deep safeties similar to what Baltimore did. It would be crazy to go man coverage, I think you'll see alot of zone, plus you ahve to worry about dallas clark.

3.) Beat the snot out of the Colts coming over the middle, particularly the tight ends.
Easier said than done. This is where the whining colts ahve changed the game and alot of flags result from this.

4.) Hold Addai to 4.5 yards per rush (Less, obviously, if the Colts actually try to grind it out, which I don't expect) and, more importantly, don't allow him to slip out of the backfield uncovered for easy receptions.

You CAN NOT allow this. 4.5 is alot and basically if you give this up they wouldn't even have to throw at all in the game. I honestly think the colts running game will be held in check. they'll get yardage but not as good as previous matchups.

Also do not forget special teams. Last pats-colts game the pats gave up big kick returns and made a nice short field for the colts. can't let this happen. need to control field position.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

Just wanted to add QB12's great suggestion in this thread, which is to throw deep very early in the game (ala Pittsburgh and Polamalu a few years back), in order to keep Bob Sanders from crowding the box.

this is a great idea in theory, but it could quickly lead to a quick 3 and out leving the defense on the field and getting them tired.

also it could lead to an INT.

the pats need to get up by 7 early and dictate the tempo.

if anything we've seen what chad jackson has done by just sending him deep. either you get single coverage or he draws safety help.

if you have single coverage you take a shot, if not then someone else should be open and the underneath should open up a bit.

the key is moving the chains and protections.

 

[Deus Irae]

1.) Run Maroney on sweeps to the left, and use Dillon and short passes to wear down the interior D-line.

This will develop too slowly and plays to the strength of the Colts as they are an undersized but fast defense. You need to run right at them with zone blocking as Albert Breer of the Herald stated.

The reason I say you run Maroney on the sweep is to keep the Colts honest and prevent them from always firing up the middle. Maroney has enough speed to make some of those runs work. The idea is a blend of pounding runs, wide runs and short passes, with an occasional long pattern tossed in for good measure. Ideally, I'd have Maroney ready for big off-tackle runs in the 4th quarter because the combination of side to side running, punishment from Dillon, and all the pass rushing and coverage should slow down the front 7 and allow Graham and Light to crush defenders and spring Maroney for big gains.

You CAN NOT allow this. 4.5 is alot and basically if you give this up they wouldn't even have to throw at all in the game. I honestly think the colts running game will be held in check. they'll get yardage but not as good as previous matchups.

Well, my point about the 4.5 is that if the Patriots are playing from ahead, Indianapolis will be throwing the ball and the runs will be only occasional. So, as long as Addai isn't breaking huge gains, he'd be essentially a non-factor at under 4.5 per carry. I know it's a large number, but it would still be less than the yards per pass that Manning will be gunning for, and will still result in punts and field goals as opposed to touchdowns (at least, that's the hope). As I said, albeit not in identical words, if the Colts try to make more of a running game out of it, that 4.5 number has to be lower. Obviously, my preference is to see him held to 3 or fewer under any and all circumstances.

Also do not forget special teams. Last pats-colts game the pats gave up big kick returns and made a nice short field for the colts. can't let this happen. need to control field position.

I agree. This is where we may see the biggest impact of the rookie kicker in a dome, for better or worse.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Execution will win this game...

Especially on offense ... no trickery needed.

We can win this game by executing basic plays like off tackle.

Go into the game running plays as opposed to game planning ...

That's how we beat the Chargers and Jets.

Our game plan now has become a collection of plays that may work well against specific opponents.

 

[maverick4]

Do we even have enough good secondary players to stay in nickel or dime for most of the game? I wish we had corners who could press at the line and knock receivers around.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

My gameplan? Do you remember the scene at the end of The Untouchables where the judge switches the Jury in Capone's trial and brings in a jury that hasn't been bought off? Well, central to my gameplan would be switching the NFL officiating crew and replacing it with a top NCAA crew at the last minute. I'm not suggesting that the regular officials will have been "bought off," but I am suggesting that I don't trust the NFL when it comes to the subtle (or not so subtle) message the officials might receive about getting Peyton and the Colts into a SuperBowl, especially given Polian's crying this week.

 

[PATSNUTme]

NO TURNOVERS!

If we don't turn over the football then we win- it's just that simple.

 

[GinoCappelletti]

I would try a Nickel on D and see how it goes. Replace TBC with Chad Scott. Vrabel goes back outside. The Front Six would have to try to stop the run. Then I have Scott to take Dallas Clark and I can double both Harrison and Wayne.

Offensively I wold run. A lot. I don't think we will but I would. I have extrme confidence we'd get 180 yards running if we ran 40 times. The passing game is still intermittent.

Tully didn't look all that good agnist the Chargers however I think its important to have the 4th LB in the gsame to set the edge on the Colts stretch play.

 

[maverick4]

Run Corey Dillon up the middle on trap runs all day.

 

[Ring 6]

Offensively:
The Colts are bad against the run. But, no matter how bad you are against the run, or anything, if I allow you to sell out to stop it, you aren't so bad.
In other words, we need to run against a D that is playing honest, not one that is selling out to stop the run.

We will win with the running game. But we will lose with the running game if we do not recognize that we need to get into favorable running situations when wwe run (or really nuetral run/pass situations)

The game plan really depends on what the Colts want to do on defense. If they choose to sell out in run D Brady can tear them to shreds. If they choose to play honest we could run for 250.
If we ASSUME an offensive game plan can influence what they do on D (which is not nearly always true) we should throw more early to set up the run. Ideally we should run about 60% of the time against this defense, but probably should start out 50/50 of 40/60 run pass to set up the running game, assuming they start out overplaying the run.
More likely the offense cannot infulence what the D will do. (This is where I disagree with all of playcalling critics) A defense creates a gameplan to take things away. Contrary to belief of some, defenses DO NOT sit back and try to guess what you are going to do and develop a gameplan on the fly. They do not sit back and say, we came into this game to stop the pass but they ran 3 times in a row, so we need to put 9 in the box, or vice-versa.
The Colts will go into this game with a GAMEPLAN on defense. It will put priority on either shutting down the run, or limiting the pass. (By the way, of course, this is limited to nuetral run/pass situations, not obvious run or pass down and distance) They WILL NOT go in to the game 'seeing how it goes' and deciding what to take away after they see what we try to do. They have ALREADY decided what they have to do on defense to be successful. If it is to take away the run, they won't change because we complete some passes. They will adjust if they are getting destroyed.
The game plan needs to be:
Balance at first. Use th efirst quarter to get a handle on what their gameplan is. Then exploit whatever they are giving us. That will lead to them overcompansating to stop that, and bailiing on their game plan because they ARE getting destroyed with that gameplan.

My guess is they will start out concerned about the run and overplaying it.
We need to throw against that. Not every down, but more often. As we succeed at that the DL will start its ballerina routine, and the safeties will back off. Then we ound them with the run. Once we gain momentum in that and wear them down we will be able to run at will.

PLAYCALLING does not alter a defensive gameplan. SUCCESS in doing well at what they are giving up forces them to alter the gameplan.

Defensively:
We need to stop the run. Make Manning get into obvious passing downs. In those obvious passing downs we need to mix pressure with dropping 8. Disguise coverage, let him 'take what is there' then make him take what he THINKS is there but is disgusied and really isn't.
I would expect them to throw a lot on first down. My game plan would be to line up in 1st downs defenses that invite him to run. We can stop their running game from the nickel. We should start that way. I would blitz only as a change up but primarily play coverage. The underneath zones will be critical, because we have a lot of latuitude in those underneath coverage guys disgusing their coverage and get deeper and underneath the intermediate throws. It it perfectly accpetable for the underneath guys to get extra depth in their drops and sacrifice the 'wide open' underneath throw and come up and make the tackle. Manning will not be patient enough to take those throws all the way down the field.
Defensively, we must win the line of scrimmage in the running game, and win the area 12+ yards down the field. The area we afford to weaken is 3-11 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
That would be my focus.

I can easily see a day from Manning that is something like 30 of 40, but only for 240 yards, and resulting in 3 picks.
I think the key to the defense in this game to be watching for is whether Manning is completing (or even attempting) the 12-18 yard throws. Take that away, and you will see many Peyton Faces and a bunch of 'promising drives' by the Colts stalled without points or just a FG attempt.

The more I look at this game, the more I see the following:
Pats take control at some point in the 2nd quarter. The game is never in doubt, and whether it turns into a large margin or a 'comfortable' win that was somewhat holding on, it won't be in doubt.
Playing from ahead, we will get conservative on offense and leave a few points on the field at the expense of not letting them back in with turnovers due to being aggressive, and we will 'let them hang in the game' by not being overaggressive on D, making them take the long route to score, and pretty much making the clock our best friend.
If we are up 2 scores with 8 minutes left, and make them take underneath and 4 minute drives to score, there is no problem with them taking 4 minutes to score once. We will come back and either run out the clock or not leave them enough time to score again. That may seem like holding on, but ultimately it is winning comfortably/

 

[Ceresco]

Pressure Manning and that will take care of the Colts offense.

 

[Ring 6]

Pressure Manning and that will take care of the Colts offense.

I disagree. Well I agree if you DO pressure him it takes care of their offense, but the problem is when you TRY TO pressure him and don't.

Every game would be a shutout if trying to get pressure on a QB equalled actually getting pressure on him.
The danger is when you blitz and they pick it up, you get burned.

The reason the Colts are so good against pressure is that the receivers do an excellent job of recognizing it and get open.
If I send 7 rushers, and the QB and WR see it AND the WR is good enough to get open, I have 4 guys to tackle him after he catches it, and my 7 rushers never have a chance to get near the QB.