SB Nation - Matt Stover

Monday "Practice Estimation"

shake n bake — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:20:19 -0000

Thursday night game means that to comply with the leagues requirement of 3 injury reports teams need to give a "Practice Estimation" on Monday, reporting which players they'd expect to hold out of practice if they were conducting a practice today. As you'd expect for the day after a game, the lists are long. Really it's more telling to look at who isn't listed. In the Colts case that list is actually shorter and we'll start with that.

Players Not Listed (count on them playing)

Curtis Painter, Mike Hart, Jacob Tamme, Gijon Robinson, Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, Hank Baskett, Micheal Toudoze, Mike Pollak, Jeff Saturday, Ryan Lilja, Antonio Johnson, Fili Moala, Erwin Baldwin, Philip Wheeler, Freddy Keiaho, Ramon Humber, Cody Glenn, T.J. Rushing, Jaime Silva, Devon Hall, Justin Snow, Pat McAfee, Matt Stover

Players that would've rested (likely playing)

Dwight Freeney, Antoine Bethea

The Injured (who knows?)

Joseph Addai (knee), Gary Brackett (foot), Raheem Brock (back), Donald Brown (chest), Melvin Bullitt (shoulder), Keyunta Dawson (knee), Kyle DeVan (shin), Ryan Diem (hamstring), Eric Foster (back), Aaron Francisco (ankle), Pierre Garçon (knee), Anthony Gonzalez (knee), Kelvin Hayden (knee), Tim Jennings (ankle), Charlie Johnson (foot), Jacob Lacey (Biceps), Peyton Manning (glute), Robert Mathis (quad), Daniel Muir (hamstring), Jerraud Powers (Hamstring), Jamey Richard (Shoulder), Tom Santi (hand), Clint Session (calf), Chad Simpson (back), Tony Ugoh (hip), Adam Vinatieri (knee), Reggie Wayne (foot).

Colts.com link

Know Your Colts History: Indy's Best Non-Peyton Passers of the Decade

JakeTheSnake — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:29:45 -0000

A day without #18 lining up behind center is like a day without sunshine. Of the 5,484 passes attempted by a Colts passer this decade, 5,312 were attempted by Peyton Manning. In other words, if you watched any pass since the start of 2000, 96.9% of the time Peyton was the one that threw the ball. Of the 3.1% of passes left, all were the result of Peyton either taking a backseat on a trick play or watching from the bench during a game that had no meaning or the late stages of a blowout.

Still, those relatively few passes have meaning to diehard fans like us. As the decade nears its close, we'll take a look back at the seven players beside Peyton Manning who were lucky enough to throw a pass for the blue and white this decade and see who comes out on top.

7. Reggie Wayne

His place as one of the greatest Colts receivers of all-time will never be in question, but you can't do much worse as a quarterback. The interception he threw against the Texans in Week 9 against the Texans is the only pass he has thrown in his career. When you have a career interception percentage of 100, you're going to find yourself at the bottom of just about every passing list you can find.

The Colts have another player with a 100% interception percentage in Hank Baskett, who threw his interception while with the Eagles. Who did he throw that interception against? Yep, it was the Colts.

Other notable players with a 100% interception percentage include: Cris Collinsworth, Travis Henry, Reggie Bush and another current Colt, Matt Stover.

6. Hunter Smith

He's become quite the offensive force in Washington this season, running in one touchdown and throwing for another. Unfortunately, he didn't have the same success in Indianapolis, despite having more time to work on his passing, since he didn't have to pass too much. In his time here, he only threw one pass and it ended up being an incompletion.

5. Mark Rypien

Like Hunter Smith, Mark Rypien saw his best days as a Redskin. He was in the twilight of his career in 2001 when he signed on as a backup for Peyton Manning. He is most famous for being the player who stepped in for the one play in Peyton's career that he had to sit due to injury. He ended up fumbling that snap, but he had a decent outing in garbage time against the Patriots a few weeks before. In the outing Rypien completed 5 of his 9 passes for 57 yards.

Someone on the opposing team got their first start as a quarterback in the same game, but for the life of me I can't seem to remember who it was.

4. Brock Huard

Huard appeared in two games the Colts won by a combined 65 points in 2003. He completed 2 of his 3 passes for 22 yards. The numbers may not blow you away, but he had no turnovers and also managed 8 rushing yards.

It might take a lot statistically to get on this list, but I'll put Brock Huard's numbers up against JaMarcus Russell's every day.

3. Ken Dilger

In a 2001 game against the Jets, Dilger hooked up with Marvin Harrison for a 39 yard touchdown pass that gave the Colts a lead in the 4th quarter. His efforts would be in vein as Vinny Testaverde led the Jets back down the field to win the game. His perfect completion percentage is nice, but it doesn't take the place of a loss.

2. Jim Sorgi

Years from now when you look up "career backup" in the dictionary, a picture of Jim Sorgi holding a clipboard will accompany the definition. It's only fitting that he ends up as the backup on this list as well.

His shoulder injury and subsequent placement on IR means he won't be able to pad his stats anymore this season once the Colts clinch home-field advantage (All you had to do was put the clipboard in your other hand, Jim! Split the workload 50-50!). Still, his body of work during this decade speaks for itself. In 14 appearances, he's completed 63.5% of his passes, throwing 6 touchdowns and only one interception. Not bad for a career backup.

1 Joseph Addai

Every pass he's thrown in the NFL has gone for a game-winning touchdown. It doesn't get any better than that. Why isn't he starting at quarterback?

Recap Week Thirteen: Colts 27 - Titans 17

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:00:35 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

13 days ago: Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai (29) celebrates a touchdown in the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans in an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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12-0.

Only six other teams in NFL history have started 12-0 in this league. One of those teams was the 2005 Colts.

21 regular season wins in a row, tying an NFL record, which was much fawned over when it happened, held by the New England Patriots.

An NFL record seven straight seasons with at least 12 wins.

Tying the 1990s San Francisco 49ers, winning the team's 113th game this decade.

These are all records that are to be cherished, respected, and honored. Many will try to dismiss or diminish these accomplishments, but such talk is the action of haters and fools. This football team we know and love, these Indianapolis Colts, have achieved some very special, very awe-inspiring feats of late, and it is my sincere hope that each and every one of you does not fall into the black pit of cynical thinking by looking for ways to poke holes in all these accomplishments. And while it is certainly not the custom of the team to sit back and think "Gosh, we built a powerhouse this decade," we fans are permitted to enjoy the special accomplishments our beloved Colts have worked very hard to give us.

The Colts reached many of these amazing milestones with a tough 27-17 win over their division rivals, the Tennessee Titans. The Colts led from start to finish, forcing Vince Young into several critical mistakes, miscues, and misfires while also containing the volatile Chris Johnson by holding him out of the endzone. The win gives Indy the sweep of the regular season series over Tennessee. The Colts had already won the AFC South going into the game, but by beating the Titans it all but assures that the Flaming Thumb Tacks will not make the playoffs in 2009.

The way Indy won the game was also special. They "out physicaled" the Titans and beat them to the punch, mentally. At no point in the game was that more obvious than in the closing seconds of the second quarter. Indy was pushing the Titans off the line of scrimmage and driving to attempt a field goal. The previous series, the Titans scored on an impressive TD drive to cut the Colts lead 21-10. The Colts had two timeouts and less than 20 seconds to get into FG range. However, on a first and ten from the Titans 45 yard line, with 10 seconds left on the clock, Titans defensive end Tony Brown did what we have seen the Titans do all year: Freak out and lose composure. After a play, he got into an altercation with Kyle DeVan, who had been blasting Ford and other Titans off the line of scrimmage all day. Brown grabbed DeVan's facemask and poked him in the eye right in front of a ref.

Flag.

15 yard penalty. Colts ball at the Titans 30. Colts kick a FG from 43 yards out to go into halftime 24-10.

Thank you, Tony Brown.

That play right there just about summed up the game. The Colts were more physical and more mentally tough than a Titans team that is often (incorrectly) lauded for such things. And while there are many positive things I took from this game that relate to the Titans, the bottom line is there is a reason the Colts swept them this year, and that Tony Brown penalty (which should have gotten the punk ejected I might add; Ron Winters is a schmuck) gives you a clear indicator why.

Outstanding young receivers Pierre Garcon (85) and Austin Collie (17)

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

There's lots to take away from this game:

I cannot say enough good things about Kyle DeVan. The first quarter TD run by Joseph Addai was to the right, and made possible by some great blocking up front by DeVan and Ryan Diem. DeVan took his man nearly ten yards back on that Addai run, which put Indy up 7-0. The other Addai TD run, a 1 yard run on first and goal, was also to the right. Once again, DeVan sealed off his man extremely well and Ryan Diem once again opened a big hole for Addai and run through. Benching the second round bust that is Mike Pollak for Kyle DeVan was an excellent move on Jim Caldwell's part. Earlier this year, running right was an exercise in futility for the Colts. Now, they are blasting one of the best run defenses in the league off the line while running right.
Tony Ugoh started at left tackle today; in for an injured Charlie Johnson. Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, who lined up opposite of Ugoh, recorded three total tackles for the entire game and no sacks. Nice job, Tony.
The Colts broke the Titans back holding them to zero points on the goal line stand in the late-third quarter. In years past, that's an easy Titans TD. With this year's defense, the Colts hunker down and get nasty on the goal line. The Titans had seven chances to score in the red zone on that drive, and missed on each attempt. Damn fine defense, gentlemen!
Pierre Garçon has arrived. 99 receiving yards... IN THE FIRST QUARTER! Holy Mount Union, Batman! The kid finished with 136 for the day and averaged, AVERAGED!, 22.7 yards a catch. He did not see the endzone on Sunday. However, Austin Collie, the other "kid" who has arrived at wide receiver, did. Collie grabbed a 4 yard TD on third-and-goal from Peyton Manning. Once again, Manning and Collie make Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck look foolish. On the TD throw, Manning looked off Collie, and when Bulluck left his zone to follow Manning's eyes, Manning went back to Collie in the back of the endzone to go up 21-3.
We had a Mike Hart sighting, and the sighting was a good one. Some tough running from the second year player.
The fourth quarter drive to, essentially, ice the game was the kind of drive I absolutely go nuts for. After stopping the Titans again in the redzone, with Jeff Fisher opting to go for it on fourth down again only to come away with zero points, the Colts took over at their own 10 yard line. They then proceed to march 77 yards, consuming 7:23 minutes of clock while holding onto a 24-10 lead. It is at this point in the game where time of possession matters. This is when you want and need to run the ball, and the Colts did it. Indy scored another FG to cap the drive, all but ending any chance the Titans had of mounting a comeback. These kinds of drives are the ones that make champions. You put your foot on the throat of the opponent, and you squeeze the life out, slowly. That's what that drive was. It reminded me a lot of the fourth quarter drive in the playoffs in 2006 against the Ravens, where the game was iced with an Adam Vinatieri FG. Today, Matt Stover (former Ravens kicker who played in that 2006 playoff game) did the icing.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Like all games, both wins and loses, there are negatives. The 56 yard kick return by Kenny Britt was frustrating, especially after seeing this special teams unit play so very well all season long. The Jacob Lacey pass inference call was stupid on Lacey's part, but not as stupid as Daniel Muir once again failing to bring down a QB when he's got the dude in his grasp. We saw Muir (who has played brilliantly all season) whiff on a sack against David Garrard in Week One, and he did it once again against Vince Young on Sunday.

Speaking of Vince Young, while he was awful throwing the ball in the redzone Sunday, and made some poor decisions that, to be honest, should have given him three picks on the day (one caught, two dropped) I must say that Vince has indeed improved. And yes, the Colts were given a gift with Nate Washington dropping that sure TD pass after he beat Jerraud Powers, but the Titans were also handed a gift later when Kelvin Hayden did not haul in Vince's terrible sideline throw. Had Hayden made that catch, it's a pick six the other way.

Is Vince a smart quarterback now? No. He's still pretty clueless reading defenses and making good decisions with the football. However, he did show significant improvement on Sunday throwing the football. Both of his TD throws were crisp, accurate, and thrown with velocity from the pocket. That's a good sign if you are a Titans fan. All this running around and option-draw-crap is fun for a while, but it doesn't consistently win you football games. Throwing accurately from the pocket does.

So, despite his terrible INT to Lacey in the second quarter, and his poor red zone throws, Vince did show me he has improved from the over-hyped sack of crap he was from 2006-2008. He's building on something. It's taken him four years to do it, but he has progressed.

With the Titans all but eliminated from the playoffs, all talk of Chris Johnson for MVP should cease. If it doesn't, the people screaming for it need to be ignored. Johnson is a magnificent player. He had averaged 160 yards a game during the Titans five game winning streak. However, the Colts bottled and contained CJ, holding him out of the endzone and preventing any splash plays. This was a game the Titans had to have to stay alive; the kind of game an MVP steps up and helps his team win. Johnson didn't do that today, and much of the reason why he didn't was the Colts defense. Though Johnson is no longer a serious MVP candidate, I personally believe he has supplanted Adrian Peterson as the best RB in football. Johnson can do everything Peterson can, and also NOT fumble.

Overall, this was an impressive win. To be that physical and that mentally tough against a team that was red hot coming into this contest sends a message. I know that as a fan I am very proud of how this team has developed, despite injuries and other distractions this team has achieved some truly lasting feats. With the Saints defeating the Redskins in an overtime thriller, we have (again, for the first time in 89 years of the National Football League) two 12-0 teams in December. That's special. This Colts team is special. Enjoy the special.

Go Colts!

Colts re-sign Mike Hart and sign Ervin Barwin to active roster; Kelvin Hayden expected to return this week

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:35:58 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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There has been a flurry of news on new (and old) players added to the active roster along with injury status updates. Much of the news is filtering in from an outstanding new widget on CBS Sports' website. It is essentially a "live ticker" of team specific information which CBS refers to as "Rapid Reports." The ticket is maintained by none-other-than John Oehser of IFR. So, unlike other supposed information ticker services, the content from here is legit and accurate. We've added the widget to the site, along the right hand column (scroll down).

Anyway, back to the updates.

Well, to start, even though they worked out Dominic Rhodes yesterday, the Colts opted to re-sign Mike Hart to the active roster. Hart has been battling back from last year's knee injury, and has been cut and re-signed to both the active roster and practice squad at various points this season. The Colts also signed defensive end Ervin Baldwin to the active roster. Baldwin (6'2, 260 pounds) was drafted in the seventh round by the Bears last year. He's familiar with Tampa 2, and his signing seems to suggest what PhilB wrote about earlier today: Dwight Freeney might not go again for the second week in a row.

Again, with Freeney, it seems to be a wait-and-see situation. A lot of this is precautionary, and does not seem the kind of thing that could screw-up his play moving forward.

The Colts also signed center Keith Gray and guard Drew Radovich to the practice squad.

Also, we have an Adam Vinatieri update! It seems Vinatieri is progressing quite nicely and could return to kicking very soon. According to Oehser:

K Adam Vinatieri (right knee) is closer to returning, Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. Caldwell said a decision will be made on keeping K Matt Stover if and when Vinatieri returns.

Personally, and this is just my gut instinct and not based off any info I've gotten, I think Indy might consider keeping both Adam and Matt on the roster going into the playoffs. Vinatieri is the Colts current and future kicker. So, any talk that Stover or Pat McAfee will replace him is just nonsense. However, Stover has been very reliable this year filling in for Vinatieri, showing that even at age 41 he can still hit the big kicks. If Indy is not 100% certain that Adam is completely healthy by the playoffs, they may keep Stover on the active roster just in case.

There were a ton of FanPosts and FanShots that many of you placed up on the site updating everyone on the the news. Thanks (and a special tip) to those that did so.

What Did You Expect?

Bruce Raffel — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:19:10 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

27 days ago: Indianapolis Colts's Matt Stover connects for the go-ahead field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, in Baltimore. The Colts won 17-15. Holding on the play is Pat McAfee. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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Seriously folks, what did you really expect to happen this past Sunday when our Baltimore Ravens lost a heartbreaker to the Indianapolis Colts? The 17-15 loss might have been close and even led many to believe that one interception or even a shanked field goal was the difference between winning and losing that game. Did you truly think that Peyton Manning would have choked in his attempt to bring his team back from a deficit late in the game against us if he needed to?

Going into this past Sunday's game, most Ravens fans were willing to accept defeat if:

A: We didn't get blown out, or

B: Matt Stover didn't beat us with a last second FG

Thankfully, (A) didn't happen and (B) did sort of happen, but the kick was made with more than enoughtime on the clock for the Ravens to challenge the rest of the game.

However, the notion that the Ravens had lost just about every close game against decent teams in this frustrating year but would play way over their heads and actually defeat the undefeated Colts was probably not in too many people's minds (although my brother-in-law swore we were going to win big!) before the game or even when we first saw it on the team schedule this summer.

But then again, we knew the Ravens were a much better team than the 5-4 record indicated and knew our losses were all to first place teams in games we were in until at least close to the very end if not the final seconds. Then again, this was Indianapolis, who had always had their way with us, and we did seem to always find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory time and time again.

So then how come what happened Sunday still sticks in your gut like grandma's heavy holiday fruticake (what)!? Once again, did you actually expect the Ravens to take the lead on that final FG or score that last TD and then stop Peyton and the Colts from going down the field and either scoring a touchdown or kicking the game winning field goal to send throngs of fans plummeting off the upper decks to put themselves out of another misery ending?

Puh-lease, there was no way that Manning was going to lose this game. Look what he did just the week before to a very good New England Patriots team. He led the Colts on scoring drives when he needed to and don't forget the game might not have even been that close had his reserve tight end, who had a career game against us fumbled on the goal line when going in with what should have been another Manning TD pass.

Do not dismiss the Colts defense by any means. Lots of people thought the injuries combined with a smaller but athletic defensive line would be an easy target for us to run the ball down their throats or have our young QB pick them apart. However, looking at the stats for the season, there sits Indy at #1 in least points allowed, which for those who know me, is the most important defensive stat of all (Ravens are up to #4). What do the Colts defense give up each week as their average? The exact same 15 points that they allowed to the Ravens Sunday. What did the Ravens give up Sunday? The exact same number of points that is our average (17). Sounds like a classic stats-confirming loss to me.

The scary thing is, had we won Sunday, we would be smack dab in the middle of the Wild Card race, tied with a bunch of other teams (Pittsburgh, Denver, Jacksonville) with the same 6-4 record. Even with the loss, the Ravens sit just one game out of the Wild Card race, although they sit there with a bunch of other 5-5 teams and will need to pretty much go at 5-1, if not 6-0 to grab a post season berth. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, as just look at the Tennessee Titans who started the season 0-6 and now are just one game behind the Ravens after just upsetting the Texans in Houston on Monday Night Football.

For now, the hated Pittsburgh Steelers are coming to town for a prime time Sunday night key AFC North and possible Wild Card defining matchup. The Steelers have a ton of their own issues, most being related to the health of not only Ben Roethlisberger, but who will be backing him up as well. This game provides a great opportunity to get back on our feet and stay in the playoff race, but also could definitely spell the end of any hopes we are still clinging to. Let's put this last one behind us and focus on what we can do to snap the Steelers' streak and shut their fans up from gloating about their superiority over us for at least a few more weeks until we meet again in Pittsburgh.

The Morning After: This One Still Really Hurts

Bruce Raffel — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:48:04 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

27 days ago: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco paces the sidelines in the closing moments of the Ravens' 17-15 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Ironically, the last time a Baltimore Ravens' loss hurt this much the next day was the 2006 playoff loss to this same Baltimore Colts' team. That game was extremely similar as the Ravens could only muster field goals rather than getting the ball into the end zone. All too familiar was the late red zone interception that sealed the win for the Colts and sent home optimistic Ravens fans with the same notion that their season was over.

While there are still six games left in the 2009 season, the Ravens would have to go undefeated for a chance to make the playoffs at this point. Playoffs! Playoffs? Wha, you're talking about playoffs!? To add to the misery, I said all week that I'd prefer to get blown out by the Colts than to lose on a Matt Stover field goal, so what ended up being the difference? A Matt Stover field goal after our new kicker, Billy Cundiff, go the loudest ovation for just a field goal in Ravens history, but despite hitting five field goals, still missed a chip shot that might have made a difference in the game's outcome.

Isn't it interesting how the oddsmakers knew exactly what they were doing when they opened up the betting line with the Ravens a one point favorite? Enough money was put on the Colts to move the line to Indy -1.5, and look what happens, they win the game by two points. Hmmm...something might smell a bit fishy if you were a wagering man.

But we digress from the task at hand, which is bashing the playcalling and even more so, the lack of execution. No one would be complaining about what plays were called if the players did their jobs on the field and executed them successfully. How does our quarterback look so good at the beginning of the season that not only are we talking about going to the Super Bowl, but our QB is also headed to the Pro Bowl. Now the team has not scored a first half offensive touchdown in the first half of a NFL game since week four against the New England Patriots. That's a streak of six games, and we've only scored two offensive TD's in the past three game in total. Not only is that definitely not a Super Bowl team, it certainly isn't a Pro Bowl QB either.

Say what you want about how good Joe Flacco is, give him a pass if you want for only being a second year player or blme it all on the lack of wide receivers or the playcalling. However, the kid has just not gotten it done, looks like he is regressing and has had a huge hand in some of these losses that have the levels of frustration amongst the fans at a boiling point with our most hated opponents getting ready to come into our house for what was supposed to be the battle for the division lead in the AFC North.

Flacco's interception while we were on the doorstep of scoring the go ahead touchdown was thrown right smack dab into the heart of the Colts' defense. He tried to throw it to Derrick Mason, who was not only covered, he was double or perhaps even triple teamed at the time. All day, Mason had scholled the Colts injury-depleted secondary with outside moves and when I saw him lined up outside I was like, "good, make a fake inside and Flacco will hit you in the front corner of the end zone fo rthe TD." In slow motion, I saw him cut across the middle and started shouting "nooooo..." and the interception came just as I expected. that's now three red zone interceptions in games that the Ravens have lost by less than seven points by the second year Flacco (including Cincinnati, New England)

Ironically, every team in the AFC North went down to defeat yesterday and a win over Indy would have came at a great time, as both us and the Steelers would be meeting next week at 6-4, with the Bengals only a game ahead of us at 7-3. ut alas, that is not to be the case, as the Ravens sit at .500 and with Pittsburgh coming in at 6-4, the battle is now to just see which team finishes in second and third place in the AFC North.

I know there have been a lot of comments posted here on The Beatdown, and hopefully you'll continue to vent more at the bottom of this post as well. Leave your thoughts, advice and frustrations to "add company to my misery!"

Ravens vs. Colts: Prediction and 'Open Thread'

Bruce Raffel — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:22:53 -0000

While I won't be able to join you for the 'Open Thread' I still urge everyone to keep it here on The Beatdown all game long to post your comments and thoughts as we cheer the Baltimore Ravens on to the upset victory and shock the league as well as the Colts and knock them from the ranks of the unbeatens just as we did two weeks ago to the then-undefeated Denver Broncos.

I'll be screaming from the Club Level in section 206, so if you make it there, stop by to have a cold one on me. Otherwise, park yourselves in front of the TV and join this thread as you watch the game. If the Ravens had followed my lead and confirmed my predictions on the previous nine games, we'd be sitting with the Colts at 9-0, as I've picked them to win every game so far in 2009, but for whatever strange reasons, they've decided to make their own decisions and look where it's gotten them. Unfortunately for that, the Ravens are teetering on the playoff ledge at 5-4 and desperately need a win today and even more so next week when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday night on prime time.

However, the focus is without a doubt on stopping Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, while also trying to get off the schnide and score some early points for a change, which hasn't happened since the fourth game of the season. Falling behind the Colts plays right into their hands, as being forced to throw in order to play catch up instead of controlling the clock and keeping Manning off the field by running the ball down Indy's throat is a recipe for disaster.

At the same time, expecting to totally shutting down their high power, almost score-at-will offense is pretty much a fantasy, so the Ravens will not only need to win the time of possession battle but the offensive fireworks one as well. Mixing in the run and pass, throwing in a trick play or two to get some quick points, plus utilizing all the key personnel in the run and pass game by spreading the ball around to a bunch of guys is our best shot. Using Willis McGahee to spell Ray Rice, especially in the Red Zone, worked so well in the beginning of the season and should return today. Same thing goes for the passing attack, when Joe Flacco routinely hit six or seven receivers a game, making it difficult to just take Derrick Mason out of the game and expecting the air attack to flounder like it has lately. Get the tight end(s) in the game to open the middle of the field and exploit the loss of All Pro safety Bob Sanders.

In order to do that on the offensive side of the ball, we'll need to control the trenches and that all starts and ends with the Colts' defensive line bookends. Slowing down both Freeney and Mathis will be a major challenge for our tackles but it is a possibility with the right gameplan. The same thing goes for the defensive side of the ball and once again, the trench warfare battle should determine the game's outcome. If the loss of Terrell Suggs cannot be overcome by a decent game from the rookie, Paul Kruger, then I shudder to think of what Peyton Manning will do to our secondary. A solid pass rush with different schemes, looks, formations and of course, blitzes, will go a long way to helping our secondary stick with the great Colts' receivers and not need to follow them all over the field as Manning sits back there fro five or six seconds picking us apart.

So once again, but more importantly than ever, win the trenches, win the game. And vice versa. I'm predicting that the game is closer than most people expect, although I'm still a bit leery as to why the oddsmakers had the Ravens even open as a one point favorite, much less remain only a one point underdog. They're usually pretty good at their jobs so something appears to be up with what many are calling a "trap" game for bettors, although the line hasn't moved much so it appears that bettors seem to be staying away from this one, although the point total for the game (44) seems to be a decent wager.

While I'm obviously rooting for Baltimore to win, I'd much prefer to see us get blown out by Indy than to have Matt Stover kick the game winner for them as the clock expires. At the same time, I'd love to either see new Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff do the same to them, but even more would love to see Stover's 45 yard attempt to win it fall just short at the end of the game.

For the first time this season, I am not picking my Ravens to come out on the positive end of the score. However, they will make a game of it that should give us future confidence for the Steelers game next week, that is actually even more critical than today's.

Indy: 27-20

Week Eleven Preview: Colts at Ravens

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:23:22 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Indianapolis Colts quarterback and supposed John Unitas clone Peyton Manning (18) uses the Vulcan head touch to sap the knowledge from Senior Offensive Coordinator Tom Moore's brain. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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(Warning: This Colts v. Ravens preview is sans Mayflower trucks because, quite honestly, we've been there and done that. Most rational, civilized, well-adjusted people are over it already. Those that aren't need a life).

We made a big brew-ha-ha earlier this year about Baltimore native Barry Levinson's well produced but painfully flawed ESPN documentary titled ~~The Band That Wouldn't Let It Go~~ The Band That Wouldn't Die. The doc's story centered on the old Baltimore Colts marching band and their efforts to keep the spirit of football alive in the city of Baltimore after the Colts left town in favor of Indianapolis in March of 1984. ESPN probably should have waited until this week to air the doc, as it would have likely stirred up the fanbases in both Baltimore and Indy just in time for the now-seemingly annual Colts v. Ravens showdown.

Since 2004, the Colts have played the Ravens at least once a year. With this Sunday's game, the Colts will have played in Baltimore four times while the Ravens have traveled to Indy twice. In all the previous contests, the Colts have flat out owned the Ravens. Whether under the night lights of primetime TV, or in the pressure-packed moments of the playoffs, the Colts have consistently put their foot on the throats of the Ravens and strangled the life out of them each and every time.

Yet, despite the seemingly annual match-up, there does not seem to be any sort of animosity or hatred between the two teams. The reason for this: Peyton Manning. Baltimore fans and players seem to respect Peyton Manning more than any other QB in the league. I've heard more than a few fans from the "City of Firsts" say that Peyton Manning is as close to a clone of Johnny Unitas as they've ever seen. He even walks like unitas did, they say. There is also mutual respect from Colts players towards greats like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Ravens coach John Harbaugh (brother of former-Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh, a longtime fan favorite).

With this year's match-up, the rivalry now has the added dimension of a potent Ravens offense, led by a very impressive QB named Joe Flacco, and a Colts defense that, right now, is playing better football than the Ravens defense has this season.

John Unitas; quite simply, THE man

Image: pictopia.com

First and foremost, I'm a huge Joe Flacco fan. He's a better QB than Matt Ryan, absolutely no question about it. While Ryan is a cool customer who shows an impressive knowledge of the game of football, there is nothing Ryan does better than Flacco. In fact, from what I have seen, Flacco has a better arm and has been able to do more with less than Ryan has.

The Ravens offense is one of the best in football, averaging roughly 25 points per game behind a passing attack from Flacco that has generated 12 TDs and only 7 INTs. The Ravens also boast an impressive ground game behind (arguably) the most under-rated RB in all of football: Ray Rice. Baltimore's rushing attack averages 4.3 yards a carry and has scored 12 TDs. Just like when the Colts had to travel to Tennessee earlier this season and shut down all-world runner Chris Johnson, stopping Rice and the Ravens ground game will be top priority for the Colts defense.

Raymond Berry, one of my favorite players of all time

Image: www.profootballhof.com

What has been odd of late has been the play of Baltimore's defense. Though they are only surrendering 17 ppg (ranked 5th in the league), there have been some games this season where the Ravens D has fallen way short of the high expectations we fans set for them. They lost three in a row in October, allowing teams like the Patriots and Vikings to score seemingly at will on them. They righted their ship by defeating the then-undefeated Broncos, but have been a bit erratic ever since. The recent loss of Terrell Suggs will hurt their D, and while they certainly miss the play of departed linebacker Bart Scott (who signed with the Jets this past off-season) you absolutely cannot discount a defense with Lewsi, Reed, and all-galaxy defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who is the cousin of Colts rookie Fili Moala.

Keys to the game:

Stop the run. In the Ravens two loses to their division rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore's running game was limited. While Flacco is certainly capable of flinging the football around with the best of them, if you take away the running game and force him to throw more than he is comfortable, the results are often turnovers.
Robert Mathis v. Michael Oher. Oher's story is certainly worthy of a movie, but even if he did not come from abject poverty, Oher's story as an impressive rookie is very much worthy of respect on its own. Still, with Dwight Freeney likely to get loads of attention, Mathis must beat Oher and pressure Flacco. Mathis' play Sunday night was a big difference, flustering Tom Brady and hurrying his throws. Mathis must have a similar impact against Flacco.
The Patriots focused their defense on Dallas Clark, and the Ravens might do the same. Ed Reed might glue himself to Clark in an attempt to take away Peyton's ace. The Colts must counter this by either moving Clark around (playing him outside, in the slot, or as an H-Back), dictating to the Ravens how they should cover him. Clark is currently third in the league in catches with 64 and 5th in the league in yards. Clark's a tight end, folks. I don't know if I've ever seen a tight end have these kinds of numbers.
Ray Lewis is a student of the game, and he is correct in his praise of the Colts running game. Indy has made it a point to stick with the run, especially in the fourth quarter. The results speak for themselves. For three straight games, the Colts have used good, smart, hard running to close out games in the fourth. With rookie Donald Brown back from his shoulder injury and Chad Simpson flexing his muscles a bit as a running back (36 yards on 4 carries last week), Joseph Addai might finally get some help carrying the load for this team. Also, the decision to start Kyle DeVan at right guard over Mike Pollak has made a difference. Running plays to the right are no longer the lost cause they were earlier in the year.

Gino Marchetti (89) was Dwight Freeney long before Dwight Freeney was Dwight Freeney

Image: assets.espn.go.com

Sunday's game will also feature the return of Ravens legend Matt Stover, who spent 13 seasons in Baltimore as their kicker. The Ravens let him go this past off-season, and it was a decision they now openly regret. Stover has been damn impressive filling in for an injured Adam Viantieri. Meanwhile, the Ravens cut the kicker they replaced Stover with, and are now handing the kicking job to journeyman Billy Cundiff.

After a whale of a comeback against the Patriots last week, traveling to Baltimore will prove another tough physical and mental hurdle for the Colts to overcome. They've done this kind of thing before this season, winning a thriller against the Dolphins and then going on the road to face the Cardinals, who they spanked in their house. This will be Indy's first road game in nearly a month. You could really say this is Indy's first road game in almost six weeks. Their last "road" game was at St. Louis against the Rams, where it seemed there were more Colts fans in the stands than rams fans. Indy's last true "road game" was Week Five at Nashville against the then 0-5 Titans.

This road test will likely prove a strong one for the Colts as the Ravens are a very good football team. For more insight into the game, please visit Baltimore Beatdown, SB Nation's outstanding Ravens blog.

How to Beat the Indianapolis Colts

Bruce Raffel — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:32:37 -0000

When the old Tonight Show featuring Johnny Carson was on, he had a skit with the Great Carnak the Magnificent. Carnak would read the answers (repeated by Ed McMahon) and then read the hilarious questions. So here we go with the related topic of above:

The answers are: kidnap him, put grease on his hands and tie his shoestrings together.

The question is: How do the Baltimore Ravens stop Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark?

Short of doing those dastardly deeds, there is not much else to do to expect to be the first team to knock off the Indianapolis Colts from the ranks of the two unbeaten teams in 2009. Of course, we could always go the "Brady Quinn" route, but that would not be the right way to win a game, although Quinn sure made it a bit more difficult by taking our our best pass rusher this past Monday night.

Usually I come up with a solid game plan for the team but if New England Patriots can't do it, then how can the Ravens expect to win? That's an easy one....I think. No, it is possible in the NFL as it is so hard to win all sixteen games although the Pats did prove it is indeed possible and with two teams still without a loss this season, it is definitely within reach.

The Ravens will try to do what they came so close to doing in 2007 when they came within a minute of upsetting the Patriots in Baltimore, only to fall in the game's final moments just like the Pats did at the Colts last Sunday night. Perhaps we will pull one of those efforts out of our helmets and actually play for all sixty minutes instead of just 59. However, we will have to get off to a better start than we have since we last played New England earlier this year, which was the last time the Ravens offense scored a touchdown in the first half. Yes, that's no typo, check it out yourself. As many points as this team has put up this season, an overwhelming majority was put up in the second half and especially the 4th quarter.

The answer to this game's success is pretty obvious, considering the desperate nature of where the Ravens sit along with the great success of our opponent. We know what Peyton Manning can do with the ball in his hands all game, much less the last couple of minutes. If this game is close down the stretch, it's probably as good as over and if it ends up with the Colts' Matt Stover putting the dagger in our hearts with a game winning field goal, then I'd prefer Manning to blow us out long before that.

However, if, and this is a huge "if," the Ravens can establish the run game and keep the Colts offense off the field for much of the game, winning the time of possession battle and consistently putting together long drives that culminate with touchdowns (not FG's), then perhaps, just perhaps...

Short of that, winning the turnover battle with a few tipped balls turned into interceptions and easy points, combined with a couple of fumble recoveries and great special teams' play, the Ravens chances to win this game are pretty slim despite them only being a one point underdog right now on most oddsmakers betting lines. Then again, who knows which Ravens team will show up Sunday?

PS- Panthers over the Dolphins tonight: There are two teams, one in each conference, both coming around after starting off the season looking horrible. The NFC team is Carolina and the AFC team are the Tennessee Titans, both of which no one is looking forward to playing them.

Gee, you think the Ravens regret letting Matt Stover walk?

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:46:10 -0000

More photos » by AJ Mast - AP

about 1 month ago: Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Stover (3) kicks the game winning extra point during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009 in Indianapolis. Colts beat Patriots 35-34. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Browse more photos »

Yesterday, the Baltimore Ravens cut kicker Steven Hauschka . Hauschka was handed the starting place kicker job during the off-season after Ravens management decided not to re-sign longtime, legendary kicker Matt Stover who, like Adam Vinatieri, has made a career making big, money, clutch field goals.

Gee, you think Ravens football guru Ossie Newsome regrets that stupid decision?

Prior to getting cut, Hauschka was hitting only 3-5 field goals between 40 and 49 yards and had missed two FGs from less than 39 yards. Against the Cleveland Browns Monday night, Hauschka missed a gimme FG from 36 yards out. Apparently, that's was all Newsome needed to see.

Stover, meanwhile, has found a temporary home with the team that used to play in Baltimore, the Colts. With fellow legend Adam Vinatieri on the shelf for a while recovering from surgery, Stover has come in and been his usual, automatic self. He is 6-6 on FG attempts, hitting all four tries in the 30 to 39 yard range. While sTover likely does not have the leg power to blast a 53-yarder through the uprights, he does do what every good kicker is paid very handsomely to do: Make the gimme FGs.

This is why, for my money, kickers with "big legs" are over-rated. Give me the clutch kickers any day; the guys who make the FGs when the game is on the line. Sure, even the great ones miss one or two here and there, but more often than not they are the ones who propel your team to wins by hitting the big money FG.

Guys like Stover and Vinatieri have made their careers doing that. This weekend, the Colts and Stover will return "home" to Baltimore. Hopefully, he can provide the Ravens with even more regret for letting him walk away from their franchise.