SB Nation - Clint Session

Great Colts of the Decade: Linebacker

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:15:19 -0000

The philosophy of Bill Polian and the front office is to have a revolving door at linebacker. Because of the existing salary cap, emphasis and investment in certain key positions is vital to maintaining the core of your team. For a Tampa-2 style defense, safety and defensive line are much more important than linebacker. Thus, players like Bob Sanders, Dwight Freeney, and even Anthony McFarland were considerably invested in (aka, paid more money) over Colts linebackers.

Still, despite the revolving door, some very impressive linebackers have made their way through the Colts over the last decade. Many of these players played well in Indy, and then went on to play even better at other destinations. However, the focus here is on players who played well while in Indy. This includes a player like Marcus Washington, who went on to play in Pro Bowls for the Redskins. However, before his Redskins days, Washington was a vital player in Indy's AFC Championship run in 2003. Polian still refers to Washington, and later David Thornton, as linebackers that "got away."

Then there are the "solid" players; guys who gave consistent effort and dedication for long stretches. Players like Gary Brackett, Rob Morris, and Thornton fit this. Big play guys, like Cato June, were less consistent, but were often part of several HUGE plays that helped win football games for the Colts. I've also included Clint Session because he has been very impressive in his three years, moving from back-up to starter very quickly.

Whatever your criteria, the voting is below. Use the comments to write-in anyone who think was slighted.

Poll

Greatest Colts linebacker from 2000-2009

Week 15: Wednesday (Final) Injury Report

shake n bake — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:12:53 -0000

Finally we get a really look at who will be sitting Thursday Night.

Out: Donald Brown, Aaron Francisco, Anthony Gonzalez, Jerraud Powers, Adam Vinatieri

Questionable (practices): Eric Foster (1), Dwight Freeney (0), Charlie Johnson (0), Robert Mathis (0)

That's 9 players total in doubt, 8 who didn't practice at all. It's a pretty solid bet that those 8 will be your inactives.

Probable: Joseph Addai, Antoine Bethea, Gary Brackett, Melvin Bullitt, Keyunta Dawson, Kyle DeVan, Ryan Diem, Pierre Garcon, Kelvin Hayden, Tim Jennings, Jacob Lacey, Peyton Manning, Daniel Muir, Jamey Richard, Tom Santi, Clint Session, Chad Simpson, Tony Ugoh, Reggie Wayne.

Week 15: Tuesday Injury Report

shake n bake — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:49:11 -0000

First actual report of the week. Everyone that the Colts estimated would have practiced yesterday practiced today, so expect them to go.

"Back" at Practice: Joseph Addai, Gary Brackett, Raheem Brock, Melvin Bullitt, Keyunta Dawson, Kyle DeVan, Ryan Diem, Pierre Garcon, Kelvin Hayden, Tim Jennings, Jacob Lacey, Peyton Manning, Daniel Muir, Jamey Richard, Tom Santi, Clint Session, Chad Simpson, Tony Ugoh, Reggie Wayne

Still Out: Antoine Bethea (foot), Donald Brown (chest), Eric Foster (back), Aaron Francisco (ankle), Dwight Freeney (abdomen), Anthony Gonzalez (knee), Charlie Johnson (foot), Robert Mathis (quad), Jerraud Powers (Hammy), Adam Vinatieri (knee).

Personally I expect most, if not all the guys that missed today to sit, and everyone that practiced today to go.

Pro Bowl Fan Vote: Absolute Joke

shake n bake — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:49:13 -0000

Paul Kuharsky has posted an update of the Fan Vote results for the Pro Bowl and results are disturbing. If the fan voting was over today, and decided the Pro Bowl invites alone Mike Pollak and Adam Vinatieri would be Pro Bowlers, Ryan Diem would be the first alternate at tackle. This while Gary Brackett would be left out yet again, Bethea would be fighting for the 3rd safety spot and Clint Session isn't in the top 5 among AFC OLBs. Brett Favre has more Pro Bowl votes than Peyton Manning!

I'd credit the fans with putting Dallas Clark atop the voting and showing appropriate love for Mookie Johnson (5th among AFC DTs) and Pat McAfee (3rd among AFC Punters), but the Pollak and Vinatieri results makes me think that it's just the IND next to their name that's drawing the votes.

Bad sports journalism gets bashed a lot around here, and at least to me the reason isn't because dumb sportswriting needs to be bashed on it's own merits, it's because bad sports journalism (and bad journalism in general) leads to a badly misinformed public. This is a result of the bad sports journalism that we bitch and moan about.

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

Week 14: Friday Injury Report

shake n bake — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:27:37 -0000

No suprises, the only players ruled out have missed significant time, all the newer injuries have returned to practice (minus Diem who is backsliding after practicing Wednesday).

Out: Donald Brown (chest), Anthony Gonzalez (knee), Aaron Francisco (ankle), Adam Vinatieri (knee)

Questionable (days of practice): Keyunta Dawson (3), Ryan Diem (1), Charlie Johnson (2), Robert Mathis (1), Daniel Muir (1.5), Clint Session (2), Tony Ugoh (2),

Probable: Hank Baskett (baby), Gary Brackett (foot), Melvin Bullitt (shoulder), DeVan (shin), Hayden (ankle), Tim Jennings (ankle), Peyton Manning (glute), Jamey Richard (shoulder), Tom Santi (hand), Reggie Wayne (foot).

IFR relays Mathis, Diem and Dawson's strong beliefs that they will be on the field Sunday

Horse Tracks 12/11/09 - Bruton makes limited return; Colts RT Diem misses practice

Douglas A. Lee — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:39:55 -0000

NFL Films - Week 14: Broncos at Colts Preview - Broncos TV

DB - Week 14 - Thu: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - As Fundamental As They Come - Zach Eisendrath
"After not participating in Wednesday’s practice, David Bruton (thigh) was a limited participant on Thursday...After not practicing on Wednesday, DB Antoine Bethea (rested), DE Dwight Freeney (rested), T Charlie Johnson (foot), LB Clint Session (calf) and T Tony Ugoh (hip) were full participants on Thursday. After not being listed on Wednesday’s Injury Report, WR Hank Baskett (personal reason) and T Ryan Diem (hamstring) did not practice on Thursday and DT Daniel Muir (hamstring) was a limited participant."

LTC - Broncos tackle Colts, streak - Brian Howell

DPP - Burden of perfection for Colts' season record - Mike Klis

DPP - Louisville asks for Dumervil's input on coach - Jeff Legwold
"Thursday, left tackle Ryan Clady was fined by his teammates for being named one of the 26 players on USA Football's All-Fundamental team." Excellent - it's good to see the kangaroo court is in full effect...

NFL - Rookie of the Week
Not sure if this already went out, but we've got a few more hours left to vote for Knowshon...

DB - Bailey and Teammates Host Broncos Christmas Party - Broncos TV

DB - Showing Support During the Holidays - Gray Caldwell

AP - Broncos Might Have Right Formula To Beat Colts - Arnie Stapleton

Colts News

IS - Interactive: Colts Matchup - Phil Wilson

IS - Need to fly down the field to score? Colts know the drill - Phil Richards

IS - Reid finds a home in Denver's defense - Phil Wilson

IS - To Addai, 'want to' matters on final drives - Phil Richards

IS - Wayne's take? Let's play until the end - Mike Chappell

IS - Boxers or briefs? Fulmer knew all about Jackson - Mike Chappell

IS - How The Star's writers see Sunday's game

NFL - Colts in the market for a third QB

NFL Results

NFL - Pittsburgh Steelers 6 at Cleveland Browns 13
Wow, if you saw this one coming...my hat is off to you!

NYT - Friday Morning Quarterback: What the Steelers’ Loss Means - George Bretherton

AFC West News

SDUT - Turner’s star still shines bright in Texas - Chris Jenkins

SDUT - Offensive line building chemistry - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Chargers change tack on stadium - Matthew Hall

SDUT - LT has to do less, but loves it more - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Merriman dismisses grudge - Kevin Acee & Chris Jenkins

CBS - When it comes to December, Turner's Chargers are a perfect 10 - Clark Judge

SFC - Guard Gallery shelved for remainder of season - David White

SFC - Resolute Russell ready for a rebirth - David White

KCS - Vrabel adjusts to being out of contention - Adam Teicher

KCS - NFL gives Chiefs another day to sell out game - Randy Covitz

KCS - Chiefs notebook | Flowers sits out of practice - Randy Covitz

NFL News

NFL - Thursday Injury Reports

NYT - Football Broadcasts Reflect More Serious Tone on Concussions - Alan Schwarz

NFL - Patriots LB Thomas 'dumbfounded' by being dismissed by Belichick

NFL - Titans QB Young aggravates knee but expected to play vs. Rams

NFL - Saints hope CB Greer will be ready for playoffs after hernia surgery

FH - Chad Ochocinco Will Be Changing His Name Again - Will Brinson

Y! - Chicago bar visit leaves Steelers fan blind - Charles Robinson

NFL Opinion

FH - Predicting The Playoffs: Who's In, Who's In Trouble - J.J. Cooper
"The key games for the tiebreakers are the final three for the Broncos (all three are common games and two are division games) while the next two games and the final game of the season are common games for the Chargers."

NFL - AFC playoff predictions: Patriots won't be a part of postseason action - Vic Carucci
"Despite the difficulty of their remaining schedule, the Broncos should land a wild-card spot."

NFP - Supplemental revenue sharing is a key issue - Robert Boland

NFP - Player's Picks: Week 14 - Matt Bowen
"Colts 24 Broncos 19"

SI - The Peter King Challenge
"Prediction: Indianapolis Colts 23, Denver Broncos 21"

NFP - Who's the best corner on the top defense? - Matt Bowen
Champ, Woodson or Revis?

NFL - Clady-Freeney battle one of Week 14's key matchups - Gil Brandt

SI - Green Bay Packers could be Super Bowl sleeper - Kerry J. Byrne

SI - Hiring Super Bowl-winning coach offers no guarantees of NFL title - Don Banks

NFP - Diner morning news: Reid right man for Eagles - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Tavern talk: Jury still out on Smith - Mike Lombardi

CBS - Quarterly Report: Bengals, Zimmer use D to bring A-game - Pete Prisco

NFL - As Bengals and Vikings square off, coordinators take center stage - Steve Wyche

SI - Brett Favre is popular because he helps fans understand NFL - Joe Posnanski

SI - Percy Harvin eludes rookie learning curve to help Vikings - Jim Trotter

SN - Saints' Brees, Colts' Manning stand out in four-man MVP race - Vinnie Iyer

FH - Thursday and Long: Enough Already With the Jaguars - Dan Graziano

ESPN - Timing's right for Reid, Eagles - John Clayton

ESPN - Cowboys shouldn't have passed on Norv - Matt Mosley

FOX - Chargers, Cowboys remain on playoff track - Adam Schein

FH - Matt Millen Doesn't Know the Rules - Matt Snyder

FOX - 5 Questions with FOX analyst Troy Aikman

NFP - NFP’s 2009 SEC all-prospect team - Wes Bunting

NFP - NFP’s 2009 Pac-10 all-prospect team - Wes Bunting

Broncos Thoughts and Musings 1.0

Emmett Smith — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:07:22 -0000

by Charlie Riedel - AP

17 days ago: Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton (8) passes while offensive tackle Ryan Clady, right, blocks Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Tamba Hali (91) during the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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This week brought some colder, wetter autumnal weather to southern California. It put me in the perfect mood to watch a lot of film and to take in all of the facets of a massive, overwhelming Broncos beatdown of the Kansas City Chiefs, right on their own turf. Despite all the press about the past, this is a new team and they took the opportunity to prove that to KC and anyone else who was willing to watch. It was close right up to the end of the first quarter, and quickly turned into a rout during quarter 3. I enjoyed every minute of it. While I wanted to have the Broncos put a headlock on the Chiefs I didn't expect Ryan Clady (photo) to take it quite so literally.

I also continued to look at past film, spending a little extra time on special teams. I'll talk more about them on Thursday, but this was plenty to get us started. Hats on? Goggles in place? Let's do it. In fact, let's start in Indianapolis.

Defense Wins Game

Did anyone catch the way that Indianapolis won over Tennessee? Tennessee was a hot as any team in gootball, but they fell short when they came up against the Indy defense. The Colts had not one but two goal line stands in a game that brought about a 27-17 win over the Titans.

As usual, they had help. Vince Young fumbled at the one on first and goal. A Titans guard, Eugene Amano (another of the great football names, being mano Amano) committed a holding penalty, but Indy held on all tries and a perfect fade route in the corner of the endzone one fourth down was foiled when rookie Jerraud Powers pushed fellow rookie Kenny Britt out of bounds before he could get both feet down. Clint Session had 12 tackles to lead the Colts and he was joined by a crew that just didn't let up.

I bring this up for a simple reason. When Kansas City was sitting at the one yard line on 1st and goal at the end of the 1st quarter, I wasn't even phased. No chemicals were involved in my level of calm - for once, finally, for the first time in years, I awaited not how KC would score but how Denver would beat them back. Despite the ease with which the Chiefs moved the ball to the one, I knew that they were 17 plays into their drive and that the more opportunities you give Mike Nolan up in the booth, the more likely it is that he'll solve what's happening and that one or more of the Broncos will make a play. That went strangely errant during the losing streak, but that feeling was back again on Sunday, as it had been against NY. The Broncos held KC to a FG. My only surprise was that they didn't just take it away entirely.

The Post said:

"Perhaps Elvis Dumervil, Bailey and the Broncos' fifth-ranked pass defense can negate the Colts' strength. Dumervil ran down Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel in the second quarter for his NFL-best 15th sack of the season. Unlike the Broncos' teams that took trips to Indy earlier this decade, Dumervil offers the chance to apply pocket pressure on Manning, and Bailey appears to have considerably improved secondary mates.

Ty Law has provided us with a veteran's skills at the cornerback blitz. He hits like a particle accelerator, giving us the Denver version of the Big Bang. H was a great pickup. I don't know the issues of contracts that well, so I'll assume that he was let go due to excessive dollars for expected performance, but here's his contract with us:

1/6/2009: Signed a one-year, $800,000 contract. The deal included a $200,000 signing bonus. Another $400,000 is available through incentives based on performance and playing time. 2009: $600,000

That's cheap for what he's bringing to us. He'll be a free agent in 2010, if the Broncos don't sign him to another 1 year contract. Based on what I've seen so far, they should.

Goodman and safety Renaldo Hill each picked off Cassel passes in the third quarter to set up scores. Brian Dawkins blew up a Kansas City first-and-goal-from-the-1 chance in the second quarter by tackling Jamaal Charles for a 3-yard loss and then delivering a blindside blitz to disrupt Cassel's third-down pass attempt. The Chiefs didn't have an answer.

"It's not for one guy," Dawkins said. "Champ does not have to be all over the place. Elvis doesn't have to make five sacks. There's always going to be somebody to make the play. To me, that's a telltale sign of a good defense.""

It is, and that's what I loved about watching the KC game. in every quarter, someone else stepped up. Orton had a 'bad' game but ended up with a 90+ QB rating for his efforts by making two nice TD passes, moving above 60% on his passing completions and by the team going 4 of 6 in the Red zone and nailing those other two as FGs. This is a team that can put together a whole game. Indy is as tough as there is in the NFL, but every team can be beaten. It will take a near perfect effort, though. Are the Broncos up to it?

There's another side to our preparation this week: Denver will be going up against Larry Coyer, who was fired as the defensive coordinator in Denver. While most such individuals claim that it's just a game, theey understand the business and that there is nothing personal in their feelings few of us believe taht and for good reason. It's the nature of the competitive individual to compete, to assert oneself and to repay old slights. Coyer had trouble making the adjustments that kept the Broncos competitive during some of the games and over the course of the season. He will be looking to show Denver that he's learned those lessons and put them to good use.

Two side notes -- Bobby Wade was the best Denver player to wear a Chiefs uniform on Sunday, contributing drops and misses to keep drives from scoring. Ti's always appreciated, but don't expect Indianapolis to be as accommodating. And if you didn't enjoy watching Peyton Hillis show folks that he's not done with Denver, you just aren't a fan. I don't know where they keep the 'yards after contact' stats for RBs, but I'd love to see how his stack up. Great power running against an exhausted KC defense.

Special Teams Fun

A most of you know, I've been tearing apart film recently in an attempt to get a better idea of why the losing streak was happening. Today is the start of some discussion of special teams. Much of today's info came from the KC game. I've got some more coming on Thursday. Theser are some qustions that I wrote down before hitting the film:

Who is blocking on the KO and punts, who stands out? Give me some names

I'll go with 4 - on KOs, Spenser Larsen and Peyton Hillis. I can add Robert Ayers - the more film I watch, the more he's in on the blocking. Quinn? You bet. He's been in on the blocking frequently, on the ST. Against the fake punt play in KC, which could have been another TD if complete, he made a veteran read and play. By the way, calling that play at your own 28? Wow. It seemed that Darcel McBath was caught out of position, following where he thought that play was going, which left the receiver, a center who lined up as an eligible receiver, wide open. Quinn made a totally heads-up play. Nice work, rookie. Quinn also blocked well, not letting up on his man, on the drive following Andre' Goodman's perfect INT on Cassel later that quarter.

For what it's worth, that seemed to be a badly thought-out play. It's a huge gamble, your offense is failing to make any yardage but you're still only down 14-6. Aren't you throwing in the towel when you do that? It lead to a FG that made it 17-6 and would later prove to put the game out of reach.

Who is standing out as a gunner?

David Bruton, Darcel McBath and now Spencer Larsen stand out, as does Richard Quinn, but Darrell Reid (who had 3 ST tackles on Sunday at KC) was also a factor in many plays. It's a nice thing when you need to list 5 good players. Josh Barrett also seems to always be around the ball - not yet making the tackle but fillig the right lanes and keeping the runbacks contained. Champ Bailey had a nice play on the kickoff following Prater's FG at 13:30 of the 3rd Q. He was there along with Spencer Larsen, who didn't get credit for that tackle but who was in on it. Wes Woodyard had two ST tackles of his own. There was a lot of praise to go around, and all of it deserved.

Did anyone notice that when Eddie Royal had some space to move in and come blocking that he was repeatedly able to gain significant yardage? The pattern of not stopping the offense until they are in the area of the 40s and then having Royal backed up to the goal line was broken by our defensive play and the difference was obvious.

He may not have caught a lot of passes but they had to account for him all day and his combined yardage was a thing of joy. The man can block, too. You might also want to go back and rewatch the Marshall TD from the 10 yard line - Marshall started on the right side of the formation, went in motion to the left and received the pass on the right. If Eddie Royal doesn't seal off #39, Brandon Carr, on that play, Marshall maybe gains 2. Instead, Royal drove his man out of the play for just long enough to let the Broncos start celebrating.

On the following KO, Alphonso Smith, Robert Ayers, Josh Barrett and Andra Davis were ready to tackle if Wesley Woodyard hasn't made a perfect takedown on the ball carrier. The Broncos were swarming on STs, and that's nice to see. They need to continue that level of play. They didn't, for 4 games, but have stepped up for the late season run.

Royal's runback at 13:00 of the 4th Q was a thing of beauty. I thought that he was going to waste another return by running vertically, but he faked that and turned upfield into a seam, pounding across into Chiefs territory and nearly breaking a final tackle at the end before being brought down by the kicker. Such a great job...getting the kicks with room to run makes it all work.

By the way, on the 44 yard FG kick following the fake punt, I loved hearing Dick Enberg say of Prater, "Oh, he's got a big leg.." Yes, he sure does. Both of our kickers seem to be gaining in strength as the season is moving along. That's always a nice feeling. By the way, just how the heck did Berger manage to get that punt off with Jovan Belcher in his face? Picked up a penalty, but managed to roll the ball along the sideline for long enough to make that punt a keeper. When you're on, you're on...

Team Game

Renaldo Hill made a great catch on a Matt Cassel throw for an INT but the real hero of the play was none other than Elvis Dumervil. Doom hit Cassel just as he released, driving him slightly backward and causing the pass to sail on him, leading to the INT. Great pressure creates great plays.

Buckhalter takes the rock for 12 to start the Denver drive after that play, but the heroes of that play were Ryan Clady and Spencer Larsen. Clady sealed off his man and Larsen free-lanced to the outside, taking the RDE (91, Tamba Hali) out of the play. Buck ran on past them and picked up 12, the last 3 by sheer force of will. On the next play, it was Larsen, Daniel Graham and Clady. Buck put on an amazing show. 113 yards on 10 carries? I don't recall seeing a performance like that recently , off the top of my head.

Talk about team - did you see Kyle Orton, blocking downfield for Marshall on the reverse? Sure, Marshall didn't make it to that second level, but you have to chuckle when your QB is finishing his blocks. I loved it.

If you blinked, you might have missed it so I'll pass it along. On the fumble forced by Mario Haggan and picked up by Andre' Goodman, in the background you could see Vonnie Holliday hammering his man into the turf so that he couldn't have a shot at getting to the ball or to Goodman. In a single heartbeat, Holliday went from fighting with his man to get to the ball carrier to fighting to drive him into the ground. Great job, heads up play. And, on the following KO, the Broncos filled their lanes to perfection, not permitting any chance of a good runback. The STs stepped way up last Sunday.

Rotating players - Darcel McBath and Marcus Thomas seem to make their presence known every time they step into the rotation. Kudos to both of them.

I'm embarrassed to admit that by the time Cassel completed a nice pass to Bobby Wade over the middle at the end of the third quarter, I found myself actually rooting for him to get one. It was that much of a beating - I knew that he couldn't beat us. I just didn't want to see the Broncos keep slaughtering him. In a few moments, the feeling passed, but it gives an idea of the kind of game it was. Vonnie Holliday sacked him on the next play anyway. The final play of that abortive drive was a hot route out of the shotgun, incomplete to Chambers. If Cassel had put it on the money it would have been intercepted by Renaldo Hill. The overage was as compete as the snow on the Divide. By the end of the 3rd Q, it was time for the mercy rule to kick in.

Variety is the Spice...

On the following series for Denver, backed up to their own 6 yard line. The Broncs came out with a nice little formation that should look familiar to those who read last year's Magic 3 article by Steve Nichols or my own followup to it. Denver brought Spencer Larsen up to just behind the LOS, to the right, with Daniel graham on the line to Polumbus' right and Tony Scheffler outside both of them, towards the right sideline. Moreno was in the backfield, Orton under center and Marshall split out wide to the left. It was essentially a Magic 3 formation, and Denver played with several variations of Multiple TE formations over the course of the game. I saw Quinn in for one of the other Magic 3's. They seem to be running out of it so far, which is fine. I await them using it to throw more - it will give the defensive coordinators fits. It's hard enough to step as a power running option.

Back to the Future

Does it seem familiar that Brandon Marshall is doing so well that teams are obligated to try and stop him, leaving the running game more room to maneuver and Royal a Chance to catch more balls? It should. The more that Marshall catches, the more that other players come open and the more big plays we will see. It was true las year and it is this year as well.

Speaking of the future - I loved that the Broncos when for the big play on 4th and inches at the start of the 4th Q. Moreno could have had 80 yards as easily as 18. Both Graham and Larsen handled their men perfectly. They caught KC in the perfect defensive formation for the playcall and the blocking was once again perfect. Complementary football is a beautiful thing, and watching Moreno make TDs is likely to become something of a habit.

On the following KO, Champ Bailey filled the middle, forcing the returner to pause and giving Mario Haggan (who wasn't credited) and Larsen (who was credited with the tackle) a chance to pounce. That's the kind of thing that only a film review really permits you to enjoy. Quite often, the player who makes the play possible isn't the player who makes the play. That's Broncos football in a nutshell.

Reader Mail

I heard back from Joel Griffin after last BT&N. Nice fellow. He had this to say:

I really enjoyed reading your film breakdown of the Denver Broncos. Without even reviewing the film I could have pointed fingers at Hochstein & Polumbus - but you did an excellent job of highlighting their ridiculous errors. Graham was called for 2 more holding calls on Thanksgiving that resulted in 38 rushing yards coming back for Moreno so I wouldn't go letting him off the hook for his inconsistency yet...

Good points, Joel. Daniel Graham is a huge player, a game-changer when he's on. When he takes a play off by committing a foolish penalty I want to growl at him but he always rebounds for us. That's been a pattern with him for a long time, and he's worth the aggravation of a few plays, although I still hope the grows out of it. I loved his TD play at KC and that's typical of his abilities. Scheffler had a big drop, but also got a PI call that moved the chains and he added a 19 yard reception. I loved seeing Peyton Hillis taking people apart in garbage time. I still think that there's a place for that man in the RB rotation, but time will tell. Buck seems to be chewing up the field again - a 9.4 YPC AVERAGE? Ok, he was a prescient pickup by McD and Co. Nice work by Knowshon Moreno, too. A team ypc of 5.1 really does help the game along...

A Final Thought

One of the things that is being lost in all the perspectives of the last couple of weeks is this: Denver is finally getting to the point where they can be more of a 'big strike' team. No, that doesn't mean that they will change from the short yardage offense that they began with, but it does mean that they have other options when they need them. Marshall's 47 yard run is one example, the increase in longer plays is another. This is a team that is still finding out how good it is. The players needed to get used to the schemes and to each other, but that's happening much as I and many others predicted early in the season. It's great to see.

I'll be back for the usual Thursday Broncos Thoughts and Musings, but too much happened this week to summarize quickly. Let's hope that the injuries are minor, that Denver realizes that they can compete with anyone if they play at their best and that a surprise awaits Indianapolis when we travel there next weekend.

Go Broncos!

Quick Recap: Colts 27, Titans 17

shake n bake — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:14:10 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

The Titans hopes float away. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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This game was a clinic on how to (and how not to) turn yards into points. The Titans outgained the Colts by 15 yards, but lost by 10 points. The reason? Redzone performance and turnovers. The Titans made 5 trips inside the Colts 20. They earned just 17 points from them. The Colts made 4 trips and scored 24 points from them. The Titans turned the ball over twice, while the Colts didn't turn it over at all.

You have to get points when you get in the redzone. Turnovers and redzone FGs will kill you.

Joseph Addai rushed for 79 yards and two TDs, adding 3 receptions for 96 total yards. Pierre Garcon caught 6 passes for 136 yards. Peyton Manning completed 65% of his passes for 270 yards with no turnovers. Clint Session racked up 12 tackles and forced a fumble.

The Colts are 12-0 and have tied the NFL record for consecutive regular season wins.

Poll

Week Thirteen gameballs

Joseph Addai: 96 total yards, 2 TDs

423 votes

Pierre Garcon: 6 receptions, 136 yards

282 votes

Peyton Manning: 65% comp, 270 yards, TD, 0 TOs

42 votes

Clint Session: 12 tackles, fumble forced

142 votes

889 votes | Poll has closed

Quick Recap: Colts 35 - Texans 27

BigBlueShoe — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:17:11 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

24 days ago: Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Pierre Garcon (85) makes a 9-yard touchdown reception as Houston Texans safety Bernard Pollard, right, defends during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009 in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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Like so many games this year, this was a tale of two halves. The first half, the Houston Texans had their way with the Dwight Freeney deprived Colts. Matt Schaub utilized the play-fake nearly to perfection, and on two well executed first quarter drives, the Texans were up 14-0. They tacked on a field goal and were leading 17-0. Peyton Manning looked mortal. The Colts pass rush was atrocious. Tackling was awful. Defensive line was getting blown off the ball. Schaub was winking to his coaches on the sideline. And longtime blog contributors Colt Homer and metal_militia were all but conceding the game, openly wondering how much the Colts would get blown out by, posting in full, fledged freakout mode (it's OK you two, I forgive you)*.

Then, the Colts woke up.

Indy went on a 35-3 run, including 28 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarter. It started with an amazing 9 yard TD catch by Pierre Garçon. After that, the Colts feasted off Schaub turnovers (2 INTs, one fumble). Things got so bad for the Texans that when Schaub was intercepted by Clint Session in the fourth quarter, and the INT returned for a TD at the 8:09 mark, Texans fans emptied out the stadium!

Chad Simpson, on a very tough run, scored on a 23 yard run to make it a two score game with 2:52 left. The Texans added a TD late, but simply ran out of time. Without Dwight Freeney, both Robert Mathis and Raheem Brock really stepped up in the second half, scoring one sack each and consistently pressuring Matt Schaub. And the Clint Session INT for a TD was just one of those WOW! plays that blows your mind.

The game was the 5th consecutive fourth quarter comeback win for the Colts (an NFL record), and it is also the fifth consecutive comeback win by less than 10 points (also an NFL record). If the Jaguars lose later today to the 49ers, the Colts will clinch the AFC South for the sixth time in seven seasons. The Colts have won at least 11 games for the seventh straight season.

Even though they don't want to hear praise from us Colts fans right now, big props to the Texans for coming out swinging. Clearly, their game plan was not something the Colts were ready for. But, if there is yet another lesson to learn from this game, NEVER give up on this team. They just know how to close out opponents, and they never, ever quit.

Here is shake n bake's recap again:

The Colts play 60 minutes. After the Texans raced out to a 17-0 lead in the first 20 minutes and went into the half up 20-7 they were held without another point until a garbage time score in the final 20 seconds down 15. Meanwhile the Colts O (and Clint Session) put up 4 2nd half TDs.

The Colts gained 114 yards on the ground averaging over 5 yards a carry. Peyton Manning converted over 75% of his passes with 3 TDs and 2 INTs (one when his arm was hit on the throw, another in a desperation drive at the end of the 1st half).

On D the Colts made a dramatic turnaround. After allowing back to back TDs in the first, the Colts held the Texans to back to back FGs on their next two drives. The Texans were stopped on their next 5 drives with 3 turnovers and 2 punts. The Texans only 2nd half points came in the final minute, after the game had been put out of reach.

Celebrate 11-0 GO NINERS

Too true. Go Colts!

*Colt Homer and metal_militia are great Colts fans. I'm just ribbin' them because I told them the Colts would come back, which they did. They certainly weren't the only ones disgusted by the first half play. Also, I started Pierre Garçon over Steve Slaton in a fantasy league today. Garçon gave me 12 points, Slaton 9. Me is happy.