SB Nation - Joseph Addai

Recap Week Thirteen: Colts 27 - Titans 17

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

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

4 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 27 Titans 17 Recap: It's Officially Over Now

Jimmy — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:44:12 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Peyton waived goodbye to our playoff hopes. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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That will pretty much do it for the 2009 Titans. I know we were all hoping for the miracle playoff run, but the seventh loss of the season pretty much ends that. The thing that is even more frustrating about today is that Chris Johnson was held under the pace he needed to catch Eric Dickerson and even to get 2,000 yards. It seems that is the only thing we are going to have to cheer for the rest of 2009.

You got an idea of what kind of day it was going to be on the Colts first play from scrimmage when Peyton Manning's pass to Austin Collie deflected off of his hands right to Pierre Garcon for a 27 yard play. Three plays later Nick Harper fell down trying to cover Garcon, he went for 36 yards, and set up the Colts first touchdown- an 8 yard run from Joseph Addai.

I think it is time that we stop getting mad at Harper. I wouldn't get mad at my 15 month old son if he let an NFL receiver run right by him, so why should I get mad at Harper. The person we should be mad at is Jeff Fisher for being so dang stubborn about letting veterans play. Fisher job isn't to be loyal. It is to put the best players on the field to help his team win. He clearly isn't doing that, and save the fanposts when the same thing happens to Britt when it is healthy. That is the reality of having Fisher as the coach. It always has been, and it always will be.

One of the few smart decisions Fisher has made this year is finally letting Britt return kicks. I guess someone finally told him that it is legal for rookies to do that kind of thing.

The second thing that happened during the game that made me really mad at Fisher was in the red zone on the Titans first possession. LenDale White, your short yardage back, gets 6 yards on first down to the three yard line. Instead of giving him the ball again Fisher decides to put Chris Johnson back in the game. No gain on second down with CJ, an incomplete throw on third down and the Titans have to settle for a pointless field goal.

A couple things here- LenDale is the perfect back to run against the Colts undersized defense. We talked a lot about that after the first game between these two teams. Why do you even have him on the roster if you aren't going to use him in this situation? I understand you don't want to take carries away from CJ, but inside the 5 the home run is 5 yards long. LenDale is the perfect guy to pick up those yards.

Secondly, if you are inside the five yard line against the Colts it should be four down territory every time unless a field goal will win the game as time expires. I understand why the field goal is kicked there, but it just seems all the more reason to let LenDale hit it up in there a couple more times and see where that gets you instead of being satisfied with the field goal in your back pocket.

The Titans defense stopped the Colts on their next possession and should have taken the lead following that but Nate Washington can't catch the football. We were all mad at the Steelers fans for saying what they said about Washington in week 1, but it turns out they were right. The Titans signed Washington for one reason, to make big catches down the field. He has proven time and time again this season that he cannot do that.

The next Colts possession saw another receiver running by Nick Harper, a horse collar penalty on Vincent Fuller, and big chunks of yards all over the field before another Addai touchdown run. You started to get the feeling at this point that the game was getting away from the Titans, and you got that feeling all the more when Ahmard Hall coughed up the football on the ensuing drive.

I know that we all love the Sarge for a lot of things that he does, but he has proven in his career that giving him the ball is dangerous. He has 102 touches in his career and has lost 4 fumbles, and it always seems to come after he has picked up a bunch of yards.

The next Titans possession ended in an interception. It actually could have ended earlier had Kelvin Hayden been able to pick off an out intended for Lavelle Hawkins. Rich Gannon analyzed that play perfectly when he said it was a bad decision by Young and a bad play by Hawkins when he didn't come back to the ball.

The thing that really frustrated me after the interception was the knee injury that crept up on VY after he had bounced back in bounds to hit Jacob Lacey and sat on the bench for about 30 seconds. I know the VY people are going to kill me for saying that, but that is how it looked to me. If anyone else has another explanation I would love to hear it.

The Colts did what they do with a short field and scored a touchdown to go up 21-3.

The Titans would answer with a nice drive of their own that ended with Britt catching yet another touchdown pass. The big play on that drive was a 24 yard reception by The Hawk. This will probably seem weird since I was criticizing him a few paragraphs ago, but another thing that makes me mad at Fisher is that the only thing Lavelle has done since getting to see the field is make plays. You have to wonder why he didn't get a shot sooner.

That touchdown was encouraging because it cut the score to 21-10 with the Titans getting the ball after halftime, but of course 20 seconds is way too much time when you can't cover kickoffs, can't cover receivers and Tony Brown can't keep his head. The Colts got a field goal to take away the momentum the Titans were able to build.

The second half was even more frustrating than the first. The Titans offense was able to move the ball down the field but were unable to capitalize in the red zone until it really didn't matter. The first red zone miscue came late in the third quarter. The Titans faced first and goal from the one. First down was a fumbled snap. Second down was a hold on Eugene Amano that backed the Titans up 10 yards then a 2 yard pass to Bo Scaife. Third down was a VY scramble to the two yard line. Fourth down was a horrific play call on a fade to Britt in the back of the end zone.

The defense held again only to see a Titans drive stall in the red zone again. That drive started with a snap to VY that he wasn't ready for, no idea who was at fault, and ended with a bad throw to Hawkins.

That pretty much did it. The Colts got a field goal to push the lead to 27-10 after a 15 play drive that took 7:23 off of the fourth quarter clock. The Titans came back after that to get a touchdown that didn't matter. Then they actually recovered the onside kick, but all comeback hopes were laid to rest after four incomplete passes.

This team looked a whole lot more like the team that started the season 0-6 than the one that was 5-0 out of the bye. A lot of people were talking this week about how the Colts aren't that impressive because they have barely won a lot games, but we saw today why they are so good. They don't make mistakes that kill them, they are really good on third down and their defense bends but doesn't break. That is the type of ball that wins championships. The Titans just simply aren't there this season.

If you loved how negative this recap was, you will love MCM Radio tonight at 9 for sure. Click here to join us.

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

Week 13: Friday Injury Report

shake n bake — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:49:09 -0000

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

Questionable (# of practices): Dwight Freeney (2), Charlie Johnson (0), Jim Sorgi (0)

Probable: Joseph Addai, Gary Brackett, Kyle DeVan, Kelvin Hayden, Ramon Humber, Tim Jennings, Peyton Manning, Robert Mathis, Jerraud Powers, Jamey Richard, Tom Santi, Jeff Saturday, Tony Ugoh, Reggie Wayne.

Colts.com link

NFL Network's RedZone Colts stat of the week: Week Thirteen

BigBlueShoe — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:35:35 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

11 days ago: Indianapolis Colts running back Chad Simpson (35) breaks away from Houston Texans linebacker Zac Diles (54) on a 23-yard touchdown run during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009, in Houston. The Colts won 35-27. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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This post is sponsored by Comcast and their NFL RedZone channel, a new NFL Network channel. Want to see every touchdown from every NFL game as it happens as well as live look-ins to all of Sunday's games in key situations? Then you need Comcast's NFL RedZone.

After giving up 27 points to the Texans last Sunday, the Colts dropped from the #1 overall scoring defense to the #3 scoring defense, surrendering a still impressive 16.7 ppg. Compare this with the Patriots, who after getting destroyed by the Saints on Monday Night Football dropped from #2 to #7. What's interesting is that if the Colts had shut out the Texans in the second half, which they almost did until Matt Schaub found Jacoby Jones in the endzone with 18 seconds left, they would have only dropped to #2 on the defensive scoring list, surrendering 16.08 ppg, just a hair behind the Bengals (the new #1 ranked scoring defense) at 15:8 ppg.

Switching to offense, we discussed last week how the running game has improved statistically since the benching of Mike Pollak and the promotion of Kyle DeVan at the starting right guard spot. The last four games, which have featured good opponent defenses from the Ravens, Patriots, and Texans, the Colts have averaged 4.3 yards a carry. Much of this has gotten done without the fulltime services of rookie Donald Brown, who has shown an annoying "always hurt" trait of late.

The workhorse behind the Colts improved running game is Joseph Addai, who has averaged 4.2 yards a carry these last four games.

Week 13: Wednesday Injury Report

shake n bake — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:01:12 -0000

10 players sat out practice and the Colts have once again listed some players who practiced fully on the report. Notably sitting was Freeney, Brackett, Don Brown and Charlie Johnson. Notable return from Kelvin Hayden.

Did Not Participate: Antoine Bethea (rested), Gary Brackett (foot), Donald Brown (chest), Keyunta Dawson (knee), Aaron Francisco (ankle), Dwight Freeney (abdomen), Anthony Gonzalez (knee), Charlie Johnson (foot), Jim Sorgi (shoulder), Adam Vinatieri (knee)

Limited: Tom Santi (hand)

Full Participation (but injured enough for the report): Joseph Addai (knee), Kyle DeVan (shin), Kelvin Hayden (knee), Ramon Humber (calf), Tim Jennings (ankle), Peyton Manning (glute), Robert Mathis (neck), Jerraud Powers (knee), Jamey Richard (shoulder), Jeff Saturday (calf), Tony Ugoh (knee), Reggie Wayne (foot)

Colts.com link

The roster moves make some more sense now. Donald Brown has a new injury, causing the Mike Hart signing. Josh Thomas was replaced with another DE which means we know little about Freeney and Dawson's status and 2 O-linemen were added to the PS likely because 5 of the Colts 8 O-linemen appear on the report today.

Colts mull possible return of Dominic Rhodes

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:50:23 -0000

More photos » by David Duprey - AP

4 months ago: Buffalo Bills' Dominic Rhodes runs with the ball during NFL football training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, N.Y., Wednesday, July 29, 2009. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

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From Aaron Wilson at National Football Post:

The Indianapolis Colts auditioned former starting running back Dominic Rhodes today, according to a league source.
...

The Colts, who also tried out quarterback Shane Boyd today, have a couple of roster openings after cutting defensive end Josh Thomas and defensive back Anthony Madison earlier today.

Thomas getting cut (again) seems to signal that either Dwight Freeney or Keyunta Dawson are likely available for Sunday showdown with the resurgent Titans. But releasing Madison, who was a reserve defensive back and special teams contributor, is a bit puzzling. Though it likely (and hopefully) means that the reports are true that Kelvin Hayden will return to the starting cornerback spot after missing several weeks with injury, the big question is who will take Madison's spot on special teams. It certainly won't be Hayden.

These questions are the only reasons I can think of as to why the Colts would work out Dom Rhodes. I'm on record as saying Dom is one of my favorite all-time Colts. He is a wonderful NFL story, and the kind of player that really epitomizes what it means to be a member of this team. He was an undrafted player out of Midwestern State in 2001, and by 2006 he was working in tandem with then-rookie Joseph Addai, racking up 113 yards an a TD in Super Bowl 41. He is one of the best "diamond in the rough" players Bill Polian has ever found, and his career is a testiment to his hard work, dedication, and determination. Factor in that the guy is flat out LOVED by everyone in the locker room and in the organization, I am not surprised that Indy is giving him a look.

However, conventional thinking among Colts fans is that with Keiwan Ratliff (another former Colts player from last season and a solid DB and special teams contributor) sitting out there after his release from the Steelers a few weeks ago, Polian and company should sign him to bolster Indy's injured secondary. To date, no information has surfaced that the Colts are interesting in re-signing Ratliff.

Dom worked out yesterday, and since we have received no word on him getting signed, it's likely that the team just wanted to work him out in case anything happens to Addai, Donald Brown, or Chad Simpson. Still, with at least one roster spot open, you have to think someone is going to get signed soon.

Tip to LovinBlue

Luke Links: The "Saints Come Marching In" Edition

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:08:46 -0000

Last night's Monday Night Football game seemed to put Bill Belichick's now infamous 4th and 2 decision against the Colts into perspective. He doesn't trust his defense, and after last night and the fourth quarter against Indy, why should he? For the second time in three weeks, a premiere quarterback has absolutely shredded the Patriots defense. MaPatsFan, head writer at Pats Pulpit, was prophetic when he stated on Stampede Blue Radio that the Pats pass rush worried him. Drew Brees was barely touched by the Pats pass rush last night, completing 78% of his passes for 5 friggin TDs.

Somewhere, one of the original SB Nation writers (a cool fellow by the blog name of Geaux Tigers) is very happy this morning. He used to blog at And The Valley Shook, SB Nation's LSU blog. He was always more of a Saints fan than a Tigers fan, and I always pushed him to write more at the Saints blog. A year or so ago, he quit blogging, which was a shame. He was good. Now, he is smiling and cheering his Saints on somewhere.

Here are the links:

Peyton Manning's 31 yard completion to Austin Collie in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the texans was a result of Manning catching the Texans celebrating a hit Dunta Robinson made on Joseph Addai. While the Texans celebrated, Manning brought the Colts quickly to the line and snapped the ball. Result was a big completion on a drive that would end in a Dallas Clark TD, giving Indy the lead for good.

"Guy made a big hit," Manning said. "I felt like they were excited, maybe celebrating a little bit, so we quick-snapped them, went deep on them right away.
"That's the thing. You've got to play every play. We know that."
John Oesher recaps yesterday's Bill Polian show.
Yes, Jason Cole seems to be on a roll, writing yet another inane and seemingly logic-deprived article about how the Saints beating the Patriots means more than the Colts beating the Patriots. Cole's argument is more suited to college football's silly system of gaining points in coaches and BCS polls.
At 11-0, the Saints are tied with Indianapolis for the best record in the league, one game ahead of Minnesota. But anyone who saw New England play Indianapolis on Nov. 15 will tell you that what the Saints did to the Patriots was scary good by comparison.
So, using Cole's thought process, by comparison the Saints looked scary BAD after they barely won a game two weeks ago against the current 1-10 Rams. Cole is fast writing himself into a ditch, and his total and complete lack of football knowledge is almost scary. This guy is Yahoo!'s national NFL writer, and I think my spouse (who HATES football and loathes Sunday afternoons because she knows I'm glued to the TV watching it) knows more about the game than this guy. More on Cole from readers like you after the jump.

Finally, Charlie Weis was fired. And no; any talk of him coming to Indy is silliness. Tom Moore is a far more accomplished and better offensive coordinator than Weis. I challenege anyone who disagrees with me on that point. Meet me on the hill at sundown. Bring your jousting rod, a helmet, and a six pack of Blue Moon. I'll bring my Tommy Gun and the oranges.
Vote for Pierre Garcon's TD catch as best photo of the week.
Paul Kuharsky is wrong in thinking the game's turning point was the 43 yard pass interference penalty. The turning point was Indy holding Houston to three points after the first quarter Manning INT.
DevilsReject bashes him some Jason Cole brains.
Did the Patriots quit against the Saints last night?Our own tenardfight thinks so.
And finally, Andrew Sharpe of SBNation.com wrote a pretty interesting article on the state of media today, using the confusing and bizarre Tiger Woods car accident story as an example of how modern media systems (like Twitter) are changing the landscape.

Official, Public, Sincere Apology To Mr. Joseph Addai

KingRichard — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:14:54 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

11 days ago: Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai (29) is tackled by a host of Houston Texans, including linebacker Brian Cushing (56), during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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Listen, I'm not going to make this some long, drawn out sob-fest. I'm just going to cut to the chase and be done with this argument once and for all.

My feelings about Addai's production the past couple years has been well documented and I'm not about to try and hide from my comments or play coy about what I've said. I stand by my comments and forever will because that's what I believed and how I felt at the time.

Personally, I think that takes some balls. To stick by what you say, man up to it, and deal with the criticism/shitstorm that will inevitably follow, especially on a topic such as this. So I think I deserve a little credit for that don't you think?

The cause for my change of heart and sudden realization was this past Sunday's game against the Houston Chok--er Texans.

The numbers were anything but spectacular -- 15 rush for 69 yards, 3 catches for 13 yards -- but the numbers don't even begin to tell the story that is Joseph Addai's 2009 season.

Something was different about him and for the past few weeks I just couldn't put my finger on it. It wasn't a physical change, like he bulked up during the offseason, or that he suddenly turned into a burner and was scorching the field with his juking abilities, although it awesome to see Addai juke Ray Lewis out of his jock. It was something else.

It was attitude.

For whatever reason, he's been playing balls out, no holds barred, physical football this season. And my god is that an ever refreshing, relieving feeling. You can see it when he starts hitting holes (and/or his own lineman) that he's running with a sense of urgency and purpose. That was not the case throughout the 2008 season when he was very hesitant and skittish when it came to taking on a contact and that ultimately reflected in his stat line and the Colts balance on offense.

As I've said many times before, I never wanted to see Addai fail because his production, or lack there of, had a direct affect on the team's success. All I ever wanted was for Addai to produce like we know he can, like he did in his rookie season. In my eyes he's playing at the level once again. The numbers don't necessarily reflect that, but who cares? What matters is doing your job to the best of your ability and laying it all out on the line to win football games and Addai has clearly shown that this season.

And if Addai's resurgence doesn't get you pumped, just think about the guy who is currently backing him up and the things he can do when given a chance to play. Now that's what I'm talking about!

With that said, let the thrashing begin! Be kind, please bring lube.

Go Colts!

Three And Out: Useless Predictions For Sunday's Game

Tim — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:41:09 -0000

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. While the wounds from Monday night's disaster are still fresh, we don't have the luxury of sulking; the undefeated Colts come to town tomorrow afternoon, and your Houston Texans have to win to maintain a realistic shot of staying in the hunt for a wild card spot. Without further ado, three (3) things that will go down at Reliant in a little more than twenty-four hours:

1. Very quietly, Kevin Walter has become more and more of a focal point in the offense since Owen Daniels went down. On Sunday, he catches his second TD pass of the season and finishes with 81 receiving yards.

2. Despite his two (2) picks of ~~Peyton Manning~~ Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne the last time the Colts and Texans matched up, Bernard Pollard will not have any interceptions tomorrow. He will, however, force a fumble from Joseph Addai.

3. This time around, Brian Cushing will actually jam Dallas Clark at the line. If he doesn't, I predict I will have an aneurysm.

PUT YOUR NAME ON IT: Lost in their awfully impressive 10-0 start is that the Colts' last four (4) victories have been by a combined ten (10) points. Looking at it from a purely Texans-based point of view, Indianapolis has won the last three (3) meetings with Houston by three, six, and four points. Since the franchise's inception, the Texans have defeated the Colts just once in fifteen (15) tries. Over and over again, the Colts have done what championship-caliber teams do: Whatever it takes. Still, the law of averages says that Indianapolis, even with quite possibly the best QB we'll ever see play live, is due to be on the short end of the stick once. Or twice, as it may be, considering their opponent this week. Given the Texans' dire need for this game and my firm belief that Indianapolis is due for a hiccup, I silence my doubts this week. Colts 23, Texans 24.

Colts vs Texans coverage