SB Nation - Ryan Lilja

I don't want to hear any more complaining about Joseph Addai

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:52:54 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

2 months ago: Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai (29) gets past Tennessee Titans cornerback Nick Harper (20) in the second quarter of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/John Russell)

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This past off-season, no one was more ripped, bashed, berated, and dogged by us Colts fans than Joseph Addai. You'd think the guy was caught making a sex tape with Peyton Manning's wife, or that he was the one who allowed Darren Sproles to run hog wild against Indy in the playoffs.

What Colts fans focused on was Addai's lack of run production in 2008, his inability to convert a critical 3rd and 2 in the playoff game against the San Diego Chargers, and how the team seemed to lose faith in him by them drafting a running back (Donald Brown) with their first round pick in 2009. Much of the anti-Addai sentiment was led by folks like KingRichard and MasterRWayne, two writers who often provide some very entertaining and substantive opinions here.

Though often their style has an "in your face" quality, that is why they are here.

We balance the "tough love" writing of KR and MRW with that measured styles of shake n bake and Colts Homer along with the statistical genius that is mgrex03. Of course, everything is balanced out at Stampede Blue by my undisputed brilliance and sage-like ability to be right about everything in football (cue induced vomiting).

Regarding Addai, the arguments shared by KingRichard and MasterRWayne had some merit this off-season. It's frustrating to not gain two yards on two attempts in a critical situation. It's frustrating to only get 544 yards for a season out of your "feature back." It's frustrating that, despite the most prolific passing game in football, the Colts still struggle to run the football with consistency. With all this frustration, the logical blame seems to always fall on Joseph Addai.

However, after watching five games very closely, and seeing both Addai and Donald Brown run in this offense, I really can't see how much of the Addai criticism is warranted anymore. In fact, I'll just say that Joseph Addai is playing about as well as I've ever seen him play, and that the problems with the running game have little if anything to do with him.

This season, much like last year, the Colts have been very inconsistent running the ball. Addai is averaging 3.4 yards a carry for 210 yards and 3 TDs. Donald Brown, the man picked #27 overall supposedly because Addai "stinks," is averaging 3.5 only a carry and has 2 TDs. Since we all seem to agree that Brown is a pretty impressive young back, logically we have to assume that Addai's 3.4 a carry average is not a result of bad technique, injury, or a lack of "toughness" on his part. Brown runs behind the same line Addai does, has the same QB (some guy named Manning, the one with the big forehead), and has the same WRs blocking on the outside.

If anything, the current backs for the Colts are likely the only reasons why this team isn't averaging 2.4 yards a carry! The point I'm trying to make here is it seems obvious to me (and to Bill Polian) that the running game issues are not Joseph Addai's fault.

The fault lies with our piss poor run blocking.

It's no secret to all of us that Mike Pollak and Ryan Diem are playing like dog meat right now, Pollak especially. The right side of the offensive line is a joke, particularly when the Colts run the stretch play right. Pollak and Diem consistently fail to sustain or seal their blocks, often resulting in a lot of Addai River Dance moves while he searches for any kind of cut back lane to gain yardage. The Colts have tried to remedy this by, essentially, benching Pollak. For three weeks, he has "rotated" his guard position with Kyle DeVan. Unlike Mike Pollak (a first day pick in the 2008 NFL draft), DeVan is a free agent who played professional football in friggin Boise last year.

Despite rotating Pollak out of the game, the team still has struggled to run right. In order to compensate, Tom Moore has altered some of the gameplan to utilize Addai and Brown as receivers. Just last Sunday, Addai caught 10 passes for 53 yards. When you really look at those receptions, they were often little more than extended handoffs, which average 5 yards a pop.

That's a helluva lot better than the 3.4 they're averaging running the ball. Addai has 26 receptions already this season. He had 25 all of last year.

So, for all the bashing Addai has gotten from many of us, I think it is finally time to sort of lay the KIBOSH! down on some of the Addai hating. I'm all for getting on any player if they fumble at the wrong time, drop a key pass, miss a throw they should make, or blow a block. What I don't think we need anymore is the Addai bashing. It isn't warranted and, in many ways, it isn't backed up by facts. If you think Addai sucks, then logically you must think Donald Brown sucks as well, seeing as both men are averaging the same yards per carry.

The Addai I've seen through five games is an active, hard-working, healthy, tough customer, which is what I thought he was prior to this season. I think we are also seeing that the reason this team struggled so much last year had more to do with poor blocking than Addai or Dominic Rhodes.

Oh, and chew on this for a second: Imagine how HORRIBLE this line would be now if Ryan Lilja did not come back healthy and the colts did not re-sign Jeff Saturday. Scary indeed.

Back to Addai, his pass blocking in 2009 has been a God send, and his receiving out of the backfield has helped sustain many a key drive this year. He's also helped the Colts improve running the ball in short yardage. Mind you, short yardage running isn't there yet, but I've seen three short yardage TDs from Addai, and all have mostly been a result of hard running on his part.

If there is one thing Addai does not have it is a "second gear," especially when he breaks into open territory. Donald Brown, however, does. While Brown lacks Addai's receiving skills and his blocking ability (overall), Brown can take a 4 yard run and turn it into a 50 yard TD. The problem we are having is our o-line is not getting Brown into open space. He's getting swallowed up by linebackers, who need to get blocked better by the likes of Pollak and Diem. I still firmly believe the Colts drafted Brown because they finally realized that a "feature back" doesn't work anymore in the modern NFL. You must have two good backs in order to win consistently. Look no further than the Jacksonville Jaguars and Maurice Jones-Drew to see what happens to a team when they do not have two complimentary, dynamic backs.

Again, this is not a post saying "DON'T YOU EVER CRITICIZE ADDAI AGAIN!" This is a post saying that much of the "Addai sucks and we need to get rid of him" rhetoric simply does not hold water anymore. Joseph Addai is a fine running back when he is healthy. No, he is not Adrian Peterson. Then again, Joseph Addai hasn't fumbled the ball 15 times in two years like Adrian Peterson has (most in the NFL). So, maybe not being AP is a good thing.

Addai is a solid, tough, multi-talented back. All he needs now is some better blocking up front and everything will be OK.

Colts v. Cardinals Game Review: Putting the Pieces Together

Colts Homer — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:09:14 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

2 months ago: After making a catch, Indianapolis Colts' Pierre Garcon, left, tangles with Arizona Cardinals' Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009 in Glendale, Ariz. Both received penalties on the play. The Colts defeated the Cardinals 31-10. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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This was a fun game. My favorite games are the ones when you know that your team is going to win throughout the entire game, and it makes it even better since I didn't think that the Colts would be able to beat the Cardinals with all of the things stacked up against them (No Brackett, Hayden, Gonzalez or Sanders, short week, tired defense, etc.). The Colts had a lot of adversity for this game. They even made the Colts underdogs. That's unbelievable. Obviously, the Vegas people aren't going to make that mistake again. Right now the Colts are probably going to be favored by double digits for the Seahawks game. I'm very happy that they're back playing on Sunday afternoons. I know that it is better for the Colts fans outside of the Midwest, but I'm a greedy person and I enjoy sleeping. The analysis is below.

QBs-Peyton Manning is unbelievable. He has lost two of his top three receivers from 2008, and he is better than ever. Besides Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, his other top receivers are a second-year player out of D3 Mount Union and a rookie out of BYU. Most QBs wouldn't be able to make that work. Peyton does. The Brady v. Manning debate is on hold. We are seeing what Peyton does with only two top targets and a bad right side of the line. Peyton is second in the league in passing touchdowns and passing yards. If we are going to be making early predictions, I'll say that number 4 is not out of the stretch of the imagination. After the Saints start to look human, Manning will emerge past the Brees hoopla. Bursa sacs were holding Manning back.

The rest is after the jump.

RBs-This was a huge concern of us all after the Chargers loss. It was clear that Addai-Rhodes was not going to cut it. Rhodes was a decent back but nothing special and Addai was always banged up. Fast forward 8 and a half months, and the running attack is lethal. Addai is amazingly consistent. On first down he seems to always get 5 or 6 yards at least. Joseph Addai has come back with a vengeance. He is proving haters wrong and he is looking like the Addai of old. And then there's Donald. Donald Brown looks like a future star. There is no questioning this draft pick now. Brown is very explosive when he gets in the open field. That 70 yard reception was brilliant! He breaks tackles which honestly surprised me as I thought that wasn't going to be a part of his game. For people wondering why he isn't starting right now, look at the differences pre-snap with him in the game. On multiple occasions Sunday night Brown had to be moved around by Peyton to get into position. Once Brown gets a hold of the playbook he will be the main back.

WRs/TEs-This is why Polian is a future Hall of Famer. Somehow he found Pierre Garcon out of Mount Union. Mount Union plays in a nearly century old football stadium that seats 5,000. Mount Union is a dynasty, but the fact that Polian found this diamond in the rough just shows his genius. Garcon is emerging as a great third receiver. He's very explosive, and to say he is a big play threat is an understatement. My guess is that once Anthony Gonzalez returns they will continue to give Garcon playing time on the outside with Gonzalez in the slot. That's why he didn't take Hakeem Nicks or Kenny Britt. Austin Collie has become a nice receiver. He's not the Stokley big play threat yet, but he has good hands and can get the first down. On third down, going to Collie is a great idea. He plays smart and he knows where the first down line is. Garcon is the better receiver right now, but Collie definitely has a future on this team. Reggie Wayne is also pretty good I've heard. He's leading the league in receiving yards right now and he makes the most ridiculous plays. He's working his way onto the All-Pro team. Speaking of All-Pros, Dallas Clark is the best tight end in the league. He's left John Carlson, Jason Witten, Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez in the dust. Clark is reaching his prime, and I would not be surprised to see a nice 1,000 yard, 10 touchdown season out of him. Once Gonzalez gets back, Clark is going to be even tougher to guard. Peyton has the weapons to win yet another MVP.

OL-Left side good, right side bad. That's the best way to describe this line. You could use better grammar, but that is as simple as it gets. Charlie Johnson has been a pleasant surprise and has proven doubters like me wrong. He's a good run blocker and so far he hasn't given up a sack this season. Ryan Lilja is reminding us on why he got that contract instead of Jake Scott. Lilja is a great run blocker. Running to the left side is better than ever with Lilja back. He's a sleeper for the Pro Bowl this year. Saturday is Saturday. He's been great this year and he did well last night. No one is doubting him. The right side is getting ugly. Whenever a former 2nd round pick is rotating with a former center that most recently was seen with the Boise Burn of af2, it's a bad sign for that former first day pick. When that former 2nd round pick is in his second year, it's embarrassing. Kyle DeVan is a good player and there is a reason why he is still with the team, but Pollak was a second round pick. He's not good at all. His play resulted in the interception, and he is clueless on the stretch play. Pollak is a liability, and Diem isn't much better. Running to the right is a death sentence for the drive. There is absolutely no blocking at all. This is the biggest need going into the 2010 draft. I'm perfectly content with Charlie Johnson starting at left tackle down the line, but I do not want Ryan Diem. I would support them moving Ugoh to the right tackle position and grooming him into a future starting job.

DL-Talk about a nice recovery. Against Miami the defensive line was pretty bad. Obviously Dwight Freeney played well in Miami, but no one else really did. Ed Johnson looked lost (and high), and Antonio Johnson was always getting pushed off the line. On Sunday night, I was almost sure that Big Ed was starting in the backfield. How a man that big can get off the line that fast is beyond me. Eric Foster is also becoming a nice rotation player. He played some defensive end as well as defensive tackle last night, and he did great at both positions. He is probably the best at batting down balls on the defensive line, and of course he is great at stopping the run. Antonio Johnson was not as impressive as Foster or Ed, but he didn't do anything to hurt the Colts, which is better than what we could say about the defensive tackles from 2007 and 2008. Without Dwight Freeney for the next two to three weeks, the defensive end position will be very different. As we saw Sunday night, Freeney is superhuman. On almost all 51 passes he hit Warner. He embarrassed Mike Gandy out there. With Freeney out, we will see more of Raheem Brock. Robert Mathis will take over for Freeney in the "Embarrassing Offensive Tackles" department, but there will have to be a rotation. Philip Wheeler played some defensive end Sunday night, and I have always thought that he would be a nice fit at defensive end. Throw in Keyunta Dawson and I can go two games without Freeney.

LBs-Freddy Keiaho didn't suck last night? I know, surprising. He didn't do anything terrible. I am still stunned. Everything I've seen from him would suggest that Kurt Warner would have torn him apart. Keiaho still should not be playing, but it does make Gary Brackett's injury less scary. On the outside, I am very content with Tyjuan Hagler and Clint Session. There is a reason why Hagler is starting over Wheeler, and Session has continued to play well. They are doing very well in stopping the running game. Obviously right now they are no David Thornton or Marcus Washington, but I feel fine with them back there. Jordan Senn did not impress me at all last night. If they have to play a backup linebacker, I would prefer to see Ramon Humber.

DBs-Once Kelvin Hayden and Bob Sanders get back, this will be the best secondary in the league. Jerraud Powers didn't play as well last night as he did against Jacksonville, but he is still the future of the cornerback position along with Hayden. Marlin Jackson did well as the nickelback last night. Is he worth re-signing? I'm not sure. Without a salary cap next year, I say go ahead. It pains me to say this, but Jennings did not suck last night. I still do not want him out on the field since we've all seen what happens when he is sucking. With Hayden hopefully coming back, it won't be a problem. Jacob Lacey is becoming one of my favorite rookies. He was very clutch Sunday night. His stop at the one yard line was HUGE. The next play was the Bethea interception. If Lacey can keep it up, he will work his way into the 4th spot above Tim Jennings. At safety, Antoine Bethea has played well this year. He still isn't the Pro Bowler from his second season, but he is a very good player and a quality starter. Melvin Bullitt has always played well in place of Bobzilla, but he isn't Bob Sanders. Once this team gets Sanders back, it will be even better in pass and run defense. Hopefully Bob will practice this week.

STs-Adam Vinatieri may be losing it. He is very, very close to being 2-5 this year, and he doesn't even kick off anymore. I think that this is the last year for Vinatieri. Next year Andrus will be the kicker. Vinatieri has not looked good this year. In fact, the whole field goal unit has looked bad. The blocking is weak and Vinatieri has been weak. On the other hand, McAfee is still great. On 11 kickoffs, he has 3 touchbacks. McAfee is still punting well. He's averaging about 45 yards per kick and he has 2 kicks inside the 20 on 9 punts. The return game is as expected. Simpson cannot return kicks and Rushing is a decent punt returner.

Top 5 players from the Colts-Cardinals Game

5. Pierre Garcon: Garcon is definitely stepping up when he has to. With Marvin Harrison and Gonzalez gone, he needed to become an acceptable target for Peyton. He's gone above and beyond that. Garcon had his great touchdown where he burnt the corner, and he played well for the rest of the game too. Garcon will end up getting more targets as the year goes on.

4. Reggie Wayne: Wayne is leading the league in receiving yards at this point, and last night he made one of the best catches of his career for a touchdown. He is a big target, and he has shown that he can get it done without Marvin on the other side of the field.

3. Joseph Addai: On 13 carries he got 63 yards and he made two big catches. One was the touchdown screen and the other was when he had to extend his body to come down with a pass that easily could have been a pick. Addai is getting back into 2006 form.

2. Peyton Manning: Manning is the best QB in the league. He is a favorite for the MVP again this year, and he is on pace to throw over 35 touchdowns and 4900 yards. He's pretty good, and Sunday night was his best game so far. He is doing this without Anthony Gonzalez. WOW.

1. Dwight Freeney: Even though Peyton was phenomenal, holding a very good offense to 10 points is a great feat, and Freeney was the main reason. His constant pressure got Warner to make bad throws and it got some sacks too.

Next up, Seattle Seahawks.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Tom Uhlman - AP

2 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer (9) is sacked by Denver Broncos linebacker Mario Haggan (57) in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, in Cincinnati. Denver won the game 12-7. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

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Happy Tuesday, friends. It's a happy week in Broncoland, hopefully one of many to come this season. There was some good, some bad, some lucky, and some spectacular on Sunday. We'll discuss it all, like we always do, and we won't apologize for winning, because a win is a win. Ready.... BEGIN!!!

1. The Broncos on Sunday reminded me of the Patriots of about 2005, only operating at about 60% of potential. The defensive looks were varied, the tackling and coverage were solid, and the whole was generally greater than the sum of its parts. On offense, there was a lot of commitment to running the ball, some screening, and mostly lower-risk stuff when they did go downfield. The team played like they expected a close game, and did the sorts of things you have to do to win close.

Consider the following:

a. The Broncos committed no turnovers, and forced two. (I personally count the bad snap on the FG, which doesn't technically count, and don't count Scheffler's interception, which does.) I now reiterate my belief that turnovers are the number one determinant of winning and losing.

b. The Broncos committed few penalties, and they were minor ones, the obvious exception being the Casey Wiegmann holding call on the successful 4th-quarter Correll Buckhalter screen.

c. Brett Kern had one notable shank, but mostly punted very well, helping the Broncos in field position. (I now reiterate my belief that field position is the number two determinant of winning and losing.) The return work for the Broncos was very shaky all day, and I would say the Broncos lost the field position battle by a bit. It would have been a lot worse without Kern's solid work, and some good coverage on punts.

d. The clock management methodology at the end of the first half was right out of Bill Belichick's book, and we can expect to see it repeatedly over the coming years. I want to talk about this in some detail, because it's going to become a key part of the character of the Broncos football team.

The unsophisticated observer of football tends to think that a "2-minute drill" calls for clock conservation and a sense of urgency. You know, people like Dan Fouts. It's not that simple, though. You have to consider field position and how many timeouts you have, and do a mental calculation of the probability of your offense scoring, and failing that, the probability of pinning the opposing team deep, and giving them no good shot at scoring, should you have to punt.

The Belichick 2-minute ethos is simple. The number-one objective in a 2-minute situation is to prevent the opposition from scoring. The number-two objective is to score yourself. Deep in your own territory, you make the clock run, almost always by handing off from a spread-out shotgun look. The Patriots have been doing this with Kevin Faulk forever, and I knew that's what the Broncos were doing on first down on Sunday.

Eddie Royal returns the ball to the Denver 17, with 1:48 to go, and 2 timeouts.

DEN 1-10 own 17 yard line 1:48 Handoff to Correll Buckhalter for 7 yards

DEN 2-3 own 24 yard line 1:17 Handoff to Buckhalter for 6 yards

DEN 1-10 own 30 yard line 1:01 Screen pass to Buckhalter for 7 yards

DEN 2-3 own 37 yard line :40 Incomplete deep out to Jabar Gaffney

DEN 3-3 own 37 yard line :34 WR screen to Eddie Royal for 11 yards

Timeout Denver

DEN 1-10 own 48 yard line :26 Deep out to Jabar Gaffney for 21 yards, out-of bounds

DEN 1-10 CIN 31 yard line :20 Incomplete downfield pass to Tony Scheffler (near fumble)

DEN 2-10 CIN 31 yard line :14 Inside handoff to Buckhalter for no gain

Timeout Denver

DEN 3-10 CIN 31 yard line :05 Matt Prater makes 48 yard field goal, Denver leads 3-0 at halftime.

This is very good clock management. The likelihood of driving 83 yards in 1:48 with 2 timeouts, and getting a Touchdown is pretty low, particularly when the offense has struggled all half. The likelihood of getting close enough to try a field goal is much higher.

If you go 3-and-out really quickly on 3 incomplete passes, there is suddenly about 1:35 left, and it's 4th and 10 on your own 17. In 2008, over 2,293 punts in the NFL, the average net outcome was a change in field position of 39.53 yards. Add that to 17, and you just gave the ball to the other team at their own 43, with 1:20 or so to go. They only have to go 20-25 yards to get into field-goal range, which is really manageable. That is why your starting field position matters to your strategy in a compressed-time situation (I don't like the term 2-minute drill. This is the real thing, not a damn drill. It's the old Boatswain's Mate in me). When the Broncos have the ball inside their own 30 or so, expect them to always follow this strategy at the end of the first half.

2. Information from my eyes, from a second pass of the Broncos-Bengals game:

a. The Broncos have a terrific set of CBs. Champ Bailey showed his worth, and Andre' Goodman made one outstanding downfield play, deflecting a ball, and generally had good coverage, even when balls were completed near him. The guy who continued to flash star ability, though, was Alphonso Smith. The Broncos are never going to regret taking this guy.

b. Brett Kern really punted well Sunday, except for one shank. The pass rush bailed him out of that, which I will get into a bit later. For awhile, Kern was the best weapon the Broncos had.

c. Knowshon Moreno ran sideways way too much Sunday. Bobby Turner will certainly be on his back about that, and let's hope the lesson sinks in very quickly.

d. I am not the first person to say this, but I wanted to see more of Peyton Hillis carrying the ball. I wonder if Spencer Larsen's injury caused the staff to shy away from it, since Peyton is really now the only available FB for awhile.

e. Andra Davis had a fantastic game, with 9 tackles, 3 for losses, and 1 sack. He played downhill all day, and thumped some Bengals. That's exactly what we need from him.

f. We need Wesley Woodyard to come in for Davis in coverage situations too, and we got some return on that, with his interception.

g. Wrapping up in the tackling game needs to definitely be better.

3. Information from my eyes, other games' version:

a. The Cardinals really struggled to protect Kurt Warner on Sunday, and it was the main reason they lost to the 49ers. The Niners sacked him 3 times, but hit him a lot of times more than that, 8 according to ESPN.com's box score. The 49ers also struggled in protection, but in key moments, they kept Shaun Hill upright.

b. Warner hasn't looked quite right to me, through the preseason, and into today's game. I haven't figured out what it is yet, but there's something wrong. It's almost like his personal sense of timing isn't there, like it is when he is going well. It will bear watching in the coming weeks, but if he falls off really sharply, the Cardinals will have something to worry about.

c. I really don't like Shaun Hill's skills, but he finds a way to win games. I can see why Mike Singletary likes him, because he is sort of similar to Jim McMahon from a skill-set perspective. I kind of feel bad for Mike, actually, because at no point in his career, as either a player or a coach, has he ever had a big-time QB to work with.

d. Cullen Jenkins is a beast, and he dominated against the Bears on Sunday night. Nobody on the Chicago line could handle him. I've said it before, but his injury almost single-handedly sunk the Packers season last year. When you have a guy like him, you have a really good chance to be stout against the run with 7 in the box, which is what their old Jim Bates-inspired (Bob Sanders-coached) defensive scheme is predicated upon. When they had to stack the box, they couldn't cover well enough anymore, and all of a sudden, they're a 6-10 team.

e. I believed it, and said it on Draft Day, and I believe it even more strongly now. The Packers messed up drafting B.J. Raji, despite the strong likelihood that he'll be a good player. They badly, badly needed help at Offensive Tackle, and they should have either traded up for Eugene Monroe or traded down a bit and taken Michael Oher. Chad Clifton is horrible on the left side, and Allen Barbre, the new RT, looks quite a bit worse than Mark Tauscher, the out-of-work, washed-up guy he replaced. This is a big enough problem to potentially make them struggle to make the playoffs, and it's otherwise a Super Bowl-caliber team.

f. Jay Cutler flat-out choked with that 4th pick. And like on the first three, Cris Collinsworth blamed the receiver. Guys, Cutler doesn't need enabling. That's the lesson from Denver that nobody seems to learn. (He needs to be coached with a foot in his hind parts, actually.) While it is true that the guy (Johnny Knox) needed to shield Al Harris from getting inside him, it was a terrible decision to go there anyway. KC Joyner's bad-decision metric would kill Cutler's game Sunday, because he threw the ball straight to the other team 6 times, with them only catching 4 of them.

g. There were a lot of dropped passes across the NFL this weekend, it wasn't just the Broncos and Bengals. I don't know if receivers were just rusty or what, but it was pretty bad.

h. I loved the call on third-and-one with 1:18 to go in the Packers-Bears game. Aaron Rodgers threw a great ball and hit Greg Jennings for a 51-yard TD pass. Jennings ran a textbook go-route on the play, widening out on Nathan Vasher, and then taking a great line to the catch spot. They exploited the hell out of the whole Bears secondary on that play, and it was an easy pitch and catch.

i. NBC criticism time. Bob Costas doesn't know what the hell he is talking about. (The Colts lost their outstanding receiver Anthony Gonzalez today! Really? Outstanding?) Rodney Harrison can barely get a clean sentence out, and reminds me of Emmitt Smith already, as a TV guy. Tony Dungy is going to get old quick, and the holdovers from the NBC studio still aren't that good either, though I'm glad to be rid of Jerome Bettis. Collinsworth is really hit or miss, but mostly missed Sunday night, and Al Michaels just seems like he doesn't care anymore. Twenty years ago, he was pretty good, but now, he's the worst play-by-play guy in the business. He blows more calls, and misspeaks more often than anybody. It's like a George W. Bush speech with him, every game. It makes me wish Madden 10 was real life, and Tom Hammond was in there instead. Michaels' toupee is atrocious too, but that isn't exactly new news.

j. I got beat up for this a couple weeks ago, but I still think Joe Flacco is better than Matt Ryan, and I want to reiterate it. He can do everything Ryan can do, but he has much more zip on his fastball, and he's significantly more mobile, too. It's kind of reminiscent of the Chris Paul/Deron Williams debate (now, non-debate) in the NBA. Both are really good, but the one who was drafted lower is a bit better.

Flacco was hurt by a lot of drops on Sunday, but he personally looked really good, and was the primary reason Baltimore beat Kansas City. The Chiefs tied the game at 24 with 5:21 to go, and Flacco went and won the game, beating a blitz with a great deep ball to Mark Clayton (who I should have started in the official MHR fantasy league).

k. Tamba Hali continues to look pretty good as a LB in the 3-4 for Kansas City, but Mike Vrabel alternately looked lazy and washed-up on the other side. Big things are allegedly expected from Vrabel this year, but I sure can't tell.

l. My brother Chris (a fellow Broncos fan, and sometimes MHR lurker) was stuck with the Jets-Texans game at home in Los Angeles on Sunday, but he said it was worth watching, so I took in the Short Cut. The Jets defensive front did a job on the Texans O-line, and I asked Chris if it was primarily schematic, or primarily a man beating a man. He said it was some of both, and I agree wholeheartedly, after watching the game. Rex Ryan is definitely still at it, sometimes lining up a three-man line as a 1-technique, 3-technique, and 5-technique, all to one side of the Center, having nothing but LBs on the other side. Nice evaluation, Chris, if you get around to reading this.

Vernon Gholston actually showed some flashes of being able to play, which was surprising, and the Jets clearly have a plan to overload blitz from a lot of fronts. Darrelle Revis did a great job on Andre Johnson, too, really taking Houston's best player out of the game.

m. The second-best defensive rookie I saw this weekend (behind Alphonso Smith) was Brian Cushing of the Texans. He was constantly around the ball, and looked like a better, more downhill-playing Chad Greenway.

n. I continue to be very impressed with Mark Sanchez. He looked poised and talented, which I expected. What I didn't necessarily expect was how well he would bounce back from throwing a TD pass to the other team (for Houston's only points of the game.)

o. So, you remember that thing about your objectives when getting the ball inside 2 minutes of the first half? Here's an example of the wrong way to do it. Tampa Bay started with 2 minutes to play, at their own 14-yard line. They led the game 7-6 at that point.

TB 1-10 own 14 yard line 2:00 WR screen to Michael Clayton, loss of 1 yard

TB 2-11 own 13 yard line 1:21 Byron Leftwich runs out of bounds for a gain of 1 yard, rather than staying in the field of play and gaining a couple additional yards.

TB 3-10 own 14 yard line 1:14 Handoff to Clifton Smith for 4 yards, burning 6 seconds

Dallas Timeout

TB 4-6 own 18 yard line 1:08 Punt out of bounds, Dallas ball, own 44 yard line

DAL 1-10 own 44 yard line 1:01 Tony Romo passes to Jason Witten, 9 yard gain, out-of-bounds at TB 47

DAL 2-1 TB 47 Offsides by (disappointing) Gaines Adams, 5 yard penalty, first down Dallas

DAL 1-10 TB 42 :55 Romo passes to Miles Austin for a 42 yard TD

This is the exact scenario which I described above, that you're trying to avoid.

After Tampa hit on a long pass to Michael Clayton, and Mike Nugent missed his second field goal, Dallas led 13-7 at the half, and went in with all the momentum. In a compressed-time situation, (especially when you lead 7-6), the status quo is okay. Write that down, the status quo is okay. THE STATUS QUO IS OKAY. The dumb play was Leftwich running out of bounds, and it cost the Bucs bigtime.

p. You know who might be the comeback player of the year this year, if he can stay healthy, is Cadillac Williams. He ran with suddenness and violence on Saturday, and looked better than he has since his rookie season.

q. The Patriots offensive line probably makes them not a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Of course, I thought the same thing of the Steelers last year, so take that for what it's worth. It is very, very difficult to be a championship team with a bad offensive line, though, and both of those teams have bad offensive lines.

r. I still think Tennessee is the best all-around team in the AFC. They're really strong on both lines, and their rookie WR, Kenny Britt, is going to open up their running game even further as the season progresses. I picked them at the last minute against Pittsburgh, and though the Steelers won, I feel like I had the game right. The Steelers couldn't block Tennessee, and Tennessee mostly could block Pittsburgh.

s. A rookie CB who was impressive was Derek Cox from the Jaguars. He had a fantastic interception of Peyton Manning in the end zone, on a fade route, and recovered a fumble too. He was hurt by getting beat deep twice by Reggie Wayne, but all in all, I think he's a find at CB, as a 3rd-rounder from William & Mary.

t. The Patriots definitely deserved to lose on Monday night, and there are serious issues with their team. Their offensive line is bad, they lack much talent at RB, and their defense can be thrown on, if they don't get pressure on the QB. They're brilliantly coached, but talent-deficient in some key places. They don't need to apologize for winning, but they do need to remember that they got dominated all game.

u. How about the effort and discipline showed by the Raiders? They came to play football Monday night, and the Chargers mostly looked like they want to sleepwalk through the early part of the season again.

v. Speaking of the Raiders, they must be really happy with the acquisitions of Greg Ellis and Richard Seymour. Those two players really improved their defense, and both got sacks Monday night.

w. Marcus McNeill looked awful against Seymour, and don't underestimate the importance of a long-term Nick Hardwick injury (an assumption, since he left by cart). The Chargers have no quality offensive line depth, not even anybody as good as Russ Hochstein or Seth Olsen.

x. Great coverage by the Raiders, especially Tyvon Branch and Chris Johnson. Branch, especially, did a nice job on Antonio Gates for most of the game. Nnamdi Asomugha was his normal self, even if Vincent Jackson did get a TD on him in the 4th quarter.

y. The Chargers defense is not very good, and the Raiders' suddenly seems like it is. I am positive that the Broncos' defense is better than San Diego's, as I have been saying for a couple weeks now. Shawne Merriman is staying blocked, and they're less talented at DE and ILB than they've been in recent years.

z. You may recall that Louis Murphy was one of my Draft favorites. And, incidentally, he caught a great throw by JaMarcus Russell too, after he struggled for a lot of the game. He is coming along as a player, as I said a couple weeks ago. Russell did struggle with accuracy a lot of the night, but I can see a lot of improvement in his process and decisiveness over this time last year.

aa. Hopefully, Darren Sproles is still having trouble fielding kicks in about 5 weeks. He flubbed three of them Monday night.

4. Between The Lines, Week 1: (Big up bchiper for suggesting the name about a month ago, when I solicited input from the community.)

a. Denver at Cincinnati

Denver Offense vs. Cincinnati Defense:

i. The Broncos offensive tackles were both outstanding, in both pass protection and the running game. Ryan Harris technically gave up a sack, although after 5 seconds and a trip on a shoestring tackle as Ryan rode the player deep and outside; it was totally on Kyle Orton. Antwan Odom got that sack, and another on Russ Hochstein later, and Robert Geathers was a total non-factor in the passing game, mostly against Ryan Clady.

ii. The interior of the Broncos offensive line was much more of a mixed bag. Ben Hamilton was called for holding and a false start, on the key 4th-quarter drive where the Broncos didn't score. He mostly carried out his assignments beyond that, but those lapses are very troubling. Hochstein gave up two sacks, and didn't look good. He really made me miss Chris Kuper. Casey Wiegmann had maybe his worst game as a Bronco, and got pushed backward a few times in the running game. The holding call on the successful Correll Buckhalter screen pass in the 4th quarter was really not much of a hold, but you can't be taking that penalty in that spot.

iii. The interior line for Cincinnati did a much better job than I thought they would, and mostly maintained their gaps in the running game. Hochstein and Wiegmann struggled some with Pat Sims and Domata Peko. I was impressed with their play for the Bengals, and they played a key part in the Broncos running game never really getting going.

iv. Among 20 running plays, I counted 11 zone-blocked plays and 9 man-blocked plays. Buckhalter had good success both ways, and LaMont Jordan had a nice run on a zone play. Peyton Hillis had his only carry behind man-blocking, which I think suits him best, and Knowshon Moreno ran both ways, having more success in man-blocking, which didn't have him running sideways, which was largely his downfall in his underwhelming debut.

v. I would call this battle pretty much a draw, which means the Broncos underachieved. Both sides had some success at times, in a battle that most would have expected the Broncos to win going away. The Broncos have some work to do on the offensive line. Statistically, the Broncos rushed 20 times for 75 yards, 3.8 yard per carry average. Orton was sacked 3 times, and hit 5 more, but really never faced significant pressure from a 4-man rush. Cincinnati really only got there by blitzing.

Cincinnati Offense vs. Denver Defense:

i. The good for Cincinnati: Andrew Whitworth did a pretty nice job at Left Tackle. He showed the ability to be fine there this season. The bad: Anthony Collins had a pretty rough time on the Right side, and looked like a guy who needs to be a backup. Collins never handled Elvis Dumervil well when he rushed from that side, and he got pushed backward a lot in the running game.

ii. As a general statement, the Broncos defensive line did an outstanding job of maintaining the line of scrimmage, and often resetting it a yard behind the blue line on the screen. It was a very encouraging sign against a big offensive line. I was very pleased with the interior performance of both Ronald Fields and Marcus Thomas. They didn't get their names called much, but both played with excellent leverage and physicality.

iii. I felt like the Denver DE/OLBs could have done a much better job in setting the edge in the running game. That is their number-one job, and several times, the interior successfully strung running plays out to the sideline, only to see Cedric Benson get some room out there. They're going to have to get better there.

iv. Of the Broncos' 3 sacks, all came from players who are classified as linebackers. Andra Davis and Mario Haggan both just barely beat Dumervil to the QB. Darrell Reid rushed with his hand down from a DE position on 3rd down, right after Haggan's sack, and beat Collins like he stole something on the play. Those two sacks were really important, incidentally, because both came right after Brett Kern shanked a punt and gave Cincinnati outstanding field position.

v. The Broncos won this battle, no question about it. They wore down a little at the end, but the defensive line was terrific in this game. They allowed 86 yards rushing on 27 carries, with 1 TD. That's a 3.2 yard average, which is very good, especially against a really talented guy like Benson. The pass rush was okay, but can get better. They hit Carson Palmer 4 times, in addition to the 3 sacks, and hurried him several other times.

b. Jacksonville at Indianapolis

Jacksonville Offense vs. Indianapolis Defense:

i. The key matchup featured Dwight Freeney against Eugene Monroe, who was making his NFL debut. Freeney dominated Monroe early in the game, notching a sack, and barely missing another, when David Garrard pulled out of his tackle. Monroe did better as the game went on, and the Jaguars took advantage of Freeney's constant proclivity to rush upfield by running several successful draws to his vacated spot. Monroe did have the key block on Jacksonville's only TD play, impressively hitting Antoine Bethea in space, a la Ryan Clady. On the negative side, Freeney had a neutral-zone infraction in the game, giving Jacksonville a first down.

ii. The Jaguars' other rookie Tackle, second-rounder Eben Britton, also was a mixed bag, mostly against Robert Mathis. He stoned Mathis a few times, got pantsed by him a couple more, but mostly they played close to even. Mathis did have a few impressive plays in the running game as the backside DE, crashing down the line.

iii. I was impressed by the job done by the inside guys for the Jags, including Maurice Williams, Brad Meester, and Vince Manuwai. They opened a lot of holes for Maurice Jones-Drew and anchored very well in the passing game. I only saw one very impressive defensive play by a Colts interior player, and that was a pursuit play by Ed Johnson. I was more impressed with his effort in hustling for 25 yards than anything, really.

iv. The Colts D-line looked the same as ever, with speed from the edges, not much anchoring power, and averageness inside. The Jaguars are much better up front than last season, and I would venture to speculate that they'll be a good offensive line 8-10 weeks from now, when Monroe and Britton have a bit more experience.

v. Statistically, the Jaguars rushed 26 times for 114 yards and 1 TD, a 4.4 yard average. David Garrard was sacked once and hit 6 more times. The numbers tend to support my conclusion that Jacksonville had a slight overall edge in this area.

Indianapolis Offense vs. Jacksonville Defense:

i. Indianapolis' Left Tackle, Charlie Johnson struggled somewhat, mostly against Derrick Harvey. Harvey didn't do a lot in the pass-rushing game, but he made his presence felt in stopping the run. Some were surprised that Johnson ended up as the starter, with Tony Ugoh on the bench, but I was a charter member of the Ugoh-Is-Soft-And-Lousy club a year ago, when the BMIA's of the world were still loving on him. Harvey is improved from his rookie year, but is still a better run player than pass rusher, and probably always will be. He's just not a fast-twitch guy, and smartly tries to play with power rather than quickness.

ii. I've never been the biggest Jeff Saturday fan, and Sunday's game was a good example of the reasons why. He really, really struggles when you ask him to anchor against a power player in pass protection or move a defensive lineman vertically in the running game. This has always been the case to some degree, but he's declined somewhat since his best years, from the looks of things. Saturday's strength is getting out to the second level and hitting pursuers. His quickness is an asset there, and his lack of power is minimized as a liability. He did look good several times in that tasking. I don't think he's a good Center anymore, overall, though - he's more like an average one.

iii. John Henderson had kind of an underwhelming game for the Jags from a playmaking perspective, but he generally was stout inside in the running game. He spent a good amount of time pushing Mike Pollak and Saturday backwards in the running game. Really, the Colts' whole O-line spent a lot of their day a step into their own backfield.

iv. Jacksonville's pass rush was marginal, and they got only one sack, from Reggie Hayward, who subsequently broke his shin and went down for the season. Ryan Lilja got beat for the sack, but the blocking scheme put him in a tough spot, coming from the inside to block an outside rusher.

v. The numbers tell two stories. The Jags were stout against the run, allowing 71 yards on 31 carries, a 2.3 yard average, with 1 TD. Peyton Manning had his way in the passing game though, taking one sack, and only getting hit two additional times. Give the slight edge to the Colts for volume, and if you're the Jaguars, you know you've now gone two offseasons needing pass rush help, and not satisfied the need.

5. The following is the schedule for the regular season for the Between The Lines feature.

Week
1	Jacksonville at Indianapolis
1	Denver at Cincinnati
2	Houston at Tennessee
2	Cleveland at Denver
3	Green Bay at St. Louis
3	Denver at Oakland
4	New York Jets at New Orleans
4	Dallas at Denver
5	Atlanta at San Francisco
5	New England at Denver
6	Baltimore at Minnesota
6	Denver at San Diego
7	Arizona at New York Giants
8	Denver at Baltimore
8	Cleveland at Chicago
9	Green Bay at Tampa Bay
9	Pittsburgh at Denver
10	Chicago at San Francisco
10	Denver at Washington
11	Miami at Carolina
11	San Diego at Denver
12	New York Giants at Denver
12	Pittsburgh at Baltimore
13	Houston at Jacksonville
13	Denver at Kansas City
14	Green Bay at Chicago
14	Denver at Indianapolis
14	Philadelphia at New York Giants
15	New England at Buffalo
15	Oakland at Denver
16	Seattle at Green Bay
16	Denver at Philadelphia
17	Chicago at Detroit
17	Kansas City at Denver

All 32 teams will be evaluated at least once. I'll evaluate the Broncos 17 times, obviously, and the next most frequent subjects will be Chicago and Green Bay with 4 appearances, Baltimore and the Giants with 3, and Cleveland, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, New England, Oakland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego and San Francisco twice each. All other teams will appear once.

6. My apologies for the lack of Lighting Up The Scoreboard Friday. I was having software problems on the recording from the Madden end, and I don't even know if it will work this week, when i try again. I will at least shoot to have an audio podcast this week, even if I can't get the Madden content in there.

7. Retired for John Elway.

8. Man-cavery:

I have been fighting the urge to spend $1,000 on another living-room TV, and I have managed to keep that beast at bay, for now at least. I brought the TV on the right (a 32" job), in from my bedroom for gameday, and I think I will continue to do so for awhile. I had the Red Zone channel on the bigger laptop, the main game I wanted to see on the bigger TV, and another interesting game on the smaller, moved-in TV. I was keeping notes on the smaller laptop, on the couch. My only problem was changing channels, because the remote wanted to change the channels on both DirecTV receivers, when I only wanted one to move. Does anybody know any solutions to that?

That's all I have after taking up a lot of your time. Have a great week, and let's hope I can get my software issues worked out this week. It's Browns week, which means a lot of grief for me from the locals here in Cleveland, but it's the kind of grief I am happy to absorb if the Broncos win. In any case, we'll be back next Tuesday with more Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations.

Colts v. Jaguars Recap: One Week In, Already On Top

Colts Homer — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:30:37 -0000

More photos » by AJ Mast - AP

2 months ago: Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai runs in the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, in Indianapolis. The Colts won 14-12. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

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It is only Week One and the Colts have the lead in the AFC South. The Colts beat the Jaguars, the Titans lose in overtime to the defending champion Steelers and the Texans embarrass themselves against the Jets. The Colts have a game up on everyone which is a nice luxury. You can look at it as next week is the start of the season and the Colts were spotted a game. It is a very good thing that everyone else is 0-1.

The Colts had what appeared to be a normal first game of the season. Some places looked rusty but some looked very impressive. It was 14-12, but the Colts really did outplay the Jaguars by more than that. An interception at the goal line cost the Colts at least 3 points and a rare Addai fumble in Colts territory also cost the team some points. However, unless if there is some rule change that I am blissfully unaware of, there are no such thing as style points. The Colts weren't pretty, but they are 1-0, which I feel is more important.

What I Liked

The short yardage running game with Addai. There are 3 plays I look at when I analyze how Addai did in short yardage situations in this game. Two of his carries were on a third and short in Colts territory that he showed amazing speed on and got within the five. One of those runs was followed by the Manning interception, but the other was followed by an Addai touchdown. Addai had a good game in short yardage.

The decision to start Charlie Johnson over Tony Ugoh. I was tough on Johnson in the preseason, but he didn't play well in the preseason. Today he played great. He gave up no sacks. Most of the pressure from the Jaguars came from the right side of the line with Reggie Hayward. The biggest hit from Manning on the left side was on his touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne. Johnson also did well in the running game. Addai's good short yardage carries went to the left side. Johnson did a fantastic job in shutting down Derrick Harvey. Let's see how he does next week against Joey Porter next week. If he can keep Porter from getting a sack, I may have to believe that Johnson is an acceptable left tackle in the National Football League.

Larry Coyer. This may fall under love. Larry Coyer's spin on the Tampa-2 is a thing of beauty. The Colts held Maurice Jones-Drew to 97 rushing yards and they actually got off of the field. Believe it or not, the Colts won the possession battle today. It is amazing. Don't say it is because of the changes in players. Besides Jerraud Powers, all of the starters were starters on the team last year at some point. The starting defensive tackles were Antonio Johnson and Eric Foster, the two best defensive tackles from the team last season. The players were the same. It was the defensive coordinator that was the change. This great performance by the defense was because of the change of defensive coordinator. They went from a bad defensive coordinator who I believe never went to a practice and worked with a team to someone who is looking like the biggest addition to the team this offseason.

Click on the little link below this to read what I didn't like and a position-by-position breakdown of the game.

What I didn't like

Not winning the turnover battle. The Colts had 2 turnovers. The Jaguars had none. That won't work when they play New England or Baltimore. The Colts need to force turnovers. The only time the Colts were even close to a turnover was when Jerraud Powers levitated off of the ground and almost picked off a pass in the endzone which was one of the most impressive plays I've seen from a Colts cornerback. Next week they need to pressure Chad Pennington and force him into bad decisions.

The stretch play. It's not that I have a problem with the play itself, just the guys up front trying to block for it. I think Ryan Lilja might be a little rusty on it, but what is the excuse for Diem and Pollak? Running to the right side was an automatic loss of yards. The Jaguars front 7 is not that good. Donald Brown and Joseph Addai are good running backs who should be able to run all over this defense. There needs to be some changes on the offensive line, starting with the right side of it.

Special Teams. It is still a serious problem even with Coach R here. The wedge rule changes should have helped kick coverage, but the Jaguars still routinely got to the 30 yard line while Simpson only had one good return that was mostly due to great blocking by Ramon Humber.

Now here's a position-by-position breakdown of the team.

QBs

Peyton Manning started his 177th straight game and won his 118th game. Those 118 wins tie the team record with Johnny Unitas. Manning did it in 5 less starts. Folks, we are watching one of the greatest players in football history. Even if he didn't have his best game today, he did enough to win it. He made good throws and connected with Reggie Wayne. Let's see what he can do in a few weeks when Gonzalez is back. Peyton Manning had his 300 yards, but that interception hurt. He had some bad passes, but Peyton never plays well in Week One. He's healthy this year and next week we should see the real Peyton we all know and love.

RBs

Even though they only got 75 yards, they got me excited. Donald Brown is an animal. I honestly believe that he is going to be an elite running back in this league once he gets the offensive line he deserves. Addai is going to rejuvenate his career as a short yardage back if he keeps it up. I support starting Downtown Donald Brown but playing Addai on short yardage plays and in the goal line. That's where Addai does best. Brown does best with space. I want to see Brown have five catches a game. When he gets in the open field he is magic. He jumped over defenders, broke tackles and did whatever he could to get the first down. By Week 17 the Colts running game will finally be good again.

WRs/TEs

Anthony Gonzalez's injury is a bummer. He was ready for a breakout year but he will have to wait two to six weeks. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon did okay in his place. Collie had 2 catches for 15 yards and Garcon had 3 catches for 24 yards. However, neither of those guys are Anthony Gonzalez. I expect Taj Smith to be signed on Monday from the practice squad and hopefully Tim Jennings will be cut. He is useless. He doesn't contribute on special teams and with Jerraud Powers on the team he has no chance of getting time on defense. Jacob Lacey and TJ Rushing are better cornerbacks. Jennings wasn't good last year and he doesn't deserve a roster spot. With Taj Smith off the practice squad it would open a spot for Terrance Taylor. I would support that greatly. On the tight end side, Jacob Tamme got some action. On the only time he was thrown to he had a nice 6 yard reception. With Gonzalez out he may see more of the field in a slot receiver's role.

The pass blocking was fine. Peyton was only sacked once and he was never under a lot of pressure. The run blocking was horrendous though. It might have been worse than last year. The right side of the line is a mess. Mike Pollak is looking more and more like a bust. The stretch play to the right side is a death sentence. Any run to the right side is a death sentence. Almost every decent run was to the left side. Right tackle and right guard are the two biggest concerns on the team. There was no run blocking on the right side. Peyton got clobbered by a Jaguar coming from the right side of the line. I'm worried about the O-line.

Here's a line I am not worried about. The defensive line was phenomenal. Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis got great pressure on Garrard. Freeney had one sack and a bunch of hits on Garrard. Mathis got pressure on Garrard on the final drive. The defensive tackles also did well. They stuffed the two point conversion that ended up being the difference. Eric Foster and Antonio Johnson did a great job of clogging up the middle. All of the big MJD runs were outside runs. He didn't get anything up the middle. Think of how good the line will be with Fili Moala and Ed Johnson back next week. I'm excited to see Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams stuffed multiple times eight days from now.

LBs

I wasn't thrilled by the linebackers but they weren't a problem. Sure they had a little bit of trouble stopping MJD at times, but Session and Hagler had some nice tackles while Gary Brackett did well blitzing on the final drive. I am much less worried about this unit than I was going into the game. As long as Freddie Keiaho doesn't have to see the field they will be fine. I'm looking forward to seeing Philip Wheeler get out there and blitz. He could absolutely dominate in Coyer's system. He will be starting soon.

DBs

Jerraud Powers is amazing. What a steal he was. I think he has earned a starting job over Marlin Jackson to be honest. He shut down the Jaguars' receivers. It is impossible to overstate how pleasant of a surprise he has been. He is a future star at cornerback. The third round curse is over, people. Kelvin Hayden also had a great game. There is a reason why the Colts only gave up 6 touchdown passes last season. It's because the Colts secondary is the best in the league. Melvin Bullitt and Antoine Bethea didn't do anything of note, but they didn't mess up anything either. Hopefully Bob Sanders will be back in the next few weeks or so. This defense will be one of the best in the league with a healthy Bob Sanders.

Special Teams

Stinks. The return game stinks. The kick coverage stinks. The punting was amazing though. Pat McAfee is thousands of times better than Hunter the Punter. Opponents are averaging starting at the five yard line with him punting. Obviously we can't expect that to continue, but we can expect no big returns off of McAfee punts. He is the best punter the Colts have ever had and I think he may be one of the best in the league.

Next week the Colts travel to Miami to take on the 0-1 Dolphins. The Dolphins didn't play well against the Falcons, but they have an extra day to prepare for it. That's right. It's a Monday night game. I'm not a fan, but it is nice for the out-of-town Colts fans on Stampede Blue. Everyone will be able to watch the game. Maybe we will surpass the 1600 comments we had today!

Good game today. Hopefully a good game next Monday.

Poll

Player of the Game?

Reggie Wayne

554 votes

Pat McAfee

65 votes

Peyton Manning

50 votes

Jerraud Powers

97 votes

Gary Brackett

16 votes

Dwight Freeney

64 votes

Other (please state in comments)

5 votes

851 votes | Poll has closed

2009 Pre-Season for the Colts is finito

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:23:12 -0000

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

3 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco (85) meets with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (18) after their preaseason NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

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Well, unlike last pre-season, where we all collectively held our breath on the injury status of Peyton Manning, Jeff Saturday, and several other key players, the Colts managed to get through this pre-season without sustaining any serious injuries that might affect the outcome of games that mean something. For first year coach Jim Caldwell, that is a triumph worth acknowledging.

The number one job of any coach in pre-season is to get his squad through it as healthy as possible. The games mean nothing, and unless you are rebuilding and re-evaluating everyone on the roster, pre-season is simply a gauntlet that teams try to fight through without getting too beat up. Case in point, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Their best player, Maurice Jones-Drew, injured his leg last night in his team's fourth and final pre-season game. The injury maybe be "serious," and his status for Week One is in doubt.

With pre-season done, we're now getting thoughts and final evaluations from bloggers and fans alike. We've even got a few mock 53-man rosters. Keep'm coming.

This pre-season, during both training camp and pre-season, we've been fortunate enough to have a very dedicated and diverse group of Colts bloggers offering different (and, at times, contradictory) opinions on games, players, and coaches. It has made this pre-season one of the richest, content-wise, since I started blogging three years ago. From media pros like John Oehser to training camp Twitter demigods like Eric Hartz to unapologetic, rabid fans like Deshawn Zombie, we've had a wide range of news and opinions since the chaps wearing blue and white with the horseshoe helmets rolled into Rose Hulman over a month ago.

Now, we get their opinions (with a sprinkling of my own) on the state of this team heading into 2009.

Before diving in, please note that I personally don't put much stock in the fourth pre-season game. Most of the guys who play in the fourth game do not make the final roster. Only two starters on defense played (Ed Johnson and Philip Wheeler), and they did not play for very long. This was a game to evaluate young players like Jacob Lacey and veterans playing in new positions (like Freddy Keiaho playing MIKE). It's also yet another pre-season game where the Bengals blow out the Colts. I think that statement alone should help define the overall importance of pre-season to the bottom line in this league (winning and losing).

John Oehser gives us his impressions of the club:

As I wrote on Examiner, if you’re a Colts fan, don’t worry about this game [against the Bengals]. It’s preseason and although the Colts say the right things about wanting to win, they want to be healthy and get a read on young players. They did that, and there are more positives than negatives out of this preseason. A lot more.

Our co-writer, Colts Homer, offered his opinions on some of those young players:

For the corners, Jacob Lacey played well except on the first drive. He is practice squad bound, but he looks like a future Colt. He's great in man coverage.
Jamie Silva played great. He led the team in tackles and had a sack. He was a stud today and I think he locked up a roster spot.

Evaluating young players and gauging the overall talent of the team is something new coach Jim Caldwell has been focused on all pre-season. He seems to know who he wants to start and who he wants playing in various rotations on the defense. Overall, Caldwell has impressed people with how he's run the team, including the Indy Star's PhilB. PhilB hasn't locked up his opinion on Caldwell completely, but his comments about the new coach suggest he is the right man for the job:

Still forming an opinion of Caldwell, but I think he's a solid football guy. He's paid his dues, is getting his shot. We'll see. He's stepping into a pretty nice situation. Some franchises can't win forever. This guy just took over a team that's won 12 in a row six straight years. Then again, Super Bowl or bust isn't exactly easy. Anything less is a failure, with this team's talent.

I personally get a little sick of the "Super Bowl or bust" rhetoric that often gets thrown around. Indeed, the Colts have the talent, right now, to win a Super Bowl. But as we have seen for the last two years, talent right now means nothing. It's how much of your talent is healthy in January. If guys like Dwight Freeney, Joseph Addai, Ryan Lilja, Robert Mathis, Gary Brackett, Bob Sanders, and Ed Johnson are either severely hurt, on IR, or kicked off the team for smoking weed by January, then it is kind of hard to take the "Super Bowl or bust" rhetoric seriously.

In the NFL, it's all about staying healthy, and playing healthy, at the right time.

The number one goal for the Colts right now is to win the AFC South. Getting in the playoffs is hard enough, but Super bowl talk is worthless unless the team wins the division. Once in, anything can happen. The playoffs are a crap shoot. Teams can change on a dime when January rolls around, like the Cardinals last year (2008), the Giants the year before (2007), and our Colts the year before that (2006). So, talking Super Bowl right now is just silliness. Win the division first. Stay healthy. Beat the teams you are supposed to beat. The rest will take care of itself.

Finally, Deshawn Zombie offers us his opinion on one possible weakness for the Colts this year:

The offensive line will be a problem all year.

Charlie Johnson is the left tackle. I'm still not ok with that sentence. The line gave up 5 sacks of Manning in barely one full game of work. Tony Ugoh could have won the starting job back, but he was terrible. His play last night was rough to say the least, although there were problems all over the line, to be fair. This was the biggest offseason issue for the Colts this year. Lilja is back and apparently healthy, so that's a plus. Still, there is some question as to whether this is a Super Bowl quality O line.

Last night, the Colts gave up six sacks. I believe that is 14 sacks in four pre-season games. That's simply not going to cut it. Howard Mudd's got a lot of work to do.

The main thing we learned from this pre-season is players practice and play hard for Jim Caldwell. Whenever there is a coaching transition, that is what you are looking for when evaluating the new coach. Will Wolford made the observation last night while calling the game with Bob Lamey: The transition from Tony Dungy to Jim Caldwell has seemed seamless. People who know and follow this team are excited about what it can do. That was sorely lacking last season, as this team seemed to limp in and out of games on a regular basis, sapping hope from fans with each update of the injury list.

The cutdown to 53 is tomorrow. Here is my updated mock 53-man roster page. We'll discuss this in more detail later today. In the meantime, offer up your opinions, queries, concerns, and excitement for the 2009 Colts as the regular season opener gets closer.

Go Colts!

BigBlueShoe's mock 53-man roster page

Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts roster

Colts v. Bengals Preseason Review: It's Over!

Colts Homer — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:54:51 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

3 months ago: Indianapolis Colts receiver Taj Smith celebrates after scoring against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

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Finally! The long preseason is over. Very soon we will see who gets cut and who makes the roster. If anyone watched the embarrassment of this game, they know how hard it is to try and find something good from this game. Obviously it needs to be said that almost all of the players that played today are in no way expected to contribute this season, but it was still ugly. It gave us a grim glimpse of life without Manning (and Addai, Brown, Wayne, Saturday, Freeney, Mathis, etc...). Now we know how Lions fans feel in the regular season. Here is a position-by-position rundown of today's "game".

QBs

~I thought both of them played well. Sorgi played the first half and Painter played the second. Both showed good accuracy and didn't make any big mistakes passing. A Sorgi interception got called back but that was mostly Tamme's fault for dropping the pass. Sorgi did lose a fumble. This game didn't show us anything knew. Sorgi is the second best QB on the roster and Painter is the future Sorgi.

RBs

~Simpson and Ball both played well to be honest for their situations. The guards didn't play very well today, but Ball was able to get 3.4 yards per carry (which would have been average on the team last year) and Simpson had 16 yards on 4 carries. Walter Mendenhall had one big run but did nothing to show he deserves to be close to a roster spot. This will be one of the most highly anticipated cuts. Will Hart or Ball make it? Will both of them be on the 53 man roster? I would guess when cut day comes that will be headline here at Stampede Blue.

WRs/TEs

~Taj Smith was pretty awesome today. His touchdown catch was a thing of beauty when he got the ball in tight coverage. He had 5 catches for 59 yards and was targeted an amazing 11 times. Jacob Tamme also got a lot of looks and did decent. His dropped pass which resulted in an interception was ugly though. John Matthews still sucks.

~Kyle DeVan and Tony Ugoh were good. Jaimie Thomas and Jamey Richard were bad. Ugoh was playing great at left tackle and had to compensate for the surprisingly awful performance by Richard. Richard looked like he didn't care and was very slow. Another reason why preseason is too damn long. DeVan should have clinched a roster spot tonight but Steve Justice could somehow keep a roster spot.

DL

~The way they handle the D-line shows that the Colts couldn't care less about the preseason. Honestly, the only way they could show how little they cared to an even further extent would be to not show up at all. They play 4 DTs and no defensive ends because the defensive end position is locked up. Adrian Grady proved to be a complete monster and I don't think he will get cut. I have a gut feeling that Daniel Muir could be on his way out. It depends on how the team would feel about cutting someone who was looking like he could be starting in Week One.

~This is the most confusing unit on the team. One week Mike Tauiliili looks like a star and the next he is a non-factor. Jordan Senn didn't play all that well tonight and Freddy Keiaho showed his uselessness with missing easy tackles. I think that Ramon Humber has to make the roster. I mean, there is no way they can keep someone like Keiaho over him, can they?

~For the corners, Jacob Lacey played well except on the first drive. He is practice squad bound, but he looks like a future Colt. He's great in man coverage.

~Jamie Silva played great. He led the team in tackles and had a sack. He was a stud today and I think he locked up a roster spot.

Special Teams

~Adam Vinatieri missed a field goal and Pat McAfee had a punt blocked and may or may not have been injured. Someone would need to clarify that for me. From a kicking standpoint, it was an ugly game.

~Jamie Silva is not a punt returner unless 5 yards a return sounds acceptable to you. Simpson wasn't as bad as usual at returning kicks, but he isn't making the roster because of it. That's for sure.

Roster prediction after the jump.

QB
Peyton Manning
Jim Sorgi
Curtis Painter

RB
Joseph Addai
Donald Brown
Mike Hart
Lance Ball

H-B
Gijon Robinson
Tom Santi

WR
Reggie Wayne
Anthony Gonzalez
Austin Collie
Pierre Garcon

TE
Dallas Clark
Jacob Tamme

LT
Charlie Johnson
Tony Ugoh

LG
Ryan Lilja
Jamey Richard

C
Jeff Saturday
Kyle DeVan

RG
Mike Pollak
Dan Federkeil

RT
Ryan Diem

LE
Robert Mathis
Keyunta Dawson
Marcus Howard

UT
Ed Johnson
Fili Moala
Eric Foster

NT
Antonio Johnson
Terrance Taylor
Adrian Grady

RE
Dwight Freeney
Raheem Brock

WILL
Clint Session
Ramon Humber

MIKE
Gary Brackett
Jordan Senn

SAM
Philip Wheeler
Tyjuan Hagler

CB
Kelvin Hayden
Marlin Jackson
Jerraud Powers
TJ Rushing

FS
Antoine Bethea
Matt Giordano
Jamie Silva

SS
Bob Sanders
Melvin Bullitt

K
Adam Vinatieri

P
Pat McAfee

LS
Justin Snow

Practice Squad
RB Walter Mendenhall
WR Taj Smith
OL Jaimie Thomas
OL Tom Pestock
DL John Gill
LB Mike Tauiliili
DB Jacob Lacey

I like this roster and I really don't have very many problems with it. Usually I will be apprehensive about publishing a roster prediction because I just don't agree with all of it, but I like this one. Muir being booted is obviously the most controversial along with Jennings leaving, but if this team wants the 53 best players, this is probably the way to go.

Ryan Lilja's impact on the run game

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:21:37 -0000

Ryan Lilja (right) is key for the Colts offense this year. Photo: farm3.static.flickr.com

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Two weeks ago, the Colts running game looked effective and strong in pre-season against the Philadelphia Eagles. Last Saturday, Indy's running game looked anything but good against the Detroit Lions. In 2008, Indianapolis' rushing attack was the second worst in the NFL (only the NFC champion Arizona Cardinals were worse... proving once again just how "vital" it is to run the ball). In '08, Indy was ranked 19th in rushing TDs, 31st in yards, 30th in attempts, and dead, stinking last in yards per attempt (3.4 a carry). The season prior (2007), the Colts running game was #2 in TDs (19 scored!), 22nd in yards per attempt (3.8 a carry), 18th in total rushing yards, and 12th in carries.

So, what did Indy have in 2007 that they didn't have in 2008? What did Indy have against the Eagles that they didn't have against the Lions?

Answer: Offensive guard Ryan Lilja

Let's harp on it one. more. friggin. time. The health of Ryan Lilja is paramount to any success the Colts can have this season running the ball. He is the only guard on the roster worth a damn, mainly because he is one of the more under-rated offensive linemen in football. Against the Lions Saturday, Lilja did not play. He was recovering from a shoulder injury, which is unrelated to the knee injury that kept him out of the entire 2008 season. Lilja is expected to start Week One against the Jaguars, which is a HUGE boost to Indy's offense to open the season.

While second year player Mike Pollak has indeed improved as a guard (he played center at Arizona State), he still is not a sure bet. I've seen him get pushed back far too many times to feel good about him kicking out for a stretch play run. Other back-ups like Jamey Richard and Kyle DeVan are good players, but they are not starting caliber guards at this point. And unlike Pollak (second round pick in 2008, and first pick overall for the Colts), Richard and DeVan are not highly touted draft picks. Richard was a 7th round pick, and DeVan is a free agent.

With Lilja, the offensive line is more physical, able to attack defenses and utilize technique and scheme to overpower opponents. Without him, Colts running backs are stuffed at the line of scrimmage by the "immortal" defensive line of the Lions.

Just as Ed Johnson seems key for success on the d-line, Ryan Lilja is almost as vital to the o-line as Jeff Saturday. Maybe even more so. This year is a very important year for the o-line. Tony Ugoh has been benched and Jeff Saturday ain't getting any younger. Guys like Pollak better see the writing on the wall and start playing with some attitude. With Joseph Addai healthy and the electrifying Donald Brown added to the roster, if the Colts struggle to run the ball this year as they did last year, the finger of blame falls solely on the offensive line and Senior Offensive Line Coach Howard Mudd.

With Lilja back, the running game should be better, but if anything happens to Lilja, it seems (right now anyway), that the Colts do not have much quality at guard besides Lilja.

Colts watching the waiver wire?

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:50:37 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

6 months ago: Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Deion Branch pulls in a catch during drills, Wednesday, June 10, 2009, at a NFL football minicamp at Seahawks headquarters in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

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Contrary to popular myth, Bill Polian does indeed sign free agents. He just doesn't do so in March, when supposedly "marquee" players are looking for big paydays, like Albert Haynesworth did recently. No, the time when Bill Polian typically signs free agents is early September. This is when Big Bill looks over the waiver wire, finds someone a team probably should not have cut, and snatches the players up faster than a rabid hawk can snare a blind field mouse.

We've seen Bill Polian pluck up players like Dan Klecko, Rocky Boiman, Daniel Muir, Justin Forsett, and Ryan Lilja in year's past. These guys might not be household names, but they are the kinds of players that can help a team win football games. In the case of Klecko, Boiman, and Lilja, these guys helped the Colts win a Super Bowl. Muir currently is a primary reserve on the defensive line, and Forsett was claimed last season only to be cut again because of injuries to other players. Forsett is back with the Seahawks, and is a significant part of their running back rotation and special teams.

With the economy in the crapper and the prospect of an uncapped year looming, clubs are less and less likely to retain high priced veteran players unless they are marquee players. This means there is the potential for somewhat well-known players, like Seattle's Deion Branch, to find themselves cut from their clubs. In Branch's case, check out this article from The News Tribune:

So far, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Nate Burleson, Deion Branch and Deon Butler are likely in, with Courtney Taylor, Ben Obomanu and Jordan Kent fighting for the last couple of spots.

Or perhaps Branch could be on his way out.

The veteran will make $5 million this season to be Seattle’s third receiver and the Seahawks have a lot of depth at the position. So they may live with five receivers and let Branch go to keep a player at a different position.

You all might recall that Branch was the MVP of Super Bowl 39 back when he played for the Patriots. He left New England via free agency in 2006, and has struggled to stay healthy while he has played for the Seahawks.

It's somewhat shocking that Branch has lost his starting job to the "immortal" Nate Burleson, and $5 million is an awful lot to spend on a third WR. While I doubt the Colts would make a play for Branch (even though he bought a home recently in Indiana), it gives you a bit of an idea as to the caliber of players who might get cut in the comes days and weeks.

Caldwell looking to boost special teams by adding more players

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:21:34 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell is looking to shake things up on special teams. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Saw a very interesting note in a recent article from Matt Dollinger at Colts.com:

The Colts plan to insert some new players on special teams to bolster their return game, Caldwell said. In addition to defensive back T.J. Rushing, Caldwell said he anticipates wide receivers Austin Collie and Taj Smith and safety Jamie Silva may return some kicks and punts on Thursday against the Lions.

Barring any kind of setback with T.J. Rushing regarding his knee injury from last year, the man has won the punt returning duties. We saw it last week against the Eagles (who played last night; anyone watch?). Rushing could also return kicks, but it seems Caldwell wants to split those duties, or at least try to. It's also clear that Caldwell is not happy with the players who have been returning kicks of late.

Collie practiced punt returning during mini-camps and training camp this season. I have not seen him practice returning kick-offs. I'd be shocked if Jamie Silva could return a punt or a kick. He seems more of a gunner or up-man on kick coverage.

If Taj Smith can prove he can return kicks, then that is a huge boost for him. He is on the bubble, along with Sam Giguere. While I like Giguere, he looked horrible returning kicks last week; no moves or speed as he rushed forward. If Taj shows he can do the job, it wil be Taj in, Giggy out.

One player who I'm about 95% sure is out is Chad Simpson. Simpson's sole reason for being on this roster is special teams. He returned several kicks last year, and he was horrible doing so. He's had multiple chances this off-season and training camp to prove he can do the job, and he hasn't. It doesn't bode well for Chad that Caldwell is "adding more players" to a position and job Simpson pretty much did exclusively. Chad's also been out-played at running back by Lance Ball, who might win the job as the third back if Mike Hart starts the season on PUP.

Other news for the upcoming game against the Lions: Ryan Lilja is out with a bruised shoulder, and it's unlikely we will see Captain Pre-Season himself, Jim Sorgi.

Big Happy and Big Worry for the Indianapolis Colts... so far

BigBlueShoe — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:39:23 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

3 months ago: Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai runs out of a tackle of Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Trent Cole during the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game in Indianapolis, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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I made it a personal point this pre-season to look around other blogs and websites to get a taste of what fans for other teams go through during this time. I also lurk around these places so I can see how other teams cope with the oftentimes torturous rigors of pre-season, especially when injuries and other side-winders (like Michael Vick, Plaxico Burress, Brett Favre, Tom Cable, etc.) throw monkey wrenches into a team's preparation for the season.

Last year, I felt I watched both the pre-season and the regular season with blinders on. I didn't care what Team X was going through, or that Player Y was out for the year with an ACL. My own team had their best player with a gimpy knee, a pot-smoking DT who liked to drag race against cop cars at 4 in the morning, and a star WR fighting off the jackals at ESPN for his non-involvement in a shooting in Philadelphia which saw a convicted liar and ex-felon get shot in the hand.

For me, 2008 was working past disaster, after disaster, after disaster. Yet, the team still won 12 games. I'm still amazed by that. Remember, there was a new stadium opening (sans gawdy and game-altering scoreboard), a slew of injuries, and a team trying to re-capture the magic that helped them win a Super Bowl.

This year, you could argue that the off-season news has been even louder, and filled with even more distractions. Tony Dungy is gone. Ron Meeks is gone. Marvin Harrison is gone. Dominic Rhodes is gone... again. Hunter Smith is gone. Bob Sanders is still hurt. So is Adam Vinatieri. Tony Ugoh is benched. And so on...

Yet, despite all this news, I personally do not feel that this off-season, and pre-season, has been near the disaster that last season was. Of course, anything can happen, and we hope (knock on wood) that nothing bad does. But it just seems this team is not distracted by any of the changes. That's a credit to Jim Caldwell, his staff, and the veteran players on this team.

So, unlike last year, where each week (even in pre-season) felt like it was just another game to "ride out" in the hope that soon something good will happen, this year I approach the games with a greater sense of hope. This team, even with all the departures, is a damn good team. But, even with all the changes and added (and in some cases improved) players that make me grin ear-to-ear, there are also some worries. Mind you, compared to other teams, they are minor worries, but to us they are major.

Big Happy: The defensive line

I'm pretty damn giddy about this group, especially when I read more articles about players like this. The defensive tackle position has looked very strong in camp and in pre-season. Bringing back Ed Johnson was a major coup that few people will talk about, but his presence will have a major impact on the AFC. Teaming him on the line with Antonio Johnson, who is much better than I ever gave him credit for, should drastically improve Indy's run defense.

And if you haven't watched the second string defensive ends, you haven't seen Marcus Howard absolutely torturing people like Tarvaris Jackson and A.J. Feely. We know Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis are the best pass rushing duo in football, but backing thme up are some pretty scary-good rushers in Howard and a bulked up Curtis Johnson. Also, once Raheem Brock's hand heals, his insertion back into the rotation will help both the DE and DT positions.

Big Worry: The offensive line

A big question mark this off-season was the health of Ryan Lilja, and thankfully that question has been answered. He is indeed healthy, and has looked good in pre-season. Jeff Saturday is back, and second year guard Mike Pollak is improved. Behind them all are solid depth with guard Jamey Richard and guard-center Kyle DeVan.

It's the tackles I'm worried about.

Ryan Diem is a great guy, and has been one helluva RT for years in Indy. But, for the last three years, Diem has been injury prone. Last year was the first time in a while he played, and started, all sixteen regular season games. I don't hold out hope that he will repeat that in 2009. But as dicey as the RT position seems, it is nothing to what we have at left tackle. All-Pro talent Tony Ugoh has been benched in favor of all-world back-up Charlie Johnson. CJ has played, and started, at four of Indy's five offensive line positions. He's a high quality player who gives maximum effort on every single down.

Sadly, he does not have the talent to play LT. Tony Ugoh does.

Ugoh's problem is his effort and his toughness. He has all the physical tools, all the skill to dominant this league at LT. But, for some reason, he can't beat out a utility player like CJ. This poses major problems because even on mediocre pass rushers, Indy cannot leave CJ to single block the rusher. He simply cannot do it. This means keeping a TE in to double, or using more chip blocks from the backs. Thus, it limits the offense. This does not even take into account what they will need to do against the premiere rushers of this league. Mario Williams plays in this division, and the Colts will face the Patriots and the Ravens this season.

So, what are the things you are both excited and worried about?