SB Nation - T.J. Rushing

Raheem Brocks Tweets about possible Dominic Rhodes return to Colts

BigBlueShoe — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:45:38 -0000

Raheem Brock, who is oftentimes hilarious with his Tweets ("Maaaaan! Its cold as sh*t outside! Lol where's my triple fat down goose jacket wit the suede sleeves. Lol"), might have let the cat out of bag about something in his most recent entry:

How nice would it be to have domenic rhodes back returning kicks?? What yall think?

It's been a loooooooong time since Dominic Rhodes returned kicks for Indy (2005). Rhodes was recently brought in for a workout, but was not signed. Rhodes was last on the Buffalo Bills roster, but was cut prior to the start of the regular season. The current kick returner is T.J. Rushing, but he has been battling back from last season's knee injury.

Tip to LovinBlue

San Francisco 49ers vs. Indianapolis Colts: A Prospector's Guide

Fooch — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:00:37 -0000

Well, as some of you pointed out, we've truly come full circle. Alex Smith makes his first start in two years, but more interesting is the fact that he made his first career start in the last matchup between these two teams. Smith was 9/23 for 74 yards, 0 TDs and 4 interceptions in that start. Let's hope for something just a little bit better than that.

The 49ers travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts in what will be the 42nd meeting between the two teams, dating back to 1953. The last time San Francisco traveled to Indianapolis was in 2001, when they defeated the Colts, 40-21. QB Alex Smith made his first NFL start the last time the two teams squared off in San Francisco, in 2005.

The 49ers look to snap a two-game losing streak after falling to the Texans, 24-21, in Houston last week. After trailing 21-0 heading into the second half, Smith entered the game and sparked the 49ers offense in what was his first action in 28 regular season games. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were
caught by TE Vernon Davis, who set a career-high with the three scores and became the first 49ers tight end to record 3 receiving scores in a game. Davis now leads the NFL in touchdown receptions with six.

The 49ers have a perfect 3-0 record against division opponents this season and enter this week’s game having won 8 of its past 13 contests, dating back to 2008.

49ers-Colts Connections
Coaching Connections
• 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye coached alongside Colts defensive line coach John Teerlinck with the Los Angeles Rams in 1991.
• Colts Senior OL Coach Howard Mudd was OL Coach for San Francisco in 1977 while Raye was WR coach. Mudd played for San Francisco from 1964-69.
• Special Teams Coordinator Ray Rychleski served as the position coach for TE Vernon Davis at Maryland (2003-05).

Players
FORMER COLTS - Offensive line coach Chris Foerster served as tight ends coach for the Colts from 2002-03 ... Secondary coach Vance Joseph played with the Colts during the 1996 season ... Director of college scouting David McCloughan was drafted in 1991 by the Colts with the 69th pick overall in the NFL Draft ... Director of Pro Personnel Tom Gamble was a college scout for the Colts from 1998 - 2004.

FORMER 49ERS - Colts DB Terrail Lambert spent training camp with San Francisco after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2009.

INDIANA TIES – 49ers WR coach Jerry Sullivan served in the same capacity at the Indiana University in 1983 ... 49ers tight ends coach Pete Hoener was an offensive coordinator at Indiana State from 1978 –1984. Hoener also served as offensive line coach at Purdue University from 1989 – 1991 ... 49ers QB Nate Davis played at Ball State in Muncie, IN.
from 2006-08.

CALIFORNIA TIES – Colts DB T.J. Rushing played for Stanford University from 2002–05.

TARHEEL BRED – 49ers CB Dre’ Bly played and Colts C Jeff Saturday were teammates for two seasons at the University of North Carolina (1996-97).

TROJAN TIES - 49ers G Chilo Rachal and Colts DT Fili Voala were teammates at Southern California from 2005-07.

PANTHER PRIDE - 49ers LB Scott McKillop played with Colts LB Clint Session at Pittsburgh from 2004-06.

Series Highlights
Matchups: 41
Series Record: Colts lead series 23-18
49ers Away Record vs. Colts: Colts Lead Series 1
First Meeting: 11/29/53, 49ers win, 38-21
Last Meeting: 10/9/05, Colts win, 28-3
Current Streak: Lost 1
Longest 49ers Win Streak: 5 (10/26/69-9/10/89)
Longest Colts Win Streak: 13 (11/4/62-10/13/68)
Most 49ers Points: 45 (12/13/53), 45-14, at San Francisco
Most Colts Points: 45 (11/22/59), 45-14, at Baltimore
49ers Shutouts: None
Colts Shutouts: None

INDIANAPOLIS 28, SAN FRANCISCO 3
At San Francisco, CA, October 9, 2005

The San Francisco 49ers stayed on par with Indianapolis for three quarters of the game before a 14-point 4th quarter pulled the Colts to a 28-3 victory. Rookie QB Alex Smith made his first start, finishing with 9 completions and 4 INTs. He was also sacked 5 times and lost a fumble on one of the sacks in the 4th quarter. The first of his three 1st half INTs was returned 24 yds. for a TD by LB Cato June early in the 2nd quarter. Head Coach Mike Nolan did credit Smith’s mobility as a factor in the 49ers ability to open up the running game. RB Kevan Barlow paced the 49ers with 99 of the team’s 133 yds. on the ground.

Indianapolis took its first possession and marched 72 yds. in 7 plays before RB Dominic Rhodes scored on a 6-yd. run for a 7-0 lead. The Colts had a chance to go up 14-0 early in the 2nd quarter, but LB Jeff Ulbrich forced Rhodes to fumble at the 1-yd. line. The ball rolled into the end zone where S Mike Adams recovered for a touchback. Smith was intercepted on the 49ers next three series, including June’s 24-yd. TD return. Down 14-0 with just over two minutes to play in the 1st half, LB Derek Smith intercepted a QB Peyton Manning pass to give the 49ers a first down at the Indianapolis 47-yd. line. The 49ers scoring threat ended when Smith was intercepted by the Colts when he attempted to hit WR Arnaz Battle at the Colts 15-yd. line.

The 49ers tried to swing the momentum in the 2nd half with a successful onsides kick that was recovered by RB Terry Jackson at the San Francisco 41-yd. line. A 2-yd. run by RB Frank Gore on a 4th-and-1 play from the 50-yd. line, combined with a 20-yd. run by Barlow, helped set up a 30-yd. FG by K Joe Nedney for the 49ers only points of the day. The 49ers failed to convert their second attempt at an onsides kick on the kickoff following the FG, allowing the Colts a first down at the San Francisco 39-yd. line. CB Bruce Thornton stayed step-in-step with WR Marvin Harrison on the next play and intercepted a pass in the end zone to prevent a TD. Alex Smith threw his 4th INT of the game on the next series after the 49ers reached the Indianapolis 37-yd. line. The Colts scored 14 points in the 4th quarter to put the game out of reach. RB Edgerrin James scored on a 4-yd. run to start the 4th quarter, and then Manning connected with WR Troy Walters on an 18-yd. TD pass to make it 28-3.

2009 Statistics

49ERS (rank)		COLTS (rank)
3-3 (2nd NFCW)	Record	6-0 (1st AFCS)
22.2 (t-17th)	Points per game	29.8 (2nd)
272.0 (29th)	Total Offense	402.5 (4th)
98.3 (22nd)	Rushing Offense	91.7 (27th)
173.7 (24th)	Passing Offense	310.8 (1st)
29:32 (18th)	Possession Avg	28:57 (22nd)
20.3 (15th)	Points allowed/gm	12.8 (2nd)
291.7 (14th)	Total Defense	324.8 (9th)
88.8 (6th)	Rushing Defense	111.8 (19th)
179.8 (21st)	Passing Defense	236.0 (6th)
13 (t-20th)	Sacks	16 (t-8th)
47.6 (5th)	Punting Avg (Gross)	44.5 (17th)
+4 (t-8th)	Turnover Differential	+4 (t-7th)

Recap Week Five: Colts 31-Titans 9

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:52:13 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

2 months ago: Indianapolis Colts safety Tim Jennings (23) celebrates after intercepting a pass intended for Tennessee Titans wide receiver Nate Washington in the third quarter of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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While blocking his man in the first quarter on a punt return, much maligned Colts cornerback Tim Jennings was doing everything he could to contain the Titans gunner he was assigned to block. Jennings entered the game on thin ice already, it seemed. Having been the primary back-up to Kelvin Hayden and starting in three games at cornerback already this season, Jennings was benched to start the game in favor of a rookie free agent, Jacob Lacey. For the past few weeks, opposing QBs had been picking on Jennings, known for playing too soft in coverage by providing WRs with too much cushion off the line of scrimmage.

While engaged with the gunner on the punt, Jennings (who did not know where the ball was) heard the call for "short punt." This meant the ball was kicked shorter than everyone anticipated, and that it was likely the ball was in his vicinity. But the call was too late for Jennings to disengage from his blocker and get out of the way. Instead, Jennings bumped into Colts return man T.J. Rushing, causing him to muff the punt, which was recovered by the Titans on the Colts 34 yard line.

The Titans faithful cheered wildly. Colts fans went ballistic. Tim Jennings walked off the field, seemingly disgusted with himself.

Despite the Colts building an early 7-0 lead off an Alge Crumpler fumble that was converted into a Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne touchdown, early miscues and mistakes, like Jennings bumping into Rushing on the early punt return, kept the Titans in the game. While the continued stellar play of Peyton Manning (81% completion, 309 yards, 3 TDs) will likely generate all the headlines around Yahoo, CBS Sports, ESPN, and likely Peter King's Monday morning opus, it was really the play of the Colts defense that mainly helped Indy win its fourteenth straight regular season game, dating back to October of last year.

Despite the early miscues with turnovers, penalties, and sloppy play on offense and special teams, it was the defense that played hard, tough, inspired football. They harassed Titans quarterback Kerry Collins all night, and completely and utterly stoned dynamic running back Chris Johnson (9 carries, 34 yards).

And, at the end of the night, as the Colts walked off the field with a three game lead in their division as they head into a bye week, one of the big heroes of that defensive effort was none other than Tim Jennings. More after the jump...

Again, most of the "morning after" press will praise Peyton, claiming his efforts alone were the reason this team blew out the Titans for the second time in as many meetings. Yes, Manning was Manning, which is to say he continues to re-write the definition of greatness as a quarterback and continues to make bumbling buffoons like NBC announcer Chris Collinsworth sound like nothing more than blathering ear noise.

During the fourth quarter, Collinsworth made the claim that before anyone can start calling Peyton Manning as good or better than Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, or Sammy Baugh, Peyton had to win "multiple championships." Considering that Manning's statistics absolutely shatter all four of those men save Marino (who never played on a Super Bowl championship team), it pretty much shows you that NBC went from one idiot blabbermouth (John Madden) to another this year when John Madden returned and was replaced by the fumble prone choker at wide receiver who likes his girls young and extremely stupid.

Peyton Manning is better than all those players right now. It's obvious, and most people agree. Those that don't simply don't know anything about football, and are likely the same sad idiots who once claimed Peyton "couldn't win the big one." I now understand why Peyton watches football games on mute. After another Sunday listening to idiots like Gus Johnson, Joe Buck, and Chris Collinsworth try everything they can to focus attention away from the action on the field and onto them, it is becoming near impossible to watch games and listen to these self-important morons in the booth.

The best, period. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Back to the game, Manning's 309 yards and amazing accuracy in the face of a very aggressive Titans pass rush were big reasons why the Colts essentially ended the Titans season, but it was not the reason. For the third week in a row, the Colts defense dominated an opponent's offense, and they are doing so by completely shutting down the opponent's run game. The Titans ran for 90 yards on 21 carries, but even that stat is skewed. 20 of those yards came in garbage time, with 6 minutes left in the game and the score 31-9. Prior to that, Tennessee had 62 yards on 17 carries.

For three weeks, the Colts have held an opponent under 100 yards rushing. This time, it was (arguably) the best back in football that was held in check: Chris Johnson. Johnson entered the game averaging 6 yards a carry and leading the league with over 400 yards rushing. Last night, a relentless Colts defense limited him to 3.8 a carry, preventing him from getting outside the tackles and into open space, where Johnson is so very good at making defenders miss.

With Johnson neutralized, the unfair burden fell on veteran quarterback Kerry Collins to dig the Titans out of an early hole. However, despite early Colts miscues (like Jennings' mistake on special teams) giving the ball to the Titans in Colts territory, Collins was unable to get his offense into the red zone. It's fair to say that the fault was not Collins', though already many Titans fans are screaming for Vince Young to regain his starting job. Collins had to contend with a fierce Colts pass rush, turnovers by his receivers (Crumpler), and some outstanding coverage by the Colts secondary.

The conventional feeling is that the game essentially "ended" when, about one minute prior to halftime, Peyton Manning drove the Colts offense 93 yards in 57 seconds, capping the drive with a 39 yard TD pass to rookie wide receiver Austin Collie, who continues to remind so many of us of a young Brandon Stokley. The TD was made with 17 seconds left in the half, giving the Colts a 21-9 lead and seemingly breaking the will of the Titans. During the drive, the Titans were called for three roughing the passer penalties, one of which involved Kyle Vanden Bosch violating "The Brady Rule" and attempting to tackle Manning's knees. The play gave Indy a first down after starting on their own seven yard line.

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Keyunta Dawson #96 of the Indianapolis Colts runs with the ball after intercepting a pass during the NFL game against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field on October 11, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

But while the TD before the half was indeed a crucial play, it was not the play that, essentially, called it a night for the Titans. That play belonging to none other than Tim Jennings.

The Titans got the ball to start the half, and it almost goes without saying that if they had scored on the opening drive of the second half, this game would have gone much differently. However, on a third and 6 on the Titans 24 yard line, Collins slung a quick out to wide receiver Nate Washington. Covering Washington at the time was Tim Jennings. This play was the sort of typical pattern that receivers had been killing Jennings with for weeks now. Jennings would provide too much cushion, the receiver would come back to the football, and the result was usually a first down.

Last night, ole Tim would have none of it.

When the ball hit near Washington, Jennings was right there with him, and fought for the football as if he were a hungry man and the ball was the last loaf of bread on Earth. When both players hit the ground, Jennings had firm control of the pigskin, and the Colts had created yet another Titans turnover in their territory. The Colts offense took over, and Manning hit Collie again for a touchdown, this one from 6 yards out.

Colts 28-Titans 9. Ballgame.

Later in the contest, the Colts would tack on an Adam Vinatieri chip shot to pad the lead, but for all intents and purposes, this game ended with Tim Jennings' magnificent interception. For you "old timers" out there, it reminded me of one-time Colts (and current Titans) corner Nick Harper fighting the football away from Derrick Mason in the endzone back in 2004.

Jennings' INT capped off one of his better games as a Colt. Despite the early game miscue, Jennings seemed all over the field on special teams, making tackles left and right and preventing the Titans from mounting any kind of comeback. It was actually quite inspiring to see Jennings rise up and play this way. The key for him moving forward is to play this way consistently, but for one night, Jennings was brilliant.

We have the rest of the day to talk about the bad elements of this game (aka, Tony Ugoh), but for this recap, I think we should focus on the many positives. This team is 5-0 heading into the bye week. They have managed to do this without Bob Sanders, Anthony Gonzalez, and Kelvin Hayden for much of the season. All those players are expected back after the bye. We've seen young players like Austin Collie mature quickly and we've seen maligned veterans like Tim Jennings rise up and play the way we all know they can play.

This is a talented, tough, no-quit team that seems to reflect the convictions of their head coach, Jim Caldwell. I cannot say enough good things about how well Caldwell managed this game. From the decision to go for it early on fourth and goal to starting Jacob Lacey at corner, Caldwell outcoached Jeff Fisher. That is no small feat.

As always, thanks to Jimmy and the Music City Miracles crew for some excellent blogging leading up to the game. You can read their game recap here.

For two weeks, we get to enjoy being undefeated. Take it in and soak it up, because last year this time, our guys were 3-4 and looking like a bunch of bums. Fourteen straight regular season wins later, these guys look like something special.

Go Colts!

Colts vs Titans coverage

Poll

Week Five game balls?

CB Tim Jennings: 5 tackles, 2 passes defended, 1 INT

48 votes

QB Peyton Manning: 82% completion, 309 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT

219 votes

WR Austin Collie: 8 catches 97 yards, 2 TDs

416 votes

FS Antoine Bethea: 8 tackles, 1 forced fumble

52 votes

DE Dwight Freeney: 1 sack, numerous pressures

4 votes

739 votes | Poll has closed

Quick Recap: Colts 31-Titans 9

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:34:43 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

2 months ago: Indianapolis Colts running back Donald Brown (31) is chased by a group of Tennessee Titans defenders, including linebacker Stephen Tulloch (55), in the second quarter of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/John Russell)

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The Colts started this game off rocky. They scored early on a Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne TD, but penalties, miscues, and turnovers allowed the Titans to get into ~~the red zone~~ Colts territory three times. However, in all three cases, the Titans were denied the endzone. The Titans settled for field goals, which were not enough to stop the juggernaut that is Peyton Manning and the Colts offense.

The games was, in many ways, a coming out party for rookie wide receiver Austin Collie. For the last two weeks, it's been Pierre Garçon with the big plays. Tonight, Collie got in on the action. His 39 yard TD reception just before halftime was a thing of beauty, fighting for the TD between Titans defenders. Collie caught 8 balls for 97 yards and 2 TDs, and his TD before the half with 17 seconds left from Manning really seemed to break the Titans back. The TD drive was done in 57 seconds and started at Indy's 7 yard line.

The game was also provided much maligned cornerback Tim Jennings with a bit of redemption. After committing a terrible mistake early in the game on a Colts punt return, bumping into T.J. Rushing and causing a costly fumble, Jennings (who was benched tonight in favor of Jacob Lacey) played inspired football. On the Titans first drive to open the third quarter, Jennings made an outstanding INT, outfighting Titans receiver ~~Justin Gage~~ Nate Washington for the football on a quick slant. Lacey also played a whale of a game, showcasing some impressive coverage skills.

The Colts offense took over and turned Jennings' INT into a touchdown, Manning's second of the night to Collie.

Defensively, Larry Coyer's unit shut down the Titans rushing attack, limiting them to just 90 yards. This is now the third week in a row the Colts have completely dominated another team's running game. In addition, the Colts pass defense held Titans quarterback Kerry Collins to just 164 yards passing.

Yes, there were some sore spots, namely Tony Ugoh, who played about as bad at left tackle as I've ever seen a tackle play. I don't know if it was his knee that hurt his game, or if he has become THAT bad. Daniel Federkeil eventually replaced Ugoh in the second half.

However, regardless of some these issues, the Colts are and they have looked dominant getting to this point. Peyton Manning has thrown for over 300 yards in five consecutive games. The defense has held yet another opponent under 20 points.

Now the team moves into the bye week, looking to get healthy and clean up some of these sore spots. 5-0 looks and feels good!

Go Colts!

Music City Miracles

Colts vs Titans coverage

Bill Polian is happy with the special teams play

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:24:27 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

2 months ago: Indianapolis Colts. T.J. Rushing, left, is tackled by Seattle Seahawks punter Jon Ryan on a punt return in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. The Colts defeated the Seahawks 34-17. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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On his weekly radio show last night on 97.1 HANK FM, Bill Polian made his feelings known about the Colts special teams and the play of former-Colts kick returner Chad Simpson [emphasis mine]:

Our special teams have improved greatly this year. We've only had problems (previously) with kickoff coverage. (The) return game is a function largely of the returner. If you have a dynamic returner, you're going to have good returns as you saw with T.J. (Rushing Sunday) on the punt return. Punting has never been a problem for us. It cropped up briefly for us last year, but we rectified that. Punt blocking, punt coverage never has been a problem. Kickoff coverage has been the problem, and we rectified that. They had one run Sunday that got out a little long, but instead of breaking it for 70 yards they broke it for 35, and we were able to contain them and make them punt the ball on the ensuing series of downs. That's what you need to do, and we improved greatly in that area.

Since early last year, punt and kick coverages have dramatically improved. We are not seeing Indy getting torn to pieces by mediocre returners, and then later getting KILLED by dynamic returners. Even the Chargers Darren Sproles was well contained in both games Indy faced San Diego last year.

Also, last year Adam Vinatieri upped his game by working on and developing his kickoff range. Vinatieri had been decent in his two years previous, but was hampered by injuries. Still, even an injured Vinatieri was better at kickoffs than Mike Vanderjagt, whose kicks which would land around the 15 yard line. Hell, it made more sense to kick the friggin thing out of bounds.

Now, with rookie Pat McAfee replacing Hunter Smith as the punter and Adam Vinatieri as the kickoff man, both the kickoffs and the punting have improved. While Vinatieri was often consistent and would provide a few good touchbacks here and there, McAfee is practically blasting the ball out the back of the Luke's retractable windows!

As we saw Sunday, T.J. Rushing is far and away the best returner the Colts have, and it is a welcome site to have him back. After injuring his knee in pre-season last year, he still seems to still have some moves in the open field.

One area that has me a tad concerned is field goal blocking. The FG Adam Vinatieri missed against the Cardinals (and the extra point that was nearly blocked prior to that) were a result of spotty blocking on the left side. I know some folks are ready to pounce on Vinatieri and scream until he's run out of town (why, I don't know), but the fact of the matter is he is the best kicker this franchise has ever had. He is slowly getting back into form after surgery this off-season, and the team obviously respects him. They voted him Captain of Special Teams, along with Melvin Bullitt.

Finally, I don't think it takes much to determine that Bill Polian did not think highly of Russ Purnell, the Colts former special teams coach and the current special teams coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The team has "improved greatly" and the two changes that were made this off-season were not re-signing Hunter Smith and saying "thank you, bye-bye" to Purnell.

Recap Week Four: Colts 34-Seahawks 17

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:44:44 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

2 months ago: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, left, and a former teammate, Seattle Seahawks running back Edgerrin James, shake hands following an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. The Colts defeated the Seahawks 34-17. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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This was as impressive a win as I have ever seen as a Colts fan.

Oh sure, you had the wins in 2003, where Peyton Manning carved up teams to the tune of 5 or 6 TDs a game, or the wins in the 2006 playoffs, which are still the gold standard. But this win against the Seattle Seahawks was a dominate team effort involving all three phases, and it has been a long time since we've seen something like that.

Before we get to Peyton Manning, who after four week leads the league in passing yards, I think the defense deserves a little love from us fans. Two weeks after many of us were ready to trash this group and give up on them, they went out and imposed their will on Seattle's offense. Yes, the Seahawks were hurt. Matt Hasselbeck was out with cracked ribs. Their tackle situation was shaky, and their once great rushing attack is a shell of its former self. However, prior to the Colts pulling starters in the mid-fourth quarter with the score Colts 34-Seahawks 3, the Colts defense had surrendered a total of 159 yards of offense, 3 points, and only 45 yards rushing. In fact, nearly half of Seattle's total yards for the game (279 total yards) and almost all of their points (14) came in garbage time.

Defensively, the Colts were damn near perfect.

For the second week in a row, the Colts run defense held an opponent well below 100 yards rushing. Wait, I'll go a step further. For the second week in a row, the Colts held an opponent under 50 yards rushing.

For a run defense that looked so terrible against the Miami Dolphins in Week Two, that is the kind of bounce back effort and execution that defines words like character, toughness, and will.

Colts defensive coordinator Larry Coyer deserves a lot of credit for Indy's 4-0 start. While many in league circles will sing the praises of Mike Nolan, who as defensive coordinator for the Broncos has transformed a bad football team into a 4-0 football team, Larry Coyer deserves equal praise. All throughout Tony Dungy's great run as Colts coach, we rarely saw the defense play as well as this current group is currently playing. Colts players, like the warrior known as Dwight Freeney, seem to agree:

We are gelling together very well. Everybody is playing together. DBs, linebackers, d-line are putting pressure at the right times. Playing coverage at the right times. Play calls at the right times.

Robert Mathis seemed to re-iterate Freeney's sentiments after the game as well.

We've just developed a lot of continuity. It's a relationship that, the back seven and the front four, we all are one.

Despite several fans wringing their hands over Dwight Freeney playing this week despite an injured quad muscle, Freeney's efforts to play was seen as inspirational:

"I thought Dwight Freeney coming back was inspiring," Colts QB Peyton Manning said in the wake of Indianapolis' fourth consecutive victory to start the season. "At least to me it was. I know how much better I feel when Dwight is playing and I don’t play defense. I got to imagine our guys in the secondary appreciate it.

"A great credit on his part. He was around the clock rehab all week. Everybody is kind of saying he isn’t going to play and I think even some of our medical people didn’t think he would play. That gets me excited when a guy like that has that ‘want to’ inside of him to get out there and play and be there for the team.

"I thought he played great today."

Just to emphasize something: This was a game the Colts did not necessarily "need." The Seahawks are a non-division, non-conference opponent. They were hurt, had traveled thousands of miles, and had not played the Colts since Week 16 of the 2005 season. Without Freeney, the Colts still should have beaten the Seahawks. So, if there were any game where Freeney could rest and gear up for the "important" games, like next week against the Tennessee Titans, this was the game to do so.

Freeney would have none of that.

Dwight's presence on the field was the difference between a potentially solid win and a dominant win. Indy's defense stoned Seattle's running game early, allowing the pass rushers to harass Seneca Wallace all afternoon. Timely blitzes mixed with consistent pressure from the front four totally shut down Seattle's offense. With Freeney in the game, the Seahawks could not focus on Robert Mathis, who recorded 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in the game.

The fact that the Colts are doing this without Kelvin Hayden, Gary Brackett, and Bob Sanders makes this all the more amazing.

But enough on the defense and how they are dominating opponents. Let's get to what wins championships, offense.

Peyton is so on fire he is leaving scorch marks on The Luke's turf. For the first time in his brilliant career, he has thrown for over 300 yards in four consecutive games. Only six players in NFL history have ever done that. He currently leads the league with 1,336 yards. He's also completing 70% of his passes. His lone error on Sunday was an INT after he tried to trick the Seahawks on a quick count. But, the score was 28-3 in the third quarter at that point. So, the INT was meaningless.
Another week and another great day for Joseph Addai. Amazing how some impressive play can shut up many of his haters. 46 yards and a TD for Addai to go with some rather impressive pass blocking. Addai's score (a 12 yard run straight up the middle) was a thing of beauty.
The two back offense has given Indy a scary good dimension of attack with Addai and rookie Donald Brown. Brown takes short gains and turns them into long ones. His burst and acceleration are something this team has not had since Marshall Faulk.
Route running by Colts receivers is almost as impressive as watching them catch passes. Pierre Garcon continues to provide "wow plays," with catches that remind many of us old Colts fans of a young Marvin Harrison. Austin Collie is also starting to find his groove playing mostly in the slot. His 21 yard TD catch (over the left shoulder) with 3 seconds left before halftime was textbook execution. It was also the execution of the Seahawks, who never seemed to recover from that drive.
Right now, Reggie Wayne is the best WR in football. He has 26 catches for 399 yards and 3 TDs. I realize players like Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Randy Moss have more talent, but none are playing better now than Reggie. Teams are doubling him nearly every week and he still makes plays. As the TV announcers astutely pointed out, when was the last time a "#2 receiver" developed into a #1 receiver? I personally cannot think of one.
I cannot say enough about the offensive line, in particular Charlie Johnson. I was dead wrong to question the decision to start him at left tackle. Charlie is playing out of his mind, and both he, Jim Caldwell, and Howard Mudd deserve a lot of early season praise.

We also saw some impressive returning ability from T.J. Rushing, who was sprung on a nice return by a crafty block from Mike Hart. Clearly, the Colts do not miss Chad Simpson, who was cut prior to the game.

Pat McAfee continues to boom kickoffs into the endzone, and coverage units continue to do a good job containing good returners.

Without question, despite all the offensive plays and the great defense, the best moment of the game was the video tribute to Edgerrin James, who ran for 16 yards on 4 carries (4.0 a carry) for the Seahawks. Edge is the best running back in Colts history, and his place in Indy's Ring of Honor is secure. Mike Hart, who currently wears #32, needs to consider a number change.

Obviously, if there is a goat in this game, it's Tim Jennings. God bless the dude, he's playing his guts out. He did an excellent job breaking up a screen early in the game, and his tackling has been damn near text-book perfect. He's also played well in run support.

The problem is teams are picking on Jennings. He gives way too much cushion and is unable to recover to the ball fast enough when he does so. When he gets up in receiver's faces, he sometimes gets flagged for interference and holding calls. In the second half, the Colts rotated in rookie Jacob Lacey at corner, leading many to speculate that Jennings was benched.

Much like Rob Morris in the early 2000s, Tim Jennings will have to fight through this rough patch. He is not a "bad player," as many people seem to want to label him. He is simply a flawed player who is working through his flaws with hustle and determination. That is admirable. Hopefully, it will pay off.

Special thanks to John Morgan and the Seahawks fans at Field Gulls for their excellent analysis and writing prior to and during the game. See John's game recap here.

After the first quarter of the 2009 season, the Colts (sans Tony Dungy, Marvin Harrison, Ron Meeks, etc.) are 4-0 and are playing dominant football. Jim Caldwell has been very impressive to start his NFL head coaching career. Equally impressive was the number of gameday comments this site generated yesterday: 3058 comments on all open threads. Jeez, you guys just can't shut up!

Oh, never mind. Our team is 4-0 and looking damn fine. Talk all you want.

Go Colts!

Poll

Week Four game balls?

DE Dwight Freeney: 1 sack, numerous pressures

30 votes

DE Robert Mathis: 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles

403 votes

LB Freddy Keiaho: 5 tackles, 1 sacks, one recovered fumble

12 votes

RBs Joseph Addai and Donald Brown: 78 rushing yards, 2 TDs

8 votes

QB Peyton Manning: 75% completion, 353 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT

156 votes

RB Edgerrin James: Because he's just THAT cool

148 votes

757 votes | Poll has closed

Quick Recap: Colts 34- Seahawks 17

BigBlueShoe — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:08:48 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

2 months ago: Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Austin Collie (17) makes a 21-yard touchdown-reception while being defended by Seattle Seahawks cornerback Travis Fisher (28) during the second quarter of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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We wanted to throw up a quick recap before we have an open thread up for the afternoon game.

This game was one of the most impressive wins I have ever seen as a Colts fan. Indy dominated a very undermanned Seattle Seahawks club. The big story out of the game was not necessarily the magnificent play of Peyton Manning, who threw for over 300 yards for four straight games (a first for him). The story was Indy's defense.

The numbers are very impressive. Prior to garbage time (where Indy pulled their starters on defense and Seattle got a gimme "I feel sorry for you" touchdown), the Colts allowed 159 total yards on offense, 3 points, 5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. From a team that looked so dreadful on defense two weeks ago, this win over the Seahawks was their second good game defensively in as many weeks.

Seattle gained 279 total yards at the end of the game, but much of that was done in the fourth quarter with the Colts up 34-3.

Dwight Freeney playing on passing situation drove the Seahawks mad. In addition, the interior play of the Colts defense limited Seattle to only 49 total yards rushing (2.6 a carry).

For the offense, the TD run by Joseph Addai was a thing of beauty; a powerful 12 yard run up the middle to, for all intents and purposes, put the game out of reach for the Seahawks.

Back to Manning, he tied Fran Tarkenton on the all-time TD list. Austin Collie caught his first TD pass. And even Mike Hart made his presence felt with a nice block on special teams to help spring T.J. Rushing on a nice return. Collie, Donald Brown, and Pierre Garcon continue to impress. Brown earned a rushing TD and Garcon made three amazing catches to go with his 71 yards.

The Colts are 4-0 and are looking damn fine. Go Colts!

Field Gulls

Seahawks vs Colts coverage

Chad Simpson cut; Mike Hart re-added to Colts active roster

BigBlueShoe — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:07:40 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

3 months ago: Indianapolis Colts running back Chad Simpson, center, is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals linebackers Brandon Johnson (59), Abdul Hodge (52) and Rey Maualuga, right,in the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

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National Football Post's Aaron Wilson is reporting that Chad Simpson was waived recently and has been replaced on the active roster by Mike Hart. A FanPost from Bamrock gives us some good commentary on how Simpson was presented a golden opportunity this off-season:

Anyone who has followed the two running backs in their young career probably knows that Hart showed a great deal more promise as a running back than Simpson. However, Hart suffered a season ending knee injury against Baltimore last year, after making probably the most spectacular two yard run I've ever seen (on 3rd down no less) to get the Colts a first down and keep a drive alive. Although Hart recovered much quicker than expected from knee surgery, he was quickly banged up in preseason, suffering back-to-back ankle injuries that held him out for the beginning of the season and opened the door for Chad Simpson.

Simpson's opportunity was to make his mark as a kick returner. However, Simpson is currently ranked dead last in kick returning. With Hart healthy, and with players like T.J. Rushing, Donald Brown, and Austin Collie all having return ability, retaining Simpson did not make much sense.

It is curious that Simpson missed practice all week and was, seemingly, cut on a Saturday. Since he was on the 53 man roster to start the season, Chad's salary for 2009 is guaranteed.

The return of Mike Hart should help some University of Michigan fans overcome the sting of losing to Michigan State (again) yesterday). Hart seems well liked by fans and teammates for his toughness and thoughtful demeanor. It's likely the Colts will use him in short yardage and goal line situations at running back.

Thursday Injury Report

shake n bake — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:43:12 -0000

Not only is it bad news, it's boring. No new (injury) additions and none of the 7 that sat out yesterday were back. Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders, Gary Brackett, Kelvin Hayden, Anthony Gonzalez, Keyunta Dawson and Chad Simpson all missed a second day of practice this week. Tim Jennings, Tony Ugoh and Adam Vinatieri were given the day off.

I don't expect any of the 7 guys sitting to play with only a day or less of practice, which would mean a DE rotation of Robert Mathis, Raheem Brock, Eric Foster and Philip Wheeler (a bit concerning). Freddy Keiaho and Jennings would get starts again (quite concerning). T.J. Rushing would be returning kickoffs (not at all concerning).

colts.com link

The cutdown to 75 complete, now on to 53

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:05:42 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

3 months ago: Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jerraud Powers (49) intercepts a pass intended for Detroit Lions wide receiver Bryant Johnson (80) during the second quarter of an exhibition NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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The Colts cut Marcus Paschal today to get their roster down to 75. After Thursday's pre-season finale against the Bengals, the Colts will have until Saturday to trim their roster to 53 active players. Without considering who will likely get re-signed to the practice squad, I've compiled a list of who will likely get cut on Saturday. Please note that I will cut more than the Colts need to as it is likely they will cut extra players so they can sign some people cut from other teams.

After the jump, you can check out the list. Keep in mind, the Colts have a lot of very good talent on this current 75 man roster. Several good, quality players will get let go. Some may even be high drafts picks from years past.

John Matthews (duh)

Ramon Humbler

The big cuts are Muir, Jennings, Hughes, Foster, and Ball. Based on Muir's poor showing last week against Detroit, and the impressive praise Caldwell has given to Adrian Grady, I think the Colts will want to keep Grady, work Terrance Taylor into the nose tackle rotation, and keep someone like Raheem Brock in reserve at under tackle in case of an injury. Foster falls in the same boat as Muir. Antonio Johnson, Ed Johnson, and Terrance Taylor can all play nose tackle. This makes Muir expendable. Ed Johnson, Adrian Grady, Raheem Brock, and Fili Moala can all play under tackle. This makes Foster expendable. Thus, both Foster and Muir are (sadly) cut.

Jerraud Powers has flat outplayed Tim Jennings and Dante Hughes. Caldwell has also been very pleased by the play of Jacob Lacey. T.J. Rushing is a decent corner who is vital to the return game. Thus, Hughes and Jennings are gone.

Finally, there is Lance Ball, who has (in my humble opinion) outplayed the injury-prone Mike Hart. But, I don't think the Colts are ready to give up on Hart just yet. Since they cannot PUP him, and since the Colts will probably keep three QBs, I think Lance will get cut.

Again, I'm likely wrong with these projected cuts, and we don't know what the injury situation will be until after the Cincy game. But, for right now, this is how I think it will shake out. Thoughts?