The right side of the O-line was a sieve, most of the game. Pollak looked terrible.  Diem had help from  the TE and still the 9ers were in the back field most of the game.  Manning was getting rid of the ball very quickly and was still getting hit a lot.  I was very disappointed in the right side of the o-line.

The offense looked out of sync, this can be attributed to the fact that the O-line, right side, was not able to handle the rush. The 9ers did a good job getting pressure on Manning using just 3 and 4 guys.  This made it hard on receivers, the deep routs were taken a way, and Manning didn't have the time. The medium  and short routs were crowded with 7 and 8 guys dropping back into zone. 

Manning, did a good job considering he had no time and had to hurry most throws. The porous o-line affected the rest of the offense.  Addai look ok, when he had some room  to run, which was not often.  The receivers didn't have time to get in and out of their routs.  Both Garçon and Clark had some costly drops and I think Collie may have had one also.  Wayne is the definition of Awesomeness he made the big plays when needed.

Pollak's play is starting to become very concerning, the more games like this we see, the more the opposing defenses are going to focus on this guy.  He needs to get it together in a hurry.

The Defense looked good.  They missed a few tackles and gave up a couple of big plays, but for the most part, they controlled the offensive line, hurried the passer and took a way running lanes from  Gore.

I love Muir and Mookie starting, hurray for "two fatties in the middle," they looked good.  They anchored down the d-line and allowed the awesome ends to do their thing.  Foster also looked good coming in on passing downs and helping apply pressure up the gut.  Mathis and Freeny both got sacks and made life tuff for Smith.

The LB's missed some tackles, but, did an ok job in zone and run support.  Haggler had a costly missed tackle. I keep waiting for Session to have a big impact on a game, I think he is doing ok just not as well as I thought he would.  Besides the one run up the middle I think Bracket also did ok, nothing spectacular.

 The secondary continued to look good, no matter who is in there. 

Special teams, the coverage units look ok keeping the returner’s in check and not allowing any big returns.  The return units still have trouble blocking.  Silva had a scary moment, but didn't turn the ball over.  Simpson had an ok day; he at least gets the ball out to the twenty, and didn't have any turn overs.  He is not awesome, but I'll take it.

The cramps have been covered pretty well by BBS, I will add that the rule needs to be changed.  If play is stopped for an injury then that player should have to leave the game for the rest of the quater.

All in all it was not a pretty win, but a win is a win and I'll take and move on.

For most of his career Tim Jennings has been a favorite whipping boy for Colts fans.  It seemed that any and all problems with the secondary can be attributed to TJ.  If the Colts gave up a big play, it must have been TJ’s fault.  If the Colts lost a game it must have been TJ’s fault, hell if we could we would blame this guy for all the worlds’ problems. 

He has been burnt and has given up some big plays, he has been picked on by opposing QB’s, there is no arguing that, but he’s a CB and those guys get burnt and give up big plays, it happens it’s part of being on the island that is an NFL CB.  Champ Bailey, Darrel Green, Ronny Lott, all are considered great shutdown corners, and all of them have been burnt and given up long TD’s it’s part of the job.

This year, Tim is quietly having a good year.  He has been playing quite a bit and playing well.  He is second on the team with 22 tackles and first on the team with 3 passes defended, and hasn’t given up many big plays.  As injuries in the secondary mount, the coaches call on him as the next man up, and he keeps responding by playing solid football.

He was drafted by the colts in the 2nd round of the 2006 draft, he has battled injuries during the early part of his career, and that might have stunted his development.  He struggled last year, but seems to have learned a lot from those struggles and is now playing good football.  The only thing left is for the hard core Colts fans to recognize that he is no longer the goat and is now playing like a 2nd round draft pick.  So Colts fans, give this guy some love.

 Any one else a little skeptical when comes to injury reports form the Colts?  Didn't Marvin Harrison miss, like, a whole season with a knee "bruise?"  That's not the only time the FO has been misleading with IR info, it's just the one that pisses me off the most.

So knowing that the FO isn't exactly the boy souts when it comes to IR info you have to look at their actions. My feeling has been that if they bring in a vet from the out side, there is a strong possibility that Gonzo will be gone longer than 6 weeks.  It takes at least a few weeks to learn the offense and longer to earn trust with PM.  So bringing in a vet for a short stint makes no sense.

Reports are they are bringing guys in for tryouts, so there is a good possibility that that sprain could really be a Marvin type "bruise."  If they sign one of these guys, it could indicate that they think Gonzo cold be gone for more then five or 6 weeks, or they are worried about the ability of the young guys to step up and be a #2 WR.  So hang on it could be  a crazy ride.  Hopefully Garcon or Collie will step up and these guys won't be needed.   

After the jump we'll look at the three guys that they have reportedly brought in for a work out.

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Every year the Colts seem to find a diamond in the rough from the UDFA scrap heap.  For the past couple of years I have spent some time and tried to guess choose who might make the squad and contribute.  Last year I chose Colin Farrell and Chad Simpson.  Simpson ended up making a contribution near the end of the season, but Colin Farrell was a disappointment.   The year before I chose Melvin Bullitt and some body else that I can’t remember, Bullitt made the squad, participated on special teams, got a start on defense near the end of the season and even got a pick in that game.  Of course we all know how Melvin’s second year turned out, I'm still feeling pretty good about that one.

Looking at the UDFA's can give you a feel for which direction the team is heading, for instance OG.  The colts drafted a huge guard named Jamie Thomas, in the 7th round, thirty pounds heavier then the guards/centers they drafted last year.  One player is not a trend, but, look at the two UDFA's picked up to compete for an O-line position and you realize both are much bigger then last years drafted guards/centers.  Conclusion they want a big guard on the interior of the O-line and want to get better at running the ball.

Another trend I noticed was at CB, this year, 3rd round draft pick, Jerraud Powers, is smaller and faster then Coe and Hughes, two CB's drafted the previous year.  Once again one player is not a trend, but, look at the UDFA’s and both of those guys are smaller and faster.  Conclusion, they’re looking for another corner that can cover one on one, to allow the LB's and safeties to blitz more.

As much info as I could find about this years UDFA's after the jump.

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That is pretty much the theme of an article written at BR, it is also a reoccurring nightmare for me.  There are a few things that I don't ever want to see happen, at the top would be Peyton Manning dawning another teams jersey.  the pats or the Steelers winning another super bowl and of course; Mike (I'm a giant deuchbag) Vanderjagt ever attempting another field goal in a colts uniform, would have to be right up there.

The fact is Adam Vinatieri had hip surgurry in the offseason, that is serious, but I can't believe Vanderjagt, would be a viable option.  He may have been the most accurate kicker in NFL history, but his reputation as a choker in playoff games is what I remember most about him.  Against Miami and Pittsburg he had a chance to win those games or get them into overrtime and he failed.  He has embarrised him self and the colts with his comments and his actions.  I wold think Bill P. would rather have John Daily attempting field goals instead of Mike Vanderjagt, at least Daily is likeable.

I'll look at the article some more after the jump.

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