SB Nation User Blog: BigBlueShoe

"When he went up in the air, I thought, 'I'm gonna put this guy's lights out,' '' Brock said. "He...

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:31:38 -0000

"When he went up in the air, I thought, 'I'm gonna put this guy's lights out,' '' Brock said. "He did, and we put his lights out.''

Raheem Brock discusses his feelings about QB Sage Rosenfels trying to jump over Marlin Jackson for a first down. Despite Rosenfels' play late in the game, I will still maintain the Texans are a damn fine football team that has been the victim of rotten luck this year. With the way this season is playing out, we might see the first 0-3 or 0-4 team make the playoffs. Unlikely? Yes. But this is the season of unlikeliness.

Recap Week Five: Colts 31-Texans 27 (Cardiac Edition)

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:37:58 -0000

This from Jake The Snake demands repeating:

Just in case you weren't sure, what you saw today was exceedingly rare. The Colts became only the second team in NFL history to come back from a 17 point deficit or greater with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter to go on to win the game. The other team to pull off the feat? The Indianapolis Colts, of course (Random fact: the second comeback came on the eve of the 5th anniversary of the first comeback).

Fives year to the day of one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history (between the Colts and the Buccaneers), the Colts engineer yet another improbable comeback, on the road.

Oh, and happy birthday, Coach Dungy. Sincerely, Sage Rosenfels.

Before we get into the particulars of the game, you all remember the 1995 Colts, right? The "Cardiac" Colts? They would usually start a game like garbage, play most of the game like garbage, but then (in the fourth quarter) Jimmy Harbaugh and his Colts mates would come to life and eek out an improbable win, usually with about 2 seconds left in the game.

These Colts, right now, remind me of that team.

You will recall that the defense that year started out like crap, giving up tons of points to Cincinnati, the Jets, and Miami. Yet, the Colts were able to scratch, claw, and fight their way to wins. This team is very similar. There is no quit in them. No give up. No surrender. None. They simply will not stop until the gun sounds, until time runs out and the men in zebra shirts tell them "gave over." We can dissect and dismantle any number of problems this team has.

Heart and guts are one of those problems.

The obvious key to the game was turnovers committed in the last 4 minutes by back-up QB Sage Rosenfels, who started in place of Matt Schaub because Schuab had a stomach virus. Again, rotten luck and crappy circumstance doom the Texans. Contrast this with the Jaguars, who really should be 0-5 if not for HORRIBLE officiating that has benefited them for three straight games. They should not have converted on the final drive against the Colts because of a bad call, and they should not have converted in OT against the Texans because of a bad call. Hell, last night, the Jags had numerous bad calls against the Steelers go their way. The only difference is they lost. Tennessee should have lost yesterday as well. The roughing the passer call on Kerry Collins during their game-winning TD drive was laughable. That ref should be FIRED. Not given some demerit points. Not suspended. Not taken off the list of potential refs to work playoffs games. F. I. R.E.D. My point is it is these kinds of plays (and calls) that are determining wins and loses.

It is a fine line between winning and losing, and the Texans are not your typical 0-4 team.

I have to say, this is the most maddening season I have ever experienced thus far. If it isn't terrible officiating it is Miami's wishbone T formation beating up AFC favorite San Diego. Consider that the teams everyone had contending in the AFC (New England, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and San Diego) have a combined record of 9-9, with the win number inflated by NE's 3-1 start sans Tom Brady (and without Brady that team has zero chance to win a Super Bowl). Meanwhile, the supposedly "good" teams like Buffalo got destroyed by the friggin Cardinals. The Titans should be 4-1, and their defensive captain is fighting with his DBs during a game. Seattle looks atrocious. Dallas has no defense. And, the Packers have lost 3 straight games; the most recent loss at home to the Falcons. Yes, the Falcons.

Does this make any sense to you? I thought not.

With the way the first quarter of the season has started, I am the happiest fan of a 2-2 team I can be. 2-2 feels like 4-0 right now for me. This season is out of control. No one looks good, save the World Champs. They are the only complete team right now, and they are dominating people without their key players, like Plaxico Burress (who is a dumbass) or Osi Umenyiora (who is out for the year).

Back to the Colts, I hope you all can appreciate just how special yesterday's win was. From Advanced NFL State.com (via a shake n bake story):

The Colts win probability before the Rosenfels fumble was .03, 3%. 3 out a 100 times will a team win in that situation. Amazing.

Special players make special plays on special days. As easy as it is to lay the blame at Sage Rosenfels feet, the facts are that Marlin Jackson, Robert Mathis, Melvin Bullitt, Eric Foster, Reggie Wayne, and Peyton Manning all had to make special plays to create the turnovers and TDs late in the game to win. Wayne's catch is one of the greatest of his brilliant career. Manning's TD to Tom Santi on 4th and 7 was as gutty and ballsy as it gets. Mathis stripping Rosenfel's arm of the ball is why he is one of the most under-rated DEs in football. And all Gary Brackett does is make special plays.

Yes, there are problems. Allowing 156 yards on 32 carries (4.9 average) is bad. Prior to Rosenfels' meltdown, he was carving up the Colts secondary. Peyton is having trouble hitting the deep ball. Marvin and Reggie were KILLING Houston's secondary all game, but Peyton couldn't get it there. On one play, he and Marvin got into a heated discussion, but the fault wasn't Marvin's. He was open all game, and Peyton isn't able to get the ball to him.

We can focus on all these negative things, but the bottom line is our team gutted out yet another cardiac win. That should tell you something about their character. In this season of uncertainty, this team is as resolute as it gets.

Go Colts!

Pittsburgh beat Jacksonville; Colts in second place in AFC South

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:46:55 -0000

Pittsburgh beat Jacksonville; Colts in second place in AFC South

As bad as Indy has played; as AWFUL as officiating has been to start this season; as frustrating as the injuries have felt; the Colts are second in the AFC South. If not for that horrible pass interference call against the Jags two weeks ago (and some defense) the Colts should be 3-1. But, with how this nutball season has gone, I'll take 2-2. I'll take it.

Good lord, NFL 2008 is a madhouse!

Week Five: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans

BigBlueShoe — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:09:50 -0000

Week Five: Indianapolis Colts (1-2) at Houston Texans (0-3)
Location: Reliant Stadium- Houston, TX
Kick-off Time: 1:00pm Eastern
Broadcast: CBS
SB Nation Co-Blog: Battle Red Blog
Another week, another big game in the AFC South, which will pit two teams desperate to claw their way out of the rotten funk they have started the season in. The Colts are in a little better shape health-wise, and we will get to see what kind of player Daniel Muir is at DT. The Colts are also in better shape than the Texans seeing as they have won a game. The Texans are winless. Also, their stadium and community are still recovering from the after affects of Hurricane Ike. Like the game preview said, look for a very emotional, spirited, tough game from the Texans. They are a very good football team, and their 0-3 record is more a result of rotten luck than bad players or bad coaching.
As with our open threads this year, this will likely be one in a series of three or four. Gone are the days where I could just post one open thread and have it last the whole game. Now, you folks talk up a storm! I need four, at least, to keep the thing moving. If you don't immediately see a thread pop up after one gets over 400 or 500 comments, just relax. Either I or my co-writers will get one up. If we cannot, feel free to continue any discussion in a FanPost. These thread are for you to cheer and rant about the game, and they are enjoyable, for me personally, to read afterward.
This is your open thread. Go Colts!

Upcoming: Stampede Blue interviews Tony Mandarich

BigBlueShoe — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:20:26 -0000

I'm sure several of you read MasterRWayne's excellent write-up on former Colts and Packers o-lineman Tony Mandarich. Because of that write-up, Tony Mandarich was nice enough to grant some time to Stampede Blue for an interview. The focus of the interview is on his new book (My Dirty Little Secrets - Steroids, Alcohol & God - The Tony Mandarich Story), his two part interview on Showtime's Inside the NFL (part one aired this past Wednesday), and his tenure with the Colts. Just a little factual information: Tony's first year with the Colts was Marvin Harrison's rookie year, and his last year with them was Peyton Manning's rookie year. Tony had some hilarious stories to tell about playing with both those guys when they were rookies.

My interview with Tony will get posted on Tuesday, a day before Part 2 of his interview is aired on Showtime.

Preview Week Five: Colts at Texans

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:49:23 -0000

It has been a long two weeks, but we finally have Colts football returning after an early bye week that seemed to come at the best time possible. For the first time in nearly two friggin years, the Colts are starting to look healthy. Thanks to the injury reports posted by shake n bake, we have a better picture of who is healthy and playing. Injuries are a reason why Indy has limped out of the gate at 1-2. They are not an excuse to lose, but no other professional sport is so drastically affected by injuries than pro football. When your key players are not healthy, it will affect your win-loss column. If their health didn't matter, then they wouldn't be "key players" and they shouldn't be getting big contracts.

Not having Jeff Saturday and a healthy Peyton Manning cost Indy the Chicago game, and nearly the Minnesota one. A lack of healthy bodies on the d-line hurt them big against the Jaguars. But separate from all of these injuries is the fact that certain players who ARE healthy just have not produced. Guys like Freddie Keiaho, Clint Session, and Antoine Bethea have struggled. Yes, the DT position has been rocked by silliness and bad luck, but that does not account for the whiffed tackles and blown assignments we have been subjected to by Session, Bethea, and Keiaho. Obviously, they will improve. Bethea is proven, and Freddie K and Clint have shown flashes of brilliance in the past. The bye week was about getting people healthy and getting everyone on the same page.

This week, we see if it worked. Here are the keys:

The Texans are totally and completely desperate for a win. They will literally do anything to get this win. Fake punts, fake FGs, flea flickers, reverses, HB throwing the ball, circus clowns, blow torches, you name it. They are 0-3 and staring "bust season" in the face. This team had a lot of high hopes for 2008, and for good reason. They are a solid team. However, as I talked about with Stephanie Stradley earlier this week, the Texans have just had rotten luck Weeks 1-4. For the Colts to overcome the wave of emotion the Texans players and fans will throw at them, concentration, execution, and playing fast are big keys. Contrary to popular (aka ignorant) belief, football is not a game of emotion. This doesn't mean you don't play with passion, but playing like a wild man will get you destroyed because football is really a game of execution. The team who plays better often wins. For the Colts, they must execute their game plan better than the Texans, despite all the emotion surrounding them.
Run defense will continue to be a key until the Colts display some. Playing for the first time is DT Daniel Muir, who was signed after pre-season. Muir will fill the NT spot, with LaJuan Ramsey rotating in on certain downs. Eric Foster will play more at the other DT spot, and Raheem Brock will play both DT and DE. The Texans have an excellent back in Steve Slaton, and their offense (like Denver's) is built around the running game. Stop the run and it makes the Texans one dimensional. This turns Freeney and Mathis loose against Texans QB Matt Schaub, who had a strong game last week against the Jags.
Run. The. Ball. I'm sick of seeing Peyton Manning throwing the ball 50 times. Run. The. Ball. If the Texans stack the line ala the Bears and Vikings, then I want to see the Colts actually spread the defense out. Don't bunch up in 2 TE when the linebackers are practically standing on the line of scrimmage along with the d-line. Bust out 3 or 4 WRs (with Addai as one of those WRs) and dare the Texans to blitz. If they do, Peyton should torch them with short passes or long throws. If they don't blitz, run the damn ball. The Colts only had 16 runs in their last game even though they averaged 6 yards a carry. For the love of God, run the ball!

As always, Tim is blogging up some Texans fun over at Battle Red Blog. He and his co-writers have answered your questions here while shake n bake and I have answered questions there. Don't forget to check out Steph's blog as well. Though the Colts have utterly owned the Texans since their creation in 2002, they have always, always, ALWAYS respected them. This will be yet another tough game for Indy, but unlike the previous three I think they are better equipped to take on this tough Texans team. Records mean nothing here. This is AFC South football. Expect a rumble (but please, no injuries for either team).

Go Colts!

Jamal Tinsely finally gone

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:19:34 -0000

Jamal Tinsely finally gone

Indy Cornrows posted a story from Peter Vecsey that Tinsely was traded to Denver for Chucky Atkins and Steven Hunter. FINALLY! I can enjoy Pacers basketball again.

Indiana University football represented over at The Big Lead.

BigBlueShoe — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:11:27 -0000

Indiana University football represented over at The Big Lead.

New poll up: Canadian football or Euro basketball?

BigBlueShoe — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:05:10 -0000

New poll up: Canadian football or Euro basketball?

There are several current and former Colts players who are either from Canada (Dan Federkeil), play in the CFL (Kenton Keith), or played Canadian college football (Samuel Giguere). In the NBA, several well-known players have jumped ship from the American pro league to play overseas in Europe. Knowing this, would you readers like to see a Canadian football blog or a European basketball blog (or both, or neither)? New poll. Please vote.

5 Questions with Stephanie Stradley, Texans WOMAN Extraordinaire

BigBlueShoe — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:18:35 -0000

I've been a bit rough with AOL Fanhouse of late, mainly because they are supposed to be a fan blog written by sports fans. Hence, the name "Fanhouse." But if you read their daily entries, the writers do more complaining about the sport than cheering for it. I never get the sense that their writers actually like the NFL. Most write entries as if they are annoyed at the work. Again, that is just my little ole impression.

The exception to the norm at Fanhouse is Stephanie Stradley, and she is one of the reasons I check it daily.

Steph is one of my favorite writers at Fanhouse because she is a complete and unapologetic fan. She not only writes about her beloved Texans at Fanhouse, but also at a blog at the Houston Chronicle, where some of her best work gets published. Steph was kind enough to not slam the door in my face (and she'd be entitled to after all the negative stuff I've said about Fanhouse) and answer a few questions about the Texans. I posed the same queries to Tim at BRB, but he is busy mulling your questions. His answers will get posted soon. For now, here are five good ones with Steph, Texans Girl Woman Extraordinaire:

BBS: Our teams have had some rotten luck of late. With the Colts, it is injuries. With the Texans, it is hurricanes. What has it been like post-Ike? I know Tim didn't have power for days afterward. How have Texans fans (and Texas folks in general) picked up the pieces after Ike?

Steph: I think nationally people don't realize how badly Houston and the surrounding area was hit by the hurricane. Ike was a huge hurricane with a large wind field and huge storm surge, so everybody got affected by the storm. There are still huge numbers of people without power and without places to live. Our social safety net in town was already strained in helping those hurt by Hurricane's Katrina and Rita, and with the economy struggling like it is, it is a particularly bad time for people to be missing paychecks because a lot of businesses were destroyed or didn't have power. If people want to help out, please consider donating to this fund that will help local efforts: http://www.houstontexans.com/community/TexanshelpingTexans.asp.

BBS: Last season, it seemed the Texans turned a corner with their defense. Mario Williams is arguably the best DE in football, and Demeco "Not Demarco" Ryans is a demon on earth at LBer. This year, the defense has been shredded. What happened?

Steph: The Texans defense has a few individually good players, but I believe the biggest problem is defensive coordinator Richard Smith. He has never been a solo coordinator before and doesn't have a background in building a defense from scratch. Since Gary Kubiak has been on board, the offense has improved but the defense was ranked near the bottom in just about any meaningful defensive category.

BBS: Matt Schaub's tenure in Houston has been shaky. It started with promise, but prior to last week people were calling for his benching in favor of Sage Rosenfels. What do you two think of Schaub's play?

Steph: It's not like Schaub is in a system where the defense is awesome, the line is awesome and the running game is totally on track where you know that it is quarterback play holding them back. So I think the people calling for him to be benched after game 2 were silly peoples. I think that any quarterback is going to struggle when an offensive line is going to a new zone blocking system and has three new players, including a rookie left tackle. I also think that Schaub also had no favors facing tough defenses on the road and with his receivers not catching passes. I am actually still fairly optimistic about him. He had a 119 QB rating last week, even without Andre Johnson playing a big role in the game or the running game being anything special.

QB Matt Schaub is a good player, but he has been inconsistent for the Texans.

Photo: www.thefantasykickoff.com

BBS: Tim told me last April that Steve Slaton was going to be a real player in this league. Bill Polian recently said Slaton is as good, if not better, than Chris Johnson in Tennessee. How has Slaton looked, and is he your team's primary RB now and for the future?

Steph: Slaton has looked great. Even when the line hasn't done him many favors, he has busted through tackles and made plays where there really were none. The TD pass he had last week was one that few RBs could do. Even so, the offensive line and Slaton have to reduce the amount of run stuffs they are getting. And I think that both will look better with more time in the system and playing at home. Kubiak's offense is all about avoiding long yardage situations and keeping defenses off balance. He really isn't going to want to put a relatively finesse line in a position where they are in obvious passing situations. I think they need a complementary back with Slaton because he runs so hard you are afraid of his durability.

BBS: And finally, this is a big game for both teams. The loser is in a big, BIG hole in the AFC South. What do the Texans need to do to beat the Colts Sunday?

Steph: I have no confidence in the Texans defense to do anything against the Colts offense. They have made very average quarterbacks look like great decision makers. The defense plays hard, but they don't always play smart, and their defensive schemes are easy to read. The Texans best hope is the way they beat the Colts their one and only time: by the offense keeping the game close and Peyton Manning on the bench. There is always the possibility that the pass rush could get to Manning--the Texans have had a number of multi-sack games against the Colts over the years and generally play better at home.

Many, many thanks thanks to Stephanie for taking the time to answers my questions. Again, Steph is one of the better fan bloggers out there, and her stuff is regularly read by me and other SB Nation bloggers. Why? Because she writes like someone who loves her sport and team.

How refreshing.