SB Nation User Blog: Colts Homer

Ask Some Colts Fans

Colts Homer — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:13:41 -0000

Usually someone more important from Stampede Blue starts this, but apparently they are a little slow this week, so I'll be doing this.

Obviously, we all know that this is a HUGE game for the Texans and the Colts. The Colts are trying to keep a firm grasp on the division, conference, and league, and the Texans are going for the upset over a division rival. I've seen this described by some people as "the biggest game in franchise history" for the Texans, but I guess you guys would know better than me and everyone else I've heard talk about this game.

This is definitely the best Texans team in franchise history at this point, and the Colts are keeping up a winning tradition by starting 7-0 for the fourth time in five years. Even with Owen Daniels and Anthony Gonzalez out, this should be an offensive battle.

So if you have any questions about the Colts, here is the place to ask. This always gets good responses and is very interesting, so this should be fun. A lot of Colts fans will be coming by here to answer questions, so you should get your responses quickly. At Stampede Blue we have a dedicated (insane) group of people that will almost always be around to answer questions.

Fire away, Texans fans.

UPDATE FROM TIM: Thanks to the Colts fans for doing this; I've returned the favor over at Stampede Blue with this FanPost. Head on over there to see what they're asking about and feel free to chime in with answers of your own.

UPDATE THE SECOND FROM TIM: BigBlueShoe has decided to lock our FanPost over at Stampede Blue "because the chatter at Battle Red Blog has gotten a bit out of control." He has further encouraged his writers and readers not to comment or post over here. While I vehemently disagree with his decision, Stampede Blue is BBS' domain, and there's nothing I can do about it. What I can do, however, is keep this thread open for fans of the Texans and Colts to continue the discussion, even if we're not permitted to do so over at Stampede Blue. And that I shall do. Keep on keepin' on.

The Jags have moved to London. This is their new logo.

Colts Homer — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:30:39 -0000

The Jags have moved to London. This is their new logo.

Dwight Freeney is tough

Colts Homer — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:12:00 -0000

Dwight Freeney is tough

When they say he is a fast healer, they aren't joking. Freeney says he is "day-to-day" with a strained quad and that he won't rule himself out for the Seattle game. I doubt he plays on Sunday, but I would not be surprised if we see him against the Titans. He is the anti-Bob Sanders when it comes to injuries.

My Mock Draft, post-Week 3

Colts Homer — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:52:42 -0000

I hate to do mock drafts based off of power rankings. I prefer to do them based off of the standings, which is why I haven't done one until this week. By Week 3, there is enough to make a somewhat logical standings-based mock draft. The tiebreaker I use is points differential. I will also project juniors going pro in my mock draft.

1. Cleveland-Jimmy Clausen/QB/Notre Dame
2. Tampa Bay-Eric Berry/S/Tennessee
3. San Francisco (from Carolina)-Sam Bradford/QB/Oklahoma
4. St. Louis-Ndamukong Suh/DT/Nebraska
5. Kansas City-Russell Okung/OT/Oklahoma State
6. Miami-Damian Williams/WR/USC
7. Tennessee-Joe Haden/CB/Florida
8. Detroit-Bryan Bulaga/OT/Iowa
9. Oakland-Taylor Mays/S/USC
10. Houston-Gerald McCoy/DT/Oklahoma
11. Arizona-Trent Williams/OT/Oklahoma
12. Washington-Brandon Spikes/MLB/Florida
13. Jacksonville-Tim Tebow/QB/Florida
14. Buffalo-Jevan Snead/QB/Ole Miss
15. Pittsburgh-Anthony Davis/OT/Rutgers
16. Seattle-Ciron Black/OT/LSU
17. Denver(from Chicago)-Carlos Dunlap/DE/Florida
18. Atlanta-Sean Weatherspoon/OLB/Missouri
19. Cincinnati-Jahvid Best/RB/Cal
20. San Diego-Rolando McClain/ILB/Alabama
21. New England-Dez Bryant/WR/Oklahoma State
22. San Francisco-Terrance Cody/NT/Alabama
23. Green Bay-Charles Brown/OT/USC
24. Philadelphia-Greg Hardy/DE/Ole Miss
25. Dallas-Eric Norwood/DE-OLB/South Carolina
26. Indianapolis-Mike Johnson/OG/Alabama
27. NY Jets-Arrelious Benn/WR/Illinois
28. Minnesota-Bruce Campbell/OT/Maryland
29. NY Giants-Arthur Jones/DT/Syracuse
30. Seattle (from Denver)-Jonathan Dwyer/RB/Georgia Tech
31. Baltimore-Jermaine Gresham/TE/Oklahoma
32. New Orleans-Sergio Kindle/DE/Texas

This was pretty tough. There are a lot of good offensive tackles in this draft. Same with defensive ends.

Colts v. Cardinals Game Review: Putting the Pieces Together

Colts Homer — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:27:40 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

about 1 month 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.

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

Colts Homer — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:43:15 -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

Jaguars v. Colts: Game Thread 2

Colts Homer — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:16:53 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

2 months ago: FILE -- This is a Sept. 3, 2009, file photo showing Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell during an NFL football game, in Cincinnati. Caldwell understands that previous successes do not guarantee future results. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke, File)

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Colts are up 7-6 at half time. Peyton with 1 INT and 175 yards. Addai has been great in short yardage. Turnovers has hurt the Colts.

GO COLTS!

Jaguars v. Colts: Key Matchups

Colts Homer — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 05:34:21 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

This man needs to have a big game in his first game and start as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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After the depressing day of college football, I'm ready to see the Colts pass all over the Jaguars and run the ball if winning with only a couple of minutes left. Damn you Michigan...

Anyways, this game will have the most interesting matchups of the season. We don't know how some of the new starters will do today. There are some rookies that will be getting significant playing time and some other players with little experience seeing a lot of game action. They will be players to look for today with the start of the Colts season. Here are some key matchups for today's game.

Colts LT Charlie Johnson v. Jaguars RE Derrick Harvey: This is the biggest matchup of the game. Charlie Johnson is the top left tackle on this team now, and his first start is against a highly touted and very fast defensive end. Harvey had just 3.5 sacks last year, but he should have a bigger year this year. He was always a project player and he was taken too high. However he is going up against a shaky left tackle who I personally don't trust that much. If Charlie can't block Harvey and Peyton is getting hit, then this becomes a much tougher game.

Rest are after the jump.

Colts Front 7 v. Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew: MJD has always dominated the Colts. It's usually embarrassing. His worst yards per carry against the Colts is 4. He's had a touchdown in every game against the Colts except for two. He feasts on the Colts defense. However this is not the usual Colts defense. The defensive tackles are big. The linebackers are better. This should be a better defense than the ones that Jones-Drew murdered. Antonio Johnson and Daniel Muir have got to get a good burst off of the line and try and at least hit him in the backfield and slow him down. This year the starting defensive tackles aren't defensive ends playing on the inside. They have the size necessary to play defensive tackle and the defensive ends are pretty big too. This should be a huge factor. If the Colts offense is on the field for at least 28 minutes they will win by double digits.

Colts CB Jerraud Powers v. Jaguars WR Troy Williamson: Jerraud Powers is starting in his first game with the Colts. Marlin Jackson is still a little banged up from his knee injury last year so they are starting him off as the nickel back. This is a huge matchup. As we all know, Troy Williamson is not a good wide receiver, but anything can happen in a single game. If Powers can play as well as he did in the preseason the Colts will be in good shape. I think cornerback might be one of the strongest positions for the Colts. I have a feeling that Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey will both look like amazing pickups from this rookie class. If these corners can shut down the passing game and make the Jags one-dimensional, it will almost guarantee a Colts victory.

Colts WR Anthony Gonzalez v. Jaguars CB Derek Cox: Anthony Gonzalez has finally worked his way into the number 2 spot at wide receiver. We all know that he was the number 2 receiver last year with how poorly Marvin played, but now his playing time and respect from the defense will increase. Derek Cox is his first test. Cox is a rookie out of William & Mary who has the tough assignment of going up against a receiver that is ready to break out. I feel like Anthony Gonzalez could have an amazing year this year. His hands are so reliable and he has been a great deep threat. I'm feeling like Gonzalez could have the year that Reggie Wayne had in his third year as a pro. Wayne had 838 yards and 7 touchdowns. I think Gonzalez could surpass that. He needs to get off to a hot start. A rookie corner would be perfect to start out a nice year with.

These are the main matchups for this game. I feel very good about this game even if it is the first game of the season. I am going to predict a 31-17 win for the Colts. The Colts should be a very different team this year. I expect to see very few mistakes and a lot of rushing yards. GO COLTS!

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

Colts Homer — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:23:34 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

2 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.

Colts v. Lions Preseason Review: Odd Flashbacks

Colts Homer — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 01:31:40 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

2 months ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) is sacked by Indianapolis Colts defensive end Marcus Howard during the third quarter of an exhibition NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Browse more photos »

Was I the only one who had flashbacks to last season during this game? The way the Lions controlled the clock, the stuffed runs, the way Peyton had to carry the team. It was scary. Thankfully it is just the preseason and this team should look great in the regular season. If they would lose to the Lions in the regular season I would freak out. I think the Lions are definitely improved and could have a very good offense with Stafford, Jones and Johnson. Their defensive line isn't very good though. In fact, it's pretty terrible. Their defense could keep them from not having a top 5 pick this year. Here are some of my thoughts on the game.

~Peyton Manning looked like I expect him to in the regular season. I love to see Peyton take the Colts down the field to score. It is one of those special things in life.

~I have been very harsh to Curtis Painter. The "Out with the old, in with the new" speak around here has irritated me. Sorgi is a good backup QB and it seems like people are trying to force him out for the new guy. However, Painter was very good today. He made some great throws. Obviously the interception was not his fault. It showed why the Colts drafted him. I still don't see him making the 53 man roster though.

~The running game wasn't good today. It looked like the right side of the line was letting the Lions get to the runner right at the line of scrimmage. Although Charlie Johnson is starting at left tackle, I'm more worried about the left side of the line. Mike Pollak really needs to have a good year or else he will lose his starting job. It's that simple. Charlie Johnson and Jamey Richard both can be very good guards, and Pollak needs to earn his spot.

~John Matthews sucks. He is disgracing the holy number 83. Any number that graced the great Brandon Stokley should only be worn by players who can actually catch a football. I propose that John Matthews is cut and Austin Collie takes the number 83. The number 83 goes to players I like. I do not like Matthews. I like Collie. My favorite Colt ever cannot have his number be worn by someone who cost the Colts a game.

~The pass blocking was very good today for the most part. I'd say it was better than the first two games. The Lions only had two sacks. One was on a great defensive play by Julian Peterson on a stunt blitz. No one was going to stop that. Charlie Johnson looked pretty good today as did Jamey Richard and Kyle DeVan.

~No chance Steve Justice earns a spot on the 53 man roster. DeVan was very good today and of course Jamey Richard and Mike Pollak could play center if necessary. Justice was terrible last year and was a big time miss by Polian.

~I didn't notice Ugoh in this game. I can't say if he played good or bad. Of course not noticing him probably means that he played okay but not great or not terrible. I still want him starting at left tackle. There is no need to leave that kind of talent on the bench to prove a point or what not. If they really wanted to push Ugoh they should have drafted a left tackle early. Good thing the 2010 draft looks like it is loaded at offensive tackle.

~Marcus Howard is fast. His sack on Matt Stafford looks like something he would do to Colt Brennan. If Colt Brennan is ever committed it would definitely be because of Marcus Howard. I wish the 'Skins and the Colts would play in the preseason again.

~Overall the defensive tackles played pretty well. I still think Fili Moala is going to be a great pro. He just needs a little more strength. His burst off of the line is phenomenal and he draws double teams. I would not be opposed to playing him as a nose tackle because of his ability to draw double teams. I'm looking forward to seeing him progress.

~Ed Johnson dressed but didn't play. I firmly believe that it was to prepare for the Jacksonville game. He's suspended for it, so why play him? It's obvious that the Colts couldn't give a crap about preseason. Muir and Antonio Johnson will be the starting defensive tackles for Week One with Moala and Eric Foster getting a lot of playing time. Adrian Grady and Terrance Taylor will also be on the roster. So many defensive tackles, too little roster spaces.

~Why did they re-sign Freddy Keiaho? He can't play middle linebacker as we saw today. It's pretty clear that Ramon Humber and Mike Tauiliili are better players. Tauiliiiiiiili played great today. His goal line stops were things of beauty. To be honest I think this is more of a competition between Humber and the guy with 50 "i"s in his name with the "loser" going on the practice squad. These guys appear to be future Polian gems.

~Jamie Silva is good. He's a mad man out there. He always goes to jack players up. I wouldn't feel great about that when it is Maurice Jones-Drew coming at him, but it is very fun to watch. He's got to make the final roster, doesn't he? I would be very surprised if he got cut. I would much rather see him on the roster over Matt Giordano.

~Jerraud Powers was a nice find by Polian. I'd say that Powers was the most criticized pick on draft day. He was taken a couple of rounds higher than he was projected, but it was worth it if someone else was going to take him. I'm not a fan of small corners and I never will be, but Powers can be the exception to the "Small corners aren't ideal in the Cover-2" rule. Tim Jennings shouldn't make the roster if you ask me. Watching him go up against Calvin Johnson was comical. Tim Jennings looked like he is 16 inches shorter than Megatron Johnson.

~I'm almost certain that Pat McAfee could punt the ball over the Cowboys video board. He looks like a future Pro Bowl punter. He is going to have a great net punting average.

~The return game isn't going to be very good at all. Hopefully they will cover it in the 2010 draft (Perrish Cox!)

New roster prediction after the jump.

Quarterbacks
Peyton Manning
Jim Sorgi

Running Backs
Joseph Addai
Donald Brown
Mike Hart
Lance Ball

H-Back
Gijon Robinson
Jacob Tamme

Wide Receiver
Reggie Wayne
Anthony Gonzalez
Austin Collie
Pierre Garcon

Tight End
Dallas Clark
Tom Santi

Left Tackle
Tony Ugoh
Charlie Johnson

Left Guard
Ryan Lilja
Jamey Richard

Center
Jeff Saturday
Kyle DeVan

Right Guard
Mike Pollak

Right Tackle
Ryan Diem

Left End
Robert Mathis
Keyunta Dawson
Marcus Howard

Under Tackle
Ed Johnson
Fili Moala
Eric Foster
Adrian Grady

Nose Tackle
Antonio Johnson
Daniel Muir
Terrance Taylor

Right End
Dwight Freeney
Raheem Brock

SAM Linebacker
Philip Wheeler
Tyjuan Hagler

MIKE Linebacker
Gary Brackett
Mike Tauiliili

WILL Linebacker
Clint Session
Jordan Senn

Cornerback
Kelvin Hayden
Marlin Jackson
Jerraud Powers
Tim Jennings
Dante Hughes

Free Safety
Antoine Bethea
Jamie Silva
Matt Giordano

Strong Safety
Bob Sanders
Melvin Bullitt

Kicker
Adam Vinatieri

Punter
Pat McAfee

Long Snapper
Justin Snow

Practice Squad
QB Curtis Painter
WR Taj Smith
WR Sam Giguere
OL Jaimie Thomas
OL Tom Pestock
DL Rudolph Hardie
LB Ramon Humber
DB Jacob Lacey

I will say that I was struggling with the 53rd spot. It was down to Taj Smith (for special teams purposes), Dan Federkeil, Adrian Grady, Ramon Humber and TJ Rushing, but I went with the player that I thought had the most potential and could make the bigger impact. That was Adrian Grady. Yes, I know that 12 defensive linemen is a lot, but all 12 of those guys are either very good or have the potential to be very good. I have no problem with four wide receivers with Dallas Clark and Jacob Tamme being able to line up at wide receiver. Yes, it is very scary to only have eight offensive linemen, but the dropoff after those eight is tremendous. With Thomas and Pestock on the practice squad and Federkeil most likely being able to be signed at some point (probably after the CFL season if he is cut), I'm not too worried. If four offensive linemen get injured in a single game, then I don't think the Colts were destined to win that game anyways. I feel like these are the 53 best Colts. This should be the roster.