While this won't be the final Devil's Take of the year, it is unfortunately the last one for the Pacers season. Tonight's game wasn't much better than game 5 was. I saw a team that fell apart early in the 3rd quarter and a Heat team that simply played like it was their game to lose. To be honest, the Pacers blew this series, and the only people they should be mad at is themselves.

via content.sportslogos.net

Once again, after a tough, hard fought series, the Pacers go home wondering what if. Last year they faced arguably the best team in the East, and lost a series in which they could have easily won 4-1. This season, they play again the same scenario. This was a series that the Pacers SHOULD have won. I don't care what the outcome was, because I'm still PISSED about what this team threw away. On to the article...

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Welcome to the Devil's Take on Game 4. Unfortunately, there wasn't very much positive to take out of this game. To be blunt, I'm still pissed about this one. So on to the discussion.

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Despite early leads of 10 points in the first half, and an 8 point lead at the half, the Pacers fell apart in the second half. Their dominance of the 3rd quarter was shattered, as they would enter brick city and the Heat would score 30 points. This coupled with the return of D-Wade's shooting touch, and the Heat won the game.

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Welcome to the first official Devil's Take here at Indy Cornrows. Now, if some of you frequent Stampede Blue, you probably have seen at least one of my fanposts. If not, I won't hold it against you!

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Winners of Game 3's in a series generally go on to win the series 4 out of 5 times. In Games 1 and 2, the Heat and Pacers both had chances to win either game, ultimately fading in the 4th quarter. In Game 3, the Pacers would start out dominate, allow Miami back into the game, and emphatically smother them with about 18 min to go in the game. The Pacers outright dominated the second half, only allowing the duo of James/Wade to score 13 pts. By all accounts, this was the Pacers biggest win in the playoffs since the Miller led Pacers went to the NBA Finals.

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Welcome to the Devil's Take! Can you smell it? Football is in the air once more, as OTAs have officially started. Already we have tweets out of camp that say the Colts lineup is coming together, that the front seven will impress, and amazingly the Colts are somehow copying the Patriots. All that an more is coming up....

via www.usd314.k12.ks.us

What I would like to say before I start is that I do appreciate all the great feedback on my last two articles. It was much appreciated. While I didn't agree with some of the discussion, it was great to actually discuss it without it going downhill as many other articles have. On to the business at hand...

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Welcome to a very thought provoking Devil's Take. Today's article targets one of the sore subjects of the Colts recent draft struggles, Mr. Donald Brown. Now, you may ask why would I do this? The answer is simple: He's better than he's given credit for.

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Donald Brown was the 27th pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. With Marvin Harrison being released, the consensus by most mock drafts had the Colts going after a WR or possibly a DT. Instead, the Colts drafted Brown, a speedster from UConn. This got a WTF moment from virtually the entire fan base. The ever-lovable Brad Wells hated the pick. Guys that were passed up by the Colts were Hakeen Nicks-WR, Kenny Britt-WR, and Ziggy Hood-DT. Ironically, this was only the 2nd worst decision by the Colts that night, as they would draft Fili Moala in the 2nd round ahead of guys like Shonn Greene-RB and Mike Wallace-WR.

In both instances, the Colts made questionable picks on players that made no sense. In Brown, they passed up a few DTs and WRs, and in Moala, he was essentially an afterthought. Now hindsight is always 20/20, but the players the Colts passed on were the bigger issue here. Greene has shown his mettle as a Jet, Wallace is the NFL's version of Flash, and Nicks just won a SB after pulling his version of Larry Fitzgerald's 2008 playoff run. Hood has proven himself to be a decent NT in the Steelers lineup.

Bottom Line: Your #1 pick has to be a day one starter. There are a few exceptions to this, such as when the Packers took Aaron Rodgers to sit behind Brett Favre. In general however, you don't waste a first round pick on a position that's already filled with a capable starter.

So Donald Brown was drafted and no one liked it. The problem as I see it though, is that Brown is being hated on for Polian's screw up of a draft. Had Brown been drafted in any round but the first or maybe the second round, I seriously don't think anyone would be as down on him as they currently are.

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Welcome to the first post Manning era Devil's Take. I'd be lying if I said I'm happy about that decision, but ultimately, it wasn't my call. The Colts 2012 draft has been over for about a week. The Colts have targeted and signed almost 2 dozen UFDA's.

via www.cbc.ca

I've been absent through much of this year due to all the circus regarding Manning, the Polians, the dysfunction of the team, and it's subsequent cleansing. It's been a really rough 16 months since the end of the strike for the Colts, and hopefully, this season will bring some promise moving forward. I've seen and heard a lot of negativity about the Colts draft, so I'll be addressing it as well. As always, your feedback and commentary is very much appreciated.

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So as many of you know by now, Jim Caldwell was let go by the Colts today via here. That leaves the Colts in an interesting position having just interviewed a former head coach and defensive coordinator in Steve Spagnuolo with Jim Caldwell as the active head coach.

So what then, do the the Colts do? The most high profile free agent coach, Jeff Fisher, just signed with the Rams. The remaining level of talented available coaches is quite small, and does not offer many choices for the Colts. At least, none that jump out on paper.

I wrote about this very thing in my most recent Devil's Take posted over the holiday.

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http://blogs.colts.com/2012/01/17/the-indianapolis-colts-release-jim-caldwell/

The Indianapolis Colts Release Jim Caldwell

Posted by coltsindianapolis on January 17, 2012 – 2:23 pm

The Indianapolis Colts have released Jim Caldwell of his duties as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

Check back for more details.

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Welcome to the first official Devil's Take in quite some time. With Manning out for the season, I personally knew that this would be a waste of time trying to debate/comment on most of these games. Thus, I took it upon myself to just try and make the best of it. I'm sure many of us did, some succeeding while others failed miserably.

As BBS reported during last year, Manning's neck injury was in fact real. How the league never moved against the Colts for failure to list the injury, is amazing to me. The best guess I can come up with is simply that since it was "pain" and not necessarily a proven injury, it was omitted. As the season is now behind us, you have all seen the wreckage that this neck injury cost. Bill and Chris Polian - Fired. Defensive Coordinator Coyer - Fired. Special Teams Coordinator Rychleski - Fired.

Ultimately, the 2011 season has brought a lot of questions, some new faces, and now the Colts have the #1 pick in the draft. How do the Colts move forward? I've got some thoughts on that...

via userserve-ak.last.fm

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Welcome to the Devil's Take! Normally, I would discuss Colts football in this segment, but I saw a topic that really struck me as hilarious and felt the need to cover it. Today, I'm going to discuss the recent signing of Michael Vick. If you haven't seen or read it by now, the Eagles have signed Michael Vick to a new 6 year, 100 million dollar contract, with almost 40 million guaranteed.

Did you hear that pin drop? Yes, the Eagles just signed Vick to another dumbo sized contract based on what exactly?

via 730foxsports.files.wordpress.com

Absolutely nothing. That's right. The Eagles signed a QB with less than league average numbers to a six figure deal reserved for arguably the upper echelon QB's. You know, the guys like Rivers, Brees, Brady, and oh yeah, that Peyton Manning guy.

In the history of bad deals, it's still not the worst. However, you would think that the Eagles would have done their homework on this one.

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As always, welcome to another fine edition of The Devil's Take. For the better part of the last week, I've been reading several Fanposts and articles about various Colts topics, and I'm just kind of tired of some of them. For those that are new to my freakshow, it's mostly a blunt view of how things are in my OPINION. You are of course welcome to disagree and voice your opinion. That's what makes this place so great.

via championscolts.webs.com

So what could possibly have gotten me all pissed off like a wet cat in a tub? Well, there's several things that are capable of that.

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Today's discussion is about what the Colts need to do between now and the start of the season regarding their roster and various player movement. While it's always difficult to try and nail this kind of thing down early, I actually feel that this year, the Colts lineup is pretty much set.

The Colts have addressed virtually of their needs via the draft and through various signings to start the first two weeks of the NFL season. What the Colts need to do now, is look to making moves to improve this team for next year or even possibly this year.

So how do they do that? Well let's first take a look at what I believe will be the final roster for the Colts to start the year.

QB: Peyton Manning, Nate Davis, Dan Orlovsky

RB: Joseph Addai, Donald Brown, Delone Carter, Chad Spann (ST), Devin Moore (ST)

WR: Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie, Blair White

TE: Dallas Clark, Jacob Tamme, Brody Eldridge

LT: Anthony Costanzo, Jeff Linkenbach

R/L G: Ben Ijalana, Kyle DeVan, Jacques McClendon, Mike Pollak

C: Jeff Saturday

RT: Ryan Diem, Joe Reitz

P: Pat McAfee

LS: Justin Snow

K: Adam Vinatieri

DE: Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Jerry Hughes, Jamaal Anderson

DT: Tommie Harris, Drake Nevis, Antonio Johnson, Fili Moala

LB: Gary Brackett, Pat Angerer, Ernie Sims, Kavell Conner, Cody Glenn

CB: Justin Tryon, Jerraud Powers, Jacob Lacey, Kevin Thomas, Chris Rucker,

S: Antoine Bethea, Melvin Bullitt, Chip Vaughn, Brandon King,

This leaves 4 open spots on the roster, of which all will be special teamers:

Taj Smith, Al Afalava, Jamie Silva, and Kerry Neal

Spann/Moore are most likely KR/PR candidates and since I think the Colts are going to give Moore a legit shot to regain his job, I expect Spann will be added to the PS. I'm not even going to bother trying to keep track of the practice squad, but three players who stand out to me as most likely candidates are Joe Horn, Jake Kirkpatrick, and Ollie Ogbu. All 3 bring things the Colts want on this team, and all 3 are really good talents that could be used by this team.

I'm going to break down a bit of my reasoning in each area, and also address possible moves I think the Colts SHOULD make.

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Welcome to the very first edition of the Devil's Take for the Indianapolis Colts 2012 Season. Yes, I took a nice long escape from the b.s. of the NFL Labor nonsense and all the rich whining about money. Now that our season is back on track (like it was ever not going to be) I'm back to enjoying football and expressing my opinion once more on the greatest Colts site on the internets.

via farm3.static.flickr.com

So, are you ready for some football yet? I know I am. If I have to listen to one more schmuck whine about Free Agency or what this or that team did or didn't do, I will literally have to go Darrell Reid on them..

As always, I don't care if you like or don't like my views. We're all fans, we all have our own opinions. What I do care about though is great discussion and chatting up with my fellow football fans. Yes, even those of the Tom Bieber clan are included. So onto the good stuff...

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Welcome to the last Devil's Take edition of the Colts 2010 season. The Colts lose 17-16 to the Jets on a last second FG. To put it bluntly, this won't be pretty...

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One week after a valiant effort to win their 10th game of the year and 4th in a row, the Colts drop a close game at home. However, this game wasn't as close as the score indicates. The Colts ran out of gas on defense pretty much at half time and it was only a matter of time before the Jets took advantage of it. The Colts coaching staff on both ST's and defense failed to make any real effort to recover and subsequently lost this game because of it.

Manning would play well throughout the game, and the Colts running game would generate their best postseason rushing attack since SB41. Still, the Jets running game would basically destroy the Colts D-Line from half time on and the Colts were never really ever able to mount a real attack.

Colts Week 18 grade: C-

This game was a tale of two halves. They made the adjustments, we didn't. It's that simple. You can say what you want about injuries finally catching up to us, but that wasn't the case. This was almost as bad as the opening day loss to the Texans. The game changed on the Jets first drive in the 2nd half.

Passing offense: I thought Peyton had some opportunities that he passed on, but I can't complain with what he gave us. 18 of 26, 225 yards, and 1 TD. He also led 3 other drives that scored FGs.

Rushing offense: It wasn't pretty all the time, but the Colts may have finally figured out how to run the ball again. 93 yards rushing on 27 attempts at a 3.4 ypc. It's not great numbers, but this is a defense that was 3rd overall against the run and 6th overall in total defense.

Passing defense: Jacob Lacey continued to prove to all of us he's not a starting caliber CB. I give him credit for trying, but I think a fridge could have played as good on defense as he did today. Beyond that, not much to say really. The Jets aren't much of a passing team. The Colts kept just about everything in front of them, but Lacey was horrible.

Rushing defense: It's very hard to overlook the 169 yards rushing the Jets put on the Colts, but the truth is, the numbers aren't as bad as it looks. The Jets ran the ball 38 times for a 4.4 ypc average. That's roughly a little more than league average. What was killer is the inability to stop the Jets on long drives when were playing run with 9 guys in the box and still let them get a first down.

Special Teams: Yes, Bill Polian hit this on the head. I disagree with the guy for thinking the defense played great/well, but Special Teams cost us this game. 2 big returns on kicks, with missed tackles galore. A boneheaded penalty on what was a b.s. call in the first place. The worst offense was on the final kick, how do you let a guy get that far up field on a kickoff return?

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Welcome to the first edition of The Devil's Take for the 2011 year! In what was a must win for the Colts this week, they managed to squeak one out and win the AFC South and the #3 seed in the AFC Playoffs!!!

via assets.sbnation.com

I cannot think of a single team in recent memory that has been able to do what the 2010 Colts have done this year. With the greatest QB in the game at the helm, they fought through injury, they fought through replacement players, and most of all, they fought through fatigue. This was a team that could have folded their tents up and called it a year 4 weeks ago. They could have quit and some of us would not have begrudged them that.

Manning however, would have none of that. No excuses, only expectations. Sometimes precision, sometimes methodical, and sometimes lucky, he carved up opposing teams like a kid would do on NFL Blitz or Madden. Teams had the benefit of knowing the Colts would throw the ball 40 times and still could not stop him. This year is a true testament to what it means to be a Colts player. NEXT MAN UP!

Colts Week 17 grade: B+

This game wasn't pretty, but it didn't need to be. The Colts had only one objective in this game: Win. In doing so, the Colts cemented their division crown and actually leapfrogged into the #3 seed in the AFC playoffs. For the 3rd straight game, the Colts ran for over 100 yards, held their opponents to under 100 yards rushing, and managed to do so without any significant injuries to a single player.

Rushing offense: 3rd week in a row, 3rd 100+ yard rushing game. First time since 2007.

Passing offense: Several dropped balls, several big plays missed. Still, they made the plays when it was needed.

Rushing defense: 3rd week in a row, 3rd opponent held under 100 yards rushing. Shades of the 06 playoffs.

Passing defense: Atrocious. Focus on covering your responsibility instead of peeking in the backfield. I'm talking to you Jacob Lacey!

Special Teams: For the 3rd week in a row, it's not been a pretty sight. Thankfully, it didn't bite us in the ass this week, but they have got to get this fixed. Zero quality returns on punts, average blocking on kickoffs, and too many guys whiffing on tackles. I realize they are playing shorthanded, but it's no longer an excuse at this point.

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Editor's Note: Had to remove the pic because of copyright stuff when we promote a FanPost on the frontpage. Otherwise, enjoy Devil's great recap. --bbs

Welcome to another rendition of the Devil's Take here on Stampede Blue. We saw the good, the bad, and the ugly during the Colts 31-26 win over the Raiders. Nonetheless, the Colts won this game by pounding the rock and playing stellar run defense.

Welcome back Dominic Rhodes.

It's not very often I get to discuss a Colts running attack that is seemingly on fire, but that's the case today. Two weeks in a row, the Colts have come out and put up 150+ yards on the ground against two of the better running teams in the league. On top of that, our much maligned run defense returned the favor against two of the best rushing offenses in preventing either team in gaining 100 yards on the ground. And if not for the kneel downs at the end, Rhodes probably becomes the 2nd Colts 100 yard rusher in 2 weeks.

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Welcome to another fine edition of the Devil's Take. For those of you who are new to my posts, I generally do recaps of each week's game as well as the occasional post about things related to the Colts. So, if you do not like direct criticism from a fan, I suggest not reading further.

I've spent many weeks listening to the pundits, the morons, the trolls, and of course just about any of the so-called journalists on the various sports shows just bashing the Colts over the past 5-6 games. Everything from jumping off the bandwagon to blatant moronic ballwashing of other "favorite" teams, it's gotten quite retarded. I'm sure many of you know what I'm talking about.

I know I've also seen it on here...and so without further warning.... I unleash the

via i28.photobucket.com

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Welcome back to the Devil's Take for Week 15. As some of you are probably aware, this has been missing in action for a few weeks. Well, no more.... And on to the show!

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As most of you know, I typically put up a picture of a player who played fantastic the day after our latest game in my column. Normally, that would mean Donald Brown would be here. However, I cannot bring myself to do that today. Austin Collie is my featured player today. Not only was his first half explosion instrumental in helping to setup our offense, his return fueled a portion of the team's overall demeanor. His loss to injury again was awful, and our prayers go out to his family.

Austin Collie did more work in one half than some guys did all day, recording 8 catches for 87 yards and 2 TDs. Even after leaving the game with what is believed to be another concussion, he still managed to lead the Colts in receiving at the end of the game. While I hope the Colts shut him down to get him healthy for next year, this guy is a real player, and the Colts are very blessed and fortunate to have him in uniform.

Get healthy, and we'll see you next year man. We cannot wait to see what you can be capable of in a fully healthy offense.

Colts grade for Week 15: A-

Our head writer, BigBlueShoe, felt this was the Colts best overall performance of the year. I disagree. Not only did they continually shoot themselves in the foot with stupid penalties, the inconsistencies on offense really hurt this team. In fact, if not for a Donald Brown run, the Colts offense failed to do much more than get in FG range the rest of the game. Yes, this was by far the best overall defensive showing of the year. The defense lowered the pad level and flat out trucked some boys. However, the rest of the game was average at best and really showed that this team is going to have to play a step above this to finish out the season.

Rushing Offense: Great at the big play, zero consistency.

Passing Offense: Guys, catch the flippin ball. Enough with the bonehead drops.

Defense: The keg is on me guys. You flat out owned the Jaguars for the entire game. Your offense left you in a bad way late in the game, but you pulled it out.

Special Teams: Outside of Tyjuan Hagler's game saving TD, this unit was a disgrace. First you whiff on a punt, and then you give up on the play and let the game get close. The kickoffs, as someone else mentioned, were not very spectacular, and the punts were also bleh... I don't even include Vinatieri in this because the guy has no control over any of that..

I could spend a good 3 hours complaining about this game and so forth. Instead, I'll make a nice lil recap for you all to pick apart.

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Welcome to this week's edition of the Devil's Take. The Colts, wounded and battered, won a hard fought game against a mistake prone Cincinnati Bengals. Make no mistake about it, the Bengals made this game a lot easier for us. Still, the score and the stats do not tell the real story of this game. The Colts now sit atop the AFC South at 6-3 with a full game lead over the Jags/Titans.

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In 2000, there was a movie that came out called the The Replacements. Basically, it was a fictional movie about a group of football nobodies and castoffs (scabs) playing the final games of a strike season. During the final game of the movie, the coach (Gene Hackman) is approached by the sideline reported asking what it will take for his team to get back into the game. His reply: Heart.

Despite the injuries, mistakes, and inconsistencies, these Colts are all heart.

Colts grade for Week 10: A+

Offense: Looked like the injuries finally became just too much. Yes, they played well despite it, but the fact is the lack of practice and being on the same page is showing. We should be better moving forward, but if any game came at the right time, this Bengals team helped us out HUGE!

Defense: Wow, just wow. 5 turnovers, 1 TD on an interception, 17 total points off turnovers, 3 sacks. That's one of the best complete games they've had all season. Yes, they got beat on a few plays, but this was a game that could have been all Bengals if not for the effort of the defense.

Special Teams: Overall, it was a very solid effort. They only had 1 really good return against us, and the onside kick at the end was a joke. However, the Colts did what they were supposed to do.

Overall, there was a lot of things I could harp on and bitch about. I can't do that. This was a team that could have easily packed it up in the 1st quarter and quit. They could have made excuses. They didn't. They came to play and play they did. It was ugly. It was certainly not Colts football. What it was however, is a character building win. The kind of win a champion is expected to make.

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As we have all watched the countless replays of the Austin Collie hit, we've also been debating back and forth about the hit. Fortunately, the NFL was ever so kind as to send out a notice and a video about what was deemed legal and/or illegal about hits...

You can view this video here.

Guess what, whether you don't like the call....the refs made the absolute RIGHT call.

The NFL's new guidelines regarding illegal hits include the following: leading with your forearm, shoulder, or helmet to the shoulder/helmet area of a player.

Basically, it states that a defender cannot launch themselves towards an offensive player and lead with their forearm, shoulder, or helmet to the offensive players head and neck area. It's that cut and dry.

In fact, watching the video, they actually have a few shots that look eerily similar to the hit on Collie last night.

I want to say this loud and clear, I do not for one minute believe that Coleman was trying to hit Collie in the head. However, the guy was NOT trying to tackle Collie. He was trying to blow him up, or as us Madden players know, hit stick the guy.

Bottom line: Even leading with his shoulder, the guy was at fault according to the rules.

And lastly, as I know some will mention it, yes Collie was struck by another Eagles player first. However, the point is that even if he had NOT been hit, Coleman was clearly leading with his shoulder in trying to tackle Collie.

Video of the play can be found here: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/moving_the_chains/Video_Eagles_hit_on_Collie.html

Skip to about the 1:40 mark, as they slow the video down enough to watch the hit. The two Eagles defenders literally hit Collie almost at the same time. It clearly shows Mikell lowering his shoulder into Collie's shoulder. It also shows Coleman's head lowering as well.

Welcome to a very down and frustrated Devil's Take. The Colts, despite fighting through injuries that would sideline most teams, lost 24-26 to the Philadelphia Eagles. The below picture pretty much sums up this game for the Colts.

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As most of you know, Austin Collie was injured during the loss to the Eagles. After coming down with a critical catch, he was struck with a helmet to helmet shot by Kurt Coleman. For those of you did not see the hit, it was not a pretty sight. Collie was struck helmet to helmet as he was trying to cover the ball up as he was being tackled by Eagles Safety Quintin Mikell. As Collie was still on his feet, Coleman came in and lowered his head, striking Collie on the helmet. You can see the before collision picture here.

Mark my words, this hit will be the story line for basically the next week, as the league's new helmet to helmet policy was created because of hits like this. During the game, we had to listen to several comments about the hit, and to me, most of the comments were a joke.

As you can clearly see in the picture in the link I added, the defensive player made zero attempt to tackle the guy. He lowered his helmet and his shoulders in an attempt to stonewall the guy (aka Sanders style) and the end result was Collie on the ground, motionless. Let me make it clear, I don't believe the guy was trying to go for a knockout blow. However, these are the very types of hits the league wants cleaned up. If the guy had been trying to "tackle" Collie, you would see his arms extended out. Instead, you see the Eagles player trying to lower his shoulder and ducked his head in to "blow up" the receiver.

By definition of the new rule that was implemented by the league, that is an absolute must throw the flag play. The refs, in one of their few "shining moments", actually made the right call. I do not care if you like the rule, I do not care if you think it was a bad call. This was a call made to the letter of the rule.

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For those of you who have not been heard of this, or for those who simply have not been keeping up with it...

Manning ranked #8 in NFL Top 100 panel

The NFL decided to do a list of top 100 players and put together a panel including blue-ribbon panelists Peter King, Michael Lombardi, Ernie Accorsi, and Jarrett Bell.

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NFL.com reports Session's injuries more significant than initially reported

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Clint Session played through a dislocated elbow and fractured forearm Monday night, according to a league source.

Session reportedly suffered the injuries during the first half of Monday night's 30-17 win over the Texans but refused to come out and helped lead the Colts to a key divisional win.

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Ahhhhhh, the sweet smell of victory in the air, the site of blood in the water. Welcome to this week's edition of the Devil's Take. This week, our Colts collided with the upstart Texans in a rematch from the Week 1 debacle. Ironically, the outcome would do a flip-flop, with the Colts winning at home 30-17. The score is not indicative of the game, as the Texans were pretty much out of this game at halftime.

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This game was all about who would step up for the Colts. Injuries, both short term and season ending, have hammered the Colts at key positions. Could these injury ridden Colts do what the 2007 Colts could not? Yes, they did. In a very big way. As I stated in my Devil's Take - Colts will be fine w/o Clark, this week's game would be about the next man up. While I can in no way say that this win shows I was right, it does show that this team CAN move forward with a positive look on the rest of the year.

Colts grade for Week 8: A+

Yes, you are reading that right. I gave this week's Colts the best grade I've given them all year. Now I know many of you in reading BigBlueShoe's Quick Recap, felt like this game was more survival than domination. You would be wrong. The Colts rode a wave of emotion and determination at home to a convincing win over a team who essentially punked us in Week 1. Don't agree with my opinion? Let me drop some cold hard facts for you...

Jacob Lacey, Jerraud Powers, Bob Sanders, Joseph Addai, Pat McAfee, Austin Collie - OUT

Melvin Bullitt, Dallas Clark - Injured Reserve

#3 RB gets his first career start

#3 TE gets his first career start

Despite just those tidbits, the Colts dominated the game in all the major aspects (TOP, turnovers, and points).

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Welcome to another rambling of Devil's Take. Today, we tackle the impact of the loss of Dallas Clark and how the Colts will be just fine without him. Yes, you read that right, just fine without him. I'd been contemplating writing something like this, and with a comment from Chad72, I decided I would go ahead....

via www.the-storms.org

Dallas Clark, the league's best receiving tight end in the game, was placed on injured reserve this past week. It was truly a disheartening thing to hear and read. Clark, injured his wrist in the game against the Redskins and will require season ending surgery to repair the damage.

Clark, who was only the 2nd TE in the history of the NFL to record 100 catches in a single season, set a variety of Colts records in the past season and a half, including most catches in a season, yards, and broke the Colts all-time QB to TE TD catches.

Clark 2009 - 100 catches, 1106 yards, 10 TD's, almost 70 yards per game avg., accounting for 59 1st downs

Clark 2010 - 37 catches, 347 yards, 3 TD's, almost 58 yards per game avg., accounting for 21 1st downs

Now, you read that, and you go, "How can the Colts possibly be okay without this guy?"

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Welcome to Devil's Take for the Colts Bye Week. Normally, you would see this after the game for the week, but we are on our bye week. Due to all the injuries, updates, and other things that have gone on, I felt it was a good time to throw one of these up.

Wow, reading this site the past 48 hours is almost like a graphic horror novel mixed with some high school drama. Between all the random posts about who's injured, who's not injured, who's spreading false information, I'm just glad that finally we have answers on most of the issues.

via championscolts.webs.com

So let's start with this for the week. The Colts are still the best team in our division. The Colts are still one of the top teams in all of football. I know, most of you are thinking I'm crazy. Our loved/hated head writer thinks our chances of winning the SB is zero.

I'm on record now as saying this season is done for the Colts without Dallas Clark. Indy has zero shot to make the Super Bowl, let alone win it, without him. - BigBlueShoe

I use this quote because I want to illustrate a very valid point. Even as a die-hard fan, there is always a point where you can feel like it is in fact, over. Remember when the Colts scored 21 points against the defending champion Bucs in less than 5 minutes to force OT? Yeah, I was so pissed that I turned off the game with 6 minutes to go. Only a yell from my brother made me turn it back on. The same goes for the Colts being down 21-3 in the 2006 AFC title game, where they would lead the largest title game comeback in the history of the NFL. I'd wager several of you turned off the game, contemplated leaving the game, or just said it's over.

The bottom line is that while the injuries have hurt us, it doesn't mean we can't battle back. Our schedule is difficult, but I actually think this year's schedule is easier than last years. We may not win the Super Bowl, and believe me, I want us too, but the Colts will not quit. Not as long as Manning is our QB.

Remember people, the sky is not falling. It might be raining, but the sun can always still come back out..

***EDIT***

Just a quick reminder....the Jets made the AFC Championship game last year after going 9-7 in the regular season. Yes, they needed some breaks, but hey, it can happen to anyone.... They had injuries, a rookie QB, and no WR's worth a piss.....

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Welcome to Devil's Take - Week 6 edition. It only took 43 years, but the Colts have finally won in Washington D.C. by defeating the Redskins 27-24. This was a game that at times was sloppy, and at times, very efficient. The Colts with a record of 4-2, enter their bye week at a perfect time, allowing for key players to rest up from injury. So on to the recap:

via static.nfl.com

Joseph Addai is a beast. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a fool. The guy plays hurt as often as his injuries allow him to. He toasted the Redskins defense for 128 yards on the ground with 1 TD. Unfortunately, he took a very nasty, but clean shot early in the 4th quarter. Best guess is a concussion, but it could have simply aggravated his neck/shoulder injury sustained in last weeks game against Kansas City. To any Colts players or people associated with the organization reading this, send our well wishes to Addai for a speedy recovery.

Colts grade for Week 6: B

I initially was tempted to rate this lower because of the missed tackles, miscues, and turnovers. However, in thinking about it, I was really surprised by the grit of our team. The score doesn't show it, but the defense played solidly. The obvious difference here is the turnovers and missed scoring opportunities.

Special teams looked atrocious all game. The Offense looked good through most of the game. The offensive line ran the ball well, and the pass blocking was decent for most of the evening.

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Welcome once again to a Devil's Take. Consider this a "mixed bag" of comments based on recent events in the NFL, both around the Colts and league wide. I'm going to try and touch on a variety of subjects, from the Colts lineup to the Brett Favre sexting tidbit.

Please be kind and remember these are just MY opinions based on information I can find both online and in the news media. All discussion is appreciated...

However, before I start, I'd like to address a comment or two I've seen the last day or so. Apparently, a few people think I'm either making excuses or sucking up to BBS in defending him on a few posts. That could not be farther from the truth. I'm a fairly blunt person. If you screw up, that's on you. That's just what it is. For all the people who disagree with his articles or comments, you forget that there are people who equally enjoy or agree with his viewpoint. Unfortunately, a lot of those people are not willing to endure the crap in voicing their opinion in that some of you unload in your comments.

I'm not here to debate whether you are wrong or right. If BBS writes something utterly stupid, that's your right to give him a bunch of crap about it. His most recent article, I think is entirely off base and without merit. YET, the topic itself is of significance. I enjoy it when I read an article and I feel like I can relate to the writer, based on his or her writing style. I like it when people keep it direct and straight forward. The irony to it all is that I can relate to BBS. I've been a forum administrator on a couple of sites that were home to over 80,000 members. It's a fine balance between frustration and love as a fan.

Bottom line: I'm just a simple site member who enjoys reading this site. I don't agree with everyone, and I certainly don't believe my answers are always right. I'm just a fan who enjoys chatting it up with his fellow fans. If agreeing with or defending BBS on anything makes me some kiss ass, well I guess I am. However, if/when I agree with you, what does that make me? A schmuck?

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Colts' Brackett raises money for youth

Colts linebacker and defensive captain Gary Bracket hosted his annual IMPACT Foundation fundraiser. According to the foundation’s website, its purposes is to promote health, to advance education, and to relieve the poor, distressed and underprivileged by providing resources and opportunities to children, including children who are mentally challenged, physically challenged, socially disadvantaged, or economically disadvantaged.

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Welcome to Devil's Week 5 edition of the Colts. Today's game was ugly. I could actually label it with a few different adjectives but that would not be appropriate for some potential readers eyes. The Colts faced off with the only undefeated team left in the NFL this season, the Kansas City Chiefs (3-0). The best passing offense versus one of the stingiest defenses in the entire league. How would it play out?

via d.yimg.com

With all the uncertainty and injuries coming into this game, I really did not have high expectations for this game. The Colts were coming off a bad loss, and I knew they would be looking to make amends on defense. The Colts offense has rarely ever been shutdown, so I knew they would be okay. I thought the Colts would win this game, but I was expecting a different outcome than the one we got.

Colts grade for Week 5: B-

The offense never was in sync, due in large part to the constant push of the Kansas City defensive line. Tamba Hali made Ryan Diem look like a turnstyle. I got dizzy just watching. Lots of wierd throws from Manning and despite the ugly throws, a lot of potential passes that hit receivers in the hands. Some were truly uncatchable, but some could have been caught.

The defense looked average today. Yes, they kept the vaunted running game under 150 yards rushing, but the Colts always seemed to give up a big play after getting a good stop. The only super positive I can give about the defense was that they kept the Chiefs scoreless in the redzone.

Special teams was also average, as the return game was blah. To be fair, the kid had a week to get acquainted and the Chiefs ST's are some of the league's best...... I just didn't see any explosiveness like we saw with Devin Moore. Keep an eye on this, as this may be a problem down the road.

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