SB Nation User Blog: metal_militia

Five Things I Think I Know: Week 9 Edition

metal_militia — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:30:39 -0000

Well it seems a few people have beaten me tot he punch with their own little "5 things" segment, but no matter, here are my five useless observations of the day that was.

1.) I think the Colts defense has played magnificent throughout this season. It is because of them that the Colts were able to stave off the Texans and the Niners. The added aggression by Coyer and the play of the young players has helped tremendously with the number of injuries in the secondary. Despite that, however, the Colts need Hayden back because, at times, there were a few lapses in coverage, which is expected when you are playing with two rookies.

2.) I think I know where the problems on offense lye. The offensive line is the problem and while it has been better than last years unit, its still slowing this offense down. Pass protection isn't much of a problem, but it is a bit of a concern with the lapses they have had the last two weeks. Run blocking is the big one as the Colts still arent trying to pound the rock frequently. Manning threw 50 passes today and thats not winning football. The colts must find a way to create balance and that starts up front

3.) I think worrying about the Colts coverage units on special teams is a thing of the past. Before, Jacoby Jones might have returned several of the punts he got today with the former special teams units of the Colts. Now its one of the last things on my mind and I dont have to hold my breath every time they kickoff or punt.

4.) I think next weeks game between the Pats and Colts is going to be big. Well this is kind of obvious, but both teams are on a streak right now and Brady looks back to form. Hopefully, the Colts can get some bodies back this week because they are going to need all the help they can get.

5.) I think Caldwell had his worst day of coaching today. I never saw how he coached when he was at wake forest, perhaps Caldwell had worse, but today certainly was up there with any coaching blunders he may have had in the past. That WR pass was just awful as we were moving the ball well with Manning having the ball in his hands. Icing the kicker only helped Houston get points on the board. Not going for it on 4th and 1 from almost midfield was a mistake as well.

The rule is already on the books that you can't do it, so it would have to be a point...

metal_militia — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:44:06 -0000

The rule is already on the books that you can't do it, so it would have to be a point of emphasis,

Via John Osher. Bill Polian on faking injuries

Five Things I Think I Know: Week 8 Edition

metal_militia — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:17:15 -0000

A win is a win and you take them any way you can get them, but this win one of those ugly ones. Time for some ranting

1.) I think something is wrong with the offense. No im not just talking about today, Im talking about last week as well. Im not sure about the rest of you, but I saw the offense struggle against the rams during the middle of the game as they were stuck at a 15 point lead. Today was no different as the Colts struggled to TD's on the board and kept having to punt. Based on the limited game footage I have concluded that this problem stems from the offensive line with its inconsistent pass and run blocking (specifically Pollak) and a number of dropped passes (emphasis on Garcon). The Colts must find a way to correct this, because kicking field goals or having to punt in numerous occasions is not winning football.

2.) I think the defense, on the other hand, deserves some much needed praise. Despite that long run and that lackluster effort on the last drive of the first half, they have been on fire. They shut out the Niners for the rest of the game after their last TD. Each time the Niners were nearing the endzone, Mathis and Freeney, the most clutch DE's in the league, came up huge with sacks to end drives short of FG range. Coverage was a little shotty at times but Overall though, great performance by the defense.

3.) I think the Gonzo's return is going to greatly help this offense. This one is fairly obvious, but it holds alot of merrit. Garcon, although he has shown some great things, is still a bit raw in some area's, still too accustomed to college rules, thats why he is getting penalized. Collie, while great, is not a huge deep threat and more a first down machine like Stokley was. We all saw what happened when Baskett got into the game, dropping several easy catches. This is likely a result of him getting acclimated to a system that gives most receivers problems adjusting their first years. With Gonzo's return, it will give leway(sp?) to players like Reggie Wayne, who is battling a groin injury and take away the constant dubbles on him

4.) I think we have a candidate for Dr. Jackle and Mr. Hyde. To go place of the once inconsistent Texans, the Cardinals seem to be the newest of inconsistent teams. The Cardinals who looked out of sorts in the beginning of the year, ripped off 3 (2?) straight wins and then fall to the Panthers with an embarrassing performance by Warner. This opens up things for the Niners despite them dropping one today as well.

5.) Reserved for Monday Night

Wildcat? Perhaps a Player on this Roster can Make it Happen

metal_militia — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:08:31 -0000

While looking being bored here at home, I decided to look up some things about undrafted rookie Jacob Lacey. I wasn't able to find much, but I did stumble upon his Rivals.com profile and learned that he used to play QB in High School. Sure, that was a long time ago and he may be a bit rusty, but check out some of these highlights. They look exactly like a few wildcat plays. Now I know what your all thinking, why take the ball out of 18's hands? Im not here to advocate that the Colts run the Wildcat consistently (consistently being using it in multiple games) but as we have seen in the past the Colts aren't inclined to using a few trick plays every now and then. We have seen it in Jacksonville back in '05 and in two playoff appearances against the Pats back in '03 and '04.

I realize the Wildcat isn't very popular here as its not really necessary for this offense and we simply hate its guts after what it did to our defense. Still, I think its something to consider since most teams wont expect any gadgets to come from the Colts.

Five Things I Think I Know: Week 7 Edition

metal_militia — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:48:01 -0000

Another week against another inferior team, another win. Here are some observations

1.) I think this blowout win was not as good as it appeared to be. They came out hot, but then slumped in between. Several dropped passes, three and outs, and a somewhat lazy defense allowed the rams to stay in the game (although it wasn't really anything to panic about). I guess what im saying is, I expected a score like this, but with Sorgi time coming a lot earlier in the game. There wasn't a lot that was bad, but the few times there was sloppy play need to be cleaned up as the Colts enter the meat of their schedule

2.) I think we still havent shaken off the injury bug, though it is far less sevee than previous years *knock on wood". Im not saying that this roster isn;t as healthy as years past, but today we saw injuries to Brown and Wayne. Wayne returned after suffering a "sprained groin" as they called it on the radio, but he came back and looked ok, so im not that concerned *knock on wood". Brown's looked a bit more serious as he had to warp it in ice, but also looks to be a minor one. Still, its frustrating to see these things happen when you get players back only to have new ones possibly showing up on the injury report. (I know ive already done this twice, but we cant afford anymore damnit! *knock on wood")

3.) I think we are going to show more creativity on defense. With the return of Kelvin Hayden and Bob Sanders, I think the reason the Colts played a sort of vanilla defense, is because Coyer is keeping some things close to the chest. Today seemed more of a test drive for Sanders and Hayden to shake off the rust (which they were early on). I dont think Coyer will be too cute with this defense, however, with Hayden being a better cover guy than Jennings and with Powers and Lacey showing similar abilities to Hayden, I wouldn't be surprised to see more blitzes from Bobzilla and other players, leaving our corners, at times, one on one. (mind you I still love the Tampa 2, so dont go thinking im hoping for the colts to turn into blitzburgh or anything

4.) I think special teams is still an issue that can haunt the Colts. Via 18 to 88, I found this tidbit from the game

Field position. Indy started at the 10, 22, 4, 14, STL 41, 7, 2, 31, 7, and STL 31. That's 6 drives starting inside the 15 yard line.

Although the Colts offense is capable of scoring from almost anywhere on the field, the likely hood of getting points from consistently starting inside your own 15 is very unlikely. The Colts must find a way to generate some sort of a decent return game or at least a way to force there opponents to punt from an area that will provide breathing room for the offense.

5.) I think the race in both the AFC East and North are going to be interesting down the stretch. The Steelers have ripped off a few nice wins to nearly tie the Bengals for the lead in the North and the Ravens arent too far behind. While it seems like the Patriots are dominating the East, I wouldn't bury the Dolphins or Jets just yet. The Jets are a little iffy, given that they have a rookie QB, but there D can play, and as for the Dolphins, they played a very good Saints team tough and couldn't manage to put the game away. But as history has shown us, the Dolphins always give the Patriots fits and are normally good for at least one win against their division tyrant.

Gonzo nearing return to practice

metal_militia — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:13:46 -0000

Gonzo nearing return to practice

More good news on the injury front

Colts/Patriots Old School

metal_militia — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:23:25 -0000

Colts/Patriots Old School

Long before Manning and Brady there was... uh...hmm. Im not sure who the QB's were back then

Five Things I Think I Know: Bye Week Edition

metal_militia — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:21:58 -0000

No Colts football today, but still plenty of observations

1.) I think football is a little less fun to watch when the Colts don't play. I mean, there are normally plenty of good, entertaining games to watch on almost any given week, but this week just flat out sucked. The over time games between the Jets and Bills was making my eyes bleed and the Giants/Saints game was very disappointing to say the least. I hope that the two prime-time games offer some more excitement. The one coming up right now looks like it could (and hopefully will be) shaping out to be a good one.

2.) I think Mark Sanchez has hit the rookie wall. I'm not sure who said it, but I remember hearing one player from the Vikings say that you cant avoid the rookie wall. Somewhere down the line Sanchez will look like a rookie and the last two weeks have finally exposed him. For this reason the Jets don't scare me as much as the other powers in the AFC. Not only because of Sanchez as a rookie, but also Manning has had a good history against Rex Ryan defenses.

3.) I think trading for Barrett Ruud would be a great move. Well this is opinion is obviously shared by everyone, but It Ill provide my reasoning. If we can acquire Ruud for a reasonable price (its either 2nd round or nothing for me), then it will not only bolster an already solid LB corp to elite level, but it will also give the Colts some insurance for Brackett. It will provide a guy who has played MLB if Brackett gets injured again and it could also give the Colts leverage if they decide not to resign Brackett at the end of the year.

4.) I think the AFC East is going to come down to the Patriots and Dolphins. The Patriots were a given as they are always contenders, but I never felt that the Dolphins were as bad as their record indicated. These last 3 weeks were indicative of that as they ripped off 2 straight against division rivals. Given that they always give the Patriots fits, I anticipate a tight finish for division supremacy.

5.) I think the Colts will get a trade done for a player before the deadline. With the Colts already inquiring about two players, its become apparent that they will land someone that either fits a need or the system to upgrade this team. If the two rumored trades for either Ruud or kicker returner Josh Cribbs don't go through, don't be surprised to see a name like Glenn Dorsey come up in another trade rumor.

Trade Possibilities

metal_militia — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:07:15 -0000

No this isn't a post mimicking Farris' post. In the wake of the shocking news of the Colts cutting Ed Johnson and with the October 20th trade deadline looming, I couldn't help but think that a possible trade could occur. This isn't a desperate situation as it was in years past, but Polian has never been afraid to make a move to improve the team to provide the best roster capable of winning the Lombardi Trophy. Here is a list of potential targets the Colts may try and acquire.

1.) Glen Dorsey: A very talented tackle from last years draft out of LSU. The abilities he displayed in college are very reminiscent to that of a Tampa-2 tackle, He hasn't really shown it in his first two years in Kansas City (although part of that can be attrabuted to KC switching to a 3-4) but we have seen the Colts attempt to acquire another struggling tackle, John McCargo.

2.) Joshua Cribbs: The Colts have always been lacking a playmaker on special teams. Cribbs can offer such a player if he was traded to the Colts. Based on what I read over at the Phinsider, the Dolphins have inquired about his services giving me the impression that the Browns might be willing to part ways with him. The only downside might be the asking price. We all saw the steep price the Jets had to pay for one of the most overrated receivers in the game.

3.) Adam Carriker: I beieve there was a rumor the Colts had vested interest in this kid last year. With the way the Rams are playing, maybe the Colts can get a second shot at acquiring him for a low price. He is very athletic and has the body type of a Tampa 2 DT.

Do any of you guys have a player who might be on the market which might fit the bill for the Colts?

Five Things I Think I Know: Week 5 Edition

metal_militia — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:36:03 -0000

I like what I'm seeing from this team entering the bye week and I think they can only get better. Here is my five.

1.) I think the Colts have the bye week at a perfect time. We have several key players that are injured, but can likely return at anytime, so the bye week alleviates any pressure on them to play. It also provides the players and coaches time to assess these first five weeks and fix any weaknesses on the team (which are very few). So far the only concern I have going in, is the blocking up front.

2.) I think that our run defense is legit. I was close to being sold on it a couple of weeks earlier, but felt the defense needed to be truly tested against one of the leagues more premier backs. Chris Johnson is one of them and desptie the fact the the Titans have been so bad, Johnson has been one of the lone bright spots. Our defense just totally dominated the Titans rum defense today and even stopped them when they were being held. It will only get better once said key players are back.

3.) I think the Colts need to start moving Ugoh around and find a new place for him. It is clear now that Tony Ugoh is not an NFL left tackle after tonight's disastrous performance. If Polian doesn't want him to become a total bust, they must shift him to a guard or play him at RT and see how he does. The one thing Ugoh does well, is run block. Perhaps if he plays at guard, we can finally get some holes open on the right side... where another bust looking player may have to find a different position to play.

4.) I think we can never rule out the possibility of a trade next week. Remember, week 6 is the trade deadline and as we have seen in the past, Bill Polian isn't afraid to pull the trigger on a potential trade to make this team better. This year, there aren't as many issues or at least aren't as huge as opposed to 2006 or 2008. However, there are still issues non the less and perhaps Polian might target an offensive linemen.

5.) I think that despite all the bad blocking tonght and the lackluster running game, it wasn't as bad as tonight indicated. The Titans are allowing less that 3 yards a carry. Its not easy to run on them and tonights game was evident of that. I know ive used my two earlier "thoughts" to criticize the running game and the blocker, but in a way, I kind of felt it was exted that Tennessee was going to have success in at least that category.