It's not often in this league that we get to mark excellence of this magnitude, so I'm taking this opportunity to commemorate this occasion.

As of this moment Austin Collie, the Colts' 2009 4th round pick, and rightful owner of the 2009 offensive Rookie of the Year award, leads the league...that's right, the ENTIRE league...in reception yardage, with 359 yards over 3 games and 4 touchdowns.

This speaks to three things:

1. Austin Collie's incredible drive to work hard and excel. Let's not downplay his personal accomplisment. At this rate, Collie would break 2,000 yards this season. This is certainly not likely to happen, but you get the sense of his achievement over the last 3 games.

2. Bill Polian's expertise. Every team in the NFL passed this guy over at least twice. Polian saw in him the raw materials it takes to succeed in this league.

3. Peyton Manning's skill. If you're willing to put in the time and the effort, Peyton will turn you into a star, by hitting you in perfect stride when you get open. That's what the greatest of all time can do for you.

Extra props to all the fantasy owners who took a flyer and are now laughing in the faces of their opponents, as their 3rd or 4th receiver torches the field for the highest scores in the first 2 out of 3 weeks.

Congrats Austin Collie. We can't wait to see what you do the next 13+ weeks.

[Editor's Note]: I did some re-formatting so this FanPost would look a little better on the frontpage. Please rec it because it's good. --bbs

So there's a growing chorus among the talking heads that channel and shape NFL fan opinion. It goes a little something like this:

"An 18-game season is happening, and it's a good thing. Think about it: More football! Less preseason!"

Sounds appealing, right? I mean, we all want more football. But let's not beat around the bush: A longer season, while it may benefit the NFL, would be absolutely terrible for the GAME. Let's go through my reasoning; if you disagree, let me have it, but I don't think you will.

Poll

18 Games?

22%

Hell yes, more football is better football!

147 votes

73%

Hell no, it ain't broke, don't go fixing it!

482 votes

3%

Hell no, the preseason is fun!

24 votes

653 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

Well everyone, I'm back. I know you missed me (who are you again?), and after taking a few weeks to heal up, I'm ready to love again. The combine, the draft, OTAs, all the football goodness is coming back around and it feels great. But before we go on to the 2010 season, let's take one last look back at MY 2009 season.

For those of you with steel-trap memories, WAAAAY back last July I made this fanpost detailing the 10 reasons why the Colts would take home the Lombardi trophy, and by god I was one quarter away from getting to say "I told you so". But I did ALMOST "told you so". Let's run through my ten picks and see how they held up (or didn't hold up, as the case may be).

Poll

How many of my predictions made you think I have supernatural powers?

19%

You didn't get ANY of them right. You suck

8 votes

50%

Incredible, you did as well as a coin flip.

21 votes

30%

Peter King could make better predictions than you.

13 votes

42 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

Not forever, just for now. I can't participate in any football talk right now...probably not for several weeks or more.

 

It's been a hell of a ride, but illusions have been shattered and I need some time to recover.

Come draft time I'll be right back with you guys, pulling for the horse.

But this one hurts.

The ones you give away with bad decisions hurt. They hurt bad.

 

And Peyton: If you're not careful, you're gonna turn into Brett Favre.

 

Later guys.

Colts Upgrade Aerial Attack With F-22 Raptor

via www.theonion.com

Freaking priceless. All I can think is, where could the F22 possibly contribute in the passing game? It would just take a starting spot away from Austin Collie.

I know a lot of people have been posting the Onion, but they've been doing some great Super Bowl themed stuff. They have a whole Sports section so you can follow the comedic failure of your team.

So I as a football fan I love the Saints. Tons of fun to watch, lots of good guys that win in the right ways, Brees is an excellent QB. I'm definitely not saying that it won't be a tough game, though the Colts D matches up very well with the Saints offense. But one of the most mystifying things I've read in the past few days is that the Saints have a good defense. I think that's a myth of perception, and I will explain why.

Poll

Saints D, Outstanding or Overrated?

43%

Outrated

75 votes

15%

Overstanding

27 votes

40%

Some other thing

70 votes

172 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

I don't want this to ramble or get too self-indulgent, but I got married on Friday in a small civil service in Denmark. We didn't want to make too big a fuss about it so we kept it quiet, but after this great victory I just thought I would share with the community one of my recent joys.

And I also wanted to personally thank the Indianapolis Colts for this wonderful wedding present, a second AFC championship in four years, and a Super Bowl berth. I know you guys are even happier than I am right now, but I just wanted to say it means the world to me, and I take it as a positive sign that my life is on the right course.

By the way, I also wanted to mention that our anniversary is the 8th of February, and if you wanted to get us something for that, too, I'd really appreciate it.

 

Go Horse

Oi


I'm too mad to say that much, I'll just let him speak for himself.

"I think no coach or GM needing a veteran receiver could seriously consider bringing Marvin Harrison in after reading the damning GQ piece by Jason Fagone. The writer describes in vivid detail Harrison allegedly emptying the chambers from two pistols into the car of a rival on a Philadelphia street in 2008 -- bullets that allegedly hit a bystander and shattered the window in another car and injured a young child in the car? The same story described Harrison "noisily stomping the fat man in the face and gut'' before firing all the shots at his car. Either Harrison is a guy who's gotten away with a brazen crime because of the code of silence on the streets of Philadelphia -- or he has one heck of a lawsuit to file. It's amazing to me this case is languishing."

REALLY? Really, Peter? "The writer describes in vivid detail Harrison allegedly..." If he describes it in vivid detail, then it surely must have happened, right? Then why all the "allegedly"? You're clearly implying that there can be no doubt of the story.
Except you HAVE to write "allegedly", don't you? Because you know that Harrison DOES have a heck of a lawsuit to file, and you want no part of a libel trial. So you simply IMPLY libel, clearly endorsing claims that have no proof and have been found merit-less by the POLICE (who, and I'm just guessing, might know something you don't).
I don't know why people are still messing with this story, and after reading Peter give a tongue bath to Donte Stallworth, who actually DID drive drunk and kill a man, I can only assume he just wants to stir the pot. Consider the pot stirred, douchenozzle.

Let's take a moment to look back on this season. We're at the point in the playoffs when anything, really anything, can happen. The Colts are headed back to Lucas Oil for the AFC Championship Game, but from here on out there are no guarantees. And so it bears remembering all the amazing, jaw dropping, and hugely satisfying wins the Colts have delivered. The squeaker against the Dolphins, the unbelievable win against the Pats, 14-0 against the Jags...this season has been full of the absolute best kind of memories.

And yet, we may have just witnessed the MOST satisfying win of this season...maybe of the last couple of seasons.

Poll

Most satisfying moment last night?

10%

Ed Reed showing no field awareness

5 votes

2%

The refs actually calling holding for once

1 votes

16%

Austin Collie coming up big on the first play of his first playoff game

8 votes

18%

Mike Hart at FB

9 votes

8%

Ravens secondary getting worked

4 votes

6%

The Ray Lewis sad face

3 votes

0%

The Jerraud Powers pick to seal the deal

0 votes

38%

The end of the "r-word" discussion

19 votes

49 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

I've had a quite enough of this silly one, so let's be done with it.

I have seen time after time after time that the 2006 Colts is a lesson that not resting your starters gives you "momentum" that will help you be more successful. This is total nonsense, for three reasons.

Poll

Do you think the Colts are as well-positioned to win the Super Bowl this season as they were in 2006?

37%

Yes, clearly

43 votes

55%

No, they're better-positioned

64 votes

6%

No, they're worse off than in 2006

7 votes

0%

Other (explain in a comment)

1 votes

115 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

The seasonal awards cycle is in full swing. Much has been made about Michael Oher, Percy Harvin, even Knowshon Moreno. All of these guys have had solid rookie seasons, and you can make a case that any of them should be Offensive Rookie of the Year. But only one guy has really made a difference as a rookie, and that's our own #17, Austin Collie.

After the jump, we break down why Collie deserves the award more than anyone else, and why he won't get it.

Poll

Offensive Rookie of the Year?

3%

Michael Oher

5 votes

0%

Knowshon Moreno

1 votes

15%

Percy Harvin

20 votes

79%

Austin Collie

104 votes

0%

Mark Sanchize

1 votes

131 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

Our good friend shake n bake likes to talk about illusions a lot. Today I want to mention a very special kind of illusion. This is the illusion that appears when a disaster has unknowingly been averted.

Continue reading this post »

In the play-em, rest-em debate, for some reason 2007 is brought up as an example of the colts going one and done because they "lost momentum".

So let's set something straight.

The 2007 Colts did NOT lose their first playoff game because they rested players.

They lost it because the roster was DEVASTATED by injuries.

Poll

16-0, can you taste it?

91%

God yes

65 votes

8%

No thanks

6 votes

71 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

Now that the Colts have a division title in hand, the playoff scenarios are pouring in. And just like every year, like clockwork, the same silliness starts:

Gotta play the starters, even if there's nothing to win. Gotta keep em out there, keep em sharp. Gotta keep momentum.

Kravitz may be riding that train, but Polian isn't, and I'm DEFINITELY not, and it should really be obvious why.

Poll

Rest the starters?

40%

Yes

27 votes

29%

Of course

20 votes

29%

I think regular-season records are important

20 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

In retrospect, this move was a bigger surprise than it should have been. At the time we figured Ed had been caught with a blunt the size of an arm in his locker or something of that nature. Then there was speculation about a possible trade move that required him to be cleared off the roster. And now we're in the middle of questioning Ed Johnson's performance.

But the simplest (and by Occam's razor, the best) answer is something a little more mundane: Big Ed was the victim of a bad call by management and wound up as the odd man out.

Continue reading this post »

This hasn't gotten much mention that I've seen since Sunday's game, but I really wanted to bring it up.

 

When Edge touched the ball, the crowd stood up and cheered. When they played the tribute video, he got a standing ovation. Of course, as Colts fans, we expected this, but I was most interested in how it affected the announcers.

Continue reading this post »

I missed the game last night, was away from home for my GRE test (1530 for those of you wondering), but in the highlights I saw something I'm not sure I believe.

 

Was that Phillip Wheeler playing a down lineman on Jackson's interception? He brought great pressure off the edge and forced an early throw. For a standup guy, he looked pretty comfortable with his hand on the ground and beat two guys around the edge. Maybe this is why they let Howard go?

Everyone's gonna have their thoughts, so I just wanted to chime in. It's 7 am here in Germany so I'll be brief.

Continue reading this post »

Let's get one thing straight:

I'm a Homer with a capital H. In my mind, there has never been a better quarterback than Peyton Manning, and every year the Colts are the best team in football, and the only thing keeping them from the Lombardi Trophy is a conspiracy of bad trainers and corrupt officials, and possibly a jealous Zeus. So this ain't gonna be an unbiased FanPost. But I think you'll forgive me the indulgence when I say this year's Colts team is the best team in a LONG time, and only a hurricane or other supernatural intervention will deny them the Super Bowl. After the jump, I'll give you the rundown.

 

 

Continue reading this post »

The official player ratings for Madden 10 have been revealed over on ESPN.

 

http://espn.go.com/videogames/features/madden/madden10?teamId=10

 

We'll go through a couple of the more notable ones; who gets props and who gets snubbed?

Continue reading this post »

http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/nfl_tracker/posts/67181-agent-rex-grossman-will-visit-houston-texans?eref=fromSI

 

File this one under "Please God let this happen". If you thought the Rosencopter was great, imagine Indy playing the Texans twice a year with Grossman under center.

 

Those of you who were alive three years ago may remember Rex Grossman as the Indiana native son who did his home state the greatest service in history by lofting two awful interceptions, earning many Colts fans' vote for MVP of the game. Chicago is sick of him, but here in Indiana we can't get enough of the guy. So this new deal sounds almost too good to be true.

You might as well put Hayden down for two TDs a year if this thing goes through. Fingers crossed...

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afcsouth/0-10-38/Colts-notes-from-minicamp-practice.html

Kuharsky has some nice observations from Saturday's minicamp. Some important points:

 

1. Receiver order seems very much in flux, but everyone seems to be high on Garcon. The chief storyline of training camp, no doubt.

2. Charlie Johnson, Lilja and Mike Pollak were not working in the main line rotation. For the three guys who ought to represent the top of our guard depth, that's not a particularly great sign.

3. Jerraud Powers apparently made a nice break on a ball, showing good reaction and instincts. Corner depth is a big concern, so to see this guy work his way into the lineup would be great.

As Kuharsky says, you can't read too much into what goes on at minicamp. But since it's June, and between the Ko-Be-A Finals and baseball (snore), we're all dying for September. Anybody at Franklin College today with some other observations?

Like many, I was caught a little off guard by the Donald Brown pick. Don't get me wrong, I liked what I saw from him at the combine, and he's got some great moves. But I wasn't aware of him a really elite player. Of course, Polian is a pro and I'm certainly not arrogant enough to say that I'm a better talent evaluator than him. But I didn't see RB as a huge need.

 

Continue reading this post »

Great, crucial win by the colts this week. After an abysmal first half, they put everything together in the second. They never punted after halftime, put together long drives, converted key first downs, did everything they had to to win. But the best parts were some great performances from some downtrodden players.

Peyton Manning: What can you say? Best QB In football. 320 yards, 2 tds. Another great performance.

Joseph Addai: First 100 yard game this season, two TDs, doing it all over the field, including throwing some bone-shaking blocks. Good to have the Jaddai Master back, and the force is strong with him.

Dwight Freeney: What a beast. That's four sacks in two games, and he could not have made them at better times. One to stop the Texans on third down and hold them to a field goal, one at the end of the game to bleed the clock, put them in bad position, and force bad decisions. So great to see him back in top form, that last sack of Rosenfels was absolutely classic Freeney.

Marvin Harrison: What do you know. After a tough game Marvin bounces back with an utterly clutch performance. Nine grabs on a day that the Colts' recievers couldn't catch a cold. A million key first downs, including the last one that was the real backbreaker. And a TD grab that was a third or fourth effort. I hope everyone in the sports media takes note and issues full retractions (don't hold your breath).

Melvin Bullitt: Bullitt is having the kind of season that sent Antoine Bethea to the Pro Bowl last year. Of his four picks, three have been game-savers. True, he blew the tackle on the 71-yard run, but he more than made up for it. At the beginning of the season, I was mystified as to why the Colts would keep Bullitt on the roster over Brannon Condren (who I still really like). Mystery solved.

Clint Session: The early-season goat has evolved into a steel-spined run-stopper. His reads are improving every game. Tyjuan Hagler may have trouble getting his job back. Seven tackles on the day, a forced fumble, and a couple key stops in the first half to keep our heads above water.

Gutty win today, we're 6-4 and feeling better about the playoffs every week. Is it too early to say Super Bowl? Yes, yes it is. But the Colts, as a team and as individuals, proved that you count them out at your own peril.

OK, everyone gets a bad call once in a while. OK, the colts have made some dumb penalties and mistakes. OK, officials are human. With all that in mind, I want to set aside every single awful call from last night (illegal contact of Jackson? why, cause he stripped the receiver?) and focus in on what was truly an unforgivable error: the missed fumble.

It was the first quarter and the Colts were stoning the Titans. Keyunta Dawson hits Chris Johnson and the ball comes squirting out. Johnson was nowhere NEAR the turf, the Colts come up with the ball, the turnover flag is dropped and...nothing happens. No fumble is called, no recovery by the Colts, the Titans get the ball exactly where the COLTS came up with it not thirty seconds before. The replay shows a clear fumble, a challenge would be won without question, but...well, I guess that didn't happen. The refs just didn't SEE what they are paid to watch for above all else, even though tens of millions DID see it. Into the memory hole it goes, Titans come out with a field goal.

I understand that referees are human, but this is past the line of reasonable doubt. None of those official should ever work anything but high school games again.

There is something godawful wrong with our defense. It's not just the porous run D (if the linebackers play with speed and intelligence it can be suffocating), it's not just that we get pushed around by blockers. It's not just Tim Jennings. It seems like our defensive schemes never put our players in the right spots to make a play.

Continue reading this post »