Luck Could Pull Upset Due To Porous Pats D

[krunk]

http://nesn.com/2012/11/andrew-lucks-ability-to-exploit-struggling-patriots-defense-could-see-colts-pull-upset/

[Smonroe]

http://nesn.com/2012/11/andrew-lucks-ability-to-exploit-struggling-patriots-defense-could-see-colts-pull-upset/

Yeah, I don't think our offense is going to be the problem. Except for maybe getting on the field enough times to keep up with theirs.

Hey, I could be totally wrong and it could be a 13-10 game. I almost couldn't finish typing that without laughing.

[SteelCityColt]

6-3, Vinnie gets it done against his old team.

Ahh is it time for my afternoon medication.

[lollygagger8]

I wonder if Aqib Talib will be a difference maker for the Pats? Was he that good in Tampa Bay?

[SteelCityColt]

I wonder if Aqib Talib will be a difference maker for the Pats? Was he that good in Tampa Bay?

Good question, I've never seen much of him so I can't say, but the game may come down to whose secondary shows up.

[krunk]

Yeah, I don't think our offense is going to be the problem. Except for maybe getting on the field enough times to keep up with theirs.

Hey, I could be totally wrong and it could be a 13-10 game. I almost couldn't finish typing that without laughing.

In some ways this game reminds me of the 2003 Colts when we had to go to Arrowhead to face the Chiefs in the playoffs and that number one offense they had that year. There's plenty of similarities, although there are some differences too. Many people said we couldn't go into Arrowhead and win that game. This year I have more confidence in our defense than I did that year. I also have the same feeling about the Pats game that I did when we were heading into the Chiefs game. I think we are going to pull out a win.

[krunk]

I wonder if Aqib Talib will be a difference maker for the Pats? Was he that good in Tampa Bay?

I think Reggie is going to have his way with Talib. I've only seen Reggie ineffective in one game this year and that was against the Jets. Talib is not as good as Antonio Chromartie. Plain and simple!

[betheafan41]

I wonder if Aqib Talib will be a difference maker for the Pats? Was he that good in Tampa Bay?

no, not really! he is a decent CB but he tends to get beat and if he is covering Hilton or Avery it will be a long game for him especially if B.A. tests it out early in the game by going deep on Talib he will see a matchup change.

[betheafan41]

I think Reggie is going to have his way with Talib. I've only seen Reggie ineffective in one game this year and that was against the Jets. Talib is not as good as Antonio Chromartie. Plain and simple!

that is if Talib is even covering wayne. they may put Arrington or McCourty on him. right now the patriots website still has talib as the third CB behind Arrington also.

[betheafan41]

oh wow, i just noticed i passed 1,000 posts!! :party:

[krunk]

that is if Talib is even covering wayne. they may put Arrington or McCourty on him. right now the patriots website still has talib as the third CB behind Arrington also.

Those would be even worse decisions! Wayne would kill either of those guys.

[Kenny]

I think Reggie is going to have his way with Talib. I've only seen Reggie ineffective in one game this year and that was against the Jets. Talib is not as good as Antonio Chromartie. Plain and simple!

He still got 70 yards if I remember correctly, better than the 1 rec for 1 yard against Revis in 2010 .

[Restored]

The funny thing is, its a bit of an identity change. Now it appears we will have to have a solid running game to control the clock and keep Brady and co. Off the field. If we can get Luck to go on some long TD drives that milk the clock, we could pull the upset.

[betheafan41]

Those would be even worse decisions! Wayne would kill either of those guys.

Talib isnt much better then those other two either.

[BradyMVPMontana]

Be careful, Aqib Talib is a very good cornerback that can hit, tackle and ball hawk. And he is by far easily the most underrated cornerback in the NFL, not marketable because he played in Tampa Bay, but made alot of plays. That move could very well solidy the NE secondary, and make life hard for Andrew Luck. Especially if they move McCourty to Safety, leaving Alphonzo Dennard to start and Kyle Arrington or Ras-I Dowling in the slot. And to note, even with Secondary struggles, this group still knows how to make key interceptions, forced fumbles and turnovers at just the right time, credit to Bill Belicheck. So he can't just air it out, still has to be decisive and judicous with the ball.

[krunk]

Be careful, Aqib Talib is a very good cornerback that can hit, tackle and ball hawk. And he is by far easily the most underrated cornerback in the NFL, not marketable because he played in Tampa Bay, but made alot of plays. That move could very well solidy the NE secondary, and make life hard for Andrew Luck. Especially if they move McCourty to Safety, leaving Alphonzo Dennard to start and Kyle Arrington or Ras-I Dowling in the slot. And to note, even with Secondary struggles, this group still knows how to make key interceptions, forced fumbles and turnovers at just the right time, credit to Bill Belicheck. So he can't just air it out, still has to be decisive and judicous with the ball.

Talib is a good player, but you're grasping at straws. He's not a shutdown corner. He couldn't even solidify the Tampa secondary, much less that group he's with now. Wayne is double teamed almost every single game, and he still dominates. Talib will not be able to do the job by himself this Sunday.

[cbear]

I think the O will put up good yardage type numbers, but they have to do better in the red zone. Brady is going to score TDs. FGs aren't going to help us.

[DoomOf21]

Be careful, Aqib Talib is a very good cornerback that can hit, tackle and ball hawk. And he is by far easily the most underrated cornerback in the NFL, not marketable because he played in Tampa Bay, but made alot of plays. That move could very well solidy the NE secondary, and make life hard for Andrew Luck. Especially if they move McCourty to Safety, leaving Alphonzo Dennard to start and Kyle Arrington or Ras-I Dowling in the slot. And to note, even with Secondary struggles, this group still knows how to make key interceptions, forced fumbles and turnovers at just the right time, credit to Bill Belicheck. So he can't just air it out, still has to be decisive and judicous with the ball.

I never understood the concept of forcing turnovers at the "right time". If you are capable of forcing turnovers, why not do it all the time and not just selectively "when the moment is right!!!", like this years Chicago bears?

You might be right though, I don't really know how capable the cornerbacks are for the Pats. All they have to do is be serviceable. If they hold the Colts offense to only 20 points it sure could be a victory for the Pats. We shall see though.

[manning04]

Talib can and has made some plays in his career. i hear Mccourty is being moved to safety so i can see him in the back picking up wayne when he reaches that level and Talib breaking off to get anything underneath. gonna be a interesting chest match when we have the ball. I know NE has a consistent run D. Our ability to run will be the key in pulling off an upset or getting a 35-9 type of defeat.

[JimJaime]

Be careful, Aqib Talib is a very good cornerback that can hit, tackle and ball hawk. And he is by far easily the most underrated cornerback in the NFL, not marketable because he played in Tampa Bay, but made alot of plays. That move could very well solidy the NE secondary, and make life hard for Andrew Luck. Especially if they move McCourty to Safety, leaving Alphonzo Dennard to start and Kyle Arrington or Ras-I Dowling in the slot. And to note, even with Secondary struggles, this group still knows how to make key interceptions, forced fumbles and turnovers at just the right time, credit to Bill Belicheck. So he can't just air it out, still has to be decisive and judicous with the ball.

huh?? Talib hasn't even taken a snap as a pat yet and you think he is Revis!?! As for being an excellent TO D you are right seems the Pats are excellent at the strip sack, seem they get one a game almost. I expect the Pats d play a lot better than last week and allow roughly 17-24 points and the Pats win 38 to whatever.. I just cant see the Colts D staopping both the Pats Passing attack and or the run.. I think both go off on sunday ridley with 110 yrds and 2 TD and Brady w 300+ and 2tds... but I been wrong before so..

[shakedownstreet]

if we don't cough up the rock, we will win this game

[JimJaime]

if we don't cough up the rock, we will win this game

Hey shakedown,

I think you keep it close with no TO but in the end Brady teaches the student ;)

[Jules]

I think you keep it close with no TO but in the end Brady teaches the student ;)

Well, Luck is already 1-0 vs. an "elite #12" in this league. Maybe he can make it 2-0.......

[Flying Elvis]

There's more to the Patriots than their porous defense. They did after all represent the AFC in the Super Bowl last year. Add a decent running game to their already potent offense and Brady and company are nearly unstoppable. Talib could help the defense eventually, though I'm not sure how much this Sunday. Reggie Wayne is having a great season but it's not the first time the Patriots have faced him. It should be a close, high scoring game.

[shakedownstreet]

luckstrong

[Warhorse]

Brady can carve our secondary.

Luck can carve their secondary.

Who gets the TO's and who gets the ball last.

[krunk]

There's more to the Patriots than their porous defense. They did after all represent the AFC in the Super Bowl last year. Add a decent running game to their already potent offense and Brady and company are nearly unstoppable. Talib could help the defense eventually, though I'm not sure how much this Sunday. Reggie Wayne is having a great season but it's not the first time the Patriots have faced him. It should be a close, high scoring game.

It is the first time they have faced him in the current offense we are running. An offense that is completely different from the times you have faced our team. In this offense Wayne is often open because he's always in motion lining up on different sides of the field, and running out of bunch sets where nobody can get there hands on him. He's only been slowed down once this year, and that was by Cromartie. I don't even know if I want to say slowed down because Luck had a bad game in that one.

[Corndog]

I am not going into this game too confident and neither should this team. While the Colts have won their last two road games, they cannot forget the awful performances against the Bears and Jets, both on not just road games, but places that were difficult to play. Jacksonville was only half full at the beginning of the day, and by the 2nd half it probably just felt like playing practice with a pretty much empty stadium. Gillette stadium is a volatile place for road teams, even when there isn't a foot of snow on the ground. The Patriot's defense isn't what it used to be, but they still get turnovers and their offense is very good at capitalizing on them. Luck and the rest of the Colts offense has to execute extremely well and can't afford to get away with the mindless penalties and mistakes they did against lesser teams. Even though the Patriots defense isn't the best, their offense is, and that means the Colts offense has to play at their top form to even have a chance in this game.

The real question mark in this game and the part that gives the Colts a chance to win this game is the defense. While the offense can easily lose with bad play, the offense can't win by themselves, they just aren't ready to do that yet. The defense has to make big plays and force the Patriots offense to make mistakes and stop them from converting atleast a few times, a turnover could be huge. If this becomes a complete shoot out the Patriots are guarenteed to win, there is no way the Colts can simply outscore them. If the Colts defense can hold the Patriots at 21 points or less, this can be a game,that's a big if and extremely difficult, but I don't think it's impossible.

[southwest1]

http://nesn.com/2012...lts-pull-upset/

Great article krunk!

I love what Andrew Luck said right here:

"“I think their front four is incredibly stout. [Vince] Wilfork is one of the best nose tackles/interior guys in the League,” Luck added. “They have very good edge rushers on the sides. They do get to the quarterback and even if it’s not a sack, they sort of harass, force a quarterback out of the pocket.”

Luck is so darn smart!

[krunk]

Great article krunk!

I love what Andrew Luck said right here:

"“I think their front four is incredibly stout. [Vince] Wilfork is one of the best nose tackles/interior guys in the League,” Luck added. “They have very good edge rushers on the sides. They do get to the quarterback and even if it’s not a sack, they sort of harass, force a quarterback out of the pocket.”

Luck is so darn smart!

What I thought was smart was this. He quietly disses the secondary and linebackers, but you don't notice it until you think about it. He gives all recognition to the front 4, and no recognition whatsoever to the secondary or linebackers. Actually when I go back and read it he says they do a good job of mixing up coverages, but he never goes into detail about anything else like he does with the front 4. Translation "the front 4 is the biggest threat on you guys team. I can handle the rest!"

[southwest1]

What I thought was smart was this. He quietly disses the secondary, but you don't notice it until you think about it. He gives all recognition to the front 7, and no recognition whatsoever to the secondary. Actually when I go back and read it he says they do a good job of mixing up coverages, but he never goes into detail about anything else like he does with the front 7. Translation "the front 7 is what I need to be worried about"

You know that is a very perceptive insight on your behalf my friend. What you elaborate on indicates your concern; what you gloss over indicates what a person deems trivial or insignificant. Well stated Krunk! ;)

[Tark The Shark]

If Luck has a big day and we commit 0 turnovers, we could very well win the game.

It will be very difficult with New England's Talib and McCourty.

Defenses will be essential to whoever wins.

[southwest1]

You know, just once, when #18's name comes up in a comparison question, I want Luck to say this:

"I respect the future HOF QB for what he has done for this city & this franchise & I wish him well in Denver, but this is a new era; a new team and I must lead this franchise down the road now. Peyton is no longer here. I am. Next question."

[krunk]

You know that is a very perceptive insight on your behalf my friend. What you elaborate on indicates your concern; what you gloss over indicates what a person deems trivial or insignificant. Well stated Krunk! ;)

To be honest, although I have been dissing them I think the Pats defense may come out and play with some vigor. I think they are getting motivated because if you have been on the Patriots website like I have listening to every single interview more than once. Those news reporters are getting them to the point where they may hate Luck. All the interviews (even with the offensive players) begin with "So what do you think about Andrew Luck?" "He's a pretty dangerous player right?" "Have you watched the film, he can really hurt you with his legs huh?" "He's a really smart player isn't he?". Just as an observer I started getting ticked off with all the Luck questions myself, so I know they are quietly chomping at the bit to lay some licks on Andrew just because of the media constantly drooling over Luck. That's why I say they are probably going to play with a lot of passion.

I still think we'll be able to deal with them though.

[southwest1]

"Oh, and Reggie Wayne certainly doesn’t hurt either."

I must complement Reggie too. Not only did he decide to retire here in INDY; he is playing with a passion and a fire uncharacteristic of a seasoned veteran his age in the NFL. It's remarkable actually. It is directly attributable to his previous relationship with Chuck Pagano at the University of Miami? Yeah probably. I don't care for the reason Reggie just keep ballin' man and playing lights out.

[southwest1]

To be honest, although I have been dissing them I think the Pats defense may come out and play with some vigor. I think they are getting motivated because if you have been on the Patriots website like I have listening to every single interview more than once. Those news reporters are getting them to the point where they may hate Luck. All the interviews (even with the offensive players) begin with "So what do you think about Andrew Luck?" "He's a pretty dangerous player right?" "Have you watched the film, he can really hurt you with his legs huh?" "He's a really smart player isn't he?". Just as an observer I started getting ticked off with all the Luck questions myself, so I know they are quietly chomping at the bit to lay some licks on Andrew just because of the media constantly drooling over Luck. That's why I say they are probably going to play with a lot of passion.

I still think we'll be able to deal with them though.

The way I read that Krunk is that these reporters only deem Luck a legitmate threat not Ballard, Brazill, Brown, Butler, Hilton, Fleener, Shipley, Angerer, the list goes on and on. Clearly, they don't view the rest of the team a threat. No problem. Let's settle this issue on Sunday mosquioto/Malaria style baby! It works for me man. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady clearly grasp what our team brings to the table. Count on it.

[krunk]

The way I read that Krunk is that these reporters only deem Luck a legitmate threat not Ballard, Brazill, Brown, Butler, Hilton, Fleener, Shipley, Angerer, the list goes on and on. Clearly, they don't view the rest of the team a threat. No problem. Let's settle this issue on Sunday mosquioto/Malaria style baby! It works for me man. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady clearly grasp what our team brings to the table. Count on it.

Yeah when I listened to Bellichicks conference from today he said the Colts skill positions on offense are very dangerous. Definitely has his attention.

[Andy]

The exact same can be said about Tom Brady and our pass D, and that Brady is much better than Luck right now.

[Ohio Colt]

Not sure what the O/U is in this game, but take the over in our game with the under in the Steelers/Ravens game parlayed and you could make some good money.

[YOUR GM]

Arians needs to use the same gameplan he used against the Pats last year, as OC of the Steelers. They won the game because they won the time of possession with a short, ball control passing attack. They limited the number of snaps Brady was able to get by keeping him off the field. We have to do the same this year. If this turns into a shootout, we don't win, plain and simple. The final score needs to be in the 20-17 or 23-20 range, in order for us to win, IMO