Grades: Week 4 vs Titans

[Superman]

 

Box score

Callin 'em Out

Week 3 grades

 

Gonna start with the defense this week.

 

Defense, B: 47 plays, 261 yards, 16 first downs (9 passing, 4 rushing, 3 from penalty), 1/9 on third down, 2/3 in the red zone, 3 turnovers, 17 points; can't cover Delanie Walker, but other than that, the defense was strong
 
Defensive front: Shut down the run early, and they never really did anything until the game was pretty much over. Their backs combined for 45 yards on 11 carries, as they hardly even tried to run in the first half due to our offense dominating the clock. A handful of short or no gains, and the run defense was never really tested. That's just the way we like it. RJF has been in the opposing backfield a lot, and continued that against the Titans. The pass rush had to be manufactured with stunts, looping rushers, blitzes, etc., and was aided by GREAT coverage, but we sacked Whitehurst 3 times, and we pressured their QBs on 17 of 36 dropbacks. Those pressures led to 40 yards on scrambles, which is still an issue with our defense. Tackled reasonably well. Only 47 plays, so, everyone seemed fresh and energetic. No real complaints. B, pass rush is going to continue to be a problem, and we need to contain scrambling QBs better

 
Pass defense: Hard to be critical of anything, really. Got beat by Walker a couple of times, which is to be expected since our ILBs aren't great in coverage. But the TD was excellent coverage, just a great throw to a big, athletic TE. ::shrugs:: Vontae is The Eraser; he takes receivers off the map. If you line up on the left side of your offensive formation, just take a quick nap, because Vontae is shutting you down. Zero targets for him. Toler gave up some catches, but was tight in coverage most of the day, and tackled well. Butler and the safeties were good, and Adams got a couple of cheap picks. Landry had a decent game, but didn't really make any plays himself, so I think we'll be okay without him. Want a stat? Their QBs were 9/16 for 148 yards when throwing across the middle, with a TD and two INTs. They were 4/8 for 33 yards throwing to the outside (and all 8 of those were to the right side). Yeah. B, still soft across the middle, but part of that is by design

 

Offense, B: 82 plays, 498 yards, 31 first downs (21 passing,  7 rushing, 3 from penalty), 7/14 on third down, 4/6 in the red zone, 1 turnover, 41 points; dominant passing game, hurt ourselves with a turnover and several penalties
 
QB: Another star performance. Mostly perfect, really. I counted one time that he should have tried to scramble, and instead he forced one to Reggie across the middle. And then he had two bad passes in the first half, one of which was picked, and the other one should have been. Both on similar plays, too, where he had no business throwing the ball where he was. I'm not going to make any excuses for those two plays, as I watched them several times and can't understand what he thought he saw. Just bad. However, the other 38 dropbacks were masterful. Threw the ball as well as he ever has, led receivers beautifully, was on point with quick reads and sight adjustments, and just sliced the Titans up to every part of the field. He also ate their blitzes for lunch, and spit out the remains. Same with pretty much any zone coverage. And good heavens, the TD to Reggie? Perfect throw, and #87 knew just what to do with it. I have to knock him for the two bad throws, but it's hard to imagine Luck playing a better overall game than this. B+, only because the two throws were really bad
 
Backs / receivers / tight ends, B: 
Running game: First time this year I felt the run game wasn't satisfactory. No room to run, really, and that's after hyper-analyzing the unsuccessful rushing attempts. Richardson might have been slow through a couple holes, and had some opportunities to bounce it outside, but really, there was nothing there. A lot of people were ready to praise Bradshaw and Herron, but they didn't produce anything on the ground, either, and I can't blame them. Hopefully this gets better next week. C, very little production, but still dependent on a blocking unit that wasn't at its best
 
Passing game: The receivers got open, and caught the ball. For the first time this year, I thought we stressed the defense vertically, and right away, it paid off with the underneath stuff. Reggie still doesn't look fast, but is able to get separation at the top of his routes, no matter who's trying to cover him. Hilton and Nicks got behind the defense a couple times, but couldn't complete the plays due to penalties or really good desperation coverage. Luck also missed Nicks on an outside move, but he was throwing quick to pick up the first down. The TEs all made plays. Fleener kind of showed the ability we want to see on a regular basis. Doyle is just reliable. Allen is starting to look more like himself. Richardson dropped his first pass, but caught the next four, and was dangerous on a couple. Bradshaw was great on the TD, with the escort by Moncrief.  A, great game all the way around, led by Reggie and TY
 
OL / blocking:  Pretty well solid in pass protection. The gameplan helped, but Luck didn't face a lot of pressure. We picked up blitzes well, and the backs were good in pass pro (aside from one Bradshaw mistake). Gave up 11 pressures on 44 dropbacks, which isn't great, but most of the pressures came late in the play. Run blocking was a different story. Nothing doing, as we couldn't generate movement or provide running lanes with any regularity. The line didn't get blown back off the ball, but was more sloppy than overmatched, under-executing some assignments on pulls and on the edge, and just generally not finishing plays. Kind of frustrating, and the worst offenders were the tackles, who are the best players on the line. Louis wasn't great, but wasn't as bad as I originally thought, and Mewhort made some rookie mistakes. And then the penalties... nearly killed some drives, and would have been problematic against a better defense. The best run blocking came on toss plays, and we only called a couple of those. Hopefully Thornton's return will help, but I don't think his absence was the main reason for the poor run blocking, so... C+,  good protection, sloppy run blocking 

 
Special teams: Been saving the 'A' for a big play, and didn't have to wait long. The onside kick was executed perfectly, despite being completely out of place. Jack Doyle, Griff Whalen and Pat McAfee all deserve bonuses for that. To this point, only 2 onside kicks have been successful throughout the league, and we have both of them. AV was a perfect 2/2 on routine kicks, McAfee punted like a boss, all the kickoffs went out the back of the end zone, wake me if you've heard this before... The kicking is on point. Still nothing to speak of in the return game, but the offense doesn't seem to mind. A

Coaching / playcalling / game management, A-:
The defense is susceptible to passes over the short middle, partly because Jerrell Freeman is out, but partly because we vacate it so often. That's more acceptable when we have a pass rush, but we really don't, and now we're blitzing to create a pass rush, leaving us more vulnerable across the middle. We need a nickel backer or coverage safety who can handle TEs, but for right now, not much we can do scheme-wise. My only complaint with the defensive play calling. The middle blitzes and stunts were more effective this week. B, let's see some adjustments to take away the middle of the field
 
Offensive approach was basically the same as last week. I feel like Pep's gotten into a groove, and the route combinations are better than ever. Luck has a little more freedom with adjusting when the DBs play off, and that's a good thing. We used some backfield action on the end around and a FB dive to Bradshaw, and both plays showed some potential for some fakes and misdirection moving forward. I hope it comes. Also, still a good mix of play action, though I think there's room for more. A-

 
Whenever you call a surprise onside kick, and it works, there's no complaint from me. Weird and out of place, but it worked. The rest of the game was according to Hoyle. A
 
Game balls:
 

Reggie Wayne, if he can do this just four games after returning from an ACL, at nearly 36 years old, the league might be in trouble. And he stumbled his way out of a second TD. He continues to work his way up the record books, and is now in 7th place for receptions, and 10th place for yards. You go, Reggie.
 
Next, vs the Ravens, who have their own 35 year old terror at WR, and a much better overall team. Still, they don't win in Indianapolis, and John Harbaugh deserves to be drowned out by the crowd at LOS. Get that W!
 
GO COLTS!!!

[JColts72]

TE's a little low, as each scored TD's although Allen is looking more and more complete. Richardson has no burst, may be the slowest of all Colts backs.

[Yoshinator]

Good job Superman. It took me a second to realize while watching on gametracker that Vontae wasn't doing anything statistically because no one threw his way, and I'm glad you pointed that out. Fleener needs to be used more in the end zone as that is his strength and it could benefit the team a lot in those situations. Trent needs to get more receptions as well, like a 2 to 1 run to pass ratio in fact. He can turn a small reception into a solid gain when no one else is open and we should play to those strengths. TY and Reggie are doing great as well as Dwayne Allen. I thought I heard that Freeman was coming back next week, so if that's true he 'll help out with Owen Daniels and the Ravens. Same with Thornton, if he returns, I believe the Line will be better, though this will be our stiffest test for the Line to date next week. Enjoy the writeup as always!

[Nobody]

It's really uncanny how we never see Vontae except for the occasional great tackle, he is a shut down CB in my mind.

[SubZero]

TE's a little low, as each scored TD's although Allen is looking more and more complete. Richardson has no burst, may be the slowest of all Colts backs.

I feel like he over analysis plays and that makes him studder. Sometimes i see some burst but i think his vision really is his worst aspect of hos game.

[SubZero]

Good write up man! Enjoyed the read! In my opinion the play calling still hinders Luck. They have done a great job with passing plays but the running plays are way too predicable and they do it on almost all 1st downs.

[bestQBever]

It's really uncanny how we never see Vontae except for the occasional great tackle, he is a shut down CB in my mind.

Last season he was a bit inconsistent. The good Vontae was Unbeatable. The bad vontae was...bad.. This year he has yet to have a bad game and hopefully never will.

[JColts72]

The running game is so predictable with every 1st Pep runs-Like to see more play action

[SubZero]

Last season he was a bit inconsistent. The good Vontae was Unbeatable. The bad vontae was...bad.. This year he has yet to have a bad game and hopefully never will.

 

True that I love the good Vontae. Hopefully he doesn't have problems with Andre Johnson like last year.

[Superman]

The running game is so predictable with every 1st Pep runs-Like to see more play action

 

Meh.

 

The raw numbers support what you're saying. On first down play calls, it was 25 runs and 14 passes. One was a goal line play (Richardson TD), and another was a reverse (to Hilton for five yards). 

 

However, we were ahead most of this game, and by a comfortable margin. About 10 of those first down run plays came with us up by 3 scores, when we'd be playing more conservatively and trying to keep the clock running. Also, several of those first down run plays came after a pass for a first down. 

 

On the whole, I don't think these last two games are the games for us to be picking apart the first down run:pass ratio, given how quickly we've jumped out to multi-score leads. 

 

I do think more play action is in order, on any down. 

[NewEra]

Nice write up once again. Appreciate the time you out into it. Good job my man!

[Jason_]

As always great write up. I pretty much agree across the board though I'd probably bump luck up to an A-.

One thing I wanted to say was that I really liked that they stuck with the running game even though it wasn't working as well as it has been.

[Superman]

As always great write up. I pretty much agree across the board though I'd probably bump luck up to an A-.

One thing I wanted to say was that I really liked that they stuck with the running game even though it wasn't working as well as it has been.

 

That's fair on Luck. I'm sure I'll get some grief for that B+, but I watched those two plays over and over again, and can't, for the life of me, figure out what he thought he was doing. There were no open receivers in the area, as a matter of fact, the area was flooded with defenders. He never came back to the other side of the field, he never considered running with the ball. Just two of the worst throws you'll ever see him make in any game. Worse than any of his interceptions in the playoffs. 

 

Of course, he's never faced a Ray Horton defense before. He could have just been fooled, but I don't get it. Just terrible throws.

 

On the run game, it's hard to justify not running it when you're up 17 points for much of the game. I would like to see more play action, and if we keep banging the ball, it might help sell the run more when we do break out play action. It also helps to have live reps against a good defensive front, for coaching, for experience, etc. Hopefully it makes us better going forward.

[zhubaba]

That's fair on Luck. I'm sure I'll get some grief for that B+, but I watched those two plays over and over again, and can't, for the life of me, figure out what he thought he was doing. There were no open receivers in the area, as a matter of fact, the area was flooded with defenders. He never came back to the other side of the field, he never considered running with the ball. Just two of the worst throws you'll ever see him make in any game. Worse than any of his interceptions in the playoffs. 

 

Someone mentioned in another thread that when Luck and Hakeem Nicks were talking on the sidelines after the interception, Nicks appeared to be apologizing and taking responsibility which suggests that Nicks ran the wrong route on that play.  When these type of throws happen (with any QB, not just Luck), it's often because the QB and WR were not on the same page.

[HarryTheCat]

It's really uncanny how we never see Vontae except for the occasional great tackle, he is a shut down CB in my mind.

Yup...the hallmark of a shutdown CB is that you never really see much of him on TV.  They're just not throwing in Vontae's direction, so he and whoever he's covering just seem to disappear.  When you do see him, it's in the wide angle shots where they show him glued to some receiver who is having a quiet day. The only good news if you're covered by Vontae is that you aren't going to get hit a lot 'cause you ain't gettin' the ball.

[Le Neon]

Was very impressed with the aggression from the coaching staff. This was an important game, and the only real danger was letting Sankey and Greene get going on the ground. So we played aggressively to get an early lead, forced the ball into Whitehurst s hands and the game was over before it began. Brilliant.

[Superman]

Someone mentioned in another thread that when Luck and Hakeem Nicks were talking on the sidelines after the interception, Nicks appeared to be apologizing and taking responsibility which suggests that Nicks ran the wrong route on that play.  When these type of throws happen (with any QB, not just Luck), it's often because the QB and WR were not on the same page.

 

There was one where it looked like Luck was expecting Nicks to come back to the outside, but the area was still flooded with defenders. He never looked to the other side of the field, and he never looked to take off with the ball. It was just a bad decision.

[NewColtsFan]

Good write up man! Enjoyed the read! In my opinion the play calling still hinders Luck. They have done a great job with passing plays but the running plays are way too predicable and they do it on almost all 1st downs.

 

Here's one thing that I don't think was predictable.     We threw a lot against Tennessee, and didn't run nearly as much,  or as effectively as I or others would've predicted.

 

The Titan's entered ranked highly against the pass and ranked very poorly against the run.

 

Yet we came out throwing and threw more than I expected.    41 passes including 25 or 26 in the first half.   So, clearly Pep saw SOMETHING in the film that led him to believe that the Colts could pass successfully against them.   I think that deserves a shout-out.      This wasn't something he was forced into because the run got stuffed in the first half and so he had to change on the fly.    Clearly Pep came in wanting to pass early and often.     And it worked.

 

I know many here don't like giving Pep any credit (I'm not talking about SubZero, I don't know his view on Pep) but I thought he deserved a lot of credit for his play calling last week.

[OffensivelyPC]

I think you have to mention the TOP in this one under coaching/game management.  Granted, TOP is a team achievement, from coaching to the players, probably more than any other game statistic.  But in this game, the Titans TOP was a measley 17:39, with 12 drives total.  That's an average of 1:28 minutes per possession.  That in and of itself is fantastic.  But when you look at their TOP in the 3rd, they held the ball a little over half the quarter - 8:17 over 3 drives.  For the 9 drives in the other three quarters?  9 drives for  an average of 1:02 per drive.  

[NewColtsFan]

 

 

Box score

Callin 'em Out

Week 3 grades

 

Gonna start with the defense this week.

 

Defense, B: 47 plays, 261 yards, 16 first downs (9 passing, 4 rushing, 3 from penalty), 1/9 on third down, 2/3 in the red zone, 3 turnovers, 17 points; can't cover Delanie Walker, but other than that, the defense was strong

 

Defensive front: Shut down the run early, and they never really did anything until the game was pretty much over. Their backs combined for 45 yards on 11 carries, as they hardly even tried to run in the first half due to our offense dominating the clock. A handful of short or no gains, and the run defense was never really tested. That's just the way we like it. RJF has been in the opposing backfield a lot, and continued that against the Titans. The pass rush had to be manufactured with stunts, looping rushers, blitzes, etc., and was aided by GREAT coverage, but we sacked Whitehurst 3 times, and we pressured their QBs on 17 of 36 dropbacks. Those pressures led to 40 yards on scrambles, which is still an issue with our defense. Tackled reasonably well. Only 47 plays, so, everyone seemed fresh and energetic. No real complaints. B, pass rush is going to continue to be a problem, and we need to contain scrambling QBs better

 

Pass defense: Hard to be critical of anything, really. Got beat by Walker a couple of times, which is to be expected since our ILBs aren't great in coverage. But the TD was excellent coverage, just a great throw to a big, athletic TE. ::shrugs:: Vontae is The Eraser; he takes receivers off the map. If you line up on the left side of your offensive formation, just take a quick nap, because Vontae is shutting you down. Zero targets for him. Toler gave up some catches, but was tight in coverage most of the day, and tackled well. Butler and the safeties were good, and Adams got a couple of cheap picks. Landry had a decent game, but didn't really make any plays himself, so I think we'll be okay without him. Want a stat? Their QBs were 9/16 for 148 yards when throwing across the middle, with a TD and two INTs. They were 4/8 for 33 yards throwing to the outside (and all 8 of those were to the right side). Yeah. B, still soft across the middle, but part of that is by design

 

Offense, B: 82 plays, 498 yards, 31 first downs (21 passing,  7 rushing, 3 from penalty), 7/14 on third down, 4/6 in the red zone, 1 turnover, 41 points; dominant passing game, hurt ourselves with a turnover and several penalties

 

QB: Another star performance. Mostly perfect, really. I counted one time that he should have tried to scramble, and instead he forced one to Reggie across the middle. And then he had two bad passes in the first half, one of which was picked, and the other one should have been. Both on similar plays, too, where he had no business throwing the ball where he was. I'm not going to make any excuses for those two plays, as I watched them several times and can't understand what he thought he saw. Just bad. However, the other 38 dropbacks were masterful. Threw the ball as well as he ever has, led receivers beautifully, was on point with quick reads and sight adjustments, and just sliced the Titans up to every part of the field. He also ate their blitzes for lunch, and spit out the remains. Same with pretty much any zone coverage. And good heavens, the TD to Reggie? Perfect throw, and #87 knew just what to do with it. I have to knock him for the two bad throws, but it's hard to imagine Luck playing a better overall game than this. B+, only because the two throws were really bad

 

Backs / receivers / tight ends, B: 

Running game: First time this year I felt the run game wasn't satisfactory. No room to run, really, and that's after hyper-analyzing the unsuccessful rushing attempts. Richardson might have been slow through a couple holes, and had some opportunities to bounce it outside, but really, there was nothing there. A lot of people were ready to praise Bradshaw and Herron, but they didn't produce anything on the ground, either, and I can't blame them. Hopefully this gets better next week. C, very little production, but still dependent on a blocking unit that wasn't at its best

 

Passing game: The receivers got open, and caught the ball. For the first time this year, I thought we stressed the defense vertically, and right away, it paid off with the underneath stuff. Reggie still doesn't look fast, but is able to get separation at the top of his routes, no matter who's trying to cover him. Hilton and Nicks got behind the defense a couple times, but couldn't complete the plays due to penalties or really good desperation coverage. Luck also missed Nicks on an outside move, but he was throwing quick to pick up the first down. The TEs all made plays. Fleener kind of showed the ability we want to see on a regular basis. Doyle is just reliable. Allen is starting to look more like himself. Richardson dropped his first pass, but caught the next four, and was dangerous on a couple. Bradshaw was great on the TD, with the escort by Moncrief.  A, great game all the way around, led by Reggie and TY

 

OL / blocking:  Pretty well solid in pass protection. The gameplan helped, but Luck didn't face a lot of pressure. We picked up blitzes well, and the backs were good in pass pro (aside from one Bradshaw mistake). Gave up 11 pressures on 44 dropbacks, which isn't great, but most of the pressures came late in the play. Run blocking was a different story. Nothing doing, as we couldn't generate movement or provide running lanes with any regularity. The line didn't get blown back off the ball, but was more sloppy than overmatched, under-executing some assignments on pulls and on the edge, and just generally not finishing plays. Kind of frustrating, and the worst offenders were the tackles, who are the best players on the line. Louis wasn't great, but wasn't as bad as I originally thought, and Mewhort made some rookie mistakes. And then the penalties... nearly killed some drives, and would have been problematic against a better defense. The best run blocking came on toss plays, and we only called a couple of those. Hopefully Thornton's return will help, but I don't think his absence was the main reason for the poor run blocking, so... C+,  good protection, sloppy run blocking 

 

Special teams: Been saving the 'A' for a big play, and didn't have to wait long. The onside kick was executed perfectly, despite being completely out of place. Jack Doyle, Griff Whalen and Pat McAfee all deserve bonuses for that. To this point, only 2 onside kicks have been successful throughout the league, and we have both of them. AV was a perfect 2/2 on routine kicks, McAfee punted like a boss, all the kickoffs went out the back of the end zone, wake me if you've heard this before... The kicking is on point. Still nothing to speak of in the return game, but the offense doesn't seem to mind. A

Coaching / playcalling / game management, A-:

The defense is susceptible to passes over the short middle, partly because Jerrell Freeman is out, but partly because we vacate it so often. That's more acceptable when we have a pass rush, but we really don't, and now we're blitzing to create a pass rush, leaving us more vulnerable across the middle. We need a nickel backer or coverage safety who can handle TEs, but for right now, not much we can do scheme-wise. My only complaint with the defensive play calling. The middle blitzes and stunts were more effective this week. B, let's see some adjustments to take away the middle of the field

 

Offensive approach was basically the same as last week. I feel like Pep's gotten into a groove, and the route combinations are better than ever. Luck has a little more freedom with adjusting when the DBs play off, and that's a good thing. We used some backfield action on the end around and a FB dive to Bradshaw, and both plays showed some potential for some fakes and misdirection moving forward. I hope it comes. Also, still a good mix of play action, though I think there's room for more. A-

 

Whenever you call a surprise onside kick, and it works, there's no complaint from me. Weird and out of place, but it worked. The rest of the game was according to Hoyle. A

 

Game balls:

 

Reggie Wayne, if he can do this just four games after returning from an ACL, at nearly 36 years old, the league might be in trouble. And he stumbled his way out of a second TD. He continues to work his way up the record books, and is now in 7th place for receptions, and 10th place for yards. You go, Reggie.

 

Next, vs the Ravens, who have their own 35 year old terror at WR, and a much better overall team. Still, they don't win in Indianapolis, and John Harbaugh deserves to be drowned out by the crowd at LOS. Get that W!

 

GO COLTS!!!

 

 

Some random musing's if I may to your really well received weekly report cards....  (Thanks so much for doing these!   They're great talking points!)

 

As I just noted in another post, I'd like to give Pep a shout-out for seeing something on film that said we could pass on the Titans early and often.    They came highly ranked against the pass and very poor against the run,  and yet the opposite was true in the game.     But Pep clearly saw something on film during the week because our plan was clearly to come out passing.   I think we had 25 or 26 pass attempts in the first half.    

 

Also....   we're getting a lot of 3-step and 5-step reads and throws.   And the 7-step, Luck is often getting the ball out on rythem and not taking too long to throw.    That's what I'd like to continue to see,  so Props to Pep!    Seriously.

 

The Bradshaw at fullback dive was one of my favorite plays of the day!    LOVED seeing this!    It's a perfect change-up if Pep doesn't use it too much by going to the well too often, (which is a bad habit of his...)   I think Doyle at fullback is a complete revelation!     Seriously.

 

The Reggie TD catch I thought was terrific.    So smooth and matter of fact in his body movement that the DB didn't even see it coming.    I think the corner thought Reggie would catch it over his right (inside) shoulder and wasn't ready for the reverse pivot back-shoulder move.    Wow was that smooth......    and for a guy coming off a knee?   Nice...

 

Loved the reverse to TYH which I think came after a Titan's turnover.   Even though it only went for 5 yards,  it was close to breaking loose. 

 

Was pleased with Coby's two catches.   The long play with the diving catch down by the goal-line.   The Fleener-haters have no idea that that catch is not one that most NFL TE's could make that easily.   Then the next play was the TD, where Coby got mugged by a linebacker (called Holding)  and he threw off the defender and was wide open for the catch.   A more physical play which we don't see much of from Coby because he's often not in tight formation.    But he showed he can be.    Coby can be a really good weapon.

 

Finally.........   Luck.......

 

Glad you noted his two bad passes.    Sure feels like to me that even in his very good games,  he's going to have 1 or 2 plays (2 or 3 in the playoffs?)   where you just sit back and wonder.....   "What was he thinking?   What was he seeing?"     Either there's not a Colts receiver nearby....    or,  there's one,  but he's surrounded by 3 defenders!     My jaw dropped and my eyes bugged out on those two plays.    He's lucky it wasn't two picks.

 

Those will cost us against better teams.    Not sure quite how to get him out of that habit.   Feels funny to write about the guy's flaws when he was so dazzling the rest of the game,   but his mistakes are eye-popping.

 

Again,  thanks for doing this.   Makes for really good conversation!      

[Superman]

I think you have to mention the TOP in this one under coaching/game management.  Granted, TOP is a team achievement, from coaching to the players, probably more than any other game statistic.  But in this game, the Titans TOP was a measley 17:39, with 12 drives total.  That's an average of 1:28 minutes per possession.  That in and of itself is fantastic.  But when you look at their TOP in the 3rd, they held the ball a little over half the quarter - 8:17 over 3 drives.  For the 9 drives in the other three quarters?  9 drives for  an average of 1:02 per drive.  

 

I read somewhere that the Colts had the highest TOP in a non overtime game in 50 years or something like that. The Dolphins had higher TOP in that game in 2009, so that's not quite accurate, but I might be misremembering the stat. Either way, the point is that the TOP on Sunday was huge.

 

Game management, yeah, we jumped out on the Titans and dominated the clock in the first half. That was aided by the onside kick and the play calling, but also by the two TOs. 

[SubZero]

Here's one thing that I don't think was predictable. We threw a lot against Tennessee, and didn't run nearly as much, or as effectively as I or others would've predicted.

The Titan's entered ranked highly against the pass and ranked very poorly against the run.

Yet we came out throwing and threw more than I expected. 41 passes including 25 or 26 in the first half. So, clearly Pep saw SOMETHING in the film that led him to believe that the Colts could pass successfully against them. I think that deserves a shout-out. This wasn't something he was forced into because the run got stuffed in the first half and so he had to change on the fly. Clearly Pep came in wanting to pass early and often. And it worked.

I know many here don't like giving Pep any credit (I'm not talking about SubZero, I don't know his view on Pep) but I thought he deserved a lot of credit for his play calling last week.

Those are some good points! I do like peps passing play calling. And i actually like pep for the most part. He has been able to adapt week by week and make changes that he needs to.

Last year is a great example. Hamilton loves to use 2 TE sets with a FB or 3 TE sets. He also likes to use Wayne for intermediate routes and loves how he is a great possession receiver. But once Allen and Wayne went down with injuries then he switched to a no huddle fast pace offense to fit other players needs. Hilton can stretch the field, get separation with speed, and run after the catch. While Fleener is a way better receiver than a blocker. It worked for them.

[NewColtsFan]

Those are some good points! I do like peps passing play calling. And i actually like pep for the most part. He has been able to adapt week by week and make changes that he needs to.

Last year is a great example. Hamilton loves to use 2 TE sets with a FB or 3 TE sets. He also likes to use Wayne for intermediate routes and loves how he is a great possession receiver. But once Allen and Wayne went down with injuries then he switched to a no huddle fast pace offense to fit other players needs. Hilton can stretch the field, get separation with speed, and run after the catch. While Fleener is a way better receiver than a blocker. It worked for them.

 

For Pep,  the proof will be how he calls plays against really good teams...   like Baltimore this week and Cincy coming soon.   Sometimes it feels like my mother and your mother could calls plays against J'Ville and Tennessee.    They couldn't of course,  but it sure feels that way sometimes.

 

But how does Pep do against quality teams?    I'm a Stanford fan and I'm still withholding ultimate judgement until the end of this year....    and how he does in the Big Games is my test for him.    This is where guys earn their paychecks and -- frankly -- their jobs.    Got to put up some quality wins.  

 

Hey, we did last year against SF and Seattle and Denver....  so we know he can do it....   but the NFL is a "what have you done for me lately" league....   so, he's got to do it again.....     

 

Really, really looking forward to Sunday!   

[Superman]

Some random musing's if I may to your really well received weekly report cards....  (Thanks so much for doing these!   They're great talking points!)

 

As I just noted in another post, I'd like to give Pep a shout-out for seeing something on film that said we could pass on the Titans early and often.    They came highly ranked against the pass and very poor against the run,  and yet the opposite was true in the game.     But Pep clearly saw something on film during the week because our plan was clearly to come out passing.   I think we had 25 or 26 pass attempts in the first half.    

 

Lots of good thoughts. I pretty much agree across the board.

 

To the above, this is ironic to me. I agree with you, but in this thread, and in a BR article, people are critical of Pep's play calling, suggesting that we're still running the ball too much, specifically on first down. The BR article is basically taking the stance that Luck is succeeding in spite of Pep, without acknowledging how sloppy Luck was through the first two games of the season. It comes down to whatever is wrong is Pep, and whatever is right is Luck. And, to me, that leads to hyper-criticism of the gameplan, which is silly in a game like this.

 

We ran on first down because we were ahead by three scores most of the game. Through the second quarter, it was pretty much 50/50 on first down. And we scored 41 points on offense. We can nitpick some play calls with the benefit of hindsight, but in a game like this, where the only problems on offense were a silly interception and some early penalties, it seems pointless, and at times, two-faced. 

 

Also, I agree on Fleener. That first catch was a very good job by him to go get a pass that was a little further outside than he expected it to be. And then he shrugged off the hold and made the play anyways, nullifying the penalty. We want him to make the plays that he should make, given his body and ability, and that's what he did on Sunday. Just need him to keep doing that, and don't drop anymore TDs. 

[OffensivelyPC]

I read somewhere that the Colts had the highest TOP in a non overtime game in 50 years or something like that. The Dolphins had higher TOP in that game in 2009, so that's not quite accurate, but I might be misremembering the stat. Either way, the point is that the TOP on Sunday was huge.

 

Game management, yeah, we jumped out on the Titans and dominated the clock in the first half. That was aided by the onside kick and the play calling, but also by the two TOs. 

Yup, can't have a high TOP without proper clock management by the coaches and the players making hte plays.  That's why I kind of threw the qualifier out there in my original post that it's more of a team-wide accomplishment, and doesn't really fall on any one person or personnel group - kind of like wins. 

 

At any rate, as always, enjoyed the write up and hope we can continue the trend against hte Ravens.

[SubZero]

For Pep, the proof will be how he calls plays against really good teams... like Baltimore this week and Cincy coming soon. Sometimes it feels like my mother and your mother could calls plays against J'Ville and Tennessee. They couldn't of course, but it sure feels that way sometimes.

But how does Pep do against quality teams? I'm a Stanford fan and I'm still withholding ultimate judgement until the end of this year.... and how he does in the Big Games is my test for him. This is where guys earn their paychecks and -- frankly -- their jobs. Got to put up some quality wins.

Hey, we did last year against SF and Seattle and Denver.... so we know he can do it.... but the NFL is a "what have you done for me lately" league.... so, he's got to do it again.....

Really, really looking forward to Sunday!

Couldn't agree with you more! Cincy and Baltimore boast great defenses. If pep can get through those than I will be greatly impressed. Especially if he finds a way to run on those teams I will be doubly impressed!

This Sunday is going to either show which team is real. The one in week one and two, or the one in week three and four!

[ProblChld32]

Good write up!

[NewColtsFan]

Lots of good thoughts. I pretty much agree across the board.

 

To the above, this is ironic to me. I agree with you, but in this thread, and in a BR article, people are critical of Pep's play calling, suggesting that we're still running the ball too much, specifically on first down. The BR article is basically taking the stance that Luck is succeeding in spite of Pep, without acknowledging how sloppy Luck was through the first two games of the season. It comes down to whatever is wrong is Pep, and whatever is right is Luck. And, to me, that leads to hyper-criticism of the gameplan, which is silly in a game like this.

 

We ran on first down because we were ahead by three scores most of the game. Through the second quarter, it was pretty much 50/50 on first down. And we scored 41 points on offense. We can nitpick some play calls with the benefit of hindsight, but in a game like this, where the only problems on offense were a silly interception and some early penalties, it seems pointless, and at times, two-faced. 

 

Also, I agree on Fleener. That first catch was a very good job by him to go get a pass that was a little further outside than he expected it to be. And then he shrugged off the hold and made the play anyways, nullifying the penalty. We want him to make the plays that he should make, given his body and ability, and that's what he did on Sunday. Just need him to keep doing that, and don't drop anymore TDs. 

 

Oh.....   one last thought to share....  and I wasn't quite sure where to put it,  so this will have to do.....

 

But on either the first or second play of the game,  the Titans DL Jurrell Casey put an All-Pro move on Gosder.

 

Oh!   My!   God!!    It was freaking awesome!    And I'm not sure there was even much body contact.   At the snap,  Casey did some kind of Mixed Martial Arts looking moves with his arms and hands and that Cherilous looked completely flumoxed.  So off balance,  that Casey followed with a little Wax On; Wax Off and BAM!   He blew past Gosder as if he was nailed to the turf!

 

Wow, was that awesome to see on the replay!     I'm not trying to give Cherilous a hard time,  I'd expect any RT in the NFL would've been schooled like that.    But you rarely see it on isolation like that.    That was some great stuff there....  I was seriously impressed.   

 

Glad the day didn't get too long for Cherilous.   I think we did OK vs. Casey the rest of the game.....

[SubZero]

Oh..... one last thought to share.... and I wasn't quite sure where to put it, so this will have to do.....

But on either the first or second play of the game, the Titans DL Jurrell Casey put an All-Pro move on Gosder.

Oh! My! God!! It was freaking awesome! And I'm not sure there was even much body contact. At the snap, Casey did some kind of Mixed Martial Arts looking moves with his arms and hands and that Cherilous looked completely flumoxed. So off balance, that Casey followed with a little Wax On; Wax Off and BAM! He blew past Gosder as if he was nailed to the turf!

Wow, was that awesome to see on the replay! I'm not trying to give Cherilous a hard time, I'd expect any RT in the NFL would've been schooled like that. But you rarely see it on isolation like that. That was some great stuff there.... I was seriously impressed.

Glad the day didn't get too long for Cherilous. I think we did OK vs. Casey the rest of the game.....

Those are the type of plays that don't even make me mad. I have to appreciate Casey's move lol. Casey was so fast after that play I'm pretty sure Cherilus forgot where he was.

[throwing BBZ]

Oh.....   one last thought to share....  and I wasn't quite sure where to put it,  so this will have to do.....

 

But on either the first or second play of the game,  the Titans DL Jurrell Casey put an All-Pro move on Gosder.

 

Oh!   My!   God!!    It was freaking awesome!    And I'm not sure there was even much body contact.   At the snap,  Casey did some kind of Mixed Martial Arts looking moves with his arms and hands and that Cherilous looked completely flumoxed.  So off balance,  that Casey followed with a little Wax On; Wax Off and BAM!   He blew past Gosder as if he was nailed to the turf!

 

Wow, was that awesome to see on the replay!     I'm not trying to give Cherilous a hard time,  I'd expect any RT in the NFL would've been schooled like that.    But you rarely see it on isolation like that.    That was some great stuff there....  I was seriously impressed.   

 

Glad the day didn't get too long for Cherilous.   I think we did OK vs. Casey the rest of the game.....

 

 Castonzo totally whiffed twice on blocks that were tackles for loss. Homers love AC.

[NewColtsFan]

 Castonzo totally whiffed twice on blocks that were tackles for loss. Homers love AC.

 

Sorry,  I like AC.

 

Must make me a Homer?!

 

Sorry I didn't notice it.   Wasn't trying to avoid it.   It's the price you get for watching in a sports bar!   (distractions and stuff...)

[ColtsLegacy]

Castonzo totally whiffed twice on blocks that were tackles for loss. Homers love AC.

You've become a cliché.

[ColtsLegacy]

(Long OP)

Always a good read. Thanks, Superman.

[jskinnz]

Castonzo totally whiffed twice on blocks that were tackles for loss. Homers love AC.

Dear God. - for someone who critiques others as frequently as you do, I would expect you to get more things right. You don't. You are most definitely not the football savant you clearly think you are.

[braveheartcolt]

That's fair on Luck. I'm sure I'll get some grief for that B+, but I watched those two plays over and over again, and can't, for the life of me, figure out what he thought he was doing. There were no open receivers in the area, as a matter of fact, the area was flooded with defenders. He never came back to the other side of the field, he never considered running with the ball. Just two of the worst throws you'll ever see him make in any game. Worse than any of his interceptions in the playoffs.

Of course, he's never faced a Ray Horton defense before. He could have just been fooled, but I don't get it. Just terrible throws.

On the run game, it's hard to justify not running it when you're up 17 points for much of the game. I would like to see more play action, and if we keep banging the ball, it might help sell the run more when we do break out play action. It also helps to have live reps against a good defensive front, for coaching, for experience, etc. Hopefully it makes us better going forward.

Top stuff Supes. No grief, but his fantastic throws overcome those 2 stinkers. Saying that had they been against a top team could have cost us dearly is irrelevant, as we weren't, and he smashed the Titans all over the field. I'd give him an A.

But easy to see why you dropped him down a little, both throws were 'Cousins-esque'.

[SubZero]

Castonzo totally whiffed twice on blocks that were tackles for loss. Homers love AC.

AC isn't a premier run blocker, but to only allow 4 pressures in the first 4 games and no QB hits makes you a pretty darn good LT.

Also LT's are suppose to be strong in pass protection while RT's are suppose to be the power tackles for runs. So i can deal with Costanzo not being a beast in run blocking as long as he keeps Luck upright.

[Gavin]

http://mmqb.si.com/2014/03/06/nfl-offensive-linemen-grades/

 

 

I found this above link written out by former offensive lineman Ross Tucker to be excellent insight into how some coaches grade an offensive lineman. Tucker played for 3 teams in the NFL There is a quote or two in there that would SURPRISE some/many fans.

 

Very interesting and informative read for those who take the time to read it