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Grades: Week 11 vs Pats


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This is pretty late in the week, partly because I didn't want to rewatch and do grades. Decided to go ahead, mostly for my own sake. For whoever reads this, hope you enjoy (as much as you can; it's pretty ugly). Any comments are appreciated.
 
 
Defense, D: 74 plays, 503 yards, 33 first downs (13 passing, 17 rushing, 3 from penalty), 9/11 on third down, 5/5 in the red zone, 2 turnovers, 42 points; got beat up on the ground, all game long

 
Defensive front: Gave a lot of praise to this front last game, and they didn't live up to it this week. Very little penetration in the run game; some plays they got back there and made some stops (Werner had some nice plays), but those were completely outnumbered by the plays where the line couldn't shed blocks, over-pursued, got zero penetration, missed tackles, etc. Run fits were generally poor, as we got beat by the Pats unbalanced and/or heavy personnel sets. That led to plenty of cutbacks for Gray. When we countered, they countered, and their run blocking was excellent. Couldn't handle backside action by their TEs and FBs, who often led the way up the middle off of motion or pull blocks. And then everyone tackled poorly, up front, middle of the field, second level, everything. We didn't do well up front, but with good tackling, we'd have slowed them down better. And then, forget about defending an end around, especially after all of our focus is on stopping middle runs. Same concept on some off tackle runs. We didn't stand a chance, really. The pass rush was decent, affecting quite a few plays and even forcing two picks. Only 30 dropbacks, and we got 9 pressures, including 6 hits. Not bad, but they didn't really need to pass, aside from some quick hitters. This was all about being entirely incapable of stopping the run, from the opening bell. F+, poor run fits, poor tackling... you have to man up and not allow a team to destroy you for 250 yards and 4 TDs

 
Pass defense: Pass defense was decent. Tackling wasn't, like Gronk's TD. They hit us across the middle for some gains also, which is the softest spot of our defense, but 7 catches for 71 yards across the short middle isn't terrible. They got us on some quick hitters to the outside, some stack formations (not because we suck against stack formations, but because it's difficult to defend, which is the reason offenses use them in the first place), etc. Brady was 1/5 for 26 yards and a pick on throws traveling further than 20 yards down the field (passer rating of 9). We did a pretty good job against Gronk, using a couple of defenders to slow him down most of the game. Pretty good job against screen plays, also. And you'd think that, with the run game being such a problem, that play action would be a problem, but we were really good against play action, with the exception of the TD to Wright (passer rating of 33). Some poor tackling led to some first downs and extended drives, and we had trouble stopping some third down passes also. Blown coverage coming out of halftime, trying to stop Edelman on a cross, but left Vereen wide open with no one near him in the flat, for 39 yards. C, Gronk didn't really factor in to the passing game until the TD

 

Offense, C-: 56 plays, 322 yards, 17 first downs (14 passing, 1 rushing, 2 from penalty), 5/13 on third down, 1/3 on fourth down, 2/3 in the red zone, 1 turnover, 20 points; no run game, too many dropped passes

QB: I think Luck did just fine, aside from a couple of overthrows. He started the game of with a scramble, which reminded the defense that he can run. His pick was a bad decision, but he was under pressure, and the throw was tipped. Forgivable. I saw him step up and hit receivers, lead guys up the field, work well against zone coverage (which the Pats really wanted to use), and avoid mistakes (aside from the pick). The Pats held and hit receivers all over the field, before the pass, while the ball was in the air, everywhere, and it was never called, including a PI in the end zone on Hilton. We needed a little more playmaking on third and fourth down, but we also needed guys to finish plays with catches, and for the refs to throw some flags (especially given the bogus call against Toler). I don't put that on Luck. The TD to Nicks was excellent; need more of that. The long play to Reggie was excellent QBing, with Luck beating zone coverage by moving the safety to the right, then throwing up the backside seam. He might have checked down too quickly a couple of times. We should have been able to pick on Browner and Ryan all game long. B-, tried to carry the offense, got undermined in several ways

Backs / receivers / tight ends, C-:
Running game: No run game. Not on the backs; the blocking failed to provide any lanes to run through, for either back, and they combined for 4 yards on 13 carries. They salvaged some yards on a couple of plays, but this was the worst rushing performance of the year. D

Passing game: Only credited with 2 drops, but I think there were 2-3 more that should have been completed. And the two drops wiped out chances at big first downs. Fleener was a monster in the passing game, and Reggie had some nice grabs, including the long one. Nicks did a good job on the TD, and got some separation down the field on another play, but Luck got pressured right away and couldn't go to him. Moncrief needs more chances; once Luck starts connecting with him downfield, our offense will be even harder to stop. Hilton was mostly taken away by double teams (and penalties, like getting knocked down in the middle of the field by a blatant Browner shoulder check), but that opened up other guys. Only Fleener was consistent after the catch. What really hurt was the inability to make admittedly tough catches on third and fourth down, and that's been a strength of the Pats pass defense lately, and really helped them against us and the Broncos. C+, left too many plays on the field, failed to exploit some favorable matchups

OL / blocking: Harrison is really showing some warts lately, and not just on snaps. Flat out missed some blocks in this one, giving up at least one hit. We were ineffective on double teams in the run game, which is an incredible failure, IMO. The outside routinely collapsed in the run game, and we struggled to get anyone off the ball. Luck only got hit four times in 43 dropbacks, but there was some quick pressure allowed here and there. Pass protection was adequate, run blocking was dreadful. C-, regression in Week 11 is troubling

 

Special teams: They had Amendola returning punts instead of Edelman, which was surprising. Probably wouldn't have mattered, as our punting and coverage was and always is impeccable. Kickoffs were good, nothing there. We didn't do anything returning ourselves (let's see if Cribbs helps there). Oh, almost a disaster on the one kickoff return; Boom and Whalen won't be a factor there anymore, I assume. AV still perfect, with plenty of leg on a 53 yarder. A-

Coaching / playcalling / game management, C-:
Our screen plays suck, and I have to put that on scheme. The run plays never worked, and some of the plays seemed doomed from the start. Lots of poor blocking, but we ran into some unfavorable fronts. Not good scheming against a team that we should have been able to run on. And it's not because of the deficit; the score didn't get out of hand until late. Passing game was called well, IMO. Hard to ask for more play action when the run game doesn't show up, but Luck was 4/4 for 21 yards and a TD. If it works, use it, especially after some of those big gains to Fleener. Need to find a way to play Moncrief more. C+, not so much for gameday performance, but it seems like we didn't have a good game plan overall

Defense was about personnel, IMO. They knew we'd commit to stopping Gronk in the pass game, and choose to go heavy up front. They wanted us to commit to the run so they could hit us with play action, and that didn't quite work, but they still kicked our butts running the ball. Manusky countered some of their looks, and we still failed to tackle with any urgency. To me, this was NOT about scheme, but about sloppy run defense, poor tackling, and eventually a defense that was worn down due to not being able to get off the field in the second half. INC

A lot of people had a problem with the FG. I didn't. If your defense can get a stop, then you're back in the mix. If they can't get a stop, then it doesn't matter either way. Maybe you extend that drive by going for it, and that's close to no man's land where you should think about going for it, but I don't think that decision was too critical. I'd have been fine with going for it, as well, but we had no run game, so that's a tough decision. AV is as automatic as he's ever been, so Pagano took the easy three. In general, team didn't seem well prepared to match the intensity of the Pats, and that bothers me, especially in a home game, coming off a bye, against the hottest team in the league. C-, again, not about gameday performance, but about laying an egg off the bye

 

Bonus grade: Refs, F. The refs didn't cost us this game, but I felt like they called us for a couple of DB contact plays that were borderline, then let the Pats DBs get away with some outright muggings.

 

Game ball: Yeah, right...

Next up, nothing like a game against the Jags to cure some ills. It helped us after back to back losses to open; hopefully it helps us again. We have some injuries and will be shorthanded, so it would be nice if we can ice this one and get guys some rest. We need this to be a breezy part of the schedule, with three home games in a row, and these next two against sub-par competition.

GO COLTS!!! (even though people are jumping off the bandwagon and burying the season in Week 11)

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This is pretty late in the week, partly because I didn't want to rewatch and do grades. Decided to go ahead, mostly for my own sake. For whoever reads this, hope you enjoy (as much as you can; it's pretty ugly). Any comments are appreciated.
 
 
Defense, D: 74 plays, 503 yards, 33 first downs (13 passing, 17 rushing, 3 from penalty), 9/11 on third down, 5/5 in the red zone, 2 turnovers, 42 points; got beat up on the ground, all game long

 

Defensive front: Gave a lot of praise to this front last game, and they didn't live up to it this week. Very little penetration in the run game; some plays they got back there and made some stops (Werner had some nice plays), but those were completely outnumbered by the plays where the line couldn't shed blocks, over-pursued, got zero penetration, missed tackles, etc. Run fits were generally poor, as we got beat by the Pats unbalanced and/or heavy personnel sets. That led to plenty of cutbacks for Gray. When we countered, they countered, and their run blocking was excellent. Couldn't handle backside action by their TEs and FBs, who often led the way up the middle off of motion or pull blocks. And then everyone tackled poorly, up front, middle of the field, second level, everything. We didn't do well up front, but with good tackling, we'd have slowed them down better. And then, forget about defending an end around, especially after all of our focus is on stopping middle runs. Same concept on some off tackle runs. We didn't stand a chance, really. The pass rush was decent, affecting quite a few plays and even forcing two picks. Only 30 dropbacks, and we got 9 pressures, including 6 hits. Not bad, but they didn't really need to pass, aside from some quick hitters. This was all about being entirely incapable of stopping the run, from the opening bell. F+, poor run fits, poor tackling... you have to man up and not allow a team to destroy you for 250 yards and 4 TDs

 

Pass defense: Pass defense was decent. Tackling wasn't, like Gronk's TD. They hit us across the middle for some gains also, which is the softest spot of our defense, but 7 catches for 71 yards across the short middle isn't terrible. They got us on some quick hitters to the outside, some stack formations (not because we suck against stack formations, but because it's difficult to defend, which is the reason offenses use them in the first place), etc. Brady was 1/5 for 26 yards and a pick on throws traveling further than 20 yards down the field (passer rating of 9). We did a pretty good job against Gronk, using a couple of defenders to slow him down most of the game. Pretty good job against screen plays, also. And you'd think that, with the run game being such a problem, that play action would be a problem, but we were really good against play action, with the exception of the TD to Wright (passer rating of 33). Some poor tackling led to some first downs and extended drives, and we had trouble stopping some third down passes also. Blown coverage coming out of halftime, trying to stop Edelman on a cross, but left Vereen wide open with no one near him in the flat, for 39 yards. C, Gronk didn't really factor in to the passing game until the TD

 

Offense, C-: 56 plays, 322 yards, 17 first downs (14 passing, 1 rushing, 2 from penalty), 5/13 on third down, 1/3 on fourth down, 2/3 in the red zone, 1 turnover, 20 points; no run game, too many dropped passes

QB: I think Luck did just fine, aside from a couple of overthrows. He started the game of with a scramble, which reminded the defense that he can run. His pick was a bad decision, but he was under pressure, and the throw was tipped. Forgivable. I saw him step up and hit receivers, lead guys up the field, work well against zone coverage (which the Pats really wanted to use), and avoid mistakes (aside from the pick). The Pats held and hit receivers all over the field, before the pass, while the ball was in the air, everywhere, and it was never called, including a PI in the end zone on Hilton. We needed a little more playmaking on third and fourth down, but we also needed guys to finish plays with catches, and for the refs to throw some flags (especially given the bogus call against Toler). I don't put that on Luck. The TD to Nicks was excellent; need more of that. The long play to Reggie was excellent QBing, with Luck beating zone coverage by moving the safety to the right, then throwing up the backside seam. He might have checked down too quickly a couple of times. We should have been able to pick on Browner and Ryan all game long. B-, tried to carry the offense, got undermined in several ways

Backs / receivers / tight ends, C-:

Running game: No run game. Not on the backs; the blocking failed to provide any lanes to run through, for either back, and they combined for 4 yards on 13 carries. They salvaged some yards on a couple of plays, but this was the worst rushing performance of the year. D

Passing game: Only credited with 2 drops, but I think there were 2-3 more that should have been completed. And the two drops wiped out chances at big first downs. Fleener was a monster in the passing game, and Reggie had some nice grabs, including the long one. Nicks did a good job on the TD, and got some separation down the field on another play, but Luck got pressured right away and couldn't go to him. Moncrief needs more chances; once Luck starts connecting with him downfield, our offense will be even harder to stop. Hilton was mostly taken away by double teams (and penalties, like getting knocked down in the middle of the field by a blatant Browner shoulder check), but that opened up other guys. Only Fleener was consistent after the catch. What really hurt was the inability to make admittedly tough catches on third and fourth down, and that's been a strength of the Pats pass defense lately, and really helped them against us and the Broncos. C+, left too many plays on the field, failed to exploit some favorable matchups

OL / blocking: Harrison is really showing some warts lately, and not just on snaps. Flat out missed some blocks in this one, giving up at least one hit. We were ineffective on double teams in the run game, which is an incredible failure, IMO. The outside routinely collapsed in the run game, and we struggled to get anyone off the ball. Luck only got hit four times in 43 dropbacks, but there was some quick pressure allowed here and there. Pass protection was adequate, run blocking was dreadful. C-, regression in Week 11 is troubling

 

Special teams: They had Amendola returning punts instead of Edelman, which was surprising. Probably wouldn't have mattered, as our punting and coverage was and always is impeccable. Kickoffs were good, nothing there. We didn't do anything returning ourselves (let's see if Cribbs helps there). Oh, almost a disaster on the one kickoff return; Boom and Whalen won't be a factor there anymore, I assume. AV still perfect, with plenty of leg on a 53 yarder. A-

Coaching / playcalling / game management, C-:

Our screen plays suck, and I have to put that on scheme. The run plays never worked, and some of the plays seemed doomed from the start. Lots of poor blocking, but we ran into some unfavorable fronts. Not good scheming against a team that we should have been able to run on. And it's not because of the deficit; the score didn't get out of hand until late. Passing game was called well, IMO. Hard to ask for more play action when the run game doesn't show up, but Luck was 4/4 for 21 yards and a TD. If it works, use it, especially after some of those big gains to Fleener. Need to find a way to play Moncrief more. C+, not so much for gameday performance, but it seems like we didn't have a good game plan overall

Defense was about personnel, IMO. They knew we'd commit to stopping Gronk in the pass game, and choose to go heavy up front. They wanted us to commit to the run so they could hit us with play action, and that didn't quite work, but they still kicked our butts running the ball. Manusky countered some of their looks, and we still failed to tackle with any urgency. To me, this was NOT about scheme, but about sloppy run defense, poor tackling, and eventually a defense that was worn down due to not being able to get off the field in the second half. INC

A lot of people had a problem with the FG. I didn't. If your defense can get a stop, then you're back in the mix. If they can't get a stop, then it doesn't matter either way. Maybe you extend that drive by going for it, and that's close to no man's land where you should think about going for it, but I don't think that decision was too critical. I'd have been fine with going for it, as well, but we had no run game, so that's a tough decision. AV is as automatic as he's ever been, so Pagano took the easy three. In general, team didn't seem well prepared to match the intensity of the Pats, and that bothers me, especially in a home game, coming off a bye, against the hottest team in the league. C-, again, not about gameday performance, but about laying an egg off the bye

 

Bonus grade: Refs, F. The refs didn't cost us this game, but I felt like they called us for a couple of DB contact plays that were borderline, then let the Pats DBs get away with some outright muggings.

 

Game ball: Yeah, right...

Next up, nothing like a game against the Jags to cure some ills. It helped us after back to back losses to open; hopefully it helps us again. We have some injuries and will be shorthanded, so it would be nice if we can ice this one and get guys some rest. We need this to be a breezy part of the schedule, with three home games in a row, and these next two against sub-par competition.

GO COLTS!!! (even though people are jumping off the bandwagon and burying the season in Week 11)

 

 

 

 

B- was a little low on Luck , other than the over throw to Montcrief he was really pretty darn good. I believe he was something like 21-29 with 2-3 drops at one point. Big drop by Bradshaw cost one drive and 4 rushing yards by the RB's just too much to overcome. Made so many really good throws to Wr's that were being mugged the whole game. The last few "helter skelter " drives really brought his % down.

 

Have no idea why that run defense F had a + on it. For sure should have been an F-.

 

I know the RB's had no place to run but I thought TR had a couple of bad ones that should have been enough got tilt it into the F category.

 

You failed to mention McAfee in the special teams. He had an incredible game .

 

Official you were right on. It almost seemed like after they realized they had really screwed us , they gave us 1 or 2 to try to make up for it. They were indeed horribly inconsistent on PI , illegal contact and holding and it all went against us.

 

Probably not your best job in handing out weekly grades.The coaching grade was a bit generous too. But I wouldn't have revisited that game if you paid me , so I give you a lot of credit for taking the time to revisit that pile of poop. Plus I guess an F+ is not a glowing accolade.

 

The only way I can deal with that kind of game is to try to find humor in something like giving up 4 tds and 201 yards to Grey.

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Very nice analysis.

 

- Game ball to Fleener

- Bradshaw's drop on the first play of the 2nd quarter was huge.  Scoring on that drive and taking a lead 10-7 could have set momentum.  Not sure it would have mattered with the run defense the way it was but a lead and momentum could have set a different path for the game.

- Agreed on the inconsistent calls in the secondary.  BB had to be thinking to himself.. "really, they're not going to call illegal contact.. Wow, let's keep doing it!".  Maybe I just don't understand the subtlety in the rule.

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Very nice analysis.

 

- Game ball to Fleener

- Bradshaw's drop on the first play of the 2nd quarter was huge.  Scoring on that drive and taking a lead 10-7 could have set momentum.  Not sure it would have mattered with the run defense the way it was but a lead and momentum could have set a different path for the game.

- Agreed on the inconsistent calls in the secondary.  BB had to be thinking to himself.. "really, they're not going to call illegal contact.. Wow, let's keep doing it!".  Maybe I just don't understand the subtlety in the rule.

 

 

Kinda reminded me of how he dealt with "the greatest show on turf" in his first SB win. Just hold Marshal Faulk on every pattern he ran. Maybe it's the great coaches that figure it out or maybe the fact that they're great gets them all that "leeway." Are you old enough to remember Marvin Harrison vs Don Shula led Dolphins ? He would just have his DB's hold him on about every other pattern and rightly figured it would probably only get called once and probably never twice.

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B- was a little low on Luck , other than the over throw to Montcrief he was really pretty darn good. I believe he was something like 21-29 with 2-3 drops at one point. Big drop by Bradshaw cost one drive and 4 rushing yards by the RB's just too much to overcome. Made so many really good throws to Wr's that were being mugged the whole game. The last few "helter skelter " drives really brought his % down.

 

Have no idea why that run defense F had a + on it. For sure should have been an F-.

 

I know the RB's had no place to run but I thought TR had a couple of bad ones that should have been enough got tilt it into the F category.

 

You failed to mention McAfee in the special teams. He had an incredible game .

 

Official you were right on. It almost seemed like after they realized they had really screwed us , they gave us 1 or 2 to try to make up for it. They were indeed horribly inconsistent on PI , illegal contact and holding and it all went against us.

 

Probably not your best job in handing out weekly grades.The coaching grade was a bit generous too. But I wouldn't have revisited that game if you paid me , so I give you a lot of credit for taking the time to revisit that pile of poop. Plus I guess an F+ is not a glowing accolade.

 

The only way I can deal with that kind of game is to try to find humor in something like giving up 4 tds and 201 yards to Grey.

 

 

To the bolded, seeing as how I went back and rewatched, and it doesn't sound like you did... ;) No seriously, thanks for the feedback.

 

I watched some of the Coaches' Film, and Luck overlooked some receivers, particularly on the backside of plays, because he was focused on initial reads, it seemed. When he held the safety and came back to the backside, things like Reggie's big gain happened. And he led some receivers out of bounds on another three or four plays. He was really good; maybe I'm grading him on a curve because of greater expectations. But you're right, there were several drops. They only counted two, but like I said, I think there were several other plays that the receivers had a good chance at making. Not easy plays, but plays where Luck gave them a chance, and they didn't finish. Especially on those late third/fourth downs.

 

The defensive front grade includes pass rush, and I thought the pass rush was decent. If I were giving equal weight, that grade would be higher. But they ran more than they passed, and the run was more of a factor. Also, run defense gets worse than what we saw Sunday night. In the second half, we got some stops, including some tackles for loss. I hope I don't have to use those lower grades, but I'm saving them. 

 

Our run game had some ugly plays, but the backs also had a couple of good runs, given the poor blocking, just to get back to the line of scrimmage. Bad game, though, absolutely.

 

McAfee was excellent, as per usual. Didn't mean to slight him. I did say the punting and coverage were excellent... McAfee and Vinatieri have been the most consistent performers on the team, easily. I'm not so surprised by McAfee, but Vinatieri has been great. He usually misses a few here and there, usually early in the season (I guess we should mention his miss against Denver that got waved off, but that was a rushed kick anyways). I don't think he's ever started a season like this, and he's had plenty of leg. 

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Kinda reminded me of how he dealt with "the greatest show on turf" in his first SB win. Just hold Marshal Faulk on every pattern he ran. Maybe it's the great coaches that figure it out or maybe the fact that they're great gets them all that "leeway." Are you old enough to remember Marvin Harrison vs Don Shula led Dolphins ? He would just have his DB's hold him on about every other pattern and rightly figured it would probably only get called once and probably never twice.

 

They did more than hold Faulk. They outright tackled him in the backfield before he could get into his routes, all game long. Knocked him down, shoulder-checked him, etc. And good on them, because if the refs aren't calling it, why not? The Pats did some of that to Hilton in this one, but nowhere near as bad as SB36.

 

I always at least respected Ty Law. He was physical, and probably would get flagged a lot today, but he could actually cover. Even after the 2004 rules adjustments, he was still a really good corner, always a tough matchup for Manning and Harrison. Unlike guys like Browner, who can't cover at all, who basically make their living off of grabbing and holding in the name of "being physical." 

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Ah yes, the classic "F+" It's like saying you failed, but I feel bad so I'll throw that "+" on there for ya.

 

I don't really feel bad, to be honest. It's more like, "you failed, but I know you could have failed even harder, so I'm leaving room for that." 

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To the bolded, seeing as how I went back and rewatched, and it doesn't sound like you did... ;) No seriously, thanks for the feedback.

 

I watched some of the Coaches' Film, and Luck overlooked some receivers, particularly on the backside of plays, because he was focused on initial reads, it seemed. When he held the safety and came back to the backside, things like Reggie's big gain happened. And he led some receivers out of bounds on another three or four plays. He was really good; maybe I'm grading him on a curve because of greater expectations. But you're right, there were several drops. They only counted two, but like I said, I think there were several other plays that the receivers had a good chance at making. Not easy plays, but plays where Luck gave them a chance, and they didn't finish. Especially on those late third/fourth downs.

 

The defensive front grade includes pass rush, and I thought the pass rush was decent. If I were giving equal weight, that grade would be higher. But they ran more than they passed, and the run was more of a factor. Also, run defense gets worse than what we saw Sunday night. In the second half, we got some stops, including some tackles for loss. I hope I don't have to use those lower grades, but I'm saving them. 

 

Our run game had some ugly plays, but the backs also had a couple of good runs, given the poor blocking, just to get back to the line of scrimmage. Bad game, though, absolutely.

 

McAfee was excellent, as per usual. Didn't mean to slight him. I did say the punting and coverage were excellent... McAfee and Vinatieri have been the most consistent performers on the team, easily. I'm not so surprised by McAfee, but Vinatieri has been great. He usually misses a few here and there, usually early in the season (I guess we should mention his miss against Denver that got waved off, but that was a rushed kick anyways). I don't think he's ever started a season like this, and he's had plenty of leg. 

 

 

I was really just breaking your chops saying not you best job. Anybody that would take the time and agony of grading that game doesn't deserve any criticism . F... F- F+... we get the picture.  As far as the Luck grade , I'm just a big fan and will always stick up for him. Funny thing about AV is he had a few dings and dangs the past few years. Could it be that he really never has lost any leg strength ?

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They did more than hold Faulk. They outright tackled him in the backfield before he could get into his routes, all game long. Knocked him down, shoulder-checked him, etc. And good on them, because if the refs aren't calling it, why not? The Pats did some of that to Hilton in this one, but nowhere near as bad as SB36.

 

I always at least respected Ty Law. He was physical, and probably would get flagged a lot today, but he could actually cover. Even after the 2004 rules adjustments, he was still a really good corner, always a tough matchup for Manning and Harrison. Unlike guys like Browner, who can't cover at all, who basically make their living off of grabbing and holding in the name of "being physical." 

 

 

About the only way NE could have won that game and BB took a shot at it. That was the key to that game , not the buck 45 Tom Brady ripped them for. Brady was great in the following 2 SB wins , so there.. I'm not a a"Brady hater."

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About the only way NE could have won that game and BB took a shot at it. That was the key to that game , not the buck 45 Tom Brady ripped them for. Brady was great in the following 2 SB wins , so there.. I'm not a a"Brady hater."

It was not the only way NE could win, it was the only way ANY team could win vs the Rams in a dome. Bill accurately figured out that much of the Rams offense went through Faulk so he chipped him and knocked him off his routes on every play which was legal back then. In addition, Bill accurately assumed that Martz would be too stubborn to actually run the ball against that pass heavy look and continue to drop Warner back with no one to throw to with Vrabel and McGinest bearing down on him.

 

You guys make it sound like all NE did was hold the Rams to win. They did so much more. They tackled unbelievable well and hit the Rams receivers hard every time a ball was near them. The turnover they forced in the third was a result of a bone jarring hit on Pruel that made him cough the ball up. And their first pick that Law returned for a TD was from pressure right in Warner's face from Vrabel.

 

That was really the story of the game. NE just hammered that offense all game long which lent itself to this SI cover which perfected captured the story of the game, http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=sports+illustrated+cover+mcginest+hitting+warner&id=72B04CCC169F9EDD08F21E29AA7720E72062B1DC&FORM=IQFRBA#view=detail&id=718A64DFCE31CE815B24009E8D710D099585DC44&selectedIndex=1.

 

For sure it was a complete D effort until the final 10 minutes when they wilted like a leaf and Brady bailed them out with the game winning drive for the FG.

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It was not the only way NE could win, it was the only way ANY team could win vs the Rams in a dome. Bill accurately figured out that much of the Rams offense went through Faulk so he chipped him and knocked him off his routes on every play which was legal back then. In addition, Bill accurately assumed that Martz would be too stubborn to actually run the ball against that pass heavy look and continue to drop Warner back with no one to throw to with Vrabel and McGinest bearing down on him.

 

You guys make it sound like all NE did was hold the Rams to win. They did so much more. They tackled unbelievable well and hit the Rams receivers hard every time a ball was near them. The turnover they forced in the third was a result of a bone jarring hit on Pruel that made him cough the ball up. And their first pick that Law returned for a TD was from pressure right in Warner's face from Vrabel.

 

That was really the story of the game. NE just hammered that offense all game long which lent itself to this SI cover which perfected captured the story of the game, http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=sports+illustrated+cover+mcginest+hitting+warner&id=72B04CCC169F9EDD08F21E29AA7720E72062B1DC&FORM=IQFRBA#view=detail&id=718A64DFCE31CE815B24009E8D710D099585DC44&selectedIndex=1.

 

For sure it was a complete D effort until the final 10 minutes when they wilted like a leaf and Brady bailed them out with the game winning drive for the FG.

 

 

 

Just a matter of opinion. You say "chip " and I say "hold." I don't need to read some * from Sports Illustrated as I saw the game. IMO , they did a whole lot of holding on Faulk which was very big . No doubt their D did play well and Tom Brady did put them in position for a long game ending AV FG. MVP for setting up a FG ? Kinda think maybe Ty Law was over looked but that's just my opinion. We all know Brady has had a great career , I just failed to see an MVP performance in that game. Because it was his first year starting and everyone thought BB was going to play for OT  should have had nothing to do with robbing Ty Law

 

Just like you probably think the Colt's secondary getting little chippy penalties and our receivers looking like pin balls was OK too. Not saying you guys didn't destroy us and deserve to win , just making a point on how the elite coaches seem to know how to get the calls. Don't look at total penalties , look at two huge plays. The PI on Hilton in the end zone and the ridiculous penalty on Tolar that should have turned a Pat TD into a FG. That's a difference of 8 points and pretty big as we did get to 8 points fairly late in the 2nd half. But as I say , you guys destroyed us. 

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Kinda reminded me of how he dealt with "the greatest show on turf" in his first SB win. Just hold Marshal Faulk on every pattern he ran. Maybe it's the great coaches that figure it out or maybe the fact that they're great gets them all that "leeway." Are you old enough to remember Marvin Harrison vs Don Shula led Dolphins ? He would just have his DB's hold him on about every other pattern and rightly figured it would probably only get called once and probably never twice.

lol. You are not really comparing this Colts offense to the Rams of '01, are you? Bill didn't need to hold your receivers. Revis blanketed Wayne, Arrington and McCourtney bracketed Hilton and even with Fleener running open and pushing off against Browner (funny how you didn't mention that obvious call not made by the refs) and still only 20 points. That and our offense never punted and our practice squad back ran for 199 and 4 TDs. It was nowhere near SB 36 in any way shape or form.

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Just a matter of opinion. You say "chip " and I say "hold." I don't need to read some * from Sports Illustrated as I saw the game. IMO , they did a whole lot of holding on Faulk which was very big . No doubt their D did play well and Tom Brady did put them in position for a long game ending AV FG. MVP for setting up a FG ? Kinda think maybe Ty Law was over looked but that's just my opinion. We all know Brady has had a great career , I just failed to see an MVP performance in that game. Because it was his first year starting and everyone thought BB was going to play for OT  should have had nothing to do with robbing Ty Law

 

Just like you probably think the Colt's secondary getting little chippy penalties and our receivers looking like pin balls was OK too. Not saying you guys didn't destroy us and deserve to win , just making a point on how the elite coaches seem to know how to get the calls. Don't look at total penalties , look at two huge plays. The PI on Hilton in the end zone and the ridiculous penalty on Tolar that should have turned a Pat TD into a FG. That's a difference of 8 points and pretty big as we did get to 8 points fairly late in the 2nd half. But as I say , you guys destroyed us. 

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lol. You are not really comparing this Colts offense to the Rams of '01, are you? Bill didn't need to hold your receivers. Revis blanketed Wayne, Arrington and McCourtney bracketed Hilton and even with Fleener running open and pushing off against Browner (funny how you didn't mention that obvious call not made by the refs) and still only 20 points. That and our offense never punted and our practice squad back ran for 199 and 4 TDs. It was nowhere near SB 36 in any way shape or form.

 

 

You are the greatest at putting words in people's mouths. Where did I compare the Colts offense to the Rams of 01? Because I said NE held and bumped receivers the whole game doesn't mean I'm comparing them to the 01 Rams. I said the Pats destroyed the Colts and deserved to win. How does that possibly equate to me saying that it's the only way they could have won that game. You really do need to either read what you have before you hit the post button or stop talking like a fool. Fleener would never need to push off on Browner as that guy can't cover me. I really don't even have any idea of what play you are talking about. God sakes , furthermore TE's probably push off a bit on half the plays. On the other hand , they were not allowing stuff like the Hilton play anymore and NE made a whole lot of contact beyond 5 years the whole game. It wasn't called and then then call a ticky tact one on Tolar that keeps a NE drive alive. Just plain ridiculous. Did it cost us a win.. ? I said no. If not for a horrible play by Tom Brady , it would not have been a game late in the 3rd quarter.

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You are the greatest at putting words in people's mouths. Where did I compare the Colts offense to the Rams of 01? Because I said NE held and bumped receivers the whole game doesn't mean I'm comparing them to the 01 Rams. I said the Pats destroyed the Colts and deserved to win. How does that possibly equate to me saying that it's the only way they could have won that game. You really do need to either read what you have before you hit the post button or stop talking like a fool. Fleener would never need to push off on Browner as that guy can't cover me. I really don't even have any idea of what play you are talking about. God sakes , furthermore TE's probably push off a bit on half the plays. On the other hand , they were not allowing stuff like the Hilton play anymore and NE made a whole lot of contact beyond 5 years the whole game. It wasn't called and then then call a ticky tact one on Tolar that keeps a NE drive alive. Just plain ridiculous. Did it cost us a win.. ? I said no. If not for a horrible play by Tom Brady , it would not have been a game late in the 3rd quarter.

Relax. Just busting your chops. ;)

 

We did not  bump and hold your receivers all night. We played physical at the line of scrimmage and manned up Wayne and Fleener pretty much ran wild. Not sure what game you were watching honestly as there were plays to be made in the pass game but Luck just missed them or do you think every time he dropped back no one was open because of all this obvious mugging? He seemed timid to me like he was afraid of throwing interceptions given how much folks harped on his bad games vs the Pats. He was not slinging it and he missed some wide open guys like the play to Moncrief. He should have played more. Nicks less.

 

The play to Fleener was at the end of the third on a third down where he caught the ball tight on the side line. Bill challenged it and it was during the replay that you could see the obvious push off on Bronwer that was not called and refs having been calling push offs like crazy this season on the offense so it was a bad miss call. A few plays later you scored a TD.

 

And it was two horrible plays by Brady that kept it close. :)

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About the only way NE could have won that game and BB took a shot at it. That was the key to that game , not the buck 45 Tom Brady ripped them for. Brady was great in the following 2 SB wins , so there.. I'm not a a"Brady hater."

Yeah and Faulk was the key. Came out on that book of Belichick. After the AFCCG Bill asked Ernie (his strategist friend behind the scenes) how do I stop the Rams. They are better man for man at every position. They agreed to think on it and get back together in a few days.

 

Few days later Ernie says as Faulk goes so do the Rams. Bill smiled because that's exactly what he came up with. They were going to hit him every play whether he had the ball or not. AM is right on that one.

 

So they had a player represent Faulk in practice and taught to know where Faulk was all the time. The last evening going to dinner a few defensive players walking down the street kept talking "where's Faulk".  BB walking behind smiled as he knew he had done his job.

 

AM is right in that it was legal to hit Faulk in the backfield. Plus they roughed up the WRs. No doubt there was some holding as there was back then. But Faulk was hit.

 

Brady took care of the ball and credit him with the last drive. Thus a star was born lol ;)

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I was really just breaking your chops saying not you best job. Anybody that would take the time and agony of grading that game doesn't deserve any criticism . F... F- F+... we get the picture.  As far as the Luck grade , I'm just a big fan and will always stick up for him. Funny thing about AV is he had a few dings and dangs the past few years. Could it be that he really never has lost any leg strength ?

 

About the only way NE could have won that game and BB took a shot at it. That was the key to that game , not the buck 45 Tom Brady ripped them for. Brady was great in the following 2 SB wins , so there.. I'm not a a"Brady hater."

 

AV dealt with some injuries here and there. That might have affected his leg strength. But his leg looked plenty strong on that kick Sunday night. True from 53 yards, with plenty of extra yardage on it. 

 

Yeah, the Pats had to deal with a one of a kind player in Faulk, catching passes from the hottest QB in the league. They had to neutralize him, one way or the other. And they were hardly the first to do that. There's another classic playoff game that I watched within the past year, can't remember which teams, but the defense was all over the back, especially after play action. If the refs won't call it... 

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AM is right in that it was legal to hit Faulk in the backfield.

 

I like the story you shared. Good coaches with two weeks to prepare are generally a huge advantage.

 

As for this little snippet, I don't think it has ever been legal to tackle an eligible receiver when he doesn't have the ball, whether he was in the backfield or not. I know refs would always give leeway after play action, as it was hard to know whether the back had the ball.

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Relax. Just busting your chops. ;)

 

We did not  bump and hold your receivers all night. We played physical at the line of scrimmage and manned up Wayne and Fleener pretty much ran wild. Not sure what game you were watching honestly as there were plays to be made in the pass game but Luck just missed them or do you think every time he dropped back no one was open because of all this obvious mugging? He seemed timid to me like he was afraid of throwing interceptions given how much folks harped on his bad games vs the Pats. He was not slinging it and he missed some wide open guys like the play to Moncrief. He should have played more. Nicks less.

 

The play to Fleener was at the end of the third on a third down where he caught the ball tight on the side line. Bill challenged it and it was during the replay that you could see the obvious push off on Bronwer that was not called and refs having been calling push offs like crazy this season on the offense so it was a bad miss call. A few plays later you scored a TD.

 

And it was two horrible plays by Brady that kept it close. :)

 

Relax. Just busting your chops. ;)

 

We did not  bump and hold your receivers all night. We played physical at the line of scrimmage and manned up Wayne and Fleener pretty much ran wild. Not sure what game you were watching honestly as there were plays to be made in the pass game but Luck just missed them or do you think every time he dropped back no one was open because of all this obvious mugging? He seemed timid to me like he was afraid of throwing interceptions given how much folks harped on his bad games vs the Pats. He was not slinging it and he missed some wide open guys like the play to Moncrief. He should have played more. Nicks less.

 

The play to Fleener was at the end of the third on a third down where he caught the ball tight on the side line. Bill challenged it and it was during the replay that you could see the obvious push off on Bronwer that was not called and refs having been calling push offs like crazy this season on the offense so it was a bad miss call. A few plays later you scored a TD.

 

And it was two horrible plays by Brady that kept it close. :)

 

 

 

If 10 yards down the field is the LOS , then you are correct. I looked at the Fleener play on video and he did put his hand On Browner who would never been able to make a play on the ball. Happens all the time and it's been called more this year than others. If he had done a flop on it , maybe it gets called. But really he did not really prevent Browner from defending the play as he was just overrunning it anyways. I would say maybe 30% chance that gets calle. 

 

Luck was I believe 21 for 29 with 3 drops before the game fell out of contention. 2 or 3 of the incompletions were drops. He overthrow Montcrief as I said probably 3 times in this thread. Other than that , considering he really had only 7 incompletions in the first 29 throws , I didn't see all these plays that he missed. Maybe your TV is better than mine ? Yeah , Im sure he probably threw to the wrong receiver a few times. What QB doesn't ? Me thinks you are just treading a bad Luck article which many talking heads love to print. 

 

Lets see. I know Nicks never gets open , you previously said Wayne and Hilton were blanketed the whole game. Allen played a quarter . Bradshaw killed a drive with a huge drop and the Colts didn't run too many plays to the RBs that night. Montcrief played about 10 snaps and Luck found Fleener a whole lot.My question is if Wayne and Hilton were covered , who were these receivers that Luck missed all night ?  Honestly .. anybody that would blame that loss on Luck is really just in some kind of dream land.

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The play to Fleener was at the end of the third on a third down where he caught the ball tight on the side line. Bill challenged it and it was during the replay that you could see the obvious push off on Bronwer that was not called and refs having been calling push offs like crazy this season on the offense so it was a bad miss call. A few plays later you scored a TD.

 

 

Yes, Fleener got away with a push off. It wasn't major, and that kind of play isn't called consistently, but it was enough of a push off that a flag could have been thrown. I don't see how that nullifies all the holding and PI that wasn't called against the Pats, some of which was egregious. I'd also note that Browner couldn't cover Fleener period, and wasn't in position to stop that play with or without the push off. The TD came 7 plays later.

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AV dealt with some injuries here and there. That might have affected his leg strength. But his leg looked plenty strong on that kick Sunday night. True from 53 yards, with plenty of extra yardage on it. 

 

Yeah, the Pats had to deal with a one of a kind player in Faulk, catching passes from the hottest QB in the league. They had to neutralize him, one way or the other. And they were hardly the first to do that. There's another classic playoff game that I watched within the past year, can't remember which teams, but the defense was all over the back, especially after play action. If the refs won't call it... 

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I like the story you shared. Good coaches with two weeks to prepare are generally a huge advantage.

 

As for this little snippet, I don't think it has ever been legal to tackle an eligible receiver when he doesn't have the ball, whether he was in the backfield or not. I know refs would always give leeway after play action, as it was hard to know whether the back had the ball.

 

I can't remember how they did it. And they hit him hard when he had the ball of course.

 

While the players still had to execute, that's one game that stands out to me where  coaching alone won the game. It really was sheer brilliance.

 

That and the 2003 AFCCG  handing off the colts WR to 3 different defensive layers...abeit by a little  jersey pull ;-)

1st layer a little tug to hold him up, pass him on to the 2nd layer and then there was Ty Law at the 3rd layer :>

That really blew my mind as far as strategy goes.

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If 10 yards down the field is the LOS , then you are correct. I looked at the Fleener play on video and he did put his hand On Browner who would never been able to make a play on the ball. Happens all the time and it's been called more this year than others. If he had done a flop on it , maybe it gets called. But really he did not really prevent Browner from defending the play as he was just overrunning it anyways. I would say maybe 30% chance that gets calle. 

 

Luck was I believe 21 for 29 with 3 drops before the game fell out of contention. 2 or 3 of the incompletions were drops. He overthrow Montcrief as I said probably 3 times in this thread. Other than that , considering he really had only 7 incompletions in the first 29 throws , I didn't see all these plays that he missed. Maybe your TV is better than mine ? Yeah , Im sure he probably threw to the wrong receiver a few times. What QB doesn't ? Me thinks you are just treading a bad Luck article which many talking heads love to print. 

 

Lets see. I know Nicks never gets open , you previously said Wayne and Hilton were blanketed the whole game. Allen played a quarter . Bradshaw killed a drive with a huge drop and the Colts didn't run too many plays to the RBs that night. Montcrief played about 10 snaps and Luck found Fleener a whole lot.My question is if Wayne and Hilton were covered , who were these receivers that Luck missed all night ?  Honestly .. anybody that would blame that loss on Luck is really just in some kind of dream land.

You do realize that the Pats are the most penalized team in football this year? And had more penalties called in the game at 5 for 53 yards than the Colts at 4 for 27 yards?  This really isn't the game to argue officiating or some phantom muggings by the Pats. Sure there may have some missed calls as with every game but nothing that would have changed the game. I thought the NE/Denver was much more physical in the secondary on both sides with a lot of hand checking and grabbing but the officials let most of it go for both teams.

 

In terms of Luck, he had a decent game outside of the pick that cost you potentially 7 as you were driving and allowed NE to cash in 7 on the ensuing drive which was a 14 point swing early. But the pick was just a really nice play by Revis and McCourtney. Luck should not have thrown it but not a really egregious mistake in my opinion.

 

What I was more looking for from Luck was his ability to rise to the occasion and really lead your team to an important home win vs a top team. He appeared timid to me back there. He seemed to want to make sure that he did make the mistake so that took away some of his great play making. He was not slinging it like he usually does, like he did in the playoff game back in Jan. The Colts needed him to be a lot more than decent or good or B- in this game to have a chance. You had no run game. Bill took away Hilton and Wayne and challenged Luck to beat him with the rest. He was not up to the challenge. On third down he went 5-13. That is not nearly good enough. Brady went 9-12 with 6 of those 9 conversions passes. That is what is needed in that type of game to extend drives and lead to scores. Outside of Brady's brain fart that led to 7 before the end of the half for you, Luck put up only 13 points with the best offense in the league. And I know some of that is the fault of his teammates and coaching as you guys should have went for it on fourth on 1 instead of kicking the FG but I came away from the game thinking that Luck is not ready to take that next step vs the top teams. If you want to talk about him being among the best QBs in the game and a potential MVP candidate than it is those types of games where he has to make his mark.

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You do realize that the Pats are the most penalized team in football this year? And had more penalties called in the game at 5 for 53 yards than the Colts at 4 for 27 yards?  This really isn't the game to argue officiating or some phantom muggings by the Pats. Sure there may have some missed calls as with every game but nothing that would have changed the game. I thought the NE/Denver was much more physical in the secondary on both sides with a lot of hand checking and grabbing but the officials let most of it go for both teams.

 

In terms of Luck, he had a decent game outside of the pick that cost you potentially 7 as you were driving and allowed NE to cash in 7 on the ensuing drive which was a 14 point swing early. But the pick was just a really nice play by Revis and McCourtney. Luck should not have thrown it but not a really egregious mistake in my opinion.

 

What I was more looking for from Luck was his ability to rise to the occasion and really lead your team to an important home win vs a top team. He appeared timid to me back there. He seemed to want to make sure that he did make the mistake so that took away some of his great play making. He was not slinging it like he usually does, like he did in the playoff game back in Jan. The Colts needed him to be a lot more than decent or good or B- in this game to have a chance. You had no run game. Bill took away Hilton and Wayne and challenged Luck to beat him with the rest. He was not up to the challenge. On third down he went 5-13. That is not nearly good enough. Brady went 9-12 with 6 of those 9 conversions passes. That is what is needed in that type of game to extend drives and lead to scores. Outside of Brady's brain fart that led to 7 before the end of the half for you, Luck put up only 13 points with the best offense in the league. And I know some of that is the fault of his teammates and coaching as you guys should have went for it on fourth on 1 instead of kicking the FG but I came away from the game thinking that Luck is not ready to take that next step vs the top teams. If you want to talk about him being among the best QBs in the game and a potential MVP candidate than it is those types of games where he has to make his mark.

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Rise to the occasion ?  Like Peyton Manning used too ? 

 

Am    It was never Brady versus Luck its Luck versus the Hoodie who for many seasons has frustrated Colts QB's no real shock there .

 

While this was not our best effort it was a total team loss your attempt to lay it all on Luck is weak  .  Our defense could not stop the run & offense could not run the ball real simple this is not our first rodeo we'v seen this all to much over the years .

 

Andrew Luck & the team around him will get better  receivers gotta get open & you must have a running game unless 12 is gonna catch his own passes & or run the ball its pretty silly to try & say Luck is not ready to make the next step ..

 

 

:spit: If you want to talk about him being among the best QBs in the game and a potential MVP candidate than it is those types of games where he has to make his mark.

 

? Really   If we want  ?  So your saying he is'nt . BALDERDASH .  12 has surpassed both 18 & your 12 his first few years in the league he's not exactly chopped liver dude .

 

The Patriots beat the Colts like they have many times in the past ,  18 & 12 have both had many problems when playing a Bill * coached team so IMO its not the QB's that we should be discussing its IMO the coaches & if my Colts are to make the next step it needs to be by learning from our Colts past .

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You do realize that the Pats are the most penalized team in football this year? And had more penalties called in the game at 5 for 53 yards than the Colts at 4 for 27 yards?  This really isn't the game to argue officiating or some phantom muggings by the Pats. Sure there may have some missed calls as with every game but nothing that would have changed the game. I thought the NE/Denver was much more physical in the secondary on both sides with a lot of hand checking and grabbing but the officials let most of it go for both teams.

 

In terms of Luck, he had a decent game outside of the pick that cost you potentially 7 as you were driving and allowed NE to cash in 7 on the ensuing drive which was a 14 point swing early. But the pick was just a really nice play by Revis and McCourtney. Luck should not have thrown it but not a really egregious mistake in my opinion.

 

What I was more looking for from Luck was his ability to rise to the occasion and really lead your team to an important home win vs a top team. He appeared timid to me back there. He seemed to want to make sure that he did make the mistake so that took away some of his great play making. He was not slinging it like he usually does, like he did in the playoff game back in Jan. The Colts needed him to be a lot more than decent or good or B- in this game to have a chance. You had no run game. Bill took away Hilton and Wayne and challenged Luck to beat him with the rest. He was not up to the challenge. On third down he went 5-13. That is not nearly good enough. Brady went 9-12 with 6 of those 9 conversions passes. That is what is needed in that type of game to extend drives and lead to scores. Outside of Brady's brain fart that led to 7 before the end of the half for you, Luck put up only 13 points with the best offense in the league. And I know some of that is the fault of his teammates and coaching as you guys should have went for it on fourth on 1 instead of kicking the FG but I came away from the game thinking that Luck is not ready to take that next step vs the top teams. If you want to talk about him being among the best QBs in the game and a potential MVP candidate than it is those types of games where he has to make his mark.

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I was not laying it all on Luck but more critiquing his performance based on the grade he received. If you want to chalk it mostly up to Bill/coaching than that is fine. I had said the same thing before the game as well that the Pats had a distinct advantage in coaching. Not sure there is really an answer then for you to win vs the Pats then as Bill does not actually play on the field and he has maybe his most talented team especially defensively since the champ years.

 

Also, in your opinion what should the coaching staff be doing? Much of that game seemed to be personnel mismatches up front.

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You do realize that the Pats are the most penalized team in football this year? And had more penalties called in the game at 5 for 53 yards than the Colts at 4 for 27 yards?  This really isn't the game to argue officiating or some phantom muggings by the Pats. Sure there may have some missed calls as with every game but nothing that would have changed the game. I thought the NE/Denver was much more physical in the secondary on both sides with a lot of hand checking and grabbing but the officials let most of it go for both teams.

 

In terms of Luck, he had a decent game outside of the pick that cost you potentially 7 as you were driving and allowed NE to cash in 7 on the ensuing drive which was a 14 point swing early. But the pick was just a really nice play by Revis and McCourtney. Luck should not have thrown it but not a really egregious mistake in my opinion.

 

What I was more looking for from Luck was his ability to rise to the occasion and really lead your team to an important home win vs a top team. He appeared timid to me back there. He seemed to want to make sure that he did make the mistake so that took away some of his great play making. He was not slinging it like he usually does, like he did in the playoff game back in Jan. The Colts needed him to be a lot more than decent or good or B- in this game to have a chance. You had no run game. Bill took away Hilton and Wayne and challenged Luck to beat him with the rest. He was not up to the challenge. On third down he went 5-13. That is not nearly good enough. Brady went 9-12 with 6 of those 9 conversions passes. That is what is needed in that type of game to extend drives and lead to scores. Outside of Brady's brain fart that led to 7 before the end of the half for you, Luck put up only 13 points with the best offense in the league. And I know some of that is the fault of his teammates and coaching as you guys should have went for it on fourth on 1 instead of kicking the FG but I came away from the game thinking that Luck is not ready to take that next step vs the top teams. If you want to talk about him being among the best QBs in the game and a potential MVP candidate than it is those types of games where he has to make his mark.

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