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1959Colts

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Posts posted by 1959Colts

    These final two games

    in Colts Football

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Superman said:

     

    Plays from under center in the first half:

     

    1st quarter:

    10:54, 2nd and 8, play action, incomplete pass

    7:42, 1st and 10, toss right to Taylor, 0 yards

     

    2nd quarter:

    13:42, 1st and 10, handoff middle, 0 yards

    3:23, 1st and 10, double fake, screen, incomplete pass

     

    Just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy. Two runs from under center, two play fakes from under center, zero success. To your point, if we tried to get the run game going with plays from under center, not just sporadically doing it as a wrinkle, it could have an impact. But the small sample size from the Falcons game isn't encouraging.

    Ok. Glad you found that. Thanks for putting up the quarters and times. I just went and re-watched.

     

    From under center, they ran one toss, and one handoff. And the other two tries were pass attempts.

    That being said, with only one handoff (and one toss)... the sample size, certainly is too small to judge our running capabilities from under center.

    To support my position, a good game to rewatch, would be the second half of the Steelers game. When SS called like 17 straight running plays, many of which, were from under center. During this period, the Colts were able to take control of the line of scrimmage, and the whole team fed off of it.

     

    Actually, I am happy you found they at least tried two runs. It gives me a little bit of hope, that Steichen is not completely committed to running everything, solely, out of the shotgun.  As usual, I will be closely watching the way they line up Sunday vs Raiders.

    I read, the last time we played Las Vegas, Jonathon Taylor had a huge game, (in Jeff Saturdays one and only win)

    Hopefully, right from the first series, (knowing the Raiders have a strong pass rush, led by Crosby) they won't come out passing almost every down... and will give JT a mix of formations to run behind, trying to get him on track, in order to establish our running game.

     

    • Like 1

    Shaq Leonard blasts the colts

    in Colts Football

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, Lancer1 said:

    As mentioned in another thread, Shaq looked good last night but he was making plays mostly while unblocked and against a subpar Giants team so I'm not ready to say that he's back to being the "Maniac" of old just yet.

     

    The Colts gave him every opportunity to demonstrate that he could still contribute at a high level and when they saw that he could not, I think they did him a favor by cutting him loose early enough for him to catch on with another playoff contenter this season where he wouldn't be asked to do as much as he was here, and showed that he no longer could. With our injuries piling up, I know we needed his roster spot for players who would produce for us but I maintain that we really hooked him up by not onl;y extending his contract while he was hurt, but then letting him go and hook up with the contender of his choosing and I would think he'd be a little more appreciative of us for that. 

     

    We'll see if he's still running his gums when he gets exposed by a team that actually prepares for him, and illustrates why we had to let him go in the first place.

    Right. I didn't want to over critique his game last night, as I mentioned, I wasn't paying close attention, but rather, just had it on in the background., but that was the sense I was getting. He played a good game, but wasn't dominating the field or anything.

    I believe, I've seen enough of Shaq, to know what to expect going forward. Perhaps he will prove me wrong? But imo, the Colts are better off without.

    • Like 3

    Shaq Leonard blasts the colts

    in Colts Football

    Posted

    Just now, Jared Cisneros said:

    Yep. Okereke looks great right now on the Giants. He was the guy to keep. Keeping Leonard over Okereke just makes the decision look that much worse. 

    And it was obvious last year, who the better player was. But I guess, being hamstrung with Leonards' heavy contract, Ballard chose to keep Leonard, in hopes he would finally return to his former level. Then cutting Shaq midseason, the team had to eat the contract anyway. So yes, it does look like another wrong personnel decision

    • Like 3

    Shaq Leonard blasts the colts

    in Colts Football

    Posted

    Just now, Jared Cisneros said:

    The former. Ballard made a mistake signing him to that big contract. We could have probably got a 3rd round comp pick for him, and we wouldn't be on the books for that horrible contract. He was hurt, and Ballard gets paid the big bucks to make those decisions. He made the wrong one here.

    Right. One of the contract mistakes Ballard has made. He had the injuries, and once Leonard got that big payout, he never was the same. Maybe it was the injuries? Or dare I say, the money? or both? I was then disappointed, when the decision was made to allow Bobby Okereke to leave in FA, in favor of keeping Leonard. Which now, looks like an even bigger mistake.

    • Like 2

    Shaq Leonard blasts the colts

    in Colts Football

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

    I completely agree with this. Here's the issue though. The Eagles are paying him almost nothing to play for them while we're paying him around 20 million a year to play for the Eagles. Even at his current level, they are still getting a good value. Howie Roseman capitalized on Ballards mistake and got him in FA for nothing.

    Think I may have read that he was playing because their normal LB was injured?

     

    I guess you are saying Ballard made a mistake by signing Leonard to the big contract?

    Or are you saying Ballard's mistake was cutting Leonard? Personally, I believe they made the right move when they released him.

     

    Time will tell if he's a good value?

    But I wont be surprised, if they continue to play him, that Leonard may eventually screw something up for the Eagles during their playoff run?

    • Like 1

    Shaq Leonard blasts the colts

    in Colts Football

    Posted

    No regrets from me. I was not really interested in last nights Eagles game, but I had it on,..

    Leonard did make that one play early, when he came unblocked, and took down the runner in the backfield. But then, looked as he usually did with us. Thought I may have even heard the announcer call him out, on one down, when he missplayed something or other?

    I have little doubt, now with Philadelphia, he will continue to be the same player we seen for the past two years.

    • Like 4

    These final two games

    in Colts Football

    Posted

    35 minutes ago, Superman said:

     

    I'll rewatch, I thought I saw several run plays from under center. Maybe it was play action...

     

    Either way, I think the OL was losing up front, and that doesn't really change based on where the QB is standing.

    Nope. Right of the gate, nothing but shotgun.

    As a matter of fact, you can go back and watch all 15 games and probably count on one hand, the times the Colts have gone under center (outside of the Pittsburgh game, when we were well, comfortably, ahead, and a few goalline/ QB sneak type plays occasionally, here and there.

     

    This "shotgun only" scheme had been my biggest peeve against Reich last year, and unfortunately, has been, once again, this year with Steichen.

     

    I will also disagree, that just because our line is getting whooped on these shotgun runs, that one should assume, they would also get whooped from under center. It's just a much better formation to run the ball out of.

     

    If SS was to simply try it, you may be surprised what a big difference it makes, having the RB take the handoff 7 yards deep, while standing still, as opposed to a getting head of steam, and taking the handoff 3 yards from the line of scrimmage.

     

    We do have some mauler type interior linemen with Kelly, Nelson ...and now Fries.

    The fact it can work for us was evident, during the sequence in the Steelers game. when Steichen decided to give them a  heavy dose of our RBs from under center. It worked and he ran like 17 straight running plays in a row.

    ...Only to abandon this tactic entirely vs Atlanta.

     

    And really, the shotgun, even from it's first inception (Tom Landry 1975?), was always meant to be a passing formation, with perhaps, an occasional draw play thrown in, to keep the D honest.  

     

     

    and you mention play action? It is also well known, that play action passes work much better from under center, than from the shotgun. Because when the QB takes the snap from under center, he is more hidden as he fakes the handoff to the RB

     

     

     

    • Like 5

    These final two games

    in Colts Football

    Posted

    Just now, Superman said:

     

    We tried running from under center against the Falcons, and it didn't work. The interior OL mostly got whipped. 

     

    I do think all the RPO has a drag effect on the run game overall, but I don't think that's why the Colts couldn't run against the Falcons. I think they just won up front, bottom line.

    I have to disagree with you here. I was specifically watching for this during the game. I only recall one time he went under center, and that was a decoy play, when they ran that weird trick play, which failed miserably

    • Like 1

    These final two games

    in Colts Football

    Posted

    53 minutes ago, Colts1324 said:

    This!! I’ve been saying this same thing for years. Taylor is NOT nearly as effective out of the shotgun. His ability with that running head start to make those cutbacks with a QB under center  helps make him elite. Out of the shotgun, he doesn’t have any momentum. & it doesn’t help our right side of the line has been very inconsistent lately with blocking.  
     

    I understand it fits his offense. But, the tape has shown this for the past 3 years. 
     

     

     

    ...at the very least, I wish they would give a try to going under center,

    even if it was just to see if it might help the running game

    • Like 1

    These final two games

    in Colts Football

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Superman said:

     

    The Raiders have a good defense, and some really good players up front. The Colts better figure out how to get the run game going if they want to have a chance this week.

    I firmly believe, our struggles running the ball, has a lot to do with only operating from the shotgun formation, and never running the ball from under center. Steichen looks like he always wants to pass the ball first, hoping to get out to a comfortable lead, before he will ever commit to running the ball.

     

    Two weeks ago, when we got out, to enough points ahead of the Steelers, Steichen called a huge amount of consecutive running plays, using our two backup RBs (Sermon and Goodson), where most of which, if not all, he had Minshew up under the center. This drive was highly effective, and probably was the best our running game has looked all year.

     

    One of the biggest problems with Frank Reich's scheme was he always ran from shotgun, and now, our current running game, of late, is looking very similar.

     

    Watching the 49ers, I noticed how good their running attack is. When they run, it's primarily from under center. Shanahan has them line up and he runs it... Granted they have McCaffrey, but there is no reason Jonathan Taylor should not have success, if the Colts would just get back to more basic, hard nosed, running plays

    I understand, the current offense was designed to have Richardson at QB, and it probably would work better with him back there, but he's out till 2024 so we have GM and JT

     

    It's too early to say, and I hate to think, but I'm becoming more and more convinced, SS's systems downfall may end up, his insistence on running his offense entirely from the shotgun.

    • Like 3

    These final two games

    in Colts Football

    Posted

    41 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

    This isn’t going to be popular and I hope I am wrong but I think the Colts are folding down the stretch and lose their last three.  I just don’t like the matchups.  Still I hope I am wrong and will pull for the Colts vs the Raiders and Texans.  

    I had a really bad feeling about the Falcons game, to the point I was expecting us to lose. But simply because the Colts looked so terrible, and the Raiders played great (on national tv) makes me believe we will bounce back and win this Sunday.

    Don't even want to think about Houston this far out.

    • Like 3
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