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Caleb3502

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  1. Caleb3502
    A lot of analysts have talked about the teams in the NFL with the best roster. They mentioned the Broncos, Seahawks, Texans, and 49ers but I think the Colts should be in the discussion. I know a lot of our players are not proven but we still have a good roster that is overlooked:
    Quarterback - Andrew Luck*, Matt Hasselbeck, Chandler Harnish
    A future NFL legend starting at QB with a veteran backup who has over 30,000 passing yards and made it to the Super Bowl and Chandler Harnish which I'll admit has done much but he made a half court shot
    Running back - Ahmad Bradshaw*, Vick Ballard,* Donald Brown, Kerwynn Williams (KR), Delone Carter
    Ahmad Bradshaw has proven he can get the job done with two 1,000-yard seasons the past 3 years. Vick Ballard came out later on in the season and rushed for over 800 yards. He would've gotten to 1,000 if he started all season. Kerwynn Williams is a good receiving running back and is very elusive when running. Williams will most likely end up as the kick returner and will show his ability to return kicks, something the Colts have not exceled at for years. Ignore Brown and Carter for now because they probably won't make the roster.
    Fullback - Stanley Havili*, Dan Moore
    The Colts have something special on this roster unlike many other Colts' rosters, fullbacks. Stanley Havili is a well rounded fullback who seems to be learning the system quite well which he needs to for a successful Pep Hamilton offense. Havili stands at 6 feet 245 lb. Moore stands at 5'11'' 240 lb. So Havili has the size factor on his side but Moore is a powerful runningback/fullback who the Colts may keep on the 53 man roster pending how he plays in preseason. I've heard a lot of good things about Dan Moore and I am eager to see how he plays in preseason. Who knows, maybe we have another Mike Alstott on our hands.
    Wide Receiver - Reggie Wayne*, DHB*, T.Y. Hilton (PR)*, Griff Whalen, LaVon Brazil
    The three starters on the team aren't exactly Thomas, Decker, & Welker but they are very good. You have a HOF player in Reggie Wayne, two very fast receivers in DHB and Hilton who are working hard on their dropped catches. If they stop dropping passes, they are better than Thomas, Decker, & Welker. Hilton is also a versatile punt returner who averages a good return on every one. Griff Whalen has his college coach back and is eager to play after spending last year on IR but before that he was doing very well. If LaVon Brazil gets his suspension out of the way and prevent it from happening again he is also a good option at wide receiver. They have a better receiving core than the 49ers right now, most of their receivers are injured or might get injured again (Collie).
    Tight End - Coby Fleener*, Dwayne Allen*, Justice Cunningham
    Coby Fleener is going to have a breakout year back from injury and reunited with Pep Hamilton. Dwayne Allen has worked over the offseason to get even better. Justice Cunningham could also make the team if he can block well. The Colts have two emerging stars at tight end and can become the next Hernandez & Gronk without the off the field issues.
    Offensive Tackle - Anthony Castonzo*, Gosder Cherilus*, Jeff Linkenbach
    Other than the last player there are two good offensive tackles that have proven they can play. Cherilus was one of the most efficient pass blockers last year and Castonzo is looking to improve.
    Offensive Guard - Donald Thomas*, Mike MyGlynn*, Hugh Thornton
    This is the only weak spot on the Colts. Donald Thomas plays decently at guard but let's not even mention the second one. Hugh Thornton could excel this year if they start him or he is not injured but for now it is the second one starting.
    Center - Samson Satele*, Khaled Holmes
    I actually like Satele and think he can make a decent starter. Holmes can play decent as well as was considered one of the top interior lineman in the draft.
    NT - Aubrayo Franklin, Josh Chapman*, Montori Hughes
    Franklin is an experienced veteran who can excel at stopping the run in which the Colts were in need of. Chapman is also a good option at nose tackle and is also one of the strongest one the team. I'm excited for Chapman to come back from injury, plus he can bench over 400lbs. Montori Hughes was a good selection in the draft and can be good as a situational DL.
    DE - Cory Redding*, Ricky Jean-Francois*, Drake Nevis, Fili Moala
    Cory Redding played very well last year for the Colts and does not get enough recognition. RJF has only started five games his entire four year career but as shown potential to become a starter. Nevis and Moala will battle for a spot on the roster after battling injuries last year.
    OLB - Robert Mathis*, Björn Werner*, Erik Walden, Lawrence Sidbury
    Mathis could also be a HOF if he continues his level of play. Björn Werner has not had experience as a 3-4 OLB but is learning from a master and he too in a few years will become a sack master like Mathis, I was overjoyed when they selected him. Sidbury has potential to become a situational pass rusher and Walden can even earn a starting role on the team.
    ILB - Jerrell Freeman*, Pat Angerer*, Kavell Conner, Kelvin Sheppard, Josh McNary
    Freeman is just a beast at ILB and has always been a strong tackler and should've been a Pro Bowler. Angerer is coming off an injury plagued 2012 season but has shown he can rack up tackles like Freeman. Conner also has been a starter and has shown he is a decent tackler. Sheppard has 150 tackles in two seasons and was a starter last year for the Bills. McNary has played football for a few years due to serving our country but was a great when he played at Army where he had 28 sacks, 195 tackles, and five forced fumbles.
    CB - Vontae Davis*, Greg Toler*, Darius Butler, Cassius Vaughn, Teddy Williams
    Davis was coming on late in the year after being injured the middle of the season. Toler was injured last year and in 2011 but when he played a healthy season he did not allow catches. In 90 targets thrown at him, only 50 were caught, which is extremely well if you can stop 40 passes being caught. Darius Butler was signed during the season by the Colts and showed that he was not a draft bust. Butler led the team in interceptions with 4 and had two returned for touchdowns. Butler is show great progress as a nickleback and will continue his success into the 2013 season.
    S - Bethea*, Landry*, Boyett, Lefeged
    Bethea has been making plays for the Colts since coming out of Howard in 2006. Landry has been injured two out of the last three years of his career but came back in 2012 with a Pro Bow selection. So you have two Pro Bowl safeties who can become the NFL's best duo. Thomas and Chancellor in Seattle are probably the NFL's best duo but after the 2013 season they may not be anymore. John Boyett played very well at Oregon but fell in the draft due to an injury that might keep him out this year, but when he does come back to play he will make an impact. Other than the gun charges, Lefeged earned the role as our Special Teams Captain with McAfee and if the Colts keep him he will make an impact on special teams.
    K - Adam Vinatieri*
    You got a future HOF inductee in Vinatieri for all the clutch kicks he has made over his career. I know he is 40 years old and the NFL's oldest player but he still can get the job done. Look at last year against the Vikings where he nailed a 53-yard field goal to win the game. Vinatieri's accuracy may be declining, but he will still be making clutch kicks for us in 2013.
    P - Pat McAfee*
    I'm glad I have his autograph. McAfee has grown to one of the best punters in the NFL and has become a very good kickoff specialist. McAfee is always booming punts towards the other teams for 60+ yards at times and will continue his success in 2013.
    LS - Matt Overton*
    When I saw that they cut him over Snow I was really surprised. Coming out of Arena Football, Overton did a great job being our long snapper last year and only had one blocked punt all of last year. He has really impressed me and will continue to impress in 2013.
    *= starter (Ballard and Bradshaw are both starters because they will switch out every few carries, Allen and Fleener are both listed as starters because the Colts will run 2 TE sets most of the time with them.)
    If you look at the starters on the team you can see that we got some really good to really great players starting for us. Plus, we have quality backup for the most part (OL is only place with not so great depth at backup) but some of the talent is not proven. After this year, though, people will be talking about the Colts' players a little more and might be thrown into the discussion for best roster.
  2. Caleb3502
    1. More Offensive Weapons
    Andrew Luck had WR Reggie Wayne to throw the ball to the entire year but did not have all of his other offensive weapons.Donnie Avery also played the entire year but had the worst drop rate among wide receivers with 16.67%, tied with T.Y. Hilton.T.Y. Hilton may have had a high drop rate, but finished the season strong out-performing Reggie Wayne over the final games of the season.T.Y. Hilton has made a commitment in training camp if he drops a pass he must run more laps than required.T.Y. Hilton was also kept out of the first game of the season with an injury.Avery has since left via free agency so the Colts brought in Darrius Heyward-Bey, who is also a fast, deep threat. Avery’s 40 time was 4.34 seconds while Heyward-Bey’s was 4.25 seconds.Heyward Bey’s drop rate was also improved since his rookie season, when it was at 35.7%.Since then, it went down to 8.6% in 2011 and 12.8% in 2012, better than Avery’s drop rate for 2012.Luck also has the league’s rising tight end tandem with Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener.Fleener did not play much last year due to injury but him and Griff Whalen, who was also hurt last year, will breakout this year with their Stanford Head Coach Pep Hamilton as Offensive Coordinator (See #2).With LaVon Brazill’s four game suspension, look for Griff Whalen to make an impact.Dwayne Allen was been doing yoga over the offseason and is looking to improve even more.Allen was underrated speed for his size and can be unstoppable in the open field. Ahmad Bradshaw and Stanley Havili are also good options coming out of the backfield and you might as well throw in Vick Ballard for having #1 play of the year.
    2 .Pep Hamilton as Offensive Coordinator
    Andrew Luck may have benefited more with the departure of Bruce Arians, who helped this team in the absence of Chuck Pagano.With Arians leaving to Arizona, Luck gets his Head Coach from Stanford, Pep Hamilton, as an Offensive Coordinator.All three Colts, Luck, Whalen, and Fleener, know Hamilton’s offensive scheme and should transfer their success with that offense in college to the NFL.Pep Hamilton’s offense is a version of the West Coast offense, which is different from last year’s deep passing offense.It depends on how the offensive line can protect in order for the offense to work due to the need of a good running game (See #3).Luck says that Hamilton is doing a great job with the offense during Training Camp and Luck is even correcting Hamilton on a few things.So I am pretty sure Luck understands this offense well and can have great success with it in 2013.
    3.Improved Running Game
    Russell Wilson and RGIII had something in the offensive that Luck didn’t have, a running game.Marshawn Lynch and Alfred Morris combined for a total of 3, 203 yards, 4.9 Yards per Carry Average, and 24 Rushing Touchdowns. The entire Colts team had 1,671 rushing yards, 3.8 Yards per Carry Average, and 11 Rushing Touchdowns.If Alfred Morris got 59 more yards in 2013, he would beat the Colts in every rushing category by himself, and that is without RGIII running for over 800 yards.What did the Colts do to help that?Vick Ballard ended the 2012 season on a high note with 94 yards against the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round.They went out and got veteran Ahmad Bradshaw who will most likely be available for Week 1.Bradshaw even had a decent 2012 season.He missed two games in 2012 but still had over 1,000 yards and a 4.6 Yards per Carry Average.But the most important addition is Stanley Havili.When was the last time the Colts had a real fullback.With the addition of the fullback and the additions to the offensive line, Gosder Cherilus, Donald Thomas, Hugh Thornton, Khaled Holmes, the Colts should have a decent running game.
    4. Improved Defense
    The Colts switched to a 3-4 defense last year.They still place in the bottom of the league in total defense.Both Jerrell Freeman and Antoine Bethea had a 100+ tackles season, but the next highest tackler was Cassius Vaughn.Colts fans are not excited whatsoever when they hear the name “Cassius Vaughn”.The Colts’ line backing core is better than it ever has.They have starting season by four middle linebackers on the team: Pat Angerer, Jerrell Freeman, Kavell Conner, and Kelvin Sheppard. They got competition at outside linebacker opposite Robert Mathis: Bjorn Werner, Erik Walden, and even Lawrence Sidbury.The defensive line has some good additions: Montori Hughes, Ricky Jean Francois, Aubrayo Franklin, and the return of Josh Chapman, Drake Nevis, and Fili Moala.
    The secondary is better than it has ever been with the additions of LaRon Landry, Greg Toler, and defensive backs fighting for a spot like Daxton Swanson and John Boyett.On paper, the Colts have at least a Top 15 Defense.
    5. The Schedule
    According to the 2012 records of teams the Seahawks face this year they have the 11th hardest schedule and the Redskins have the 18th hardest schedule while the Colts have the 30th hardest schedule.The Colts play at home to Oakland, Miami, Seattle, Denver, Houston, Jacksonville, Tennessee, and St. Louis.The Colts play on the road to San Francisco, Jacksonville, Houston, Tennessee, San Diego, Arizona, Cincinnati, and Kansas City.The toughest games the Colts face are: at 49ers, vs. Seahawks, vs. Broncos, at Bengals, at Houston, vs. Houston.Half of those games are home, where the Colts were 7-1 in 2012 except one fluke play than cost them the game against the Jaguars.The Seahawks and 49ers both lost keys players.The Seahawks lost Percy Harvin for most of the year and the 49ers lost Michael Crabtree for the year and CB Chris Culliver for the year.They also lost TE Delanie Walker via free agency who was their “Swiss army knife”.
    WR Mario Manningham and WR Kyle Williams are also still on the PUP list and may not be ready for the game against the Colts.So the Colts have a good chance against the tougher games on the schedule.I do not expect them to win every game but they should be able to manage between 11 to 13 wins.
    Note: For Colts fans that do not live near Indianapolis, the Colts will be on national television for MNF against the Chargers, SNF against the Broncos and Texans, and TNF for the Titans. They will be on television also for the preseason game against the Bills.
  3. Caleb3502
    After Peyton Manning's outrageous performance over the Ravens, I began to question if I would rather have Luck put up over 400 yards passing and 7 touchdown passes, or have him throw for 300 yards, 3 TDs, and Ballard and Bradshaw combine for 150+ yards. I think I would rather have the second choice. I started to think about though how one dimensional the Broncos offense was in that game. The Broncos only had around 60 yards rushing. Against the Raiders, I hope the Colts can put around 150, unlikely so I'm shooting for 100 yards rushing. If NFL defenses actually figure out the Broncos passing attack, they could be in trouble. Montee Ball was a Heisman finalist two years ago but he is not yet ready to be an elite runningback, neither is Ronnie Hillman or Knowshon Moreno.
    So what do you think? Would you rather have Luck put up Manning's Week 1 numbers or have a balanced offensive attack?
  4. Caleb3502
    I know this is very unlikely but I'm bored so I'm going to talk about it anyways. Not too many teams used the read option two years ago but the usage of read option is increasing. Last year, there were over 500 read option plays used. Now, the majority of those plays came from the Panthers, Redskins, 49ers, and Seahawks. Philadelphia this year is going into the Chip Kelly Offense which is a version of the option offense. All five of those teams have some of the fastest quarterbacks in the league and very good runningbacks. Now the option offense can be very dangerous if your most important player does not know how to protect himself and avoid devastating injuries, example Robert Griffin III, torn ACL. Even though this offense may jeopardize your quarterback's health, the option plays are being adopted to more teams in the NFL. You don't necessarily need a fast quarterback but it helps. Peyton Manning ran a few option plays in the preseason opener and we saw Tebow running some option plays with the Patriots. The Chiefs also hired Chris Ault, considered he maker of the option/pistol offense, as a consultant.
    The option offense may fade out or be figured out with the next year or two and then someone else will try another different style of offense then everyone will want to do it. But, what my main discussion is about, do the Colts fall into the hype and actually try an option play. The Colts right now are running a version of the West Coast offense that Pep Hamilton ran in Stanford and so did Luck, Fleener, and Whalen. The Colts did not fall into the Wildcat hype when that was a major gimmicky offense in the NFL ran by the Dolphins and other teams but is still used. I don't expect the option offense to last as long as the Wildcat offense. The Colts never really had a runningback capable of that type of offense so they never tried it (as far as I know).
    But, back to the option offense. Andrew Luck does not like to run the ball unless he has too unlike RGIII and Kaeperknick, who love to run with the football in the open field. Luck is more of a pocket passer. He is very athletic and could run the option offense if he wanted too, but I think he is too smart to fall into the offense. Luck likes the offense at Stanford that Hamilton ran and knows it extremely well. Plus, as long as our offensive line as gotten a lot better with pass protection, Luck won't have a high chance of getting injured. Plus, Bradshaw and Ballard do not have experience running in a option offense. Ballard and Bradshaw will do good in a regular offense like the West Coast.
    If the Colts actually try it, I'm fine with it. If they decide to not fall in the hype, I'm fine with it. Whatever the Colts do as an offensive scheme, I'm fine with it as long as it is productive and works. So what do you think? Do you think that the Colts will fall into the hype or continue with a traditional offense?
  5. Caleb3502
    So now we beat Denver and the so-called "unstoppable Manning and Broncos offense, which we stopped really well for most of the game and did not allow them to take the lead after they held a 14-10 lead in the 2nd quarter. The Colts do not have the best record in the NFL, but have beaten teams with the best records in the NFL. Denver was undefeated and now 6-1. Seattle was undefeated and now 6-1. San Francisco is back and is now 5-2. The only team with more wins than us that we haven't already beaten is the Chiefs, who currently sit at 7-0, and we play them this year. So, considering how well we have done against the NFL elite, I think we can be the best and Super Bowl contenders. I know we loss Reggie for the year but Grigson will find away to keep the receiving corps growing.
    Games Won Against Teams
    In this category I will break down the wins of teams in the NFL against the record of the team they beat. For example, we beat Denver that is 6-1.
    Indianapolis 5-2 record / 19-15 combined record of defeated opponents (7 of those losses come from the Jaguars)
    Kansas City 7-0 record / 14-33 combined record of defeated opponents (Cowboys only team beat with a current winning record)
    Denver 6-1 record / 12-28 combined record of defeated opponents (Cowboys once again only team with current winning record)
    Seattle 6-1 record / 16-25 combined record of defeated opponents (49ers only team with current winning record)
    New England 5-2 record / 14-18 combined record of defeated opponents (Saints and Jets teams with current winning record)
    New Orleans 5-1 record / 12-20 combined record of defeated opponents (Bears only team with winning record)
    Cincinnati 5-2 record / 18-15 combined record of defeated opponents (Patriots, Packers, and Lions teams with current winning record)
    Cincinnati is closest to us as fair as win-loss total of defeated opponents goes.
    Players on Team
    A lot of people don't realize how many good players or even great players are on our roster. I'll name a few but there are many more:
    QB Andrew Luck
    Not much too say that people do not know. Luck has 10 TD passes on the year with only 3 INTs. Not a lot of passing yards with 1,574 but is making good throws and leading this team to scoring drives. He also has 28 carries for 183 yards and three rushing touchdowns, not to mention how hard he is to bring down in the pocket and running. Future of the NFL and will continue his greatness for years to come.
    WR T.Y. Hilton
    We lost Reggie Wayne. It's unfortunate, but we still have a playmaker who will see a lot more receptions. Hilton has great speed and big play ability. He has struggled with drops like last year but has improved and does not miss to many catchable passes. DHB I think is getting closer to becoming what we wanted and looked better vs Denver other than the ball that was just thrown past him. He did have a nice 30-yard run and good fake on the touchdown. He and Hilton add 4.3 speed to our offense.
    ILB Jerrell Freeman
    Freeman is an outstanding linebacker who displays good pass coverage, which can lead to a sack when he blitzes like Sunday. He punishing tackler like LaRon and rarely ever misses a tackle. Such good speed and awareness that keeps the line backing corps together.
    OLB Robert Mathis
    Mathis is playing his best season of his career with 11.5 sacks already through 7 games, which leads the NFL. Mathis is making a strong case for DPOY. He might even break the single season sack record, which he is on pace to do.
    CB Vontae Davis
    Davis was unstoppable against Denver. Did not allow anything caught his way, going up against a great WR in Demariyus Thomas. Davis was thrown at 8 times and only allowed 2 completions for 4 yards. He is our top shutdown corner which helps eliminate that side of the field.
    K Adam Vinatieri and P Pat McAfee
    Vinatieri continues to get it done as the oldest player in the NFL at age 40. He made clutch field goals in the game that preserved the win. McAfee had a few bad punts but had some really good ones, not to mention his hit on Trindon Holliday.
    We have players on our roster that show we can be the best. As I said in a post months ago, we might have the best roster in the NFL.
    Remaining Schedule
    We have a bye this week to get injuries rested and heeled and they we have an easier schedule then the first half, which was the hardest part.
    Week 8: Bye
    Week 9: at Texans (Sunday Night Football) Foster was hurt yesterday and Case Keenum will most likely get the start.
    Week 10: vs Rams / They don't have Sam Bradford anymore, he is done for the season.
    Week 11: at Titans (Thursday Night Football)
    Week 12: at Cardinals / Carson Palmer is always throwing an interception
    Week 13: vs Titans
    Week 14: at Bengals / Going to be a possibly tough game. Depends on which team shows up. The team that lost to Cleveland or beat the Packers.
    Week 15: vs Texans / Never lost at home vs Texans ever
    Week 16: at Chiefs / Possibly tough team. They are 7-0 for a reason but have not defeated teams with really good records.
    Week 17: vs Jaguars / I think we know how likely this is going to end.
    The Colts have a possible shot at going 9-0 the rest of the year, but every team has a bad game and it might come against the Chiefs or Bengals. I don't think they will lose more than 2 games, only if the team can stay healthy, which has been a big issue. We can go 12-4 and take back our AFC South crown. If we do win the rest of our games, which we are capable of, we can be considered the best team in the NFL at 14-2. We did it without Chuck, we can do it without Reggie. I think we will be even more motivated now to win for Reggie.
  6. Caleb3502
    The Colts have been this force to be reckoned with after the loss to the Dolphins and the slight win over the Raiders. We nearly came away with a win against the Dolphins but we weren't in sync that game as a team. Week 3 we beat the NFC Champion 49ers and held them to 7 points. The 49ers steamrolled the Texans on Sunday Night Football. Week 4 we beat the Jaguars 37-3 but that is not a challenging thing to do. Week 5 was a really interesting game that kept me standing up pretty much the entire second half, but we still came away with a 34-28 win. Last year I don't think the Colts really had a lot of scoring and would win games like 21-14. We scored 30 points or more I think only twice all of last year. We beat the Packers 30-27 and beat the Lions 35-33. This year through 5 games we have done that twice. The scores from the other team have diminished thanks to a revamped defense that is missing key players like LaRon Landry and Ricky Jean Francois but players like Fili Moala and Delano Howell really have stepped up.
    Bleacher Report has a ranked at #3http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1801139-nfl-power-rankings-standings-and-outlook-for-each-team-after-sundays-action and NFL.com had us ranked at #6 last week and we will move up this week. I will get the link when they list the power rankings which is after the Monday Night Football game. The Bengals will move up because they beat the Patriots but not Top 5 since they also lost to the Browns. Sometimes they are good and sometimes they aren't. The Chiefs may be or may not be ahead of us, probably won't even though they are undefeated, they have beaten teams like the Titans without Locker, the Giants (enough said), Jaguars, Cowboys (who have been off and on), and Eagles. The only team they have beaten with a winning record is the Titans at 3-2. We have beaten the Seahawks who were undefeated but now 4-1 and the 49ers who are now 3-2.
    I think we are the second best team in the AFC and the Top 5 Team in the NFL. The Saints and Broncos right now are better than us. In my opinion, the first half of our schedule up to the bye week was the hardest part. We had the risk of going 3-4, but now sitting at 4-1, we have a good shot at 5-2 going into the bye week. We have had trouble in the past with the Chargers but this isn't the same Colts that were apart of those losses. Vinatieri, Wayne, Bethea, and Mathis were the only ones really apart of those losses. We can go there on Monday Night and get the win and go play Peyton in Lucas Oil (The fans are going to be louder than ever). If we were to beat Manning and the Broncos we would be the #1 team in the NFL and unstoppable. We have a manageable schedule after the bye: at Texans (SNL), Rams, at Titans (TNF), Cardinals, Titans, at Bengals, Texans, at Chiefs, Jaguars. We could win 7-8 of those games and finish with a 12-4 or 13-3 record with the AFC South Division Crown.
  7. Caleb3502
    I see a lot of people projecting the awards and pro bowl selections for a team so I decided to do one. Here's my list (bolding the names of Colts, but I will also do the rest of the league:
    MVP: QB Tim Tebow...... just kidding QB Drew Brees
    Drew Brees has a great shot at winning the MVP. He has over 5,000 passing yards back-to-back seasons and leads the league in touchdown passes in 2012. Peyton Manning has a shot at winning it if Brees doesn't get the Saints into the playoffs. If he fails to, it will be Manning.
    OPOY: QB Andrew Luck
    It's not because Luck is our quarterback that I picked him here. He looked good last year and is looking even better this year. I know it's only preseason but Luck is still doing a great job against 1st team defenses. If Luck doesn't win it, surprisingly, I think Dez Bryant could win it if he pulls it all together.
    DPOY: LB Luke Kuechly
    Kuechly is an unstoppable force at limebacker. Led both the team in tackles and the entire league in tackles. He will continue to dominate. If it is not Kuechly, it will be DeMarcus Ware. Ware probably won't get the award but he had 11.5 sacks last year and 6 forced fumbles. The Cowbous switched their defensive scheme so we will have to see how he plays.
    OROY: HB Eddie Lacy
    DuJuan Harris was placed on IR, which means Eddie Lacy is the Packers' starting runningback. Lacy is a good, powerful runningback who can gain some great yardage. A lot of people think Tavon Austin or E.J. Manuel will win it but I think Lacy has a shot at winning it.
    DROY: Tyrann Matthieu
    After not playing at all in 2012 for LSU, he was selected by the Cardinals in the third round. He has big play ability and has performed well in preseason. If Matthieu doesn't make the DROY, they it will be Jon Bostic. Bostic has big shoes to fill in Brian Urlacher, but he is a very good linebacker who will help the Bears' absense of Urlacher.
    CPOY: QB Michael Vick
    Vick looked really sharp in preseason. After having fumbling issues last year and missing part of the year to injury, Vick is back with a new head coach, Chip Kelly. Vick works well in the Chip Kelly Offense due to his versatility. Sean Lee could win the award after being injured last year.
    AFC Pro Bowlers
    QB: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, Ryan Tannehill*
    HB: C.J. Spiller, Arian Foster, Ray Rice, Chris Johnson*
    FB: Marcell Reece
    WR: Reggie Wayne, A.J. Green, Andre Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, Stevie Johnson*
    TE: Rob Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen, Jermaine Gresham*
    T: Ryan Clady, Joe Thomas, Eric Fisher, Nate Solder*
    G: Marshal Yanda, Andy Levitre, Wade Smith*
    C: Chris Meyers, Mike Pouncey
    DE: J.J. Watt, Cameron Wake, Michael Johnson*
    DT: Geno Atkins, Haloti Ngata, Marcell Dareus*
    OLB: Robert Mathis, Tamba Hali, Elvis Dumervil, Paul Kruger*
    MLB: Derrick Johnson, Jerrell Freeman, Paul Posluszny, Jerod Mayo*
    CB: Vontae Davis, Laduarius Webb, Devin McCourty, Dee Milliner*
    S: Antoine Bethea, Eric Weddle, Eric Berry, Bernard Pollard*
    K: Justin Tucker
    P: Pat McAfee
    KR: Trindon Holliday
    LS: John Denney
    ST: Marcus Easley
    NFC Pro Bowlers
    QB: Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, Robert Griffin III*
    RB: Adrian Peterson, Marshawn Lynch, Eddie Lacy, Doug Martin*
    FB: John Kuhn
    WR: Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Jennings*
    TE: Jason Witten, Jimmy Graham, Martellus Bennett*
    T: Joe Staley, Matt Kalil, Jason Peters*
    G: Evan Mathis, Kyle Long, Alex Boone*
    C: John Sullivan, Max Unger
    DE: Chris Long, Jared Allen, Charles Johnson, Ezekiel Ansah*
    DT: Star Lotulelei, Ndamakong Suh, Henry Melton*
    OLB: Aldon Smith, Clay Matthews
    MLB: Patrick Willis, Luke Kuechly, NaVorro Bowman*
    CB: Charles Tillman, Casey Hayward, Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman*
    S: Morgan Burnett, Kam Chancellor, Tyrann Matthieu, Harrison Smith*
    K: Blair Walsh
    P: Andy Lee
    KR: Devin Hester
    LS: Patrick Mannelly
    ST: Tramaine Brock
    *=Pro Bowl Alternate
  8. Caleb3502
    The Colts have the 3rd easiest schedule in the NFL in 2013, but that might not mean a thing. Even if it isn't easy, the Colts can find ways to win tough games. So, what do you think their record will be? I think they will be able to get at least 10 wins but I expect them to get around 11 to 13 win. With improved defense and enhanced offense, how far can this team go?
  9. Caleb3502
    A lot of people have done these so I decided to do one. Withoutfurther delay,
    Week 1: Raiders at Colts Colts Win 31-14
    Week 2: Dolphins at Colts Colts Win 27-21
    Week 3: Colts at 49ers 49ers Win 28-17
    Week 4: Colts at Jaguars Colts Win 38-20
    Week 5: Seahawks at Colts Seahawks Win 31-24
    Week 6: Colts at Chargers MNF Colts Win 28-17
    Week 7: Broncos at Colts SNF Broncos Win 42-31
    Week 8: Bye
    Week 9: Colts at Texans SNF Texans Win 27-17
    Week 10: Rams at Colts Colts Win 31-20
    Week 11: Colts at Titans TNF Colts Win 24-14
    Week 12: Colts at Cardinals Colts Win 28-17
    Week 13: Titans at Colts Colts Win 21-14
    Week 14: Colts at Bengals Colts Win 28-24
    Week 15: Texans at Colts Colts Win 27-20
    Week 16: Colts at Chiefs Colts Win 20-14
    Week 17: Jaguars at Colts Colts Win 28-14
    Colts Record: 12-4
    Wildcard Round: Texans at Colts Colts Win 27-24
    Divisional Round: Colts at Broncos Broncos Win 37-28
    Colts win one more game than last year and are able to advance to the Divisional Round after a Wildcard Round win. It will take them one more year for them to be projected to be in the AFC Championship Game. In a few more years they will be Super Bowl contenders.
  10. Caleb3502
    The Colts are coming off a tough and overpowering loss to the Buffalo Bills. The starters performed well, but the backups need to improve in Sunday's game against the Giants. The backups did have a good thing from that though, we learned more about the players that we signed over the off season such as Caesar Rayford, Allen Chapman, Daxton Swanson, and a returning Colt from last November, Delano Howell. Howell had 10+ tackles last week and Rayford has a strip sack that Swanson picked up for a 72-yard touchdown. The runningbacks looked good but did not get a lot of carries so they did not rack up a lot of yards. Someone who needs to improve this week is Chandler Harnish. Harnish needs to play well Sunday if he wants to stay on the roster and not end up on the practice squad. I think his week they should have Hasselbeck play at least until halftime because they had Harnish in command too long.
    Roster Bubble Players
    Chandler Harnish QB - did not play well completing only 14 of 33 passes with a pick six. He is in danger of being kept on the practice squad. Harnish will probably have the whole second half to improve on his mistakes.
    Marshay Green CB - Green was getting destroyed by Bills receivers and could not stop any passes his way. He is not what the Colts need for depth at cornerback.
    Delone Carter HB - Carter did not play well against the Bills only getting 11 yards on three carries. He is not needed with Ballard, Bradshaw, and Brown on the roster.

    Players to Watch
    Björn Werner OLB (If he plays) - Werner did not play in the preseason opener so I'm not sure if he will play Sunday. I heard he was active against the Bills but did not play. If he does play it will be the first game of his NFL career against someone besides the Colts. This game should show us how well he has developed into a 3-4 OLB from a 4-3 DE.
    Griff Whalen WR - Griff Whalen will be the player to watch pretty much every preseason game because he is looking to emerge as the 4th wide receiver in the absence of LaVon Brazil. He had three catches the last game but is looking to put up bigger numbers this week.
    Caesar Rayford OLB - Rayford had a nice strip sack last week that led to a touchdown. He has incredible size for an OLB at 6'7'', 245 pounds. He can continue his case to make this team this week against the Giants. He can really add depth as a pass rushing outside linebacker and I really hope he makes the team. The worst he could go is practice squad.

    Keys to the Game
    Strong Performance from Starters - This is the most important thing to a preseason game besides finding players to fill in the rest of the roster. If Andrew Luck shows some strong scoring drives and the defense does not allow a lot of yards or points, it will be a successful game for me, even if they lose because usually it's the third string that loses games, not the starters. Ahmad Bradshaw will most likely not play in the game against his former team but is probably 99% ready for the regular season. If this was the regular season, he would play. Like Dwayne Allen and Pat Angerer, I don't think they really get any snaps this preseason due to precaution.
    Better Special Teams Play - As far as kicking and punting go, the Colts did good against the Bills. However, when it came to returning and coverage, it was bad. Punt returning was not all that bad but the kick returning needs to improve. Williams had five returns for 89 yards. That's 17.8 yards per return. If you want to be the team's starting kick returning, you need to at least average over 20 yards per return or at least get past the 20-yard line. In some instances last week they didn't even get past the 10-yard line. They also allowed two returns of over 50 yards, one being a 107-yard kickoff return touchdown by Marquise Goodwin. You aren't going to make winning games easy letting up easy scores like that.
    Better Pass Protection - The Colts have great starters on pass protection: Landry, Bethea, Toler, and Davis. But if Greg Toler gets another injury, there is going to be trouble on that side of the field. Butler is a decent option at CB, he led the team in interceptions last year but look at the cornerbacks listed after him: Cassius Vaughn, Josh Gordy, Teddy Williams, Marshay Green, and Allen Chapman. Chapman will have an opportunity to make the roster or practice squad and Vaughn will probably make the roster because of his speed. The Colts should show better pass protection this week due to the backup quarterbacks of the Giants, Curtis Painter and David Carr (both busts). The rookie Ryan Nassib even had trouble in his first preseason game. Pass protection has been an issue of ours for awhile but this year we have the starters to help with that as long as they stay healthy.

    Game Prediction
    The Colts' starters will outplay the Giants' starters but it is a close match between backups. If Hasselbeck and Luck can secure a good lead, we will probably win but if we are losing by the time Harnish comes in we will probably lose because Harnish isn't ready to lead a comeback yet. He still has a lot to learn but he has some good quarterbacks to learn from. I say the Giants win 24-21 but if Luck and Hasselbeck get a good lead it will be Colts win 31-28.
  11. Caleb3502
    That was a whole lot better than last week. The Colts all around improved and showed a pretty good showing of what they are capable of beating the New York Giants 20-12. When I first starting watching it (since it was on Sunday Night Football), I was getting worried with our defense and offense. The first drive for the Giants went inside the red zone thanks to a defensive pass interference call. The Colts were able to stop them on 4th down. But when the Colts got the ball, two straight runs by Ballard went nowhere and Fleener dropped what would have been a first down. The Giants went inside the red zone again on their second drive but were held to a field goal. The Colts improved on the second drive but got lucky when Luck threw it right to Aaron Ross but he bounced it up in the air and Reggie caught it off the rebound in the end zone. So, the Colts did not allow a touchdown the entire game and held them to four field goals. Speaking of field goals, Vinatieri and McManus hit 50+ yard field goals. Let's break down the positions again with the Colts and Giants:
    Quarterback
    I really like the quarterbacking from Luck but Harnish and Hasselbeck did not do a very good job. Luck was 9 of 13 for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Hasselbeck came in and was 6 of 10 for 45 yards but threw a costly interception when the Colts were driving and were in field goal range. Harnish came in after Hasselbeck and was 2 of 5 for 25 yards. Not that bad but I would like to see less interceptions from the backups. At least (or hopefully), neither of the two will play during the regular season. Eli Manning was 8 of 17 for 97 yards and an interception. He did not look to good inside the red zone and had a completion percentage of 47% while Luck's was 69%. David Carr came in and led the Giants downfield but could produce a field goal. Carr was 7 of 11 for 57 yards. His completion percentage was 63% while Hasselbeck's was 60%. Aside from the interception, close numbers from the second string quarterbacks. After Carr came the rookie Ryan Nassib. Nassib was 2 of 6 for 48 yards. Nassib's completion percentage was 33% while Harnish's percentage was 40%. So very close numbers from the quarterbacks of the Colts and the quarterbacks of the Giants but the Colts win this position because of the two touchdowns from Luck. Luck finished with a 133.7 QB rating and Manning finished with a 40.6 QB rating.
    Runningback
    Here is one component to the Colts offense that needs work but will get better when Ahmad Bradshaw comes back. The Colts had nine more rushing plays than the Giants but had a 2.7 yards per carry average compared to the Giants' 4.0. The Giants had seven more rushing yards than the Colts but the majority came from the two starting backs, Andre Brown and David Wilson. David Wilson had eight carries for 36 yards and Andre Brown had eight carries for 34 yards. Ryan Torain is back in the NFL (anyone still remember him?) and rushed for 19 yards on five carries. Vick Ballard did not have a good game on four carries for a paltry four yards. Donald Brown had six carries for 21 yards. Kerwynn Williams had a nice 12 yard run but was getting stopped behind the line constantly so he finished with 19 yards on 10 carries. The only other notable runningback was Delone Carter who rushed for 16 yards on seven carries. So the Giants won in this category but probably would have lost if he had Bradshaw starting.
    Receiving
    The Colts did pretty well in this category minus the drop by Fleener, who also came out of the game with a sprained knee. Reggie Wayne had a great game with three catches for 37 yards and a miracle touchdown catch off of the fingers of CB Aaron Ross. Reggie also had a nice one handed catch at the line that went for about three to four yards. Heyward-Bey missed a catch but it was towards the ground. He came out of the game as the leading receiver though, catching four pass for 42 yards. Hilton is just unstoppable and proves my Harrison-Hilton comparison even more. Hilton had two catches for 36 yards. But the two catches or amazing. His first catch was with a defender an inch away from him on the sideline and then juked two Giants to pick up four extra yards and an amazing catch in the endzone where he was able to bring two feet down in the back of the end zone. Not much to say about the Giants. HB Michael Cox lead the Giants in receiving with two catches for 48 yards. Hakeem Nicks had two catches for 40 yards but his teammate Victor Cruz left the game with an injury. Ramses Barden had the most receptions on the Giants with four catches for 28 yards. Due to the amazing catches by Wayne and Hilton, the Colts easily take this category.
    Blocking
    The Colts did a good job in pass blocking only allowing one sack. I think pass blocking will be extremely better this year but we need better run blocking from the offensive line. The Colts could have a Top 5 Offense in the NFL if they had a good running game. If Bradshaw can get over 1,000 yards, the Colts will be Top 5 in Offense. The Giants did not have a good game with the offensive line. RJF landed awkwardly on C David Baas. He left the game on their first drive and did not return. As for run blocking they did a good job but pass blocking was not good for them. They allowed six sacks. The Colts defense was pressuring the quarterback all game and had a lot off hurries and hit on the Giants' quarterbacks. This one was pretty much an even match. The Colts exceled in pass blocking while the Giants didn't and The Giants exceled in run blocking but the Colts didn't. So this category ends in a tie.
    Defense
    The Colts defense started out slow but really improved. They only allowed four field goals the entire game. They also had six sacks, two from Caesar Rayford, two from Drake Nevis, one from Marshay Green, and one from Erik Walden. Rayford has been very good in preseason and will most likely get a roster spot. He leads the team in sacks with three. Nevis has been injury prone and has only one career sack. He stepped up against the Giants and wrapped the quarterback up for two sacks. Marshay Green had dismal pass coverage against the Bills but was able to get a sack. Erik Walden came around the edge and sacked Eli Manning. He also led the team in tackles with six. Walden will most likely be the starter Week 1 at OLB. Werner came close to a sack but fell to the ground and could not wrap the quarterback up. Greg Toler had an interception off of Eli Manning on the Giants' third drive. If the starters in the secondary can stay healthy, this is going to be a very good pass coverage defense in 2013. Nothing stood out for the Giants except for the pick by Jayron Hosley and the sack from Justin Trattou. Adewale Ojomo led the team in tackles with five. The Colts win this category with all the red zone stops and the five more sacks than the Giants. This will be a good defense if they can really stop the run.
    Special Teams
    Well, the Colts did not allow a kickoff return touchdown so it was already better than last week. The worst return they allowed was a 36-yard kickoff return by Michael Cox. Cassius Vaughn had a 27-yard return but fumbled and Kerwynn Williams had a 22-yard returned. Nothing stood out on punt returning from either team. A lot of field goals in the game. Josh Brown was 4 of 4 on field goals for the Giants. Adam Vinatieri nailed a 52-yard field goal and rookie Brandon McManus hit a 50-yard field goal off the left upright that bounced in. Pat McAfee and Steve Weatherford both had 6 punts. McAfee had a 43 yard punt average and Weatherford had a 43.8 yard average. The Giants win this category only because it was special teams that kept them in the game. Josh Brown was the MVP in the game for the Giants.
    So, overall this was a good win for the Colts. I was hoping the backups put up some more points but it is what it is. If the Colts improve on running game, both offensively and defensively, this will be a very good team. Once Bradshaw is inserted into the starting role, the running game should improve. If they establish the run and perform better on defense. It will be up to Andrew Luck on how far these Colts go. I am very excited for the regular season to come. It will be fun watching Andrew Luck show analysts he is almost as good as any other quarterback in this league.
  13. Caleb3502
    The Colts just released their injury report for practice on Wednesday. Everyone participated fully except Kavell Conner and Anthony Castonzo. Here is the full list (I will update it everyday in case people didn't read it already:
    Dwayne Allen TE, Foot Injury Wed - FP Thu - FP
    Ahmad Bradshaw HB, Foot Injury Wed - FP Thu - FP
    Anthony Castonzo OT, Knee Injury Wed - DNP Thu - FP
    Kavell Conner ILB, Ankle Injury Wed - DNP Thu - DNP
    Coby Fleener TE, Knee Injury Wed - FP Thu - FP
    Mario Harvey ILB, Knee Injury Wed - FP Thu - FP
    Joe Lefeged S, Knee Injury Wed - FP Thu - FP
    Mike McGlynn OG, Knee Injury Wed - FP Thu - FP
    Fili Moala DE, Foot Injury Thu - LP
    David Reed WR, Head Injury Wed - FP Thu - DNP
    FP - Full Participation
    LP - Limited Participation
    DNP - Did Not Participate
    Out - Player will not Play
    Wednesday
    All the Colts have leg and foot injuries except for David Reed, who has a head injury. The major injury is Anthony Castonzo, who did not practice Wednesday. Hopefully he can get some participation Thursday. Conner's injury is not as serious because we have Angerer, Freeman, Sheppard, and Harvey who practiced in full today. The Tight End position is looking good going into Week 1 health wise. Mike McGlynn practiced in full today so as of right now still no Hugh Thornton.
    Thursday
    Kavell Conner does not look like he will play Sunday. Castonzo practiced in full today so that is good news for our offensive line. David Reed di not practice today after practicing in full Thursday.
  14. Caleb3502
    The Colts waived S Joe Lefeged and now they signed S Larry Asante to the 53-man roster. Larry Asante was a 5th round pick by the Cleveland Browns back in 2010 and played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2010-2011. He was signed to a future/reserve contract back in 2012 for the Colts and played in the 2013 Preseason for the Colts. In the Preseason, he had a 48-yard interception for a touchdown in Week 3 and had 15 total tackles in the preseason finale. In the Regular season as a Buccaneer, he had 14 total tackles and a four-yard interception.
    I'm not sure if Lefeged is allowed to be on the a Practice Squad because I think there is a rule that a player cannot be on the PS after being in the NFL so many years. Lefeged was a fill-in starter in 2011 and was a fill-in starter for Zbitowski in 2012. He had 2 interceptions and 34 total tackles in 2011 and 31 total tackles in 2012 and had only one tackles in four games this year. Lefeged has had off the field issues and that is most likely why he was waived plus Asante has the upper edge after a strong preseason performance.
  15. Caleb3502
    The Colts made a surprising move. The Colts waived WR Griff Whalen. Whalen had only played three games this year after being on Injured Reserve all of last year. Whalen had caught two passes for 28 yards this season. I thought Whalen was going to be in the mix since Luck and him know the playbook well like Fleener because all three of them played at Stanford, and now running the Stanford Offense under Pep Hamilton. Whalen will most likely clear waivers and the Colts will sign him to the practice squad.
    To take his roster spot, the Colts signed FB Robert Hughes, who played in five games last year for the Colts. I don't know why you would sign him since you have a well-rounded fullback in Stanley Havili and a decent backup with TE Dominique Jones. Also, WR LaVon Brazill is officially done with his four-game suspension. Depending how well he plays during practice, will indicate if he will be active for Week 5 vs. the Seahawks. The Colts will have 53 players on the roster without Brazill so someone will have to be waived/released. If he is not activated or not taken off the reserve list, I don't think he would have to come back on the roster right now. If he has to be placed back on the roster, a player will have to be removed.
  16. Caleb3502
    The Colts signed TE/FB Dominique Jones to the 53-man roster and place TE Justice Cunningham on the Practice Squad. The Colts now have four tight ends (Fleener, Allen, Jones, Doyle) on the 53-man roster heading into the season opener. Dominique Jones was on the actice roster last year heading into the season opener against the Bears. Dominique Jones finished the 2012 Season on the Practice Squad. The Colts had three tight ends on the roster at the end of the season, Allen, Fleener, and Saunders. Weslye Saunders was released by the Colts on July 25, 2013 due to a eight-game suspension.
    Justice Cunningham was drafted by the Colts in the seventh round as Mr. Irrelvent. He initially made the 53-man roster but was waived and placed on the Practice Squad. Both Jones and Cunningham are similar in size. They are both 6'3''. Cunningham, though, weighs three more pounds than Jones. Jones is listed as 255 lb and Cunningham is listed as 258 lb. I expect Cunningham to come back at some point this season. Jones and Doyle may see some time against the Raiders in case Fleener and Allen aren't healthy enough.
    I like the idea of signing Dom Jones to the 53-man roster and I like that they kept Cunningham in some way. This is not a major move by the Colts, but wanted to say it in case anyone did see it yet.
  17. Caleb3502
    This might go down as one of the worst moves by Grigson. He doesn't make a lot of foolish moves so this is one of the worst. Grigson sent Rayford to the Cowboys for a conditional draft pick. Now let's say what all Rayford did for us when he was a Colt. Rayford had 11 tackles, 5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. I am also certain that the draft pick that we get will not perform as well as Rayford in preseason or have that incredible size. Maybe it will, and be even better, hopefully.
    Caesar Rayford is 6'7'', 245 lb. Rayford was not good enough the first time around when he came out of college (Washington) and signed with the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League. From 2009 to 2012 Rayford played in the Arena Football League for the Spokane Shock and Utah Blaze. In his career as an Arena player, he gathered 55 tackles, 26.5 sacks, 8 forced fumbles, 15 Passes Batted, and 2 interceptions. This was impressive enough for the Colts to take a shot at him by signing him on May 23, 2013. After an impressive preseason, he made the 53 man roster, but not for the Colts for very long.
    I really liked Rayford and thought he had potential to turn into a really good situational pass rusher. Lawrence Sidbury was suppose to handle that role but he landed on Injured Reserve. I thought Rayford was going to mold into the role but appently not for the Colts. I hope he has great success with the Cowboys, but will be a little angry when I see what the Colts could have had. All I know is the draft pick better be at least 6'7'' linebacker, or someone good. There is a positive thing though. We got a draft pick from an undrafted free agent who is 27 years old. Whatever happens, I trust Grigson still to put together the best team possible.
  18. Caleb3502
    Okay, that was not a good showing by our Colts, or at least the far backup Colts. The first half was not entirely bad for the Colts EXCEPT for the 107-yard kickoff return touchdown by Goodwin. Special teams needs major improvement. The starters played well which is what is the most important. No devastating injuries. The starters were winning the game until the third string and further came in. We had some good stops in the red zone early on but midway through the second quarter the team full of third string and beyond began to collapse to a 44-20 loss. Let's break down each category for the Colts:
    Quarterback
    The Colts were outplayed entirely in this category. Luck did not play much but was 4 of 6 for 51 yards and had a drive ended thanks to a Fleener fumble. Hasselbeck then came into the game after a fumble recovery by the Colts. Hasselbeck was 4 of 8 for 75 yards with one touchdown but also was picked on a tipped pass. Harnish came in for the rest of the game and was a horrible 14 of 33 for 109 yards and was picked for a touchdown. Manuel played longer but was unstoppable. He was running wild over the defense and also was 16 of 21 for 107 yards and a touchdown on passing. Jeff Tuel who I honestly never heard was 19 of 23 for 212 yards and two touchdowns. It's preseason though and the bad statistics will most likely not see playing time during the regular season.
    Runningback
    Ballard had three carries and 18 yards on the ground. Spiller opened up the game on two straight carries for 35 yards but only had one more yard on two carries. Brown actually looked good with three carries for 10 yards but had a 22 yard catch. Kerwynn Williams led the team in rushing with four carries and 21 yards. So the Bills beat the Colts in this category too.
    Receiving
    What we learned from this game is that T.Y. Hilton is a beast and has definitely helped his drops. The catch he made looked like the catch Marvin Harrison made which was almost ten years ago. We got somebody special in Hilton and he is the receiver taken from that draft. Griff Whalen had three catches for 26 yards, Fleener had two catches for 37 yards but had a fumble, and Mr. Irrelevant Justice Cunningham had a 17 yard grab. Though, the Bills outplayed them here too. The Bills actually outplayed the Colts in pretty much every statistical category, or at least the backups did. The starters outplayed the Bills' starters.
    Defense
    A Colts player actually led in a statistical category, tackles. Delano Howell had six tackles in the game. Caesar Rayford a sack-fumble which Daxton Swanson picked up for a 72-yard touchdown. The early defense had some good stops but the second half defense was pitiful to watch. The starting defense did not even allow any points and recovered a fumble. We also didn't have Landry, Freeman, Angerer, McNary, and Werner playing. The Bills intercepted two passes and had one more sack than the Colts.
    Special Teams
    Kicking and punting was excellent but coverage on kickoff has a lot to be desired. Goodwin had over 160 yards on two kick returns. That needs to be fixed if they want to win games. Pat McAfee was good averaging 43.6 yards per punt and Vinatieri drilled a 44-yard field goal and a 25-yard field goal. Kick returning was another issue. Kerwynn Williams starting out well with a long return on his first returns but had two returns returned not past the ten yard line. If you want efficient returning, you need to get past the 20 yard line.
    There's always next week. Let's put this game behind and win the important games during the regular season. Every winning season we had for the most part we had a losing record in the preseason. The Lions went 4-0 in the preseason and then lost every game in the regular season. So, if we have a losing record in the preseason but a winning record in the regular season, and I speak for pretty much everyone, we're happy. Besides, it's not the players in the regular season that lose games, it's the 4th string players that lose games in preseason that end up not making the team.
  19. Caleb3502
    Another great preseason win by our Colts, who beat the Browns 27-6. It's not only offense that has been impressing recently, but our defense as well, even the backup defense. Our first team have been outplaying the other team's first team as well. Even against the Bills we held the lead and looked pretty good on defense when we had our starters out there. Our first teamers this week allowed no points at all and a turnover. Greg Toler is looking really good. He had an interception against the Giants and now a forced fumble this week against the Browns. I think our running game looked better this week. We had some nice gains but also had some negative yard rushes but in the end it was all positive yardage. Let's break down each category:
    Quarterback
    Andrew Luck looked really good against the Browns minus the interception off the hands of Havili. Luck was 16 of 25, 164 yard, 2 TD, and 1 INT with a passer rating of 92.8. Luck was accurate against the Browns with a completion percentage of 64%. Brandon Weeden was 12 of 25, 112 yards, 0 TD, and 0 INT with a passer rating of 60.8. Weeden's completion percentage was 48%. Luck outplayed Weeden in every statistical category except interceptions. For the backups, it was evenly played but Campbell had more attempts, yards, and completions but had a similar passer rating to Hasselbeck. Jason Campbell was 8 of 14 for 112 yards, 0 TD, and 0 INT with a passer rating of 83.1. Matt Hasselbeck was 5 of 9 for 59 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions and had a passer rating of 75.8. Harnish didn't really play at all. He was taking snaps but was only handing the ball off the Kerwynn Williams. Brian Hoyer of the Browns did not look good and was 2 of 4 for 11 yards and had 0 TD but 1 INT. I think Hoyer's passer rating was along the lines of a 0.0 rating. The Colts win this category due to the strong performance by Luck.
    Runningbacks
    The Colts actually handedly won this category. Vick Ballard had 10 carries for 33 yards. Donald Brown had 5 carries for 35 yards with a 22-yard run. Kerwynn Williams had 37 yards on 9 carries with a 27-yard run. Davin Meggett had 3 carries for 20 yards. If you want to include non-runningbacks, Andrew Luck had 4 carries for 20 yards and DHB had a 6-yard run on an end-around. The Colts totaled up 149 yards rushing and a team rushing average of 4.4. The Browns had 90 yards less rushing than the Colts. Trent Richardson had 7 carries for 31 yards. Chris Ogbonnaya had 1 carry for 4 yards. Brandon Jackson had 5 carries for 8 yards. Brandon Weeden also had 1 carry for 5 yards and Jamaine Cook had 2 carries for 11 yards. The Browns only had 49 yards rushing and a team rushing average of 3.7. The Browns did not run the ball much but the Colts did so that is why they had a lot more yards. Plus, when we ran the ball, we got more yards. The Colts win this category easily.
    Receiving
    The Colts receivers looked good catching passes but the Browns receivers did not. Reggie Wayne had 7 catches for 79 yards. Darrius Heyward-Bey had 3 catches for 33 yards. T.Y. Hilton had 2 catches for 19 yards and a touchdown. Stanley Havili had 2 catches for 18 yards and a touchdown. Griff Whalen had 4 catches for 57 yards and a 28-yard catch. Dominique Jones had 1 catch for 13 yards. Vick Ballard had 1 catch for 4 yards and Robert Hughes had 1 catch for 2 yards. The Browns had a lot of dropped passes. Cordell Robertson had 2 catches for 34 yards. Josh Gordon had 2 catches for 24 yards. Greg Little had 3 catches for 28 yards. Josh Cooper had 2 catches for 16 yards. Jordan Cameron had 2 catches for 7 yards. Trent Richardson had a 10 yard catch and Owen Merecic had a 15 yard catch but fell down catching it and gained most of the yards after getting up. There were a few other receivers that caught passes for the Browns but it is not necessary to name them. The Colts win this category with the productivity of there starting wide receivers.
    Offensive Line
    The Colts offensive line looked really decent. They opened up a lot of holes for the runningbacks on offense and did not allow a lot of sacks. Paul Kruger had the only sack for the Browns but they were credited with a team sack when Hasselbeck fumble it and landed on it. Andrew Luck looked comfortable in the pocket and was only hit a few times. The Browns offensive line allowed three sacks and did not open a lot of running holes for Trent Richardson and especially Brandon Jackson. Hugh Thornton looked good in his first NFL game and ever pancaked a Brown's player. I know they were playing the Browns, but the Cols offensive line looked good and actually won this category.
    Defense
    The Colts defense has not allowed 1 TD the past two games. The starters did not allow any points at all yesterday and forced a turnover. Weeden had a scoring drive on 5 of 6 drives this preseason. Against the Colts, he had six drives that resulted in no points. Greg Toler forced a fumble and then recovered it. LaRon Landry played his first game with the Colts and had three tackles. Pat Angerer came back from injury and also made three tackles. Mario Harvey led the team in tackles with 5 and had a sack. Caesar Rayford was unstoppable again with two sacks and a forced fumble. Rayford is pretty much a shoe-in for a roster spot. Larry Asante had a 48-yard interception for a touchdown. Asante might be able to add more depth at the safety position. Not much happened for the Browns defense. They allowed 20 points and allowed twice as many first downs than the Colts' defense. The Colts' defense allowed 13 first downs. The Browns' defense allowed 26 first downs. Paul Kruger had sack and Tashaun Gipson had an interception off the hands of Stanley Havili on the Browns' 2-yard line. The Colts defense is looking better and better every week and I would be surprised if the defense does not do better than last year. Obviously, the Colts win this category.
    Special Teams
    Kick returning looked good for the Colts. Kerwynn Williams had 1 return for 39 yards to start the game off and recently acquired WR David Reed had a 27-yard return. CB Johnson Badermosi of the Browns had 3 returns for 24 yards, which means he averaged 8 yards per return. So kickoff coverage was excellent this week. Marshay Green had a great punt return for the Colts. He caught the punt at the IND 15 and took it to the CLE 47 on a 38-yard punt return. The Browns did not have a punt return in the game. Adam Vinatieri was 2 for 2 on field goals and Shayne Graham was also 2 for 2 on field goals. Punting was really similar. Pat McAfee had 5 punts for a 36.2 yard average but had 3 inside the 20. Spencer Lanning for the Browns had 7 punts for a 39.6 average and had 2 inside the 20. Special Teams was pretty much even so I say this one ended in a tie.
    So, the Colts pretty much won every category and tied in one category. The Colts offense looked goo and so did the defense but they were also playing the Browns. Then again, they played similarly against the Giants but this week we were running the ball well. So the Colts are now 2-1 in preseason and will finish it up at Cincinnati in Week 4. The starters might play one drive but it will be almost entirely backups playing the whole game. A great win for the Colts and hopefully they carry this over into the regular season.
  20. Caleb3502

    Colts vs Vikings

    By Caleb3502,

    The Colts take on the Jaguars this week with teams both standing at 0-1. Luck threw for over 300 yards on Sunday but also threw three picks and completing only 51% of his passes. Luck can rebound this week over the Jaguars easily. All great QBs don't start out perfect. Manning had the same type of numbers as Luck in his debut in 1998 against the Dophins. Unitas, the greatest quarteback the Colts ever had, started his career on his first pass with a pick six. Look at the career he had after that. The other quarterback, Christian Ponder , is coming off a close overtime win against the Jaguars. He was 20 for 27, 270 yards, and completed 74.1% of his passes. He also has Adrian Peterson to hand off to who is coming off an inhury but had 84 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns. The Dwight Freeney injury is a concern if he can't play. They need all the help they can get to stop Petereson. I think the Colts could come away with a win in this one if they can pull their defense together and get a good offensive line. I know they got Trai Essex on Monday but that's not going to be enough for Donald Brown.
    Players to Watch - Colts
    ANDREW LUCK
    It is a given that he's on the "Players to Watch" list. Luck threw for over 300 yards last week but had a fumble and three interceptions. Part of the problem is the offensive line. They need to protect him so he is not running for his life every down. Luck had a rough day against one of the league's best defenses. He can rebound this week and next week and can go into the bye week with a 2-1 record.
    DONALD BROWN
    Brown had 9 rushes for 48 yards and a touchdown against the Bears. Even though he had a 5.3 yards-per-carry average. He need to pick up more yards to get a win this Sunday. Trai Essex will be an important part of Brown succeeding this goal. for 48 yards and a touchdown against the Bears. Even though he had a 5.3 yards-per-carry average. He need to pick up more yards to get a win this Sunday. Trai Essex will be an important part of Brown succeeding this goal.
    VONTAE DAVIS
    A very good idea to trade for this player. Davis is the Colts' best cornerback besides Powers. Davis needs to perform better this week than last week even though they were hesistant at first to the receiver he was covering. He has respect for his playing ability. That is one thing the Colts need for their defense that they haven't gotten, respect.
    Players to Watch - Vikings
    ADRIAN PETERSON
    Peterson is one of the best Runningbacks in the NFL. Even though he had an injury last year, he is back to form and played great against the Jaguars. Peterson can be better if Freeney can't play Sunday. Without Freeney against the Bears, the defense fell apart. He is vital to their stopping of Peterson. If he's not there, expect a 100-yard game for Peterson.
    MATT KALIL
    It is important that Kalil plays well to help Peterson. Kalil was rated the best offensive lineman in the draft and was taken 4th overall. He is a great player that will help the Vikings for years to come. Standing at 6'7'', he is a tall lineman that can stop the Indianapolis pass and rush attack. He will be an interseting player to watch Sunday.
    JOSH ROBINSON
    Robinson was one of the fastest players taken in the draft with a 4.29 40 time. He was drafted in the third round and was regarded as one of the best corners in the draft despite him being picked in Round 3. We will go up against the Colts slot reciever Avery if Collie starts this week. If Collie is inactive, He will most likely go up against Brazill. He will be a key player for the Vikings to win Sunday.
    COLTS KEYS TO THE GAME
    1. Utilize the rookie tight ends Allen, Fleener, and even Jones
    2. Protect Andrew Luck
    3. Stop Adrian Peterson's rushing attack
    VIKINGS KEYS TO THE GAME
    1. Use your new players (Carlson, Robinson, Wright, Kalil)
    2. Stop Andrew Luck
    3. Give Adrian Peterson the ball
    GAME PREDICTION
    The Colts are the better team even though they aren't even the old Colts anymore. The Vikings started off good againts a former 5-11 team. The Vikings will put up a good fight but Indy wins 28-21.
  21. Caleb3502

    Colts vs Vikings Review

    By Caleb3502,

    The played good defense until the last six minutes where they let up two touchdowns. Andrew Luck seemed great the first half but quieted down in the second half. The only thing that I think Andrew Luck didn't do well was him running backwards for a 22 yard sack. Other than that, he had two touchdown passes and no picks. I saw the Overall Quarterback Rating top 5 players while watching Monday Night Football and Luck was #1 with a 95.7 passer rating or something like that.
    I know it is not entirely his fault, but Donald Brown needs more than almost 50 yards a game. I know three offensive lineman didn't play or got hurt (Satele, Justice, Reitz). I think Essex can help but he is only one person. They also need to run Donald to the outside. He's only 5'10''. He is too small to plow through the line. They also need to work more quick passes or screens with him. I know the line is bad at blocking but he still is a good receiving back.
    I liked to see Avery have a great performance and silence his critics saying he's horrible after the knee injury. He had I think 9 catches for 111 yards. Wayne had 6 grabs for 71 yards and a touchdown close to halftime. I really got scared within the last 30 seconds. How is Luck going to march down the field in that amount of time? He really surprised me. Using his timeouts and getting Vinatieri in field goal range. I really thought at his age he couldn't kick a 53 yard field goal. Especially because he missed like a 40 yarder or something last week against the Bears. I guess he still has that clutch game winning kick even at 39. He will be 40 before the season ends.
  22. Caleb3502
    The Colts will most likely will not have the entire backfield make the Hall of Fame like the 1950's 49ers (QB Y.A. Tittle, RB Hugh McElhenny, FB Joe Perry, and FB John Henry Johnson), but could have one of the league's top backfields. Before I hear that our backfield is unproven, just let me say what I have to say. Our starting backfield currently consists of Andrew Luck, Ahmad Bradshaw, Trent Richardson, and Stanley Havili. Next year I would substitute Havili out of the Million Dollar Backfield and just say Vick Ballard or have them both. I'm not going to include Donald Brown because unless he produces something this year its the door for him.
    QB - Andrew Luck
    This is the centerpiece of the backfield. Andrew Luck is one of the future stars of the NFL and could eventually become the best quarterback in the NFL. So there's the first piece to the "Million Dollar Backfield".
    RB - Trent Richardson
    Still a very shocking trade by the Browns. Richardson is very young at 23 years old and had a productive yardage season last year gaining 950 yards. He may have a career 3.5 yards per carry, but he had 11 rushing touchdowns. The last season the Colts had a RB with at least 10 rushing touchdowns was Joseph Addai (10) in 2009. Richardson is also a very good receiving back and caught 51 passes last year for 367 yards. He will be a good power runningback and good receiving back for Luck to check it down to. Richardson is on pace for 864 yards but I think he should be able to break the 1,000-yard mark.
    RB - Ahmad Bradshaw
    Bradshaw had a 1,000-yard season last year despite being injured. He also had 6 rushing touchdowns last year. He is very good at pass blocking which the Colts are in need of. Bradshaw is also a tough runningback to bring down and should be a good 1-2 punch with Richardson. He is on pace this year for 728 yards. Not bad for the second string runningback this year.
    FB - Stanley Havili
    He is something the Colts haven't had in awhile, a fullback. Havili is a decent run blocker and is a good receiving fullback if Luck needs to dump it off to him for a 6-yard gain. The Colts rushing offense will have a lot of fun with the addition of a true fullback. The Colts are actually 5th in the league in rushing offense this year averaging about 130 yards per game.
    (Next Year) RB Vick Ballard
    Ballard is gone for the year with an ACL tear. But, if he can get back to form next year and produce again, this might be the best trio of runningbacks in the NFL, or at least the AFC. The 49ers and Seahawks both have a good trio of runningbacks. The Seahawks have Lynch, Turbin, and Michael and the 49ers have Gore, James, and Hunter this year and should have Marcus Lattimore next year. Ballard had a decent year last year with over 800 yards and did not start until later in the season.
    I know there will be criticism for this but take a look at the NFL rosters and see if you see a better combination of a quarterback and at least two good runningbacks. THe Redskins have a good quarterback and have a good runningback but no one comes to mind for runningbacks after Alfred Morris. There is something special about our running game this year.
  23. Caleb3502
    The Colts will most likely will not have the entire backfield make the Hall of Fame like the 1950's 49ers (QB Y.A. Tittle, RB Hugh McElhenny, FB Joe Perry, and FB John Henry Johnson), but could have one of the league's top backfields. Before I hear that our backfield is unproven, just let me say what I have to say. Our starting backfield currently consists of Andrew Luck, Ahmad Bradshaw, Trent Richardson, and Stanley Havili. Next year I would substitute Havili out of the Million Dollar Backfield and just say Vick Ballard or have them both. I'm not going to include Donald Brown because unless he produces something this year its the door for him.
    QB - Andrew Luck
    This is the centerpiece of the backfield. Andrew Luck is one of the future stars of the NFL and could eventually become the best quarterback in the NFL. So there's the first piece to the "Million Dollar Backfield".
    RB - Trent Richardson
    Still a very shocking trade by the Browns. Richardson is very young at 23 years old and had a productive yardage season last year gaining 950 yards. He may have a career 3.5 yards per carry, but he had 11 rushing touchdowns. The last season the Colts had a RB with at least 10 rushing touchdowns was Joseph Addai (10) in 2009. Richardson is also a very good receiving back and caught 51 passes last year for 367 yards. He will be a good power runningback and good receiving back for Luck to check it down to. Richardson is on pace for 864 yards but I think he should be able to break the 1,000-yard mark.
    RB - Ahmad Bradshaw
    Bradshaw had a 1,000-yard season last year despite being injured. He also had 6 rushing touchdowns last year. He is very good at pass blocking which the Colts are in need of. Bradshaw is also a tough runningback to bring down and should be a good 1-2 punch with Richardson. He is on pace this year for 728 yards. Not bad for the second string runningback this year.
    FB - Stanley Havili
    He is something the Colts haven't had in awhile, a fullback. Havili is a decent run blocker and is a good receiving fullback if Luck needs to dump it off to him for a 6-yard gain. The Colts rushing offense will have a lot of fun with the addition of a true fullback. The Colts are actually 5th in the league in rushing offense this year averaging about 130 yards per game.
    (Next Year) RB Vick Ballard
    Ballard is gone for the year with an ACL tear. But, if he can get back to form next year and produce again, this might be the best trio of runningbacks in the NFL, or at least the AFC. The 49ers and Seahawks both have a good trio of runningbacks. The Seahawks have Lynch, Turbin, and Michael and the 49ers have Gore, James, and Hunter this year and should have Marcus Lattimore next year. Ballard had a decent year last year with over 800 yards and did not start until later in the season.
    I know there will be criticism for this but take a look at the NFL rosters and see if you see a better combination of a quarterback and at least two good runningbacks. THe Redskins have a good quarterback and have a good runningback but no one comes to mind for runningbacks after Alfred Morris. There is something special about our running game this year.
  24. Caleb3502
    According the football ''experts'' everywhere, the Colts do not stand a chance against the 49ers.
    This is what NFL.com picks:
    Sunday 4:25 PM ET CBS 13 29
    The San Francisco 49ers will bounce back in a major way, thwarting an Indianapolis Colts offense that will need to run the football but will have a hard time doing so, even with Trent Richardson. Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 116 yards the last time he played at the 'Stick, but that was last year, and that was for the New York Giants. Richardson, meanwhile, is too new to be expected to get his playbook, learn the offense and rack up 100 yards on the 49ers' defense. On the passing front, Indy must protect Andrew Luck by leaving a tight end in sometimes; don't forget that Dwayne Allen is out for the year. The key for Indy might be the matchup between Reggie Wayne and Niners cornerback Carlos Rogers when the veteran Colts receiver plays out of the slot. As far as the Niners' offense is concerned, we can expect Frank Gore to get 20-25 touches following a rough night in Seattle (nine carries for 16 yards) last Sunday. I don't expect San Francisco's offensive line to have trouble with Indianapolis' defensive front.
    This is what ESPN predicts (All 49ers): http://espn.go.com/nfl/picks
    This is what USA Today predicts: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2013/09/19/staff-picks-week-3-predictions/2836643/
    This is what Sports Illustrated Picks:
    4:25 p.m. ET (CBS) Indianapolis Colts (1-1) at San Francisco 49ers (1-1)
    Don't ever remember seeing Jim Harbaugh wear glasses on the sideline like he did last Sunday night in Seattle. It was almost as if the 49ers' head coach couldn't believe his eyes, given the whipping the bad-butt Seahawks were administering to his talented and well-balanced team. San Francisco was probably in a foul mood this week with wounded pride, and that means the Colts could suffer the consequences. Welcome back to the Bay Area, Andrew Luck. Now kindly prepare for defeat, signed, the 49ers.
    33
    24
    After searching and searching I found a pick from SB Nation that believes in us:
    Indianapolis Colts vs. San Francisco 49ers (-10)
    Jim Harbaugh reunited with his former quarterback at Stanford. Somehow I suspect Harbaugh in hyper-focused coach mode has as much sentimentality about the reunion as the rest of the world does. After all, it's not like he had much time or interest in a reunion with Richard Sherman last week, another one of his former players. On the Colts' side, it doesn't sound like Trent Richardson will be ready for a full-time role this week. This is another one of those giant spreads, which I've been warning you about. The 49ers should win this one outright, but I'm picking the Colts to cover.
    The pick: Indianapolis
    Then I went to CBS.com to see what they picked:
    IND at SF Sep 22, 4:25 PM ET -10.5
    SF
    So what does all these picks really mean, nothing, but it is interesting on how people feel about the Colts. Only five people are in favor of the Colts versus all of the people that are in favor of the 49ers. This will be a tough game and the majority is probably right, but they don't give the Colts much of a chance do they. We beat the Packers after coming off a loss from the Jaguars. Who's to say we won't beat the 49ers coming off a loss to the Dolphins.
  25. Caleb3502
    A lot of Colts fans are upset with our performance on Monday Night Football and I was furious. But, it was just one other game and we just so happened to be outplayed with injuries that plagued the defense. The Colts have a completely different mindset going into Week 7, when they will have Manning come home on Sunday Night Football. Every Colts fan will be watching the game and most would be happy for whoever wins (All Colts fans hope for the Colts to win, but most should might be happy if Manning wins). The Colts may look bad after Monday, but even the Broncos are having a slight decline. A lot of people will disagree, but here is why this game:
    The Broncos have a very high powered offense, but our defense will be better this Sunday. The Broncos will get Von Miller back, but he is just one part to that defense. If we can keep Miller from Luck and the ball carrier and try to not be as conservative and let Luck throw the ball, Luck can pick apart their defense and hopefully get some touchdowns on the board. Their offense is obviously fantastic and Manning is having the best season of his career, but we know Manning and might be able to hold him on drives. As been mentioned before, Manning has struggled in the past with a 3-4 defense. Manning only knows Indy for their 4-3 defense, which he practiced hundreds of times against. But now, we have a completely different defense with only two players that Manning was teammates with on the Colts in the Super Bowl. I'm sure Robert Mathis is waiting to finally hit Peyton.
    The Colts have been good on offense for really every game except Monday Night but that was in large part to the drops and the lack of time of possession. I'm not saying we should completely go away from the offense we ran on Monday Night. Can Richardson going, with a carry or two on the first drive. If he is able to get 4-5 yards, feed him the ball. If he has two carries on the drive for 3 yards, give the ball to Luck and let him pass. He has Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton, so I think he should be able to pass the ball. Work with Fleener and DHB on receiving during practice for 6 hours a day. We are going to need everyone if we want to one. When I say everyone, I now want to get into the topic of the defense. LaRon Landry has been hurt too long and needs to come back this week. I'm not sure on the situation with Freeman and how mad his concussion was, but we will need him too. Kavell Conner would be also nice to have back this week. Greg Toler was having trouble Monday Night and who knows who he will cover this week. Probably Decker or Welker, depending if they put Welker in the slot. Then it would be Butler covering Welker, which is a good matchup for our secondary.
    Every analyst is going to be picking the Broncos over the Colts and they are going to annihilate the Colts 48-14. Denver has struggled the last two weeks and going back to the Oakland game where they won 37-21. Big margin of win, but it was not 52-20. They nearly lost the game vs the Cowboys, winning by a field goal in a 51-48 score, and allowing Romo to throw 503 yards and 5 touchdowns. Last week, they beat the Jaguars 35-19. When the Colts played the Jaguars, we won 37-3. Manning has also throw back-to-back games with an interception after starting the first four games without one. Manning is stoppable and has shown that in the past. This will be a very emotional game, but don't influence who will win the game based off our performance on Monday Night.
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