How Can We Be So Bad Without #18?

[King Colt]

All those great receivers and none to throw them the ball.

[skadura]

It is a QB driven league. If you take Brees off the Saints team, they may win 7 or 8 games, maybe a couple of games more than the Colts team without Manning but a lot of teams with elite QBs have that issue. Yes, Cassel won without Brady but teams are quick to adapt to new QBs and new systems. One year with Cassel at the helm with an easy schedule would not be the same the next year. The elite QBs are good year in and year out, that is the difference.

I am willing to bet that, with a tough schedule, the Falcons without Matt Ryan, the Saints without Drew Brees miss the playoffs. They may win 8 or 9 games at best but chances are, they miss the playoffs just like the Colts. That is how valuable an elite QB is in this QB driven league.

do you read what u write????? those teams can still win 7 or 8 games.....this colts team without peyton manning would NEVER WIN A GAME! ever.

[JoKeR]

With a decent back up the Colts would have good season , maybe not playoff bound but respectable considering. But every team that has a terrible back up would suffer.

Colts have a very good team but decent QBs have to be under center for success. Unless you have a shut down defense that usually covers up the weaknesses of the offense, if so, then its status quo.

[crazy blue]

How can 1 guy make such a difference on a team? I can see some of it with the position he plays, but the whole team seems to stink. After all these years with Manning, they have not built a great team around him. Every other team in the league is improving but us. I have not seen improvement over the years. We deal with injuries every year because we play small ball. Our players cant seem to hold up for a season. Yea small ball sounds good and it almost works but rarely does. One SB with the GOAT QB isnt good enough. Its like a fighter getting the opponent to keep throwing the same punch because he lets it barley miss so the guy keeps thinking he can hit him and wastes the energy trying the whole fight. Im watching all the other teams and we look like the bottom of the NFL. I know its preseason and we always lose but when our starters are in, we hold our own. Thats not happening this year. I watched Houston play yesterday and they are for real. They looked scary and right now, we cant beat the Redskins or anybody else for that matter. I personally am very worried about this team. First year I dont think we have a chance at a SB in a long time. Always believed you needed a little luck along with a good team, and this year, I dont see it. I hope Im wrong.

This. Is. Why.

[Coltssouth]

you have to keep in mind there is zero game planning going on in the preseason. they are trying to win, but not at the expense of evaluating players

every year our o-line looks horrible, then suddenly looks okay when the real games start

we threw nevis in later in the game & suddenly the defense had a spark

we'll be a much better team, with or without lord 18

You know I have been thinking about this myself. Painter played his first series two years ago. He got thrown into the Jets and the Bills game. He had no chance at all.

He's been in two preseason games this year which had no game planning whatsoever.

Ok. I'm a sap and although I had given up on him I'm going to see what he does this week with a real chance to show what he can do.

I would like to see him do well (I don't think he will) but I could change my mind.

[Coffeedrinker]

I don't think Painter or orlovsky are very good QBs, but even Manning would have struggled in that game with a starting receiving corps of Garcon, Smith and Brooks. None are particularly good route runners and they were playing against a pretty good secondary.

[IndyD4U]

How can 1 guy make such a difference on a team? I can see some of it with the position he plays, but the whole team seems to stink. After all these years with Manning, they have not built a great team around him. Every other team in the league is improving but us. I have not seen improvement over the years. We deal with injuries every year because we play small ball. Our players cant seem to hold up for a season. Yea small ball sounds good and it almost works but rarely does. One SB with the GOAT QB isnt good enough. Its like a fighter getting the opponent to keep throwing the same punch because he lets it barley miss so the guy keeps thinking he can hit him and wastes the energy trying the whole fight. Im watching all the other teams and we look like the bottom of the NFL. I know its preseason and we always lose but when our starters are in, we hold our own. Thats not happening this year. I watched Houston play yesterday and they are for real. They looked scary and right now, we cant beat the Redskins or anybody else for that matter. I personally am very worried about this team. First year I dont think we have a chance at a SB in a long time. Always believed you needed a little luck along with a good team, and this year, I dont see it. I hope Im wrong.

That's easy!! We're talking about Peyton Manning. He IS the offense. He is out system! No other QB could ever do what he does.

[Betty27_1]

I think one reason being is Peyton can get rid of the ball faster than Painter can.

Painter at times struggles in trying to figure out who to throw to.

[Henry Swanson]

Because this entire team is built around 18#.Once he retires(tears),our team will be dismantled(unless 18# becomes our new head coach!).

[soco99]

It's actually pretty simple. Our offense is built around him.

First Manning is the best QB in the league. The WR we have are for the most part good route runner with good hands, for example Collie would not be so successful elsewhere. Our TE's are athletics receivers that create mismatches. While Clark could play for anyone does anyone think Tamme's going to get a huge contract from another team? Our running backs have 2 requirements, they must be good pass blockers and good receivers. That's why Addai came back, he has more value here than anywhere else. Our offensive line puts the emphasis on pass blockers, which is why the run game struggles. When you take Manning out of the equation the only offensive players that are above average are Wayne, Clark and Saturday.

Now realize our defense is built to play with a lead. So when Manning is out the offense becomes at best average, and our defense is exposed making us one of the worst teams in the league.

[GoColts8818]

I don't think Painter or orlovsky are very good QBs, but even Manning would have struggled in that game with a starting receiving corps of Garcon, Smith and Brooks. None are particularly good route runners and they were playing against a pretty good secondary.

Yeah but has really bothered me about Painter is when he gets any pressure in his face he folds up like a tent. He did it at Purdue and he's doing it here. The INT in the Rams game was a product of a very poorly thrown ball by him trying to get it to Collie. He did the samething vs. the Skins on Friday night only on a pass to Clark. Now I know he's not Manning and isn't going to have his pinpoint passing abality, that's what makes Manning Manning but he needs to at least be able to give the guys a chance to catch the ball. That's why I always stuck by Sorgi. I would watch him in the pre-season and see that most of his sruggles were a product of just not having good players around him. Painter I think is a product of just not being very good.

[Smitto]

Yeah but has really bothered me about Painter is when he gets any pressure in his face he folds up like a tent. He did it at Purdue and he's doing it here. The INT in the Rams game was a product of a very poorly thrown ball by him trying to get it to Collie. He did the samething vs. the Skins on Friday night only on a pass to Clark. Now I know he's not Manning and isn't going to have his pinpoint passing abality, that's what makes Manning Manning but he needs to at least be able to give the guys a chance to catch the ball. That's why I always stuck by Sorgi. I would watch him in the pre-season and see that most of his sruggles were a product of just not having good players around him. Painter I think is a product of just not being very good.

That pass to clark was horrible no doubt about that but i think if that defender wasnt all over painter he would have followed through with that pass, it definitely floated on him. At first i had thought collie could have caught it but it definitely went over his head.

[tikyle]

To answer the Ops question.

The reason we are so bad w/o him is because the ENTIRE and I mean ENTIRE team is built around him. The team is built for Manning to score points. And the team is also built to be impossible to score on quickly when the Colts have the lead. That is why our defense is iffy in close games but almost impossible to beat when we're up by 10 or more. The offense is built for Manning to have many weapons w/o having the "BEST" talent around him but for him to still put up points in bunches. It is also built to have no insurance at QB hence us only having 2 QBs on the roster in the regular season and the backup QB always being a joke!