The Turning Point......

[IndyTrav]

I doubt many will agree looking at the final score. Lots of talk about our OL/DL and while they did play bad, Im not sure they are to be blamed for the loss.

I think we lost when Vinetari missed the kick going into the half.

An excellent 2min drill run by Luck, put us in a position with an easy kick, to keep us within 7pts, and getting the ball back at half, even though we hadn't played our best up until that point.

I think the missed kick took the wind out of our young team, and they were a bit shell shocked by the 10pt difference, esp after a quick 3 and out after halftime.

They then scored, and we were playing catch up putting all our pressure on our Rookie QB with a bad OL, against a DL that could just get after him.

Just my 2 cents.

[GoColts8818]

The turning point was when Freeney left with his injury. The Colts defense was causing all kinds of issues for the Bears to that point. When got hurt the pass rush left the game with him, again like I said before probably more so because of the attention he demands when he's in there can then be switched to other players. Once the pass rush stopped working Cutler was able to stand back there and pick the Colts defense apart like any good QB is going to do if you give him time.

[Creekside]

I'm not neccessarily agreeing that Vinitari's miss is a big reason the Colts lost.... But before the draft I was saying the Colts need to release the 41 year old and draft a kicker. Had they drafted the rookie who won the game for the Vikings, the Colts would have a better kicker now and for several years to come... But as to the loss, the Colts defense generated absolutly no pass rush after the first few minutes of the game. Cutler had all day to find the open receivers.

[indyhawk]

I think both of you make a great point. I think there are a series of plays, 2-4 of them that usually set the tone. May I also submit the neutral zone infraction non call on the play that Tim Jennings made that fantastic interception on the underthrown ball in the 1st half? I believe Luck went over the top because he thought he had a freebee, and the interception seemed to energize the entire building.

[Phil J]

The turning point was when Freeney left with his injury. The Colts defense was causing all kinds of issues for the Bears to that point. When got hurt the pass rush left the game with him,

Wow, i could have sworn you were talking about the Saints SB game.

[Phil J]

But before the draft I was saying the Colts need to release the 41 year old and draft a kicker. Had they drafted the rookie who won the game for the Vikings, the Colts would have a better kicker now and for several years to come...

Nope. Draft a punter to replace Pat. Pat replaces Adam. we would be set for years.

[GoColts8818]

Wow, i could have sworn you were talking about the Saints SB game.

or the 07 season...

It's amazing what happens to our pass rush when Freeney goes out and how people still question how much he means to the team. He opens up everyone else on defense. I like Mathis as much as the next person but I've always thought he wouldn't be nearly as effective as he is if Freeney wasn't on the other side of him.

[Creekside]

Nope. Draft a punter to replace Pat. Pat replaces Adam. we would be set for years.

....The kicker for Minn will be great in my opinion....Walsh...I think ...McAfee is a punter...yes, he can make filed goals, but not like this kid...

[SLILLINGTON10]

would have much rather got the td before the half. than even vinny making the kick.

[chrisfarley]

The turning point was when Freeney left with his injury. The Colts defense was causing all kinds of issues for the Bears to that point. When got hurt the pass rush left the game with him, again like I said before probably more so because of the attention he demands when he's in there can then be switched to other players. Once the pass rush stopped working Cutler was able to stand back there and pick the Colts defense apart like any good QB is going to do if you give him time.

ON THE play after we lost freeney, they ran to that side for a huge gainer.

[GoColts8818]

ON THE play after we lost freeney, they ran to that side for a huge gainer.

and that was the play that jump started their offense. People can say what they want but Freeney going out of the game was the turning point.

[Phil J]

McAfee is a punter...yes, he can make filed goals,

i say he can be more clutch as a kicker than as a punter. His place kicking skills are severely overlooked, and its only because we have a HOF kicker on the roster that Pat hasn't been given the opportunity.

[deedub75]

I doubt many will agree looking at the final score. Lots of talk about our OL/DL and while they did play bad, Im not sure they are to be blamed for the loss.

I think we lost when Vinetari missed the kick going into the half.

An excellent 2min drill run by Luck, put us in a position with an easy kick, to keep us within 7pts, and getting the ball back at half, even though we hadn't played our best up until that point.

I think the missed kick took the wind out of our young team, and they were a bit shell shocked by the 10pt difference, esp after a quick 3 and out after halftime.

They then scored, and we were playing catch up putting all our pressure on our Rookie QB with a bad OL, against a DL that could just get after him.

Just my 2 cents.

Thank you for not saying Freeney's injury was the turning point. Some people think that Freeney was the sole reason for the early pass rush on Cutler. Some people also believe that $14M is a steal of a deal for an aging 4-3 DE trying to play a 3-4 OLB. Some people don't want to give the Bears any credit for making adjustments to avoid the pass rush. The pass rush was still there after Freeney left but Cutler is an athlete and he avoided the rush. The defense got to Cutler several times but could not bring him down.

[NewEra]

ON THE play after we lost freeney, they ran to that side for a huge gainer.

noticed that to, it was forte right at hughes side. we had them on the ropes up until then.

[Mouthfire]

The turning point was when Freeney left with his injury. The Colts defense was causing all kinds of issues for the Bears to that point. When got hurt the pass rush left the game with him, again like I said before probably more so because of the attention he demands when he's in there can then be switched to other players. Once the pass rush stopped working Cutler was able to stand back there and pick the Colts defense apart like any good QB is going to do if you give him time.

This.

[IndyTrav]

This.

Again, Freeney played 3 series.........

First, Mathis Sack, False start. Two Conservative plays. 4 plays.

2nd, punt to the 5. First play Pick 6 by Freeman. 1 play.

3rd. 80 yd TD drive.

Nothing about those had anything to do with Freeney.........

[NewEra]

Freeney leaving hurt, vinnys missed kick, the overthrow passes to Wayne, browns dropped pass, Brazil's fumble...there was a few

[GoColts8818]

Again, Freeney played 3 series.........

First, Mathis Sack, False start. Two Conservative plays. 4 plays.

2nd, punt to the 5. First play Pick 6 by Freeman. 1 play.

3rd. 80 yd TD drive.

Nothing about those had anything to do with Freeney.........

Freeney left on the drive for the TD and the first play out of the game was the long run by the Bears that got that drive going and it came to Freeney's side and Hughes (Freeney's replacement) got blocked out of the play losing contain that let the long run happen so yes the very play that got the Bears going did have something to do with Freeney. Up till the time Freeney came out of the game the Bears had done nothing on offense and the Colts defense was clearly giving them fits. I refuse to believe that the moment one of our best players on defense went out of the game and things changed it had nothing to do with him. Again Freeney being in there commands respect that Hughes doesn't and forces teams to focus on him freeing up guys like Mathis to get after the QB. Once Freeney goes out now you can shift that focus to Mathis and slow down the Colts pass rush. If you notice after Freeney went out of the game we didn't really hear from Mathis again and Hughes didn't exactly impress today. So yes I would say Freeney going out of the game did change things. I think people are just having a hard time swallowing this because a lot of people have being say all off-season that the Colts needed to move on from Freeney and that he was over paid and today seems to maybe suggest the Colts are little more dependent on Freeney than some fans care to admit.

[indy1888]

I doubt many will agree looking at the final score. Lots of talk about our OL/DL and while they did play bad, Im not sure they are to be blamed for the loss.

I think we lost when Vinetari missed the kick going into the half.

An excellent 2min drill run by Luck, put us in a position with an easy kick, to keep us within 7pts, and getting the ball back at half, even though we hadn't played our best up until that point.

I think the missed kick took the wind out of our young team, and they were a bit shell shocked by the 10pt difference, esp after a quick 3 and out after halftime.

They then scored, and we were playing catch up putting all our pressure on our Rookie QB with a bad OL, against a DL that could just get after him.

Just my 2 cents.

I actually felt the same way. In no way do i think we lost the game simply because of that, but it was a pretty big play in the game. With the team we have we can't let opportunities slip by. We also had 2 INT's that were dropped. Not to mention Browns drops. Just too many mistakes everywhere.

[indy1888]

ON THE play after we lost freeney, they ran to that side for a huge gainer.

Well thats because it was Hughes in the game at that point i believe who they ran right by. When has he ever done anything positive in a real game?

[Mameluc]

I think both of you make a great point. I think there are a series of plays, 2-4 of them that usually set the tone. May I also submit the neutral zone infraction non call on the play that Tim Jennings made that fantastic interception on the underthrown ball in the 1st half? I believe Luck went over the top because he thought he had a freebee, and the interception seemed to energize the entire building.

i completely agree that shoudl have been a penatly i remember my self going crazy over that non call

[Warhorse]

Once again, Dfree provides serious pressure and adjustment by the opposing offense, but his worth is not even seen in his absence.

[manning04]

i don't remember if it happened before or after Freeneys injury but Powers had an INT pop out his hands in the endzone that would of completely kept the game in our favor. i think the next play Forte broke a long run.

[funktacious2]

The turning point? When Cutler never threw another interception, and when the offense couldn't get anything done.

[Smitto]

The turning point was when the Oline and Dline started playing badly... 10points lead going into the 3rd quarter isn't much AT ALL and if any player on the colts team thought that they should be cut.

At least our colts finally have tape on how good or how bad they look (whichever way you wanna look at it)

[Turftoe]

There were multiple events that led to this loss, Freeney's injury being one of them along with the dropped INT in the endzone.

Another significant turning point was after we scored the TD in the second quarter. As per usual Colts special teams play, the ensuing kickoff hardly went past the goal line and they ran it out to about the 35 yard line and (again, per usual) we let them march right down the field. Other than the two great punt coverage plays, our ST still stinks and a significant part of that is our way-past-prime kicker. AV doesn't have any distance anymore and it's gotten to the point where ANY FG attempt makes me nervous. I'd be shocked if he's with this team next year.

It'll be an up and down season with all the youth, new coaches, and lack of quality veteran players. I just hope the OL can adjust and keep Luck from getting killed.

[smittywerb]

The turning point was when Freeney left with his injury. The Colts defense was causing all kinds of issues for the Bears to that point. When got hurt the pass rush left the game with him, again like I said before probably more so because of the attention he demands when he's in there can then be switched to other players. Once the pass rush stopped working Cutler was able to stand back there and pick the Colts defense apart like any good QB is going to do if you give him time.

This. I hate Freeney's price tag but I know what he brings to the defense.

[Narcosys]

I'm not neccessarily agreeing that Vinitari's miss is a big reason the Colts lost.... But before the draft I was saying the Colts need to release the 41 year old and draft a kicker. Had they drafted the rookie who won the game for the Vikings, the Colts would have a better kicker now and for several years to come... But as to the loss, the Colts defense generated absolutly no pass rush after the first few minutes of the game. Cutler had all day to find the open receivers.

Drop V and draft a kicker?? Eventually McAffee is going to replace V. I think he could do it now.

[Narcosys]

There were multiple events that led to this loss, Freeney's injury being one of them along with the dropped INT in the endzone.

Another significant turning point was after we scored the TD in the second quarter. As per usual Colts special teams play, the ensuing kickoff hardly went past the goal line and they ran it out to about the 35 yard line and (again, per usual) we let them march right down the field. Other than the two great punt coverage plays, our ST still stinks and a significant part of that is our way-past-prime kicker. AV doesn't have any distance anymore and it's gotten to the point where ANY FG attempt makes me nervous. I'd be shocked if he's with this team next year.

It'll be an up and down season with all the youth, new coaches, and lack of quality veteran players. I just hope the OL can adjust and keep Luck from getting killed.

Im not sure if anyone realizes, or maybe I am wrong. But I am pretty sure that Mcafee is our kickoff kicker. V is only for FG's and EP's

[krunk]

I doubt many will agree looking at the final score. Lots of talk about our OL/DL and while they did play bad, Im not sure they are to be blamed for the loss.

I think we lost when Vinetari missed the kick going into the half.

An excellent 2min drill run by Luck, put us in a position with an easy kick, to keep us within 7pts, and getting the ball back at half, even though we hadn't played our best up until that point.

I think the missed kick took the wind out of our young team, and they were a bit shell shocked by the 10pt difference, esp after a quick 3 and out after halftime.

They then scored, and we were playing catch up putting all our pressure on our Rookie QB with a bad OL, against a DL that could just get after him.

Just my 2 cents.

Why is no one metioning the Lavon Brazil fumble on the 20 yard line? That was just crushing

[gspdx]

The turning point was when we let Peyton go, cleared out the front office, hired new GM and coaches, and replaced half of the aging team with 1st year guys.

I think we are going to need to look at many games more like preseason games. Look for the positives during the game and not worry too much about the final score. There are going to be some rough patches and the Colts are aren't going to win tons of games. Just enjoy watching this version of the Colts develop. We might be pleasantly surprised by the end of the year. Or we might be disappointed. But just remember rebuilding a team is a multi-year process. I am expecting big things by Luck's 3rd year. If it happens sooner, great!

[GoColts8818]

There were multiple events that led to this loss, Freeney's injury being one of them along with the dropped INT in the endzone.

Another significant turning point was after we scored the TD in the second quarter. As per usual Colts special teams play, the ensuing kickoff hardly went past the goal line and they ran it out to about the 35 yard line and (again, per usual) we let them march right down the field. Other than the two great punt coverage plays, our ST still stinks and a significant part of that is our way-past-prime kicker. AV doesn't have any distance anymore and it's gotten to the point where ANY FG attempt makes me nervous. I'd be shocked if he's with this team next year.

It'll be an up and down season with all the youth, new coaches, and lack of quality veteran players. I just hope the OL can adjust and keep Luck from getting killed.

I am sorry but do people watch Adam nail 50 plus yarders and then think they just didn't happen? There has been zero evidence to suggest adam doesn't have the leg anymore. In fact the evdence exist to suggest his leg is just fine. Remember the 50 plus yarder he drilled less than a month ago and dont give me oh its pre-season that doesnt apply to kickers kicking a field goal you either have the leg or you dont and Adam does. He pushed a kick yesterday it happens to ALL kickers at some point. He didn't come up short of the cross bar.

[lollygagger8]

Why is no one metioning the Lavon Brazil fumble on the 20 yard line? That was just crushing

Agreed!!!

[GoColts8818]

Why is no one metioning the Lavon Brazil fumble on the 20 yard line? That was just crushing

The game had already turned by that point Thst was more of a nail in the coffin more than a turning point.

[BleedBlu8792]

There were multiple events that led to this loss, Freeney's injury being one of them along with the dropped INT in the endzone.

Another significant turning point was after we scored the TD in the second quarter. As per usual Colts special teams play, the ensuing kickoff hardly went past the goal line and they ran it out to about the 35 yard line and (again, per usual) we let them march right down the field. Other than the two great punt coverage plays, our ST still stinks and a significant part of that is our way-past-prime kicker. AV doesn't have any distance anymore and it's gotten to the point where ANY FG attempt makes me nervous. I'd be shocked if he's with this team next year.

It'll be an up and down season with all the youth, new coaches, and lack of quality veteran players. I just hope the OL can adjust and keep Luck from getting killed.

ST's play yesterday was WAY better than its been in YEARS. Hester had 1 punt return and 1 kick return that was worth anything. They had 2 punts get downed at the 1 and limited the kickoffs/punts to just those 2 that I mentioned. And Vinny misses one like that EVERY year that has you scratching your head but the guy is golden when the game is on the line. That's why he's still here.

[Superman]

Thank you for not saying Freeney's injury was the turning point. Some people think that Freeney was the sole reason for the early pass rush on Cutler. Some people also believe that $14M is a steal of a deal for an aging 4-3 DE trying to play a 3-4 OLB. Some people don't want to give the Bears any credit for making adjustments to avoid the pass rush. The pass rush was still there after Freeney left but Cutler is an athlete and he avoided the rush. The defense got to Cutler several times but could not bring him down.

No one believes that.