CUT IT OUT PEOPLE: (RUN GAME)

[BleedingBlue]

Manning made our OL look good by releasing the ball an average of 2.8 seconds per drop.

edit: we also had a much better line before 2009

[Smitto]

The orginal intent isn't to say there is absolute the no need to have a run game. The intent is to state;

A. When we moved away from the run game Sunday it is because we had to

B. You can win witout running the ball, does that equate to a championship...not often

C. For now we are a passing team until we draft players or sign players who can help us become more effective.

The colts are not a passing team, they want to be a balanced team... pagano said himself they don't want luck throwing so much in a game and want a balanced attack.... if the colts get some running lanes against the vikings next week expect a heavy dose of brown and ballard instead of luck.

[dgambill]

There is no magical formula for running and passing. Those very teams you mention all have flaws and they have been exploited. Fact was NE ran the ball VERY effectively last week. NO and GB didn't and what happened....they got BEAT by sound defenses. It isn't even the amount of yards you get...although that helps but the fact you slow down the blitz and you force the DE to contain. You slow them down and suddenly you have fewer guys back in coverage, more time in the pocket, and usually more EFFECIANT passing attack. You can win throwing 45 times...you can win running 45 times....there are a thousand ways to win...but if you have poor pass protection and a rookie qb....do you really want defenses knowing your going to pass everytime and blitzing and the ends full out playing the pass and to sack the qb. You want to create doubt...dictate the defense their coverages...not the other way around. We got down early and we gave up on the run. It happens. We have to realize that you can't put your qb back their with no protection and let him get pummelled. That is what happened to Tim Couch and Carr. You let Luck get beat up enough....and it will have a negative affect. I think he is infinately more talented and mentally tougher but why put him through that...you should build confidence not break it down. If we score 21 points by putting together 3 really sound drives and lose by 20 all the while keeping him upright and protected then lose by 20 and score on 3 drives and get beat to heck.

You don't even have to necessarily run the ball to slow down a pass rush...you can run screens, reverses, and draws but I don't think we did that enough. 15 runs is terrible and our coaches should be ashamed for that. I usually don't get on offensive coordinators or coaches but there was no reason to pass 45 times with an offensive line that was clearly not up to standards. If we have protection...ok...a healthy line is one thing...one that is getting your qb killed is another. I was proud of Luck for showing mental toughness but there is no wins or bonus points for bravery or toughness....that is a sure fire way of getting your kid hurt. Sometimes you take the ball out of his hand to presserve the chance to fight another day.

Anyways I know we are going to throw more than we run....thats fine...but 75% is not a good mix.....we may have a qb that can handle that....but we don't have a line that can. I just don't see how anyone can look around the NFL..especially last week and say not being balanced is not the best way to be successful. Every team that was...won....look at the teams that had more rushing yards and those teams won...and not just because they were salting away a lead but the runs led to the lead. I think we are just being stubborn that we have a qb superstar in the making and he should win us games by throwing just like Peyton did....well we aren't that same team....Luck isn't Peyton and we don't have the O-line to pass that much. Luck even at Stanford played on a run first team. While he is capable skill wise and mentally to carry a team and do it through the air...we don't have the protection. We also know for lineman generally running the ball is easier than pass protection....its about smash mouth hit the guy in front of you. I just look at PM and how he beautifully mixed in the run when the defense gave him it and passed when they gave him that. THAT is what we should strive for.

[TennEngr]

I am so tired of hearing prople say, you must run the ball to set up the run.... Yes this was how the game of football used to be play, however this is no longer the case.

Green Bay never runs the ball nor do they try!

The Saints occassional run the ball but you do not throw for 5,000 yards establishing the run

New England throws the ball religiously...

The list goes on and on..

We tried to establish the run game early in the Bears game. To avoid being laughed off the field we put the ball in the air. The only time we gained positive yards in the run game is when we ran draws and delayed handoffs. Peyton did not establish the run after Edge left. Our run game was so bad our playaction attack was no longer effective. Harrison will be a hall of famer because of EDGE and our ability to use play action. However this is not a threat any longer whatsoever!!

So cut it out with the run game in regards to Sunday. We haven't ran the ball well against poor defenses, so why would think we would go into Soldier field thinking we would be effective against the BEARS defense honestly. Until we have a draft in which we draft some stud lineman and make a trade or two for some depth at the position, this is Andrew's Lucks show totally.

We must throw the ball at least 35 times a game to be effective. I hope we continue the trend of throwing the ball. However I hope better decisions are made by Luck and that we improve our protection some. I also think having Collie and TY out there, makes a huge difference too.

It appears that you are stating that a running game is no longer needed but maybe I have misinterpreted you. Passing teams still need a running game to win playoffs and ultimately championships. There may be a team here or there that gets by occasionally but not consistently. I don't want Andrew Luck to have to go through what Peyton did. Peyton should have had multiple Super Bowls if he just had a little bit of a running game. If Andrew Luck turns out to be as good as Peyton, I want 4 Super Bowls out of him. Our past has constantly been "can't run the ball and can't stop the run". Our GM and coaching staff was hired to make sure that the mistakes of the past did not happen in the future. GO COLTS!

[GoColts8818]

The colts are not a passing team, they want to be a balanced team... pagano said himself they don't want luck throwing so much in a game and want a balanced attack.... if the colts get some running lanes against the vikings next week expect a heavy dose of brown and ballard instead of luck.

You don't draft a QB number one overall and then use four more draft picks on receivers and TEs and re-sign Reggie Wayne and not be a passing team. Yes they want to be more balanced than they have been in the last few years with Peyton but it's still going to be a pass first team. My guess is they would like to get to where they were with Edge post injury/Addai pre-injuries. Be able to run the ball when they need it and make you have to account for it and have just enough fear of it they can run play action out of it. I would agree though if they get some running lanes next week and they can get the run blocking like they did on the touchdown drive last week we will see a lot more run than we did this first week. With that said I am not exactly holding my breath on our o-line to become a run blocking monster overnight.

[cbear]

The orginal intent isn't to say there is absolute the no need to have a run game. The intent is to state;

A. When we moved away from the run game Sunday it is because we had to

B. You can win witout running the ball, does that equate to a championship...not often

C. For now we are a passing team until we draft players or sign players who can help us become more effective.

I didn't really understand your original post, but I agree with this one. I don't think we have the personnel to be a consistently decent running team.

[Smitto]

You don't draft a QB number one overall and then use four more draft picks on receivers and TEs and re-sign Reggie Wayne and not be a passing team. Yes they want to be more balanced than they have been in the last few years with Peyton but it's still going to be a pass first team. My guess is they would like to get to where they were with Edge post injury/Addai pre-injuries. Be able to run the ball when they need it and make you have to account for it and have just enough fear of it they can run play action out of it. I would agree though if they get some running lanes next week and they can get the run blocking like they did on the touchdown drive last week we will see a lot more run than we did this first week. With that said I am not exactly holding my breath on our o-line to become a run blocking monster overnight.

What is pagano's main emphasis? stop the run and run the ball.... doesnt sound like a passing team to me.

The way the colts line up and the colts cadences look alot like the old steelers, the colts may develop into a passing team but they arent now thats for sure.

In the vikings game i see about 28-30 rushing attempts

[GoColts8818]

What is pagano's main emphasis? stop the run and run the ball.... doesnt sound like a passing team to me.

The way the colts line up and the colts cadences look alot like the old steelers, the colts may develop into a passing team but they arent now thats for sure.

In the vikings game i see about 28-30 rushing attempts

Again you don't draft a QB first overall, draft four passing weapons, then re-sign Wayne and sign another WR and be a running team. They will want to run the ball more than they did on Sunday and like I said stride closer to balance than they have been in recent memories but they are still going to be a pass first team. I am guessing balance to them would be closer to 60/40.

Also they will run the ball if it's effective against the Vikings. If it's not they will go away from it. Right now I am not sure if the o-line is good enough to be effective against anyone to let us run the ball as much as I am sure the Colts would like.

[Smitto]

Again you don't draft a QB first overall, draft four passing weapons, then re-sign Wayne and sign another WR and be a running team. They will want to run the ball more than they did on Sunday and like I said stride closer to balance than they have been in recent memories but they are still going to be a pass first team. I am guessing balance to them would be closer to 60/40.

Also they will run the ball if it's effective against the Vikings. If it's not they will go away from it. Right now I am not sure if the o-line is good enough to be effective against anyone to let us run the ball as much as I am sure the Colts would like.

Its for comfort and saftey, not because they want to be a big passing team. The colts kept wayne cause they needed a primer wideout for luck, they got fleener and allen for 1. to make his transition that much easier because of the scheme he ran in stanford and 2. because of the success the pats had last season and arians knowledge of running 2-3 TE formations.

Now obviously the colts will want to become whatever it is that helps them win be it passing or running... but as for right now pagano (ever since he came here) has been stressing stopping the run and running the ball

[Gavin]

75% percent of our plays were pass plays thats a recipe for disaster with the Colts circumstances being what they are (makeshift O Line). With that said I do expect more pass then run, that is obvious by our draft picks BUT I expect nothing more then at the very most a 60-40 pass to run ratio. If Arians calls that game like he did in Chicago if Im Grigson Im having a little talk with him in my office.we could have easily thrown 35 times which given we ran 60 offensive plays would have given us 25 runs, I could easily find 10 plays combined in the 3rd (5) and 4th (5)quarter where we could have ran (many on first down and a couple on 3rd down) which would have slowed the game down and in turn keep Marshall and Cutler and Jeffery and Forte off the field

[braveheartcolt]

Let's get a handful of games under our belt before deciding what our running strategy is going to be. Way too early to tell.

[Warhorse]

There are few things more meaningless than yards per carry, IMO. 3.5 yds per carry sounds low, but if you literally got 3.5 yds every carry, and ran the ball every play, you would likely win nearly every game. Is it against a 7 man front? or 8 in the box? did your yards come in bunches, or consistently? Was it on 1st and 10, or 3rd and 1? Grass? Turf? at home? on the road?

Again, so subjective it is nearly meaningless. Remember Riggins? 44? He would run right at the heart of the defense on first down when they knew it was coming, and drag 2 LB's for 4+yards. Running off 4 yards when they know its coming and they cant stop you, THAT has meaning. YPC tells me nothing.

[GoColts8818]

There are few things more meaningless than yards per carry, IMO. 3.5 yds per carry sounds low, but if you literally got 3.5 yds every carry, and ran the ball every play, you would likely win nearly every game. Is it against a 7 man front? or 8 in the box? did your yards come in bunches, or consistently? Was it on 1st and 10, or 3rd and 1? Grass? Turf? at home? on the road?

Again, so subjective it is nearly meaningless. Remember Riggins? 44? He would run right at the heart of the defense on first down when they knew it was coming, and drag 2 LB's for 4+yards. Running off 4 yards when they know its coming and they cant stop you, THAT has meaning. YPC tells me nothing.

My biggest issue with YPC is that it can lie really easily. Take Sunday for example. Brown had two 18 yards runs. So he ended up with a 5.2 YPC or something like that. That sounds really good till you take those two runs out and realize the rest of the day he had a YPC of 1.33. All it takes is a couple of nice runs to skew those numbers and make it seem like a running back did better than he really did. YPC can be useful if you measure other things into it like you said but if just go by YPC alone it can lie to you especially when dealing with a homerun hitter like Brown. He might only break one nice run all game long but it might be a huge run to skew that number to make it look like he had a great day.

[GoColts8818]

Its for comfort and saftey, not because they want to be a big passing team. The colts kept wayne cause they needed a primer wideout for luck, they got fleener and allen for 1. to make his transition that much easier because of the scheme he ran in stanford and 2. because of the success the pats had last season and arians knowledge of running 2-3 TE formations.

Now obviously the colts will want to become whatever it is that helps them win be it passing or running... but as for right now pagano (ever since he came here) has been stressing stopping the run and running the ball

because the Colts haven't been able to do either for years. Just because he wants them to get better at it doesn't mean they are going to become a running team. Again you don't do what the Colts did this off-season with personal moves and become a run first team. I agree want more balance but when you have a guy who is billed as the best prospect at QB since Elway they aren't going to set out to be a run first team that would be foolish because you aren't playing to your best player on the field. Like I said I am sure they want to be more balanced but they are looking for about what the Colts got from 2003-2007. A ground game that is good enough to be able to run the ball when you need it and that will make other teams respect it so they have to account for it so they can run play action out of it. Like I said I think to them a good split would be 60% passing with 40% running.

[Gavin]

Agreed completely 60 40 pass to run

[Smitto]

because the Colts haven't been able to do either for years. Just because he wants them to get better at it doesn't mean they are going to become a running team. Again you don't do what the Colts did this off-season with personal moves and become a run first team. I agree want more balance but when you have a guy who is billed as the best prospect at QB since Elway they aren't going to set out to be a run first team that would be foolish because you aren't playing to your best player on the field. Like I said I am sure they want to be more balanced but they are looking for about what the Colts got from 2003-2007. A ground game that is good enough to be able to run the ball when you need it and that will make other teams respect it so they have to account for it so they can run play action out of it. Like I said I think to them a good split would be 60% passing with 40% running.

I dont care if he's the best ever to come out in 100yrs.. he's still a rookie QB and the colts are running this scheme because he's comfortable with it and its what arians ran. Pagano's mantra is "run the ball, stop the run"... you saw how much the colts ran the ball the last two preseason games. This team wants to establish a run, you cant say you want to run the ball yet go and try to become a pass team first... it doesnt work like that.. especially if your a ROOKIE QB.

Grigson didnt like the colts current TE's going out and get fleener and allen... garcon was gone and so was gonzo so he went and get hilton and brazil, this team needed those players its not because they wanted to establish a pass first team his first season while the head coach is preaching the run for the media.

[Indyboy757]

I am so tired of hearing prople say, you must run the ball to set up the run.... Yes this was how the game of football used to be play, however this is no longer the case.

Green Bay never runs the ball nor do they try!

The Saints occassional run the ball but you do not throw for 5,000 yards establishing the run

New England throws the ball religiously...

The list goes on and on..

We tried to establish the run game early in the Bears game. To avoid being laughed off the field we put the ball in the air. The only time we gained positive yards in the run game is when we ran draws and delayed handoffs. Peyton did not establish the run after Edge left. Our run game was so bad our playaction attack was no longer effective. Harrison will be a hall of famer because of EDGE and our ability to use play action. However this is not a threat any longer whatsoever!!

So cut it out with the run game in regards to Sunday. We haven't ran the ball well against poor defenses, so why would think we would go into Soldier field thinking we would be effective against the BEARS defense honestly. Until we have a draft in which we draft some stud lineman and make a trade or two for some depth at the position, this is Andrew's Lucks show totally.

We must throw the ball at least 35 times a game to be effective. I hope we continue the trend of throwing the ball. However I hope better decisions are made by Luck and that we improve our protection some. I also think having Collie and TY out there, makes a huge difference too.

Man get real, stop looking at other teams with vet QBs, we are not the Saints or the Gaints we dont have Brady or Rogers and yes they got to the playoffs without a strong running game, but if you go back an look at those playoff wins you'll see they did run the ball well. If you go back to the year we won the SB we had a good one two punch with Addai and Rhodes. A QBs best freind is a good running game and in our case a rookie QB "Luck" throwing 40 to 50 times a game is not good. If you truly think a running game is not needed in the NFL you had better have a seasoned vet as QB. Running game can help both the offense and deffense in allowing the D to get some rest on the sideline and the other teams O off the field but it makes 2nd and 3rd downs much more manageable.

[GoColts8818]

Man get real, stop looking at other teams with vet QBs, we are not the Saints or the Gaints we dont have Brady or Rogers and yes they got to the playoffs without a strong running game, but if you go back an look at those playoff wins you'll see they did run the ball well. If you go back to the year we won the SB we had a good one two punch with Addai and Rhodes. A QBs best freind is a good running game and in our case a rookie QB "Luck" throwing 40 to 50 times a game is not good. If you truly think a running game is not needed in the NFL you had better have a seasoned vet as QB. Running game can help both the offense and deffense in allowing the D to get some rest on the sideline and the other teams O off the field but it makes 2nd and 3rd downs much more manageable.

Just to add to this every Super Bowl starting with XLII featured one team that was good at running the ball or at least decent vs. another team that was average or in most cases well below average. In every game the team that was better at running the ball won the Super Bowl other than the Packers.

[braveheartcolt]

My biggest issue with YPC is that it can lie really easily. Take Sunday for example. Brown had two 18 yards runs. So he ended up with a 5.2 YPC or something like that. That sounds really good till you take those two runs out and realize the rest of the day he had a YPC of 1.33. All it takes is a couple of nice runs to skew those numbers and make it seem like a running back did better than he really did. YPC can be useful if you measure other things into it like you said but if just go by YPC alone it can lie to you especially when dealing with a homerun hitter like Brown. He might only break one nice run all game long but it might be a huge run to skew that number to make it look like he had a great day.

What if those two 18 yard runs contribute significantly to a TD drive, and the Colts win by 1 point? Then it doesn't lie. It's an average, which is generally the best way to measure performance. Sometimes it is easy to get cute and defend or attack numbers to suit an argument. Not saying you are wrong, but there is always two sides to every debate.

[GoColts8818]

What if those two 18 yard runs contribute significantly to a TD drive, and the Colts win by 1 point? Then it doesn't lie. It's an average, which is generally the best way to measure performance. Sometimes it is easy to get cute and defend or attack numbers to suit an argument. Not saying you are wrong, but there is always two sides to every debate.

It would still be a good drive but it wouldn't indicate what was going on the rest of the game which is the point I was making. Brown had two really nice runs on one drive where he got the run blocking he needed. Because he had those runs it caused the YPC to look better than it had looked the rest of the game. Had the line blocked for him like they did on that drive the rest of the game the YPC wouldn't drop like a rock when you take two runs out and the Colts would have used the ground game more than they did. That's why when a lot of people figure out an average they will drop the highest and lowest numbers because those numbers can really skew things. In fairness to Brown I haven't gone back and thrown out his two worst runs of the game but I don't think they would change the YPC nearly as much as taking away two runs that came on one drive.

People can say whatever they want but if you go back and watch the game it's pretty easy to see the run blocking was nothing like what it was on the touchdown drive. If it had been the Colts would have used the run more often. I think some people are just looking at the YPC and not realizing that it's really out of whack from what was really going on the bulk of the game because of one drive. That's why I said looking at the YPC alone can be dangerous because it can lie just as it's doing here. If you remove the one drive from the game that seems to fluke for lack of a better term you can quickly see that the run game was not effective the rest of the game which is part of the reason (score and not being able to sustain drives as a whole being the other reasons) is why we did not see more of it on Sunday. Had this come in a game that the Colts won doesn't really matter if one is trying to figure out why the Colts didn't run the ball more on Sunday and or are trying to figure out if the running game was effective the rest of the game.

Had Brown gotten more blocking like he did on this one drive or had the two 18 yards run come on different series even then there would be more of an argument to say hey it worked during the whole game the Colts should have used it more. It didn't. The Colts had one good drive with run blocking and it was just not there the rest of the game. I don't know if they caught the Bears in a favorable match up or what on that one drive but it's just that one really good run blocking drive that the Colts were not able to sustain the rest of the game and that is what I was trying to show with those numbers.

[chrisfarley]

that was a lot of Tony Dungy speak and also Bill Polian, must run the ball to set up the play-action fake and such. bunch of hog-wash for the most part. some teams offensive styles are predicated on passing to mainly the Tight Ends to setup deep passes on occasion to the wide-outs. The run gets mixed in when they so declare and not a minute before.

[BleedingBlue]

Guys...as soon as we stopped running the ball, our awesome defense started giving up bigger and bigger plays particularly in the run game.

This is due to a few factors. One, PM running the no huddle put up a lot of points quickly, but our D was on the field the entire game. Without a running game to clock manage we wore them out. By 2010 we couldn't run or stop the run AT ALL. Without a no huddle QB, we could no longer keep up with oppenents.

No, our FO and our coaches are not on the same page and the play calling is further proof. We have a FO drafting a Pass Offense and our HC talking about stopping the run and running, but our OC is still calling long passes down the field instead runs or WR screens to get the ball out quick.

[dgambill]

All I know is we need balance...whether we pass 60-40 or run to set up the pass...or we run some screens (which to me IS a run) we need to not be so predictable and slow down the pass rush. Fact is the team with the best qb in the league (mvp) GB has lost 3 out of their last 4 games....because they can't/won't run the ball! NE had Riddley who had over 100 yds, Murray had over 100 yds and really helped wear down the NY pass rush, Washington rushed for over 100 yds and beat NO....fact is running the ball is still very important. I know we drafted a qb and receivers....we didn't have any hello...but we still have to be balanced and there is something to be said about controlling the line of scrimmage. Running the ball is a great tool for doing that. If we don't become more than 1 deminsional we will get Luck injured..mark my words.

[GoColts8818]

Guys I agree we need to run the ball more than we did on Sunday. I think everyone agrees with that. With that said if they were running it 30 times a game and getting the kind of production out of it that they were getting most of the game on Sunday we would all be yelling at them for running the ball into the line and getting a yard each time and that they were putting Luck in 3rd and long all day in very predictable passing situations.

They threw the ball as much as they did on Sunday not because they wanted too but because the circumstances of the game made them. Had the ground game produced like it did on the touchdown drive with it you can bet your bottom dollar we would have run the ball a lot more on Sunday. It didn't except for that one drive.

The ground game needs to improve but frankly till the o-line improves with run blocking I am willing to bet we are going to see Luck throwing more than we would like.

Add to that the Bears aren't stupid. They played us on defense to make us throw the ball. They were often putting 8 men in the box. Now our line was having a hard enough time stopping the Bears front four when we were passing the ball let alone trying to stop 8 men in the box to stop our run.

[Indyboy757]

Their isn't much we can do this season, but the issue with the running game is our backs. Sure the O-line playes a big role but dating back four year ago our line wasn't all that bad but our running game was. We know what to expect out of Brown and you can come up with all the stats you want the bottom line is on 3rd down can he move the chains and we all know the answer. I know we have a lot of work cute out for us after the season from a front office standpoint but I hope we can find a 3rd down back and take some of this presure off of Luck.

[Indyboy757]

Again you don't draft a QB first overall, draft four passing weapons, then re-sign Wayne and sign another WR and be a running team. They will want to run the ball more than they did on Sunday and like I said stride closer to balance than they have been in recent memories but they are still going to be a pass first team. I am guessing balance to them would be closer to 60/40.

Also they will run the ball if it's effective against the Vikings. If it's not they will go away from it. Right now I am not sure if the o-line is good enough to be effective against anyone to let us run the ball as much as I am sure the Colts would like.

I dont think anyone is saying the the colts are a running team or a passing team key word is balanced especially with a young QB and no matter what we did in the offseason or draft, it doesn't make us a pass heavy team those were areas of need. We do have a lot of passing weapons but without that word "balance" we become one dimensional which is a recipe for injuries with a first year QBs. Right know im not sure the O-line can keep Luck up off the ground if we become one dimensional. Running game and Passing game work hand an hand no one said this was a running team we are just stressing the importance of the running game.. Especially with a young QB

[John Dee]

One can win without the "classic" power running game. Howsoever, Good teams must be able to run dependent on the situation. Just like the Manning led Colts did. Bad numbers, but very effective if utilized properly.

Luck is nowhere near "Manning" level yet... So i suggest the brass draft OL heavy next season.

[Gavin]

Their isn't much we can do this season, but the issue with the running game is our backs. Sure the O-line playes a big role but dating back four year ago our line wasn't all that bad but our running game was. We know what to expect out of Brown and you can come up with all the stats you want the bottom line is on 3rd down can he move the chains and we all know the answer. I know we have a lot of work cute out for us after the season from a front office standpoint but I hope we can find a 3rd down back and take some of this presure off of Luck.

Brown has power and he showed it on two big runs bouncing off of some tackles for two big gains in the 2 quarter, it was mentioned during the broadcast he likes running off of traps, the first big run had Mcglynn was pulled from his RG spot and Allen was used as a lead blocker and that worked very well and Brown showed power as well, no he doesn't have Jamal Lewis power or Jerome Bettis but he can get you a 3rd and short if needed

[Indyboy757]

I said and here we are, you can come up with any stat you want, and you can look back at any few snaps you want but I'm talking about consistency not a few plays out of a game. Lets be honest, he can't move the chains on 3rd and short. I've watched him sense 09 an you can't make me for one second believe that brown is a legitimate starter he may be the best we have on the roster but he is not a powerful back that can consistently move the chains he is a back that has maybe 4 to 5 positive plays a game.

[Gavin]

I said and here we are, you can come up with any stat you want, and you can look back at any few snaps you want but I'm talking about consistency not a few plays out of a game. Lets be honest, he can't move the chains on 3rd and short. I've watched him sense 09 an you can't make me for one second believe that brown is a legitimate starter he may be the best we have on the roster but he is not a powerful back that can consistently move the chains he is a back that has maybe 4 to 5 positive plays a game.

running backs dont break a big run every time they get the ball, Adrian Peterson had several 2, 3, -4 runs game vs the Jags

[crazycolt1]

One problem not having a running game is the strain it puts on your defense. The fast scoring that Manning did was exciting to watch but the defense never having rest hurt the bigger picture. Too many times in the playoffs we seen the defense just running out of gas in the 2nd half of games. The one super bowl we did win is when we had a balanced game. The defense played well when they had the time to rest.

[Moose Of Woe]

Peyton should have had multiple Super Bowls if he just had a little bit of a running game.

Or, more importantly, a defense. Manning didn't have a D all 2006 season as usual, dragged the team to the playoffs (again) and then they came alive in the playoffs. Lo and behold Indy won a SB.

Or special teams.

Or a head coach.

Or an O-line post 2006. Indy's O-line was below average between 2007-2008 and flat out atrocious 2009-present.

Not to mention making a second SB. Only to lose it thanks to no D, inept ST play, no coach, and a pick six. Yes, the pick six was on him. Not that it would ultimately matter at that point.

Say Indy gets the TD. What happens next? N.O. marches right back the other way for a TD even though they'd only need a FG. Our D did not exist without a healthy Freeney. Even WITH a healthy Freeney it was poor. This is assuming our ST doesn't watch the Saints run it back on the ensuing kickoff. Or to the 50 or something absurd.

[ColtsBlueFL]

The orginal intent isn't to say there is absolute the no need to have a run game. The intent is to state;

A. When we moved away from the run game Sunday it is because we had to

B. You can win witout running the ball, does that equate to a championship...not often

C. For now we are a passing team until we draft players or sign players who can help us become more effective.

w

When you make a team one dimensional, you've taken away half of their game. And, you can now better defend the half remaining. Peyton made a living here in Indy making opposing teams One Dimensional and let our pass rush eat. Now it is happening to us. I am not comfortable with Luck having to toss it up there more than 35 times or so max.

[Indyboy757]

running backs dont break a big run every time they get the ball, Adrian Peterson had several 2, 3, -4 runs game vs the Jags

That is very true but AP had 80 yards and 2 TDs an a number of 3rd down conersions and thats not at 100% but its funny to me I feel like I'm the only one who has had an eye on Brown the past 4 years cause I don"t see what so many other fans see or maybe everyone is just being positive from a fans standpoint but hey thats just me...

[Gavin]

That is very true but AP had 80 yards and 2 TDs an a number of 3rd down conersions and thats not at 100% but its funny to me I feel like I'm the only one who has had an eye on Brown the past 4 years cause I don"t see what so many other fans see or maybe everyone is just being positive from a fans standpoint but hey thats just me...

go back and look how many time the Colts ran the ball on 3rd down (1 time if I remember right by Ballard) the rest were throws

[HtownColt]

Donald Brown ran the ball well. I just want Delone Carter active gameday roster instead of Mewelde Moore for red zone purposes.

[GoColts8818]

It appears that you are stating that a running game is no longer needed but maybe I have misinterpreted you. Passing teams still need a running game to win playoffs and ultimately championships. There may be a team here or there that gets by occasionally but not consistently. I don't want Andrew Luck to have to go through what Peyton did. Peyton should have had multiple Super Bowls if he just had a little bit of a running game. If Andrew Luck turns out to be as good as Peyton, I want 4 Super Bowls out of him. Our past has constantly been "can't run the ball and can't stop the run". Our GM and coaching staff was hired to make sure that the mistakes of the past did not happen in the future. GO COLTS!

Depends on what part of Peyton's career you are talking about. From 1998 threw 2007 the Colts had a running game. In every single one of those years but one (the year Edge was coming off a major knee injury) they had a 1,000 yard back including Edge who lead the league in rushing twice in there. Yet they had one Super Bowl to show for it over that time. If you are talking after 2007 then yes running the ball was an issue and if you are just talking about the Saints Super Bowl game during that time that is more than a fair point. However, if you are trying to say the whole time Peyton was here he didn't have a running game that is just not true. The Colts did from 1998 to 2007.

[Indyboy757]

go back and look how many time the Colts ran the ball on 3rd down (1 time if I remember right by Ballard) the rest were throws

Ok you might be right on the 3rd downs but this is Browns 4th year in the NFL I think we all know what he can do on 3rd down but hey its early in the season and I hope I'm wrong but I would'nt be surprized by the end of the season if a lot of fans see what Im talking about. I mean we have 4 years of tape on Brown...

[Gavin]

Ok you might be right on the 3rd downs but this is Browns 4th year in the NFL I think we all know what he can do on 3rd down but hey its early in the season and I hope I'm wrong but I would'nt be surprized by the end of the season if a lot of fans see what Im talking about. I mean we have 4 years of tape on Brown...

yep 8.5 carries per game for his career in 41 games 4.2 ypc pretty good considering how many carries he has got

[DoomOf21]

Ok you might be right on the 3rd downs but this is Browns 4th year in the NFL I think we all know what he can do on 3rd down but hey its early in the season and I hope I'm wrong but I would'nt be surprized by the end of the season if a lot of fans see what Im talking about. I mean we have 4 years of tape on Brown...

Its unfortunate that we have two third down backs with really good potential in Carter and Ballard, and you want to give it to Brown on every down. You must be a big Brown supporter. LOL