So Proud Of Our Defense! (Merge)

[MoM]

They looked GREAT! Mathis, Freeney, Angerer. Johnson, and Nevis all looked great tonight. Bethea was pretty solid as well. If only we could do something about Lacey, we would bet set on D.

[Mcafee420]

our defense looked good tonight. Props to them, now carry it onto Tampa Bay next week. GO BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bleedin Blue]

Despite operating with an inept offense, we managed to put give the Steelers everything they could handle tonight. Freeney and Mathis were "lights out"! I was also really impressed with Drake Nevis. I saw that the Steelers had to double team that kid just to keep him from pushing in the pocket all night! Nevis may be one of the best Polian picks in a while. Angerer was everywhere also. Lefeged looked promising for a rook...all in all, the Colts defense walked off that field holding their heads high. Had Manning been in the game the score would have been lopsided in our favor.

With a couple of high draft picks on defense next year, this could be a real strength of our team for years to come.

[JCPatriot]

Is the secondary really that bad, or was it because they were playing a lot of run support? I was pretty hard on them early for letting so many receivers get wide open, but then I realized that they were showing up a lot stuffing runs. It's hard to tell what the secondary is doing a lot of the time from the view that they give you on TV.

[natelombardi]

we solid cb away i think. nevis might just be the dt we needed he is very strong and explosive ie suh from the lions

[StainlessStill]

Good game guys. It's funny that Pittsburgh fans had more confidence in your team that you did! I'm on record for saying that I was very afraid coming into the Colts building, facing an 0-2 team on National Television, owning the best pass rush in all of football against the worst offensive line in the league. I've watched this Pittsburgh Steelers team for so long to predict that we would come out as flat as ever and play way down to the competition. I still don't know how Roethlisberger survives behind that putrid offensive line.

Hang in there Colts fans, Peyton will be back eventually. Good showing on National Television. Can't say the same for my team, and when it comes down to it, I'm not surprise

[MoM]

I think they are certainly playing lots of run coverage. But at the same time, the ball always seems to go to Lacey's side and he is 99% of the time off of the receiver. We need to dedicate to the receivers, especially on 3rd down.

[StainlessStill]

They looked GREAT! Mathis, Freeney, Angerer. Johnson, and Nevis all looked great tonight. Bethea was pretty solid as well. If only we could do something about Lacey, we would bet set on D.

Dwight Freeney made Jonathan Odgen look like a blonde, braid-headed school girl, what do you think rookie Marcus Gilbert and a practice squader on any other team, Jonathan Scott was going to do? Well...that, . Pittsburgh has been dealing with this offensive line nonsense for quite some time. Good thing this team perseveres because if we didn't we wouldn't win a game. Oh, and the defense too. Roethlisberger is still a beast.

Indy will be back, Manning isn't going anywhere.

[JCPatriot]

It also seemed like Powers was getting beat a lot. It seemed that Bethea was used in run coverage A LOT.

[amazingcolts]

I agree. Besides the few plays we got burned on, I was very happy with the way the entire D played tonight!

[Coltsman1788]

Good game guys. It's funny that Pittsburgh fans had more confidence in your team that you did! I'm on record for saying that I was very afraid coming into the Colts building, facing an 0-2 team on National Television, owning the best pass rush in all of football against the worst offensive line in the league. I've watched this Pittsburgh Steelers team for so long to predict that we would come out as flat as ever and play way down to the competition. I still don't know how Roethlisberger survives behind that putrid offensive line.

Hang in there Colts fans, Peyton will be back eventually. Good showing on National Television. Can't say the same for my team, and when it comes down to it, I'm not surprise

Good game Stainless Still. Although the Colts came up a bit shy tonight, I am proud that they gave a good account of themselves tonight. Hopefully they will build on it. Thanks for the encouraging words. Good luck with the rest of your season.

[OJl]

The defense kept this game in reach. Period. However, the defense was terrible on third down! Larry Coyer was brought in to make this defense less vanilla...bring some blitzing, change up coverages, etc. So far, I see no difference between Coyer and Ron Meeks. We played the run well against a banged up Steelers line. But Roethlisberger moved the ball at will and converted third downs like it was nothing! Lots of room for improvement, but kudos to the D...particularly Freeney and Mathis for reeking havoc all night long.

[Bleedin Blue]

Good game guys. It's funny that Pittsburgh fans had more confidence in your team that you did! I'm on record for saying that I was very afraid coming into the Colts building, facing an 0-2 team on National Television, owning the best pass rush in all of football against the worst offensive line in the league. I've watched this Pittsburgh Steelers team for so long to predict that we would come out as flat as ever and play way down to the competition. I still don't know how Roethlisberger survives behind that putrid offensive line.

Hang in there Colts fans, Peyton will be back eventually. Good showing on National Television. Can't say the same for my team, and when it comes down to it, I'm not surprise

Yeah, and your LT looks to have a busted up ankle...that O-line may be in trouble next week. Mario will be chomping at the bit.

[doogansquest]

Our defense did play pretty well at times. We shouldn't get too excited, however.

1. The Steelers were on offensive linemen 5 through 9 tonight. Most professional d-lines will chew that up.

2. Despite our improvements against the run (again, having to do in part with their destroyed o-line), Roethlisberger threw for over 350 yards.

3. Our defense was still lousy on 3rd downs for most of the night.

4. We gave up against their 2-minute offense.

I did like the play from Nevis, and Anderson. Frathis was beastly, of course. Our linebackers seemed to gel, and Lefeged had a good game in the back.

[Smitto]

Where's all the nay sayers about the colts defense now!!! who was that guy that was quoting stats and all last week!! where's your stat sheet now mate lol

[StaticColt77]

Thanks Stainless, this was truly a great game.

[StaticColt77]

Our defense did play pretty well at times. We shouldn't get too excited, however.

1. The Steelers were on offensive linemen 5 through 9 tonight. Most professional d-lines will chew that up.

2. Despite our improvements against the run (again, having to do in part with their destroyed o-line), Roethlisberger threw for over 350 yards.

3. Our defense was still lousy on 3rd downs for most of the night.

4. We gave up against their 2-minute offense.

I did like the play from Nevis, and Anderson. Frathis was beastly, of course. Our linebackers seemed to gel, and Lefeged had a good game in the back.

I think if our Offense was able to stay on the field consistently, are D will improve, they were so winded. I was surprised at how solid they were when it came to tackling and getting to the ball.

[Smitto]

I think if our Offense was able to stay on the field consistently, are D will improve, they were so winded. I was surprised at how solid they were when it came to tackling and getting to the ball.

When your MLB is there sniffing out the ball and making tackles and contact thats what happens.. great job by the colts front seven... probs to bethea as well plugging up those holes as well.

[Bleedin Blue]

Our defense did play pretty well at times. We shouldn't get too excited, however.

1. The Steelers were on offensive linemen 5 through 9 tonight. Most professional d-lines will chew that up.

2. Despite our improvements against the run (again, having to do in part with their destroyed o-line), Roethlisberger threw for over 350 yards.

3. Our defense was still lousy on 3rd downs for most of the night.

4. We gave up against their 2-minute offense.

I did like the play from Nevis, and Anderson. Frathis was beastly, of course. Our linebackers seemed to gel, and Lefeged had a good game in the back.

They may not have all 5 out there, but some of those guys were starters...Pouncey, Scott, etc. Nevis was showing up strong with Pouncey tonight and Pouncey had help at times.

Our defense is lousy on 3rd downs because Roth can scramble like a freak and our secondary needs some better cover corners.

[colts52761]

I am probably the only one who thinks this but, i'd rather see Matthews or ogbu in there than foster, and i'd rather see what hughes can do instead of watching brayton, also why don't rucker and thomas get more chances?

[jessi05]

Yes I was very proud of the D too all except the Pass D. That needs tremendous improvement and then our D is a force to recon with. They plaid better than the infamous Stealers D other than the pass D. They made huge 3rd down plays EVERY time. When are they gonna learn that they can't leave people wide open and to try to prevent them from even catching the ball. This leaving them wide open and tackling them after they catch the ball is for the birds. Glad they finally moved Linkenbach to a different position. He did well tonight. I hate to see Clark still in there blocking. We are lucky he hasn't gotten injured. The Colts looked great tonight(other than the QB). I hate that they lost. They cold have won this. Too many turnovers at QB. Painter looked terrible the first few drives and lost the game for us by not protecting the ball but he really started looking better after that and actually score us a TD. He looked better than Collins and I hope they let him practice all week and start the next game. Garson dropped a few balls and cost us a huge first down and probably TD. Glad he redeemed himslef in the 4th quarter.

[subvet]

Despite operating with an inept offense, we managed to put give the Steelers everything they could handle tonight. Freeney and Mathis were "lights out"! I was also really impressed with Drake Nevis. I saw that the Steelers had to double team that kid just to keep him from pushing in the pocket all night! Nevis may be one of the best Polian picks in a while. Angerer was everywhere also. Lefeged looked promising for a rook...all in all, the Colts defense walked off that field holding their heads high. Had Manning been in the game the score would have been lopsided in our favor.

With a couple of high draft picks on defense next year, this could be a real strength of our team for years to come.

The defense played like champions today and did you see Roethlisberger keep looking for Freeney and Mathis?? Priceless.....

[jessi05]

Did anyone watch the game highlights? Can't stand those Aholes and they didn't give any credit to the Colts D or show ALL the hilights of the D in the game. They had NOTHING nice to say about the Colts and still don't give the Colts ANY credit for such a great game considering. They still think we won't win any games and that our season is over. I don't believe that. They need to start Painter and I see a much better team that can win games and prove everyone wrong. I was VERY proud of them tonight and very sad we lost this one. We could have should have won. I would have loved to shut everyone up. =(

[Smitto]

I am probably the only one who thinks this but, i'd rather see Matthews or ogbu in there than foster, and i'd rather see what hughes can do instead of watching brayton, also why don't rucker and thomas get more chances?

Brayton is a much more versatile End he can play the run and pass where * Hughes is much more for pass downs although there were some plays where mathis was in on run downs, so maybe its just hughes performance who knows... Foster on the other hand is perfect where he is which is on passing downs him and nevis... nevis is starting to show some real potential as well.

[John Waylon]

The front 7 did great.

We have, quite possibly, the worst secondary of all time. Just awful. Beyond awful. Indescribably awful. NOTHING to be proud of has come from our secondary this season, and I doubt anything will.

The front 4 were just great tonight. Drake Nevis is potentially turning into the steal of the draft. He needs to be in on as many downs as he can. He's hitting the holes, commanding double coverage, making tackles, seeing the play develop, everything... He's doing everything a DT should do, and doing it well. Nevis seriously has a shot at being the next big thing.

[John Waylon]

Is anyone watching us defend the pass?

How many 3rd and longs do we have to give up through the air before people start disassociating the secondary and their defense of passes with any good effort elsewhere on the D?

There has literally been nothing good from the pass defense this season, and it looks like there won't be.

[number28]

Possibly the greatest defensive effort I have seen in my 20 years as a Colts fan. We showed heart, guts and courage to play the way we played.

Today! I am proud to be a Colts fan!!!

[StaticColt77]

I think the secondary did a solid job with tackling though, and there wasn't toooo much YAC. Been wouldn't have had nearly 400yds if the offense was able to stay on the field. We ran against the Steelers!!! And Addai was hitting that hole hard.

But at times it felt like it was, the Steelers offense, defense, and our own offense vs. our defense

[a06cc]

I'm proud of our team as a whole. I told Robert Mathis I picked all Colts players for my fantasy football team he got back to me on twitter. He said ok and they delivered! Go Colts!

[a06cc]

So proud tonight honestly!

[number28]

we were able to stop the run. Something I haven't seen in what it seems like decades.

Let's do this every week!!!!

[scorptile]

did anyone notice by the 4th quarter they were not only doubling freeney and mathis but they were doubling nevis as well lol and still couldnt run the ball now next week what i wanna see is a true shut out for the first time in over a decade and make a statement not only with the D but the offense needs to come out firing and score lots of points. it is very possible

[Corndog]

The defense was the best I have seen in years and looked great. I agree it wasn't perfect, pass protection was weak at times and 3rd down play was frustrating. Obviously the D-line completely tore it up, Freeney and Mathis were on fire. The interior line did almost as well and helped shut down the run. I really like Nevis, and this defense is at it's best with a big DT to help them out, he seems to be our man. The linebackers looked very good at well, certainly doing their part. Judging from his performances since Brackett's injury, I believe Angerer is an improvement at the position and Brackett should be moved to the outside when he returns.

[Mark]

I think we should also give a shootout to the O-line and the backs. They did well against one of the best run stopping defenses in the league, and they did it with Pittsburgh knowing that they needed to run the ball to stay competitive. A lot of positives came out of this game!

[pizza guy]

A lot of really encouraging things in this game. As mentioned, Nevis was impressive. DFree and Mathis brought it tonight, and they dominated. Angry Pat and Kavell Conner might be better than I had previously thought, and Angerer should stay at MLB even after Brackett gets healthy.

The running game was great tonight. I love that we were able to line up and run through the Steelers, but they couldn't do it to us. Addai was tough and quick, but the credit goes to the O-line for just out-muscling the Steelers. Even Linkenbach looked pretty good tonight.

The pass defense HAS to improve. It's atrocious.

The passing offense needs to find a rhythm, and maybe it will with Painter.

All in all, one of the toughest losses to watch in a while for me. To come out and play like they did, they deserved to win.

[braveheartcolt]

Where's all the nay sayers about the colts defense now!!! who was that guy that was quoting stats and all last week!! where's your stat sheet now mate lol

0-3 is the only stat that matters. We gave up 23 points at home. Our pass defense is putrid. Clearly some positives from last night, but hardly the time to be proclaiming our D is great.

I like your optimism of course.

[Blue Horseshoe]

The Steelers were playing with their last 5 offensive linemen and Roethlisbergerger is a wildly overrated quarterback who holds the ball too long. It was a good night but not really all that unexpected with 2nd and third stringers across the offensive line. I'd like to see them keep playing this well before getting overly excited.

[MAC]

We have, quite possibly, the worst secondary of all time. Just awful. Beyond awful. Indescribably awful. NOTHING to be proud of has come from our secondary this season, and I doubt anything will.

You mean aside from Lefeged's interception, Bethea's consistent run support, Powers acrobatic near interception, and Johnson's hit on Rothlesberger (among many other things). I even saw Lacey effectively playing Wallace up-close and personal a couple of times.

They may be the weak link, but under the circumstances I'll take it for now.

[John Waylon]

You mean aside from Lefeged's interception, Bethea's consistent run support, Powers acrobatic near interception, and Johnson's hit on Rothlesberger (among many other things). I even saw Lacey effectively playing Wallace up-close and personal a couple of times.

They may be the weak link, but under the circumstances I'll take it for now.

Yeah, I'd hate for Lefeged not to have intercepted a ball put right between his numbers.

By the beginning of the second quarter it had become a foregone conclusion that they were going to convert on 3rd and anything over 6 yards through the air.

Go back and watch how many third and longs we gave up.

When the other team passes they are successful. Twist it however you want, throw out whatever numbers you want... We can't stop the pass to save our lives.

We gave up 100 yards to a WR in the first quarter. To an offensive line who has had issues pass protecting for years, and a QB who has a knack for holding the ball as long as he can. Had we not been able to run roughshod over their O-line and make Ben throw before he wanted to this one would have gotten ugly quick.

What do you think it's gonna look like when we go to New England? Brady's line can give him all the time he needs, and with those receivers and TE's running amok in our secondary he may well throw for 600 yards and 7 TD's, and there will be nothing we can do to stop him.

A secondary who absolutely can't defend the pass is something to be proud of, isn't it?

Strange time's we're livin in these days...

[MAC]

A secondary who absolutely can't defend the pass is something to be proud of, isn't it?

Strange time's we're livin in these days...

I never said they were a top unit, I was merely responding to your exaggerations. There are a couple of very good players, some decent backups, and a lot of kids that should improve on a weekly basis. Considering that they just released two high draft picks who should have been starting for several more years, it's about as good as one could reasonably expect it to be - and should get better. Maybe by the Patriot game Thomas or Rucker is making a name for themselves. Who knows.

It wasn't that long ago that the team was utterly incapable of tackling. Tonight it felt like Sanders was erasing the running game again. It could be a lot worse.