Colts-Giants Preview

[Andy]

Article for the game... Didn't realize Griff wasn't going to play. Wrote one line about him in here that can be disregarded.

 

The Indianapolis Colts play the New York Giants tonight on Sunday Night Football and there are lot of storylines going into the game.

 

The Colts' offense is going to have to put up quite a few points. Andrew Luck is going to have to get the Colts started, but Chandler Harnish is going to have to "bring the cows home". So let's start with Andrew Luck.

Andrew Luck is going to get a good amount of playing time this game. He did last year and most of the starting quarterbacks in the league get a good amount of time in their 2nd preseason game. Fans should expect to see a quarter to maybe even a half of Andrew Luck. Andrew Luck just needs to make his reads and be patient. He looked good early on last week, he just needs to do the same; nothing too crazy. After that, you should expect to see a quarter of Matt Hasselbeck and Chandler Harnish. As mentioned before, the quarterback play, especially from Chandler Harnish in the latter part of the game will be very important. Unless the Colts have a huge lead going into the 4th quarter, Harnish will have to win it for the Colts. Reggie Wayne and TY Hilton will be the go to guys early on, with Heyward Bey being a target on deeper passes. This game will be a chance to prove himself. Also, Griff Whalen will have another oppurtunity to fight for more playing time. He's had a great training camp.

As for the running backs, for those interested in seeing Ahmad Bradshaw return to play against New York, they'll have to wait because he's not playing. Vick Ballard will see a good amount of time in the first half. He'll see most of the snaps. Donald Brown, who played well last week, will see some snaps in the first half, but will get the majority of his in the 2nd with a rotation of Kerwynn Williams and Delone Carter (maybe Devin Meggett). The Colts will need to find balance and for that, the running game will need to be on. That will depend on the offensive line...

The offensive line was very disappointing last week. They didn't look in sync, the interior looked very bad and the backups looked horrendous. The Giants are just as good as the Bills on defense. Jason Pierre Paul is scary, and even their backups are quite good. They will torch the Colts' offensive line if the Colts don't shape up. The offensive line is the heart of the offense; no offensive line, no chance. There going to need good protection from their backups because the 2nd half is what really matters. 

The offensive philosphy should be to get perfect balance. You want to give equal reps to both the running game and the passing game as you're training both areas. Shouldn't get too bias.

Now, the defense...

The defensive line will need to stop the interior runs and force an occasional pressure. Ricky Jean Francois looked good last week, and will be needed this week. Josh Chapman, who is getting more and more time will need to clog up the inside runs and draw double teams. The backups will play an important role in the 2nd half. The Colts have relatively good depth at the defensive line, but they didn't play well last week, they have to play well or we'll be seeing a lot of cuts at the position.

As for the linebackers, there are clear leaders (starters) at each position, but the battles aren't over yet. The starters are Erik Walden, Kavell Conner, Jerrell Freeman, and Robert Mathis (OLB, ILB, ILB, OLB). They will get the first half or at least the majority of the first half. Kelvin Sheppard and Bjoern will see some plays early on, and get more reps in the 2nd half with the backups. These guys will need to slow down the run and stop the tight ends from making any plays. That's their job this game and if they can do it, they'll have an advantage.

Then we have the secondary. The starters, like the other position groups, will see a lot of time in the first half and then they'll switch in the 2nd half. For the starters, they will need to watch the deep ball (they have fast receivers). They have to be prudent with their receivers. Vontae will have to go against Victor Cruz, or maybe Toler should go against him. They can't have Butler or any backup going against Cruz early on. Match up the Colts' best guys against their best guys. As for the safeties, let them prevent any big plays and occasionally play in the box. They don't have a great running game. Be prudent should be the message.

As for special teams, you should see Adam Vinatieri and Pat McAfee on kicking and punting duties, respectively. As for the kick returners, Kerwynn Williams should split time with Cassius Vaughn. Both were pretty good last week. What they have to watch out for is their returners. David Wilson is very good and dangerous, just like Marqise Goodwin last week. They need to improve in that area.

The Colts have to be prudent on defense and smart/balanced on offense (not aggressive).

Prediction: New York Giants 23 vs Indianapolis Colts 13