Review of the Colts

[PLechner87]

Indianapolis 30 vs(@) Titans 27

 

Early in the game it almost looked like another Blow-out, however, Coach Pagano went into halftime with a never die mentality, cause the team that came out onto that field in the second half was an entirely different team, it took our entire team 30 minutes to wake-up from the Coma that it appeared we were in from last week. There are a slew of items I would like to address that I feel like are major contributions to our good and bad aspects of this Team. 

 

1: Offensive Line - is utterly offensive at times, atrocious, I've been disgusted at times with their performance this season, Andrew Luck has been hit the 2nd most out of all QBs in the league. Trent Richardson, Donald Brown and Company are being forced to create plays every-time they touch the ball. There is a Reason that Andrew Luck has the most Rushing TDs, and had the highest average YPC among Rushers on our team... That being said

 

2: Trent Richardson - He's not quite the new face that he was, but I said this when we signed him that this wasn't going to be his big year with the Colts, give him an offseason, OTAs, Training Camp, and Preseason with the Team and he will be an entirely different Story next year. Mark My Words.... I don't have to say anything more on this, but I know you may be questionable given his lack of production for our Offense, but give it some time and you can be sure that he will surprise you.. (It's been 5-6 weeks with a bye week in there) I believe he will begin to produce by the end of the season heading into the Playoffs, but that is where we hope our entire team is clicking and ready to take the next step.

 

3: DEF/ST: I wont even mention Reed (LaVon Brazil was returning Kicks and T.Y. was returning Punts which equals a better combination than Reed and Hilton) Now I will give it to our boys in quite a few games this year with causing fumbles, and producing turnovers, but Come on guys, you've got to come into EVERY GAME with the fire and intensity you show later in the games, if our Defense doesn't get started quickly than you can typically guarantee that our offense isn't getting started right away either. With Wayne out and Luck struggling to find a guy who is a proven leader in that WR Corps without him. So with that being said there is one guy that I believe has great potential but is disappointing to watch, Cassius Vaughn, this guy is a nasty Athlete, but his awareness, and his coverage are lacking for a guy supposed to be filling in for Toler who provides such a presence on the field. I just do not get how he can get burnt on the same route, not once, not twice, but a total of 9 times in a single game (@Jax 2012).

I was there and watched the same outside curl route run over, and over again and every time the WR running that route had a 6-10yrd push off of him, and he made the tackles, but there was no excuse for letting it happen 9 times with 0 Deflections, 0 INT, and a first down on a majority of those plays. 

Sorry I am ranting, the defense is my biggest complaint about our team right now. We were a threat on Defense before Wayne and Toler were injured. We should be way better than we have been this season, with Redding, Mathis, Freeman, Bethea, Toler, Davis, Butler, Angerer, etc...  I'm sorry, but I watch A LOT of football, and I can't name 5 players on most Defenses in the League, however, I know these guys, study them, and put all my faith into their performance every week. So for us to be getting run on so objectively, and how few stops we had early in the night, and how much we struggle with the run stop. We are too good to be struggling in this manner, in this way, we should be ripping offensive lines apart, we should be reading QBs and know where the ball is going before he makes his mind up, we have the talent, we just haven't put 2 and 2 together in order to show the rest of the league that we are hungry, hungry for wins, and hungry for the Lombardi...

 

4: Pep Hamilton: I get it man, you are all about the Power Run offense, push the run, push the run, oh and lets continue to push the run. I get it, I do... and I even agree, the run game is invaluable when looking at the big picture, and we are getting there we have the right pieces, in the backfield, and we know we hold the cards, but I swear to GOD Pep, you need to get on your O-Line Coach and stick your foot so far up his you know, so that he can taste the leather of your shoes because again they don't block, they get beat, and there seems to be no consistency in their play, you want to run the ball, then figure out who you need to shift around and replace on the front 5 because if they can't Run Block, and they can't Pass Block then something is wrong... Fix it Pep for the love of God fix it.... Never give up on the Run because it does 2 things, keeps the clock moving, chips away yards and increases time of possession (I include that with keeping the clock moving).

 

5: Andrew Luck: I've been rooting for you since you were at Stanford, and I was ecstatic that we picked you up in the Draft, now you need to show that you can elevate the game of the guys around you, that you can create superstars out of guys who would otherwise go unnoticed in the NFL. You've got the gift, the brain, the finesse, and everyone knows how athletic you are. I'm not doubting you, I'm just saying the time for mourning the loss our offense took with the injury to Reggie, but it's now kill or be killed, rise to glory, or fall to the wayside. We likely have the AFC South Locked as ours this year (predictably) now it stands to finish with the 2nd highest record in the AFC and lock in a bye week going into the playoffs.. 

 

6: Mathis, Redding, Landry, Bethea, Angerer, Davis - All of the afformentioned men, are leaders. Natural born leaders, and anyone of them could be the budding superstar leader that the Colts Defense NEEDS! I'm just saying, one of you, 2 of you, all of you need to step up and lead, and be the guy that everyone else looks to for calls, and looks, and audible packages.. We need a spy killer on the field, a war time general, a commandant!  One of you certainly has the means to be that guy, I'm just waiting to see who fills the role more on the field.. (Mathis Stands out more than anyone else in this matter as he has been a leader on this team, but Freeney was always that man, Bob Sanders was that man in the secondary.) We still have a void in that group of men right there, that needs to be filled.

 

7: Wide Receiving Corps/TE: Hilton, Brazil, DHB, Whalen, Rogers, Fleener, Reed - These are the guys who we are counting on going into the final 6 games of the season... 

Hilton - You are amazingly fast, great hands, an invaluable asset to this team right now. You need to be the leader of that group of Wide Receivers, you need to continue to work on getting free from these more aggressive DBs that have been covering you, and let your legs carry you... You fall down a lot on long passes that would otherwise have been TDs had you not lost your legs on the run. 

Brazil - Smoke as much Pot as you want, just don't get caught... Also keep elevating your game, you have tons of upside potential and could easily make a WR2 in this offense, I like what I see from you on the field. Find your rhythm and stop dropping passes.. You will end up being a Pierre Garcon to T.Y.'s  Marvin Harrison/Reggie Wayne Style of play.. I'm okay with that, more than okay that's what we need!

DHB - Dude, take an offseason go work with Jerry Rice and catch bricks all season, until you can catch everything thrown at you.. Cause as of right now, I am devastated when Luck throws it your way, cause there is a 2% chance of Interception 18% Chance that you catch the ball, and an 80% Chance that something happens and you drop the ball, I do not like those odds (not legitimate statistics just exaggerated emotions). 

Whalen - We haven't seen a whole lot of you this season, you're a mediocre version of Brandon Stokely, Austin Collie, or Wes Welker (all those guys were mediocre at one point too, when they didn't have Manning or Brady throwing to them.) You could fill that role for this team with the restructuring we have been forced to endure,  let's see what happens. You know this Offense in and out, left and right, up and down, prove it to us. Show us why we signed you other than you "Know" Pep's Offensive Schemes..

Rogers - I don't know much about you to be honest, but we elevated you for a reason, it's now or never give it your all...

Fleener - You have proven that you were a wise draft pick well spent, great stats on the Season, you have the fewest drops among Colts Receivers, and the 2nd Highest Catch Percentage among TE's in the NFL. Good Job, great game last night!

Reed - Either get smarter, or get stepping, if you ever play Special Teams again, and you get a 5 Yard Kick Return I pray that it was Usein Bolt  tackling you because that is unacceptable and not NFL material.. That is all...

 

8: Injuries/Bad Luck - Shaking my head, it never fails that Murphy's Law applies to everything, including Football, ah well Next Man Up!

[MAC]

I think this is what the blog section is for.

 

 

 

 

[Warhorse]

Thanks for the in depth write up, but the line blocks better than the assessment you gave, IMO. As Mac said, post this as a blog, quote a paragraph or so, and put a link to it below that in a related board. Happy blogging!

[NagelHausForge]

The only thing that would make that post better is if at the end you put "Drops mic, walks off stage..."

 

Nicely done.