NO ONE is picking us to win Sunday.

[King Colt]

Chris Collingsworth and Phil Simms both pick the red birds, their butts and their noses.

[Jim H.]

I watched a Cardinals game a couple of weeks back.  I recall thinking, hmmm - this could be tough matchup.  I'll find out, up-close and personal.  Leaving for Phoenix tonight!

[HorseFly]

Chris Collingsworth and Phil Simms both pick the red birds, their butts and their noses.

 

...and not necessarily in that order....especially Collinsworthless.

[Ronnie Smith]

I think our defense gets pressure on palmer all day. But I do believe if we fall behind too much its going to be hard to come back on the cardinals defense.

[In Luck We Trust]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000285371/article/picking-winners-for-week-12-nfl-games

well they have not been watching Fleener filling the void of Wayne then. Fleener has been very good since wayne has been out. sure he isn't reggie wayne but he is coming up big for us. these so called experts are going with the cards cause the way their defense is playing.

[Dudley Smith]

I agree that the Colts seem to play better as the underdog, which they understandably are on the road against a solid Cardinals squad. I just get that feeling that the Colts finally look much better this game and get another win on the road. This will be the 4th full game for Luck without Wayne, and he has had time now to see what he can and can't do at this point without Reggie out there. The key, as many have pointed out, will be not allowing the Cardinals to jump out to an early, sizable lead. If the Colts can take the lead or at least keep the game within a touchdown or less heading into the 4th, I like the Colts' chances.

 

A reason this team isn't playing very well right now is because of the injuries, especially on offense. I feel like a lot of the "experts" fail to acknowledge any injury on this team outside of Wayne when in fact the offense has been decimated. If the offense still had Wayne and Allen, I think it would actually be very good. Add back in Bradshaw and Ballard, and it could have been one of the best. It is hard to move the ball when you really only have 1-2 consistent receiving threats and a hit or miss run game, even for a QB like Luck. It is what it is at this point.

[Gramz]

So what...??   Let them pick the Cardinals.   A lot of the games the Colts won, they were not expected to.     Maybe this is what fires them up.

[JLeòdhas]

Luck will get the boys motivated, just like he did in the second half of the Titans game. It will be close but the Colts will get the win period

[lollygagger8]

On defense: 

 

I don't care what point stance Werner is in, he better be putting pressure on Palmer constantly. Mathis should do well against Sowell also. If we send some exotic blitzes, that'll definitely help our secondary. 

 

On Offense: 

 

Passes out of the backfield to Richardson and Brown. Reverse to DHB. Run Brown out of 3-4 WR sets. Screens. Throw a flea flicker in for good measure and send T.Y. downtown. I'd like to see Herron catch a pass or two as well. 

 

On ST: 

 

If the boomstick can pin em deep, we have a chance! 

[luckyblue]

With the Cards stout rush defense, Richardson will be lucky if he averages 1.0 ypc, Brown will be better as usual, but It will really come down to our O-line giving Andrew enough time to throw the ball. For us to have a chance in this game Andrew has to have a big game.

[Indyfan4life]

I really love how hostile some people on this forum get. Guess I should know better than to post something like this. 

[Dudley Smith]

I really love how hostile some people on this forum get. Guess I should know better than to post something like this. 

 

It's not personal. People just get fired up about the Colts because we love our team. That's not to say there aren't a few people out there who just seem to enjoy being hostile or argumentative, which I don't understand. But in general most people here are just passionate.

 

Edit: And for what it's worth, I enjoy topics like this. So keep 'em coming.

[ColtsBlueFL]

Our D needs to playwell. If they do, we will win....  IF... the O line can pick up the blitzes Bowles will throw at us.  We need to avoid 3rd down. They will blitz every time.  Luck is only 36% completion vs. the blitz since Reggie Wayne got hurt.  (he was 65% with Reggie in there).  AZ likes to blitz up the middle, where we are most vulnerable.  If we don't pick it up and keep Luck fairly clean, it will get ugly.  I hope Pep and Oline coach have a good plan in mind.

[Dudley Smith]

Our D needs to playwell. If they do, we will win....  IF... the O line can pick up the blitzes Bowles will throw at us.  We need to avoid 3rd down. They will blitz every time.  Luck is only 36% completion vs. the blitz since Reggie Wayne got hurt.  (he was 65% with Reggie in there).  AZ likes to blitz up the middle, where we are most vulnerable.  If we don't pick it up and keep Luck fairly clean, it will get ugly.  I hope Pep and Oline coach have a good plan in mind.

 

It's always hard for me to tell why he struggles with the blitz, but I remember in the Texans game it definitely seemed like the receivers not named Hilton were getting zero separation. I am not sure if that is because the plays didn't provide for a short quick route, or whether the receivers just don't have much skill. Maybe a bit of both.

 

I do like that Pep has been setting up more screens the last few weeks for the RBs to deal with the blitzes. I think this has really helped Luck out in those situations.

[ColtsBlueFL]

It's always hard for me to tell why he struggles with the blitz, but I remember in the Texans game it definitely seemed like the receivers not named Hilton were getting zero separation. I am not sure if that is because the plays didn't provide for a short quick route, or whether the receivers just don't have much skill. Maybe a bit of both.

 

I do like that Pep has been setting up more screens the last few weeks for the RBs to deal with the blitzes. I think this has really helped Luck out in those situations.

 

When teams blitz, they press the receivers hoping to blanket them long enough for pressure to get Luck sacked or throw errant and early.  I am hoping Pep andOline coach have a scheme that nullifies their blitz to a certain degree, because we will see a lot of it.  Bowles has been agreesive on D as Arians was known fon his O, but Arians seems to have toned it back a little with Palmer at the helm.

[Cardinal225]

I am a Cardinal fan and I know this game is tough. I am very nervous about it. If we want to go to the playoffs, this is a game we must win. Good luck to the Colts throughout the season except Sunday. Luck is a baller. 

[HeSoColt]

Why on earth do people care who picks us to win and/or lose?

 

To be honest... the Colts are not playing good football, so it is not shocking that a person picks us to lose. 

[Dudley Smith]

When teams blitz, they press the receivers hoping to blanket them long enough for pressure to get Luck sacked or throw errant and early.  I am hoping Pep andOline coach have a scheme that nullifies their blitz to a certain degree, because we will see a lot of it.  Bowles has been agreesive on D as Arians was known fon his O, but Arians seems to have toned it back a little with Palmer at the helm.

 

Right. I meant it was hard for me to tell because we generally can only see a fraction of what is going on when we are watching our TVs. Hopefully Pep devises a game plan with a lot of routes to deal with the blitz, because I agree, I am sure Luck is going to be getting blitzed a ton until he and the offense make the defense pay.

[Dudley Smith]

I am a Cardinal fan and I know this game is tough. I am very nervous about it. If we want to go to the playoffs, this is a game we must win. Good luck to the Colts throughout the season except Sunday. Luck is a baller. 

 

Thanks for the post. It will be a tough game for both teams. Definitely seems like one that could go either way.

[Cardinal225]

Thanks for the post. It will be a tough game for both teams. Definitely seems like one that could go either way.

Yes it could but we are #3 in Run Defense so I'm not sure how the Colts will game plan around that. Brown is a bruiser. I guess we will approach the Colts how we approached the Panthers. I don't know much about the Colts D but Robert Mathis and he is no slouch. How does your D look?

[Guest TeamLoloJones]

I am a Cardinal fan and I know this game is tough. I am very nervous about it. If we want to go to the playoffs, this is a game we must win. Good luck to the Colts throughout the season except Sunday. Luck is a baller. 

Welcome to the forum.  I think it's safe to say a lot of us Colts fans passively root for the Cardinals because of BA being your coach now.  I've rooted for the Cardinals in the NFC for a while now because Fitz is probably my favorite non-Colt player.

[Dudley Smith]

Yes it could but we are #3 in Run Defense so I'm not sure how the Colts will game plan around that. Brown is a bruiser. I guess we will approach the Colts how we approached the Panthers. I don't know much about the Colts D but Robert Mathis and he is no slouch. How does your D look?

 

The D has been very up and down. It's looked great at times (most of the Broncos and 49ers games) and terrible others (Dolphins, 1st half against Texans). I really have no idea what to expect out of it. I do think Mathis will be good for a sack or two. We got back some secondary guys this past week too which should give our pass D a much needed boost.

 

My guess is your run D will have some success Sunday. Richardson has not been performing as well as hoped the whole season,  but Brown has been playing well. I think Luck's ability to pass is going to determine how successful the Colts are on offense, which makes sense since this has been the case practically the entire year anyway. In case you didn't know, since Wayne has gone down, our WRs leave a lot to be desired right now outside of TY Hilton. Although Fleener, our TE, has provided a much needed target and helped absorb the absence of Wayne in recent weeks. We will see what happens Sunday.

[weslo1812]

Hot or playing poor teams? Talented defense nonetheless

It could be a combination. But we definatley can't say were any better right now with how we have been playing these last three games. Hopefully we come out and get after it hard, fast and early.

[BlueShoe]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000285371/article/picking-winners-for-week-12-nfl-games

 

That just means we will win.

[southwest1]

I get what you are saying SW1, but I think that the Colts need to put together a "full game" effort for their own psyche, let alone any respect or regard from the media.

 

Coming from behind and pulling out games from the whazoo, is going to start wearing on this team, this young team has to get some swagger back. We've had some great victories, and some dumb losses. They just gotta start playing from the get-go like they do when their backs are to the wall.

 

That's what championship teams do, these guys need to develop a killer instinct...

Get up on teams and keep the "pedal to the metal"

 

I just see so much potential if this team executes for a full four quarters!

 

Just think what could be when players get back next year and Grigs fixes the O-line

WOW! I want to see it!

An excellent post jmac_48! I agree with everything you said particularly the bolded sections.

 

So what...??   Let them pick the Cardinals.   A lot of the games the Colts won, they were not expected to.     Maybe this is what fires them up.

Preach Gramz Preach!  SW1 is drinking that Kool Aid. 

[southwest1]

I am a Cardinal fan and I know this game is tough. I am very nervous about it. If we want to go to the playoffs, this is a game we must win. Good luck to the Colts throughout the season except Sunday. Luck is a baller. 

I appreciate your candor there Cardinal225. Is it possible the Colts might lose Sunday? Sure. Do I respect the job Bruce Arians has done in turning the AZ Cardinals completely around? Absolutely. I have no anger toward AZ personally. INDY just needs this game more than the Cardinals do IMHO for the success of our program down the stretch. Good luck to your club as well as the years pass by Cardinal225. 

[southwest1]

Chris Collingsworth and Phil Simms both pick the red birds, their butts and their noses.

Really? This blind  affair with Bruce Arians as the ultimate offensive wizard has got to be stopped across the NFL among pundits & analysts. At least, tap the brakes a little. Strange, I thought Phil Simms loved the direction that Grigs & Pagano are now steering our organization? Oh well, I still respect Phil. I'm just perplexed by his pick this Sunday. I'm used to my Colts getting second guessed & dismissed anyway. SW1 believes in the  & I'm not going anywhere period. 

[Cardinal225]

I appreciate your candor there Cardinal225. Is it possible the Colts might lose Sunday? Sure. Do I respect the job Bruce Arians has done in turning the AZ Cardinals completely around? Absolutely. I have no anger toward AZ personally. INDY just needs this game more than the Cardinals do IMHO for the success of our program down the stretch. Good luck to your club as well as the years pass by Cardinal225. 

Your fans are a class act. This is why my favorite 2 AFC teams to go for are the Colts and Phins. I don't like any NFC teams lol 

[SkyBane]

Really? This blind affair with Bruce Arians as the ultimate offensive wizard has got to be stopped across the NFL among pundits & analysts. At least, tap the brakes a little. Strange, I thought Phil Simms loved the direction that Grigs & Pagano are now steering our organization? Oh well, I still respect Phil. I'm just perplexed by his pick this Sunday. I'm used to my Colts getting second guessed & dismissed anyway. SW1 believes in the & I'm not going anywhere period.

Picking the Cardinals has nothing to do with their offense. Outside of their last 3 games (against opponents who have less combined wins then the Colts alone), the offense has not been that impressive, largely behind an O line thats utter swiss cheese. Palmer has more INTs than TDs this year.

The reason you pick the Cardinals is they have one of the brightest young defenses in the NFL. Its fantastic against the run, and their defensive backfield are absolute ball hawks, with an absurd number of people having multiple turnovers.

So youre going to struggle to run against them, and they will get turnovers. The Colts can afford neither on offense, or the wheels fall off. Its just a bad, bad matchup.

[southwest1]

Picking the Cardinals has nothing to do with their offense. Outside of their last 3 games (against opponents who have less combined wins then the Colts alone), the offense has not been that impressive, largely behind an O line thats utter swiss cheese. Palmer has more INTs than TDs this year.

The reason you pick the Cardinals is they have one of the brightest young defenses in the NFL. Its fantastic against the run, and their defensive backfield are absolute ball hawks, with an absurd number of people having multiple turnovers.

So youre going to struggle to run against them, and they will get turnovers. The Colts can afford neither on offense, or the wheels fall off. Its just a bad, bad matchup.

You make several good points SkyBane. A tight secondary, a swarming D, & controlling the time of possession via turnovers. Except for 1 thing: The NFL is a passing league now & Carson Palmer has not been a post season SB contender since 2005. He can't run & Redding, Mathis, & Freeman can bring the heat. Plus, as Lollygager8 said in a previous post or implied: do not underestimate Pat McAfee. He is no slouch on deep punts/Special Teams either.

 

Our record is 7-3 that doesn't just fall from the sky. To quote Bill Parcells "You are what your record says you are" & INDY is no cream puff squad either with all due respect...I concede defeat to no team ever.  

[CanuckColt]

With the Cards stout rush defense, Richardson will be lucky if he averages 1.0 ypc, Brown will be better as usual, but It will really come down to our O-line giving Andrew enough time to throw the ball. For us to have a chance in this game Andrew has to have a big game.

Isn't it always the case that "Andrew has to have a big game" or the Colts lose....shades of Peyton Manning's Colts...the more things change, the more they stay the same.

[CanuckColt]

We are simply missing too many key players on O to have confidence in a win.

With Reggie, Dwayne Allen and Bradshaw, we would be too tough on O to stop...without these guys we are underdogs.

This will probably be one of our remaining 3 losses on the way to 10-6.

[Jules]

I'm not really all that worried for some reason.

[bap1331]

It's okay. It's a good sign because most likely the opposite happens

[bap1331]

Greg Rosenthal lost faith in us?!

[coltfaninnewyork]

Chris berman aka" The Swami" picks us to win 23-21 for what thats worth.

[braveheartcolt]

Picking the Cardinals has nothing to do with their offense. Outside of their last 3 games (against opponents who have less combined wins then the Colts alone), the offense has not been that impressive, largely behind an O line thats utter swiss cheese. Palmer has more INTs than TDs this year.

The reason you pick the Cardinals is they have one of the brightest young defenses in the NFL. Its fantastic against the run, and their defensive backfield are absolute ball hawks, with an absurd number of people having multiple turnovers.

So youre going to struggle to run against them, and they will get turnovers. The Colts can afford neither on offense, or the wheels fall off. Its just a bad, bad matchup.

No such thing as a bad (or good) match-up with our team, as we have no idea what we have, how many quarters we will play, or how bad our D will be. Were are too unreliable to attempt to forecast.

[ColtsBlueFL]

well they have not been watching Fleener filling the void of Wayne then. Fleener has been very good since wayne has been out. sure he isn't reggie wayne but he is coming up big for us. these so called experts are going with the cards cause the way their defense is playing.

 

Correct. If we can neutralize their blitz enough for Luck to find TY and Fleener consistently, we should have a good chance at winning this road game.  And when we run, it has to have some effectiveness. My concerns are these though-

 

We don't run well, and they stop the run quite well.  When were one dimensional vs the blitz we are not a good offense.  They Blitz (especially A gap) a lot.

 

We're coming off a tough divisional win

 

Non conference matchup

 

They are on a winning and emotional roll, notwithstanding  the argument the teams they beat recently really aren't all that stellar (ATL and HOU huge disappointments)

 

They have home field advantage

 

I hope Werner is up to the task, I know Mathis is.  Go Colts!

[Zubulon Zellenzevo]

Almost every game this year has gone completely opposite of what "they" predicted. I am not worried until I see reason to worry. They were picked to beat the crap out of Oakland and they barely won, they were picked to beat Miami and they lost, they were picked to lose to 49ers and they won, they were picked to lose to seattle and they won, they were picked to beat San Diego and they lost, they were picked to lose to Broncos and they won, they were picked to beat the rams and they lost.... the only games that were close to what was predicted were the Jags, Houston, and Tennessee. Why should any worry about these horrible predictions. The Colts will do what they do.  

[Ohio Colt]

I dont think we do. I am not expecting it. But that's when we're at our best to be honest