Grades: Week 13 vs Titans

[Superman]

 

Just thought I'd remind everyone that this game is one win away from clinching a spot in the postseason, despite "how poorly this season has gone," as one blogger put it. Feel free to enjoy the moment, Colts fans.

 

Box score

Week 12 grades

 

Offense, C: 62 plays, 264 yards, 18 first downs (8 passing,  7 rushing, 3 from penalty), 3/14 on third down, 1/1 on fourth down, 1/2 in the red zone, 1 turnover (INT), 22 points; some improvement, but this is still not a very productive offense

 

QB: Kind of a "meh" performance. I think four of the five sacks were very avoidable, had Luck navigated the pocket better or taken off with the ball. His hesitance to run was very frustrating, especially when he can take off for 24 yards whenever he wants. Some throws were errant, but not a lot. The pick was off a tipped pass. I've said several times, our passing concepts aren't doing Luck any favors. I guess I'll go over that more in coaching. Overall, he did a decent job of moving the ball, but the passing game never really got going. C

 

Backs / receivers / tight ends, C: 

Running game: Switching Richardson and Brown up didn't make too much of a difference to start. Richardson did slightly better as a spell back, but still nothing impressive. I got slightly excited over an 11 yard carry, then realized how pathetic this has become. Brown was shut down, until the final drive, but then he and Luck combined for several solid plays to put the game away. This still isn't good production, but much better than last week. C, still dependent on an underperforming blocking unit

 

Passing game: Again, the concepts are poor. Not sure what else I can say. DHB spoiled a great opportunity to get the offense going with a colossal drop, and I gave up all hope for him to be a productive member of the team at that exact moment. We're not giving Brazill and Hilton the kind of route combinations they need, and they aren't getting very much separation, with teams playing the deep ball. Fleener had some nice grabs, especially on the last drive. Havili did a good job grabbing one and stiff-arming a tackler for extra yardage. C+, gotta have more, but we also need the other units to do their jobs better.

 

OL / blocking: Until the final drive, the run blocking was terrible. What little yardage we had at that point was from Luck scrambling, or a couple yards here and there. Cherilus and Doyle "combined" on a blown block on the DHB handoff, and that erased most of the yardage that had been gained. The guys kept working, but the run game just can't work without better play. I thought the pass blocking was fine, again. Luck was a statue, didn't step up, didn't run with it, etc. With no one getting open, and with the QB not using his feet (which he normally does), they gave up a bunch of sacks and hits. The pass blocking wasn't great, but I don't have any real complaints. C-, a bonus for the final drive (otherwise this would be a D+)

Defense, C+: 74 plays, 347 yards, 24 first downs (11 passing, 10 rushing, 3 from penalty), 6/15 on third down, 2/2 in the red zone, 4 turnovers, 14 points; nice bounce back performance, but some breakdowns containing a very average QB

 

Defensive front: This game was similar to the first Titans game, except we didn't give up the long plays to Chris Johnson like last time. Contained the outside, got decent push, and aside from four or five moderate gains from CJ and Greene, no complaints. Those two combined for 108 yards on 28 carries, only 3.9 yards/carry, and no TDs. Angerer got caught up in some misdirection on a nice fake power. The frustrating gains were the scrambles by Fitzpatrick, with no linebacker anywhere in the area. After watching Redding's Mic'd Up, it sounds like there was a mistake on the QB sneak. The second goalline possession was strong against the run. Not a lot of pass rush, but the Titans again did their best to keep Fitzpatrick away from pressure. A handful of nice pressures, including a blitz by Lieutenant McNary, and the sack from Mathis, but that's it. With the Titans again using a lot of crossing routes to get quick passes away, there weren't a lot of opportunities. B-, respectable game, just need to get to the QB faster when he escapes the pocket

 

Pass defense: Unless I'm mistaken, that was Cassius "Neck Brace" Vaughn with TWO interceptions. Both of them were plays where he was able to watch the QB release the ball and then make a play on it (I think we should move him to safety). With Butler starting, things looked better. Davis came back to us also. Still some concerns with cross matching linebackers against receivers, and getting beat on crossing routes. Did some doubling on Kendall Wright, to limit his big play chances, and aside from the 35 yarder, we did a good job on him. Caught a break with Walker going out early (and the incorrectly called incompletion). The TD pass was a blown assignment by someone (either Freeman or Bethea, it looked like), but that was a good play design. Good coverage led to a lot of breakups and overthrowns, and ultimately, three interceptions, including the clincher. C+, encouraging game, but still more work to do

 
Special teams: Don't complain the next time AV misses a kick. He carried the team in this game. McAfee punted well, but outkicked his coverage on one. Rainey did okay returning, but we can't have the muffed punt. B

Coaching / playcalling, C+:

On defense, the guys missed some assignments, but this was a more disciplined unit that responded well, on the back of some needed adjustments. This is why I've been defending Manusky. We can still get caught up in some weird trends, and give up big plays, but I saw scheme adjustments to take some of that away. I like the way we used McNary also, as kind of a robber blitzer, and he did pretty well in his four or five plays. I'm looking forward to seeing the scheme against AJ Green and Co. And the Bengals have some nice tight ends and inside receivers as well, along with Gio Bernard. Big test. B-

 

Credit for benching Richardson and McGlynn. Now it's time to bench Pep. Seriously, someone has to dial up some more reasonable third down options, give Luck someone to throw the ball to, and adjust the rushing attack to stop trying to block straight ahead when we clearly can't. He has his moments, but I still think that three or for minor adjustments would help tremendously, and I can't understand why we don't make them. Call a trap play, give Luck a hot receiver on third down, catch the defense in press coverage and call a pump and go, run a zone play every once in a while... This was a better performance, and I loved the final drive, but we're not doing enough to minimize the weaknesses and emphasize the strengths. I'm not trying to get rid of Pep, but he really needs to do better. He owes AV big time this week. D+

 

Pagano as head coach looks better this week than he did last week. That's what happens when you win. I hope the staff continues to be open to these adjustments and corrections. Good use of timeouts to stretch that last drive of the first half. Keep trending this week, Coach. C+

 

Game balls:

Adam Vinatieri, excellent job, sir. 

Cassius Vaughn, I don't think he was that good in coverage, but he responded to his demotion well, played hard, and came up with two really big plays for us. So credit where due.

 

Robert Mathis Sack Watch: He's now only half a sack away from Freeney's single season Colts record and career sack total. 

 

Next up, @ Cincinnati. Strong defense, offense with big play potential. Need to play a disciplined game, and need some "Luck" on offense. Can't wait.

 

GO COLTS!!!

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

Every team "just needs to get to the qb faster". We just never do. think you were too easy on that aspect of our team.

[Superman]

Every team "just needs to get to the qb faster". We just never do. think you were too easy on that aspect of our team.

 

When he scrambles? Meh. The weakest spot on our defense is ILB, and those are the guys who would be most responsible for chasing the QB down. So it makes sense that Fitzgerald was able to run the way he was. On top of that, we've been playing very safe deep coverage lately to avoid giving up big plays, so he had plenty of room to run. The scrambles were irritating, but it was a "pick your poison" type of deal. Fitzgerald isn't the kind of guy to beat you with his legs. He'll get some here and there, but if you're limiting his passing opportunities and doing a good job against the backs (which we were), then you kind of just shrug and deal with it.

[dw49]

 

 

Just thought I'd remind everyone that this game is one win away from clinching a spot in the postseason, despite "how poorly this season has gone," as one blogger put it. Feel free to enjoy the moment, Colts fans.

 

Box score

Week 12 grades

 

Offense, C: 62 plays, 264 yards, 18 first downs (8 passing,  7 rushing, 3 from penalty), 3/14 on third down, 1/1 on fourth down, 1/2 in the red zone, 1 turnover (INT), 22 points; some improvement, but this is still not a very productive offense

 

QB: Kind of a "meh" performance. I think four of the five sacks were very avoidable, had Luck navigated the pocket better or taken off with the ball. His hesitance to run was very frustrating, especially when he can take off for 24 yards whenever he wants. Some throws were errant, but not a lot. The pick was off a tipped pass. I've said several times, our passing concepts aren't doing Luck any favors. I guess I'll go over that more in coaching. Overall, he did a decent job of moving the ball, but the passing game never really got going. C

 

Backs / receivers / tight ends, C: 

Running game: Switching Richardson and Brown up didn't make too much of a difference to start. Richardson did slightly better as a spell back, but still nothing impressive. I got slightly excited over an 11 yard carry, then realized how pathetic this has become. Brown was shut down, until the final drive, but then he and Luck combined for several solid plays to put the game away. This still isn't good production, but much better than last week. C, still dependent on an underperforming blocking unit

 

Passing game: Again, the concepts are poor. Not sure what else I can say. DHB spoiled a great opportunity to get the offense going with a colossal drop, and I gave up all hope for him to be a productive member of the team at that exact moment. We're not giving Brazill and Hilton the kind of route combinations they need, and they aren't getting very much separation, with teams playing the deep ball. Fleener had some nice grabs, especially on the last drive. Havili did a good job grabbing one and stiff-arming a tackler for extra yardage. C+, gotta have more, but we also need the other units to do their jobs better.

 

OL / blocking: Until the final drive, the run blocking was terrible. What little yardage we had at that point was from Luck scrambling, or a couple yards here and there. Cherilus and Doyle "combined" on a blown block on the DHB handoff, and that erased most of the yardage that had been gained. The guys kept working, but the run game just can't work without better play. I thought the pass blocking was fine, again. Luck was a statue, didn't step up, didn't run with it, etc. With no one getting open, and with the QB not using his feet (which he normally does), they gave up a bunch of sacks and hits. The pass blocking wasn't great, but I don't have any real complaints. C-, a bonus for the final drive (otherwise this would be a D+)

Defense, C+: 74 plays, 347 yards, 24 first downs (11 passing, 10 rushing, 3 from penalty), 6/15 on third down, 2/2 in the red zone, 4 turnovers, 14 points; nice bounce back performance, but some breakdowns containing a very average QB

 

Defensive front: This game was similar to the first Titans game, except we didn't give up the long plays to Chris Johnson like last time. Contained the outside, got decent push, and aside from four or five moderate gains from CJ and Greene, no complaints. Those two combined for 108 yards on 28 carries, only 3.9 yards/carry, and no TDs. Angerer got caught up in some misdirection on a nice fake power. The frustrating gains were the scrambles by Fitzpatrick, with no linebacker anywhere in the area. After watching Redding's Mic'd Up, it sounds like there was a mistake on the QB sneak. The second goalline possession was strong against the run. Not a lot of pass rush, but the Titans again did their best to keep Fitzpatrick away from pressure. A handful of nice pressures, including a blitz by Lieutenant McNary, and the sack from Mathis, but that's it. With the Titans again using a lot of crossing routes to get quick passes away, there weren't a lot of opportunities. B-, respectable game, just need to get to the QB faster when he escapes the pocket

 

Pass defense: Unless I'm mistaken, that was Cassius "Neck Brace" Vaughn with TWO interceptions. Both of them were plays where he was able to watch the QB release the ball and then make a play on it (I think we should move him to safety). With Butler starting, things looked better. Davis came back to us also. Still some concerns with cross matching linebackers against receivers, and getting beat on crossing routes. Did some doubling on Kendall Wright, to limit his big play chances, and aside from the 35 yarder, we did a good job on him. Caught a break with Walker going out early (and the incorrectly called incompletion). The TD pass was a blown assignment by someone (either Freeman or Bethea, it looked like), but that was a good play design. Good coverage led to a lot of breakups and overthrowns, and ultimately, three interceptions, including the clincher. C+, encouraging game, but still more work to do

 

Special teams: Don't complain the next time AV misses a kick. He carried the team in this game. McAfee punted well, but outkicked his coverage on one. Rainey did okay returning, but we can't have the muffed punt. B

Coaching / playcalling, C+:

On defense, the guys missed some assignments, but this was a more disciplined unit that responded well, on the back of some needed adjustments. This is why I've been defending Manusky. We can still get caught up in some weird trends, and give up big plays, but I saw scheme adjustments to take some of that away. I like the way we used McNary also, as kind of a robber blitzer, and he did pretty well in his four or five plays. I'm looking forward to seeing the scheme against AJ Green and Co. And the Bengals have some nice tight ends and inside receivers as well, along with Gio Bernard. Big test. B-

 

Credit for benching Richardson and McGlynn. Now it's time to bench Pep. Seriously, someone has to dial up some more reasonable third down options, give Luck someone to throw the ball to, and adjust the rushing attack to stop trying to block straight ahead when we clearly can't. He has his moments, but I still think that three or for minor adjustments would help tremendously, and I can't understand why we don't make them. Call a trap play, give Luck a hot receiver on third down, catch the defense in press coverage and call a pump and go, run a zone play every once in a while... This was a better performance, and I loved the final drive, but we're not doing enough to minimize the weaknesses and emphasize the strengths. I'm not trying to get rid of Pep, but he really needs to do better. He owes AV big time this week. D+

 

Pagano as head coach looks better this week than he did last week. That's what happens when you win. I hope the staff continues to be open to these adjustments and corrections. Good use of timeouts to stretch that last drive of the first half. Keep trending this week, Coach. C+

 

Game balls:

Adam Vinatieri, excellent job, sir. 

Cassius Vaughn, I don't think he was that good in coverage, but he responded to his demotion well, played hard, and came up with two really big plays for us. So credit where due.

 

Robert Mathis Sack Watch: He's now only half a sack away from Freeney's single season Colts record and career sack total. 

 

Next up, @ Cincinnati. Strong defense, offense with big play potential. Need to play a disciplined game, and need some "Luck" on offense. Can't wait.

 

GO COLTS!!!

 

 

 

Man of steel... you were right on. Your grades were perfect , pretty much all C-'s. Boring .. just like the Colts and that game. Reading this put me to sleep ... just like the game did. Thank God Fitz reverted back to the guy that stunk at Buffalo.

 

Kudos for being a moderator and venting on Pep. He's turned an exciting team with a great young QB into a boring pile of futility. I know we had injuries , but we still have two NFL RB's (Bradshaw and Ballard no big deal)  and losing a WR like Wayne shouldn't just decimate your offense. He's a nice player but C'mon now. It's just the fact that Pep has no clue how to stay ahead of the oppositions' defensive coaches. They caught up to him and are just plain creaming his butt. 

[OffensivelyPC]

DHB spoiled a great opportunity to get the offense going with a colossal drop, and I gave up all hope for him to be a productive member of the team at that exact moment.

I had this exact same feeling after the drop.

[ColtsFreak]

On that throw Luck made to hands of stone. It looked like he took some umph off of it just so he could attempt to catch it.   I do agree with the grades.    I hope we can pep next year before he turns luck back into the mold of a HS QB.

[VaAllDay757]

Even though the defense gave up 17 points I would give them a C+/B- they created 4 turnovers with the 3 picks and a fumble