peps offense

[OLD FAN MAN]

with the pass catching talent we have, wide receivers, tight ends, trich out of the back field. will pep be forced to go to a passing offense?

[a06cc]

He does have a passing offense. But it's always going to be based off the run first. It's only speculation on what we have as far as a passing attack. We have guys coming back from injuries. Gotta wait until preseason to see what we truly have. Also we may have a change due to the addition of Coach Rob.

[HtownColt]

"We are going to do whatever it takes to score touchdowns"- Pep's favorite phrase

[TheBlueAndWhite]

"We are going to do whatever it takes to score touchdowns"- Pep' favorite phrase

PEPs a habitual liar! Lol

[BlueShoe]

We can't keep putting Luck in 3rd and long situations and always expect positive results. Even teams that emphasize the run should pass on first and second down from time to time. We need to be more creative.

Mostly what we did last year was tell defenses we were running straight at them on first down. The obliged and said thank you. Then on second and 8, we would run again. Opposing defenses would thank us again. Then we relied on Luck to bail us out. Even completing near 60 percent of his passes, our offense stalled at times.

Low and behold we are down by 21 plus so we let Luck start slinging the rock. Several times he brought us back, however, sometimes the defenses were just too good. See the St. Louis and Arizona games.

Peps offense is too predictable. He will have to change some things up and get more creative. Either that, or we better seriously improve on defense, and expect a lot out of our defense.

If we plan to do more of the same then we re-signed the right player. Pat Mac will earn his contract.

I am not against emphasizing the running game, but sometimes our play calling in Peps offense is just asinine. We need to be able to recognize when it is not working and have a plan B. I am not talking about waiting until we are down by 3 touchdowns either. We can tell on the first few drives what's going on. Sometimes the running game isn't going to work, and we need to use the passing game to set it up. Both work together. There is no one size fits all in the modern NFL. We need to be able to run the ball, but this isn't 1960. I don't see Lombardi's Packers out there.

[crazycolt1]

We can't keep putting Luck in 3rd and long situations and always expect positive results. Even teams that emphasize the run should pass on first and second down from time to time. We need to be more creative.

Mostly what we did last year was tell defenses we were running straight at them on first down. The obliged and said thank you. Then on second and 8, we would run again. Opposing defenses would thank us again. Then we relied on Luck to bail us out. Even completing near 60 percent of his passes, our offense stalled at times.

Low and behold we are down by 21 plus so we let Luck start slinging the rock. Several times he brought us back, however, sometimes the defenses were just too good. See the St. Louis and Arizona games.

Peps offense is too predictable. He will have to change some things up and get more creative. Either that, or we better seriously improve on defense, and expect a lot out of our defense.

If we plan to do more of the same then we re-signed the right player. Pat Mac will earn his contract.

I am not against emphasizing the running game, but sometimes our play calling in Peps offense is just asinine. Sometimes the running game isn't going to work, and we need to use the passing game to set it up. Both work together. There is no one size fits all in the modern NFL. We need to be able to run the ball, but this isn't 1960. I don't see Lombardi's Packers out there.

With all you said the Colts did go 11-5 and a division crown. Not to mention a playoff win. So maybe Pep's offense is not as bad as you make out. The Colts offensive rankings were 10th in the league last season. Looking at the big picture I don't think that is too bad considering it was Pep's first year.

[Bluefire4]

I really hope we can be balanced.

[BlueShoe]

With all you said the Colts did go 11-5 and a division crown. Not to mention a playoff win. So maybe Pep's offense is not as bad as you make out. The Colts offensive rankings were 10th in the league last season. Looking at the big picture I don't think that is too bad considering it was Pep's first year.

We can't waste another year of Luck's rookie contract.

The 11-5 had absolutely nothing to do with Pep. Harry Potter could have been our offensive coordinator last year and we'd still win 11 games. Take Luck off this team and how many games do we win last year?

Luck is there already. He has what it takes to win a Super Bowl. We just need to stop jacking around. We have the winning lottery numbers and we are trying to change them. It's asinine.

[jvan1973]

We can't waste another year of Luck's rookie contract.

The 11-5 had absolutely nothing to do with Pep. Harry Potter could have been our offensive coordinator last year and we'd still win 11 games. Take Luck off this team and how many games do we win last year?

Luck is there already. He has what it takes to win a Super Bowl. We just need to stop jacking around. We have the winning lottery numbers and we are trying to change them. It's asinine.

In fairness, pep didn't throw the picks in new England in the playoffs.

Pep isn't perfect, but you can't say anyone could have had the same results and be serious

[NewColtsFan]

with the pass catching talent we have, wide receivers, tight ends, trich out of the back field. will pep be forced to go to a passing offense?

 

No.

 

Pep and Pagano and Grigson want a power running game for two reasons.

 

One.    Keep opposing defenses honest.    To run to take the pressure off of Luck and slow up the defense from going after Luck. 

 

Two.   To run the clock and shorten the game.   To help keep our average defense off the field.   We'd rather score by taking 6:00 off the clock then by taking 2:30 off the clock.

 

Eat up the clock.   Keep the other offense off the field.    Keep the other teams defense from going after Luck and respecting the running game.

 

And with all that said,  more times than not, we'll still throw more than we pass.    We're going to run roughly 30-32 times a game.  We're going to pass roughly 34-36 times a game.    The key is to be effective with the run when we do that....

 

Hope this helps......

[crazycolt1]

We can't waste another year of Luck's rookie contract.

The 11-5 had absolutely nothing to do with Pep. Harry Potter could have been our offensive coordinator last year and we'd still win 11 games. Take Luck off this team and how many games do we win last year?

Luck is there already. He has what it takes to win a Super Bowl. We just need to stop jacking around. We have the winning lottery numbers and we are trying to change them. It's asinine.

Waste a year of Lucks rookie contract? You are starting to sound like an old Colts fan. Just put everything on the QBs back and ride him into the ground. It makes no difference what year that Luck is on this team. He is the QB. Just getting back the injured players on the offense is going to help a lot. Bradshaw, Ballard, Wayne and Allen will open up the offense. With the free agents signed and the draft picks this team will be better. You just have some bad problem with Pep and why I don't know. Least you forget who Pep is. He was Luck's offensive coordinator in college. Give the guy some respect. You insult him with the Harry Potter line. There is no reason to have a gloom and doom outlook on these Colts. I have some startling news for you. Luck is a very good QB but he cant do it alone. He needs the run game to go along with the passing game. He also needs good special teams play from all. It's not rocket science. Every Colt fan knows exactly what happens when the whole team is carried by the QB. There was no better QB in the NFL as Manning was when he played here. Well what we did see and hopefully learned is it takes more than a great QB. The only super bowl won was when the running game was great. Manning won the MVP of the super bowl but it could have very well went to the two RBs that carried the rock. Also throw in a good defense and that was how a super bowl was won. In my opinion this team is a playoff team that could very well have what it takes to win a ring. Wins over the Seahawks, 49ers, Chiefs and Broncos proved this team can do it.

[crazycolt1]

No.

 

Pep and Pagano and Grigson want a power running game for two reasons.

 

One.    Keep opposing defenses honest.    To run to take the pressure off of Luck and slow up the defense from going after Luck. 

 

Two.   To run the clock and shorten the game.   To help keep our average defense off the field.   We'd rather score by taking 6:00 off the clock then by taking 2:30 off the clock.

 

Eat up the clock.   Keep the other offense off the field.    Keep the other teams defense from going after Luck and respecting the running game.

 

And with all that said,  more times than not, we'll still throw more than we pass.    We're going to run roughly 30-32 times a game.  We're going to pass roughly 34-36 times a game.    The key is to be effective with the run when we do that....

 

Hope this helps......

You preaching, keep going!

[Stephen]

We aren't super bowl ready until we can beat the patriots

[akcolt]

No.

 

Pep and Pagano and Grigson want a power running game for two reasons.

 

One.    Keep opposing defenses honest.    To run to take the pressure off of Luck and slow up the defense from going after Luck. 

 

Two.   To run the clock and shorten the game.   To help keep our average defense off the field.   We'd rather score by taking 6:00 off the clock then by taking 2:30 off the clock.

 

Eat up the clock.   Keep the other offense off the field.    Keep the other teams defense from going after Luck and respecting the running game.

 

And with all that said,  more times than not, we'll still throw more than we pass.    We're going to run roughly 30-32 times a game.  We're going to pass roughly 34-36 times a game.    The key is to be effective with the run when we do that....

 

Hope this helps......

I agree with what you say but I think Pep needs to take into consideration you CAN actually use the pass to set up the run. If the O Line is better which I think it will be then his run first plan will work. The thing that drove me crazy last year was he would run right into our weakest spot on 1st down putting us behind the chains immediately. There is nothing wrong with using Luck to loosen them up then hitting them with the run.

 

The objective is to be able to run the ball effectively and control the clock keep the D on it's heels.  how you get there isn't important. Believe me I would love to have a team that can line it up say he we are running right at you and do it but that wasn't the case last year. 

 

I know the injuries and rb that did not know the offense etc. I expect we will be a lot closer to being able to just line it up and run it but there is no shame in letting Luck loosen things up if necessary.

 

Either way the O will be much improved players back coaches and players more experience together should be scary

[BlueShoe]

No.

Pep and Pagano and Grigson want a power running game for two reasons.

One. Keep opposing defenses honest. To run to take the pressure off of Luck and slow up the defense from going after Luck.

Two. To run the clock and shorten the game. To help keep our average defense off the field. We'd rather score by taking 6:00 off the clock then by taking 2:30 off the clock.

Eat up the clock. Keep the other offense off the field. Keep the other teams defense from going after Luck and respecting the running game.

And with all that said, more times than not, we'll still throw more than we pass. We're going to run roughly 30-32 times a game. We're going to pass roughly 34-36 times a game. The key is to be effective with the run when we do that....

Hope this helps......

I expected a response where you tell me a bunch of stuff that I already know, and then pat yourself on the back. Good job.

I am not debating the number of called running or passing plays. Hell every team wants to control the game. It is the timing of the plays that had been horribly predictable.

Next time we are down by 20 in the second quarter, you can give Pep all the credit in the world for it. Then when we come back, make sure you identify why it happened.

Hope this helps.

[BlueShoe]

In fairness, pep didn't throw the picks in new England in the playoffs.

Pep isn't perfect, but you can't say anyone could have had the same results and be serious

No. Instead Pep called his same old predictable plays, and Belichick had an easy week of preparation.

Fortunately for us, Luck is such a great player that when we put the game in his hands, down by 20; more often than not, he brings us back.

[BlueShoe]

Waste a year of Lucks rookie contract? You are starting to sound like an old Colts fan. Just put everything on the QBs back and ride him into the ground. It makes no difference what year that Luck is on this team. He is the QB. Just getting back the injured players on the offense is going to help a lot. Bradshaw, Ballard, Wayne and Allen will open up the offense. With the free agents signed and the draft picks this team will be better. You just have some bad problem with Pep and why I don't know. Least you forget who Pep is. He was Luck's offensive coordinator in college. Give the guy some respect. You insult him with the Harry Potter line. There is no reason to have a gloom and doom outlook on these Colts. I have some startling news for you. Luck is a very good QB but he cant do it alone. He needs the run game to go along with the passing game. He also needs good special teams play from all. It's not rocket science. Every Colt fan knows exactly what happens when the whole team is carried by the QB. There was no better QB in the NFL as Manning was when he played here. Well what we did see and hopefully learned is it takes more than a great QB. The only super bowl won was when the running game was great. Manning won the MVP of the super bowl but it could have very well went to the two RBs that carried the rock. Also throw in a good defense and that was how a super bowl was won. In my opinion this team is a playoff team that could very well have what it takes to win a ring. Wins over the Seahawks, 49ers, Chiefs and Broncos proved this team can do it.

You are assuming a hell of a lot there.

1. I never said to ride Luck into the ground.

2. Obviously, getting our injured players back will be a good thing. I never said any differently.

3. The problem I have with Pep is that he is too predictable and this isn't college.

4. Do you really think anyone is forgetting that Pep was Luck's OC in college? Really? If bringing your old college OC with you was always a good thing then we would see it happen more often. It doesn't for a reason.

5. I am an optimistic person. I also call it as I see it. That does not make me a gloom and doom person. It only shows that I am realistic.

6. If you don't want to see a Colts QB put everything on his back, then why are you supporting Pep? He is the one who keeps screwing up the first few quarters. Then when we are down by so much that we can't run anymore, we put it all on Luck's back.

7. If the game plan is working then you stick with it. It doesn't take 2 quarters and down by 3 scores to figure out we need a new plan.

[The Lucky Neck Beard]

Season 2 is notoriously bad for QBs.  Does anyone else think this could be a possible reason for the playcalling we had last season?  Run "vanilla and easy" to minimize errors, emphasize the run game early and often to alleviate pressure from the QB.  It would have worked better too if it wasn't for the OL.  I expect to see more elaborate plays as this next season progresses.

 

How much would we have complained if Luck had thrown 30+ interceptions last season...   

[ProblChld32]

No he will continue to call plays as is, he wants to be able to establish a run game.

[lollygagger8]

2nd year in the same offense will make a huge difference all on it's own since the players will be more comfortable. 

 

As long as we don't dig ourselves into huge holes in the 1st half again like we did last year, then my TV stands a greater chance of a chair not going through it. 

 

You hear that PEP???? Save my TV!!!! 

[NewColtsFan]

I expected a response where you tell me a bunch of stuff that I already know, and then pat yourself on the back. Good job.

 

Well, well.    We have somebody young and arrogant who wants to pick a fight!   I don't care what you were expecting.   I wasn't responding to you.    I was responding to the OP. 

I am not debating the number of called running or passing plays. Hell every team wants to control the game. It is the timing of the plays that had been horribly predictable.

 

Again,  since I wasn't talking to you, I don't care what you're debating.  You're not interested in debating anything.  You're interested in telling others that you're right and they're wrong.   

Next time we are down by 20 in the second quarter, you can give Pep all the credit in the world for it. Then when we come back, make sure you identify why it happened.  

 

You don't like Pep Hamilton.   Fine.    But where your post blows up, is that you think I'm defending Pep.   Wrong, again!   I've been cautious on the Pep hire since the day it was announced and I've said so over and over.    I was speaking to the OP about the teams' philosophy.  Which is why I referenced it by talking about Pep and Pagano and Grigson,  not just Pep.   I also said last year that I thought a fair amount of our offense was predictable and well scouted.   I've also been very public about saying that the team's best off-season move this year was to hire Chudzinski.   Does all that sound like I'm a Pep fan?    That said,  given our injuries, and lack of success in the run game,  I think Pep did a terrific job down the stretch converting our offense on the fly.   There are very few OC's in the NFL who could've done such a good job in-season.

Hope this helps.

 

You and I have had no history before today.   And (to make this clear)  I did not start this fight -- you did.    I wasn't even talking to you and you came along and blasted me, simply because you disagreed.    You don't know how to disagree without being disagreeable.   A sure sign of youth.  I'm telling you now,  re-think your approach with me.    I don't care if we agree.    But I care if we can't be respectful.    And your post was about as rude as it gets.     So, you've earned two strikes.   The third strike knocks you out with me.   Maybe you don't care.   And that's fine too.   But I'm telling you now as publicly as I can.....  re-think your approach.    You're in complete control.    Choose wisely.     Hope this helps.

 

[Dustin]

This the same guy who benches TY Hilton for Stanley Havili?

Nah, not gonna happen.

[BlueShoe]

 

Blueshoe: I expected a response where you tell me a bunch of stuff that I already know, and then pat yourself on the back. Good job.

 

NewColtsFan: Well, well.    We have somebody young and arrogant who wants to pick a fight!   I don't care what you were expecting.   I wasn't responding to you.    I was responding to the OP. 

 

 

Blueshoe: I am not debating the number of called running or passing plays. Hell every team wants to control the game. It is the timing of the plays that had been horribly predictable.

 

NewColtsFan: Again,  since I wasn't talking to you, I don't care what you're debating.  You're not interested in debating anything.  You're interested in telling others that you're right and they're wrong.   

Blueshoe: Next time we are down by 20 in the second quarter, you can give Pep all the credit in the world for it. Then when we come back, make sure you identify why it happened.  

 

NewColtsFan: You don't like Pep Hamilton.   Fine.    But where your post blows up, is that you think I'm defending Pep.   Wrong, again!   I've been cautious on the Pep hire since the day it was announced and I've said so over and over.    I was speaking to the OP about the teams' philosophy.  Which is why I referenced it by talking about Pep and Pagano and Grigson,  not just Pep.   I also said last year that I thought a fair amount of our offense was predictable and well scouted.   I've also been very public about saying that the team's best off-season move this year was to hire Chudzinski.   Does all that sound like I'm a Pep fan?    That said,  given our injuries, and lack of success in the run game,  I think Pep did a terrific job down the stretch converting our offense on the fly.   There are very few OC's in the NFL who could've done such a good job in-season.

Blueshoe: Hope this helps.

 

NewColtsFan: You and I have had no history before today.   And (to make this clear)  I did not start this fight -- you did.    I wasn't even talking to you and you came along and blasted me, simply because you disagreed.    You don't know how to disagree without being disagreeable.   A sure sign of youth.  I'm telling you now,  re-think your approach with me.    I don't care if we agree.    But I care if we can't be respectful.    And your post was about as rude as it gets.     So, you've earned two strikes.   The third strike knocks you out with me.   Maybe you don't care.   And that's fine too.   But I'm telling you now as publicly as I can.....  re-think your approach.    You're in complete control.    Choose wisely.     Hope this helps.

 

 

 

Someone a little touchy today?

 

You might try taking slow deep breathes.

 

This is an open message board, and anything we say, we have to be prepared for a response. It will not always be puppies and roses. Actually, it will rarely be. 

 

About the threats and the private message you sent me - If you are going to dish it out then you better be able to take it. And if you are going to get this upset about something someone says on a message board (that made you feel disrespected) then that is your problem; not mine. I find the threats humorous. 

 

About the young person comment - I have a daughter and son who are driving, and have not missed a Colts game since they moved to Indianapolis. I like to think I am young, because I would like to live a long time, but the truth is that I am middle aged. Which means I missed out on the cool hippie stuff in the 60's, the bell bottom sweet loving 70's, and instead had to put up with Michael Jackson jackets that had zippers all over them. On the plus side, the Commodore 64 and the Vic 20 were a revolution to personal computing, and I got to fully experience that. In other words, I am old enough to know what life was like before the Internet, yet also young enough that I started using the Internet early on. So I take the young comment as a personal compliment. Thank you. 

 

I am not going to re-think my approach with you at all. I will treat you like I do everyone else on this board. If you say something I agree with then I will agree with you, and if you say something I do not agree with then I won't agree.

[Devildog]

Some of you guys just made my day, lol.

[BOTT]

This is starting already? Great.....

[crazycolt1]

You are assuming a hell of a lot there.

1. I never said to ride Luck into the ground.

2. Obviously, getting our injured players back will be a good thing. I never said any differently.

3. The problem I have with Pep is that he is too predictable and this isn't college.

4. Do you really think anyone is forgetting that Pep was Luck's OC in college? Really? If bringing your old college OC with you was always a good thing then we would see it happen more often. It doesn't for a reason.

5. I am an optimistic person. I also call it as I see it. That does not make me a gloom and doom person. It only shows that I am realistic.

6. If you don't want to see a Colts QB put everything on his back, then why are you supporting Pep? He is the one who keeps screwing up the first few quarters. Then when we are down by so much that we can't run anymore, we put it all on Luck's back.

7. If the game plan is working then you stick with it. It doesn't take 2 quarters and down by 3 scores to figure out we need a new plan.

You have your opinion and I have a different one. Pep was limited in his play calling because of injuries. Missing 3 of your best offensive starters and then losing Wayne made a 4th. Other than Wayne how many veterans were on the offense? So you expect Pep to coach basically all rookies and 2nd year players to play like seasoned veterans? I think you set the bar too high with expecting the Colts to play like seasoned veterans. I think they over achieved if anything. A complete new team with the exception of 8 players left from the 2-14 team. Colts made huge steps and Pep was a part of that. You talk of my assuming? Well that is no more than your assuming that Pep is not a good coach.

[BlueShoe]

You have your opinion and I have a different one. Pep was limited in his play calling because of injuries. Missing 3 of your best offensive starters and then losing Wayne made a 4th. Other than Wayne how many veterans were on the offense? So you expect Pep to coach basically all rookies and 2nd year players to play like seasoned veterans? I think you set the bar too high with expecting the Colts to play like seasoned veterans. I think they over achieved if anything. A complete new team with the exception of 8 players left from the 2-14 team. Colts made huge steps and Pep was a part of that. You talk of my assuming? Well that is no more than your assuming that Pep is not a good coach.

So was I assuming that Peps play calling was to run on first and second downs and hope Luck would convert a 3rd and long last season? Was I assuming that more often than not we were trailing by several points after the first half? Nope. I am sure I witnessed it.

Not sure how we can give Pep the credit, after Luck bailed him out over and over again.

We all want to say Pep is a great OC; however, the truth is that he has a long way to go.

I am always rooting for the blue and white, and will be very excited if/when Pep adds some creativity to his play calling.

[Blueblazes]

You are assuming a hell of a lot there.

1. I never said to ride Luck into the ground.

2. Obviously, getting our injured players back will be a good thing. I never said any differently.

3. The problem I have with Pep is that he is too predictable and this isn't college.

4. Do you really think anyone is forgetting that Pep was Luck's OC in college? Really? If bringing your old college OC with you was always a good thing then we would see it happen more often. It doesn't for a reason.

5. I am an optimistic person. I also call it as I see it. That does not make me a gloom and doom person. It only shows that I am realistic.

6. If you don't want to see a Colts QB put everything on his back, then why are you supporting Pep? He is the one who keeps screwing up the first few quarters. Then when we are down by so much that we can't run anymore, we put it all on Luck's back.

7. If the game plan is working then you stick with it. It doesn't take 2 quarters and down by 3 scores to figure out we need a new plan.

Points 3, 5, and 7 are especially pertinent. And yes, having a different opinion than the offensive coordinator in no way makes you doom and gloom. We had injuries, but a middle of the road offense (ranked 15 out of 32) has room for you or anyone to have different ideas.

[therobg125]

hey, guys..you do know that just because we want to be a power run team doesn't necessarily mean we have to run the ball....they are alluding to the 2 tight end sets that pep had set up last yr....there can be alot of mismatches and creativity that stem from these 2 te sets and gives luck an extra safety cushion...unfortunately we couldn't tell the fruits of the labor last yr because, well, we didn't have the laborers....

[NewColtsFan]

Someone a little touchy today?

 

You might try taking slow deep breathes.

 

This is an open message board, and anything we say, we have to be prepared for a response. It will not always be puppies and roses. Actually, it will rarely be. 

 

About the threats and the private message you sent me - If you are going to dish it out then you better be able to take it. And if you are going to get this upset about something someone says on a message board (that made you feel disrespected) then that is your problem; not mine. I find the threats humorous. 

 

About the young person comment - I have a daughter and son who are driving, and have not missed a Colts game since they moved to Indianapolis. I like to think I am young, because I would like to live a long time, but the truth is that I am middle aged. Which means I missed out on the cool hippie stuff in the 60's, the bell bottom sweet loving 70's, and instead had to put up with Michael Jackson jackets that had zippers all over them. On the plus side, the Commodore 64 and the Vic 20 were a revolution to personal computing, and I got to fully experience that. In other words, I am old enough to know what life was like before the Internet, yet also young enough that I started using the Internet early on. So I take the young comment as a personal compliment. Thank you. 

 

I am not going to re-think my approach with you at all. I will treat you like I do everyone else on this board. If you say something I agree with then I will agree with you, and if you say something I do not agree with then I won't agree.

 

 

Fine.

 

If you've got two kids old enough to be driving, then you're old enough to know better.

 

If you think that was somehow an appropriate response to a post that wasn't even directed at you then we're just going to have to disagree.

 

And I'm not interested in finding out what else we don't agree on.    So, don't be surprised if you and I don't do any business here.   There won't be a second date.  

 

I don't think you'll much care, and that's fine.     I know I won't care.    I'll sleep just fine.

 

Check please!    I'm done.

[HtownColt]

So was I assuming that Peps play calling was to run on first and second downs and hope Luck would convert a 3rd and long last season? Was I assuming that more often than not we were trailing by several points after the first half? Nope. I am sure I witnessed it.

Not sure how we can give Pep the credit, after Luck bailed him out over and over again.

We all want to say Pep is a great OC; however, the truth is that he has a long way to go.

I am always rooting for the blue and white, and will be very excited if/when Pep adds some creativity to his play calling.

Ima just leave this here for you:

We’ll start with the basics: the Colts’ average third (or fourth) down came with 6.14 yards to go, the shortest average in the league. That’s a good thing, the best offenses in the league put themselves in good position on third down. The other teams in the top three? San Diego, Denver and New England, in that order.

Read the whole third down charting piece by Kyle Rodriguez here: http://coltsauthority.com/uncategorized/ca-charting-project-colts-and-third-downs.html

Problem was we weren't that good in converting those third downs. The Bruce Arians season we were at the bottom of the league(7th worst) on first and second down leaving us in ridiculous third and longs but we converted those third downs at a much higher rate than this past season

[BlueShoe]

Fine.

If you've got two kids old enough to be driving, then you're old enough to know better.

If you think that was somehow an appropriate response to a post that wasn't even directed at you then we're just going to have to disagree.

And I'm not interested in finding out what else we don't agree on. So, don't be surprised if you and I don't do any business here. There won't be a second date.

I don't think you'll much care, and that's fine. I know I won't care. I'll sleep just fine.

Check please! I'm done.

There usually isn't a second date when someone is that easy.

Sweet dreams.

[NewColtsFan]

There usually isn't a second date when someone is that easy.

Sweet dreams.

 

Thanks again for proving my point.

 

You're not the least bit interested in discussion or debating.

 

You're into showing everyone that you're winning.     (Even when you're not....)

 

Good luck with that.

[BlueShoe]

Thanks again for proving my point.

You're not the least bit interested in discussion or debating.

You're into showing everyone that you're winning. (Even when you're not....)

Good luck with that.

Yeah. I am not sure what your deal is.

Hope you figure it out though.

[Coffeedrinker]

So was I assuming that Peps play calling was to run on first and second downs and hope Luck would convert a 3rd and long last season? Was I assuming that more often than not we were trailing by several points after the first half? Nope. I am sure I witnessed it.

Not sure how we can give Pep the credit, after Luck bailed him out over and over again.

We all want to say Pep is a great OC; however, the truth is that he has a long way to go.

I am always rooting for the blue and white, and will be very excited if/when Pep adds some creativity to his play calling.

I don't think you're a doom and gloom guy but you are wrong about the play calling.

 

Colts had 304 1st down plays in 2013:  146 were runs(48%)/158(52%) were passes

They had 236 2nd down plays in 2013:  86 were runs(36.4%)/150(63.6%) were passes. 

 

Interestingly enough the Colts had 12 plays that were 1st down with 1-5 yards to go for another first down (I assume penalty) and even in that situation they had 6 runs and 6 passes.

 

Actually there were only two situations where the Colts ran more than they passed... 3rd and 1 yard to go and 2nd and 1-2 yards to go.  All other situations they were either 50-50 or more passes than throws.

 

And that was my big complain about Pep's offense last year is that he threw too much on 2nd down.  And when they did run on second down it gained 4 or more yards (or scored a TD) on 60% of the plays.  The passing was only successful (same criteria) 49% of the time.  The Colts need to run the ball on 2nd more and get those third downs into 3rd and 6 or less.

[BrentMc11]

I want to say that we were LUCKY to go 11-5 with a disastrous offensive line as well as injuries to key players on both sides of the ball.  Someone said "anyone could have gone 11-5."  No way.  Luck made great plays under duress all year.

 

Pep finally has his 2 TEs together and healthy.  He has Reggie Wayne, TY and Nicks...(and the others )  The offensive line 'should' be better with some great competition.  Honestly we should not see the 3 and outs like we did last year.  Luck has some serious weapons.

 

I do not understand the Pep hate just as I do not understand the Pagano and T-Rich hate.  This is our team, and my expectations are a serious run to at least participate in the Super Bowl.

 

Pep does need to understand one thing.  To make the Super Bowl, we need to keep our defense off of the field.  We have too many weapons not to...                  !!!!

[Surge89]

We can't keep putting Luck in 3rd and long situations and always expect positive results. Even teams that emphasize the run should pass on first and second down from time to time. We need to be more creative.

Mostly what we did last year was tell defenses we were running straight at them on first down. The obliged and said thank you. Then on second and 8, we would run again. Opposing defenses would thank us again. Then we relied on Luck to bail us out. Even completing near 60 percent of his passes, our offense stalled at times.

Low and behold we are down by 21 plus so we let Luck start slinging the rock. Several times he brought us back, however, sometimes the defenses were just too good. See the St. Louis and Arizona games.

Peps offense is too predictable. He will have to change some things up and get more creative. Either that, or we better seriously improve on defense, and expect a lot out of our defense.

If we plan to do more of the same then we re-signed the right player. Pat Mac will earn his contract.

I am not against emphasizing the running game, but sometimes our play calling in Peps offense is just asinine. We need to be able to recognize when it is not working and have a plan B. I am not talking about waiting until we are down by 3 touchdowns either. We can tell on the first few drives what's going on. Sometimes the running game isn't going to work, and we need to use the passing game to set it up. Both work together. There is no one size fits all in the modern NFL. We need to be able to run the ball, but this isn't 1960. I don't see Lombardi's Packers out there.

 

 

This is ridiculous.

 

 

The play calling was a breath of fresh air in comparison to Bruce Arians throw it to whoever is out there offense.  

 

1st this the OC's first, (hold on a minute and let me reiterate FIRST) year as an OC in the NFL.

 

2nd his offense did VERY VERY Good when we had a dependable runner (Bradshaw, Ballard).

 

3rd He had trouble adjusting to a substantial amount of injuries... again its his first year in the NFL.  

 

Bottom line I'll take that every day and week from an OC who has a long future ahead of him.  I would like to see what happens when everyone on his O is healthy for more than 4 games.

[throwing BBZ]

I agree with what you say but I think Pep needs to take into consideration you CAN actually use the pass to set up the run. If the O Line is better which I think it will be then his run first plan will work. The thing that drove me crazy last year was he would run right into our weakest spot on 1st down putting us behind the chains immediately. There is nothing wrong with using Luck to loosen them up then hitting them with the run.

 

The objective is to be able to run the ball effectively and control the clock keep the D on it's heels.  how you get there isn't important. Believe me I would love to have a team that can line it up say he we are running right at you and do it but that wasn't the case last year. 

 

I know the injuries and rb that did not know the offense etc. I expect we will be a lot closer to being able to just line it up and run it but there is no shame in letting Luck loosen things up if necessary.

 

Either way the O will be much improved players back coaches and players more experience together should be scary

 

  AK do you really think PEP sits around by himself in a darkened room coming up with how to run his NFL Offense and that he just hasn`t conceived that passing on 1st down is an option? chuckle.

 I`m sure he HATED running on 1st down, 2nd down as much as he did but Andrew didn`t have Reggie, he isn`t good in the short, high% game, Andrew didn`t have much time, he did have DHB, Brazill (less than 50% comp % to them) UGH!

 He was Forced into running to keep the clock moving to rest/keep that D off the field plain and simple.

 

  DHB for Nicks, now that is a Chuckle! No more S & McG. & Reggie & Allen back!

  How is that for starting our New Look Offense? Pep sleeps much better lately i`d bet.

  From Ugh! To much better thank you Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! ;)

[TKnight24]

*Shrugs*

I think Pep Hamilton did a fantastic job for his 1st NFL OC job

Had to adjust on the fly after Reggie went down. Funny thing is we ran similar plays but once Bradshaw went down, offense changed.

The same plays we gave Bradshaw in the 49ers whooping are the same we did for Trent Richardson. 2nd year in this offense with a FULL off-season, Richardson should be better.

If it comes to the point where Grigson has to swallow his pride & admit that the Richardson trade failed, then so be it. But I'm expecting better days from Mr. Richardson this season

Starting opening day when he runs for 100+ yards against the Broncos

[MacDee1975]

With Mr 2.9 getting snaps at RB I sure as hell hope we feature the pass this year.