Peyton says we are a team to be reckoned with

[krunk]

Larry Hawley@Fox59Larry Retweeted by Steve Andress

Manning on the @Colts: They are going to be a team to be reckoned with in the AFC.

[Deathiltis]

The Colts played like they can and should from that 2 minute drive at the end of the first half forward, minus a few plays. I'm excited about the team, but the coaching staff really needs to fix the slow starts. Had the Colts played like they did the second half the whole game they would have won the game. Bummer that they didn't execute and utilize players better, but the Colts are good guys, no denying it.

[PeterBowman]

the offense started well then just bogged down....as Luck said and did the defense no favors either

[jvan1973]

the offense started well then just bogged down....as Luck said and did the defense no favors either

the defense played good on the second half. Vontae played great all night

[The Old Crow]

It went pretty much as I expected it with Denver getting a close win at home. I stay with my prediction that the Colts will win the division handily, and will be a strong contender for the Super Bowl. I think Denver is getting old and flawed, and I'm not a believer in them. However, based on what I've seen, anyone coming out of the AFC will be a big dog to Seattle right now.

[lollygagger8]

With Luck at the helm.......we always have a chance!! Even the Sheriff realizes that.  

 

 

Ways to improve: 

 

I think DQ Jackson cannot be dropped into coverage. He did alirght against the run, but he is the slowest guy on the field. I'd like to see McNary and Muamba out there with Freeman. 

 

Toler needs to be replaced with Gordy and/or Purifoy. Toler's eleven yard cushions are a joke, and when he still gets burnt, he holds and draws penalties. 

 

Kerr needs to play more. He is really good. 

 

Hopefully when Holmes comes back the interior O-Line gets better. Shipley laid down a few times, and especially on that goal line QB sneak. Mewhort played like a rookie, but you tell he has a high ceiling, so I'm optimistic. 

 

And for the love, why the heck did we have 3 TE's on the field at once mulitple times???? Seriously.....you'd rather have Fleener and Doyle out there instead of ________ <- insert any of our WR's names. Fleener was terrible last night. He looks afraid to get hit. 

[oldunclemark]

It went pretty much as I expected it with Denver getting a close win at home. I stay with my prediction that the Colts will win the division handily, and will be a strong contender for the Super Bowl. I think Denver is getting old and flawed, and I'm not a believer in them. However, based on what I've seen, anyone coming out of the AFC will be a big dog to Seattle right now.

The Colts need to address the starts of games..which have been flawed to say the least.....

Denver played very well until they suprisngly tired in the third and 4th quarters..

In that vein..all teams have t reconsider the policy of not playing anyone significant in the final pre-season game but expecting them to go for 4 Qs in the opener..

Teams don't look ready...didn't Seattle play starters in the final preseason game for a quarter or 2

[oldunclemark]

Larry Hawley@Fox59Larry Retweeted by Steve Andress

Manning on the @Colts: They are going to be a team to be reckoned with in the AFC.

hes being kind.

It was 24-0

[Valpo2004]

With Luck at the helm.......we always have a chance!! Even the Sheriff realizes that.

 

 

Ways to improve: 

 

I think DQ Jackson cannot be dropped into coverage. He did alirght against the run, but he is the slowest guy on the field. I'd like to see McNary and Muamba out there with Freeman. 

 

Toler needs to be replaced with Gordy and/or Purifoy. Toler's eleven yard cushions are a joke, and when he still gets burnt, he holds and draws penalties. 

 

Kerr needs to play more. He is really good. 

 

Hopefully when Holmes comes back the interior O-Line gets better. Shipley laid down a few times, and especially on that goal line QB sneak. Mewhort played like a rookie, but you tell he has a high ceiling, so I'm optimistic. 

 

And for the love, why the heck did we have 3 TE's on the field at once mulitple times???? Seriously.....you'd rather have Fleener and Doyle out there instead of ________ <- insert any of our WR's names. Fleener was terrible last night. He looks afraid to get hit. 

 

Regarding Deqwell Jackson. . . It's hard to say the last couple games he played in against the Saints and against the Bronco's he drew really tough assignments trying to cover some of the best receiving TE's in the game. 

 

I'm not sure if there is anyone on the team that could reliably cover those guys.  Maybe V. Davis but that would just open up their #1 receiver.  

[NewEra]

hes being kind.

It was 24-0

There two halves to a game unless you forgot.

[oldunclemark]

There two halves to a game unless you forgot.

Peyton's just being kind..it was 24-0

..and that's what the Colts have to address..that part of the game..

..to do anything else is to ignore our flaws

[chad72]

I'm not sure if there is anyone on the team that could reliably cover those guys.  Maybe V. Davis but that would just open up their #1 receiver.  

 

Whatever they did in the second half, get the QB off the spot, is what they need to do. They obviously cannot play coverage all over the field, so they have to bring heat and get it done.

[GwinnettColt]

I'm not sure Manning won the game for them last night. Their defense and our poor play in the first half did.  Had Reggie caught that pass (or PI were called), it might have gone into overtime.  Plays like running on 2 and 15....that sort of thing, was the problem.   That, and very little tackling took place until the second half.

[ReMeDy]

The Colts need to address the starts of games..which have been flawed to say the least.....

 

 

I think Pep needs his coffee in the first half. Must be from all the catnaps. You noticed he's sporting a bit of a beard now? I think he's playing too much Madden 15 late into the night.

[Coffeedrinker]

Why are very few people blaming the loss on Luck?  His play was a big reason why the Colts were down 24-0.  He was not good in the first half at all... he's second guessing himself, double clutching the ball and even patting it and then making poor decisions when he does finally throw it.  He needs to trust his line... there were several times, in the 1st half especially, where he had all the time in the world and he tried to force the throw rather than looking to another option or running it.  And for the love of football someone better break him of his habit of slapping the ball before throwing it... that gives the defense an extra .1 to 0.2 seconds to react to the throw and be in position to break it up or at least make the tackle as soon as it's caught. 

 

This is his 3rd year in the league, it's time to correct those mistakes.

[Valpo2004]

Why are very few people blaming the loss on Luck?  His play was a big reason why the Colts were down 24-0.  He was not good in the first half at all... he's second guessing himself, double clutching the ball and even patting it and then making poor decisions when he does finally throw it.  He needs to trust his line... there were several times, in the 1st half especially, where he had all the time in the world and he tried to force the throw rather than looking to another option or running it.  And for the love of football someone better break him of his habit of slapping the ball before throwing it... that gives the defense an extra .1 to 0.2 seconds to react to the throw and be in position to break it up or at least make the tackle as soon as it's caught. 

 

This is his 3rd year in the league, it's time to correct those mistakes.

 

Perhaps he was doing that because the coverage was really good?  I mean unless you have the all 22 where you can see that a guy was clearly open but wasn't thrown the ball I don't know what else he could have done except not thrown the first pick.  That was his fault because he threw it into tight coverage.

 

The second pick, Fleener should have caught the ball, that's all there is to it.  

[jvan1973]

Perhaps he was doing that because the coverage was really good? I mean unless you have the all 22 where you can see that a guy was clearly open but wasn't thrown the ball I don't know what else he could have done except not thrown the first pick. That was his fault because he threw it into tight coverage.

The second pick, Fleener should have caught the ball, that's all there is to it.

it still wasnt a good pass.

[GoColts8818]

No doubt when this team is on it's very good. That defense was the best defense we've seen here in s long time in the second half. Holding Manning to 7 points and 1 of 6 on third down in a half is about as good as you can do it. However, the problem of being inconsistent remains. As good as they were in the second half they were that awful in the first half. This is a problem going into three years now where you just never know which Colts team is going to show up and the scary/reason why Colts fans never give up on a game is it can turn on a dime. In order for the Colts to take the next step they gave to start being consistent.

[GoColts8818]

Perhaps he was doing that because the coverage was really good?  I mean unless you have the all 22 where you can see that a guy was clearly open but wasn't thrown the ball I don't know what else he could have done except not thrown the first pick.  That was his fault because he threw it into tight coverage.

 

The second pick, Fleener should have caught the ball, that's all there is to it.

ye Fleener could have caught but if Luck doesn't throw it high and hits him in the bread basket maybe he does. He doesn't knock it up into the air to get picked if Luck put it on the money if nothing else. It was a poor throw by Luck and a bad attempted catch by Fleener. Both players take blame on this one.

[husker61]

 

And for the love, why the heck did we have 3 TE's on the field at once mulitple times???? Seriously.....you'd rather have Fleener and Doyle out there instead of ________ <- insert any of our WR's names. Fleener was terrible last night. He looks afraid to get hit. 

 

right on the money!

[Coffeedrinker]

Perhaps he was doing that because the coverage was really good?  I mean unless you have the all 22 where you can see that a guy was clearly open but wasn't thrown the ball I don't know what else he could have done except not thrown the first pick.  That was his fault because he threw it into tight coverage.

 

The second pick, Fleener should have caught the ball, that's all there is to it.  

Throwing into tight coverage is not the issue.  If he didn't pat the ball and double clutch it, coverage would not always be that tight.  I like Luck as much as most people and he is a lot of fun to watch but there are some flaws in his game that need to be improved upon if he is going to become a top tiered QB.

 

As far as the 2nd pick.  Fleener COULD have caught it but to say he SHOULD have caught it is a bit of a stretch.  He's running to his left (at angle) and the ball was thrown high and behind him.  So he has to stop, twist his body in a way that goes against his current momentum and jump and catch the ball.  Like I said, it was a catchable ball, but it was not a great throw.  If it has been 12" lower, that would have been a great throw.

[TAPLOOK]

I reckon.

[House]

Peyton's just being kind..it was 24-0

..and that's what the Colts have to address..that part of the game..

..to do anything else is to ignore our flaws

Ohhh are we only recollecting halves of games then?

Great because the Colts beat the Broncos last night 17-7.

I'm sure glad that first half didn't count, because I chose not to acknowledge it.

[NagelHausForge]

The fact that the Colts were able to pull it within 7 with all of the mistakes and flubs shows you how good this team can be if they tighten the screws and focus.  I am excited to see how the team improves after this loss.  There is a lot that can be learned from the first and second halves of this game and hopefully they will come out next week firing on all cylinders.

 

I think the main win here is that they came out of the game relatively injury free.  I think Cam Johnson was the only player to go out with an injury.  I know my heart stopped when Reggie turned to grab that lateral from luck near the goal line.... Looked eerily similar to the play last year.  Luckily it looks like he is OK.  I am sure he will be sore and swollen today!!

[Coffeedrinker]

 

Larry Hawley@Fox59Larry Retweeted by Steve Andress

Manning on the @Colts: They are going to be a team to be reckoned with in the AFC.

 

Peyton Manning has always been a gracious winner.

[BPM_Colt]

With Luck at the helm.......we always have a chance!! Even the Sheriff realizes that.

 

 

Ways to improve: 

 

I think DQ Jackson cannot be dropped into coverage. He did alirght against the run, but he is the slowest guy on the field. I'd like to see McNary and Muamba out there with Freeman. 

 

Toler needs to be replaced with Gordy and/or Purifoy. Toler's eleven yard cushions are a joke, and when he still gets burnt, he holds and draws penalties. 

 

Kerr needs to play more. He is really good. 

 

Hopefully when Holmes comes back the interior O-Line gets better. Shipley laid down a few times, and especially on that goal line QB sneak. Mewhort played like a rookie, but you tell he has a high ceiling, so I'm optimistic. 

 

And for the love, why the heck did we have 3 TE's on the field at once mulitple times???? Seriously.....you'd rather have Fleener and Doyle out there instead of ________ <- insert any of our WR's names. Fleener was terrible last night. He looks afraid to get hit. 

I have always thought Fleener has looked a little bit soft or timid whatever you want to call it when he has the ball.. If it comes down to it, Allen better get the cash at the TE position

[BlueShoe]

I reckon.

 

"Rectum em damn near killed em".

[BlueShoe]

That Peyton Manning guy is a class act. ;)

[BPM_Colt]

I think Pep needs his coffee in the first half. Must be from all the catnaps. You noticed he's sporting a bit of a beard now? I think he's playing too much Madden 15 late into the night.

Maybe he will start using a playbook from Madden

[The Fish]

The fact that this squad has found themselves down-by large deficits fairly often in the last hand full of outings is very concerning. But they do fight. 

The thing about the Broncos game I'll never forget is how many opportunities The Colts had that weren't capitalized on. Could of, would of, should of..

[1959Colts]

I cant believe so many fans are happy with the way we played last night.

[Superman]

The fact that this squad has found themselves down-by large deficits fairly often in the last hand full of outings is very concerning. But they do fight. 

The thing about the Broncos game I'll never forget is how many opportunities The Colts had that weren't capitalized on. Could of, would of, should of..

 

If you look at last night's game in a vacuum, I don't think this about not being prepared. There are other coaching issues to discuss -- the 3rd down play call on the first drive, the decision not to go for it on 4th and 1, the rushed goal line sneak, etc. -- but I don't think the team was ill prepared. I think we got down by 24 because we made too many mistakes on the field and made some bad play calls and game management decisions.

[buccolts]

Why are very few people blaming the loss on Luck?  His play was a big reason why the Colts were down 24-0.  He was not good in the first half at all... he's second guessing himself, double clutching the ball and even patting it and then making poor decisions when he does finally throw it.  He needs to trust his line... there were several times, in the 1st half especially, where he had all the time in the world and he tried to force the throw rather than looking to another option or running it.  And for the love of football someone better break him of his habit of slapping the ball before throwing it... that gives the defense an extra .1 to 0.2 seconds to react to the throw and be in position to break it up or at least make the tackle as soon as it's caught. 

 

This is his 3rd year in the league, it's time to correct those mistakes.

 

I agree.

I think his inner clock needs to be adjusted.

He's not used to having the time, and forces it.

[The Fish]

If you look at last night's game in a vacuum, I don't think this about not being prepared. There are other coaching issues to discuss -- the 3rd down play call on the first drive, the decision not to go for it on 4th and 1, the rushed goal line sneak, etc. -- but I don't think the team was ill prepared. I think we got down by 24 because we made too many mistakes on the field and made some bad play calls and game management decisions.

Agreed. Execution was the issue. The opportunities left on field were numerous. I just hope the issue of these deficits getting out of hand are in fact a coaching issue, and not a talent issue. Coaching can be improved this season, talent, not so much. Tried that last year..

[Valpo2004]

If you look at last night's game in a vacuum, I don't think this about not being prepared. There are other coaching issues to discuss -- the 3rd down play call on the first drive, the decision not to go for it on 4th and 1, the rushed goal line sneak, etc. -- but I don't think the team was ill prepared. I think we got down by 24 because we made too many mistakes on the field and made some bad play calls and game management decisions.

 

The most worrying part to me is our inability to punch it in when we are in the redzone.  Especially when we are like 5 yards away.

 

Pep needs to get a little more creative down there.

[Bruiser]

Agreed. Execution was the issue. The opportunities left on field were numerous. I just hope the issue of these deficits getting out of hand are in fact a coaching issue, and not a talent issue. Coaching can be improved this season, talent, not so much. Tried that last year..

I think someone should recognize that Denver is a darn fine defensive team this year. A huge improvement for them over last year's team.

[Superman]

The most worrying part to me is our inability to punch it in when we are in the redzone.  Especially when we are like 5 yards away.

 

Pep needs to get a little more creative down there.

 

I made a comment about that last night. We ran that shovel pass play, which was plenty creative. Just didn't get it blocked up properly up front. I think Shipley lost his matchup, and Allen had nowhere to go. And on that particular play, we faked a bubble screen to the right, and I think that the simple bubble screen would have gone in.

 

I'm not a big "creativity" guy. I think you can be a great offense just by executing your typical stuff well, especially when you have talented skill players like we do. There's a place for misdirection and some inventiveness from time to time, set up trends and then bust those trends for a big gain, use some read option, etc. But I think what's holding us back is simple execution in crucial situations. The failed goal line sneak, dropped passes, two picks, Luck throwing the fade a touch to late and Fleener jumping a touch too early, etc. 

[Superman]

I think someone should recognize that Denver is a darn fine defensive team this year. A huge improvement for them over last year's team.

 

That's true, but we still made too many mistakes. Punch it in on 4th and goal, and we might be driving for the winning score on that last possession. Instead of going for it on 4th and 1 and getting penalized, we might have been lining AV up for a field goal.

 

But yeah, Denver played really good coverage all game, and tackled really well for the most part.

[Danfish98]

If you look at last night's game in a vacuum, I don't think this about not being prepared. There are other coaching issues to discuss -- the 3rd down play call on the first drive, the decision not to go for it on 4th and 1, the rushed goal line sneak, etc. -- but I don't think the team was ill prepared. I think we got down by 24 because we made too many mistakes on the field and made some bad play calls and game management decisions.

Saying the team was unprepared might not be accurate, but there were glaring coaching errors in the first half.  In addition to what you mentioned, the defense last night looked like it did during the cover 2 days here.  We beat Denver last year by playing physical with their receivers and jamming them every opportunity at the line.  This year we come out giving 10 yard cushions, acting terrified of Sanders beating us deep, and letting Peyton have simple 8 yard completions at will.  It was fixed in the second half, and guess what, the same result as last year happened.  That's just awful game planning and there's no reason for it to happen time after time.  I love that this coaching staff is so good at the second half adjustments, but why does it always take until halftime?

[Stephen]

I cant believe so many fans are happy with the way we played last night.

just in the second half the first half we sucked