colts offense-one of the best in the league or product of two bad teams

[CR91]

thoughts

[Bluefire4]

No doubt a great offense. We put up big pass yards on the Broncos and good rush yards on the Eagles.

[The Old Crow]

My pick would be the real deal offense.

[ruksak]

As with many things, the truth is somewhere in the middle. 

 

The attitude is refreshing from our Colts squad. I mean to say; They kicked (successfully) an onside kick early in the 1st QTR, with the lead. Who does that? What that tells me is that the Colts staff had supreme confidence. Not that the onsides would be successfully converted, rather, that if it failed we'd still run this Tenn team over, flat. 

 

It also tells me that when we decided to run twice in that now infamous last drive vs the Eagles, it wasn't due to conservativism. Rather, they were just trying to eat clock. 

[bestQBever]

a combo of both. This next game vs the Ravens will tell the tale.

[Stephen]

i'm waiting til after ravens game.

[Superman]

As with many things, the truth is somewhere in the middle. 

 

The attitude is refreshing from our Colts squad. I mean to say; They kicked (successfully) an onside kick early in the 1st QTR, with the lead. Who does that? What that tells me is that the Colts staff had supreme confidence. Not that the onsides would be successfully converted, rather, that if it failed we'd still run this Tenn team over, flat. 

 

It also tells me that when we decided to run twice in that now infamous last drive vs the Eagles, it wasn't due to conservativism. Rather, they were just trying to eat clock. 

 

That's what I've struggled with. I'm trying to understand the overall philosophy of the coaching staff, whether they lean toward being aggressive or conservative, whether they're risk averse or just trying to do the right thing, etc. I'm still not sure I get it, because some decisions seem to be more conservative, and others seem more aggressive. The last thing I expected today was a first quarter onside kick.

 

But like you said, it does speak to the confidence the team had coming into this game. "We can take this risk, because we believe that even if it doesn't go our way, we're good enough to beat you regardless." It's not like we were scared of their offense, it was just a nervy move. I like that attitude.

[masterlock]

I think the offense has played quite well against supposedly inferior opponents, but the jury is out on whether they are playing at a championship level, since they didn't get the job done versus supposedly better opponents. They are probably among the better offenses, and will probably get even better as the season goes on. Playing an "easy" schedule will build their confidence, and I think that will be self-reinforcing.

 

I'm more concerned with the lack of pass-rush than I am the offense.

[ruksak]

That's what I've struggled with. I'm trying to understand the overall philosophy of the coaching staff, whether they lean toward being aggressive or conservative, whether they're risk averse or just trying to do the right thing, etc. I'm still not sure I get it, because some decisions seem to be more conservative, and others seem more aggressive. The last thing I expected today was a first quarter onside kick.

 

But like you said, it does speak to the confidence the team had coming into this game. "We can take this risk, because we believe that even if it doesn't go our way, we're good enough to beat you regardless." It's not like we were scared of their offense, it was just a nervy move. I like that attitude.

After picking my jaw up off the floor, seeing that onsides kick, I immediately thought of my accusations of conservativism in regard to that Eagles game (last drive). Clearly they weren't scared to throw (indicating trust issues with Luck perhaps), they just simply thought it best to run, they had confidence it would work. It didn't, but the confidence clearly was there and clearly hasn't dissipated. 

 

The gutsy onsides decision had it's own redeeming factors. 

[Franklin County]

 Yeah I was giggling like a school girl after that on side kick. :clap:

 

But I almost peed myself when I saw what they were doing. lol

[ruksak]

I think the offense has played quite well against supposedly inferior opponents, but the jury is out on whether they are playing at a championship level, since they didn't get the job done versus supposedly better opponents. They are probably among the better offenses, and will probably get even better as the season goes on. Playing an "easy" schedule will build their confidence, and I think that will be self-reinforcing.

 

I'm more concerned with the lack of pass-rush than I am the offense.

The only hope I see for a noticeable pass rush is going to be by way of some more exotic zone-blitz schemes. Bringing linebackers and DB's in to rush, while dropping Werner/Walden. But just straight rushing the big fellas, it hasn't worked against 4 different teams now, but only in isolated instances. 

[sfergson727]

I'm going to reserve judgement until after the Ravens game too, as the last two games have been against far inferior opponents.

 

That being said, I am liking what I am seeing in the past two games, and I hope it continues.

[Track Guy]

Through 4 games, Luck is on pace to tie the NFL record for total touchdowns by a QB (combined running and passing) at 56. Not that I expect him to hold quite this pace, but there's definitely a lot to like about our offense. I wish the running game was more dominant, but I will say the O-line has given Luck better protection so far this season.

[ruksak]

 Yeah I was giggling like a school girl after that on side kick. :clap:

 

But I almost peed myself when I saw what they were doing. lol

I was pouring a cup of coffee in my kitchen while eyeballing that play live. At first, I thought I had seen the worst whiff by a kicker in the history of the league. Patty Mac put a trick-shot in the side pocket, like a boss. We are blessed for that swim-challenged beastly kicker. 

[Franklin County]

Yep Patty Mac made a perfect kick there, Along with a 60 yard punt today.

[ColtsFanMikeC]

We've scored 24, 27, 44, and 41 points so far.

 

Against Denver we were stopped on 4th and 1 at the goal line (or maybe we were on the 2 yard line) in the 3rd quarter -- we convert that or kick a FG and we have 31 or 27 points in that game.  We also threw a costly pick in scoring position in the 4th quarter, we don't do that and we have at least another 3 points --- so we should have scored at least 30 vs. Denver and if we don't turn the ball over there, we have a very real chance of tying or winning that game.

 

Against Philly we again threw a pick in scoring position in the 4th quarter.  We don't do that and we score at least 30 on them, and probably win that game.

 

I don't think Denver or Philly have great defenses, but both are better than what we played the past 2 weeks.  Our game plan vs. Philly, IMO, was very sound -- the 9ers showed today that the way to beat that quick offense is to control the clock and keep them off the field.  We had a great running game vs. Philly and if not for that pick at the end, we win that game. We could probably have aired the ball out a bit more and maybe scored additional points, but then you run the risk of getting in a shootout with them and it was clear that our D could not stop the Eagles' offense, so who knows what would have happened then.

 

Jacksonville and Tennessee are not great teams, but Tennessee does have a decent defense, being ranked top 5 in NFL in yards/game before we put up almost 500 on them today.  Regardless, these are still NFL defenses and any time you put up >40 points, it is impressive.  What I have liked the most about it is we are able to move the ball effectively and have shown the ability to control the clock or score fairly quickly.

 

Our offense is for real -- we need to lessen the hits to Luck and we need to reduce turnovers and we will be fine (5 turnovers in 4 games is not terrible, but if we can get to averaging below 1 turnover per game it will be very beneficial to our team).  We have been pretty good in the red zone, but I think we can improve here a bit, too -- we have the right weapons to excel in the red zone, but we've got to execute a little better to make sure we come out of there with 7 instead of 3 points.

 

The game against the Ravens will be interesting.  It will be interesting to see how we game plan for that game, and will be interesting to see if we can execute our game plan.  So far, we executed our plan very well (minus the late INT) vs. Philly, and almost flawlessly vs. Jacksonville and Tennessee.  Unfortunately, we got off to a rocky start vs. Denver and were playing from behind so it is tough to tell what our game plan for that game was, I imagine if we had scored early and didn't have to try for a major comeback, we would have seen a much different plan of attack.  Overall, I am very pleased with our versatility on O and think we'll be just fine.  It's very exciting to see we are finally getting pressure on the opposing QBs, if we can keep that up vs. our tougher opponents, we'll be just fine as the season rolls along.  Let's not forget, Denver and Philly are probably the 2 toughest teams on our schedule.

 

On a side note, I think Patty Mac needs some credit for our offensive success.  He has been giving our D great field position with his kickoffs and punts, which in turn gives our offense very good field position (assuming our D can force punts early on the opposing teams' drives).

[superrep1967]

thoughts

Both

[superrep1967]

The only hope I see for a noticeable pass rush is going to be by way of some more exotic zone-blitz schemes. Bringing linebackers and DB's in to rush, while dropping Werner/Walden. But just straight rushing the big fellas, it hasn't worked against 4 different teams now, but only in isolated instances. 

Yes I agree it's a big concern

[superrep1967]

I think the offense has played quite well against supposedly inferior opponents, but the jury is out on whether they are playing at a championship level, since they didn't get the job done versus supposedly better opponents. They are probably among the better offenses, and will probably get even better as the season goes on. Playing an "easy" schedule will build their confidence, and I think that will be self-reinforcing.

 

I'm more concerned with the lack of pass-rush than I am the offense.

Yes the lack of pass rush is the biggest problem with this team. I'm very concerned about it. 

[#12]

Yes the lack of pass rush is the biggest problem with this team. I'm very concerned about it. 

 

Nothing new here, but we'll have to score a lot of points, because good offenses and QBs are going put up many points on this defense.  Honestly, had they and their teams not self-destructed in spots, even Bortles and Whitehurst looked fairly good against this defense.  They had a combined 5 games of NFL experience between them.

 

Thankfully, it seems the coaching staff has come to the realization that it's the passing game that will win games for us.  It's the same as it was in the Manning era.  The only way this defense succeeds is if our offense puts constant pressure on the opposing offense.  The opposition needs to be in keep up mode four 4 quarters.  It's a good sign that after Luck's INT today they didn't go into grind out mode for the rest of the game, because last year, I believe they probably would have. 

[Jules]

Both. Our division rivals are garbage. And our offense is for real too.

 

And we started the year with two solid squads who can put up 40 themselves at the drop of a hat.

 

If we started with the Jags/Titans we would have started probably 2-0 and less panic would have been around. But, we started with two playoff teams from last season with one being a SB team. And we hung with the Broncos/Eagles till the end.....we started tough then got easier. Next weekend it gets tougher again so hopefully now the Colts are "ready".

 

Luck is the real deal though, we always knew this......

[NewColtsFan]

thoughts

 

Both.      We're one of the best offenses, AND we've been blessed to play two very very poor teams back to back.

 

But at least we're not just beating bad teams in a manner that says we're just going about our business....  you know... 23-10.    Nope.

 

We're beating them the way very good teams do when they play very bad teams.    Like a rented mule!   (I'm an animal lover, please let me not get any heat for a simple common expression...)

 

We're beating the dirt out of them.   We're stepping on their neck early and sealing the deal.    We're crushing it, as we should.

 

Can we get better?    Yes.    Will we?    Yes, provided we don't get hit too bad with injuries.......

[Superman]

Both.      We're one of the best offenses, AND we've been blessed to play two very very poor teams back to back.

 

But at least we're not just beating bad teams in a manner that says we're just going about our business....  you know... 23-10.    Nope.

 

We're beating them the way very good teams do when they play very bad teams.    Like a rented mule!   (I'm an animal lover, please let me not get any heat for a simple common expression...)

 

We're beating the dirt out of them.   We're stepping on their neck early and sealing the deal.    We're crushing it, as we should.

 

Can we get better?    Yes.    Will we?    Yes, provided we don't get hit too bad with injuries.......

 

Yeah, there's a difference between working your way to a win, and just obliterating the opponent from the opening kickoff until the game is over. And the last two weeks, we've made it very clear that the Jags and Titans aren't on our level. 

 

No one should expect us to play that well against better opposition, but there's something to be said for dropping 85 points over the course of two weeks, regardless of the opponent.

[a06cc]

We'll see once we get further into the season. To me we're still starting slow. This game was the only exception. Down the field a touchdown. Luck is calling the plays correct? It wasn't a mistake free game on his behalf. The running game needed to produce. No excuse even if Hugh was out. A bad interception by Luck. False starts and holding penalties. Those mistakes could kills if the situation was reversed.

[SubZero]

thoughts

Its still hard to tell. Something that worries me is Lucks decision making against top tier defenses. 3 of his 4 picks were just horrible throws. Other then that everything seems to be clicking.

[TKnight24]

*Elects to pass on answer*

Get back to me after next Sunday around 4:30pm EST

[lennymoore24]

I think it is a little of both.  The two teams were not very good with not good QBs we beat.  So their defense had more pressure on them.  But I will say that I think Pep is continuing to add more the offense and they are doing a bit more unpredictable things instead of a heavy set into the A gap.    I think by playoff time, our offense will be very rounded on running and passing.  I just wish Werner or someone else would suddenly find their inner Robert Mathis.  Or even Tony Bennett for that matter.  Or Fred Cook.

[krunk]

Our offense is 100 percent legit.  All that slow clock chewing smash mouth football we played against Philly and we still scored 26 points on them. Honestly I think we really should have scored somewhere around 35 to 40 on them as well if we didn't have to settle for field goals. You'd have to imagine what we would have scored if we really opened things up.

 

If you look at things closely we really should have scored more than 24 against the Broncos as well.  We were in the red zone multiple times and came up with fields goals. Turn those into touchdowns and were at least at 35. We haven't played any team yet that we haven't had opportunities to be around 35 to 40 points in the contest if we hadn't settled for field goals. This is a real tough offense to deal with as long as Luck doesn't feel like he has to be the hero. As long as he goes through his progressions and delivers the ball where it needs to go, it's very hard to account for all of our weapons.  Then you are really in trouble when we have that running game working.

 

 

Our offense is real.

[TKnight24]

Cincinnati

Houston

Baltimore

Those 4 games will let us know of our offense is legit. Those defenses will let us know/set the bar where our offense is

[krunk]

I'm sorry, but we will smoke Houston out of the building.  Those dudes have been playing nothing but subpar teams.  When they played a better offense like the Giants (who at the time when they played we thought the Giants offense stunk) they got beat soundly.  I don't think the Texans are ready just yet.  I'll give you Baltimore and Cincy.

[LordHelpOurColts]

I want to see where they're at after their next five games. At that point, we'll be able to tell so much more.

[ColtsLegacy]

I'm sorry, but we will smoke Houston out of the building. Those dudes have been playing nothing but subpar teams. When they played a better offense like the Giants (who at the time when they played we thought the Giants offense stunk) they got beat soundly. I don't think the Texans are ready just yet. I'll give you Baltimore and Cincy.

Agreed, outside of the monster JJ Watt, no one on that defense is scaring anybody.

[krunk]

I still don't respect Houstons secondary, and they have problems stopping the run. I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but I think we would give them a lot of problems.  Even if they have Clowney(he'd be coming back off of surgery) and Watt together.  I say this because I don't think the defense they have this year is providing as much pressure as the team they had when Shaub was playing well and we still took 1 out of 2 against that squad even though we had less talent and a bad offensive line.   With the team we have now I expect even more.

[coltsfanatic24]

I think we are close if not the same with the Broncos and Bears having the best offensive weapons in the entire league. Even in our losses we've scored a lot of points, and that's with Nicks, Richardson and Fleener not playing good. If those three play up to their capabilities and Moncrief gets involved more, we could avg 35 ppg and would be hard for anyone to beat come playoff time.

 

I know that Wayne, Hilton, Allen, and Bradshaw will be consistent every week. It's the other four players that will determine how great this offense could be.

[Dr. Guildo]

Its still hard to tell. Something that worries me is Lucks decision making against top tier defenses. 3 of his 4 picks were just horrible throws. Other then that everything seems to be clicking.

Really? If I recall one pick when straight through Fleener's hands & another was off Dwayne Allen (I think) the only one that he threw that was bad was the one today against the Titans.

[Buck Showalter]

Cincinnati

Houston

Baltimore

Those 4 games will let us know of our offense is legit. Those defenses will let us know/set the bar where our offense is

You ony listed 3 teams...

[SubZero]

Really? If I recall one pick when straight through Fleener's hands & another was off Dwayne Allen (I think) the only one that he threw that was bad was the one today against the Titans.

No the Fleener one wasn't Lucks fault. His first pick to Rahim Moore was overthrown, the one to Malcolm Jenkins he stared down Hilton, and the Wesley Woodyard one was just a bad throw.

He also threw a ball to Bradley Fletcher that hit him right in the hands but he dropped what could have been an end zone pick. Derrick Morgan dropped a pass thrown right to him that should have been picked. Luck is a great player and he carries the offense but if he gets into a shoot out with another elite QB, one of those throws could prove costly.

[mintor]

I'm going to reserve judgement until after the Ravens game too, as the last two games have been against far inferior opponents

[mintor]

Cincinnati

Houston

Baltimore

Those 4 games will let us know of our offense is legit. Those defenses will let us know/set the bar where our offense is

new england,  dallas, pitt , cleveland doing good.

[sweetsurrender]

That's what I've struggled with. I'm trying to understand the overall philosophy of the coaching staff, whether they lean toward being aggressive or conservative, whether they're risk averse or just trying to do the right thing, etc. I'm still not sure I get it, because some decisions seem to be more conservative, and others seem more aggressive. The last thing I expected today was a first quarter onside kick.

 

But like you said, it does speak to the confidence the team had coming into this game. "We can take this risk, because we believe that even if it doesn't go our way, we're good enough to beat you regardless." It's not like we were scared of their offense, it was just a nervy move. I like that attitude.

I agree with this. I am not sure either. I have felt this way about our staff going back to last year. They seem to toggle between being conservative to wanting to be aggressive. We have the players on O to be aggressive but perhaps they feel like they have to protect the D somewhat.

 

In terms of the question posed on this thread, I think our O will continue to be in the top half of the league all season but for sure the eye popping stats right now are a product of playing two of the worst teams in the league. We will get a better gauge the next three weeks when we face some of the best D's in the AFC with the Ravens, Houston and Cincy.