Grades: WC vs Bengals

[Superman]

Shut up.

 

 

I'm sure we're all very well past it, but just in case anyone is interested, grades from the Bengals game. Somewhat abridged version.

 

Offense: B+

QB: Pagano said this might have been Luck's best game. That's hard to quantify, but I'm inclined to agree, mostly because he did the right thing virtually all game long. He didn't press, ran when he needed to, took deep shots when they were there (and was betrayed by some drops; according to PFF, he'd have completed 93% of his throws without drops), checked it down, took care of the ball, yet still made plays to every level of the defense. He was pretty much unstoppable. If not for the drops and penalties, this would have been a 4-5 TD affair, somewhere close to 500 yards. A+

 

Backs / TEs / Receivers: So, there were the drops. We already know. And the fumbles. Boom has to figure that out or get benched. And Moncrief's penalty. All that marred what have been a really good game. Guys got open to every level of the defense, and the Bengals couldn't do anything about it. Then the run game, Boom and Tipton did a pretty good job getting to the second level, running through arm tackles, finishing plays. They got around the edge a couple times, also. TEs didn't get used too much in the passing game, but made plays when the ball did come their way; Fleener had a contested drop. Nicks was good again. Hopefully he can keep producing, even at this level. C+

 

Blocking: So we've praised the line, and they deserve credit, but there were still some issues. During the season, Luck was pressured on 36% of his dropbacks, and in this game, he was pressured on 39% of his dropbacks. Even his time in the pocket wasn't dramatically different, save for a few plays where the line did a great job. Two primary differences were 1) Luck was very decisive with the ball, and navigated the pocket really well; 2) there were only a couple of plays where the pressure broke through immediately. Mostly, the line gave him the time he needed, and he only needed the time the line gave him. Wish that would happen more often. That all resulted in fewer hits and significant pressures. That's a good thing. The run blocking was also adequate, with some good plays, but plenty of head scratching plays as well. What I really liked was the screen blocking, from linemen and WRs out in space. We spent all year sucking at screens, and now it looks like we have a new weapon in the repertoire. B

 

Offensive coaching: Very good gameplan, attacking the Bengals weaknesses, giving Luck the green light to make plays, etc. I especially appreciated the pay-off of the screen play practice that the team got in the last two regular season games. They must have run a dozen screens in the Dallas game alone, and now all of a sudden, screen plays work. It's about time. A

 

Defense: B+

Defensive front: Good job controlling the run. Aside from the reverse and Dalton's scrambles, they had 53 yards on 16 carries. There was mostly a solid wall in front of their backs, with a couple carries getting out for bigger gains. I'll take it. Pass rush wasn't special. We lost contain on Dalton a few times, and overall, he only faced pressure on 25% of his dropbacks. The 3 sacks are decent, but the rush went long stretches without being a factor. Freeman was excellent late in the game, but the primary pass rushers were mostly shut out. B-

 

Pass defense: Smothering. It was checkdown city, even on third down. Dalton was 0/5 on passes that traveled more than 20 yards downfield through the air, 1/4 on passes more than 10 yards downfield. They knocked down 8 passes, including the flea-flicker. Might have gotten away with a PI on one of the deep throws, but Adams was trying to track the ball. Freeman gave up some catches, but did a good job getting stops short of the first down, including one where he had to spy Dalton and then chase the TE out almost to the boundary. The tests definitely get bigger than this, but bottom line is that the guys did the job they were assigned to do. A

 

Defensive coaching: If anyone had it easy, it was Manusky. He was able to call a more aggressive game than he would have if AJ Green had played, but he still keyed in exactly on what the Bengals wanted to do, and kept them one dimensional. Dalton has a read-option game, but we kept speed on the field (Butler played more snaps than Werner, for instance), and kept an eye on Dalton in an effort to keep him in the pocket. B+

 

Special teams: AV got back on the horse (I still feel bad for him...) He even earned a drug test with a powerful 53 yarder that probably had an extra 5 yards on it. Teams had to cover 4 kickoffs because Jones kept bringing the ball out from 8-9 yards deep, but coverage was good. Their average start was the 21 yard line. Punting was typical, but one of two returns went for 19 yards, which isn't good. Return game was decent; Cribbs got some good yardage a couple of times. B+

 

Game management: Not much to grade here. All decisions were pretty obvious. Team was well prepared. I like that they basically shelved Boom after the second fumble. B+

 

Next up: Denver, again. Peyton Manning, again. 'Nuff said.

 

GO COLTS!!!

[akcolt]

Love it pretty much what I expected going into the game. I wish we had played cleaner not let them hang around so long but I will take that performance.

 

Thanks for the Moncrief td pass Luck is unbelievable falling down right at the line of scrimmage a bullet on the money.... what can you say about that but wow I guess if only he had more air under it remember that nonsense

[OffensivelyPC]

I'm totally on board with you on the Luck analysis.  It's amazing to see what this offense can do, moving it down the field with regularity when Luck takes what defenses give him and not try to force it too much.  I seem to remember one or two plays where I would have rathered him run the ball after pass pro broke down and no one was open, but his forced throws were still in a place where no one but our guy could get it, even if it was pretty much uncatchable.  That being said, he generally made great decisions all game and even the great QBs are going to force throws from time to time, so it's more a nitpick than anything.

 

We'll need more production out of the run game next week if we want to keep Denvers pass rush in check.  The same can be said out of our pass rush as well if we want to minimize Manning's effectiveness. 

[Cynjin]

Shut up.

 

GO COLTS!!!

Good write up, but who are you telling to "shut up"? I assume T. Brown.

[ProblChld32]

That dart that Luck threw to Moncrief was nothing short of amazing 

[Superman]

Good write up, but who are you telling to "shut up"? I assume T. Brown.

 

Not just Troy Brown. There's been a lot of noise about Luck being overrated, going back to the offseason. There was a lot of noise about how the Colts would be one and done, and how they were most likely to lose their wild card game. 

[NewColtsFan]

Not sure you commented on my favorite part of the offense.     The checkdowns.

 

Herron caught 10 passes.    And I think that was by design.    I think it got preached all week in practice.    Take what the Bengals give and let Boom operate in space.    It's an extension of the running game.     Phil Simms was all over this in the broadcast and he liked it too.

 

Frankly,  I hope we see more of this throughout the playoffs.    I'd be perfectly fine with Herron catching 8-10 passes a game.

 

Luck used this phrase in his sit-down with Gruden before being drafted....   "You never go broke taking a profit!"

 

At this time of years when defenses are more focused than ever on taking away the Big Play,  then take what they give you!

 

Throw to the backs,  and the tight ends to keep the Colts in 2nd and 3rd and manageable.....

 

For me,  patience is the key to victory.....   keep moving the chains.   Opportunities will come.    Don't force it.    

 

p.s. -- Thanks, as always,  for doing this....  what did you think of the Holmes/Louis/Reitz trio?

[Superman]

I'm totally on board with you on the Luck analysis.  It's amazing to see what this offense can do, moving it down the field with regularity when Luck takes what defenses give him and not try to force it too much.  I seem to remember one or two plays where I would have rathered him run the ball after pass pro broke down and no one was open, but his forced throws were still in a place where no one but our guy could get it, even if it was pretty much uncatchable.  That being said, he generally made great decisions all game and even the great QBs are going to force throws from time to time, so it's more a nitpick than anything.

 

We'll need more production out of the run game next week if we want to keep Denvers pass rush in check.  The same can be said out of our pass rush as well if we want to minimize Manning's effectiveness. 

 

I think Luck should run way more often than he does, but the fact that 93% of his throws were catchable makes it hard to nitpick any of his decisions, really. Although, it might be that the other 7% are the plays where he should have run with it...

 

On the run game, yeah it slowed down for a while, but it got going again at the end of the game. It would have been nice to put the game away, four minute style, on one of those last two drives. The fumble didn't help.

[NewColtsFan]

I think Luck should run way more often than he does, but the fact that 93% of his throws were catchable makes it hard to nitpick any of his decisions, really. Although, it might be that the other 7% are the plays where he should have run with it...

 

On the run game, yeah it slowed down for a while, but it got going again at the end of the game. It would have been nice to put the game away, four minute style, on one of those last two drives. The fumble didn't help.

 

 

Hey!     You missed my p.s.,  which was this....

 

 

"what did you think of the Holmes/Louis/Reitz trio?"

 

 

I look forward to your comments here....  

[Superman]

Hey!     You missed my p.s.,  which was this....

 

 

"what did you think of the Holmes/Louis/Reitz trio?"

 

 

I look forward to your comments here....  

 

I thought they were decent enough. We ran almost exclusively to the left side, just 6 runs from C/RG to RT. Some of those were cutbacks. So the coaches didn't ask for much run blocking that way, and what they got wasn't great. Louis did an okay job pulling. Holmes, too, but he did a lot of lunging. Reitz was solid, but mostly was just sealing the backside. 

 

Pass protection was okay, but most of the pressure came from the right side. The sack was due to blown blocks by Holmes and Mewhort. I thought the pressures Reitz gave up were mostly late in the play.

 

We're really hurting at RT, obviously. We'll have to give a lot of help to the right side in pass pro against the Broncos. They rush Von Miller from that side of the field a lot of time. I think we'll see Dwayne Allen as a fixture over there.