The eternal optimist

[AntonMcG]

There has been plenty of be downtrodden about thus far this season. However, I thought I would make some general observations of how I see things. Nothing in-depth or ground-breaking, just some retaliation to these horrific topics that are infecting this forum on a regular basis.

 

Up until the end of the 3rd quarter tonight, the Colts looked terrible. The fourth quarter showed us what our offense is capable of, whilst the defense showed up in big moments.

 

Here is my take...

 

Offense

 

- Our offensive line is clearly a mess, and the scheming has a lot to do with that... there is no cohesiveness, there is too much space to exploit. Our linemen are not necessarily getting run over, just run around. Something needs to happen.

 

- The holding penalties are outrageous, but I see us fixing this. We used to be actually very disciplined in this regard.

 

- Our run blocking was good, specifically out right. Hopefully we can make this a stable for the season.

 

- As bad as our passing game was, we saw something completely different when adjustments were made in the fourth quarter. Andrew Luck is made for a hurry up offense. He is made for play action passing (when the running game is on song). When he get the ball out quickly, our offense looks great. I genuinely believe we will see more of this as the season progresses and players learn the offense. We have great short and intermediate pass catchers in Johnson, Allen, Fleener etc. We have the potential to be multiple and dynamic. The potential is there.

 

- I was never a massive Hamilton fan, but he was okay last year. He called a brilliant fourth quarter... we need more of this and I think we will see it. The players are there. We can hide the o-line deficiencies with smart play calling.

 

- Moncrief is good.

 

- Gore is good.

 

Defense

 

- Our run defense wasn't as good as it has been, but it came up big in big moments.The rookies are ballers.

 

- Our secondary will be great when we get Toler and Butler back. Lowry is a huge upgrade over Landry (Captain Obvious).

 

- We had no pass rush for the majority of the game. BUT... we were without our two best pass rushers, for the majority of the game. Lets be realistic, we will not get pressure without Mathis and Cole out there. When we find ways to get them both integrated into the defense, especially on third and long, we will get plenty of pressure.

 

- Freeman and Jackson made a few nice plays. Still want to see what Irving and Moore can bring to the table.

 

Special Teams

 

- Pat is a hero.

 

 

Point is...

 

I am most certainly a realist, and if I thought there is little or no hope, I would say so. But, this talk of firing coaches now and tanking the season, genuinely baffles me. We have problems, we haven't been good. But if there is a time to have problems and not be good, it is now. We have loads of football players, and if we get them all healthy we don't have many weaknesses (bar o-line).

 

Our coaches go through phases of doing good things. They are smart enough guys to see what works, this team will be more cohesive and more dynamic is the season progresses. Our problems are fixable for the most part.  Maybe they are not the right guys going forward, but they are for now. Changing coaches at this stage does nothing to help our chances this season, we are all in, so we may as well accept that.

 

Personally, I am still very excited about this season.

 

 

[COLTS449]

I've said all along I think we'll still win 10 games or so and win the division. Our main issues are...We have a terrible OL, and we have a terrible Offensive Co. If Luck had better protection we may actually be 2-1 right now. I don't understand why some people think Luck is the issue. Or one of the issues. He's not. He does make some bad decisions, yes, but a young QB with a joke of an OL tends to do that. We may not be playing in the Super Bowl, but like I said we're still going to win 10 games or so and make the playoffs. Then next year we need to FIX the OL at all cost. And honestly I would upgrade at Offensive Co. next season. At least OC. Maybe more than that.

[cjwhiskers]

Even with the terrible OL play, if Vinny didn't miss a FG and Frank didn't fumble we'd be 2-1.

[ColtsFanMikeC]

I've said all along I think we'll still win 10 games or so and win the division. Our main issues are...We have a terrible OL, and we have a terrible Offensive Co. If Luck had better protection we may actually be 2-1 right now. I don't understand why some people think Luck is the issue. Or one of the issues. He's not. He does make some bad decisions, yes, but a young QB with a joke of an OL tends to do that. We may not be playing in the Super Bowl, but like I said we're still going to win 10 games or so and make the playoffs. Then next year we need to FIX the OL at all cost. And honestly I would upgrade at Offensive Co. next season. At least OC. Maybe more than that.

 

Luck is part of the problem.

 

I am a huge Luck fan, and I'm not worried about him moving forward.

 

However, Luck is no longer a 'young' QB.  This is his 4th year in the league.  He is said to be one of the smartest QBs, if not the smartest QB, in the league.  He has to stop making stupid decisions for us to succeed.  When it was all on the line, he made all the right decisions and helped win the game for us, but let's not forget this is against the Titans, a team with a rookie who has more leeway to make bad decisions (luckily for us, he made a huge one at the end with Lowery's 2nd pick).  We cannot and will not be able to survive with poor decisions against a team like New England.

 

Luck's first pick he just totally telegraphed that pass and didn't put enough zip on it.  A 4th year QB with an IQ as high as Luck should not make that mistake.  It was especially critical because it led to 7 points for Tennessee.  You cannot beat the elite teams in this league by giving them 7 free points.

 

The second INT, we had some momentum after Patty Mac's fake punt.  Thornton put us in terrible position on this drive with 2 holding penalties (both to negate a big plays) and then on the play where Luck threw the INT, Thornton got beat terribly and Luck made an incredible play not to get sacked.  However, it was 2nd and 4 and Luck made a weak throw off his back leg.  He is too smart to be making that mistake in that situation.  Sure he was pressured, but that was not a throw he should have made.  It allowed the Titans to start with the ball on our 13 yard line and we are very fortunate that our D was able to hold them to a field goal -- this is a very different game otherwise.

 

I am confident Luck will fix these issues, but if he doesn't, we are going to have a very difficult time beating elite teams if we are giving them multiple scores on boneheaded plays.  I said a while back, this is Luck's 4th year in the league, he is considered a franchise QB and perhaps the league's most intelligent QB -- therefore, 'being young' is no longer an excuse for him to make poor decisions.

[COLTS449]

Luck is part of the problem.

 

I am a huge Luck fan, and I'm not worried about him moving forward.

 

However, Luck is no longer a 'young' QB.  This is his 4th year in the league.  He is said to be one of the smartest QBs, if not the smartest QB, in the league.  He has to stop making stupid decisions for us to succeed.  When it was all on the line, he made all the right decisions and helped win the game for us, but let's not forget this is against the Titans, a team with a rookie who has more leeway to make bad decisions (luckily for us, he made a huge one at the end with Lowery's 2nd pick).  We cannot and will not be able to survive with poor decisions against a team like New England.

 

Luck's first pick he just totally telegraphed that pass and didn't put enough zip on it.  A 4th year QB with an IQ as high as Luck should not make that mistake.  It was especially critical because it led to 7 points for Tennessee.  You cannot beat the elite teams in this league by giving them 7 free points.

 

The second INT, we had some momentum after Patty Mac's fake punt.  Thornton put us in terrible position on this drive with 2 holding penalties (both to negate a big plays) and then on the play where Luck threw the INT, Thornton got beat terribly and Luck made an incredible play not to get sacked.  However, it was 2nd and 4 and Luck made a weak throw off his back leg.  He is too smart to be making that mistake in that situation.  Sure he was pressured, but that was not a throw he should have made.  It allowed the Titans to start with the ball on our 13 yard line and we are very fortunate that our D was able to hold them to a field goal -- this is a very different game otherwise.

 

I am confident Luck will fix these issues, but if he doesn't, we are going to have a very difficult time beating elite teams if we are giving them multiple scores on boneheaded plays.  I said a while back, this is Luck's 4th year in the league, he is considered a franchise QB and perhaps the league's most intelligent QB -- therefore, 'being young' is no longer an excuse for him to make poor decisions.

 

Good post and good points. But I do think a lot of Luck's bad decision making would be resolved with a better offensive line. He wouldn't be in as many situations to make as may bad decisions. But yeah he does have to improve on it nonetheless.

[Hoosierdome93]

I still have no idea what everyone is talking about... Colts are going to the super bowl.. and I knew we were going to win this game especially in the 2nd quarter.

[ricker182]

I have to give a shout-out to Moncrief and take back what I said after the first game.

 

He is NOT soft.

 

He is running tight routes and has them down to a T.

 

He is looking like a #1 WR.

 

Nice job, Donte!

[ColtsFanMikeC]

Good post and good points. But I do think a lot of Luck's bad decision making would be resolved with a better offensive line. He wouldn't be in as many situations to make as may bad decisions. But yeah he does have to improve on it nonetheless.

 

You are probably right, a better line definitely helps a QB.  However, this is Luck's 4th year playing with a line where he is being pressured and as one of the few QB's in the league who has the talent to win by putting the team on his back consistently, he has to be held accountable for his decision making.  It stinks he is getting pressured and that our OL is negating some of his big plays with holding penalties, but he's not a rookie any more, he is this team's franchise player and needs to know when to throw the ball away or make better throws.

 

Our OL is still in flux (apparent with Mewhort switching positions, and Reitz and Thornton making starts today), so hopefully they get better as the coaching staff figures out the best line up and they have time to gel.  It should do nothing but help Luck (and our run game, which also helps Luck).

[peytonmanning18]

I'll say this, the offensive line has been atrocious, but we have started the year with 3 tough match ups for a line that has guys playing new positions. Buffalo and New York have maybe the best front 7 in the league, and Dick Lebeau knows how to coach defense and generate pressure with Tennessee.

[Cynjin]

There has been plenty of be downtrodden about thus far this season. However, I thought I would make some general observations of how I see things. Nothing in-depth or ground-breaking, just some retaliation to these horrific topics that are infecting this forum on a regular basis.

 

Up until the end of the 3rd quarter tonight, the Colts looked terrible. The fourth quarter showed us what our offense is capable of, whilst the defense showed up in big moments.

 

Here is my take...

 

Offense

 

- Our offensive line is clearly a mess, and the scheming has a lot to do with that... there is no cohesiveness, there is too much space to exploit. Our linemen are not necessarily getting run over, just run around. Something needs to happen.

 

- The holding penalties are outrageous, but I see us fixing this. We used to be actually very disciplined in this regard.

 

- Our run blocking was good, specifically out right. Hopefully we can make this a stable for the season.

 

- As bad as our passing game was, we saw something completely different when adjustments were made in the fourth quarter. Andrew Luck is made for a hurry up offense. He is made for play action passing (when the running game is on song). When he get the ball out quickly, our offense looks great. I genuinely believe we will see more of this as the season progresses and players learn the offense. We have great short and intermediate pass catchers in Johnson, Allen, Fleener etc. We have the potential to be multiple and dynamic. The potential is there.

 

- I was never a massive Hamilton fan, but he was okay last year. He called a brilliant fourth quarter... we need more of this and I think we will see it. The players are there. We can hide the o-line deficiencies with smart play calling.

 

- Moncrief is good.

 

- Gore is good.

 

Defense

 

- Our run defense wasn't as good as it has been, but it came up big in big moments.The rookies are ballers.

 

- Our secondary will be great when we get Toler and Butler back. Lowry is a huge upgrade over Landry (Captain Obvious).

 

- We had no pass rush for the majority of the game. BUT... we were without our two best pass rushers, for the majority of the game. Lets be realistic, we will not get pressure without Mathis and Cole out there. When we find ways to get them both integrated into the defense, especially on third and long, we will get plenty of pressure.

 

- Freeman and Jackson made a few nice plays. Still want to see what Irving and Moore can bring to the table.

 

Special Teams

 

- Pat is a hero.

 

 

Point is...

 

I am most certainly a realist, and if I thought there is little or no hope, I would say so. But, this talk of firing coaches now and tanking the season, genuinely baffles me. We have problems, we haven't been good. But if there is a time to have problems and not be good, it is now. We have loads of football players, and if we get them all healthy we don't have many weaknesses (bar o-line).

 

Our coaches go through phases of doing good things. They are smart enough guys to see what works, this team will be more cohesive and more dynamic is the season progresses. Our problems are fixable for the most part.  Maybe they are not the right guys going forward, but they are for now. Changing coaches at this stage does nothing to help our chances this season, we are all in, so we may as well accept that.

 

Personally, I am still very excited about this season.

 

 

Good post.  I would only cast doubt on the coaches going through phases of doing good things, because the offensive play calling has gone through 2 and 3/4 games worth of a bad phase.  

[JPFolks]

I think there's a scenario where we get it together.  If we win the next two a little more comfortably than this one, and lose to NE, we'll be 3-3 in the heart of the season and the next 2-3 games will be make or break.  Atlanta looks tough as I have said all offseason.  Pittsburgh is a ? mark, and Denver is a 50-50 proposition.  I could see us still being 10-6 as I predicted pre-season, but these next 2 games must be wins and the 4 games after that must be at least 3-1.  

[Buck Showalter]

There has been plenty of be downtrodden about thus far this season. However, I thought I would make some general observations of how I see things. Nothing in-depth or ground-breaking, just some retaliation to these horrific topics that are infecting this forum on a regular basis.

 

Up until the end of the 3rd quarter tonight, the Colts looked terrible. The fourth quarter showed us what our offense is capable of, whilst the defense showed up in big moments.

 

Here is my take...

 

Offense

 

- Our offensive line is clearly a mess, and the scheming has a lot to do with that... there is no cohesiveness, there is too much space to exploit. Our linemen are not necessarily getting run over, just run around. Something needs to happen.

 

- The holding penalties are outrageous, but I see us fixing this. We used to be actually very disciplined in this regard.

 

- Our run blocking was good, specifically out right. Hopefully we can make this a stable for the season.

 

- As bad as our passing game was, we saw something completely different when adjustments were made in the fourth quarter. Andrew Luck is made for a hurry up offense. He is made for play action passing (when the running game is on song). When he get the ball out quickly, our offense looks great. I genuinely believe we will see more of this as the season progresses and players learn the offense. We have great short and intermediate pass catchers in Johnson, Allen, Fleener etc. We have the potential to be multiple and dynamic. The potential is there.

 

- I was never a massive Hamilton fan, but he was okay last year. He called a brilliant fourth quarter... we need more of this and I think we will see it. The players are there. We can hide the o-line deficiencies with smart play calling.

 

- Moncrief is good.

 

- Gore is good.

 

Defense

 

- Our run defense wasn't as good as it has been, but it came up big in big moments.The rookies are ballers.

 

- Our secondary will be great when we get Toler and Butler back. Lowry is a huge upgrade over Landry (Captain Obvious).

 

- We had no pass rush for the majority of the game. BUT... we were without our two best pass rushers, for the majority of the game. Lets be realistic, we will not get pressure without Mathis and Cole out there. When we find ways to get them both integrated into the defense, especially on third and long, we will get plenty of pressure.

 

- Freeman and Jackson made a few nice plays. Still want to see what Irving and Moore can bring to the table.

 

Special Teams

 

- Pat is a hero.

 

 

Point is...

 

I am most certainly a realist, and if I thought there is little or no hope, I would say so. But, this talk of firing coaches now and tanking the season, genuinely baffles me. We have problems, we haven't been good. But if there is a time to have problems and not be good, it is now. We have loads of football players, and if we get them all healthy we don't have many weaknesses (bar o-line).

 

Our coaches go through phases of doing good things. They are smart enough guys to see what works, this team will be more cohesive and more dynamic is the season progresses. Our problems are fixable for the most part.  Maybe they are not the right guys going forward, but they are for now. Changing coaches at this stage does nothing to help our chances this season, we are all in, so we may as well accept that.

 

Personally, I am still very excited about this season.

I like it...

I'll admit I've chimed in on some of the doom & gloom...

But even an ugly win helps ease that pain a bit & as Anton has pointed out as ugly as it has been this season that 4th quarter was at least a glimmer of hope!!!

Thanks for the level headed optimism...