The New Colts... hopefully

[Lucky Colts Fan]

I'd like to point out something.

 

During the Manning years, the main complaint from fans was lack of defense, specifically a defense that couldn't stop the run.  Another major complaint was the lack of running game to go along with Mannings' incredible passing attack.

 

NOW... We actually have a defense that can stop the run.  The DLine is turning into the strength of our defense (with 2 rookies, no less). 

 

We have a running game.  Gore has shown that our OLine isn't as bad as everyone insisted when TRich was embarassing everybody wearing a horseshoe.

 

The weakness in this team seems to be poor play-calling from some coaches, and poor decisions from some players (most notably Luck, and OLine holding penalties).

 

It appears that we have a well-balanced roster.  If the coaching and play-calling steadily improve this season, we COULD get another Lombardi.

 

Maybe I'm being overly optimistic here, but it seems like Irsay gave the fans what we've been clamoring for, and we just need everything to gel in time for a playoff run.

[AllYouNeedIsLuck]

Yeah the strengths and weaknesses have kind of flip-flopped. Which is a great thing. You gotta be confident Luck and the offense will turn things around drastically

[needanoline63]

We need a 2nd elite cornerback, offensive line to

[Feardaneard]

We need to draft O-line in the first round the next few drafts. In my opinion this team would be a nightmare with a good O-line.

[needanoline63]

And dude our offensive line is bad, frank gore got past line of scrimmage because of his awareness and vision,

[Feardaneard]

And dude our offensive line is bad, frank gore got past line of scrimmage because of his awareness and vision,

This times 1,000

[Lucky Colts Fan]

We need a 2nd elite cornerback, offensive line to

 

 

We need to draft O-line in the first round the next few drafts. In my opinion this team would be a nightmare with a good O-line.

 

 

And dude our offensive line is bad, frank gore got past line of scrimmage because of his awareness and vision,

 

THIS was the whole point of my thread.  There ARE GOING TO BE WEAKNESSES.  There is no way around that in the salary-cap era.

 

We all know what this team "needs", but we're not going to get it unless we give up something else.  This isn't Madden.

 

TRich is the ONLY RB to perform poorly behind this line, so our OLine is good at run-blocking, but not so much at pass-blocking.  This is the opposite of how our OLine performed with Manning, they could pass-block, but couldn't run-block.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

All we really "NEED" is for Luck and the OLine to stop making bad decisions, the Special Teams to play mistake-free-football, and the defense will benefit from both.

 

We don't need any new players or coaches.  We just need everybody to do their job.

[ColtStronger]

And dude our offensive line is bad, frank gore got past line of scrimmage because of his awareness and vision,

Not just that but I've counted a handful of times he had a 10+ yard run but it got called back because of a penalty.  Not only does that make the carry irrelevant, but also wears Gore out, even when he is on a limited number of carries as it is!

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

We still don't have a defense. Didn't we let up like 400 yards?

[Lucky Colts Fan]

We still don't have a defense. Didn't we let up like 400 yards?

 

Yeah, but Mariota threw for 367 of those, so, again, we have a run defense.

 

You watched those 2 goalline stands right?

[Lucky Colts Fan]

Not just that but I've counted a handful of times he had a 10+ yard run but it got called back because of a penalty.  Not only does that make the carry irrelevant, but also wears Gore out, even when he is on a limited number of carries as it is!

 

Which ties back in to the OLine making better decisions.  They correct that, Gore looks even better.

[ColtsfaninTexas]

It seems that our offensive coaching staff hasn't "got it" the last 4 years.. We've always been pretty predictable. 

[bababooey]

Manning had one center he played like 150 games with. Luck has had like 5 different centers.

[PuntersArePeopleToo]

We need a 2nd elite cornerback, offensive line to

Its hard to have 2 elite corners I would like Toler back on the field he and Davis is what made our pass defense look good last year

[Lucky Colts Fan]

It seems that our offensive coaching staff hasn't "got it" the last 4 years.. We've always been pretty predictable. 

 

Alright, well even though we were predictable, we still got to the AFCCG last year, so if the coaches somehow, magically (Pep) "get it", this offense will be unstoppable.  I hope.

 

I'm not defending Pep, but I'm not ready to cut bait yet.  If he "gets it" at some point soon, he could do something special, we'll just have to see.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

Manning had one center he played like 150 games with. Luck has had like 5 different centers.

 

And yet, they couldn't get the run-blocking to work... for like 150 games.  I'm just pointing out what we've given up to get what every fan has been wanting for a decade.

 

And there is still a chance that Luck and the OLine get it together and complete this team.

[Colts_Fan12]

THIS was the whole point of my thread. There ARE GOING TO BE WEAKNESSES. There is no way around that in the salary-cap era.

We all know what this team "needs", but we're not going to get it unless we give up something else. This isn't Madden.

TRich is the ONLY RB to perform poorly behind this line, so our OLine is good at run-blocking, but not so much at pass-blocking. This is the opposite of how our OLine performed with Manning, they could pass-block, but couldn't run-block.

well the o line is something that you shouldn't allow to be a weakness if you wanna be a great team. I'd gladly give back a few weapons we have for a good line. We all know no team can have be weaknesses but Grigson has allowed us to have a weakness at one of the most important parts of the team and he's done it for 4 years

[Lucky Colts Fan]

well the o line is something that you shouldn't allow to be a weakness if you wanna be a great team. I'd gladly give back a few weapons we have for a good line. We all know no team can have be weaknesses but Grigson has allowed us to have a weakness at one of the most important parts of the team and he's done it for 4 years

 

We DO have a good OLine, at run-blocking.  We DID have a good OLine with Manning, at pass-blocking.  You can't have 5 linemen that are great at run and pass blocking.  I'd challenge you to name a 5-man, AFFORDABLE OLine that can run and pass block.  I'll keep saying it, if Luck and the OLine stop making bad decisions, especially in the passing game, this OLine will look dominant.

 

Name 2 linemen on the Pats.  They somehow win because Tom Brady dinks and dunks better than anybody.  Everybody knows they're gonna dink and dunk, yet they still do it.  Double Gronk and cover the short routes, and the pats just start throwing screens.  They're the best at killing defenses 3 yds at a time. 

 

We NEED to start dinking and dunking effectively.  Get the ball out quickly like Manning used to do, and the OLine looks great.  Hold on to the ball waiting for the deep throw (Pep) and you take sacks and the OLine looks terrible.  Not to mention, that's how you lose your franchise QB to a big hit...

[Colts_Fan12]

We DO have a good OLine, at run-blocking. We DID have a good OLine with Manning, at pass-blocking. You can't have 5 linemen that are great at run and pass blocking. I'd challenge you to name a 5-man, AFFORDABLE OLine that can run and pass block. I'll keep saying it, if Luck and the OLine stop making bad decisions, especially in the passing game, this OLine will look dominant.

Name 2 linemen on the Pats. They somehow win because Tom Brady dinks and dunks better than anybody. Everybody knows they're gonna dink and dunk, yet they still do it. Double Gronk and cover the short routes, and the pats just start throwing screens. They're the best at killing defenses 3 yds at a time.

We NEED to start dinking and dunking effectively. Get the ball out quickly like Manning used to do, and the OLine looks great. Hold on to the ball waiting for the deep throw (Pep) and you take sacks and the OLine looks terrible.

our o line would look dominant?? ok I'm ending this right now

[RockThatBlue]

We still don't have a defense. Didn't we let up like 400 yards?

We have like 3 or 4 cbs injured. Its a wonder he didn't throw for more than that.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

our o line would look dominant?? ok I'm ending this right now

 

?? Why do the Cowboys have the "most dominant" OLine in the NFL?  Running the football (NFL rushing leader), and not making mental mistakes, like holding penalties, on pass plays.

 

If we have the most rushing yards this year, make the playoffs, and reduce the OLine penalties to a league minimum (all of which are possible, maybe not probable) wouldn't this OLine then become the "most dominant" in the NFL?

 

They have 13 weeks to prepare their resume, so I wouldn't laugh so soon.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

our o line would look dominant?? ok I'm ending this right now

 

Fine, throw out the word "dominant" and substitute "good".  Now quit deflecting and address the rest of the post.

 

Name a 5-man AFFORDABLE OLine that are dominant run and pass blockers.

[aReggie7]

We still don't have a defense. Didn't we let up like 400 yards?

 

The defense isn't what i'd call elite but they have held up pretty well over the first 3 games of the season. Granted the opponents haven't featured high powered offense but they showed the ability to stop the run and come up with some big stops. Lowery's INTs were huge today too. Have to give them credit for how they have played as a unit thus far.

[Colts_Fan12]

Fine, throw out the word "dominant" and substitute "good". Now quit deflecting and address the rest of the post.

Name a 5-man AFFORDABLE OLine that are dominant run and pass blockers.

well as you said the Cowboys line is good at both same with the Patriots Steelers Packers the QBs for those teams all have a good amount of time in the pocket while also having run lanes for some of the top rushers in the league

[Dark Superman]

The Colts need to win the next two division games and then go on and beat the Patriots.

 

That's how they will make a statement that they are for real.

 

But.. in order to do so, they will need to get some cornerbacks back, and perhaps make a trade for an offensive lineman. These guys aren't cutting it.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

well as you said the Cowboys line is good at both same with the Patriots Steelers Packers the QBs for those teams all have a good amount of time in the pocket while also having run lanes for some of the top rushers in the league

 

So if the Colts line starts playing like those teams for the rest of the season, you'll eat crow and say they're dominant?

 

I've been playing the "IF" game, and not trashing our OLine, that's you.  IF they start playing well in the passing game, they COULD look dominant, right?

 

Because if you look at the OLines for those teams, you could trash about half the line for each team.  None of them have probowl run AND pass blockers at every position, just like the Colts, and every other team in the league.

[Colts_Fan12]

So if the Colts line starts playing like those teams for the rest of the season, you'll eat crow and say they're dominant?

I've been playing the "IF" game, and not trashing our OLine, that's you. IF they start playing well in the passing game, they COULD look dominant, right?

Because if you look at the OLines for those teams, you could trash about half the line for each team. None of them have probowl run AND pass blockers at every position, just like the Colts, and every other team in the league.

we hardly have one pro bowler in AC the rest is garbage idk wth you think your seeing mewhort shows promise but other the that the rest is trash

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

Yeah, but Mariota threw for 367 of those, so, again, we have a run defense.

You watched those 2 goalline stands right?

That's fine but good teams can win one dimensionally on offense, so we need to be great at both in order to compete with the elite.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

we hardly have one pro bowler in AC the rest is garbage idk wth you think your seeing mewhort shows promise but other the that the rest is trash

 

I saw the OLine block for 100+ yds, 5+ yds/carry and 2 TDs.  Acceptable.

 

Multiple holding penalties and QB hits.  Trash.

 

Protecting Luck when it mattered in the 4th for 2 passing TDs.  Not trash.

 

I'm not saying it's good, but it's not as bad as you're making it sound.  It's fixable stuff, but that's on the coaches, so we'll see.

[Lucky Colts Fan]

we hardly have one pro bowler in AC the rest is garbage idk wth you think your seeing mewhort shows promise but other the that the rest is trash

 

Maybe the OLine is trash, but the system is churning out 5+ yds/carry for anyone not named Trent Richardson.

 

They stop the holding penalties, and stop having to block for so long against blitzes, they might not look so bad.  They've shown how good the passing game can be the last few years.

 

I hope they find a starting 5 and stick with it, cuz the revolving door OLine has proven disastrous at times.

[ThaCaliColt]

I'd like to point out something.

 

During the Manning years, the main complaint from fans was lack of defense, specifically a defense that couldn't stop the run.  Another major complaint was the lack of running game to go along with Mannings' incredible passing attack.

 

NOW... We actually have a defense that can stop the run.  The DLine is turning into the strength of our defense (with 2 rookies, no less). 

 

We have a running game.  Gore has shown that our OLine isn't as bad as everyone insisted when TRich was embarassing everybody wearing a horseshoe.

 

The weakness in this team seems to be poor play-calling from some coaches, and poor decisions from some players (most notably Luck, and OLine holding penalties).

 

It appears that we have a well-balanced roster.  If the coaching and play-calling steadily improve this season, we COULD get another Lombardi.

 

Maybe I'm being overly optimistic here, but it seems like Irsay gave the fans what we've been clamoring for, and we just need everything to gel in time for a playoff run.

Agreed. Not going to comment about a Lombardi at this point though, because there's just too many unanswered questions. We need to get a pass rush in the worst way. We can't possibly expect that Mathis is going to turn in the numbers that he did in 2013. We also need to come into EVERY game with the emotion exhibited in the 4th quarter of this Titans game- no excuses. 

[ThaCaliColt]

Maybe the OLine is trash, but the system is churning out 5+ yds/carry for anyone not named Trent Richardson.

 

They stop the holding penalties, and stop having to block for so long against blitzes, they might not look so bad.  They've shown how good the passing game can be the last few years.

 

I hope they find a starting 5 and stick with it, cuz the revolving door OLine has proven disastrous at times.

True, the run game has picked up nicely. Before, Pep would stubbornly run the ball with T-Rich even though the futility was painstaking... Now, we are forcing the ball downfield on every play when the run is finally working...

[2006Coltsbestever]

We will be ok, don't worry about it people and enjoy todays victory. A very nice Division win on the road. It's a 16 game season, not a 2 game season, 3 game season, etc.. It's a marathon not a sprint. Time to take care of business now and shut the haters up! We are going to blow the doors off of Jacks, I have no doubt we win the next game.

[Chucklez]

All we really "NEED" is for Luck and the OLine to stop making bad decisions, the Special Teams to play mistake-free-football, and the defense will benefit from both.

 

We don't need any new players or coaches.  We just need everybody to do their job.

We could do with 3 out of our 4 top CB's getting healthy...... THAT would help....

[myic90]

I'm far more concerned with the pass rush - it never pops out on the tv, and opposing qbs don't seem hurried at all. Run game and Run defense down the middle has been more than adequate. I'm also very concerned about runs on the outside which we haven't been able to stop at all - because we aren't setting the edge well at all.

 

Weak edges and poor LB play will murder us against the pats. I'm so optimistic going into the pats game this year if our offense can start putting up 30+ again. While the pats are on an insane offensive streak, their defense has been allowing close to 25 points per game. 

 

I'm absolutely not sure how we're going to stop the pats offense though. Like 0 idea.

[needanoline63]

Yeah, but Mariota threw for 367 of those, so, again, we have a run defense.

You watched those 2 goalline stands right?

Titans almost had 100 yds rushing

[aaron11]

They cannot keep letting the QB take so many hits, and committing soooo many penalties. I would trade those for crappy run blocking

[Rich Cannon]

The problem with this team is Pep Hamiltons play calling, he is way to pass happy.  Sometimes i think he forgets Andrew Luck is human.  Run the damn ball!!!!!!

[krunk]

The problem with this team is Pep Hamiltons play calling, he is way to pass happy.  Sometimes i think he forgets Andrew Luck is human.  Run the damn ball!!!!!!

 

We ran the ball about 31 times between the 3 backs.  We are running the football now