Grades: Week 3 @ Titans

[Superman]

 

To defensive backs everywhere: Good night, and good luck.

 

Week 2 grades

 

Defense, C+: 74 plays, 433 yards, 28 first downs (18 passing, 7 rushing, 3 from penalty), 4/13 on third down, 1/1 on fourth down, 4/6 in the red zone, 2 turnovers, 33 points allowed, 1 defensive TD; the turnovers might have saved the season

 

Defensive front: Sporadic pass rush, which is an improvement from last week, but a lot of it is still manufactured. Because we're playing more zone on the back end, the effectiveness of blitzes is diminished on pass plays, but some still got home. Freeman and Lowery had some success as blitzers. Anderson got a lot of pressure, but he and Parry and everyone else really excelled at stopping inside runs, all game long. Kerr was good. The ILBs did a good job against the run also, and Jackson had a big stop stop for a loss on a critical possession. The edge work was mostly good, but there were a few plays where poor positioning and lack of awareness cost us (notably, the sweep to Wright, which was on Newsome). They had a little success in short yardage, but the defense held tough on two big possessions (helped by some overly conservative and/or stubborn play calling by the Titans, but whatever; at least we can stop short yardage runs). B, still need more pass rush, and I don't know where it's going to come from

 

Pass defense: Vontae gave up another TD, even though OPI should have been called. I'm sure he'll be fine, and toward the end of the game, it was him shutting down Wright and Walker on back to back critical plays. Thomas, the newbie, made the hit that led to Lowery's first pick, and had a strong game overall. The rest of the corners held the gameplan back, forcing us to play a bunch of zone, and it had a lot of impact on the pass rush. The ILBs still didn't cover anyone, and Delanie Walker must lick his chops before he plays us, because he had another big game. Mariota did a really good job against our zone stuff, and then had a couple plays he was able to extend against man coverage for some big gains. Their receiver also dropped a couple passes early in the game, which let our defense off the hook (one was on third down). Gave up too many third and medium/long conversions. So really the only bright spot was Lowery and his two picks, and he was a step and a half away from a third in the end zone. I expect this to get better, but holding on for Butler and Toler might not be as easy as I thought it would be. C, would be lower, but they made big plays that changed the game

 

Defensive coaching: Manusky is still handcuffed with replacement level corners, but the coverage across the middle is bad, and he can't come up with anything to shield or hide the poor ILB coverage. Geathers had too few snaps, and we still have nothing from Moore or Irving. We need more pass rush, but we have to play conservative coverages. I'm inclined to give him a pass, but I think we have to find a better balance in the meantime. C+

 

Offense, C: 56 plays, 378 yards, 20 first downs (10 passing, 9 rushing, 1 from penalty), 4/11 on third down, 1/1 on fourth down, 3/3 in the red zone, 2 turnovers, 35 points; signs of life...

 

QB: Found: One Franchise Quarterback, a little battered but still in good working order. Hope he's okay, but he took a lot of hits, including two after picks. And about the picks, just more bad QB play from a really good QB. Was still missing throws and receivers, held on to the ball a little too long... and was awful in the third quarter. Then he flipped the switch in the fourth, and started looking like the real Andrew Luck. He got help from his receivers also. If this is a sign of things to come, good, because we've seen him play better than this, and that's what we'll need from him. C+, we should tell him he's down by two TDs to start the game

 

Backs / receivers / tight ends, B+:

Running game: We've seen this coming, if only we'd give Gore a change to get going. Finally did, and if not for some (questionable) penalties, he'd have been over 100 yards rushing, for sure. There's really not a lot to say, as he did everything we needed him to. He ran through arm tackles, hit holes hard, finished carries, showed shiftiness to evade defenders, and in just 14 carries, he proved definitively that he can carry the load and set the pace for the entire offense. A, hard to believe, but we have a running back, y'all

 

Passing game: Don't know if AJ will ever join the party, which is too bad; we have no luck with veteran receivers. But if the young trio can play like this, and in limited snaps for Dorsett, then we don't need AJ. Oh well. Moncrief may have officially arrived with the high point TD grab, Dorsett grabbed one between two defenders (not uncommon when he was in college), and Hilton had a nice reach for a grab on the first TD drive. Doyle and Fleener got involved, which is an absolute necessity, especially Doyle from the FB spot. Those plays should be staple plays. Most importantly, they had the playmaker back at QB, and as we all know, he makes everyone around him look better when he's on his game. The receivers as a whole made plays at every level and in every zone, with the exception of screen passes, which failed miserably. Titans had some decent coverage, too, but our receivers were just better. B, weapons everywhere, let's use them

 

OL / blocking: Again with the penalties and missed blocks, and some of the worst play was from Castonzo, both in pass pro and run blocking. Mewhort back at LG was adequate, and Holmes seemed to benefit from that change as well. Reitz gave up a sack, but overall was decent, and they left him one on one a lot more than they did with Mewhort in the first two game. The question is Thornton, but he wasn't as bad as he looked at first, and he made several really good plays. The run blocking overall was pretty good. Jurell Casey is like Walker, and always has good games against us, but we mostly ran away from him in the run game. We can tighten up the protection on the left side as AC and Mewhort settle in. Luck evidently got hurt at some point, and as Pagano said, you can take your pick from a dozen plays where it might have happened. The pass blocking efficiency was the worst of the season, with a QB pressure on every other play, literally (18 pressures on 36 dropbacks). D, I'm torn between good run blocking and bad protection, and Luck being on the injury report is the deciding factor

 

Offensive coaching: I'm still having a problem with the gameplan. What we did late in the second half is good, but a lot of the offense looks almost experimental. We can't run a screen pass, and that's a weird problem for a professional football team to have in Week 3. Still won't run play action; officially 2 times in 36 plays, excluding a couple of aborted play fakes due to running back protection. When we ran Y Banana (the two play action passes, both on the same drive), it was foolproof. Very little effort to move the QB and wear down the pass rushers; just kept launching from the same spot behind the struggling OL. Very few hot routes, and there were plenty of plays where the defense abandoned the middle and we sent no one to fill the void. I won't give Pep a pass just because the offense started clicking; he has to dispatch his talented skill players more effectively, and until he does, his play calling is a drag on the entire team. D

 

Special teams: Still no field goals from AV, and the penalty probably saved him from starting 0/3 on the season. But he took care of XPs fine. McAfee punted like a champ, and then got the first down on the bad snap (according to him, that's his call, and he better be glad it worked out). No kickoffs were in play for either team, but the punt coverage was excellent, and that's something I was a little worried about in preseason. A

 

Game management, C: Gambled on the challenge, and lost. I get it, the call was borderline (and wasn't even confirmed upon review), and if you win it, the game is effectively over. But it kind of let the Titans up off the mat. I'm okay with the challenge. The decision to try a looong FG at the end of the half kind of makes sense, but AV has been off, and the likelihood of him making that kick was really low. I was honestly relieved by the penalty. I liked how active Pagano was on the sidelines, keeping his team on task, and doing his best to keep Hugh Thornton from totally coming apart (Luck did his part, too). The problem is before the game, and while Pagano probably isn't the best guy to help get the offense going, one of his deputies (Chud?) ought to be able to get this thing pointed in the right direction. Show me a better start next week, please.

 

Game ball: Dwight Lowery, for making two huge plays, and a few other good ones, that were desperately needed. I wasn't excited about signing him, but he's already proved his worth. Hopefully more to come.

 

Next up, the bad Jaguars. Maybe they're feisty after getting blown out at home, or maybe they're begging to be put out of their misery as soon as possible. This game should be a stepping stone for us, as the better team with a lot more to prove. I expect us to rise to the challenge.

 

GO COLTS!!!

[COLTS449]

Referring to the pass rush, when you said you don't know where it will come from. You don't think it'll be Mathis? I fully expect him to get up to speed and have a really good year. I'd say he'll put up 9-10 sacks. But we still need more from Cole and/or Newsome.

[Superman]

Referring to the pass rush, when you said you don't know where it will come from. You don't think it'll be Mathis? I fully expect him to get up to speed and have a really good year. I'd say he'll put up 9-10 sacks. But we still need more from Cole and/or Newsome.

 

Mathis was pretty efficient in his pass rush, actually. And the defense got a good number of hurries, but a lot of them were later in the play, not immediate pressures. I think we can rely on Mathis to get pressure, but he needs help. Two years ago, it was just him, and overall, the pass rush was insufficient. 

[csmopar]

Way too easy on grading but I generally agree.

[Superman]

Way too easy on grading but I generally agree.

 

How does that work? 

[DougDew]

 

Still won't run play action; officially 2 times in 36 plays........ When we ran Y Banana (the two play action passes, both on the same drive), it was foolproof. Very little effort to move the QB and wear down the pass rushers; just kept launching from the same spot behind the struggling OL. Very few hot routes, and there were plenty of plays where the defense abandoned the middle and we sent no one to fill the void.

These have been the common characteristics of the offense since Luck got here, including his rookie year with Arians.  Except Arians knew how to make it work.  It also causes Luck to get hit a lot.

 

And these are the reasons the offense looks horrible against good defenses, but can come back against bad defenses.

 

You have described the problems perfectly.  Now, who is to blame?  Is it Luck for audibling out of a play action pass or a play with a hot route?  Is it Pep for not being able to install more variety?  

 

Also, is it Pagano or Grigson for not seeing this problem the past two years thereby not being able to force Pep to do something about it?  Or, both/either of them indeed seeing the problems but choosing to not hold Pep accountable?  I'm really not sure about these last two questions.

[Superman]

These have been the common characteristics of the offense since Luck got here, including his rookie year with Arians.  Except Arians knew how to make it work.  It also causes Luck to get hit a lot.

 

And these are the reasons the offense looks horrible against good defenses, but can come back against bad defenses.

 

You have described the problems perfectly.  Now, who is to blame?  Is it Luck for audibling out of a play action pass or a play with a hot route?  Is it Pep for not being able to install more variety?  

 

Also, is it Pagano or Grigson for not seeing this problem the past two years thereby not being able to force Pep to do something about it?  Or, both/either of them indeed seeing the problems but choosing to not hold Pep accountable?  I'm really not sure about these last two questions.

 

We ran play action 35% in the first two playoff games last year. I foolishly thought this meant the staff had come to appreciate the benefit of using play action. We've been behind in all three games this year, but still, 11%? Two times in 36 dropbacks? And we were actually up 14-0 in this one. It makes zero sense.

 

When the OL looked like it was going to be a problem in the preseason game against the Bears, we went with quick rhythm passing and moved Luck on a sprint out for a TD. It made me think 'Okay, they want to be a big play offense, but they realize that they have to be more efficient in order to really get things going.' Wrong. Even after two really, REALLY bad starts, we basically did the same thing against the Titans. The only difference is that we ran the ball more, particularly in short yardage, but the rest of the approach was pretty much carbon copy.

 

I know this has been going on since Arians, but there have been some developments along the way, including in preseason, when Luck looked sharp and Pep made some common sense adjustments. It's like they scrapped all of that and went back to the worst of the Arians stuff at the beginning of the season. This coaching staff has not acquitted themselves well so far. Ultimately, it's on Pagano, but really, his offensive staff has dropped the ball.

 

And that's all setting aside Luck's struggles with reads and accuracy and holding the ball too long and making stupid decisions.

[ColtsLegacy]

We ran play action 35% in the first two playoff games last year. I foolishly thought this meant the staff had come to appreciate the benefit of using play action. We've been behind in all three games this year, but still, 11%? Two times in 36 dropbacks? And we were actually up 14-0 in this one. It makes zero sense.

When the OL looked like it was going to be a problem in the preseason game against the Bears, we went with quick rhythm passing and moved Luck on a sprint out for a TD. It made me think 'Okay, they want to be a big play offense, but they realize that they have to be more efficient in order to really get things going.' Wrong. Even after two really, REALLY bad starts, we basically did the same thing against the Titans. The only difference is that we ran the ball more, particularly in short yardage, but the rest of the approach was pretty much carbon copy.

I know this has been going on since Arians, but there have been some developments along the way, including in preseason, when Luck looked sharp and Pep made some common sense adjustments. It's like they scrapped all of that and went back to the worst of the Arians stuff at the beginning of the season. This coaching staff has not acquitted themselves well so far. Ultimately, it's on Pagano, but really, his offensive staff has dropped the ball.

And that's all setting aside Luck's struggles with reads and accuracy and holding the ball too long and making stupid decisions.

What's crazy is it's so evident to everyone, even less knowledgeable fans. The coaches have to understand this as well. So, why are they so stubborn? Why can't they, or won't they, make changes?

It's just insane.

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

Luck isn't very convincing on the playaction IMO.

[DougDew]

We ran play action 35% in the first two playoff games last year. I foolishly thought this meant the staff had come to appreciate the benefit of using play action. We've been behind in all three games this year, but still, 11%? Two times in 36 dropbacks? And we were actually up 14-0 in this one. It makes zero sense.

 

When the OL looked like it was going to be a problem in the preseason game against the Bears, we went with quick rhythm passing and moved Luck on a sprint out for a TD. It made me think 'Okay, they want to be a big play offense, but they realize that they have to be more efficient in order to really get things going.' Wrong. Even after two really, REALLY bad starts, we basically did the same thing against the Titans. The only difference is that we ran the ball more, particularly in short yardage, but the rest of the approach was pretty much carbon copy.

 

I know this has been going on since Arians, but there have been some developments along the way, including in preseason, when Luck looked sharp and Pep made some common sense adjustments. It's like they scrapped all of that and went back to the worst of the Arians stuff at the beginning of the season. This coaching staff has not acquitted themselves well so far. Ultimately, it's on Pagano, but really, his offensive staff has dropped the ball.

 

And that's all setting aside Luck's struggles with reads and accuracy and holding the ball too long and making stupid decisions.

Its easy for everybody to directly blame Pagano since he is the HC, but in reality he is a defensive minded coach.  I would not expect him to install an offensive system or a weekly offensive game plan.  The offensive staff has a job to do, and job 1 is to do what they think will work best based upon what they see in film study each planning week.

 

And the GM has several jobs to do also.  Installing an offensive game plan for the upcoming opponent is not one of them.

 

If Pags or Grigs is overriding the offensive staff for some larger big picture reason, then either of them may be the direct problem.  But I can't figure why they would do that.

[COLTS449]

Speaking about running some play action passes. With us actually having a run game now, Luck sould be deadly in play action with the weapons he has.

[jseg18]

Did we run the same offense back when Luck threw only 9 picks and we didn't turn the ball over?

Now that we have Gore, I'd luck out game plans to be similar to the one against the 49ers a couple years back.

[Superman]

Luck isn't very convincing on the playaction IMO.

I personally don't need theatrical play action, and the point isn't necessarily to take a big shot downfield. Just slowing down the pass rush and freezing the coverage for a split second is worth it.

[BleedBlu8792]

Mathis was pretty efficient in his pass rush, actually. And the defense got a good number of hurries, but a lot of them were later in the play, not immediate pressures. I think we can rely on Mathis to get pressure, but he needs help. Two years ago, it was just him, and overall, the pass rush was insufficient. 

 

Do you think the pass rush was affected by the defensive game plan? It almost looked like we were trying to keep Mariotta in the pocket and not allow him any running lanes, similar to how we played Tyrod Taylor. I think once they realized, in the second half that Mariotta wasn't going to take off, they started to get a little more aggressive in getting after him. It actually started working as he was having to move a little more in the pocket and his passes started getting more errant, on top of actually getting to him. This was just my perspective.

[2006Coltsbestever]

 

To defensive backs everywhere: Good night, and good luck.

 

Week 2 grades

 

Defense, C+: 74 plays, 433 yards, 28 first downs (18 passing, 7 rushing, 3 from penalty), 4/13 on third down, 1/1 on fourth down, 4/6 in the red zone, 2 turnovers, 33 points allowed, 1 defensive TD; the turnovers might have saved the season

 

Defensive front: Sporadic pass rush, which is an improvement from last week, but a lot of it is still manufactured. Because we're playing more zone on the back end, the effectiveness of blitzes is diminished on pass plays, but some still got home. Freeman and Lowery had some success as blitzers. Anderson got a lot of pressure, but he and Parry and everyone else really excelled at stopping inside runs, all game long. Kerr was good. The ILBs did a good job against the run also, and Jackson had a big stop stop for a loss on a critical possession. The edge work was mostly good, but there were a few plays where poor positioning and lack of awareness cost us (notably, the sweep to Wright, which was on Newsome). They had a little success in short yardage, but the defense held tough on two big possessions (helped by some overly conservative and/or stubborn play calling by the Titans, but whatever; at least we can stop short yardage runs). B, still need more pass rush, and I don't know where it's going to come from

 

Pass defense: Vontae gave up another TD, even though OPI should have been called. I'm sure he'll be fine, and toward the end of the game, it was him shutting down Wright and Walker on back to back critical plays. Thomas, the newbie, made the hit that led to Lowery's first pick, and had a strong game overall. The rest of the corners held the gameplan back, forcing us to play a bunch of zone, and it had a lot of impact on the pass rush. The ILBs still didn't cover anyone, and Delanie Walker must lick his chops before he plays us, because he had another big game. Mariota did a really good job against our zone stuff, and then had a couple plays he was able to extend against man coverage for some big gains. Their receiver also dropped a couple passes early in the game, which let our defense off the hook (one was on third down). Gave up too many third and medium/long conversions. So really the only bright spot was Lowery and his two picks, and he was a step and a half away from a third in the end zone. I expect this to get better, but holding on for Butler and Toler might not be as easy as I thought it would be. C, would be lower, but they made big plays that changed the game

 

Defensive coaching: Manusky is still handcuffed with replacement level corners, but the coverage across the middle is bad, and he can't come up with anything to shield or hide the poor ILB coverage. Geathers had too few snaps, and we still have nothing from Moore or Irving. We need more pass rush, but we have to play conservative coverages. I'm inclined to give him a pass, but I think we have to find a better balance in the meantime. C+

 

Offense, C: 56 plays, 378 yards, 20 first downs (10 passing, 9 rushing, 1 from penalty), 4/11 on third down, 1/1 on fourth down, 3/3 in the red zone, 2 turnovers, 35 points; signs of life...

 

QB: Found: One Franchise Quarterback, a little battered but still in good working order. Hope he's okay, but he took a lot of hits, including two after picks. And about the picks, just more bad QB play from a really good QB. Was still missing throws and receivers, held on to the ball a little too long... and was awful in the third quarter. Then he flipped the switch in the fourth, and started looking like the real Andrew Luck. He got help from his receivers also. If this is a sign of things to come, good, because we've seen him play better than this, and that's what we'll need from him. C+, we should tell him he's down by two TDs to start the game

 

Backs / receivers / tight ends, B+:

Running game: We've seen this coming, if only we'd give Gore a change to get going. Finally did, and if not for some (questionable) penalties, he'd have been over 100 yards rushing, for sure. There's really not a lot to say, as he did everything we needed him to. He ran through arm tackles, hit holes hard, finished carries, showed shiftiness to evade defenders, and in just 14 carries, he proved definitively that he can carry the load and set the pace for the entire offense. A, hard to believe, but we have a running back, y'all

 

Passing game: Don't know if AJ will ever join the party, which is too bad; we have no luck with veteran receivers. But if the young trio can play like this, and in limited snaps for Dorsett, then we don't need AJ. Oh well. Moncrief may have officially arrived with the high point TD grab, Dorsett grabbed one between two defenders (not uncommon when he was in college), and Hilton had a nice reach for a grab on the first TD drive. Doyle and Fleener got involved, which is an absolute necessity, especially Doyle from the FB spot. Those plays should be staple plays. Most importantly, they had the playmaker back at QB, and as we all know, he makes everyone around him look better when he's on his game. The receivers as a whole made plays at every level and in every zone, with the exception of screen passes, which failed miserably. Titans had some decent coverage, too, but our receivers were just better. B, weapons everywhere, let's use them

 

OL / blocking: Again with the penalties and missed blocks, and some of the worst play was from Castonzo, both in pass pro and run blocking. Mewhort back at LG was adequate, and Holmes seemed to benefit from that change as well. Reitz gave up a sack, but overall was decent, and they left him one on one a lot more than they did with Mewhort in the first two game. The question is Thornton, but he wasn't as bad as he looked at first, and he made several really good plays. The run blocking overall was pretty good. Jurell Casey is like Walker, and always has good games against us, but we mostly ran away from him in the run game. We can tighten up the protection on the left side as AC and Mewhort settle in. Luck evidently got hurt at some point, and as Pagano said, you can take your pick from a dozen plays where it might have happened. The pass blocking efficiency was the worst of the season, with a QB pressure on every other play, literally (18 pressures on 36 dropbacks). D, I'm torn between good run blocking and bad protection, and Luck being on the injury report is the deciding factor

 

Offensive coaching: I'm still having a problem with the gameplan. What we did late in the second half is good, but a lot of the offense looks almost experimental. We can't run a screen pass, and that's a weird problem for a professional football team to have in Week 3. Still won't run play action; officially 2 times in 36 plays, excluding a couple of aborted play fakes due to running back protection. When we ran Y Banana (the two play action passes, both on the same drive), it was foolproof. Very little effort to move the QB and wear down the pass rushers; just kept launching from the same spot behind the struggling OL. Very few hot routes, and there were plenty of plays where the defense abandoned the middle and we sent no one to fill the void. I won't give Pep a pass just because the offense started clicking; he has to dispatch his talented skill players more effectively, and until he does, his play calling is a drag on the entire team. D

 

Special teams: Still no field goals from AV, and the penalty probably saved him from starting 0/3 on the season. But he took care of XPs fine. McAfee punted like a champ, and then got the first down on the bad snap (according to him, that's his call, and he better be glad it worked out). No kickoffs were in play for either team, but the punt coverage was excellent, and that's something I was a little worried about in preseason. A

 

Game management, C: Gambled on the challenge, and lost. I get it, the call was borderline (and wasn't even confirmed upon review), and if you win it, the game is effectively over. But it kind of let the Titans up off the mat. I'm okay with the challenge. The decision to try a looong FG at the end of the half kind of makes sense, but AV has been off, and the likelihood of him making that kick was really low. I was honestly relieved by the penalty. I liked how active Pagano was on the sidelines, keeping his team on task, and doing his best to keep Hugh Thornton from totally coming apart (Luck did his part, too). The problem is before the game, and while Pagano probably isn't the best guy to help get the offense going, one of his deputies (Chud?) ought to be able to get this thing pointed in the right direction. Show me a better start next week, please.

 

Game ball: Dwight Lowery, for making two huge plays, and a few other good ones, that were desperately needed. I wasn't excited about signing him, but he's already proved his worth. Hopefully more to come.

 

Next up, the bad Jaguars. Maybe they're feisty after getting blown out at home, or maybe they're begging to be put out of their misery as soon as possible. This game should be a stepping stone for us, as the better team with a lot more to prove. I expect us to rise to the challenge.

 

GO COLTS!!!

Nice work. Appreciate your efforts. Great breakdown. I would say:

*Andrew (B-) = He still had 2 INT's but redeemed himself with an Great 4th Qtr. 11-13 and 2 TD's in the 4th + a 98 Yard drive.

*RB's (B) = Gore had over 6 Yards a carry and had 86 Yards Rushing/2 TD's, the other backs didn't do much though.

*WR's (B) = TY had a nice 49 Yard gain setting up the 1st TD, Moncrief and Dorsett both had huge TD's in the 4th Qtr.

*TE's (C = Doyle had a couple of nice plays as did Fleener but nothing special here, Average.

*O.Line (C-) = We are still not protecting Andrew and he was rushed on a lot of his throws but because Gore ran so well I went C-. Much better than a D or F.

*D.Line (B) = I thought Parry, Anderson, and Mathis when in played Good. The Goaline stop was critical holding them to a FG on Andrew's 2nd INT. If they score a TD there I think the game is over. Being down 31-14 is a big difference compared to 27-14.

*LB's (C = Just Average play overall. Some Good hard hits but nothing special overall.

*Secondary (B) = I mean 2 INT's and a pick 6 by Lowery. This would've been a higher grade but we still gave up too many big plays and Vontae gave up a TD.

*Sp Teams (A) = Pat was just awesome all day punting the ball, his fake on 4th down was Great as well. Vinny nailed all 5 of his extra points and we didn't give up any Kick or Punt returns for TD's.

*Pagano's Coaching (B-) = We won but it was still shaky.

*Pep's Playcalling (D) = Still don't like it. He gets my only true bad grade, it's not an F because we won the game and looked in rhythm during the 4th Qtr.

*Manusky's Playcalling/Schemes (B-) = I think Above Average and we won but still wish we would blitz more.

*GameBall - Lowery.

[DougDew]

Did we run the same offense back when Luck threw only 9 picks and we didn't turn the ball over?

 

I think that was the year Luck threw the ball to Reggie every other pass.  When good defenses shut down Wayne, the offense looked the same as it does now, IMO.  Either the O or Luck has yet to adjust to not having a dominant receiver.

 

But enough talking about that from me.  There are other threads to discuss offensive strategy.

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

I personally don't need theatrical play action, and the point isn't necessarily to take a big shot downfield. Just slowing down the pass rush and freezing the coverage for a split second is worth it.

I Must say, that is a beautiful picture in your op. That's the future right there.

[BrentMc11]

 

I looked straight to the grades, and Gabe made me aware of this pic.  Your comment is spot on.  Will we see Moncrief, Dorsett, and TY all at one time?

 

I will never give up on Andre Johnson.  His two best receptions of the year were called back....but Moncrief is PHYSICAL!

[OffensivelyPC]

What's crazy is it's so evident to everyone, even less knowledgeable fans. The coaches have to understand this as well. So, why are they so stubborn? Why can't they, or won't they, make changes?

It's just insane.

Yeah, I dont' really get it myself.   I mean, I don't expect coaches to listen to the talking heads on the radio and be like, "You know what, let's do what they say."  But sometimes, if it's something so obvious, you have to wonder why it isn't obvious to the play callers.  It makes zero sense.  There's nothing wrong with hitting quick passes for 4 or 5 yards.  I'd rather methodically move the ball down field and wear out the opposing teams defenses than start out trying to make big plays all game long.  It should be the opposite.  Take what the defense gives you and sooner or later, those big plays will show up.  I just can't help but toss my hands up sometimes.

[ColtsLegacy]

I Must say, that is a beautiful picture in your op. That's the future right there.

He caught it with the knuckles on his left hand too. That's impressive.

[csmopar]

How does that work? 

I agree with your assessment however, I feel the grades are 1 letter grade too high... I saw moslty D's except for 3 areas, RB, DL and ST( those were all in the B range).  and an absolute F in playcalling on O and an F on OL

[Smash Mouth]

I think that was the year Luck threw the ball to Reggie every other pass.  When good defenses shut down Wayne, the offense looked the same as it does now, IMO.  Either the O or Luck has yet to adjust to not having a dominant receiver.

 

But enough talking about that from me.  There are other threads to discuss offensive strategy.

Andrew has had a problem locking onto his top WR.  He and the offense are at its best when he spreads the ball around

[Smash Mouth]

We ran play action 35% in the first two playoff games last year. I foolishly thought this meant the staff had come to appreciate the benefit of using play action. We've been behind in all three games this year, but still, 11%? Two times in 36 dropbacks? And we were actually up 14-0 in this one. It makes zero sense.

 

When the OL looked like it was going to be a problem in the preseason game against the Bears, we went with quick rhythm passing and moved Luck on a sprint out for a TD. It made me think 'Okay, they want to be a big play offense, but they realize that they have to be more efficient in order to really get things going.' Wrong. Even after two really, REALLY bad starts, we basically did the same thing against the Titans. The only difference is that we ran the ball more, particularly in short yardage, but the rest of the approach was pretty much carbon copy.

 

I know this has been going on since Arians, but there have been some developments along the way, including in preseason, when Luck looked sharp and Pep made some common sense adjustments. It's like they scrapped all of that and went back to the worst of the Arians stuff at the beginning of the season. This coaching staff has not acquitted themselves well so far. Ultimately, it's on Pagano, but really, his offensive staff has dropped the ball.

 

And that's all setting aside Luck's struggles with reads and accuracy and holding the ball too long and making stupid decisions.

Great job with this every week!  

 

You highlight a pet peeve of mine which is Pep doesn't look back and carry forward things that work: play action passes, short passing game to get Luck in rhythm.  I can't figure out if he's just stubborn or insane ( the definition of insanity.....).  I would pay good money to sit in on a coaches meeting when they're looking at film and deciding what works and what doesn't.

[Superman]

I agree with your assessment however, I feel the grades are 1 letter grade too high... I saw moslty D's except for 3 areas, RB, DL and ST( those were all in the B range).  and an absolute F in playcalling on O and an F on OL

 

Got it. Grading is subjective. I don't pretend to be right, it's just my opinion. 

 

As for the OL, the run blocking was really good most of the game, and I disagreed with half of the holding calls (and I watched them a dozen times a piece). I actually dropped my grade a bit just because Luck evidently got hurt, which is kind of vindictive but I don't care. Too many blown blocks. They have to improve their communication and their technique.

[Superman]

He caught it with the knuckles on his left hand too. That's impressive.

 

I didn't realize that until right now. That's a really good pic.

[pgt_rob]

Great notes there Superman! We all appreciate your hard work and thought that goes into the grading for us all to read. Do you think making a trade or 2 for some great offensive linemen to protect Luck could save Grigson's job? For example snatching Kyle Long from the Bears for a 3rd round pick (they may be desperate) and move Mewhort to Right Tackle and Reitz to Left Guard.

[Superman]

Great notes there Superman! We all appreciate your hard work and thought that goes into the grading for us all to read. Do you think making a trade or 2 for some great offensive linemen to protect Luck could save Grigson's job? For example snatching Kyle Long from the Bears for a 3rd round pick (they may be desperate) and move Mewhort to Right Tackle and Reitz to Left Guard.

 

If the Bears are willing to move Kyle Long, we should be on the phone with them. But I wouldn't expect that to immediately improve our OL. And I think they'd be dumb to trade their best OL who still has another year on his rookie contract. But it's important to note that Long has given up more sacks this season than he did in the previous two years combined, one fewer than our entire line has given up in three games. So he might not be the silver bullet we'd think.

 

But I don't want to save Grigson's job. His work to this point speaks for itself, IMO. I'm not one of these people who thinks he needs to be run out of town, but there's no denying that he hasn't gotten it right on the OL, and he's had plenty of chances. He should have done more this offseason. I'm still holding out hope for Thornton, but I'm one of the few. 

[csmopar]

Got it. Grading is subjective. I don't pretend to be right, it's just my opinion. 

 

As for the OL, the run blocking was really good most of the game, and I disagreed with half of the holding calls (and I watched them a dozen times a piece). I actually dropped my grade a bit just because Luck evidently got hurt, which is kind of vindictive but I don't care. Too many blown blocks. They have to improve their communication and their technique.

agreed  The jets game was even worse with holding calls against us

[pgt_rob]

If the Bears are willing to move Kyle Long, we should be on the phone with them. But I wouldn't expect that to immediately improve our OL. And I think they'd be dumb to trade their best OL who still has another year on his rookie contract. But it's important to note that Long has given up more sacks this season than he did in the previous two years combined, one fewer than our entire line has given up in three games. So he might not be the silver bullet we'd think.

 

But I don't want to save Grigson's job. His work to this point speaks for itself, IMO. I'm not one of these people who thinks he needs to be run out of town, but there's no denying that he hasn't gotten it right on the OL, and he's had plenty of chances. He should have done more this offseason. I'm still holding out hope for Thornton, but I'm one of the few. 

 

Right. That makes sense. I personally think that Long would provide us with a better situation than running with Lance Louis at the very least. I'm still not sold on Thornton either. He looked like he simply forgot how to play football. I'm sure he will clean it up but it needs to happen yesterday. Seeing Luck injured is very unfortunate and we're lucky it wasn't any worse than what it is. If I were Grigson, that would be my goal between now and tomorrow to find somebody that can help us quick.

[ColtsLegacy]

If the Bears are willing to move Kyle Long, we should be on the phone with them. But I wouldn't expect that to immediately improve our OL. And I think they'd be dumb to trade their best OL who still has another year on his rookie contract. But it's important to note that Long has given up more sacks this season than he did in the previous two years combined, one fewer than our entire line has given up in three games. So he might not be the silver bullet we'd think.

 

But I don't want to save Grigson's job. His work to this point speaks for itself, IMO. I'm not one of these people who thinks he needs to be run out of town, but there's no denying that he hasn't gotten it right on the OL, and he's had plenty of chances. He should have done more this offseason. I'm still holding out hope for Thornton, but I'm one of the few. 

 

Kyle Long was moved to RT this year and has had a cast on his right hand, so that could account for his struggles.

[Superman]

Kyle Long was moved to RT this year and has had a cast on his right hand, so that could account for his struggles.

 

I forgot that he moved to RT. I'm sure he'd be fine at RG.

[Superman]

Right. That makes sense. I personally think that Long would provide us with a better situation than running with Lance Louis at the very least. I'm still not sold on Thornton either. He looked like he simply forgot how to play football. I'm sure he will clean it up but it needs to happen yesterday. Seeing Luck injured is very unfortunate and we're lucky it wasn't any worse than what it is. If I were Grigson, that would be my goal between now and tomorrow to find somebody that can help us quick.

 

Thornton just needs to get his hands up faster, and keep them inside. While I didn't like the penalties, he definitely invited them with poor hand placement and technique. He was fine at everything else.

[CoachSmok3]

Got it. Grading is subjective. I don't pretend to be right, it's just my opinion. 

 

As for the OL, the run blocking was really good most of the game, and I disagreed with half of the holding calls (and I watched them a dozen times a piece). I actually dropped my grade a bit just because Luck evidently got hurt, which is kind of vindictive but I don't care. Too many blown blocks. They have to improve their communication and their technique.

 

thank you for your insight and effort in another fantastic report card. Your efforts are greatly appreciated...

 

and being a bit of a writer myself....i absolutely love the honest journalism lol...cheers my friend

[ThatOneColtFan]

Wow, awesome write up on the game.

Great job Superman.

[NewColtsFan]

One play that I haven't seen mentioned is one the gutsiest calls I've ever seen.

 

McAfee's run for a first down late in the 3rd quarter, down 3 TD's.

 

I know it didn't lead to anything because a couple of plays later Andrew threw one of the worst interceptions that he's thrown as a professional.     Wow was that bad!

 

Too bad,  because I think that was a fearless call.    You're team has started 0-2 and your down 3 scores in the 3rd game and your deep in your own territory and you FAKE A PUNT?!?     Wow was that brave!

 

And boy,  did it work!!

 

I think those who don't give Pagano credit for this don't understand what they're seeing.....

[Gavin]

One play that I haven't seen mentioned is one the gutsiest calls I've ever seen.

 

McAfee's run for a first down late in the 3rd quarter, down 3 TD's.

 

I know it didn't lead to anything because a couple of plays later Andrew threw one of the worst interceptions that he's thrown as a professional.     Wow was that bad!

 

Too bad,  because I think that was a fearless call.    You're team has started 0-2 and your down 3 scores in the 3rd game and your deep in your own territory and you FAKE A PUNT?!?     Wow was that brave!

 

And boy,  did it work!!

 

I think those who don't give Pagano credit for this don't understand what they're seeing.....

Actually that was purely a Mcafee call...I mean he does mention that Pagano and Tom Mcmahon talked about it once at TC that if a snap brings him out of the pocket he has the call to bring it out and run if he wants but Mcafee actually made the call himself, He even goes on to say that if that play don't work "I'm probably walking back to a punch in the face"...His exact words http://www.stampedeblue.com/2015/9/28/9411921/pat-mcafee-called-that-fake-punt-run-for-the-colts

[NewColtsFan]

Actually that was purely a Mcafee call...I mean he does mention that Pagano and Tom Mcmahon talked about it once at TC that if a snap brings him out of the pocket he has the call to bring it out and run if he wants but Mcafee actually made the call himself, He even goes on to say that if that play don't work "I'm probably walking back to a punch in the face"...His exact words http://www.stampedeblue.com/2015/9/28/9411921/pat-mcafee-called-that-fake-punt-run-for-the-colts

 

Thanks, G....

 

I thought it was possible that McAfee made the call.    I remember last year that McAfee revealed that the staff gave him the green light for on-side kicks too.   

 

It just struck me that with the situation,  and how important it was, it likely came from the staff.   A bit surprised it was all Patty Mac,   but he is a river-boat gambler.

 

I still think you have to give the staff credit for giving Mac the green light to do that.    I'm not sure most staff's would do that.

 

That's impressive.

 

And thanks again for finding that story and linking it!        

[ThatOneColtFan]

So how do we get Andrew to stop locking onto TY every other play??

 

It's pretty frustrating.