Notes On The Colts Choking

[coltsva]

1 minute ago, pgt_rob said:

 

And we somehow did that with a bad team. I guess I view choking as having a good team who constantly loses under pressure of the moment. Just my thoughts though. If we had Andrew Luck back at QB and we kept losing after having huge leads, that would be a problem.

I agree with your view of choking, and I don't like putting that label on it. After 6 games it has become a personality trait of the team and we are obviously not good enough from a coaching or personnel standpoint to play a full game and/or hold a lead. I put most of that on the coaching end, but personnel plays a part too.

 

Strong 1st half with a good game plan, lousy 2nd half with poor adjustments and poor counter actions to opponents adjustments. It's like the script has already been written before the game is played. 

[Creekside]

17 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

I think "choke" is one of most over used words in sports.   Typically by people who love sports but don't know sports very well.

 

I've never thought we've been choking away games.    I don't think we're very talented and over the course of a 60 minute game the better team will typically win.    That's reality in the NFL.    

 

We we are hugely under-manned and that will show up in the 2nd half.    We still don't have many playmakers,  difference makers and in the NFL that is typically the difference between winning and losing.

 

We've gone from being old and slow to being young, but inexperienced.    Ballard said when he was hired this would not be a one-year fix,  and that's what you're seeing on the field.   

 

This team isn't choking... it's just not good enough.    Not yet at least...

 

I'm very serious when I say: This is one of the best posts I have ever read on this forum.

[Coltsman1788]

17 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

I think "choke" is one of most over used words in sports.   Typically by people who love sports but don't know sports very well.

 

I've never thought we've been choking away games.    I don't think we're very talented and over the course of a 60 minute game the better team will typically win.    That's reality in the NFL.    

 

We we are hugely under-manned and that will show up in the 2nd half.    We still don't have many playmakers,  difference makers and in the NFL that is typically the difference between winning and losing.

 

We've gone from being old and slow to being young, but inexperienced.    Ballard said when he was hired this would not be a one-year fix,  and that's what you're seeing on the field.   

 

This team isn't choking... it's just not good enough.    Not yet at least...

Hmmm...this is the kind of dangerous reasoning that will have Irsay giving Chuck Pagano another pass.  The team just isn't good enough yet? No...I would argue that talent wise this is a better team than last year. We have upgraded the defensive front and added younger and better talent in the secondary.  Offensively...We have been hit by injury.  Most notably Luck.  But we have added a capable back up QB who is competent enough to put this team in position to win games.  That is an upgrade over Tolzien. We have added a young playmaking running back with explosiveness in Mack. Our receivers are mainly the same but their production is falling off, perhaps it's due to Luck's absence and the process of adjusting to a new signal caller.  But essentially talent is there and in many ways this team has been upgraded over last year.  Chuck and this coaching staff must be held accountable when they consistently do not put this team in the best situation to play to their strengths and succeed.  Mack is being underutilized.  Last week was a joke.  He is one of the most explosive weapons on this offense outside of T.Y. and this staff needs to come up with creative ways of getting him on the field more.  Secondly, our secondary's strength is man coverage yet we consistently are playing lots of zone schemes which we are not good at...particularly in the second half while trying to protect leads. These coaches have to let this young defense play aggressively.  They will make some mistakes but they will also make big plays and at least keep their foot on the throttle.  When they do...we are in games.  When we shrink back we have second half collapses and so called choke jobs.  It is not just that the team is not good enough yet.  Our coaches need to play to our strengths more to give us a better chance at success.  We have lost two winnable games because of gutless coaching in my opinion...the Cardinals and Titans games were both winnable.  Offensively we turtled up.  Defensively we slacked off into zone.  This "not good enough" team could be 4-2 instead of 2-4 with better coaching decisions and second half adjustments.

 

 You know I love ya New Colts but had to jump in with my take on this buddy. 

[will426]

20 minutes ago, Coltsman1788 said:

Hmmm...this is the kind of dangerous reasoning that will have Irsay giving Chuck Pagano another pass.  The team just isn't good enough yet? No...I would argue that talent wise this is a better team than last year. We have upgraded the defensive front and added younger and better talent in the secondary.  Offensively...We have been hit by injury.  Most notably Luck.  But we have added a capable back up QB who is competent enough to put this team in position to win games.  That is an upgrade over Tolzien. We have added a young playmaking running back with explosiveness in Mack. Our receivers are mainly the same but their production is falling off, perhaps it's due to Luck's absence and the process of adjusting to a new signal caller.  But essentially talent is there and in many ways this team has been upgraded over last year.  Chuck and this coaching staff must be held accountable when they consistently do not put this team in the best situation to play to their strengths and succeed.  Mack is being underutilized.  Last week was a joke.  He is one of the most explosive weapons on this offense outside of T.Y. and this staff needs to come up with creative ways of getting him on the field more.  Secondly, our secondary's strength is man coverage yet we consistently are playing lots of zone schemes which we are not good at...particularly in the second half while trying to protect leads. These coaches have to let this young defense play aggressively.  They will make some mistakes but they will also make big plays and at least keep their foot on the throttle.  When they do...we are in games.  When we shrink back we have second half collapses and so called choke jobs.  It is not just that the team is not good enough yet.  Our coaches need to play to our strengths more to give us a better chance at success.  We have lost two winnable games because of gutless coaching in my opinion...the Cardinals and Titans games were both winnable.  Offensively we turtled up.  Defensively we slacked off into zone.  This "not good enough" team could be 4-2 instead of 2-4 with better coaching decisions and second half adjustments.

 

 You know I love ya New Colts but had to jump in with my take on this buddy. 

I wish I could like this post 3billion times you have the  same exact view as I do!

[NannyMcafee]

I would say the biggest choker on the team is Moncrief. Where the hell has he been this year? 

[NewColtsFan]

29 minutes ago, egg said:

 

I'm very serious when I say: This is one of the best posts I have ever read on this forum.

 

A very sincere thank you from me to you....    not often I'm made speechless...

 

You're very, very kind.....

 

 

[NewColtsFan]

50 minutes ago, Coltsman1788 said:

Hmmm...this is the kind of dangerous reasoning that will have Irsay giving Chuck Pagano another pass.  The team just isn't good enough yet? No...I would argue that talent wise this is a better team than last year. We have upgraded the defensive front and added younger and better talent in the secondary.  Offensively...We have been hit by injury.  Most notably Luck.  But we have added a capable back up QB who is competent enough to put this team in position to win games.  That is an upgrade over Tolzien. We have added a young playmaking running back with explosiveness in Mack. Our receivers are mainly the same but their production is falling off, perhaps it's due to Luck's absence and the process of adjusting to a new signal caller.  But essentially talent is there and in many ways this team has been upgraded over last year.  Chuck and this coaching staff must be held accountable when they consistently do not put this team in the best situation to play to their strengths and succeed.  Mack is being underutilized.  Last week was a joke.  He is one of the most explosive weapons on this offense outside of T.Y. and this staff needs to come up with creative ways of getting him on the field more.  Secondly, our secondary's strength is man coverage yet we consistently are playing lots of zone schemes which we are not good at...particularly in the second half while trying to protect leads. These coaches have to let this young defense play aggressively.  They will make some mistakes but they will also make big plays and at least keep their foot on the throttle.  When they do...we are in games.  When we shrink back we have second half collapses and so called choke jobs.  It is not just that the team is not good enough yet.  Our coaches need to play to our strengths more to give us a better chance at success.  We have lost two winnable games because of gutless coaching in my opinion...the Cardinals and Titans games were both winnable.  Offensively we turtled up.  Defensively we slacked off into zone.  This "not good enough" team could be 4-2 instead of 2-4 with better coaching decisions and second half adjustments.

 

 You know I love ya New Colts but had to jump in with my take on this buddy. 

 

No worries...    I suppose it's possible Irsay could keep Pagano one more year, I just think it's highly unlikely.   

 

Luck will be back healthy and playing next season.    I would think that would be the right time to make the change.

 

Appreciate the post...

 

 

[2006Coltsbestever]

18 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

I think "choke" is one of most over used words in sports.   Typically by people who love sports but don't know sports very well.

 

I've never thought we've been choking away games.    I don't think we're very talented and over the course of a 60 minute game the better team will typically win.    That's reality in the NFL.    

 

We we are hugely under-manned and that will show up in the 2nd half.    We still don't have many playmakers,  difference makers and in the NFL that is typically the difference between winning and losing.

 

We've gone from being old and slow to being young, but inexperienced.    Ballard said when he was hired this would not be a one-year fix,  and that's what you're seeing on the field.   

 

This team isn't choking... it's just not good enough.    Not yet at least...

This is a great Post, it's only a choke if you have the better team and lose when being favored. Pats were better than the Giants in 2007 so when they lost that was a choke. Cubs lost to Dodgers - not a choke, Dodgers are better for example.

[DonnieDarko1023]

5 hours ago, B~Town said:

Hard to grasp that under Chuck just a few years ago we were a great second half football team near the top of the league in scoring and second half come backs . Makes the argument it is all coaching lose a lot of traction . Fact is we don't have a talented roster and the depth is non existent in most positions so we see a team wearing down when we are not controlling the clock . 

 

Was the team coming back due to coaching or that the quarterback behind Center was that good 

[Jason_]

20 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

You see the Colts not being able to finish and conclude it's mentally weak and falls on the coaching staff.

 

I see the Colts not being able to finish and conclude we're not very talented and that falls on the previous GM.

 

So,  we see the same thing differently.

 

 

 

My problem with the "we're not very talented" argument is that they are indeed talented enough to get a lead on teams...they just can't finish.  I don't think that has to do with talent.  IMO that's coaches choking with their playcalling and game management late in games.  

 

When properly coached, this team can beat a lot of NFL teams.  When not properly coached, they don't have the talent to rise above the poor coaching/playcalling.

 

Just want to add that I don't think it has anything to do with "mental toughness".  

[OLD FAN MAN]

8 hours ago, egg said:

 

I'm very serious when I say: This is one of the best posts I have ever read on this forum.

i concur