Colts vs Bucs post game reaction

[bluephantom87]

29 minutes ago, JColts72 said:

Colts should be 8 and 3; Saints and Browns losses hurt 

 

Don't forget that Rams loss in OT or that first Jags game. No one expected the Colts to be here let alone as of now to be holding the 7th seed in the playoff race! Think about it we have an inconsistent defense to go along with a backup qb in Minshew yet here we sit. I also believe that Shane should be in conversation for COY award but our record is not good enough. What he has done with this

team / offense WITHOUT his young DYNAMIC rookie qb is amazing!!! His aggressive nature is the very reason this team scores. Shane has done a lot better in taking FG's compared to earlier in the season because Matt G has been nailing some very long ones!! 

 

Some like to harp on a few of the failed fourth down attempts but the way I see it Minshew has missed on some open reads that could've kept the drive alive. I don't always agree with going for it but I'll take it because many times it's an excellent play design on the call which usually leads to points later in the drive and that's refreshing!! This team scores points and Minshew has won 3 consecutive games for the FIRST time in his entire nfl CAREER. I will say keep swinging because this is all gravy right now and no one saw this coming GIVEN the circumstances. Go Colts!!!

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

That play call by Steichen to fake them out and put Franklin in at full back was hillarious. Players executed that to perfection. It was a gutsy move that could of lost the game.

[GoColts8818]

9 minutes ago, craigerb said:

What did the announcers say: “Harrison has a pick but Franklin and Speed don’t”?

I think it was pretty clear I was saying Harrison made a play but Franklin and Speed didn’t do anything memorable today.  It wasn’t a great day for them.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Minshew has his faults but when you see how the bengals backup did today and other backups Minshew is a good QB to have as a QB. Ceiling isn’t high but you can still win games.

[ColtStrong2013]

I don’t know about anyone else, but I get excited to think of a near future with AR, JT, Pitt and Downs spreading a defense out and stretching them downfield. 

[ShuteAt168]

13 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

That play call by Steichen to fake them out and put Franklin in at full back was hillarious. Players executed that to perfection. It was a gutsy move that could have lost the game.

My family got so fired up when that play worked! Apparently, the TE coach suggested it for MAC, and there was debate over who to put in the fullback spot. Next time we line up like that we could run or pass — D will not know how to play it. 

[OLD FAN MAN]

1 hour ago, GoColts8818 said:

Positives:

Defensive pressure.  Samson had the big strip sack but the line was putting pressure on Baker a lot of the day.

run game.  The two headed monster showed up and played well.

oline.  Really solid and held up really well against a good defensive front against the run.

Pittman.  Maybe his best game of the season.  Again I don’t care if you call him a 1 or 2 he needs to be kept.

Minshew.  Aside from two series he made good decisions today.  Still a backup and plays like it but this is about as good as you can expect from a backup.

Shane.  Coached a good game I thought and mixed up the offense.  Had some questionable decisions that I will address later but if you are going to be aggressive you are going to fail some too but also have great play calls like that 4th and one that set up the game winning TD. 
 

Negatives.

Run defense:  this team needs Grover back in a bad way.  This was the worst rushing team in the league and they had over 100 yards rushing and did a lot of it right up the gut where Grover would have been.  Next week vs Henry will be a big challenge.

Get off the field defense:  Gave up way too many third and fourth and longs and what’s more disturbing is most of them were easy for the offense.  Also, as good as the pass rush was today it was no where to be seen on get off the field downs.

Secondary communication:  too many blown assignments for on defense, product of a young secondary.  
Shane:  I can live with the 4th and six that failed because if you want the 4th and inches that worked later in the game you will have to live with some failures like the 4th and six.  So that’s not why he’s here.  I think his clock management at the end at the first half was bad and my biggest issue with Shane is that the Colts are undisciplined.  You see that with turnovers, poor tackling, and penalties.  Almost every game this season the Colts have committed more penalties than their opponents and tackling and turnovers have been an issue all year.  Not going to drag Shane over the coals too much for it it’s something that needs to improve.  I mean I think Shane should be in the conversation for coach of the year.  Taking over what was bad offense and having them put up 20 points in every game they have played this year but one and doing it with backup QB and having them currently in the playoffs should do that.  
Gardner under pressure:  that’s when bad Gardner shows up.  At least late he was taking sacks (granted he ran into it) rather than trying to do too much on a play they lost.

Linebackers:  aside from Harrsion’s pick you hardly heard Franklin or Speed’s names all day.  

they both missed some tackles

[Nancy]

I am glad the coach heard all of us screaming to run the ball, get creative, put the TE's in.  I am a little hesitant to be on the Downs wagon, seems like he wasn't fitting in that well today.  They need to mix it up more.  But a win is a win and I'll take it!

[Defjamz26]

Good:

- The D-line got home a lot today. Sacks in bunches as usual

-JT looked good

-The return of Will Mallory was nice to see

-100 yards from Pitt

-Steichen called an excellent game 

 

Bad:

-Tackling is atrocious. Too many runs that should have gone for 3-4 yards went for 9+. 
-He gets praise for what he’s done in coverage, but to the above point, Blackmon was not good against the run. He missed or got taken for a ride

-Still no vertical passing game. We will not be able to keep winning with just crossing routes, screens, and drags.

-Minshew looks like he’s auditioning for other teams for 2024. He is not playing writhin himself and sticking to the plan like he was early in the season. He’s doing entirely too much and is a liability.

-Nick Cross barely played on D, but his lone tackle was the best of any DB in the day. He flew to the ball and hit the RB immediately for little to no gain. Not sure why he doesn’t get more looks

-Tony Baker needs to be cut. This is one of the worst games he’s played and that’s saying something. He got absolutely mossed by their TE today

 

 

In The Middle:

-Pass 😧 While they were able to limit Evans to 70 and Godwin to 45, there were some really bad breakdowns. Evans was wide open for both TDs. Weak prevent D almost cost us the game as well. It’s a combination of lack of talent and Bradley being awful. Defensive line bails them out a lot.

[GoColts8818]

6 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

Good:

- The D-line got home a lot today. Sacks in bunches as usual

-JT looked good

-The return of Will Mallory was nice to see

-100 yards from Pitt

-Steichen called an excellent game 

 

Bad:

-Tackling is atrocious. Too many runs that should have gone for 3-4 yards went for 9+. 
-He gets praise for what he’s done in coverage, but to the above point, Blackmon was not good against the run. He missed or got taken for a ride

-Still no vertical passing game. We will not be able to keep winning with just crossing routes, screens, and drags.

-Minshew looks like he’s auditioning for other teams for 2024. He is not playing writhin himself and sticking to the plan like he was early in the season. He’s doing entirely too much and is a liability.

-Nick Cross barely played on D, but his lone tackle was the best of any DB in the day. He flew to the ball and hit the RB immediately for little to no gain. Not sure why he doesn’t get more looks

-Tony Baker needs to be cut. This is one of the worst games he’s played and that’s saying something. He got absolutely mossed by their TE today

 

 

In The Middle:

-Pass 😧 While they were able to limit Evans to 70 and Godwin to 45, there were some really bad breakdowns. Evans was wide open for both TDs. Weak prevent D almost cost us the game as well. It’s a combination of lack of talent and Bradley being awful. Defensive line bails them out a lot.

If you recall they tried replacing Baker and it got worse.  Not saying Baker is playing well but he’s the best of what the Colts have until Brents gets back.

[DEColtsLover36]

48 minutes ago, ShuteAt168 said:

My family got so fired up when that play worked! Apparently, the TE coach suggested it for MAC, and there was debate over who to put in the fullback spot. Next time we line up like that we could run or pass — D will not know how to play it. 

Wish my family liked the Colts so I could cheer with them lol 

[indyagent17]

Gardner made some rub ridiculous plays throwing in double and triple coverage is not smart. His clock in his head is not working. Thank goodness he made enough great plays to win . The defense was resilient played bend non break . I’m proud of the team but I worry about Minshew against better teams this season 

[JediXMan]

lol.

[Hawkeyecolt]

JT’s best game of the year I thought.  Raimann is really turning into a top notch LT.  The hold call was bogus.  Steichen was a great great hire. I would have punted on 4th and 6th. If you don’t trust Rigo to pin them deep get Tory Taylor from Iowa next season. Pay Pittman. Minshew can’t just stand tall in the pocket when he has good blocking. His pocket awareness is bad or his lack of height makes him get out of there so he can see the field.  Or both.  I believe it is why the TE’s aren’t used more. 
 

Nice pass rush today.  Dayo needs to be on the field more. Bryan, Johnson, AA, get demolished against the run. Dayo can’t be any worse. I thought the was Franklin’s worst game of the year. Poor tackling all day by the Colts. Definitely looking forward to Brents and Grover’s return. Jones blew the coverage on both of Evan’s TD’s. Chalk it up to inexperience I guess.  He’s gaining valuable experience.  
 

 

[Hawkeyecolt]

9 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

If you recall they tried replacing Baker and it got worse.  Not saying Baker is playing well but he’s the best of what the Colts have until Brents gets back.

Nor should he be criticized for a guy much bigger and taller than him going up and making a tremendous catch.  Sometimes you just tip your cap to your opponent. They get paid too. If he was getting roasted they was Brown was against NO or even the way Baker was against HOU I would be upset. 

[OLD FAN MAN]

16 minutes ago, indyagent17 said:

Gardner made some rub ridiculous plays throwing in double and triple coverage is not smart. His clock in his head is not working. Thank goodness he made enough great plays to win . The defense was resilient played bend non break . I’m proud of the team but I worry about Minshew against better teams this season 

i worry about good qbs picking apart gus soft zone

[csmopar]

In the end, we win. Big test next week, wish we had Grover back.

 

 

question: when was the last time we had a fully healthy and starting DL against the Titans ? It’s been a while

[richard pallo]

People scream we need an ER but we seem to get a lot of sacks.  I wonder where we rank league wise.

[OLD FAN MAN]

1 minute ago, richard pallo said:

People scream we need an ER but we seem to get a lot of sacks.  I wonder where we rank league wise.

we cant get pressure on third and long because gus goes prevent and only rushes 3, that is when we need pressure and sacks

[husker61]

21 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

People scream we need an ER but we seem to get a lot of sacks.  I wonder where we rank league wise.

close to the top in sacks per game and strip sacks. So much for the need for a elite de.

19 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

we cant get pressure on third and long because gus goes prevent and only rushes 3, that is when we need pressure and sacks

or lock down cb’s.

[Defjamz26]

8 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

we cant get pressure on third and long because gus goes prevent and only rushes 3, that is when we need pressure and sacks

He has Brents and Jones, he needs to run man on 3rd and long and get a real FS with range and IQ in the draft. Ideally you rush 4 and put your FS over top of the best receiver just in case someone gets beat.

[hoosierhawk]

Loved the 2 4th down calls to Pittman and MAC. Most innovative play calls we have seen from the Colts in years.

Pittman had a great day and I was somewhat please with Pierce for a change. 

 

Franklin and Speed both had bad days.

Need Steward bad badly.

[OLD FAN MAN]

2 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

He has Brents and Jones, he needs to run man on 3rd and long and get a real FS with range and IQ in the draft. Ideally you rush 4 and put your FS over top of the best receiver just in case someone gets beat.

our defense forces third and long with pressure then gus goes soft coverage and gives up a big gain, wish he would stop the soft pressure

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

16 minutes ago, OLD FAN MAN said:

our defense forces third and long with pressure then gus goes soft coverage and gives up a big gain, wish he would stop the soft pressure

That 3rh and ten was a ridiculous play call. Only rushed 2. Lol

[John Waylon]

2 hours ago, Solid84 said:

I think it was specifically gameplanned like that. The Bucs had the top run defense before today (I believe?). We ended up running unexpectedly well, but a 50-50 or 55-45 split could have been a disaster if they'd played up to that rank.

I know we game planned it, but when we did run we weren’t finding all that much resistance. When the game started to get mushy there in the middle after Minshew nearly threw that second pick we were still averaging 5+ yards a carry with less than 10 carries while Minshew had thrown like 20 passes and only hit on 50% of them. If we’re getting stonewalled it’s one thing, but we seemed pretty effective against them today. 

[Solid84]

14 minutes ago, John Waylon said:

I know we game planned it, but when we did run we weren’t finding all that much resistance. When the game started to get mushy there in the middle after Minshew nearly threw that second pick we were still averaging 5+ yards a carry with less than 10 carries while Minshew had thrown like 20 passes and only hit on 50% of them. If we’re getting stonewalled it’s one thing, but we seemed pretty effective against them today. 

But we also ended with 17 more carries for a total of 27, what more do you want? Steichen adjusted.
 

The pass/run split was 60/40 today at the end of the game. A little high sure, but not ridiculous or even far from the league average. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Wrong thread 

[Solid84]

1 hour ago, richard pallo said:

People scream we need an ER but we seem to get a lot of sacks.  I wonder where we rank league wise.

Sacks are great - no doubt - but there’s more to it than sacks. We don’t bring a lot of total pressures (sacks, hits and hurries).

[richard pallo]

2 minutes ago, Solid84 said:

Sacks are great - no doubt - but there’s more to it than sacks. We don’t bring a lot of total pressures (sacks, hits and hurries).

I actually think we are high on hurries and hits.  I’m sure someone will check it out.

[John Hammonds]

I'm so amused by how much negative commentary we're getting here on the forums after a win.  Perhaps we're not appreciating what we're seeing, objectively.  Steichen is taking a team that won 4 1/2 games last year, totally demoralized, and underachieving.  Without his brand new shiny QB.  With a backup center that shouldn't even be playing.  With WR's that still have issues creating separation.  With TE's that disappear for whole games before catching a single pass.  With a star captain LB that could never come back from his injury.  With 3rd and 4th string corners.  With a pro bowl DT missing due to suspension.  With linebackers who, in my opinion, have better stats than their true value.  Just how many hands does he have tied behind his back??  And he's managed to win 6 out of 11 games.

He's taken a three-suited hand with kings, queens, and nines, and managed to win three of five tricks in Eucre.

This guy doesn't deserve our criticism.  He deserves our praise.  Wow.

[Solid84]

15 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

I actually think we are high on hurries and hits.  I’m sure someone will check it out.

I have, and we aren’t. 

[Patrick Miller]

I know a lot of people focus on Minshews bad plays and interception but ignore his good plays and td drives. IMO Minshew and the offense will continue to gell as we go. Heck the whole team seems to be getting better as we go…..

[TheBlueAndWhite]

Fantastic game by the colts, awesome resilience.

 

On a weird side note, was watching the game on the NFL app, and did anybody else see a super strange 3 second clip of like a armoured up ancient warrior, walking up rocky steps in a mountianus environment? It was super bizarre, no description, no caption, no ending, just a cut scene video right after they cut to commercials.

[holeymoley99]

I live 2 hours from Tampa (2 from Jacksonville as well but they have no fans here) so nice to have bragging rights for a couple years.

[GoColts8818]

1 hour ago, Solid84 said:

But we also ended with 17 more carries for a total of 27, what more do you want? Steichen adjusted.
 

The pass/run split was 60/40 today at the end of the game. A little high sure, but not ridiculous or even far from the league average. 

And acceptable when you are playing a bad pass defense.  You have to attack weaknesses.  Not every game is going to be perfect balance.  

3 hours ago, csmopar said:

In the end, we win. Big test next week, wish we had Grover back.

 

 

question: when was the last time we had a fully healthy and starting DL against the Titans ? It’s been a while

Earlier this year.  Still you are right playing the Titans without Grover could get ugly.

[holeymoley99]

8 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

And acceptable when you are playing a bad pass defense.  You have to attack weaknesses.  Not every game is going to be perfect balance.  

Earlier this year.  Still you are right playing the Titans without Grover could get ugly.

Thinking we may elevate McTelvin Agim again for this game to have another big body in the middle to help slow Henry down.

[w87r]

3 hours ago, richard pallo said:

People scream we need an ER but we seem to get a lot of sacks.  I wonder where we rank league wise.

Tied for 5th in sacks with 36.

 

We were 5th coming into SNF but Chargers got 2 Tonight, if they get another we drop to 6. Shouldn't go any lower than that this week though

 

 

Baltimore (8 more) and Buffalo (3) have played extra game as well. They are ranked in front of us

[compuls1v3]

5 hours ago, ShuteAt168 said:

Shane Steichen will call anything at any given time and is a total wild card, and I am so here for it! Watching that last TD drive is the most fun I’ve had with Colts football in a while! 

His unpredictability is exciting to watch.   I love it!

[superrep1967]

6 hours ago, IndySouthsider said:

Minshew is not gong to get any better! He is also the best option they have. Maybe don’t dial up a game-plan where throws 41 times?

Exactly, Steichen made a lot mistakes in the game but we won maybe he’ll learn we can only hope. 

[superrep1967]

14 minutes ago, w87r said:

Tied for 5th in sacks with 36.

 

We were 5th coming into SNF but Chargers got 2 Tonight, if they get another we drop to 6. Shouldn't go any lower than that this week though

 

 

Baltimore (8 more) and Buffalo (3) have played extra game as well. They are ranked in front of us

Yeah, did Paye play at all?