Friday, August 31, 2007

Great article on Mudd...

Why didn't we jump off the roof when Tarik Glenn retired? Two words: Howard Mudd. Today Len Pasquereli had two articles which were of note to Colts fans. The first dealt with declining line play in the NFL, and the Colts own private cap saver in Howard Mudd. The Colts rarely draft linemen early in the draft. They rarely pay out big contracts. Yet every year, they produce great run totals and low sack numbers. It can't be overestimated how important Howard Mudd is to the Colts success. I really hope he can help Ryan Diem out though. I know Ugoh is getting all the scrutiny, but Diem is not playing well.

The second article dealt with whether Jacksonville is a viable place for an NFL team. In a day and age where virtually every NFL game is sold out, the fact that the Jags can't sell tickets is embarrassing. It's a small time town that doesn't belong in the NFL.

Footballoutsiders has a nice piece on statistical correlation. Don't start snoring! The concept is that just because something always occurs in a win or loss doesn't mean that that event CAUSES the win or loss. Such as the kneel down. Did you know that if your team kneels on the final three snaps of the game, they have a virtually 100% chance of winning? Duh. We all know that kneeling down doesn't MAKE you win, it is the effect not the cause. This article deals with other instances in which media guys try to say that event X causes a win or a loss, when it really might just be a result of winning or losing.

Bucky Brooks of SI made a critical mistake. He confused the words 'best' with 'most yards'. He picked his best offense of the year and went with last year's #1, the New Orleans Saints. The Saints did gain the most yards, but folks, the Colts offense was better. Simply put, the Colts have the most efficient offense in football. They gain fewer yards than a small handful of teams simply because they get FAAAAAR fewer plays than most teams. Last year the Saints were 2nd in yards and 1st in plays from scrimmage. The Colts were 14th in plays, but 3rd in total offense. That is sick. These two offenses aren't even on the same planet. He did pick Wayne and Harrison as the best WR duo, but that's an easy one.

Not much needs to be said about Pat Kirwan other than that he clearly hasn't been paying attention. He wonders how the Colts will replace a raft of players. Dude, they've been replaced. Where will the Colts find a wideout to fill the Stokely role? Where will they find TWO cornerbacks? What about a left tackle? Seriously man, wake up and smell the preseason.

Demond and I will check in later with our thoughts on tonight's game. It's basically just a watch Ugoh fest. I suppose we'll check out the 2nd string runners and kick coverage too. Does the fun ever stop??

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