How is it possible that a defending Super Bowl Champion with the highest profile player in the NFL could start 5-0 and get no attention? It's funny really, but during NBC's highlight package, they showed the Colts destroy (in every possible sense) a 3-1 team with a high profile coach, and then went right back to talking about how handsome Tom Brady is. It was just a tad surreal.
I'm having severe internet problems, so I might be more or less silent for a couple of days. Don't look for 18 Plays until tomorrow night probably. For now, just to validate my point, check out the Czar's mention of the Colts. Buried at the end of a column. Awesome.
UPDATE:
Thanks to reader Dan who mentioned the Judge article. I don't know why I always for get to check cbssportsline these days. He also puts the Colts #1 in his rankings.
Also FO Audibles column was great today, virtually repeating my first paragraph verbatim. Scroll down for a long and great discussion of yesterday's game.
Thanks to the reader that posted this in the comments section. Great article! How did you find it?
One more just in: the FO Quick reads has some great stuff today. Tom Brady has the best 5 games of his life and guess what? He's still not better than Manning in DPar. . . ooooh poor Tom. Even at his BEST he can't top an average season for Manning.
Demond Sanders: I'm officially back on the Football Outsiders bandwagon. Good stuff from them today. Although about the Jags he writes "Jaguars 3, National Jump to Conclusions Week 1." This references the fact that when teams lose in Week 1 the media tends to overreacts. This is of course true, but in the Jags' case I'm not sure they were wrong. The knock on the Jags was that they had a below-average quarterback and a stagnant offense. Neither may be completely true, but they are averaging less than 16 points per game. That won't get it done in the AFC South (where they are 0-1 going into this week's Houston game).
Monday, October 8, 2007
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5 comments:
Clark Judge of CBS Sportsline had a Colts column today - but he was at the game (I heard him on the Colts radio pre-game show).
From what I saw on various shows last night (NBC, ESPN, NFL Network) - they are almost putting the Colts in the Pats' class, but not quite. That's fine with me - the championship isn't determined by the BCS.
you need to check out this column from MN about how easy it is to root for the Colts.
http://www.startribune.com/souhan/story/1470151.html
Great article on Football Outsiders. Does anybody know what Schatz was referring to when he spoke of the "two-man-under" defensive strategy employed against Manning?
I believe Schatz means man coverage on the WRs from the corners and nickle with the safties picking up deep coverage. The D line shifts slightly so they aren't quite lined up on center. The MLB also lines up slightly to the strong side. I might be way off on this, so don't quote me. It basically leaves Harrison and Wayne double covered, can be vulnerable to sweeps, and has no idea what do with Clark. It isn't a zone however, so if there is pressure and the CBs can hold up halfway decent, it can sort of slow up the Colts. Sort of.
Man under is simply man coverage with two safeties playing deep over the top. It can look just like basic cover 2 before the snap. Cover 2 is the standard two deep five under zone which Indy plays.
When the receivers release off the ball and read zone, they have conversion routes which direct them to the seams between defenders. If they feel man coverage, they run a route designed to beat that.
Peyton and the Colt receivers are great vs a zone because Peyton can squeeze the ball into tiny spaces (go look at the tape of the Denver playoff game in 2003 with the perfect passer rating -- one pass where three Broncos almost ran into each other trying to get to the ball, but it got there.)
Problem with playing 2 man, is that the defense has real problems stopping the run if the front four and MLB can't stuff it. Everyone else is chasing after a receiver.
BTW -- http://www.tampabays10.com/sports/article.aspx?storyid=64933tes
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