Cat Cries

The Jholes and their fans are hopping mad. They think that Fred Taylor was shafted. For some reason, the their ire has centered on Joe Addai instead of on Willie Parker, who despite leading the NFL in rushing (due in large part to his league high carry totals), has questionable value. I realize that Taylor has put together four good games in a row (after 10 mediocre ones), but as we delineated the other day, this really shouldn't be an issue. Taylor isn't good enough. He's a part time back who rips off a few big runs and lots of empty ones. He is made better by splitting carries with MJD.

Some have intimated that Dwight Freeney wasn't deserving of his status as #1 vote getter in the AFC. That's true of course, since he hasn't played for about six weeks now. He was, however, having a tremendous season before he got hurt, and the pass rush has suffered without him (though in fairness it's impossible to get a read on this defense when it's constantly without multiple starters). I'm not defending the fans, mind you, they should have stopped voting for him when he went down. That's not his fault, though.

Who would ever have thought the Colts would win the Super Bowl and get FEWER players sent to the Pro Bowl. Glenn's retirement and Freeney's injury stole two who would have been rubber stamped in, but it's still interesting what a sham the whole thing is.

One Boston commenter questioned Manning's selection in a Boston paper (just some idiot not worth linking to). Really? He's got better numbers this year than Tommy ever had. If Manning doesn't belong, then Brady never did till now.

I'm still mad about Gary Brackett. He's the MVP of this team this season.

The Chargers have 9 Pro Bowlers? Norv Turner must be the worst coach ever...oh wait...

I know it's sort of a boring topic, but week 16 of the NFL is typically this way for these Colts. Nothing to talk about until the playoffs. And you know what? That's not a bad thing.

CHFF may be nasty, but they are not wrong about Gary Brackett. I also appreciate them not tooting the Fred Taylor horn.

Michael Smith is dead on about Dungy. We've been saying it all year, but it's nice to get the echo.

Demond Sanders: Thanks to anonymous for posting this great article about the MVP award. Can't I say I agree with the author's final conclusion, but I appreciate the research and outside-the-box thinking. Lemmings is indeed an appropriate word for most NFL experts. Manning has been great this season, but, unlike past seasons, he hasn't been the only glue keeping the Colts together. Guys like Gary Brackett, Bob Sanders, Raheem Brock, Reggie Wayne, Jeff Saturday, and obviously Tony Dungy deserve a lot of the credit as well. I think it would be disingenuous to argue that anyone besides Moss or Brady deserves the MVP. The truth is Manning is much more interested in matching Brady's second Super Bowl MVPs.

Deshawn Replies: I believe in consistency when it comes to arguments. I thought that Manning deserved the MVPs he won over fools who wanted Brady to win with vastly inferior numbers, and I'm not going to play that game this time. I agree with the author that Moss is more valuable than Brady this year, and I believe Manning to be more valuable to than Brady as well, but would not vote it that way, because my belief is not proof. My NFL MVP Ballot would read:

1. Moss
2. Gary Brackett (SHUT UP! I LOVE HIM)
3. Brady
4. Manning
5. Favre
6. LT (the Chargers would be LOST without him)

In a vacuum, I think Manning is both better and more valuable than Brady (even this year), but in the real world, I believe stats have to count for something, so in the name of consistency, I'll put him ahead this season. Ultimately, however, the Moss factor cannot be over estimated. If the Pats replace Moss with any other receiver in football, no matter how good, Brady would return his typical 90 rating with 25/15 and 3800 yards. As the weather has neutralized Moss, we've seen Brady's numbers start to slip. If he was not present at all, they'd fall back to where they've always been.

Has it really come to this? Arguing Manning and Brady again? Ugh. January can't come soon enough.

Snubbed?

The NFL's Pro Bowl rosters were announced today. Guess what? There are no Jaguars on it. The media just can't imagine how no Jaguars made the team. They argue that the Jags had strong cases for both QB David Garrard and RB Fred Taylor. Both Peyton Manning and Joseph Addai of the Colts made the roster at those positions. Pete Prisco thinks Taylor should have gone instead of Addai. He's very wrong. Addai has 10 more touchdowns than Taylor and 30 more receptions. He also leads Taylor in total yards by more than 200. Most importantly his team swept the Jags this season. Nice try, Pete.

Congrats to Reggie Wayne, Jeff Saturday, Bob Sanders, Peyton Manning, and Joseph Addai. Pretty good day for the Colts. Although you could argue that the Indy defense deserved more representation. Gary Brackett and the entire secondary deserve recognition for their performance.

Deshawn Zombie Comments: I've had it. I'm boycotting the Pro Bowl. That's right. I won't be going to Hawaii to the Pro Bowl. Gary Brackett has been dominant this year causing 9 interceptions. If a DB had done this, they'd be calling him an All Pro. Brackett is a far bigger snub than any of the Jholes. We already delineated how Taylor is not one of the three best RBs in the AFC (although neither is Willie Parker). How does the number two defense in football only have one Pro Bowl player? Brackett has been there warring every week in a year when guys have been going down left and right.

So take that NFL. I won't go to Hawaii!

On a side note: for those interested in Christmas gifts, check out these products from Cold Hard Football Facts. This page is actually worth looking at (gasp!).

Road to XLI

I've been watching the Road to XLI DVD set, and it's sort of making me sad. Watching Freeney and McFarland play again is awesome. It's a little hard to accept how amazing this team would have been if they hadn't gotten hurt. I've also noticed how well Keiaho and others played. Seriously, how did anyone who knew anything about football think the Colts were going to miss the Junes and Davids of the world? Marlin Jackson was laying wood. Freddy Keiaho was playing great down near the goal line.

One of the big things that hadn't occurred to me, but now seems obvious is that the Colts have stopped running the stretch play in recent weeks. When both of your tackles are hurt, it's hard to run wide. Last night on his radio show, Polian said that the state of the Colts line had them thinking it would be tough to run against the Raiders, so there's the answer to that question. From what I understood about Ugoh's injury, it had left him without full feeling in his right arm, and that it was going to take some time to get his strength back. That coupled with Charlie Johnson's consistently poor level of play has left the Colts without one of the staples of their offense.

I find it amazing that this collection of fill-ins and undrafted free agents not only has gone 12-2, but is 2 dropped TDs from being undefeated. I still think this is the best team in football, and if not for the injuries we'd be talking about them in historic terms. It's funny how different this year feels from last year. Listening to Collinsworth drone on about the Colts playoff problems was hilarious. The confidence that come from having won is invaluable.

It was also amazing to see how good AV was. I remembered the 5 FGs in Baltimore, but the three at the start of the KC game were huge. His 50 yarder before halftime really lifted the team.

At this point in the season, there isn't much left to talk about. The Colts' situation is simple: get healthy or go home. Fortunately, we have three weeks before our next meaningful game to heal up.

Oh yeah, one more Mitchell report note: isn't it interesting that the only one really denying the allegations is Clemens (oh, and Bonds I suppose)? Meanwhile, a stream of guys come forward and say things like, "Yeah, I bought steroids but...I didn't use them. It was only HGH. I was injured. It was just one time." Sounds like the Mitchell report evidence isn't quite as shaky as some pundits would have liked us to believe.

Why not run?

Let's take a look at the Colts run selection yesterday:

Drive one: 3 runs (0 yards) all on 1st and 10, 6 passes
Drive two: 1 run (1 yard) on 1st and 6, 10 passes (I'm counting Manning's scramble as a pass)
Drive three: 1 run (4 yards) on 2nd and 1, 4 passes
Drive four: 1 run (5 yards) on 1st and 10, 2 passes
Drive five: 3 runs (8 yards) on 1st and 10, 1st and 1, 2nd and 1, 6 passes
Drives six and seven: NO runs, 7 passes
Drive eight (lone TD drive): 4 runs (18 yards) on 1st and 10, 2nd and 1, 1st and 10, 3rd and 1, 7 passes
Drive nine (kill the clock): 4 runs (20 yards). The last two runs were almost more of kneel downs as the goal was to run just a couple of extra seconds and then go down.

We can complain about the lack of production, but it seems to me that this indicates a lack of commitment to the run game. The Colts did not run except on extremely obvious run downs (1st down or 2nd or 3rd and 1). They got in one of those streaks where Manning forgets to call run plays on 2nd and 6. Again, the line play was horrible most of the day yesterday, so it's hard to know who to blame. I don't think Addai looks tired, but I do question exactly how healthy Ugoh and Scott are. These rest weeks couldn't come at a better time.

Here's today's running links:

Clark Judge doesn't think the Colts can win in NE. His reasoning? They play in a dome. Seriously? That's your analysis? You could pick any reason: injuries, style of play, whatever. And you pick "they play in a dome"? Hmmm, maybe you should read 18to88.com.

ARod and Scott Boras have had a falling out. Listen, I know that celebrity interviews are about as credible as Vic Ketchman at a MENSA convention, but I found ARod's comments about taking charge of his life to be very positive. It's tough for these guys to break with their agents. I'm glad he did.

I know it's a little weird, but this has really been the limit of coverage. I can't remember a time when a defending Super Bowl Champ went 12-2, won it's division, had a top 5 offense and the number 2 defense and got less attention than this Colts team. It's kind of funny. And wonderful. Under the radar, baby. Under the radar. By the way, there is an interesting discussion of the above points going on in the comments section. I think I've made some clarifications to my above arguments that should illuminate the topic. Be sure to check it out.

Almost as if to prove my point, the only way to read about the Horse is to check out this horror show of a list. In a list of some of the worst teams in NFL history, the Colts take three of the top 8 slots. Ugh. I went to games in everyone of those seasons. In fact, the 1986 Bills game was my first ever Colts game. All I can remember about those days is that everyone called them the Dolts and the acronym C.ount O.n L.osing. T.his S.unday was popular.

I was listening to the Jets win in 1991 on the radio. I was working with my dad on a Sunday afternoon, and we were celebrating.

The '97 team was the first year that we purchased our own tickets (we were paying for an aunt's tickets who had moved to CA for many years before that). That Green Bay win is listed on our Greatest Colts Wins list.

Man, did we ever deserve that Super Bowl.

Raiders Post-Game

Big come from behind win for the Colts today. The Colts have won the AFC South and clinched a first round bye in the playoffs. If ever there was a year when the Colts could use a break it is this year. Although some will argue that the Colts have quite a few offensive kinks to hammer out before January 13th.

1.) The Colts will finish the regular season with a 7-1 record on the road. The 4-4 record on the road last year left a bad taste in Dungy's mouth. They have re-established themselves as a mentally tough team, and this is a great sign for the playoffs. Perhaps I don't need to mention how close they were to a perfect road record.

2.) Very strange game on offense. The Colts didn't look like themselves. After having a touchdown reversed that would have given them a 17 point lead they looked out of sync. The offensive line did a poor job of pass blocking and run blocking. It didn't help that the Colts completely abandoned the run in the second half. Bizarre.

3.) It is never a bad idea to run the ball on the goal line. If it fails, try it again. Odds are you will bang it in eventually. The pass on fourth down was inane. The pass later in the game on third down wasn't any better.

4.) You're killing me, Dallas Clark. 1 catch for 9 yards is not going to get it done in January.

5.) Joseph Addai will be fine. He's the same player. When they need him to pick up yards in the fourth quarter he was clutch. This includes a huge 2 point conversion. He also chipped in with five catches.

6.) It never hurts when your opponent is willing to concede three drives by inserting a rookie at quarterback.

7.) This was not unlike the last game that featured a Colts punt return for a touchdown. The Colts also beat the Jaguars 21-14, in a contest that featured long bruising drives by the opposing team.

8.) Kick coverage is still horrible. Oakland's last ditch drive was set up with a nice return. The Raiders were an ankle tackle away from their own punt return for a touchdown.

9.) Great game winning drive. 11 plays, 91 yards. Brilliant one-handed effort by Reggie Wayne. The chemistry between Manning and Gonzalez is starting to gel. Great job of cutting his route short on the game-winner.

10.) The Colts won despite not getting a sack, interception, or fumble recovery from the defense. That's tough to do in the NFL. Still, I was proud of them for bringing it despite the injuries. Freddy Keiaho had a great game. The Colts' chances for a repeat rides on the play of this unit.

DZ Comments:

• I was continually frustrated by Manning checking away from the run so much. I realize that in a game of inches, this game was about two inches from being a blowout, so I'm not going to be too harsh. I still felt like the lack of a run game had more to do with choosing not to run than not being able to run. I think that was poor planning. In the fourth quarter, the Colts ran 7 times for 40 yards (not counting the last two plows into the line as they tried to kill the clock). I'm just not sure why the commitment wasn't there the rest of the game.
• Dallas Clark's hands are going to give me a heart attack.
• The line play was not strong, which worried me. It seemed like there was pressure up the middle and blitzes not getting picked up. I'd have to see the tape to know who was at fault.
• Clutch road wins over feisty clubs with fired up fans are tough anyway, and the Colts really handled the gut check of the Raiders taking the lead fairly well.
• The makeshift d-line was very solid. The Raiders had a lot of rushing yards, but the YPC wasn't great (3.8), so that's a win for those guys up front. Randy Cross mentioned before the game that the Colts D line included just one drafted player (rookie Dawson was picked in the 7th round). Not enough pressure, but they held their own against the run.
• AG is really starting to look comfortable.
• Demond complained the whole game that he was he heard that Rhodes was going to get touches, and at one point had changed Eyes to reflect that, but was tired, so he left my original comment. He was mad about it. As it turned out, it wasn't one of our better Eyes in terms of accuracy. I'm still shocked we didn't run the ball more.
• Big win for the Jhole Kitties. They managed to almost choke it away, but in the end, it came down to the fact that Pittsburgh really isn't that great a team David Garrard was seriously pimped out at his press conference. Now there is a serious chance the Jags will have to go back to Pittsburgh in three weeks. I'm not sure if I like their chances in a rematch if Palamalu plays.
• The entire AFC South is at .500 or better
• Once again, the Pats win, and a win is a win. Still, don't anyone feed me crap about Larry Marooney getting 100 yards. The Pats managed 3.7 YPC against one of the 5 worst run Ds in the league. Color me very unimpressed. Of course the Colts played the worst run D and didn't run it so, who knows? Oh, and didn't we say it would get a lot harder to throw the ball after the weather turned cold? Since November started Brady's been under 100 in passer rating in 4 of 6 games after going over 105 each one of the first 8 weeks. I guess he's really just a Sunshine Superman who beats up on weak competition when the weather is good. If you don't get the moronic reference, never mind. It's not worth your time.
• Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe called Tom Brady's season this year, "The greatest statistical season we've ever seen". Well, maybe it is, and maybe it isn't, but unless he gets 5 TDs on the Dolphins, there will be a serious argument about that. He also dropped below Manning's record passer rating for the season. He may still pass those numbers, but it is no gimme. Manning sat for basically 7 quarters in 2004. Brady has the same number of attempts through 14 games that Manning had through '16'. He's behind Manning in yards, TDs, and rating through the same number of attempts. Just pointing this out.
• Dallas is fading at the wrong time. If they aren't careful, they'll wind up at Lambeau in late January.

Road Warriors

Colts 21 - Raiders 14

Buzzer Beater

Eyes in the Backfield is up! I'm a little surprised we got it done, as family obligations and computer problems for Demond kept us from having a ton of time to work on it, but it's up. Here's a preview for interested parties:

The only thing I love more than blowouts its playing games that barely count because we've clinched. Technically, this week's game means a little bit, but a win would put the regular season to bed. This week be ready to:

1. Watch the pregame introductions. Or else you’ll have no hope of knowing who is playing for the Colts on defense. Without any of the normal guys starting on the D line, the Colts are playing up to four rookies at once. Yikes.

Also, for those who don't read the comments sections, here are a couple of good links by the readers today:

Dom Rhodes and Warren Sapp talk about #18. Does it sound to anyone else like Sapp wants to play in Indianapolis?

Here's one that made my day: Edge got a ring from the Colts. How awesome is that? We all love Edge around here, and valued his time with the club. I think it was incredibly classy to include him in all of this.

I was also relieved to see that Andy Pettitte manned up and explained his HGH use. Pettitte's name was one of the ones that most upset me, because his life was supposed to be about higher things. I don't think his excuse was good enough to excuse breaking the law, but like Rodney Harrison, he 'fessed up. We joke about Harrison because it's fun to bug Pats fans, but think he did right by being honest. Same with Pettitte. All the abusers should come clean and tell their stories and give the fans a chance to forgive them. Stonewalling behind lawyers and lies won't help. Just ask Pete Rose. It only makes people bitter when the truth comes out.

Our status for the game blog is up in the air. We will both be at a goodbye party for some close friends moving to Costa Rica, so I don't know it'll happen or not. I'm out for sure, but Demond is a game blog warrior, so stay tuned. . .

Probowl running backs

It occurred to me that this might become a problem when I read Pete Prisco's 'real probowl' team. Pete did a questionable job (re: no Gary Brackett), but did recognize several Colts (Manning, Wayne, Sanders, Saturday, Hayden and praised Bethea as well). His real mistake was at the running back position where his gives the sentimental nod Fred Taylor. Taylor, the ultimate definition of mediocrity, has been getting some press for hitting 10,000 yards without ever making the Pro Bowl (a game where often three or four backs per CONFERENCE play). He picks Taylor over Joe Addai for the last slot, which surely would please Freddy since he said before the season that he was clearly the better back. I think it's time to look at the backs in the AFC, since I'm sure Prisco won't be the only one to make this mistake. Here's a list of the top several backs in the AFC:

-----------------Yards Carries YPC TDs Rec Yards TDs
Willie Parker --1217---306----4.0---2--21--155----0
Tomlinson -----1195---265----4.5---12--56--508---3
Wil. McGahee 1093---260---4.2---7---42--229---1
Joe Addai ------975----236----4.1---11--34--318---3
Fred Taylor ----944----191----4.9---3---9---58-----0
Jamal Lewis ----921----218----4.2---9--23--194---2
Justin Fargas ---920----196----4.7---3--22--181---0

From this chart, I think we can plainly see that Taylor is explosive, but ultimately a very one dimensional back. We all know he splits carries with Maurice Jones-Drew, as reflected by his low touch down numbers. While he has a high YPC, he lacks almost any other conventional stat commend him. He has only scored 3 TDs, and his receiving numbers are laughable. In fact, Justin Fargas of the Raiders has a BETTER resume for the Pro Bowl than Taylor.

If we use unconventional stats, such as the footballoutsiders DVOA or DPAR, we find Taylor ranked 10th IN THE AFC in DPAR (behind even Kenton Keith in DPAR!). Joe Addai? Third in the NFL behind Westbrook and LT. In VOA, which is a per play measure, Taylor rates a 0.0%, which basically means he is the PINNACLE of average.

I think this list essentially shows that LT, Joe Addai, and Willis McGahee offer the best combination of yards, YPC, TDs, and receiving yards. Willie Parker has big yards, but has been a joke in terms of actual production (if you think Freddy T's FO numbers are bad, check out Fast Willie's!).

Prisco essentially picked two backs of very questionable worth over one of the truly feared all around weapons in the NFL.

Going blind

Eyes is some kind of intermediate state, and I have no idea if we'll get it up or not (it's been a long, full week). There is, however, some good, half written stuff that will make an appearance at some point or another. For now, satisfy yourself with this TREMENDOUS article from the footballoutsiders. I swear, these guys run the best site on the web.

YouTube rules

You can find whatever you need.

MITCHELL! Wakama wakama...

Anyone ever see that episode of MST3K? No? Just me? Crap. Never mind then.

I've been busy all day, but did manage to hear the press conference and I have some reactions:

• I'm furious. I am a real baseball fan. I traveled hours to watch McGwire and Bonds. I feel like they cheated me. I knew McGwire used andro (which was legal both in the USA and in baseball), but would never have gone to see him if I thought he was dirty. Maybe I was naive, but I was barely 20. I had played high school and college baseball and never once heard of steriods in the game at those levels. I'm sick that I ever rooted for the Rocket.
• The problem with steroid users is that they broke the law. They endangered their own health, put pressure on others to use (just so they could compete and keep their jobs), defrauded the fans, and set a horrible example for youth. I would LOVE for every user to be exposed, humiliated as a cheater and a fraud, and have to answer for their actions.
• I can't figure out what 'evidence' people want. First person testimony from a distributor who has receipts and checks from players IS real evidence.
• George Mitchell is unimpeachable character-wise. I'm not concerned with the 'apparent conflict of interest'. This is a dude who helped broker peace in Ireland. I doubt very seriously if he's going to sell his soul to cover for the owners.
• Here's the thing about the argument that the owners are to blame for being slow to act: 1. it's true they were slow to act 2. So what? The impetus was on the players not use. IT WAS A FELONY. Purchasing illegal steroids was a crime. Just because someone is willing to pay you money and not ask how you do the job doesn't lower your responsibility. There is ALWAYS an easy way out in life. Lying, cheating, and stealing are easy and always options. Every individual has to make the right choice in life. And no, there's isn't just a right choice "for me and my life". When a player chose willingly to use illegal drugs, they said to society, "Screw you. Screw the kids who look up to me. Screw the greats who have gone before me. All I care about is my life and my ability to make money. I'm going to break the law."
• If Big Mac, Bonds and Clemens make the HoF, so should Rose. Look, what Pete did was reprehensible. It was illegal, irresponsible and wrong. But 1. it didn't take place while he was playing and 2. it didn't change games. These cheaters conspired to alter SEASONS of baseball. They broke the law and changed batting titles, HR races, Cy Young awards, and championships. It makes me sick.
• I'm glad the report is out there. I do blame the players and the MLBPA for perpetuating the system and resisting change. The onus is on them to show they want to clean up the game. I favor blood testing. Is it an invasion of privacy? I think that million dollar contracts played out before publicly funded stadiums is a fair trade for a loss of privacy. You have no right to test my blood for anything. But, if you want to pay me a million dollars (indirectly subsidized by tax money), you have every right to demand it of me.
• I'm tired of talking heads suggesting that the fans don't care about this. Really? If you think people don't care, then don't talk about it. If they really don't care, why do you drone on and on. Shut up and move on. Otherwise, admit that it matters.

Demond Sanders: I'm glad the report was released. Am I supposed to feel sorry for these players? I laugh at the people, like ESPN's Buster Olney, who argue that you can't keep players out of the Hall of Fame unless you are willing to keep everyone from this era out. That is foolish to me. You can't catch everyone, but the investigation nailed some of them. Punish the ones you netted. Would the police say, "Oh darn we got some of the drug dealers, but we couldn't get all of them. I guess we have to let these guys go free because it wouldn't be fair."

Warm bodies

Sunday should be interesting. Phil B. lets us know that the Colts can barely field a defense this week. In fact, this Sunday only 5 of the original 11 projected preseason starters will play for the Colts on defense. Hayden, Jackson, Sanders, Keiaho, and Brackett will line up with the likes of Giordano, Thomas, and Johnson. That means the Colts have lost (at least temporarily):
Freeney, Mathis, McFarland, Brock, Bethea and Morris. Sanders, Keiaho, and Hagler have also missed games. When you add Harrison and Diem to that list, you begin to realize how remarkable this season has been for the Colts. Oh yeah, Clark, Addai, Ugoh and Gonzalez have all missed games as well.

Yesterday, on the crap fest that is ESPN's Football Today podcast, the yahoos from Scouts Inc were discussing their QB rankings. Keith Kidd, who is an ex Patriots employee was discussing with Jeremy (I helped with the worst draft record in history in Cleveland) Green why they wanted to make love to Tom Brady. Jeremy Green made the comment that with all the injuries, you could see how normal Peyton Manning has become. I laughed out loud. Manning played exactly one bad quarter this year. He, like his team, is having an amazing season.

All that being said, Sunday's game could be tough. Granted, I don't expect the Raiders to get anywhere passing, but with Justin Fargas, they do have a very tough run game. It'll be tough to stop him with a completely rebuilt D line, and it's more important than ever that the linebackers step and play huge. You just get the feeling that as long as these guys can all get healthy for the playoffs, that this team will be a holy a terror. When every man who rotates in has experience and confidence, you become a dreadnought. It's really nice to have a one month cushion before we have to win a game of significance.

Ravens recap-18 Plays

Thanks for all of your prayers and kind words. We are all sad today, but the joyful kind of sad that comes from the end of something special. Both the family and my grandfather were prepared for this day, though we still find ourselves wishing it hadn't had to arrive.

Demond and I hooked up to do 18 Plays this week anyway, because frankly, blogging about football is therapeutic and often way easier than dealing with life. I think we gave you all a much better, or at least much shorter, effort than last week. So, for your weekly dose of good analysis and a hearty mocking of the losers, check out 18 Plays. Remember, you can subscribe via Itunes or download the episode directly from the site.

Finally, thanks to all of you for knocking our hit counter on the blog over 40,000 for the year. I realize that a third of those are my own, and another third belong to bored Pats fans, but it's pretty cool anyway. Thanks for reading and being a part of things.

Much harder than it looks

ESPN is reporting that Bobby Petrino of the Atlanta Falcons is heading to Arkansas to become the next head coach. This is not a surprise given the unpromising situation he found himself in with the Falcons. Can't say I blame him. Petrino is the latest in a long line of successful college coaches who failed to make the transition to the professional game.

Stories like this give you an appreciation of how special Tony Dungy's head coaching career has been. In his 12 seasons, Dungy has only one losing season, which came in his first year with Tampa. His teams have been to the playoffs ten of the past eleven seasons. You can hire anyone you want, but that level of success is impossible to duplicate.

Today I lost my Grandfather

He was the greatest man I know. Standing on the shoulders of a giant is a cliche, I'm sure, but some phrases are evocative no matter how tritely they've been used. Like so many of my generation, I've been blessed in my life with a grandfather who loved me and helped to make me the man I am today. Certainly the finest man I've ever known (and I have known some excellent men), he cast a long shadow over my life seemingly without even trying. As a child, all I knew was that he took me to ball games (my first IU basketball and football games and my first Colts game) and movies (Return of the Jedi), and that dad and I would go watch the Hoosiers at his house when they were on cable. These things were so important to me then, but now seem so trivial in light of the truly great things this man did for me.

He was the greatest man I know. He was a warrior and scholar. He was a learner and teacher. He was a man of faith and of thought. He was raised in a small town, spent many hours on a farm, and lived in the city. He was Irish, and he was American. He signed up to serve his country after Pearl and rose to be a lieutenant colonel in the USMC. He knew Eva Marie Saint and once asked Ava Gardner to dance (she declined saying that Mickey would be way too jealous). He saw Hack Wilson, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial and was there in Brooklyn the day Jackie Robinson changed the world. He dedicated his life to teaching, and served kids at an inner city school for years. Even after he retired, he substitute taught, always favoring Pike High so he could be near his grandkids. He was a dedicated citizen in the true sense of the word, campaigning tirelessly for candidates who helped the poor. He was an elected official, and would drive the people to the polls on election day who couldn't make it themselves. Deep into his 70s and 80s he was working tirelessly for the poor and the defenseless. He believed that one could best fulfill the Greatest Commandment by honoring the Second One that was like it. Despite all he had done, I never heard him boast. Not even once. Only a humble man can loom so large. IF the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control, then he was indeed a tree of life. He was the greatest man I know.

I've tried to live my life in light of the heritage I've received from him, though I'm not sure that he how much he realized it. I've dedicated my own life to working with the same people that he did, because when you stand on the shoulders of a giant, you can see far. Some days you can see clear to Jerusalem. Now that he's gone, I feel like I've descended down into a valley that I can't see out of. It's far easier to stand on the shoulders of a giant than to walk in his deep, deep footsteps. Each time we lose a man like this, it's as if the world grows that much more dim and moves on a little more. It becomes incumbent upon all of us ascend to the same heights at which men such as this move, if only so we can see the light again, and find our way along in the twilight. There are only so many hours of daylight in each life, and we must walk while we have them. There is no way to thank such a man as this, except to live how he lived for 86 years. Goodbye, Grandpa. I love you. You were the greatest man I knew.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will called sons of God

Reflextions

This post will serve as a clearing house for any links I find throughout the day, but I'm not expecting there to be many. Most of the coverage is of the Pats/Steelers game. I do think everyone should read Kravitz's piece from yesterday's Star. It's probably his best work since he came to Indy. Demond and I have discussed the concept that this is the golden age many times. Watching these Colts must be what it was like to be a Reds fan in the 70s. It's a special thing that comes around once in a great long while. I'm not taking it for granted.

Other thoughts:

• If it seems like we spend a lot of time discussing the Patriots around here, it's because there are only three relevant teams in the NFL right now. There are the Pats and Colts, and then there is Dallas, who is only relevant because they will be playing in the Super Bowl. We fully recognize, and have said for weeks, that this season will be about the Colts/Pats game in January. I haven't thought Pittsburgh was very good all year (do they have an impressive win?). I think the Jags secondary is far too weak to slow the Pats (unless the weather is bad). Of course we talk about the Pats-do you think we are supposed to take the Ravens, Raiders and Texans seriously?
• I know everyone thinks the sky is falling on the special teams, but here's the point I've been making all year: if the 2006 team could overcome the HORRIBLE game the special teams played against the Pats AND a game opening kickoff return against the Bears, what are the odds that they'll play worse than that? We've already won the games that the special teams should have lost for us. Yeah, Rocky Boiman's inability to STAY HOME AND NOT OVERPURSUE is driving me nuts, but I just don't think they'll cost us.
• Mark Schlereth of ESPN discounted the Colts' game against the Pats because they had Dwight Freeney healthy, but won't have him in the rematch. But they also DIDN'T have Harrison, Ugoh, Keiaho, Hagler, and AG (for half the game-and he was hurt when he did play). I love Freeney, but I'd take those 5 over just him any day.
• If you had told me 6 months ago that 13 weeks in, the Colts would have lost two games by 6 total points, and in those two games they would have dropped 3 touchdown passes and missed 3 field goals, I'd feel pretty good about things. And guess what? I feel pretty good about things. NE fans can call us jealous, but honestly, I would rather be 11-2 than 13-0 right now, and I'd rather play NE outside in the elements than in the dome. We've done the undefeated thing, and it's exhausting. I'm pretty pleased with where this team is sitting.
• Manning is having a huge year. He gaveth and tooketh away during the San Diego game, but other than that he has been tremendous. He has gotten hit more this year than any in recent memory, but has kept this team pointed in the right direction. The last two games (against teams that can play the run) have been vintage. Doesn't it feel weird that he already passed Elway in TD passes? How is that possible?

Garbage

Colts 44 - Ravens 20

Live Game Blog - Ravens

1st Quarter

1.) Colts start with the ball at the 35. Ryan Diem is out as expected. Charlie Johnson is at Right Tackle. Addai is hammered for a short loss on the first play. Third down conversion by Gonzalez. Addai has no room to his right. Al Michaels implies that #29 has slowed down because of injuries. I'd blame the line, but it's something to consider. Baltimore has had two injury timeouts so far. Are we seeing after effects from a short week? Gonzalez drops big gainer, but makes amends with another third down catch. Addai is stuffed again. Touchdown Reggie Wayne. Nice little route run parallel with AG on the right side. Don't blitz #18.

2.) Short kick from AV is covered nicely at the 26. The Colts lately have a strategy that requires AV to pin the kick to one side of the field. It works. Ravens get an illegal contact on Gary Brackett. Prevents a three and out. Next play is FUUUUMBLE. Robert Mathis has looked like his active self early on, forcing a fumble. MJax gets a nice return to the 12.

3.) Nice gain by Utecht to set up first and goal. Touchdown Joseph Addai! The Ravens have come out looking like the Ravens. Deep, I know. Colts lead 14-0.

4.) McClain goes down after a 9 yard reception. Third injury to the Ravens in the first seven minutes. The Zombie just ate McGahee's brain. Boller sneaks for the first. Robert Mathis is down, moments after NBC shows the stat pointing out that the Colts are missing 7 starters from their Super Bowl Defense. Thanks guys. Boller is scrambling like crazy tonight. Brackett cleans his clock. You have to make him pay for those runs. McGahee is starting to roll off big runs, but now he is gimpy coming off. GARY BRACKETT MAKES THE BIG PLAY (again). He double clutches a terrible throw from Boller. He rolls fifty yards to the Ravens' 20 yard line.

5.) Touchdown pass to Joseph Addai. Manning's 300th of his career. Guess what football fans? He's the greatest of all time. Little swing pass out of the backfield. Very nice. Colts lead 21-0.

6.) Three and out for the Ravens highlighted by a nice blow up by Bob Sanders of a short pass to the Running Back. Next play is a BLOCKED PUNT. Ball goes sailing into the end zone for a safety. Awesome! Colts lead 23-0.

2nd Quarter

7.) Colts get good field position off the kick. The O proceeds with a methodical drive featuring short passes and slippery runs by Addai. Their mastery on third down continues on from last week. We could be looking at a whole lot of Jim Sorgi and Kenton Keith if Manning and company can pound this in. Touchdown Joseph Addai. His third of the night. He's the real deal. Are you sweating yet, Pats fans?

8.) Kickoff return for a touchdown by Yamon Figurs, much as I predicted below. Of course, I also predicted a close game, so I can't feel all that good right now. Are you sweating yet, Russ Purnell?

9.) Colts are back on offense leading 30-7. Third and long after a drop by Gonzalez. Punt.

10.) Ravens start at their own 23. Colts need a nice stop to regain the momentum. Third and long after yet another mindless scramble by Boller. Punt.

11.) Big third and 12 conversion by Joseph Addai, following a drop by Clark. The rain is clearly affecting the receivers. Or not. First Career TD for Anthony Gonzalez on a 57 yard bomb. Manning is looking as sharp as we've ever seen him despite very little running game.

12.) More terrible coverage, despite the squib kick. Another pick by Boller. This time its Kelvin Hayden camped underneath Boller's poor effort. The D is on fire tonight, although it is a week too late for my fantasy team. They are clearly responding to the whiny, unwarranted ripping I gave them on our last podcast. Apologies.

13.) It's 4th and 6 late in the second quarter and the Colts face a choice: Try a 47 yard field goal, punt, or go for it up 30 points. It's the second quarter and yet the Colts do the right thing and punt. Smith's ball is downed inside the five after the ball bounces harmlessly off Rushing's face mask. Great effort by Hunter Smith.

14.) Boller scrambles for the first down. For a moment it looked like the Blue might have their second safety of the night. Weird game. Almost another safety as Boller is sacked at the 2. Colts lead 37-7 at halftime.

3rd Quarter

15.) The only people still interested in this game are a few desperate Patriots fans praying Joseph Addai blows out his knee. Boller fumbles on third down. Colts ball. Touchdown Anthony Gonzalez on a 40 yard bomb from Manning. Big night for the rookie. He's making us all feel a lot better about not having the second greatest receiving in NFL history on the field. Dungy is trying his hardest to get Manning out of the game. I think the lead is safe, Tony. On the other hand, if you leave him in he might catch up to Tom Brady before the night is over.

16.) Ravens are driving inside the five yard line after a couple completions by Boller. Quinn Pitcock gets a one-handed sack bringing up third and goal. Jackson sniffs out a shovel pass to bring up fourth down. Pick by Gary Brackett. More hula dancing from #58. Will someone punch his ticket to Honolulu already? Amazing season for the man from Rutgers.

17.) Sorgi time. This should be entertaining and terrifying at the same time. Clifton Dawson is taking carries. Very interesting. Makes you wonder if they are completely satisfied with Keith's season thus far. I'm not sure how you could be.

18.) Boller is still in. I'm not sure why Billick wouldn't give Troy Smith a few snaps. Al Michaels is raving about The Greatest Game Ever Played. How inappropriate.

19.) The Ravens are pounding the ball on the ground just for kicks. We'll head into the fourth quarter with the score Colts 44 - Ravens 7.

4th Quarter

20.) Fourth down and 1. The Ravens take 7 minutes 20 seconds to go 63 yards. Boller abuses Tim Jennings of all people. Not surprisingly, he throws an interception on the 2 point conversion attempt.

21.) Three and out for Sorgi and company. Figurs gets rocked fielding the ensuing punt. Boller and McGahee are still in the game. They get a deep pass interference call. This is a joke. Another fourth down conversion for Boller. The scary thing is the Colts backups look very competitive against the Ravens' starters. Boller gets COLD-COCKED by Darrell Reid. Turnover on downs. Keep in mind this unit is largely made up of the Colts' Special Teamers. And we know how good those guys are. Good night.

DZ Comments: That was the lamest 20 point effort from a team in the history of football. Guess what? This win by the Colts counts basically the same as the Patsies struggles against the Ravens. That is to say, it's worth exactly one win. Style points don't count...but they sure are fun. This was an encouraging win, but it's really hard to know what it means. Let's face it, despite Sanders, Brackett and Manning being perfect tonight, this game is just as much about how Ravens just flat didn't show up.

One final thought, it's always a good sign if I'm eating chicken in the second quarter. I usually don't eat within 5 hours of game time. Tonight, I was having dinner by the 10 minute mark. It's also great to see the bye all but ours.

I love nights like this.

Baltimore Pregame

Injuries: The Colts will be without Marvin Harrison and Raheem Brock. No word yet on Gary Brackett or Ryan Diem. Baltimore has four defensive backs listed as questionable as well as TE Todd Heap.

Weather: Forty degrees and a 50% chance of rain.

Storylines: The Colts currently hold a game and a half lead over the Steelers in the race for the second bye. With a win tonight, the Colts would only need to win two of the final three games to secure the seeding. The Ravens have given up an uncharacteristic number of big plays this season. It will be interesting to see if the Colts can get Addai going enough to set up a big play-action pass. We haven't seen that out of the Colts much in recent memory.

Defensively the story will be Willis McGahee vs. the Colts' front seven. Baltimore's O-line turned in a stout performance last Monday night. Will they make amends for Jamal Lewis's poor showing last January versus Indy? Tyjaun Hagler is expect to have a bigger role tonight after being worked backed in slowly last week. His presence will certainly help, but the Colts may still be in for a long night if Gary "I do it all" Brackett is out.

Prediction: I've been sensing a close game all week, despite the fact that Baltimore lacks a clear edge in any category. Obvious prediction of the night: Watch out for Yamon Figurs versus the Colts' kick coverage unit. The Colts eeked out a tough win last week versus one of the hottest teams in the league. Tonight should give us a clearer picture of how far the Colts can go this year, given their personnel. This is a team the Colts should dominate on both sides of the ball. Still, my gut says the Ravens will give the Colts their money's worth, with Indy coming out on top 27-23.

The battle for perfection

• Tom Brady is a trash talking punk. He immediately got up in his opponents' faces after throwing a touchdown in the first quarter. Peyton Manning would never do that. Actually very few NFL quarterbacks would do that.

• This has game of the year written all over it. Pittsburgh isn't doing the one thing you have to do to hang with New England. Cover NFL MVP Randy Moss. Just cover him.

• Luckily for Pittsburgh, the Pats' D is fairly wretched.

• Unlucky break goes against the Steelers on the shanked punt. Pats recover.

• New England looks inept running the football. That Sammy Morris injury was quietly huge.

• Jacked field goal for New England balances out the turnover. Pitts D seems to have its sea legs now.

• Yes, I realize this is third unofficial game of the year.

• Pittsburgh converts on fourth and 1. Three plays later they face another fourth and 1. Another conversion. Drive stalls. Field goal.

• New England leads 17-13 at the half. Pittsburgh has looked average on defense, despite the fact that they are the NFL's stingiest club. It clearly requires 30+ points to beat New England. I'm not sure the Steelers have that kind of firepower.

• The Patriots bust the game wide open with a trick play. Brady to Moss back to Brady. Brady throws a lame duck, but the receiver is so wide open that it doesn't matter. Kudos to the Patriots for trying something different. Looks like they're headed to 13-0.

• Jim Nantz and Phil Simms are turning in an embarrassing performance. Fortunately for them the Steelers have been even worse. The lost to the Jets appears to be legit. They aren't any good. They have forced exactly zero turnovers. The Patriots are going to Welker every single time because Pittsburgh is blitzing every single time.

• The Steelers weren't able to cash in some early opportunities in this one. Very similar to the Colts struggles in the first half against the Patriots. Enjoy getting drilled by Jacksonville next week boys.

Notes from the Night Before

1.) Marvin Harrison is out again this week. Shocker. I was certain the Colts' doctors would think freezing rain would be the perfect conditions to re-introduce Marvin.

2.) The Colts have a chance to clinch a playoff spot tomorrow. Tony Dungy is on the cusp of a very impressive accomplishment. This season has served to silence any remaining doubt that Dungy belongs in the Hall of Fame.

3.) This is hard for me to say, but I think you need to hear it: I am rooting for the Patriots tomorrow. The NFL regular season schedule has a way of making the games bigger and more important each week. This week is the biggest challenge yet for the Colts as far as I'm concerned. If the Steelers beat the Patriots and the Colts fall to the Ravens then Indy will have to scramble to regain the two seed. It would be extremely difficult. If the reverse occurs then the Colts will have a nice cushion with three winnable games remaining. Let's go Pats!

4.) Who am I kidding? Beat the hell out of them Steelers!

Deshawn Zombie Comments: Maybe it deserves its own post, but I think I'll just piggy back on this one. That was as impressive a performance from an IU team as any I've seen in many years. Maybe it's just because Kentucky is really bad right now, but that Hoosier squad is deep, talented and big. This could be a seriously fun year. Winning a game like that without Gordon in the lineup has to do wonders for their confidence.

Eyes is Up

and the Pacers won. What a great night! Seriously though, how bizarre are the Pacers? Might they be good? They are .500, but beat Orlando and Dallas, and only lost to the Suns because they choked the game away. They went 3-1 out west, but then again, the loss was to the putrid Sonics. What gives? This team IS Jamal Tinsley. Is he good? I don't know, he'll throw down a triple double one night, and shoot 2 for 15 with 6 turnovers the next. It's like the team has become the corporate embodiment of his soul.

Meanwhile, Eyes in the Backfield for Game 13 is up. I know it seems like it's late in the season, but the Colts have (hopefully) 7 more games left. That's a lot of football left to be played. Here's the excerpt from today's column:

After a huge win at home to sweep the Jags, the Colts are rewarded with a tough trip to Baltimore on Sunday night. The Ravens are reeling from a stretch that saw them lose to the Steelers, Chargers and Pats. The Colts need this win to stay ahead of the Steelers for the two seed and put the final touches on their own personal sandbox, the AFC South. This week:

1. Watch for barking. Both the Ravens and Colts were accused of dog-like noises this week. The Ravens were accused of ‘woofing’ throughout the Patriots game, and the Colts D-line was hilarious accused of causing false starts by ‘barking’ at the Jaguars (despite the fact that the Jags used a silent count). One of these two teams will play like dogs.

In hiding

I feel like I've been AWOL all week. There just hasn't been much to talk about. It's hilarious how despite mentions here and there about "the Colts flying under the radar", there really isn't much talk about them. Why? They are boring. The media hates foregone conclusions and now that Indy looks like all but a moral lock to sew up the two seed, there just isn't anything to say. It's all about wait and see what happens on that fateful day in January.

So with no links, I just didn't have the gas in the tank to make up crap to post about. Plus, 18 Plays was insanely long, and took forever to record and edit. Thanks for the brave souls who endured all 58 minutes. I swear we won't do that to you again.

Here's what I'm seeing around the net:

Bill Simmons is finally starting to get appropriately nervous. (I know it's just a reverse jinx, but still, he ought to be afraid).

Lenny P has several Colts notes. Nothing that we haven't really discussed here, but he does explain why the Colts might not take a flyer on Sam Adams.

Vic bans all Colts fans. I'd think he'd want more readers, since there aren't that many Jags fans. They still haven't quite sold out, but they did get the blackout lifted. Uh, Jacksonville, your team is 8-4 and really good. I heard the reason they couldn't move more tickets is that people were expecting to be too hung over from their Tebow parties to go to the game on Sunday.

The Star has a great piece on the practice squad guys. They risk their future health for a shot at the big time.

SI revists all the Heisman races of the last 20 years. The verdict: both Marshal Faulk and Peyton Manning should have won. There is little question about that. It's too bad they can't retroactively give a trophy to Anthony Thompson as well. Few running backs have ever had a season or a career like he did.
Eyes in the Backfield should be up late tonight.

Long and Late

Ok, so it's Thursday and I'm just now posting 18 Plays. If it's any consolation, at least this one is sort of super sized. It's been three games since we got one done, so this one had a little more blather than normal (even though it's just focused on the Jaguars game). By the end we were a little punchy, so I take no responsibilty for anything said in the last 15 minutes. From the link you can either download the episode from the site or subscribe via Itunes.

Are you creeped out too?

This has been a weird season for the Colts. Adam Vinatieri and Peyton Manning have been called out by the same media who usually find them flawless. The defense hasn't allowed more than 25 points in a game and is clearly the team's best unit. They are playing most of the season without old standbys Marvin Harrison and Dwight Freeney, not to mention Tarik Glenn. It's like if the producers of 'Lost' suddenly replaced the actors who play Jack and Locke with Andy Garcia and Steve Buscemi. Just creepy.

It hasn't just been the Colts, though. The NFC is suddenly competitive. Jacksonville actually has to be considered one of the AFC's best teams. Five weeks ago the Patriots were being bandied about as the greatest team of all time, with no visible flaws. Today, Bill Simmons is forced to defend his beloved club because it would appear they are only an eyelash better than the Baltimore Ravens. The Packers are suddenly the fourth best team in the league. Cleveland has an explosive offense and a winning record. What is going on?! We might see 16-0 and 0-16 in the same season and Cam Cameron will have a huge hand in both feats. Okay, at least one thing is as it should be.

Six Downs of Doom

Throwing 50 touchdowns isn't as easy as it looks. Just ask Tom Brady whose dream season has stalled of late. Don't misunderstand me, the record is not a big deal. As we've said all season, if Brady breaks it then he deserves congratulations. But it wasn't a big deal when Manning broke it (except to ESPN) and it won't be a big deal if Brady does it (except to ESPN). That said, it won't mean quite as much if Brady needs the 16th game to do it. Stay tuned.

I'm not going to comment or whine much about last night's Patriots - Ravens tilt. Improbable ending. You can't give any team six downs to get 10 yards. I also thought the flag on fourth and five was a questionable call at best. The last two weeks proved that the Pats are as beatable as any of the contending teams, especially outdoors. The D looked iffy. At one point, McGahee had Junior Seau turned completely around, facing the end zone. Seau looked like an elderly person lost in the mall. It was precious. Their day is coming. The potential for comedy just keeps going up.

I want to take a moment to point out that DZ and I were both shut out of our Fantasy Football playoffs thanks to the Ravens mammoth choke job in the fourth quarter. I had Kyle Boller and he had Willis McGahee. The Ravens got ultra-conservative and it cost them the game and us the playoffs. I ended up about 10 points short of the total points tiebreaker, while DZ needed less than 1 point more last night from McGahee. Unreal. On some level, though, I don't feel sorry for him. He was rooting for the Patriots to score that last touchdown so McGahee could get some garbage yards on the ensuing desperation drive. Just shameful.

DZ comments: Dr. Z had a good breakdown of this game. It pretty much mirrors exactly what I was writing Demond last night:

DZ (11:41:44 PM): it was weird on that drive
DZ (11:41:50 PM): EVERY TIME they blitzed
DZ (11:41:52 PM): it was inc
DZ (11:41:59 PM): every time they rushed 3 it was a completion
DZ (11:42:11 PM): it made no sense why they insisted on rushing 3

Last night's game was entertaining, but didn't tell us anything we didn't already know. Again, style points don't count, only wins. It'll be interesting to see if the Ravens get up for two straight games, or come out flat on Sunday night. Should be a great game.

For the fans of irony

Ron "Jaws" Jaworski thinks that Randy Moss took some plays off versus the Eagles last week. That doesn't sound like the famous "Patriot Way" that we have been hearing about for 7 years. After seeing a few of the alleged plays on ESPN it appears Jaws is correct. It's not that big of a surprise, given this has been Randy's m.o. since his days with the Vikings.

The Patriots won the game so in one sense it doesn't matter. The bigger question is whether the club would come rushing to their teammate's defense. The talk before the season was that the New England locker room would drop the hammer on Moss if his old behavior reared its head. Moss was one misstep from the unemployment line. A lot can change in 13 weeks.

Who needs who more? Tom Brady's response says it all: You go out and tell a world-class sprinter to run 50, 50-yard dashes, the idea is 'you better have it when you need it.' And Randy is a smart player and he knows when he needs it," Brady said.

Waiting for a repeat

The Colts are going to Super Bowl XLII. Or at least they better if they want to see Tom Petty perform. I once tried to burn a cd of Tom Petty's greatest songs and it ended up being thirty songs spread over two discs. Check out this one and this one and this one. Oh, and also this one.

In his orbit

All fuss over Eli Manning has me wondering what are the real 'spheres' for NFL QB talent right now? I'm not going to rank the QBs exactly, but rather put them into groups based on where I think they belong right now (without too much thought for their career numbers):

Gold Standard and friends:
Manning, Brady, Romo, Favre

I'd go to war with them anytime:
Rothlesberger, Hassleback, McNabb (healthy)

Catch them on the right day and they'll kill you:
Palmer, Garrard, Brees, Bulger (when healthy)

They make me nervous, but you can win with them:
Eli Manning, Phil Rivers, Kurt Warner, Vince Young

Seat warmers:
Kitna, Garcia, Derek Anderson

Too little data to know:
Jason Campbell, Alex Smith, Kellen Clemens, Schuab, Cutler, Croyel, Jackson

Crap on a stick,
JP Losman, John Beck, Harrington, Vinnie, Boller, anyone starting for the Raiders, Grossman

I'm just doing this off the top of my head, and am willing to hear arguments. I think these grouping are pretty fluid. I'd be willing to hear arguments that Eli should actually be bumped up a grouping. I'm just not convinced that the Giants are really any good. Some of those picks are bad, but many of them are due to either wrong or just lazy route running. I'd like to see how he'd do on a team that cared.

Excuses, Excuses

Before I get to the hilarity that is the Jags postgame comments, let's start by congratulating the Hoosiers for the their bid to the Insight Bowl. A New Year's Eve game isn't bad for team that barely won a meaningful game all year. So now there is yet one more reason to subscribe to the NFL Network. I suppose OSU making the title game has some benefit for the Hoosiers. Illinois' trip to the Rose Bowl (where USC will slaughter them), opened up a slot for a decent bowl for IU. Hey, anything is better than a trip to Detroit to play Central Michigan. Seriously, how is that even a reward?

A couple of you commented about my BCS rant saying that it's better than the old system. Agreed. But, I don't buy the argument that the presidents will never agree to a playoff. Someday, they will. And they will make so much green that everyone will sit in awe at the stupidity that kept them from doing it YEARS ago.

I feel bad for not mentioning big wins by the Hoosiers and Bulldogs last night. There. I mentioned them. Meanwhile, the Pacers went 3-1 out west? They are 3-2 in their last five, but the two losses were games that they should have won. I'm feeling good about this team's chances to win 40 games and make the post season. Sigh. That depresses me for some reason.

Here's some good post game links:
Don Banks KILLS the Jags (the SI headline: 'Jags Gag Again' made my day)
Lenny P has a couple of solid pieces. The second mocks the Jags big mouths.
The Indy Star has the Zeus Program review the game.
Kravitz is hilarious. Ok, so anyone who mocks the Jags is funny.
Bradshaw says the Colts are just better. He also says they have what he likes to call "explosive plays". Terry Bradshaw: Wordsmith.
ESPN heard in the pressbox that the Colts need to straighten out their line. Well, duh. What have we been saying for a freaking month? They also say contract talks are quietly happening with the Zombie. I think we all feel good about that.


Finally, check Vic's hilarious postmortem on the Jags game. He seems to feel like that they came away with something today. He seems to think these teams will play again. He also whines incessantly about a myriad of hilarious things like the officiating. There is almost no chance for the Jags and Colts to meet again. For this to occur, the following would have to happen:

1. The Colts would have to lose 3 games and wind up as a WC or,
2. The Jags would have to win at San Diego in the playoffs on the same weekend that Tenn/Cle beats Pittsburgh on the road or,
3. The Jags would have to beat San Diego AND NE on the road and wind up the AFC Championship game.

Am I missing a scenario? I don't think so. There ain't gonna be no rematch this year. Keep dreaming, you old coot.

Look, the Jags are now 1-6 in their last 7 against the Colts. Some of those games were close, but this 'rivalry' is getting a little one sided. The Titans are the Colts' true rival in the AFC South. They are the only team other than Indy to actually win the division. They are geographically closer. They have a coach who is capable of match wits with anyone. I think it's time to dismiss the Jags as nothing but whiny pretenders. Who lose. Just about every time they come to town.

Swept

Colts 28 - Jaguars 25

Back from the Dome

Huge win for the Colts today against Jacksonville. Here are a few thoughts on the contest:

• For a game played in the twenties this was all about the offenses. Neither team showed any ability to stop the other team. I knew the Colts would find a way to pull it out, but I also never felt that the Indy D could stop Jacksonville after the first quarter.
• It was raining like crazy outside. This would have been a nasty day in an outdoor stadium.
  Manning has his groove back. Besides the frustrating interception (is running on third and short too much to ask?) he played out of his mind. Jacksonville's D ain't what it used to be.
• Tony Dungy saved the game with his aggressive of use instant replay. He gets a lot of crap for not throwing the red flag more often, but today his decisions led to two touchdowns.
• I don't know what we'll do if Jack Del Rio ever leaves this division. His bumbling antics never tire out.
• Penalties killed the Jags again today. At last count they had 8 penalties to the Colts' 2. You can always count on a brainless personal foul from Jacksonville.
• Tough game for Joseph Addai today. As usual there wasn't much room to run the ball. The bigger surprise was that he had no catches. The Colts made an earnest attempt to run left around Tony Ugoh, but the Jags seemed to have it figured out. They never really tried to run the ball between the tackles. Fortunately it didn't matter on a day where the Jacksonville secondary was abysmal.
• The story of the game was the ineffective play of the defensive line. They started the game with a huge forced fumble, and had a couple sacks along the way, but for the most part there was no pressure on Garrard. The rib injury to Raheem Brock left three rookies to fend for themselves at DT. It was not pretty. It was the worst the entire unit has looked all season. 25 is the most points they have allowed in 2007. I don't think it was a coincidence that the Colts secondary looked worse than ordinary. They refused to play man to man despite fact they were getting picked apart by Garrard.
• The fans of Indianapolis regressed today. Who were the geniuses doing the wave in the fourth quarter while the Colts were on offense holding on to a slim lead? That was pathetic.
• Overall it was a huge win highlighted by clutch performances by Reggie Wayne and Peyton Manning. Still, this game may leave some fans with tempered expectations for the rest of the season. The importance of the loss of Dwight Freeney is still sinking in. The Colts may have to fall back on their old philosophy of If you can't stop 'em then outscore 'em. That never seemed to work in the playoffs.

DZ Comments: This was a rough day for me because a last minute illness left me sprawled on the couch in misery instead of at the dome where I should have been. I can't believe I had to miss that game. Here's my additional thoughts:

• The D line was scary bad today. Lots of hits behind or at the line, but few tackles. Brock was really starting to roll and losing him could be a death blow. There was simply no pressure from anyone but Mathis. What rush there was, Garrard rolled away from (with the exception of the blitz). Meeks made a huge mistake staying in zone coverage today. Garrard played great.

• Gary Brackett makes the pro bowl or they should shut the game down. What a great play to force the big pick.

• The pick by Peyton was inexcusable. RUN THE EFFING BALL FOR ONCE.

• It was great to see our old buddy CJ show up so large early in the game. I swear man, it's called blocking, not paddy cake. Still, despite early struggles, he looked better as the game went along.

• The Jags are not a well coached team. Bad decisions and bad penalties killed them today. How great was the classic Jags formula: Del Rio makes mistakes + Scobee misses a FG=Colts win. It never gets old.

• Thanks for the props on Eyes this week. LUKE LAWTON. Where else can you get such insight. (ok, so I didn't exactly say that he'd catch the game winning TD, but whatever. It was still clutch).

• Did anyone else catch the quote on the ESPN pregame where one of the Jags (was it Spicer?) saying that when Manning "gets the happy feet, he's a below average QB". Yeah, nice job Jags. Next time, talk less, win more.

• On my loooong drive home, I endured 45 minutes of Sean Salisbury KILLING Eli Manning, only to have him drive them into a win. Hilarious.

• The AFC Playoff picture is pretty simple. Jags, Titans and Browns are the only WC contenders. No division is close. Wow. So much for head scratching tie breakers this year.

• Even I was confused by a pass to Devin Aromashodu. Have it all really come to this?

• Most encouraging report of the day: ESPN reported that Dungy said that Marvin will not play until 'the doctors can convince me he can't further damage himself for future games OR it's a game we have to win'. That's a rough quote, but certainly seems like Marvin WILL be available for the playoffs.

• Reggie Wayne is worth EVERY DOLLAR of that big contract. Still I was cringing on the deep ball. Another drop would have sent me into spasms.

• Kenton Keith is in danger of dropping passes clean into oblivion. Buy some stickum, kid.

• Leave it to us to be upbeat after losses like NE and SD, but critical and worried after a win like this. Welcome to our neurosis. Jump on in, the water's fine.