C'mon Colts. I mean, I know you were having trouble following up the Super Bowl win, but don't recycle material. The Colts losing in the playoffs? Seen it. One and done seems to be a growing trend for the Colts. Sometimes the breaks are bad, but this time, it was the other team who had the injury problem. LaDanian Tomlinson went down with a knee injury. Phillip Rivers was hurt due to, well, sucking. He wasn't even touched, and it's FieldTurf. Of course, this injury is a benefit. Phillip Rivers is one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. We know that Antonio Gates was hurt, and Lorenzo Neal missed the game. The Colts had everyone not on injured reserve in this game. It is amazing that they lost to such an undermanned team. It shows motivation. Last year, the Colts had no motivation. They were just a normal team. Guess what. They won it all. In 2005, they could have played for the Dungy family. They lost to a Steelers team that was just not as talented. The Colts don't respond well to motivation. I know it's weird, but it's true. Next year, the Colts can hope for NOTHING. They don't need any trouble with the coaches. They don't need high expectations. They need NOTHING. However, there are more outrageous reasons why the Colts lost. Little patterns I have noticed that are a coincidence.
The Year After
Last year, the Colts were coming off of a disappointing year where they were the number one seed in the AFC. They won it all the next year. Eh. That's just once. Or is it. When the Colts lost even when they had home field advantage, the Steelers beat them on their amazing run to the Super Bowl. The year before, they went 15-1 in Ben Roethlisberger's first year. This is a trend that has been going on for a while. The Patriots had the best record in the AFC in 2003, and they won the championship in 2004. However, the Patriots did win the championship in 2003, which is a snag in the pattern. In recent history, this seems to be more than a coincidence. The Chargers were 14-2 last year, and maybe they are on a mission. If the Chargers would somehow win it all, this would have to be mentioned in the main stream media. 4 times in 5 years? That would be too much to ignore.
Football Gods
I don't know who the football gods are, but they must have decided that one was enough for the Colts. I know every team has injuries and blah, blah, blah, but the Colts were without Marvin Harrison, Anthony Gonzalez, Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark, Tony Ugoh, Ryan Diem, Robert Mathis, Raheem Brock, Dwight Freeney, Rob Morris, Tyjuan Hagler, Freddie Keiaho, Antoine Bethea, Tim Jennings, Dante Hughes, and Bob Sanders at some point in the year. I would like to see the Patriots win a game without Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Ben Watson, Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Richard Seymour, Michael Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi, and Vince Wilfork for a road game. That's what the Colts had to deal with against the Chargers. Sure, it didn't mean anything in the playoffs, but what about momentum. You can't continue to build momentum when everyone is missing games. This showed in the playoffs. The Chargers did not have very many injuries until the playoffs. They had the momentum. The football gods decided that the regular season wasn't enough. They needed for Joseph Addai, Kenton Keith, Jake Scott, Reggie Wayne, and Bob Sanders to get banged up. The football gods show no mercy.
DO NOT REST THE STARTERS!
This may not be a reason why they lost, but it is a reason why they didn't win. Let me elaborate. The Giants and Chargers are not the best teams in the league, but they are on a roll and in their conference championships. You know why. They played their starters. Eli Manning is on fire, and the Chargers defense is unstoppable. They didn't rest their starters. This is a simple reason why the Chargers dominated the Colts yesterday.
I have nothing left to say but, Super Bowl XLIII here we come!
Showing posts with label Anthony Gonzalez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anthony Gonzalez. Show all posts
Monday, January 14, 2008
Saturday, December 29, 2007
He's Back!!!
For most of the Colts' season, they have been out of the national media. They haven't been chasing an undefeated season. They haven't had a player with an outburst or controversy. Yesterday, that changed with some great news about Marvin Harrison.
Marvin Harrison has been a Colt since 1996 and before this year, had only missed 3 games all year long. Against the Broncos, the usually consistent Harrison went down with a bruised knee on a freak accident. When Joseph Addai ran to the right, he was tackled right next to Harrison, who was blocking for the second-year running back. When Addai went down, he landed on Harrison's knee. After seeing the highlights, the outlook was not good. He went down awkwardly and looked to be in a lot of pain. However, the bruised knee was much better than what most would have thought. Everyone would have assumed that a bruise couldn't keep Harrison out too long, but that was not the case.
Harrison sat out the next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After the bye week, Harrison made an appearance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It appeared that his knee injury was gone, but something must have gone wrong. Nine weeks went by. There was speculation that the injury was much worse, and he may never put on a Colts uniform again. Colts fans were ready to move on with this season. Now, after two days of full practices, Marvin is ready to play in the regular season finale against the Tennessee Titans.
Marvin Harrison is the greatest receiver in Colts history. He is a definite first ballot Hall of Famer. He may not make the biggest impact on the field, but the Colts need another target. With Harrison back for the playoffs, Peyton Manning now has his favorite receiver back in time to play the stingy defense they are bound to face in the AFC Divisional Round. They are either going to play San Diego, Pittsburgh, or Jacksonville. For those teams, they need everyone they can get.
With Marvin in the game, the Colts do not have to use Dallas Clark in the slot like they did last year in the playoffs and for most of this year. With Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, and Anthony Gonzalez, Dallas Clark will now be covered mainly by linebackers. As he has proved time and time again, linebackers can't cut it against him. Work in Ben Utecht, Bryan Fletcher, and Joseph Addai in the passing game, and they are right up there with the Patriots.
What will this mean in the playoffs? This changes everything for the Colts offense and the opponent's defense. The Colts now have three wide receivers that Peyton has a strong connection with. As he proved in the San Diego game, backup receivers do not work well with Peyton. Craphonso Thorpe and Devin Aromashodu are not going to cut it with number 18. Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning are the greatest QB-WR duo in the history of the NFL. Harrison coming back changes the entire playoff landscape.
Marvin Harrison has been a Colt since 1996 and before this year, had only missed 3 games all year long. Against the Broncos, the usually consistent Harrison went down with a bruised knee on a freak accident. When Joseph Addai ran to the right, he was tackled right next to Harrison, who was blocking for the second-year running back. When Addai went down, he landed on Harrison's knee. After seeing the highlights, the outlook was not good. He went down awkwardly and looked to be in a lot of pain. However, the bruised knee was much better than what most would have thought. Everyone would have assumed that a bruise couldn't keep Harrison out too long, but that was not the case.
Harrison sat out the next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After the bye week, Harrison made an appearance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It appeared that his knee injury was gone, but something must have gone wrong. Nine weeks went by. There was speculation that the injury was much worse, and he may never put on a Colts uniform again. Colts fans were ready to move on with this season. Now, after two days of full practices, Marvin is ready to play in the regular season finale against the Tennessee Titans.
Marvin Harrison is the greatest receiver in Colts history. He is a definite first ballot Hall of Famer. He may not make the biggest impact on the field, but the Colts need another target. With Harrison back for the playoffs, Peyton Manning now has his favorite receiver back in time to play the stingy defense they are bound to face in the AFC Divisional Round. They are either going to play San Diego, Pittsburgh, or Jacksonville. For those teams, they need everyone they can get.
With Marvin in the game, the Colts do not have to use Dallas Clark in the slot like they did last year in the playoffs and for most of this year. With Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, and Anthony Gonzalez, Dallas Clark will now be covered mainly by linebackers. As he has proved time and time again, linebackers can't cut it against him. Work in Ben Utecht, Bryan Fletcher, and Joseph Addai in the passing game, and they are right up there with the Patriots.
What will this mean in the playoffs? This changes everything for the Colts offense and the opponent's defense. The Colts now have three wide receivers that Peyton has a strong connection with. As he proved in the San Diego game, backup receivers do not work well with Peyton. Craphonso Thorpe and Devin Aromashodu are not going to cut it with number 18. Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning are the greatest QB-WR duo in the history of the NFL. Harrison coming back changes the entire playoff landscape.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Sit 'Em or Start 'Em?
The Colts have locked up the division and bye week. This Tennessee game only matters to the Titans. If the Colts lose, bummer. If they win, great. The Colts do not need this game. However, it will be important to keep everyone healthy and rested for the playoff game. This will involve sitting players at the right time and playing others in the right places. This is how I would run this team if I were Coach Dungy.
Peyton Manning has been the key to this team's success over the past 10 years. He is already fourth in touchdown passes for a career, and he will break almost every major passing record over the next seven or eight years. They cannot risk him getting injured. Peyton should play the entire first quarter and maybe the first series in the second. In week 2, the Titans got good pressure on Peyton. The Colts can't risk him going down. If he plays the first quarter, the Colts should be able to score 14 points which may be enough to stay in this game.
Joseph Addai should not get more than five carries. Addai is getting banged up badly. He appeared to hurt his ankle against Houston to go along with a back and shoulder injury. Kenton Keith should be able to do well enough to keep the Colts in this game.
For the receivers, Wayne should play the whole game. He is a very safe player like most Colts receivers. He does not take big hits when he can help it. His chances of getting injured should not be very high. Gonzalez can play in some places, but he did bruise his foot last week. Maybe 15 snaps for him. He is inexperienced. I would also like to see a Marvin Harrison appearance, even if it is only for one snap.
Dallas Clark should play the entire game. I would, however, avoid sending him over the middle. He seems to be getting hit harder than any other Colt. He has to play in the playoff game. Ben Utecht has been getting banged up the past two weeks. No need to play him. Bryan Fletcher should get good playing time against Tennessee.
The offensive line should get regular playing time. No one is truly hurt besides Ryan Diem, but he will probably not play at all. The offensive line needs to protect whomever is playing. They can't let anyone get injured.
The defensive line should be the same as it has been over the past two weeks. Robert Mathis and Raheem Brock can have another week to rest their injuries. Keyunta Dawson, Dan Klecko, and Quinn Pitcock will be able to get some well needed experience. Dawson and Pitcock are both rookies, so any experience is good.
The linebackers should play like it was a regular game. Tyjuan Hagler, Rocky Boiman, Clint Session, Freddie Keaiho, and Gary Brackett all should get their normal playing time. They do not have any injuries, and no one should expect them to get injured.
The defensive backs will also stay the same as last week. Antoine Bethea should not play. He is too vital to this secondary for him to miss a game against a good quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger or David Garrard. Everyone else, however, should get good playing time.
Overall, the offensive stars should see less snaps than they would on a normal game. This Colts defense should be able to shut down a bad Tennessee offense. The offense needs to score around 24 points to win. Even with the backups in, that is more than likely. This strategy should be able to keep the stars healthy and clicking for their playoff game most likely against Pittsburgh or San Diego.
Peyton Manning has been the key to this team's success over the past 10 years. He is already fourth in touchdown passes for a career, and he will break almost every major passing record over the next seven or eight years. They cannot risk him getting injured. Peyton should play the entire first quarter and maybe the first series in the second. In week 2, the Titans got good pressure on Peyton. The Colts can't risk him going down. If he plays the first quarter, the Colts should be able to score 14 points which may be enough to stay in this game.
Joseph Addai should not get more than five carries. Addai is getting banged up badly. He appeared to hurt his ankle against Houston to go along with a back and shoulder injury. Kenton Keith should be able to do well enough to keep the Colts in this game.
For the receivers, Wayne should play the whole game. He is a very safe player like most Colts receivers. He does not take big hits when he can help it. His chances of getting injured should not be very high. Gonzalez can play in some places, but he did bruise his foot last week. Maybe 15 snaps for him. He is inexperienced. I would also like to see a Marvin Harrison appearance, even if it is only for one snap.
Dallas Clark should play the entire game. I would, however, avoid sending him over the middle. He seems to be getting hit harder than any other Colt. He has to play in the playoff game. Ben Utecht has been getting banged up the past two weeks. No need to play him. Bryan Fletcher should get good playing time against Tennessee.
The offensive line should get regular playing time. No one is truly hurt besides Ryan Diem, but he will probably not play at all. The offensive line needs to protect whomever is playing. They can't let anyone get injured.
The defensive line should be the same as it has been over the past two weeks. Robert Mathis and Raheem Brock can have another week to rest their injuries. Keyunta Dawson, Dan Klecko, and Quinn Pitcock will be able to get some well needed experience. Dawson and Pitcock are both rookies, so any experience is good.
The linebackers should play like it was a regular game. Tyjuan Hagler, Rocky Boiman, Clint Session, Freddie Keaiho, and Gary Brackett all should get their normal playing time. They do not have any injuries, and no one should expect them to get injured.
The defensive backs will also stay the same as last week. Antoine Bethea should not play. He is too vital to this secondary for him to miss a game against a good quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger or David Garrard. Everyone else, however, should get good playing time.
Overall, the offensive stars should see less snaps than they would on a normal game. This Colts defense should be able to shut down a bad Tennessee offense. The offense needs to score around 24 points to win. Even with the backups in, that is more than likely. This strategy should be able to keep the stars healthy and clicking for their playoff game most likely against Pittsburgh or San Diego.
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