The Colts season is over. No repeat, no chance to end the perfect season, no three extra weeks of awesome football for the fans. Did I scream obscenities and throw things? Only during the Cromartie INT return. Did I cry like a baby? No. Do I feel like we lost to a better team? No, but they outplayed the Colts yesterday. Am I searching for a scapegoat? No, there's a large share of blame at everyone's feet today. The D regressed, they generated no pass rush and committed stupid penalties. The Offense turned the ball over three times while in scoring position and failed to put the ball in the endzone from inside the 10 for the win, but I'm over all of that now. There are football fans dwelling on the loss, some tastefully and rationally, others likely less so. I'm sure between the two groups everything the can be said (no matter how right or wrong) will be said about the game, so instead I'm taking the more optimistic angle : What do the Colts need to do over the long 7 months until next season? The playoff loss is still fresh in my mind and it would be ridiculous to ignore the game that eliminated the Colts so it will be part of the analysis, but it isn't the focus.
I'm breaking down the offseason into 4 parts that I'll cover in detail later (there are 7 months until next season I'm sure I'll beat them all to death)
What to change? (offseason plans/goals)
The FAs
The Cuts
The Draft
Changes on the offense
The 2007 Colts were done in by injuries and poor execution, so nothing resembling the offseason overhaul many teams need is required for the Colts. On offense inexperience and poor execution were the problems, but that doesn't mean no changes are needed. Kenton Keith showed the he can run the ball at an NFL level and was good in pass protection, but he cannot catch the football well enough to be a runningback in the Colts system. Keith is more likely to have a successful run (58%) than catch a pass thrown to him (57%). Best of luck to you elsewhere (likely in the NFL) in a system that doesn't require you to be a good receiver. The Colts need a new backup RB (Dom Rhodes, you still out there). The receiving corps is excellent if healthy, but depth is poor. If Marvin returns and recovers from his knee injury (please, please, please, please recover and return Marvin) then WR is an afterthought, with an elite top 3 in Marvin, Reggie and Gonzo. The O line struggled with injuries and both guards are free agents. Howard Mudd consistently turns middle to late rounders into NFL level guards so neither will return if they want big money. Tony Ugoh was a force when healthy and smashed the level of expectations set for a second round rookie starting at Left Tackle from day one. "The left tackle was defined by his weakest moment. He wasn't measured by his body of work, but by the outliers" (The Blind Side, Michael Lewis). Ugoh was at his weakest when it mattered most. Up against one of the top pass rushers in the game Ugoh contained him for 59 minutes, zero sacks from Merriman (the botched draw play was counted as Manning run), but on that final drive he was beaten with the game on the line. That moment reminded us all that he was still a rookie. He'll get better and maybe next season will stone Merriman in that final minute.
The offense needs to get the guard position settled and find a back with good hands to pair with Addai and they are set for another run.
Note: I know there are at least a few people out there reading. I'm not above talking to myself, but talking to actual people is better. If you disagree with anything I say or want to add or whatever please feel free to comment.
Showing posts with label postgame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label postgame. Show all posts
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Sunday Recap
The Texans scored the first and the last touchdowns, but that was all for them. Between the Texans two touchdowns the Colts put up 38 points all scored in the first 3 quarters, before the starters were pulled. Minus the hopefully minor injury to Addai this game couldn't have gone any better. The offense was clicking, the D was strong, allowing only 7 points until the Texans scored in the final minute against the backups. Even the special teams play was only below average instead of awful. If Addai is ok and I'd guess that he is since he returned after his injury long enough for a powerful TD run up the middle, then the game was a total success.
Tom Brady continues to throw lots of passes and throw most of them very well. He now has 536 attempts, completing 366 for 68.3% completions, 4450 yards, 48 TDs and 8 INTs. At the end of his record breaking 2004 season Peyton Manning had thrown 39 less passes, completed the same number (336), for a completion % 0.7% lower, 107 more yards, one more, TD and two more INTs. Tom Brady has a very good chance of tying and breaking Manning's TD record, but to do it he will have had to have thrown the ball over 40 more times, and will have needed more completions and games than Manning did. Brady is great, but this season is far from proof that he is better than Manning.
In what little of the Pats-Dolphins blowout I could stand to watch I saw Brady throw a ball to a receiver running up the sideline which flew directly between the Dolphins safety's hands as he jumped in front for the easy pick and into Gaffney's hands for Brady's 48th TD . The announcers then praised Brady's arm strength for 5 straight minutes before even mentioning how unbelievably lucky he was to not have it picked off. Absolutely Ridiculous.
The Shaun Hill led Niners continued to give the Pats a big "F YOU" with another win today. Now the highest the 1st round pick obtained by the Pats can be is 4th and the lowest 14th. If the season ended today it would be the 8th. Keep on climbing Niners!
Kyle Orton completed a higher % of his passes for a higher yards per attempt and per completion and threw more TDs. Favre did have two more gun-slings.
Picks were 11 of 15 and the Chargers over the Broncos pick won't have me worried.
Tom Brady continues to throw lots of passes and throw most of them very well. He now has 536 attempts, completing 366 for 68.3% completions, 4450 yards, 48 TDs and 8 INTs. At the end of his record breaking 2004 season Peyton Manning had thrown 39 less passes, completed the same number (336), for a completion % 0.7% lower, 107 more yards, one more, TD and two more INTs. Tom Brady has a very good chance of tying and breaking Manning's TD record, but to do it he will have had to have thrown the ball over 40 more times, and will have needed more completions and games than Manning did. Brady is great, but this season is far from proof that he is better than Manning.
In what little of the Pats-Dolphins blowout I could stand to watch I saw Brady throw a ball to a receiver running up the sideline which flew directly between the Dolphins safety's hands as he jumped in front for the easy pick and into Gaffney's hands for Brady's 48th TD . The announcers then praised Brady's arm strength for 5 straight minutes before even mentioning how unbelievably lucky he was to not have it picked off. Absolutely Ridiculous.
The Shaun Hill led Niners continued to give the Pats a big "F YOU" with another win today. Now the highest the 1st round pick obtained by the Pats can be is 4th and the lowest 14th. If the season ended today it would be the 8th. Keep on climbing Niners!
Kyle Orton completed a higher % of his passes for a higher yards per attempt and per completion and threw more TDs. Favre did have two more gun-slings.
Picks were 11 of 15 and the Chargers over the Broncos pick won't have me worried.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
More quick stuff
Colts win an ugly game. I was very happy with the defense, but the offense, especially the running game worried me. They can't think about resting most of the offense until they are in sync. The win locks up the #2 seed along with a 5th straight AFC South title and a NFL record 5th straight 12+ win season for the Colts.
Colts move up to #2 in DVOA and back into the top 10 highest DVOAs ever measured. If this team had been as healthy as 2004/2005 they would be the best Colts team ever.
Miami actually won. Football Outsiders had been saying they aren't that bad for a while now, but I hoped for history anyway.
Picks were 10 of 16. Not bad, after two great weeks picking a worse one was coming. This was about the normal week I've had picking before I started posting, 62.5% this week, 61.3% last season and 62.7% unposted this season. This week brings my posted record to 33/47 (70.2%) awesome.
Ben Utecht's catch % took a little fall from an amazing 88% to a still outstanding 83%. He's an Restricted Free Agent after the season. I'm hoping the Colts at least give him a Jason David like offer. 4th round tender, he'll either be back for cheap or Colts get another pick and with Polian doing the drafting a 4th rounder is a pretty good bet to be good.
Tom Brady did not throw 4 TDs in 21 or less attempts, actually he threw none. Meaning if he does break the TD record it will have taken him more attempts to do so than Manning needed. Counting his touchdowns before they're scored, anyone? Brady needs 3 TD passes in his next 61 to match the 564 passes that Dan Marino threw to set the TD record at 48.
And finally thanks to Big Blue Shoe at the awesome Colts blog Stampede Blue for (accidentally?) coming up with a better blog name. Dropped a "N" out of there, sounds better and it might be how everyone but me read it as.
Shaken-N-Baken----> Shake-n-Baken
Colts move up to #2 in DVOA and back into the top 10 highest DVOAs ever measured. If this team had been as healthy as 2004/2005 they would be the best Colts team ever.
Miami actually won. Football Outsiders had been saying they aren't that bad for a while now, but I hoped for history anyway.
Picks were 10 of 16. Not bad, after two great weeks picking a worse one was coming. This was about the normal week I've had picking before I started posting, 62.5% this week, 61.3% last season and 62.7% unposted this season. This week brings my posted record to 33/47 (70.2%) awesome.
Ben Utecht's catch % took a little fall from an amazing 88% to a still outstanding 83%. He's an Restricted Free Agent after the season. I'm hoping the Colts at least give him a Jason David like offer. 4th round tender, he'll either be back for cheap or Colts get another pick and with Polian doing the drafting a 4th rounder is a pretty good bet to be good.
Tom Brady did not throw 4 TDs in 21 or less attempts, actually he threw none. Meaning if he does break the TD record it will have taken him more attempts to do so than Manning needed. Counting his touchdowns before they're scored, anyone? Brady needs 3 TD passes in his next 61 to match the 564 passes that Dan Marino threw to set the TD record at 48.
And finally thanks to Big Blue Shoe at the awesome Colts blog Stampede Blue for (accidentally?) coming up with a better blog name. Dropped a "N" out of there, sounds better and it might be how everyone but me read it as.
Shaken-N-Baken----> Shake-n-Baken
Monday, December 10, 2007
Recapping Sunday
The Colts are finally getting healthy and back to their normally elite level of play. They just destroyed the Ravens. Missed most of the game because I was at work, so I'll talk about the only play that I saw that really stood out, along with the stats and recaps I've seen so far.
Anthony Gonzalez's first NFL TD. Sick double move on the Raven's backup CB. They gave Gonzo over 10 yards of cushion and he sold the comeback route so well that the corner bit hard and fell over when AG turned it back upfield. Awesome route running and great speed from the rookie. It took Reggie Wayne until his 3rd year to get all the way into the offense. Gonzalez has already topped Wayne's rookie season in two less games and the current Colts offense is at least, probably more, complex than when Reggie had to learn it.
Congrats to the best QB in the NFL for his 300th TD pass, now 4th on the all-time list.
Great game by the Colts in every aspect of the game (except kick coverage, Fire Russ Purnell). No turnovers or sacks on offense. 5 turnovers forced and no points allowed until garbage time on defense. Gary Brackett needs to be doing his hula dance in Hawaii (I'll accept Glendale, AZ too) in February. I'm going here to vote for him right now.
11 for 15 on the picks, nice week already. Thought about changing the Rams-Bengals pick when I found out Brock Berlin was starting, but I decided I had balls and won't ever change a pick once it's posted. That was kind of dumb. I'll keep the no changing rule for sure but, no more Sunday picks on Thursday.
Anthony Gonzalez's first NFL TD. Sick double move on the Raven's backup CB. They gave Gonzo over 10 yards of cushion and he sold the comeback route so well that the corner bit hard and fell over when AG turned it back upfield. Awesome route running and great speed from the rookie. It took Reggie Wayne until his 3rd year to get all the way into the offense. Gonzalez has already topped Wayne's rookie season in two less games and the current Colts offense is at least, probably more, complex than when Reggie had to learn it.
Congrats to the best QB in the NFL for his 300th TD pass, now 4th on the all-time list.
Great game by the Colts in every aspect of the game (except kick coverage, Fire Russ Purnell). No turnovers or sacks on offense. 5 turnovers forced and no points allowed until garbage time on defense. Gary Brackett needs to be doing his hula dance in Hawaii (I'll accept Glendale, AZ too) in February. I'm going here to vote for him right now.
11 for 15 on the picks, nice week already. Thought about changing the Rams-Bengals pick when I found out Brock Berlin was starting, but I decided I had balls and won't ever change a pick once it's posted. That was kind of dumb. I'll keep the no changing rule for sure but, no more Sunday picks on Thursday.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Colts win
10-2 now, with a 2 (really 3 with the head-to-head tiebreaker) lead in the AFC south with 4 to play. A Colts win or Jags loss any time in the next month clinches the division.
Thoughts from a game I had to listen to over internet radio.
-The Jags have an offense. If Garrard was in the NFC he would get a Pro Bowl vote from me.
-Jags defense, not so much anymore
-The Jags continue to kill themselves by losing their composure and committing personal fouls in big spots.
-Colts D needs to get more pressure. Garrard had all the time he needed most of the game
-Marvin needs to get back. Blitzing Manning becomes a much better option without his best hot read.
-Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuke!!! Lawton earned his spot on the roster. Blocking, returning a kickoff, catching the damn ball (Kenton is having some trouble with that)
-I <3 Antoine Bethea. The DBs are such great hitters. Even at the nickelback spot which is the weakest on the defense, all three guys that have played there can bring the big hit.
-Go Colts get that second seed
7 for 9 on the early game picks. Can't be unhappy with that, but both picks I missed were so close. Big thanks to you A.J. Feeley and Joe Gibbs. You lost your teams the game and made my picks wrong.
Thoughts from a game I had to listen to over internet radio.
-The Jags have an offense. If Garrard was in the NFC he would get a Pro Bowl vote from me.
-Jags defense, not so much anymore
-The Jags continue to kill themselves by losing their composure and committing personal fouls in big spots.
-Colts D needs to get more pressure. Garrard had all the time he needed most of the game
-Marvin needs to get back. Blitzing Manning becomes a much better option without his best hot read.
-Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuke!!! Lawton earned his spot on the roster. Blocking, returning a kickoff, catching the damn ball (Kenton is having some trouble with that)
-I <3 Antoine Bethea. The DBs are such great hitters. Even at the nickelback spot which is the weakest on the defense, all three guys that have played there can bring the big hit.
-Go Colts get that second seed
7 for 9 on the early game picks. Can't be unhappy with that, but both picks I missed were so close. Big thanks to you A.J. Feeley and Joe Gibbs. You lost your teams the game and made my picks wrong.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
