Giants-Saints Highlights Four Big Games in the NFL This Weekend

There are four big games this weekend that will shed some light on the power rankings in the NFL.   

The most anticipated and hyped-up game is the New York Giants against the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome in the Big Easy.

The winner will take a very important step toward securing home field advantage during the playoffs, as well as enhancing those two important intangibles—confidence and momentum—that both go a long way in the course of a season.

Both teams have excellent quarterbacks, so that matchup is pretty even there.

The Giants should have an edge on the offensive line and with their running backs. The Saints will have the edge at receiver. The overall defensive edge goes to the G-Men, especially when considering the pass rush and their better depth.

The noise factor of the Superdome gives the Saints a bigger home field edge than most teams in the NFL enjoy. Plus, the Saints are coming off a bye week, so they are going to be jacked up for this game.

I like the Giants, however, to win a close game—or maybe not as close as some would think.

Other than Giants vs. Saints, another huge game Sunday is the Minnesota Vikings hosting the Baltimore Ravens at the Metrodome. If Baltimore loses, it will be the Ravens’ third consecutive loss, a killer scenario in the NFL these days.

A Minnesota win keeps the Vikings tied with either the Saints or Giants at the top of the NFC—and forces more of Brett Favre at us than we probably want.

The Chicago Bears vs. Atlanta Falcons matchup at the Georgia Dome will showcase two rising young quarterbacks in the Bears’ Jay Cutler and the Falcons’ Matt Ryan in a game of one-loss teams in tough division fights.

I think we’ll learn a lot about the unbeaten Denver Broncos, one of the biggest surprises so far of the season, at least to me, when they visit San Diego in a huge AFC West game on Monday night against the Chargers.

While it’s still probably too early in the season to call any game critical, this one comes close. With Oakland and Kansas City being the other two teams in the AFC West, Denver could take a commanding lead with a win over a San Diego team with two losses.

The Broncos, however, will not sneak up on a hungry Chargers team that is coming off a bye week and will be fired up to play at home Monday night. We’ll see if a declining L.T. can get back to his old ways.

 

Some other thoughts on the NFL this season

— I cannot remember an NFL team playing as poorly as the Oakland Raiders have of late. They have to be an embarrassment to the NFL with how inept they have looked so far this season. Off the field, there is the broiling issue of head coach Tom Cable facing criminal charges for allegedly punching an assistant coach during training camp. Can it get any worse in Oakland?

— Teams in lesser degree of disarray, but still full of problems, are the St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Bucs, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, and Kansas City Chiefs. There are some truly bad teams in the NFL this year. On the other hand, just think what an exciting race this could become for the No. 1 draft pick in April.

— Very seldom do NFL teams make major trades during the season, but this year could be an exception. Look for one, or possibly two, significant trades by a couple of teams next week.

— I also for once in my life happen to agree with the TV analysts about the quality of quarterback play displayed in Monday’s Miami Dolphins-New York Jets game. I cannot remember watching two young quarterbacks, Mark Sanchez (Jets) and Chad Henne (Dolphins), both of whom combined for just five starts, play any better in a showcase game. Their future and the NFL’s looks bright at that position.

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Colts-Seahawks: Peyton Manning Continues Masterful Play as Indy Wins 34-17

One year removed from offseason knee surgery and one of the worst starts in his professional career, Peyton Manning is back to his old masterful ways as the Colts are off to a 4-0 start in the 2009 NFL season.

Victories, milestones, record-beating performances, clock-beating drives—even the teams that think they have the formula to beat the Colts cannot seem to outsmart or outperform the three-time NFL most valuable player.

After last Sunday’s game against Seattle, Seahawks head coach Jim Mora said, “We played greatness today. He’s one of the finest of all times.”

Manning marched the Colts down the field on four of their first five possessions of the game, with those four drives resulting in touchdowns.

He also tied NFL marks set by Dan Marino and Fran Tarkenton as he help extend the Colts’ regular season win streak to 13.

The Colts quarterback threw his first touchdown of the day to his favorite target in Reggie Wayne from five yards out. This score put Manning in a category that he and only Marino are in: Both are the only two quarterbacks in NFL history to throw 55 TD passes to two different receivers.

Manning has thrown 112 TD passes to ex-Colt Marvin Harrison.

The second of two TDs Manning would toss on the day was a 21-yarder to rookie Austin Collie. This score put Peyton alongside Tarkenton at No. 3 on the NFL’s all-time career touchdown list with 342.

This score, as Peyton would explain later, came with somewhat of a personal touch.

“Fran and my dad are friends, and my dad has told me great stories about Fran Tarkenton,” Manning said. “He was a unique player.”

Manning has started this season off with precision-like accuracy. In the first half of the Colts’ victory over the Seahawks, only three of Manning’s passes touched the ground. One was a throwaway, one was overthrown, and the last was batted away at the line of scrimmage.

“I feel it’s a good start,” Manning said after not only leading Indianapolis to a franchise record-tying 13th straight regular season win, but also setting a franchise record for most consecutive 300-yard passing games.

Through four games the Colts now lead the AFC South by two games over Jacksonville (2-2) and Houston (2-2), and they hold a four-game lead over Tennessee (0-4).

“All it does is guarantee we won’t go 3-13,” head coach Jim Caldwell said with a grin on his face. “Other than that, there aren’t a whole lot of guarantees in this league. Every game is tough, and it’s a long season.”

Indianapolis next travels to Tennessee to renew their AFC South rivalry with the 0-4 Titans on Sunday night in prime time.

The Titans are calling for a “Code Blue” for their fans to wear Titans blue during the game against the Colts, as this is an all but must win for Tennessee.

“I’m really hesitant to get into a summary of the year after just four games,” Manning said. “It is a good start, and there are some good things, but I do feel like the teeth of our schedule is approaching us starting this week with one of our biggest rivals.”

Caldwell echoed Manning’s comments, saying, “Obviously next week is a big challenge for us.”

The Colts’ game against the Titans will be their last game before their week six bye. It will also mark the first of all their games they will play away from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the entire month of October.

Indy will have to draw on its previous road wins earlier this season in Miami and Arizona if they look to continue their winning ways.

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Upon Further Review: NFL Week Four

“Upon Further Review” is my weekly column looking back at the week in the NFL: What happened, what didn’t happen, who won, who lost, studs duds etc.  This is an opinion/statistical-based article and in no way reflects the opinions of Bleacher Report or its staff; this is all me here, folks. So without further ado…

 

Upon Further Review:

I could not, in good conscious, start off this column without saying the Tennessee Titans have to be the biggest disappointment so far in this young season.

This is the same team that reeled off a record 10 straight victories in 2008 and was the last unbeaten in the league.

These Titans are the same team that last year finally knocked off the perennial AFC South leaders, the Indianapolis Colts, loosening Indy’s choke hold on that division which lasted for six straight years. The Titans accomplished this by featuring the smash-and-dash running back combo of Chris Johnson and LenDale White.

This is the same team who sent seven players to the Pro Bowl last season.

Well….

Unfortunately for the Titans, so far Kerry Collins’ career resurrection has not carried over this season.

Losing Albert Haynesworth apparently is bigger than most people suspected it would be. The overall seventh-ranked defense from one year ago has also slipped to 24th this season.

The Titans now sit at 0-4 and, even more costly, 0-2 in the AFC South Division, looking up yet again at the Indianapolis Colts who are 4-0.

We now go from the 0-4 Titans to a surprise, for me at least, in the 4-0 Denver Broncos.

Yes fans, the same Broncos that Denver fans were all but writing off for dead when new Head Coach Josh McDaniels came in and promptly got rid of starting quarterback Jay Cutler in a trade to the Bears for Kyle Orton.

Rarely do you see trades work out for both parties involved but it seems to me as of week four that is exactly what is happening.

The Broncos are off to a 4-0 start to the season and the Bears are 3-1. Now, the Broncos so far have had the “easier” schedule, only having played two so-called legitimate contenders in the Bengals and Cowboys.

However, the fact remains that the Broncos are undefeated after knocking off the Cowboys this past Sunday.

Awww, the Dallas Cowboys, “America’s Team”, the infamous star logo on the helmets, the “Palace in Dallas,” five Super Bowl trophies…Oh, and no playoff wins since Bill Clinton was in office. Well, 1996 to be exact here.

The Cowboys have had a rough go of it on and off the field in recent years.

The whole Terrell Owens, Tony Romo, Jason Whitten, and Jason Garrett reality T.V. show drama that went on last season. The botched extra point hold by Romo two years ago in the playoffs. The endless upon endless (it seems) early playoff departures or lack of an appearance in the post season at all. There was also Jessica Simpson in there somewhere too.

When are the Cowboys going to face facts and fess up that Romo is not the quarterback they thought he was?

That Jason Garrett cannot be an offensive coordinator in the NFL?

That Wade Philips is only a defensive coordinator and NOT a head coach?

That Jerry Jones needs to hire an actual General Manager and quit pretending he knows what he is doing because clearly he does not?

The up and down roller coaster the Dallas Cowboys have been on since Tony Romo took over for them three years ago is beginning to grow old, even to the most die-hard Cowboy fans.

When is enough going to be enough for Mr. Jones to make a change? Will it take one more year of yet another missed playoffs or an early exit for him to see what everyone else can plainly see?

Well, now that I am off of that tangent, let’s talk about a team that in my eyes has to be the worst team in the NFL: the St. Louis Rams.

The Rams have begun the season right where they left off last year: losing. St. Louis has four losses and has scored a whopping 24 points in those four games, while giving up 108 points.

That means the Rams are averaging six points per game and giving up 27. You know what? There is no reason to rub it in anymore. That stat line says it all for the Rams this season.

Can’t you just hear it now: “With the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, the St. Louis Rams select….” I know I can.

All this talk of losing and under-performing has gotten to me and I don’t want to get so far down on teams that the article doesn’t have any bright spots in it. Let’s get to some teams that are shinning so far this season, shall we?

We’ll start with the undefeated teams.

The New York (Jersey) Giants, New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, and Minnesota Vikings are the five undefeated teams left in the NFL as of Week Four. Now, let’s face facts and discuss what most people I’m sure are thinking but don’t have the guts to say aloud.

No one thought, after getting rid of Jay Cutler, that the Denver Broncos would be 4-0. Hmmm, rethinking that one now aren’t they? A Boilermaker cutting it in mile high.

Likewise, after losing Plaxico Burress many people thought the Giants’ offense wouldn’t have enough deep play ability to make a run. Not so much now. BANG !!! (Sorry, couldn’t resist a gun blast in there somewhere while talking about Plax.)

The Vikings got Brett Farve (Favre) but even their fans know it’s most likely a one year deal, buying time for them to find a replacement for Brad Childress. You can only hand off to A.P. [Adrian Peterson] so many times each game, and season. Can’t you?

And Vikings fans, one great play (see the TD pass of Week Three) doesn’t mean you’ve won the Super Bowl. Was it the pass or the catch, pass or the catch? Oh hell, I can’t make up my mind. Sound familiar?

The Saints brought back their high-powered offense, and with quarterback Drew Brees, you knew they would be throwing the ball all over the field as usual.

But could New Orleans’ defense step it up when it counted to win some games? So far, so good on that phase of the game. The Saints look an awful lot like the 2006 Colts right now, don’t they? Guess what happened that year…

Speaking of the Colts, the horseshoes are off and running away with the AFC South once again as quarterback Peyton Manning is off to one of the best seasons of his career. Scary thought, isn’t it? Manning is currently leading the league in passing yards (1,336) and quarterback rating (114.5).

The Colts’ defense has surprisingly stepped up its efforts so far this season as well, ranked 17th overall in the league, up from 31st last season. The run “D” could still be an issue, but they are giving up only 15.5 points per game, the stat that actually matters.

Having that cushion, the No. 1 ranked offense in the NFL at 26.5 points per game could be a lethal combination for the Colts.

Now that we have looked back at the games, it’s time to see who the Studs and Duds were in Week Four of the NFL season.

 

Studs:

 

QB – Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger

Roethlisberger threw for 333 yards with two TDs and no INTs in the Steelers’ 38-28 shellacking of the San Diego Chargers on Sunday night. Big Ben is chiming early this season.

Manning threw for 353 yards with a pair of TDs of his own along with one INT, taking the Colts to 4-0 and atop of the AFC South. It’s a scary thought for defenses right now if Manning is actually getting better.

 

RB – Rashard Mendenhall

Mendenhall, a week after being benched by Steelers’ Head Coach Mike Tomlin, bounced back with a huge game at the expense of the San Diego Chargers on Sunday night. His cleat marks are still all over the Chargers’ defense after racking up 165 yards on 29 carries and two scores. See coach, he does know the play book.

 

WR – Chad Ochocinco

Ochocinco may have only had three catches in the Bengals’ victory over the Browns, but two of them went for touchdowns. His one-handed grab in the end zone while falling out of bounds in the first quarter was challenged by the Browns but was not overturned and that gave the early lead to the Bengals. Viva Esteban!!!…(via Twitter I’m sure.)

 

Duds:

 

QB – Kyle Boller

There is a theme going here with the Rams, isn’t there? Boller connected on only 13 of his 24 attempts and ended the game with 108 yards through the air with zero touchdowns in the Rams’ shutout loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Four down and 12 to go, Rams fans, only 12 more games to go until the draft.

 

RB – Larry Johnson

Larry, Larry, Larry. What has happened with you, man? Where is the running back from 2005 and 2006 who ran for 1,750 and 1,789 respectively? Where is the back capable of 4.4 YPC that everyone is use to seeing?

Johnson had 53 yards on the ground on 18 carries in the Chiefs’ 27-16 loss to the Giants. On the year he is averaging a dismal 2.6 yards per carry. Thirty years old must be the magical number for backs to lose it, I guess (although Johnson is actually only 29).

 

WR – The St. Louis Rams Receiving Core

Come on now, you knew this one had to be coming after the “Dud” Boller was during the game.

The Rams’ receivers had a whopping 108 yards receiving on the day, topped off by Donnie Avery’s stellar 47 yards. He was followed by Daniel Fells [who?] with one catch for 17 yards.

I really can’t say anymore about the Rams, it’s beginning to make me nauseous. Really.

To wrap things up on this first edition of Upon Further Review, I guess I should talk about the big Monday Night Football game between Brett Favre’s (Favre) Vikings and his old team, the Green Bay Packers.

To me this was not the game of the year as it was played in Minnesota. When the Vikings go to Lambeau field I think I will be a little more interested in the game.

Still, Brett and the Vikes played well and capitalized on several costly turnovers from the Packers.

The thing I hated the most about the game is how much the MNF crew (especially someone called Jaws, hint, hint) was just all praises for Favre no matter what he did. The guy is good, yes, I will never say he is not, but it’s not all him all the time.

There are 21 other guys on that field that are playing their butts off to win the game as well. And remember this, Lombardi trophies are not given out in October; you have to make it all the way to February to earn that honor. We’ll see if No. 4 can make it that far this season or not.

If not Vikings fans, you KNOW he will not be back for another season and you have burned so many bridges to get him. And what of Brad Childress after this season? It’s Super Bowl or bust this season for the Vikings, nothing less, and I believe major changes will be coming.

Until next week….

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Indianapolis Colts: Look To Replace the Replacement

Replacing Pro-Bowler Marvin Harrison was not going to be an easy challenge for the Indianapolis Colts this season, after they let the franchise’s all-time leading receiver go during the offseason. They looked to third year receiver Anthony Gonzalez, the replacement to Marvin Harrison.

But now the Colts must focus on finding a replacement for the replacement.

Only a day after losing wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez in a game where the Colts defeated their AFC South foes, the Jacksonville Jaguars 14-12, team president Bill Polian said that Gonzalez sprained the ligaments in his right knee and the team is not sure how much time the third-year receiver will miss.

The Colts have made it very clear they are making backup plans to replace Gonzalez and those plans do not include long-time Colt Marvin Harrison.

Some of the preliminary reports out of Indy suggest Gonzalez may miss up to six weeks with his injury.

Head Coach Jim Caldwell says they wouldn’t know more until meeting with the medical staff later on Tuesday. All reports, however, say that this is not a season ending injury.

“We will sit down with our pro personnel folks and talk through who the best veteran guy might be, who fits our system best,” Polian said on his weekly Monday night radio show. “It’s predicated, largely, on how long Gonzo is out. If he’s gone for four weeks or more, then the likelihood is that we would make a change. If he’s gone for four weeks or less, then probably not the sense of urgency to make a change.”

The Colts were placing high expectations this season on Gonzlaez, their first round draft pick in 2007 out of Ohio State, after releasing Harrison in a cost-cutting move to help free up some money under the team’s salary cap in February.

The injury to Gonzalez poses a larger issue to Indy as their depth chart only shows four receivers on the roster. Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie; a rookie, and the aforementioned Anthony Gonzalez.

Reggie Wayne has caught 586 passes, the other three wideouts only have 103 combined.  94 of those went to Gonlaez, leaving just nine catches between Garcon and Collie.

So where do the Colts turn to? Who do they sign?

They do have two wide receivers currently on the practice squad, Taj Smith and John Matthews. Smith spent the majority of last season on the Colt’s practice squad and knows the offense very well. Smith played quite a bit in the preseason this year. During those four games he caught five passes for 59 yards and a TD. 

Matthews, on the other hand, is an undrafted rookie out of San Diego State who during the preseason saw some; but not much, playing time catching seven balls for 85 yards.

Indy could also fall back to a plan the have reverted to before in moving tight end Dallas Clark over into the slot position. Clark has been in that position before, mostly due to injuries.

They could also go to another look they are semi-familiar with and have a two tight end set on some plays with Clark in the slot and Jacob Tamme lined up at tight end.

Whatever the answer is to this question for the Colts, the only certainty is they have a Monday night matchup with the Miami Dolphins next week and NFL leading receiver Reggie Wayne will certainly be seeing his fair share of double teams with Gonzalez out for an undetermined time.

So…

Who do the Indianapolis Colts use and/or what current player steps up to replace the replacement?

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Indianapolis Colts: Struggles Continue in the Running Game

In a very close and gritty AFC South division game to open the season, the Indianapolis Colts found themselves still struggling to get any kind of consistent running game going.

The Colts in the offseason tried to improve their rushing attack by drafting Donald Brown out of the University of Connecticut. But the combination of he and fourth-year back Joseph Addai only combined to rush for 75 yards.

Addai, who rushed for 42 yards on 17 carries, showed brief glimpses of his old self, but was unable to get anything going from down to down. Donald Brown was much of the same carrying the ball 11 times for 33 yards. Both backs combined to only average 2.75 yards per carry on the day.

Late in the fourth quarter, Indianapolis could not convert on a 4th-and-1 which could have put the game away. They had two shots at it failing on 3rd-and-1 and again Donald Brown got stuffed on their fourth down try to gain one yard on the ground which would have all but sealed the win for the Colts.

One interesting play to me, however, was on the goal-line touchdown from Joseph Addai in the second quarter when defensive end Eric Foster was sent into the game as fullback. The Colts in recent years have not had a true fullback to speak of on the roster.

Foster made a great block to spring open a hole for Addai to squirt through and get into the end zone for a touchdown.

Indianapolis is also going to have to find a way for the offensive line to get a better push off the ball and get some run blocks put on the defense or it is going to be a very long season for both Addai and Brown.

The inability to get any form of run block in critical short yardage situations is going to cost the Colts valuable first down conversions during upcoming games.

One way I see the run game could open up some is if the Colts try to stretch the defense out at the line of scrimmage with some different looks at the wide out positions and double tight end formations. Three and four receiver sets would force the defense to cover the receivers leaving fewer defensive players close to the line.

The double tight end sets would allow for more run blocking to be present in the backfield to open more holes for both Addai and Brown to pound the ball through.

This may be easier said than done as wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez went down during the game and is projected to be out two to six weeks.

One thing is certain this season for the Colts. They are going to have to find a way to convert some of these short yardage situations on the ground to either put teams away or keep drives alive late in games. This will prove to be more crucial now with the injury to Anthony Gonzalez. This will certainly put a strain on the Colts offense early this season.

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Indianapolis Colts: Preseason and Beyond

We are now halfway through the NFL preseason schedule and the Indianapolis Colts are sitting on a 1-1 record.

This offseason has brought some changes to the Colts. It has seen the departure of their head coach for the last seven seasons in Tony Dungy and long time wide receiver great Marvin Harrison.

The Colts come into this season with some change, but in certain times, change is good.

Stepping in at the head coaching position is long time assistant and last season assistant head coach Jim Caldwell. Caldwell, a coach much like Dungy, will not vary the team too much in his new role. Most Colts players, except for the rookies, are used to seeing Coach Caldwell around training camp, practices, and in-game situations. So this change is not that great for them. Colts players have described Caldwell as just a louder, more outspoken version of Tony Dungy.

Now that the Colts have played two preseason games, we are going to look at what Colts fans can look forward to in the final two preseason games and the upcoming NFL regular season.

 

Position Battles

The Colts in this season’s training camp have had some unique position battles going on. 

The two most intriguing to me would be at slot receiver and the running back position. We’ll start in the backfield where the Colts now have two talented running backs in fourth year Joseph Addai and rookie Donald Brown, who the Colts drafted in the first round this offseason. 

Neither Addai or Brown have seen extensive work this preseason, but that will all change in their upcoming third preseason game this Saturday Aug. 29 against the Detroit Lions. Both backs, I am sure, will see ample and equal playing time to determine what their situations will be. 

My guess is that Joseph Addai will continue to be the No. 1 back for the Colts and Brown will be the change of pace back. Indy has never really been a “two back” system team, but with the talent of both Addai and Brown in the backfield, it’s almost a no-brainer to have them both in there.

Both backs have had good, but limited performances so far this preseason. Addai and Brown are both averaging over five yards per carry: Addai at 24 yards on four carries averaging six yards and Brown with 63 yards on eight carries averaging 7.9 yards. Both backs also give the Colts two good receivers out of the backfield, for swing screen plays and check downs from Peyton Manning across the middle as an outlet, when everyone is covered down field.

Look for a much improved running game from the Colts over last year’s dismal outing. But that should not be hard to achieve.

The receiving core will look a little different this season for the Colts as well. When Manning looks to his right, he will no longer see No. 88 Marvin Harrison there. Most likely, he will be staring Anthony Gonzalez in the face. With the departure of Harrison, the Colts have changed things up a bit with the wide outs. Gonzalez has moved from the slot position out to Manning’s right. 

Reggie Wayne will continue to keep his traditional spot to the left, but the Colts have really been moving Wayne around a lot this preseason. Don’t be surprised to see No. 87 (Wayne) lined up in the slot or even to Manning’s right.

All Colts receivers are pretty much plug-n-play position players in their scheme. One play you may have Wayne split out wide left, then the next, he may be bunched up with Gonzalez and Dallas Clark in the right slot. You never know where they are going to be, so that makes it difficult for defenses to prepare to call their coverages when Wayne isn’t there to cover out wide left. 

All receivers have to be ready to play in different positions on any given play during the course of a game.

With these changes, this leaves the slot position up and open for grabs. The two main names that have been in this argument/battle have been Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie.  Garcon was with the Colts last season and had four receptions for 23 yards. Collie is a rookie out of BYU. 

So far this preseason, it’s been the rookie Collie that has shined the brightest in his new role. He has grabbed six receptions so far this preseason for 49 yards averaging 8.2 yards per catch. Garcon has had some injuries early this season and has been limited to his playing time.

With Garcon a little nicked up at the moment, look for Austin Collie to continue to get more reps with the first team and in the preseason game against the Lions on Saturday Aug. 29.

 

What To Watch for and Expect

With the two key position battles outlines, you can expect to see some players really giving it their all in these last two preseason games to make an impression on the coaching staff. 

I would watch to see who gets the most playing time in the slot position for the wide outs,  as well as how they will split up the carries between both Joseph Addai and Donald Brown.  Both I would expect to see playing time with the first unit on Saturday in Detroit. These would be the two key position battles to watch for in the final two preseason games for the Colts.

As far as what to expect from the Colts as a whole this season—the running game must be much improved over last year’s performance. Setting up the run is a much needed factor in the Colt’s offense. If the running game cannot get going early on, the play action pass has little effect on the defense and creates all kinds of problems with coverage down field forcing Manning to attempt passes he usually would not attempt.

With a healthy Joseph Addai I would definitely look for the Colts to return to their bread and butter stretch play to open up the running game. This play stretches the line across the field, opening holes for either Addai or Brown to hit hard and get up field for a big gain.

With the running game working for the Colts, that will certainly open up the play action pass which Peyton Manning may be the best at in the NFL.

The Colt’s offense is very dependent on getting the running game going quickly in games.  This will force the defense to respect the run looks and pull a few more defensive backs closer to the line, allowing the wide receivers to get one-on-one coverage looks from the secondary. If this happens consistently throughout the year for the Colt’s, it could be a very productive year for Indy’s chances at making a run deep in the playoffs.

Another area of major concern left over from last season and it has raised its head a few times so far this preseason is the Colt’s ability to stop the run. Last season the Colts were always near the bottom of the league in stopping the run. The defense was and has recently always been setup with undersized defensive lineman to play the famed cover-two or Tampa-two defense where speed is the key.

But with hardly any size in the middle of the defensive line, the Colts were so open to getting hit by big and sometimes huge running plays (insert 2008 playoffs against the Chargers). In the offseason and through the draft, they have tried to resolve this issue with some size in the middle of that D-Line.

With the additions of Fili Moala out of USC, 6’5″ 295 lbs and Terrance Taylor out of Michigan, 6’0″ 319 lbs, the Colts are looking to add some much needed “meat” to the middle of the line to help out with stopping the run.

What has plagued the Colts in the past in stopping the run as well has been the health of strong safety Bob Sanders. He is such a key component in the Colts’ defensive schemes that it’s almost like losing a player when he is not able to go for Indy. Melvin Bullitt has filled in nicely when Sanders has been out, but let’s face it…Bullitt is no Bob Sanders when it comes that position.

So to wrap up the Colts’ preseason and regular season outlook, there are two things to look at in depth for the Colts to have a productive year and make a run at the AFC South title and the Super Bowl. They must first stop the run and they must execute a much better running game on the offensive side of the ball to get the Colts powerful offense going early on in their games. 

If they can accomplish both of these tasks, the Indianapolis Colts will be a team to be reckoned with throughout the season and into the playoffs.

Tarvaris Jackson Might Have Done Himself a Favor

Unless you have been under a rock that last week you now know that Brett Favre has come out of retirement (yet again) to sign with the NFC North winners from last season the Minnesota Vikings.  The Vikes, already this offseason, went out and signed free agent Sage Rosenfels from the Houston Texans.  Assumedly to sure up the quarterback spot to their liking and away from Tarvaris Jackson.

On Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd at the Metrodome, No. 4 took the field for the first time in the NFC North for another team other than the Green Bay Packers. 

Cheered loudly by the same fans who used to boo him when he played for the Packers, Favre played two series and went 1-for-4 for an amazing four yards. He moved around ok and his passes had some zip, just no direction.  Unless the yardage lines play for the Vikings.  He hit them more than he hit his receivers.

Enter un-wanted and shunned Tarvaris Jackson into the game for the Vikings.

Jackson, who actually prompted some mild booing from the fans when he jogged to the huddle, because that meant Favre was done; and rightfully so, evaded a blitz on 3rd-and-8 in the second quarter and found Visanthe Shiancoe for a 13-yard score. In the third, Jackson hit Darius Reynaud on a post pattern for a 64-yard touchdown to put Minnesota in front 14-13.

“Whenever you play well, you always feel good,” Jackson said. “Regardless of the situation or the circumstances, it felt good. It was a long week for me. It just shows that if you just stay focused, you’ll be fine.”

The spotlight and much of the flashbulbs from cameras I’m sure were pointed square on #4 and his return/beginning of his Vikings “career.”  But Tarvaris Jackson stole the show on the QB front this night.

Amongst trade and release rumors, Jackson with his play on Saturday night, just may have done himself a favor.  If the Vikings are looking to release or trade him, surely his performance against the Chiefs was a good reminder he still can be an effective QB in this league. 

The only knock on Tarvaris Jackson is can he replicate that performance on a consistent basis?  This remains to be seen.

Indianapolis Colts Challenge Themselves and Respond Against the Eagles

Intensity was the key word Colts quarterback Peyton Manning used for their 23-15 winning performance on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“The players challenged themselves this past week, and the coaches challenged us to be a lot sharper,” said Manning, whose two first quarter touchdown passes helped the Colts to a 14-7 first quarter lead they never relinquished.

The Colts, after being outgained by Minnesota 351-142, in the opener, outgained the Philadelphia Eagles by 190-71 in the first quarter and 265-154 in the first half Thursday night.

“I thought it was really good,” Colts center Jeff Saturday said. “Obviously, there are going to be things to improve on, but it was much better than last week. I thought we blocked it pretty well up front and hit some big plays down the field.”

After allowing 198 yards rushing last week, the Colts allowed just 23 yards on 17 carries on Thursday.

“Overall, our defense ran to the ball well,” Caldwell said. “We were a lot better than we were the week before. That’s one area we did try to stress during the course of the week. It’s good to see results. The interior of our defense was pretty solid.

“Overall, I think it was a pretty solid performance and toward the end, we just got a little sloppy.”

Manning, who completed one of two passes in a 13-3 loss to Minnesota last week, played three series. The other drive on which he played ended when he lost a fumble when he was sacked by Eagles defensive end Jason Babin, but at the end of the first quarter, the Colts had converted three-of-three third downs and had 10 first downs to four for the Eagles.

The Colts took a 14-0 lead with Manning throwing touchdowns of three yards to wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez and 76 yards to a wide open Reggie Wayne down the left sideline.

The Colts, who allowed three sacks on the first six plays a week ago, not only produced 265 yards offense in the first half, their early touchdowns came on an extended drive and their longest play of the 2009 preseason.

The Colts allowed two first half sacks Thursday night, one on Manning.

“The offensive line did a nice job,” Caldwell said. “They protected well, which is something that’s very, very important to us. When there were opportunities to run, they created some holes for the backs.”

Colt’s center Jeff Saturday said, “We ran the ball well when we ran it, and that’s what you want to do in a preseason game – come in, play well, and get everybody out and stay healthy.”

After talking all week of wanting (needing) to improve on last week’s performance, the Colts took the opening kickoff and drove down the field 81 yards on 12 plays, scoring on a three-yard pass from Manning to third-year wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez on a fade route to the corner of the end zone. Manning completed 7 of 10 passes for 72 yards on the drive.

One area that Caldwell said he didn’t much like was the Colts committing seven penalties for 45 yards.

“That was one thing that kind of jumps out at you,” Caldwell said. “If we want to be the kind of team we think we can be, that will have to decrease, but we can build upon that.”

The Colts continue their preseason next week against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Saturday, Aug. 29.  The third preseason game is typically the game where the starters will play the majority of the game.  It’s basically the final dress rehearsal for the regular season.

We will wait and see if the Colts can carry the success and learn from their mistakes they had against the Eagles into this game against the Lions.

Tennessee Titans Not Interested In Marvin Harrison—So Who Is?

Fisher said Wednesday the team has had absolutely no contact with the free agent or his agent.

The Titans said they have no idea where ESPN got their report from on that the team was looking into acquiring the NFL’s second all time leading receiver.

Meanwhile, Marvin Harrison’s old coach in Indianapolis Tony Dungy says Harrison would be a good fit in Chicago with the Bears.  Whom many say have a need at the wide receiver position this season.

“I think he definitely can play and I would encourage (Bears coach) Lovie Smith to sign him if they had that opening,” Dungy told ESPN Radio Chicago on Wednesday.

“Marvin can play the game,” Dungy said in the interview. “Marvin can get open and catch the ball.  Marvin’s whole thing is precision. And he’s the guy that needs work in a system, you know.”

Harrison finished off his Colt’s career with 1,102 receptions, 14,580 yards and 128 TD’s.  He also set the NFL record for receptions in a season with 143 back during the 2002-2003 season.  Indianapolis released him after last season to free up six million dollars under the salary cap.

If not the Titans or the Bears, where could one of the best wide receivers in NFL history end up—if anywhere?  I find it hard to believe that no team out there right now would be interested in him just to give him a look in their offense.

Is he a number one receiver anymore?  No, but he still possesses the skill and the knowledge of the game that could benefit a team that had younger wide outs looking to take their game to the next level.

Maybe it has to do with some of the legal trouble or rather legal issues that could come up that arose last season as well.

Whatever the reason, no one seems sure where Harrison will end up if on any NFL team roster this season.  But to me it would be a shame to see such a great career fall by the wayside and not on the field.

 

Minnesota Vikings to Dump Tavaris Jackson

You knew it was only a matter of time before rumors started flying around about Tarvaris Jackson and the Minnesota Vikings.  Well, the rumors appear to be true now according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

What are you going to do when you’ve got the quarterback who led the New York (Jersey) Jets to a 9-7 and AFC East third-place finish last year in the house? You gotta trade or release the guy who helped your team to a 10-6 record and a first-place finish in the NFC North, right?

Well, now that Brett Favre is on board for the Minnesota Vikings, it’s looking like  Tarvaris Jackson is history. The team is apparently trying to trade or release him by Friday, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The team doesn’t want to trade him within the division, of course, but beggars can not be choosers and it’s expected that the Detroit Lions may try to snag him for a low draft pick. Otherwise, expect Jackson to be out on the street by the weekend with a whole lot of incentive to beat Minnesota wherever he ends up.

What a way to treat the player that helped you reach the playoffs last season.  Stay classy Vikings front office.

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