Curtis Painter for the Win!

OK, no offense to any Purdue alums or Curtis Painter fans out there, but the headline of this article is a joke. 

I went to Indiana University so I may tend to be a bit critical, but even my Boilermaker fiancé agrees that Painter-playing-time equals an instant loss for the Indianapolis Colts.

But maybe that isn’t such a bad thing, and maybe the Colts should use him sooner rather than later.  I realize that there is absolutely no chance that Bill Polian and Jim Caldwell actually utilize the strategy that I am suggesting in this article, but wouldn’t it be better for the Colts to lose to the Broncos and sew up home-field advantage in the following weeks?

It may not really matter, but Denver is a game behind the San Diego Chargers in the AFC West right now, and I would feel much more comfortable with an Indy-Denver matchup in the playoffs.

The Chargers have three difficult games in a row: at Dallas, home against the Bengals, and away against the resurgent Tennessee Titans.  They probably aren’t going to miss the playoffs, but if they were relegated to the wild card and had to win a first round playoff game on the road, there would be a better chance that the Colts wouldn’t have to play them.

The Broncos have two relatively easy games against the Chiefs and the Raiders left on their schedule, and their only difficult game other than this Sunday’s matchup against the Colts is a road game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

So, maybe the Colts should give Painter some work this Sunday and put the starters back in next week.  It might seem like a risky proposition but as a Colts fan, I just don’t worry about playing the Broncos.

Because of the recent history between the two teams, I feel like a home playoff game against Denver would be the opposite of a Curtis Painter start: an instant victory.  It’s just like when the Colts play the Ravens; the Vegas odds are going to be close, but I can put my mortgage on Indy without breaking a sweat.

I wouldn’t feel nearly as confident going against the Chargers in the playoffs, even if the game is at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Check out my new web site and get the latest Colts updates from the media and the players all in one place!

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Undefeated Superbowl Matchup? Sorry Folks, Not The Colts

The Colts and the Saints are both 11-0, and everybody is dreaming about a Superbowl match-up between two undefeated teams.  The Saints look unbeatable, and the Colts have a relatively easy schedule remaining, so it is plausible.

But its not going to happen.  Sorry folks.

The New Orleans Saints might pursue perfection, but the Colts won’t.  Once they clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, they’ll mail it in.  The team’s philosophy won’t change despite the general fan sentiment that momentum won them the Superbowl in 2006-07 whereas resting players has caused the team several early playoff exits.

“You don’t get rusty missing a half of a ballgame or three quarters of a ballgame,” said team president Bill Polian on his weekly radio interview.  “That doesn’t happen. That is fantasy. There is nothing to it. I don’t believe in momentum.”

The team has made roster moves to reflect this strategy already, signing running back Mike Hart from the practice squad even though there are already three healthy running backs on the active roster.  This is a good sign that Joseph Addai and Donald Brown will get plenty of rest once the Colts clinch a number one seed.

According to Bill Polian, the team’s preference to rest players in meaningless games dates back to the Colts’ 1999 season in which the team went 13-3 but lost linebacker Cornelius Bennett for the playoffs in a game that had no impact on their seeding. 

Polian’s disregard of momentum actually dates back to his time with the Buffalo Bills, and they went to four straight Superbowls.

The Colts organization is all about winning the big one, and even though some of the players may want to go 17-0, there isn’t going to be any dissent if the coach tells them to sit.

The good news for Colts fans is that the team will have plenty of time to get healthy before making their playoff run.  Players who have minor nagging injuries that wouldn’t normally keep them out of the lineup, such as Dwight Freeney, will certainly benefit from some time off. 

Unfortunately, this may make it  very difficult for the Colts to get a victory against a team like the New York Jets.  Bye bye perfect season.

“I can assure you that if a game is meaningful, every player on our team is going to be out there,” emphasized Polian.

Too bad all the games aren’t going to be meaningful.

Check out my new website and get the latest Colts updates from the media and the players all in one place!

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Will the Indianapolis Colts’ Defense Suffer Without Tyjuan Hagler?

Colts Linebacker Tyjuan Hagler, who has often been injured in the past, has been placed on the IR with a ruptured biceps suffered in last week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. However, the Colt’s top-ranked scoring defense, which is allowing just 13 points a game, might not be significantly less productive without Hagler for the rest of the season.

The team’s “next man up” philosophy will again be tested, but this time it may be closer to a “first man up” situation. Hagler’s replacement, second-year veteran Phillip Wheeler, was actually the starter at strong-side linebacker throughout training camp. Hagler quietly took over the starting job just before the start of the regular season.

Since Wheeler was ahead of Hagler on the depth chart for most of the offseason, Wheeler has plenty of experience playing with the first team defense. He put his experience to good use when Hagler left the 49ers game in the third quarter, quickly racking up six tackles and a sack.

The Colts defense was much improved in the second half of that game, and some of that can be attributed to Wheeler’s play. San Francisco got the majority of their rushing yards and all of their points in the first half. 

Wheeler is a more prototypical pass rusher than Hagler and played at defensive end in college. He provides an interesting weapon for defensive coordinator Larry Coyer to use in his blitz schemes. In the last few games, Coyer has been employing more zone blitzes that drop defensive linemen into coverage. Wheeler certainly has the speed to get to the quarterback when he is utilized as a pass rusher.

As injuries build, the area that suffers the most for the Colts is generally the special teams unit. The team has been much better in kickoff and punt coverage this year compared to recent seasons. With Hagler on the injured reserve, the team has added preseason waiver acquisition Cody Glenn to the active roster, and he will definitely be expected to contribute on special teams.

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What Is Ryan Fitzpatrick’s Fantasy Impact With Trent Edwards Out?

If your fantasy hopes and dreams rely on either Trent Edwards or Ryan Fitzpatrick, your hopes and dreams are probably already dashed.  Neither player is worthy of a start except as a bye-week replacement unless you are in a really deep league that starts multiple quarterbacks.

But Edwards’ injury definitely affects other players with more fantasy relevance.  When Fitzpatrick took over the offense last week against the Jets, it quickly became obvious that the two quarterbacks have different styles.

Specifically, Trent Edwards checks down to his running backs very frequently and Fitzpatrick doesn’t.  In fact, last week at Cleveland, Marshawn Lynch led the team in receiving with 56 yards and targets with seven.  After Fitzpatrick took over against the Jets, Marshawn Lynch caught only one pass and was only targeted twice in three quarters and a lengthy overtime period that included three Buffalo possessions.

Fred Jackson, who was averaging four targets a game since Lynch returned to the lineup, didn’t get a single pass thrown his way in the Jets game. 

This week, against the weak Carolina Panthers run-defense, both players are still decent starts.  But don’t expect either to get a lot of receptions.  You may have better options on your bench, especially if you are in a point-per-reception league.

The fact that Ryan Fitzpatrick never checks down to his backs does benefit the Bills wide receiving corps.  Lee Evans had 11 targets against the Jets and Terrell Owens had eight.  That is a decent amount of action for a wide receiver.  If Owens could catch, he could have a good game against the Panthers. 

Both players have been non-existent fantasy-wise, and they might even be on the waiver wire in your league.  With six teams on a bye in Week 7, Evans and Owens could be decent replacement starters if you’re thin at the position.

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What Is Ryan Fitzpatrick’s Fantasy Impact With Trent Edwards Out?

If your fantasy hopes and dreams rely on either Trent Edwards or Ryan Fitzpatrick, your hopes and dreams are probably already dashed.  Neither player is worthy of a start except as a bye-week replacement unless you are in a really deep league that starts multiple quarterbacks.

But Edwards’ injury definitely affects other players with more fantasy relevance.  When Fitzpatrick took over the offense last week against the Jets, it quickly became obvious that the two quarterbacks have different styles.

Specifically, Trent Edwards checks down to his running backs very frequently and Fitzpatrick doesn’t.  In fact, last week at Cleveland, Marshawn Lynch led the team in receiving with 56 yards and targets with seven.  After Fitzpatrick took over against the Jets, Marshawn Lynch caught only one pass and was only targeted twice in three quarters and a lengthy overtime period that included three Buffalo possessions.

Fred Jackson, who was averaging four targets a game since Lynch returned to the lineup, didn’t get a single pass thrown his way in the Jets game. 

This week, against the weak Carolina Panthers run-defense, both players are still decent starts.  But don’t expect either to get a lot of receptions.  You may have better options on your bench, especially if you are in a point-per-reception league.

The fact that Ryan Fitzpatrick never checks down to his backs does benefit the Bills wide receiving corps.  Lee Evans had 11 targets against the Jets and Terrell Owens had eight.  That is a decent amount of action for a wide receiver.  If Owens could catch, he could have a good game against the Panthers. 

Both players have been non-existent fantasy-wise, and they might even be on the waiver wire in your league.  With six teams on a bye in Week 7, Evans and Owens could be decent replacement starters if you’re thin at the position.

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What Is Ryan Fitzpatrick’s Fantasy Impact With Trent Edwards Out?

If your fantasy hopes and dreams rely on either Trent Edwards or Ryan Fitzpatrick, your hopes and dreams are probably already dashed.  Neither player is worthy of a start except as a bye-week replacement unless you are in a really deep league that starts multiple quarterbacks.

But Edwards’ injury definitely affects other players with more fantasy relevance.  When Fitzpatrick took over the offense last week against the Jets, it quickly became obvious that the two quarterbacks have different styles.

Specifically, Trent Edwards checks down to his running backs very frequently and Fitzpatrick doesn’t.  In fact, last week at Cleveland, Marshawn Lynch led the team in receiving with 56 yards and targets with seven.  After Fitzpatrick took over against the Jets, Marshawn Lynch caught only one pass and was only targeted twice in three quarters and a lengthy overtime period that included three Buffalo possessions.

Fred Jackson, who was averaging four targets a game since Lynch returned to the lineup, didn’t get a single pass thrown his way in the Jets game. 

This week, against the weak Carolina Panthers run-defense, both players are still decent starts.  But don’t expect either to get a lot of receptions.  You may have better options on your bench, especially if you are in a point-per-reception league.

The fact that Ryan Fitzpatrick never checks down to his backs does benefit the Bills wide receiving corps.  Lee Evans had 11 targets against the Jets and Terrell Owens had eight.  That is a decent amount of action for a wide receiver.  If Owens could catch, he could have a good game against the Panthers. 

Both players have been non-existent fantasy-wise, and they might even be on the waiver wire in your league.  With six teams on a bye in Week 7, Evans and Owens could be decent replacement starters if you’re thin at the position.

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Indianapolis Colts: Making Moves Before the Trade Deadline?

According to NFL.com columnist Jason La Canfora, the Colts were one of several teams to contact the Browns about the availability of wide receiver and standout kick-returner Josh Cribbs. The Colts’ special teams has improved this season in coverage, but the team’s return game is still suspect at best.

The Colts currently rank 28th in the league in average kickoff return yardage, averaging 20.4 yards a return. The team ranks 25th in punt return average at 5.1 yards a return.

Cribbs currently leads the league in both kickoff return yards and punt return yards. Blocking on kickoffs obviously plays a significant roll in a team’s return success, but having a more explosive kick returner could make things even easier for Peyton Manning and the offense.

If the Colts were to make a deal for Cribbs, the team could make more efficient use of every roster position by releasing or trading Hank Baskett, who provides necessary depth but has yet to see any playing time. With Anthony Gonzalez out of action for an extended period of time, the Colts have to keep an extra wide receiver on the roster in case there is another injury at the position. Cribbs could provide that same security and contribute significantly on special teams.

The team could also save another roster spot by sending their current kick returner, Chad Simpson, to the practice squad and keeping just three running backs on the depth chart. Mike Hart was recently put back on the active roster when Simpson suffered an abdominal injury.

Cribbs is currently at odds with the Browns organization and is actively seeking either a new contract or a trade. Unfortunately, the Browns might not be willing to make a deal that the Colts would consider reasonable.

Bill Polian values all of his draft picks and is unlikely to give up a high round pick to boost special teams production. And with several injuries and limited roster space, the Colts don’t have very much surplus talent to offer. The team just released a starting defensive tackle to sign a replacement kicker.

A trade for Cribbs would definitely make sense for the Colts on many levels, but the Browns’ asking price might be too high. The trade deadline for all NFL teams is Oct. 20.

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Ed Johnson: Really? Seriously?

Multiple sources are reporting that the Colts have once again released defensive tackle Ed Johnson.

Ed Johnson has been playing well, and the Colts defense is looking better than it ever has.  So this can only mean one thing:

Ed Johnson did something stupid. Again.

Last time the Colts waived him, it was because he was driving around I-465 smokin’ blunts and livin’ it up.  Ruining his career. 

There’s no reason to speculate on what the Colts’ reasoning was this time, but it is likely that Johnson’s NFL career is over, and the ramifications to the team could be significant.

The team’s defensive tackle rotation is still in better shape than it was last year when Johnson was excused from the team, but they will need someone to really step up for the Colts to continue playing at a high level on defense. 

Eric Foster and Daniel Muir have both played well when they’ve been in the game, and it is likely that one of these two players will be inserted into the starting lineup.

Perhaps Johnson’s release will open the door for one of the Colts’ draft picks to step into the rotation and prove themselves. 

The team took two 300-plus pound tackles in this year’s draft, but neither made enough of an impression in training camp or pre-season to warrant any postulation that they can fill the void that Johnson has left.

Second-round pick Fili Maola has not seen much time on the field, and fourth-round pick Terrance Taylor is no longer even on the Colts’ practice squad.

That means that if the Colts hope to remain stout on the defensive side of the ball, either Foster or Muir will have to ramp up their game. 

Eric Foster is very undersized for a defensive tackle, but he frequently gets good penetration.  He started the game against Jacksonville in which Ed Johnson was suspended and had four tackles and one QB pressure. 

This is his second year in the system, so he may see marked improvement from last season in which he started 11 games.

Daniel Muir is the biggest tackle on the roster, listed at 312 pounds.  He will probably remain in a reserve role, but the team could rotate in their biggest linemen on early downs to match up better against the run. 

With Ed Johnson out of the lineup, the Colts risk reverting back to their recent habit of allowing excessive rushing yardage to opposing offenses. 

It will be interesting to see in the coming weeks what impact defensive coordinator Larry Coyer’s scheme has had and can have on the defense.  Perhaps the blitzing threat, specifically with the addition of some well-timed run blitzes, will help to minimize the loss of the team’s best defensive tackle.

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Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson: Injury Impact

Matthew Stafford is officially listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Lions’ coach Jim Schwartz isn’t giving out any more information on who the starter will be until game-time.

You probably wouldn’t want to start the rookie quarterback in your fantasy leagues this week anyway. Although Pittsburgh’s defense this year isn’t as stout against the pass as their reputation would lead you to believe, they are sure to throw some interesting blitz packages at the Lions regardless of who is starting at QB.

Considering Stafford’s lack of experience and Detroit’s sketchy offensive line, it’s very unlikely that a better option isn’t available for your fantasy roster. But will Stafford’s injury affect the other skill position players on Detroit?

For Calvin Johnson owners, it may actually be better if Stafford is held out of the game Sunday. If Stafford doesn’t play, Daunte Culpepper will get the start and Culpepper is one of the best deep ball throwers in recent league history.

Culpepper definitely has a propensity for throwing down the field. 

In his five games with the Lions last season, he hooked up with Calvin Johnson 19 times for 369 yards.  That’s less than four receptions a game—nothing spectacular for PPR leagues, but it is an average of 20 yards a catch. 

If Culpepper starts, it may be more likely that Megatron catches a deep ball for a touchdown. The Steelers are ranked just 17th in the league in passing yards allowed, and with Troy Polamalu likely out the Lions should be able to put up decent passing numbers.

Johnson is listed as probable, but he is likely to play. He should remain in your fantasy lineup no matter who the Lions start at QB.

However, this is not a good matchup for Lions running back Kevin Smith. The Steelers are ranked fourth in the league in rush defense, and Smith hasn’t been putting up huge rushing numbers against weaker teams. He did get goal line carries last week that resulted in two touchdowns, but I wouldn’t count on him getting in the end zone this week.

If Culpepper starts, Kevin Smith will probably see fewer passes out of the backfield as well. Culpepper is great at taking shots down the field, but he doesn’t check down to his running backs very often. In his five games last season, Culpepper only completed 11 passes to running backs.

That’s an average of about two check-down passes a game, and Kevin Smith isn’t guaranteed to be the target of all of them. Unless you don’t have any decent alternative, I’d leave Kevin Smith on your bench this week.

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Bill Polian Doesn’t Care What I Think

As a Colts fan, I admit that it is difficult to watch the Colts give up 200 yards rushing in a game even if they win.  We all love hard-hitting football.  I, personally, love defensive football.  I love a hard-fought 4-3 win.  Unfortunately, Bill Polian doesn’t care what I think.

And so, in the game against Miami a few weeks ago, the Colts got ran over like a quadriplegic bullfighter.  They won the game despite never altering their defensive strategy against the Wildcat to any extent other than using a safety as an eighth man in the box, and gave up 239 rushing yards in the process. 

Is this a major weakness of the Colts?  Can other teams utilize the Wildcat against them with similar effectiveness? To some extent, yes.

Just ask team president Bill Polian:

“We controlled the run against Miami from conventional formations about as well as we’ve controlled it the last two weeks,” said Polian in his weekly interview. “What we did not control was the Wildcat and the ‘A’ formation.”

“That begs the question, ‘Can Tennessee do it?’ The answer is, ‘Yes, they can.’ Do we expect they will? The answer is, ‘Yes, we do.’ They could run it with Vince (Young). They could run it with Kerry (Collins). They could run it with any number of people. I could see them running it with Vince and both backs in the game. There are any number of ways they can do it. We’ll have to wait until Sunday night to figure out which one it is, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to see one version or another of it. Maybe all three.”

It was pretty clear by the Colts’ lack of adjustment to the Wildcat in the second half of the Miami game that they are not going to risk giving up a big passing play by utilizing defensive backs to matchup better against Wildcat running plays. 

Fans want a defense that holds run-based teams to 45 yards rushing, but Bill Polian doesn’t care.  The team isn’t designed to do that, and that design started long before the Colts drafted Peyton Manning…it started when Bill Polian was with Buffalo. 

The “bend-don’t-break” cliche is understandably an undesirable moniker to assign to a team, but Bill Polian doesn’t care.  Polian has said that he only cares about two statistics: yards-per-pass-attempt and turnovers.  Thus, he is perfectly willing to allow a field goal in order to prevent a touchdown, because he is banking on the offense scoring a touchdown. That is why he has spent seven of 10 first round draft picks on offense during his tenure with the Colts.

Would Bill Polian prefer a three-and-out every drive? Of course.  Would he prefer limiting opponents to negligible running yards? Of course.  All Colts fans would prefer that.  But the team is clearly not willing to risk giving up big plays in the passing game.

Because of the way the team is designed, Polian was as critical of the Colts’ performance against the Seattle Seahawks as he was of the Colts’ effort versus Miami.

“We have a standard of performance here, and the standard of performance is high,” Polian said about the Seahawks game. “For about three quarters Sunday, we met the standard of performance—albeit grudgingly on offense. Then, it all went to the dogs in the fourth quarter. We played maybe the worst fourth quarter in all three phases this season.”

In the aforementioned fourth quarter, the Colts gave up two drives for touchdowns that featured zero running plays and 19 pass plays.  The only run was a seven-yard scramble by quarterback Seneca Wallace, but the play-call was a pass.

When your measuring stick is pass-yards per-attempt, it is understandable that the team was disappointed even though those two drives came when the game was already well out of reach for Seattle.

Polian also said that the defense did not play up to the team’s standard of performance against Miami, but he blamed the poor play not on the team’s structure or system, but rather on technique.

“The thing with the Wildcat, it’s like any misdirection offense or any misdirection play—you cannot look in the backfield,” Polian said after the Dolphins game. 

“We were playing too high on the defensive line. We had far too many missed tackles. We had far too many poor entries in terms of gap control and things of that nature. We have lots and lots of work to do to get better on defense and get better specifically against the Wildcat and the kinds of things that people are going to do us”

“That you have to get corrected, but yes, you can do it,” Polian said, “because it’s just a matter of technique.”

The Colts are obviously not built around their defense, but if they can improve throughout the season, as was Coach Dungy’s mantra, they are very well equipped to beat any team on a given Sunday.  When Bob Sanders returns from injury the run defense will likely improve, and rookies Jacob Lacey and Jerraud Powers—who are both getting a good amount of playing time—will play faster and make faster reads as they gain experience.

Do the Colts need to make changes to their personnel or depth chart, or dramatically alter their defensive scheme?  Probably not.

“As far as the game plan and how the game was played, they played to their strengths and we played to our strengths,” Polian said when asked about the Miami game. “We won the game.”

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