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The Colts and our D-Backs

Imatexanfan

Imatexanfan

Hall of Fame
The Colts will be a challenge for our D-backs thats for sure. Harrison/Wayne should have our best cover corners assigned to them with double coverage on Marvin Harrison. Ever since the Lee Evans thing last year I lost trust in Faggins and after last week, I'd put in Fletcher and put Faggins as Nickel.

We all know Dallas Clark needs a good coverage LB on him. (Ryans possibly) But that leaves the run game for Indy at an advantage if we do that.

Don't forget about A. Gonzalez! If the rest are covered and the team forgets about him then we're going to be in for a long day.

In a previous post I said that the Carolina game is going to be a huge test (that they overwhelmingly passed) for the OL.

This game will be where our defense really needs to step up to the task at hand with all the weapons that Indy has! Don't lay off the line 10 yards or Peyton will just light us up 5 yards at a time. I have every bit of confidence that our defense can and will step up to the challenge. Its just who's gonna step up for AJ's absence?! I mean for the time being of course.:texflag:
 
Our DL needs to make the difference. This is what they're here to do. This is why they were drafted. This is THEIR DESTINY!

If they don't get to Manning and stop the run this game cannot be won. Not many people get to Manning so it's no easy task.
 
This is one of the ultimate tests for our D-line for sure. The key is keeping Manning off the field and ball control on our part. Thats the way we are going to beat the Colts, playing smart.
 
Hervoyel said:
Our DL needs to make the difference. This is what they're here to do. This is why they were drafted. This is THEIR DESTINY!

If they don't get to Manning and stop the run this game cannot be won. Not many people get to Manning so it's no easy task.
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Very true. Manning is the Key. Neither Wayne or Marvin can beat us if we take Peyton out of his game.

& While I do understand the threat that Wayne & Harrison bring, it's not like we haven't seen these fu@%^rs before.

If our front four can stop the run & put pressure on Manning, I have no worries about our pass defense. If our secondary can resist the urge to bite on that play action, we'll be OK. :d:
 
Imatexanfan said:
The Colts will be a challenge for our D-backs thats for sure. Harrison/Wayne should have our best cover corners assigned to them with double coverage on Marvin Harrison. Ever since the Lee Evans thing last year I lost trust in Faggins and after last week, I'd put in Fletcher and put Faggins as Nickel.

We all know Dallas Clark needs a good coverage LB on him. (Ryans possibly) But that leaves the run game for Indy at an advantage if we do that.

Don't forget about A. Gonzalez! If the rest are covered and the team forgets about him then we're going to be in for a long day.

In a previous post I said that the Carolina game is going to be a huge test (that they overwhelmingly passed) for the OL.

This game will be where our defense really needs to step up to the task at hand with all the weapons that Indy has! Don't lay off the line 10 yards or Peyton will just light us up 5 yards at a time. I have every bit of confidence that our defense can and will step up to the challenge. Its just who's gonna step up for AJ's absence?! I mean for the time being of course.:texflag:
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I am expecting D to make some turnovers this week. Our smash mouth runner Dayne did ok last game against Colts and we now have Green to "quicken" the run. This could turn out to be a pretty good game. I think our ST will be the difference. Some of the injured guys may return.
 
2 things stick out to me when thinking of stopping the Indy O. It's actually 2 parts to the same thing: Keep them from getting comfortable and in a rhythm.
Do this by getting pressure on Manning and knocking the receivers off their routes and messing up the timing plays. A hand in Mannings face and a good chuck at the LOS on Harrison & Wayne will be a good start.
:twocents:
 
It seems the coaches have been reading these boards and listening to some of y'all talk about playing Mario at LDE, lol. I see him on that side quite a bit, but don't they switch him back and forth the DE spots throughout the game?

I think Mario could have a huge game if he's going against Rookie Tony Ugoh who has 2 games under his belt in the NFL...Mario has only gotten better, this could be great.
 
Ole Miss Texan said:
It seems the coaches have been reading these boards and listening to some of y'all talk about playing Mario at LDE, lol. I see him on that side quite a bit, but don't they switch him back and forth the DE spots throughout the game?

I think Mario could have a huge game if he's going against Rookie Tony Ugoh who has 2 games under his belt in the NFL...Mario has only gotten better, this could be great.
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Yeah, Mario's been spending some time at LDE and been looking good there. They've also been using Weaver at DT on passing situations and he's looked pretty good.
 
thunderkyss said:
Very true. Manning is the Key. Neither Wayne or Marvin can beat us if we take Peyton out of his game.

& While I do understand the threat that Wayne & Harrison bring, it's not like we haven't seen these fu@%^rs before.

If our front four can stop the run & put pressure on Manning, I have no worries about our pass defense. If our secondary can resist the urge to bite on that play action, we'll be OK. :d:
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You got a lot of ifs there. I do agree that if those things you reference actually happen, the Texans have a very good chance. But the likelihood of all those things happening seem remote. Harrison, Wayne, Clark & Manning are simply too good to be locked down for any length of time. The Colts are going to move the ball and they are going to score.

To me the more relavent match up is the Texans O against the Colts D. It is clear that Schaub makes a huge difference. And to win this game, he will have to make plays because I just can't see a repeat of the running game last year.
 
Indy Skinnz said:
To me the more relavent match up is the Texans O against the Colts D. It is clear that Schaub makes a huge difference. And to win this game, he will have to make plays because I just can't see a repeat of the running game last year.
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I don't expect us to try to do exactly the same thing we did last year but while you've upgraded your defense, Ahman is a huge upgrade from Dayne as well.

Last year, we were able to get a few stops but really the big thing was that fumble on your first offensive possession.

It's going to be interesting to see the chess match between the coaches.
 
Indy Skinnz said:
You got a lot of ifs there. I do agree that if those things you reference actually happen, the Texans have a very good chance. But the likelihood of all those things happening seem remote. Harrison, Wayne, Clark & Manning are simply too good to be locked down for any length of time. The Colts are going to move the ball and they are going to score.

To me the more relavent match up is the Texans O against the Colts D. It is clear that Schaub makes a huge difference. And to win this game, he will have to make plays because I just can't see a repeat of the running game last year.
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If we beat you last year, basically without a QB, I think we have a better than good chance of beating you again. We're better than we were when we beat you last time. You're about the same, if not slipped a notch(from loosing so many players).

You scored 24 points on us then.

I guarantee you won't do that again.

I know it sounds like I'm talking smack... & I know I won't get much back up from some of my fellow fans here.

But WRITE IT DOWN, the Colts will not score more than 23 points on Sept 23, 2007.
 
You're getting bold there, TK, but I LIKE it. I think we'll really surprise the Colts with our D. I still say interrupting their timing is the biggest key with getting better CB play opposite D-Rob is the second biggest. I wouldn't count on Manning throwing to D-Rob's side enough to guarantee 2 picks, though.
 
thunderkyss said:
If we beat you last year, basically without a QB, I think we have a better than good chance of beating you again. We're better than we were when we beat you last time. You're about the same, if not slipped a notch(from loosing so many players).

You scored 24 points on us then.

I guarantee you won't do that again.

I know it sounds like I'm talking smack... & I know I won't get much back up from some of my fellow fans here.

But WRITE IT DOWN, the Colts will not score more than 23 points on Sept 23, 2007.
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The bolded statement above is so indicative of delusional tendencies that I wonder if you'll even realized you lost by Monday morning.

Before your histrionics escalate to epic proportion you may want to do a little research on our defense and see if what you find substantiates your prediction.
 
TooManyWeapons said:
The bolded statement above is so indicative of delusional tendencies that I wonder if you'll even realized you lost by Monday morning.

Before your histrionics escalate to epic proportion you may want to do a little research on our defense and see if what you find substantiates your prediction.
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So you're saying you're better now, than you were when we played you last??

I'm saying you were pretty dang good, couldn't have got much better(it's like adding 1 to infinity)... and you've lost some players.
 
what is the Colts status on the offensive line, are they all 100%? if they are the Texans are in trouble, if there is a weak component, some nagging injurys it might just be enough for the DL to exploit, giving the Texans a chance. the only way our d-backs can cover is if they don't have to. meaning extended developing routes that take 4-5 seconds. if Manning gets enough time we're in trouble its that simple.

first, however they may come out & give us a taste of our own medicine & try to run the ball down our throats. so its also imperative the Texans shutdown the run, pin their ears back & pressure Manning, throw his rythem off & hopefully some hard sacks as well.
 
thunderkyss said:
So you're saying you're better now, than you were when we played you last??

I'm saying you were pretty dang good, couldn't have got much better(it's like adding 1 to infinity)... and you've lost some players.
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Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.

The Colts defense is MARKEDLY improved since the last time you played us.

The offense is about the same, give or take. Ugoh is a rookie and Tarik Glenn left some pretty big shoes to fill in the O line, but he's doing well.

Dominic Rhoads has not been missed.

Every player lost on Defense has been replaced by someone in whom I already have more confidence.

But I'm not an expert or analyst or anything. All I have to go on are the guys who were around in the playoffs last year and the previous two games.
 
TooManyWeapons said:
The bolded statement above is so indicative of delusional tendencies that I wonder if you'll even realized you lost by Monday morning.

Before your histrionics escalate to epic proportion you may want to do a little research on our defense and see if what you find substantiates your prediction.
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Well I'm going to have to take Tkyss's back on this. I think your a little guilty of your own charge. You accuse Tkyss of not knowing anything about your "improved" defense and that is probably a valid point?

So I ask you?

How much do you really know about the improved Texans? I would really like to know your take after watching the Carolina game film.
 
Pantherstang84 said:
Well I'm going to have to take Tkyss's back on this. I think your a little guilty of your own charge. You accuse Tkyss of not knowing anything about your "improved" defense and that is probably a valid point?

So I ask you?

How much do you really know about the improved Texans? I would really like to know your take after watching the Carolina game film.
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I make no claims about your offense. You will not find a thread on this board in which I do. I will admit to not having watched the Carolina game, but I know you guys are a different team and respect that.

I merely state this: Judging the Colts defense by last year's regular season, the last game vs. Houston, or by the number of players lost to free agency without any knowledge of their replacements is likely to generate an egregiously inaccurate estimate of their effectiveness.

That's all!



ps. let's you and I try to be a little easier on each other this afternoon. I'm not into having a flame war with you over a football game.
 
What needs to happen is Smith from the onset finally forgo having CBs cover a side of the field and say ok Dunta we're going to have you locked one on one with Reggie Wayne all day. He needs to rotate help with one of the safeties and marvin needs to be jammed at the line of scrimage when possible if we deceide to man up on Faggins side. Our front seven needs to hold its own against the run again and the front four needs pressure up the middle. While i am impressed with Mario i'd like to see Kalu matched on Ugoh. A good vet like Kalu should be able to exploit a rookie LT.

I haven't seen a lot of Gonzalez yet but i haven't been able to catch either Colts game. I have been impressed with Dallas Clark more this year then in previous past ones. I've always like him as a catching TE but this year he's looked really versatile and has been deadly out of the slot like they had him play last year.

If we want to win this game we'll need to force two turnovers, take care of the ball on our side, continue to eat up clock on offense, and Schaub will prolly be more forced in this game to spread the ball around if AJ can't go. Which actually could help our offense in the long run. We'll have to turn this one into a dog fight much like the Titans did. We need to be red zone eifficent as well.

:fans:
 
thunderkyss said:
If we beat you last year, basically without a QB, I think we have a better than good chance of beating you again. We're better than we were when we beat you last time. You're about the same, if not slipped a notch(from loosing so many players).

You scored 24 points on us then.

I guarantee you won't do that again.

I know it sounds like I'm talking smack... & I know I won't get much back up from some of my fellow fans here.

But WRITE IT DOWN, the Colts will not score more than 23 points on Sept 23, 2007.
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Wow - a guarantee that the Colts won't score more than 24 points. You do realize that it is not the JV team coming to town this week, right?

I have read further through the post and you seem to indicate that the Colts have taken a step back. If that is not Battle Red homerism talking, I don't what it is.

Here is where the Colts are better.
1. Physical nature of the Colts CB's. Much improved over last year
2. More physical of the linebacking unit - watch for Keiaho
3. Improved play from DL against the run. Solid play of rookie DT Ed Johnson.
4. Return to health of Bob Sanders
5. Overall team speed of the defense
6. Addition of Anthony Gonzales - For a team that is concerned about the match up of one its starting corners against Wayne or Harrison, Gonzales will further add to those match up problems.

Does this mean the Colts will win on Sunday? Certainly not. But the assumption that they have somehow taken a step back I think is just flat wrong. In anybody's list of the best teams in football, the Colts are at worst, the 2nd best.
 
TooManyWeapons said:
I make no claims about your offense. You will not find a thread on this board in which I do. I will admit to not having watched the Carolina game, but I know you guys are a different team and respect that.

I merely state this: Judging the Colts defense by last year's regular season, the last game vs. Houston, or by the number of players lost to free agency without any knowledge of their replacements is likely to generate an egregiously inaccurate estimate of their effectiveness.

That's all!



ps. let's you and I try to be a little easier on each other this afternoon. I'm not into having a flame war with you over a football game.
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I'm not getting into a flame war either. I made my point.

I do find it curious that yesterday that I was "premature" and today Thunderkyss is "delusional". It seems to me a pattern is developing here.

My friend Tkyss may be passionate about his team but I have never heard in the 2 years I've been on this board that he has psychiatric problems. That is certainly news to me.

However, he does not need my help in fighting his battles so I will let you two continue your conversation. Good day.:texflag:
 
thunderkyss said:
Yeah, the post I quoted is a prime example of your delusions.
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I can only take this as a reference to my statement that the Colts defense is markedly improved over the regular season last year.

If you feel that statement is indicative of delusion, you just aren't paying attention.

I've got nothing more to say to you about it at the moment, but I WILL be back here next week to get your thoughts on the subject after the game.

KJ3 said:
to be fair, with a defense that sucked as much ass as the colts defense did last year (and no, 2 or 3 games at the end doesn't change that statement) to lose a few players to free agency probably doesn't signal marked improvement. not saying it can't happen, just saying it probably didn't...

you reference having a more "physical" defense when it's pretty well known that the colts d is small and fast. there is your delusion. you'll see physical when the texans come stomping the run down the middle all day, or when manning finds out the position a real "physical d" allows come this sunday: horizontal.
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It's rare that I read something on a message board that genuinely inspires a real, honest-to-God LOL. Thanks.
 
KJ3 said:
to be fair, with a defense that sucked as much ass as the colts defense did last year (and no, 2 or 3 games at the end doesn't change that statement) to lose a few players to free agency probably doesn't signal marked improvement. not saying it can't happen, just saying it probably didn't...

you reference having a more "physical" defense when it's pretty well known that the colts d is small and fast. there is your delusion. you'll see physical when the texans come stomping the run down the middle all day, or when manning finds out the position a real "physical d" allows come this sunday: horizontal.
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So a D that "sucked as much ass" as the Colts' did can't markedly improve from one year to the next? I would be more worried if they kept some of the players that are no longer on the roster. They had to make changes and from the looks of things, they are significantly better.

To your other point - they are smaller and faster than most D's, but they are more physical than before. And I am not the only one saying they are more physical. Tony Dungy has said it. National writers have said it - Peter King & Dr. Z to name a few. Titans fans who watched the game on Sunday commented as well. Are we all delusional?
 
Indy Skinnz said:
To your other point - they are smaller and faster than most D's, but they are more physical than before. And I am not the only one saying they are more physical. Tony Dungy has said it. National writers have said it - Peter King & Dr. Z to name a few. Titans fans who watched the game on Sunday commented as well. Are we all delusional?
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To someone so inflated on week 2 Texans hype that they think they've locked a playoff berth already..... yes. Everyone in the world is crazy but them.

I expect this phenomenon to only get worse as the week wears on before Sunday.

I expect something like the Hindenburg going down around 4:00pm on the 23rd.
 
TooManyWeapons said:
To someone so inflated on week 2 Texans hype that they think they've locked a playoff berth already..... yes. Everyone in the world is crazy but them.

I expect this phenomenon to only get worse as the week wears on before Sunday.

I expect something like the Hindenburg going down around 4:00pm on the 23rd.
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I don't know how long you have been a Colts fan, but there was a time not too many years ago when the Colts were the laughing stock of the entire league. I don't imagine it was a very fun time to be a Colts fan then. I know this because my brother-in-law is from Indy and I remember the crap some of my family members gave him then. (This while Houston didn't even have a team. How ironic?)

For the last 10 years, we Texans fans have not had very much to cheer about either. So now our team is off to a great start this year and we have no reason to be excited?

Is that the point your trying to make? Just because the big bad Colts are coming to town we need to quell our enthusiasm for our football team that we suffered with for the last 5 years?

You come to the Texans forums saying you want to talk football. However, for the last 2 days you have done nothing but call us names and ridicule us for being excited about our team.

You know what? Maybe the lowly Texans do not deserve to play on the same field as the almighty Colts. But we are going to show up anyway and we are going to take our best shot and find out.
 
Indy Skinnz said:
You think this is something that is just particular to Manning? I guarantee that if Freeney & Mathis have thier way, Schaub will struggle all game long.
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If I remember correctly, Freeney and Mathis didn't get all that much pressure on Carr in the last game. That was David Carr, the guy that was so bad about holding onto the ball that his arsenal was strictly 3 step drops and dump offs.
Matt has shown that he can drop back, avoid the pressure (if there even is some) and get rid of the ball. He moves very well in the pocket to avoid the sack. Matt may get sacked on a blown blocking assignment but I don't expect there to be constant pressure on him throughout the game. Also, I'm really interested in seeing how good the Colts Dbs are in coverage. If the Dbs are fairly good, expect the colts to get coverage pressures/hurries/and sacks. However, with Daniels at TE, i think the Texans will utilize him plenty since AJ may be out for this game. It will be a good game, definitely.
 
Indy Skinnz said:
Wow - a guarantee that the Colts won't score more than 24 points. You do realize that it is not the JV team coming to town this week, right?

I have read further through the post and you seem to indicate that the Colts have taken a step back. If that is not Battle Red homerism talking, I don't what it is.
Click to expand...
Hommerism is thinking that your team is better than the team that won the Super Bowl after loosing several key players. Homerism is using two games(one against a missfiring overrated team like the Saints(who got spanked by the Tampa Bay(arguably the worst team in the NFC) Buccaneers) and the other against a team whose main play is the option left) as proof of said improvement.
Indy Skinnz said:
Here is where the Colts are better.
1. Physical nature of the Colts CB's. Much improved over last year
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I'd take a smart football player over a physical football player any day of the week.
Indy Skinnz said:
2. More physical of the linebacking unit - watch for Keiaho
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Again, gimme Cato June, a guy with proven instincts..... and he's been rumored to be physical every now and again
Indy Skinnz said:
3. Improved play from DL against the run. Solid play of rookie DT Ed Johnson.
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OUt of your mind. Improved over the team that shut down LJ in the play-offs?? The same year he had a career year??
Shut down Jamal Lewis.
Reeled in the two headed attack of Corey Dillon & Laurence Maroney??

You're going to tell me after two weeks, your run defense has improved because you took the Saints out of the running game with an early lead, and you knocked what 30 yards off the Titans previous weeks explosion??

Get real.

You may be better on paper, but that paper ain't worth squat.
Indy Skinnz said:
4. Return to health of Bob Sanders
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I'll give you that, except the team I'm talking about had a healthy Bob Sanders
Indy Skinnz said:
5. Overall team speed of the defense
6. Addition of Anthony Gonzales - For a team that is concerned about the match up of one its starting corners against Wayne or Harrison, Gonzales will further add to those match up problems.
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This team ain't worried about one of our starting corners. The fans on this board are, but I bet we play you the same way we always have, manned up on the outside.

at least to start the game.
Indy Skinnz said:
Does this mean the Colts will win on Sunday? Certainly not. But the assumption that they have somehow taken a step back I think is just flat wrong. In anybody's list of the best teams in football, the Colts are at worst, the 2nd best.
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I'll give you that, right now, you are the 2nd best team in football. But you're not as good as the second best team in football that came into Houston, Texas Dec 24, 2006 and left without homefield advantage in the Play-offs.
 
You guys seem to want to paint Skinnz and I as though we're telling you our defense is the toughest in the league or something.

Of course it isn't. We know that.

So yeah - they're much better than last year. Considering how bad it was most of last year, that's a lot different than saying our D is so dominant that you won't be able to put together any scoring drives.

What you won't be able to do is run the ball up the middle at will all day long for 6, 8, 10 yards a pop. Write off all our defensive players as undersized daisies if you must, but if for Bob Sanders alone you won't be able to do that. If you refuse to accept that, fine. No biggie. Other teams fans have had the same attitude.

---------------------------------------

I must say you're hitting the "after only two games" points awefully hard for someone expecting a Texans win this week. I'm not saying it's impossible, but you might want to open your other eye before picking at a splinter you see in mine.
 
Imatexanfan said:
This is one of the ultimate tests for our D-line for sure. The key is keeping Manning off the field and ball control on our part. Thats the way we are going to beat the Colts, playing smart.
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Crowd noise will play a HUGE part in this game.
 
beerlover said:
what is the Colts status on the offensive line, are they all 100%? if they are the Texans are in trouble, if there is a weak component, some nagging injurys it might just be enough for the DL to exploit, giving the Texans a chance. the only way our d-backs can cover is if they don't have to. meaning extended developing routes that take 4-5 seconds. if Manning gets enough time we're in trouble its that simple.

first, however they may come out & give us a taste of our own medicine & try to run the ball down our throats. so its also imperative the Texans shutdown the run, pin their ears back & pressure Manning, throw his rythem off & hopefully some hard sacks as well.
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Please, please, oh please let the Colts try to run on us. Or DEs are special ordered for QB rushes but TJ & Okoye and LBs will do ok. If that is their game plan, we will see a lot of 3rd and long. If we can reduce the conversions to first down, we will have the advantage.
 
thunderkyss said:
Hommerism is thinking that your team is better than the team that won the Super Bowl after loosing several key players. Homerism is using two games(one against a missfiring overrated team like the Saints(who got spanked by the Tampa Bay(arguably the worst team in the NFC) Buccaneers) and the other against a team whose main play is the option left) as proof of said improvement.

I'd take a smart football player over a physical football player any day of the week.

Again, gimme Cato June, a guy with proven instincts..... and he's been rumored to be physical every now and again

OUt of your mind. Improved over the team that shut down LJ in the play-offs?? The same year he had a career year??
Shut down Jamal Lewis.
Reeled in the two headed attack of Corey Dillon & Laurence Maroney??

You're going to tell me after two weeks, your run defense has improved because you took the Saints out of the running game with an early lead, and you knocked what 30 yards off the Titans previous weeks explosion??

Get real.

You may be better on paper, but that paper ain't worth squat.

I'll give you that, except the team I'm talking about had a healthy Bob Sanders

This team ain't worried about one of our starting corners. The fans on this board are, but I bet we play you the same way we always have, manned up on the outside.

at least to start the game.


I'll give you that, right now, you are the 2nd best team in football. But you're not as good as the second best team in football that came into Houston, Texas Dec 24, 2006 and left without homefield advantage in the Play-offs.
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I think at the end of this, we are going to have to agree to disagree. But as long as you are up for a debate, I will oblige.

1. I said the Colts CB are more physical than last year's tandem and you tell me you would rather have a smart player than a physical player. Did I say they were dumb? I mentioned nothing at all about football IQ, just stating their physicalness as a reason why they are better this year.

2. Cato June was a nice player and one that I do miss. But they are superior against the run with Keiaho. June was a 210 # safety playing LB and his strength was in pass defense.

3. That defense that shut down LJ also, except for the addition of Sanders, is the same one that somehow made Ron Freaking Dayne look like an All Pro. It does not seem all that unreasonable to assume that they are better than they were last year.

4. Why can't I use the 2 games played so far this year as evidence of improvement when that is clearly what you are doing as well.

5. I will admit that the Saints win now looks less impressive than it did to start the season. Still, they do have some offensive weapons. But a road win against an up & coming Titans team, I will take that any time. And they did not knock of 30 yards from the Titans rushing average, they took 140 yards off their average. And rushing stats against a team with Young as the QB always looks inflated.

6. Lastly, I will be shocked if Houston plays man up on the Colts WR's.

I think it is cool that the fans of the Texans have something to cheer about - finally. I really do. There was no reason to come to this board before. But the excitement that I see from you guys is the same thing I see all the time from fans of Colts opponents. We'll play physical with them, Manning can't stand pressure, the defense is soft, they can't run the ball against our team - no way. But the end result is generally a loss for the fans of that team. I see this EVERY week - they are the same things that the fans of the Chiefs, Ravens, Pats, Bears, Saints & Titans all said. So far, none have proven to be prophetic. Maybe this is the week, who knows. But as long as the have Manning, I'll take my chances on the Colts.
 
New_Texans said:
If I remember correctly, Freeney and Mathis didn't get all that much pressure on Carr in the last game. That was David Carr, the guy that was so bad about holding onto the ball that his arsenal was strictly 3 step drops and dump offs.
Matt has shown that he can drop back, avoid the pressure (if there even is some) and get rid of the ball. He moves very well in the pocket to avoid the sack. Matt may get sacked on a blown blocking assignment but I don't expect there to be constant pressure on him throughout the game. Also, I'm really interested in seeing how good the Colts Dbs are in coverage. If the Dbs are fairly good, expect the colts to get coverage pressures/hurries/and sacks. However, with Daniels at TE, i think the Texans will utilize him plenty since AJ may be out for this game. It will be a good game, definitely.
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Freeney & Mathis did not get pressure the last game because of 1) how bad the run defense was and 2) the short drops when the Texans did throw. This is the basis for offensive game planning against the Colts. Eat clock with the run & short passing game & try to keep the score close so that teams don't play right into the Colts' D strength which is Sanders and the rush ends.

As it relates to the original point - Peyton Manning is not the only QB who is less effective when having D linemen constantly in their face.
 
KJ3 - I don't think you can be helped, my man.

I'm trying to cut you a break, condescending to offer a handshake of friendly competition and you're still trying to put the extra-firm-to-prove-I'm-a-man grip on me (figuratively speaking).

I was pushed into defending our D and stand by what I said - I'm defending it for what it is - which is more than serviceable and better than any of our opponents have expected since week 1 of the playoffs. That's a trend I think I can expect to continue.

Are they a wall that stops every run at the line of scrimmage? Not all of them. You'll put up yards on the ground, but let's both concede to be realistic at this point. You guys have your work cut out for you on both sides of the ball, and so do the Colts.

That's fair, isn't it?
 
KJ3 said:
you don't have to put the 06 colts d ass sucking in quotes like it isn't true. everybody saw it. they stepped it up in the post season and everybody saw that too...thing about it is, is that they didn't have to step much up to back indy's ridiculously stacked offense. peyton won your title, not that joke of a d...

so your definition of significant and mine must be different? must be. you've played the saints and the titans. the saints have played college ball so far this year and you scraped by the titans who have 1/2 of an offensive weapon. so no, from getting rolled over by most teams to stopping a couple of bad and out-of-sync offenses isn't a significant improvement in my book. but since i only write my book, i'll let it go...

small and fast doesn't spell physical. unless you've got a team of 11 dunta robinson clones -WHICH YOU DON'T- your defense isn't small, fast, AND physical. so your own coach and some titans fans (speaking of delusional) said your d was more physical and your buying it hook, line, and sinker. hmm...peter king...isn't he the guy who has us power ranked at like 8 with tennessee at like 6? if so i have to say: delusional. no way we're 8th and NO WAY tennessee is 6. besides all that, physical isn't always a synonym of "good". playing hard and laying the wood are only "good" if the offenses aren't running marathons around you...

marked improvement on your d...k...so...like...what are you now? below average?
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I put those in quotes because those were your words, not mine.

Interesting, Peyton won the Super Bowl and not the "joke of a D." As a Colts fan let me just say to that WHO FREAKING CARES? I could care less if Manning won it, the defense won it or whatever nonsense you want to talk about. Fact is THEY WON IT.

Try to keep up. I said they are small & fast and more physical than they were last year. I am not comparing them to another team - I am comparing them to the 2006 Colts D. At no time did I say the D was the 85 Bears or 2000 Ravens. And again, it is not just me saying this - It is the coach, the GM, writers paid to cover the league. But you know what - you are right. We'll go with your soft label because clearly you know more than they do.
 
Indy Skinnz said:
I think at the end of this, we are going to have to agree to disagree. But as long as you are up for a debate, I will oblige.

1. I said the Colts CB are more physical than last year's tandem and you tell me you would rather have a smart player than a physical player. Did I say they were dumb? I mentioned nothing at all about football IQ, just stating their physicalness as a reason why they are better this year.

2. Cato June was a nice player and one that I do miss. But they are superior against the run with Keiaho. June was a 210 # safety playing LB and his strength was in pass defense.

3. That defense that shut down LJ also, except for the addition of Sanders, is the same one that somehow made Ron Freaking Dayne look like an All Pro. It does not seem all that unreasonable to assume that they are better than they were last year.
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After rereading much of this, I think we're arguing two different points. I'm arguing that the team you put on the field the last two weeks is not as good as the team that made the run through the play-offs.

Not that team that allowed over 100 yards in every regular season game. If you are saying you're better than team

have at it, I agree.
Indy Skinnz said:
4. Why can't I use the 2 games played so far this year as evidence of improvement when that is clearly what you are doing as well.
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uh... no. My team has been getting better since November of last year. This is a building process. Everybody we've replaced on our team has been an upgrade.

You've lost guys that went to the ProBowl. Will his replacement eventually be better?? Maybe. But he knows he's got big shoes to fill right now, where my guys know they can't do any worse than the guy who had the job last year.
Indy Skinnz said:
5. I will admit that the Saints win now looks less impressive than it did to start the season. Still, they do have some offensive weapons. But a road win against an up & coming Titans team, I will take that any time. And they did not knock of 30 yards from the Titans rushing average, they took 140 yards off their average. And rushing stats against a team with Young as the QB always looks inflated.
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yeah, that was a cheap shot on my part
Indy Skinnz said:
6. Lastly, I will be shocked if Houston plays man up on the Colts WR's.
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Why, I'm telling you right now. That's how we do it. The only change this year, is that you may see Dunta moved around, and not play one side of the field as he usually does.
Indy Skinnz said:
I think it is cool that the fans of the Texans have something to cheer about - finally. I really do. There was no reason to come to this board before. But the excitement that I see from you guys is the same thing I see all the time from fans of Colts opponents. We'll play physical with them, Manning can't stand pressure, the defense is soft, they can't run the ball against our team - no way. But the end result is generally a loss for the fans of that team. I see this EVERY week - they are the same things that the fans of the Chiefs, Ravens, Pats, Bears, Saints & Titans all said. So far, none have proven to be prophetic. Maybe this is the week, who knows. But as long as the have Manning, I'll take my chances on the Colts.
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Can't go wrong with betting on Manning. However... I don't see us loosing to the Colts this year.
 
Indy Skinnz said:
Freeney & Mathis did not get pressure the last game because of 1) how bad the run defense was and 2) the short drops when the Texans did throw. .
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OK.

This is a pet peeve of mine. We did not use a bunch of short drops to evade your rush.

We had 4 3- step drops, 10 5 step drops, 5 7 step drops, and 4 bootlegs.

I know. I went through and counted them.
 
Manning is consistant with all other QBs in the game.

Pressure him, and he'll be rewarded.

The thing with Manning is... pressure rewards less often.
 
There's some things I'm really scared about in this game:

1. The Colts are ticked at us (Peyton especially) for the last game, they're going to want this one just as much as us. I don't see any way they overlook us this week.

2. Marvin hasn't shown much yet, and with how we won last year, I think he's looking to light it up this week.

Now these are just things I'm worried about, I still think we have a shot. But I'm going to go against the grain and say the passing game is what's key for us. If we can't run, we'll certainly lose, but with AJ out, they're going to dare us to pass it.

I'm going to hold firm to this prediction: This is the game in which we'll see how good Schaub is. I love Schaub, and there's no doubt what he's done for us. But without AJ, he's got to spread the ball and keep the Colts on their toes. He's going to have to find the open man as SOON as he gets open. I have confidence he can do this, but this is where we'll see what return we're getting out of him, because if nothing else, we have to win our division, and we can't do that without beating the Colts.
 
Trivia question - Who's the last team to beat the Colts?

Hint.. we've improved ALOT since. Well and the Colts, not so much.:fans:
 
The Colts don't normally stack the box. Their defense is built on speed so it will be hard to get a home run (running the ball) on them. But on average you can normally get 3 to 4 yards on them. When they do bring that extra man in the box, the Texans will have to capitalize on the passing game. Which should be no problem.

I think Owen Daniels will be an important part of the offense against their cover 2. We have to pound it to maintain time of possession and the rest will be a chest match between Kubiak/OC and Dungy/OC. By the way, on average their defense is giving up 123 yds on the ground.....great news Green/Dayne.:cowboy1:
 
While the Colts Defense has improved it seems, I am not ready to buy into it.

Why?

Because of the teams you've played.

Chiefs can be outcoached, because all they can do is give it to LJ and hope the defense isn't playing the run.

Ravens...come on, their offense is not feared by many.

Pats was a showdown offensively, although the team (Colts) did good on defense IMO good enough. One game though.

Bears... see Ravens

So we come into 07 now, you've replaced a few guys and its looking better.

Now I saw the Colts-Saints game. I was impressed because you guys made the Saints look bad out there. I was ready to give your defense props...until the Saints go out again and do nothing on offense. I think they are confused about how to use Reggie, sharing carries with Deuce isn't going to help Deuce had 10 and Reggie did also... They seem confused are they are thinking TOO hard or something.

Now the Titans have how many legit weapons on offense...one. Still they managed to get about 90 yards with their RBs and add that to VY rushing Colts defense gave up 150+ yards to the Titans on the Ground. Gave up 90+ yards to the Saints.

We gave the Chiefs about 60 yards on the ground and about 50 yards to Carolina. I don't know I am just not going to say the Colts defense has made a great improvement until they play a team that is going to run and run a lot.

I will say though that the Colts defense is obviously good enough to win games, and Bob Sanders is a beast of a player and improves it more. Maybe you guys should start drafting defensive players though. How many more offensive weapons can you have?
 
Ok - because like thunderkyss stated above, it seems like several different points are being argued as though they are the same. For the sake of clarity (my own clarity included) I'm going to try to clear some things up. Anybody feel free to correct me if I get something twisted.

The Colts defense this year is demonstrably improved over their defense during the regular season of last year. Anybody who denies or questions this is just doing so for the sake of keeping the argument going or attempting to bait me into repeating myself over and over, which given the time and place is not something I feel I should need to do.

I personally feel - and I am not alone - that the Colts defense this year, despite losing Montae Reagor (average DT), Gilbert Gardener (worthless LB), Nick Harper (good CB), Cato June (good LB), Mike Doss (ho-hum S), and Jason David (poor-to-average CB), is at least as good as the playoff D of last year with the new players, free agency resignings, and movements in the depth chart. Losing Booger McFarland to injury hurts, but the remaining DTs have stepped up and are performing well enough so far.

That's my opinion. The quality of play, speed, intensity, and swarming to the ball are all up there and on a number of plays so far more impressive than what the world saw in the Playoffs. It's not perfect - like Skinnz said, they're not the 2000 Ravens - but they're a young, talented defense hungry to prove themselves and I think they're only going to get better from here.

Lastly - to anyone with the attitude that "We beat them last year with David Carr, and we're way better this year and they are not!" - that's clearly demonstrating some pretty optimistic thinking. The Colts you faced last year were the 2006 regular season Colts defense. The D you face on Sunday is vastly different.

Are they better than they were during the playoffs? That's debatable - I think they are, but I will concede that it's debatable - yet to be really proven. Are they better than the team you faced last year? Unquestionably.
 
TooManyWeapons said:
Are they better than they were during the playoffs? That's debatable - I think they are, but I will concede that it's debatable - yet to be really proven. Are they better than the team you faced last year? Unquestionably.
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And to that point, I still don't believe you have enough information to say "Unquestionably".

You've played two games against two teams most everyone here believe are overrated(not your fault, but that is the generally accepted opinion here).

In our opinion you haven't played anyone yet.

on the flip side, you may say the same about the two teams we've played, but we're judging our team as a continuation of what we started last year, because your team is very different from the team we played last December, and you've only played two teams(as I stated no one in our minds).

Another thing, we were expecting close games against KC & Carolina, but we dominated both games.

Where you were supposed to dominate on offense.

Hommerism understood, on our part, but we've played much better than any of us expected. In August most everyone here most likely thought you guys would easily win our first match-up.

Now, we all believe you better bring your A game if you want to leave Houston, Texas with a W.
 
thunderkyss said:
And to that point, I still don't believe you have enough information to say "Unquestionably".
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That's alright. I do believe I have enough information. Compared to last year, holding the Titans to anything fewer than 200 rushing yards in the first quarter demonstrates huge improvement, but we can agree to disagree. :)

thunderkyss said:
You've played two games against two teams most everyone here believe are overrated(not your fault, but that is the generally accepted opinion here).

In our opinion you haven't played anyone yet.
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That's fair at this point, but -

What will the rest of the league be saying if we beat Houston on Sunday?

thunderkyss said:
on the flip side, you may say the same about the two teams we've played, but we're judging our team as a continuation of what we started last year, because your team is very different from the team we played last December, and you've only played two teams(as I stated no one in our minds).

Another thing, we were expecting close games against KC & Carolina, but we dominated both games.

Where you were supposed to dominate on offense.

Hommerism understood, on our part, but we've played much better than any of us expected. In August most everyone here most likely thought you guys would easily win our first match-up.

Now, we all believe you better bring your A game if you want to leave Houston, Texas with a W.
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I can't argue with any of this.

Sorry for the tit-for-tat style of response. It helps me keep my thoughts in order, sometimes.
 
I like what Bill Cowher had to say last Sunday on the pregame on how to slow the Colts attack (and he should know).

He said the D needs to use the 3 P's - patience, persistence, and pressure.

Basically, his game plan is to sellout totally to stopping the long pass and quick scores. Play a cover 2 zone with safety's deep. Try to keep everything in front of you. Let the front 4 deal with the run, and have everyone else playing pass on every down NO MATTER WHAT. Don't worry about play action - ignore it and play pass no matter what. Don't worry if Addai chews up 5-7 yards a carry in these conditions. Make them dink and dunk in the pass game, and take a long time to score. Hope that they make a mistake at some point, and even if they do score, it shortens the game, and allows your team to still be in the game late. Lastly, try to generate a pass rush and pressure Manning into making some mistakes. If they can do that with the front four, all the better. If not, blitz from different positions and angles to generate some heat, or he will stand back and pick you apart.

That is Cowher's approach, and I think it makes perfect sense, and this is how I would approach it. I am not as worried about the run game like some of you are. I do not see that as a key to winning. The key to winning is keeping them from quick strike opportunities and 3-5 play drives where they are eataing up huge chunks of field in the passing game. Let Addai have his 125+ yds if it means we keep them to 20 or so points. Sellout to stop the run, and Manning will kill us deep.
 
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