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Indianapolis Colts Pregame

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Sweech

Sweech

Onside Kick Specialist
On to the next one.

I was pessimistic about the last one and thought it might end up a bit of a bloodbath but while the team came up short and need to get better in several areas they still exceeded my expectations.

This one I'm quite optimistic about.

The Ravens are a much better team than the Colts and this time we get to see our offense get settled in at home amongst home support. The raucous Baltimore crowd caused some issues with play calling and adjustment making early on in the game in my opinion so playing at home should help ease in the rookie QB and rookie C.

I was also worried about facing the best mobile QB in the league as I thought the defense struggled a bit in pre season with mobile QBs but they did as good a job as I've seen with bottling Lamar up. That's absolutely how the Colts are going to try to get at us with Richardson so I have full confidence the defense will be up to the task.

Defensively the Colts are nothing special, in fact I think their DBs especially the CBs are an absolute joke. Their CBs are basically a good experienced slot corner and then a bunch of guys with little to no NFL experience. Two UDFAs from last year and two rookies from this year. Plus Tony Brown (who?) who did get a pick yesterday against the Jags but he's not good. I know we're a run to pass type scheme but we should be looking at ways to hurt them through the air.

Also think Demeco might be able to take advantage from this tendency of Richardson's

https://twitter.com/x/status/1701076406296272933

What do y'all think?
 
I’ll have to look into the Colts roster a little more this week. I will say I wasn’t particularly nervous about the Ravens game, I had it penned as an L from day 1. But this game I’ll be very nervous for. I’ve predicted 7 wins for us and this is one of the 7. I also think it’s important we go into the week 7 bye with at least a 2-4 record (will cross my fingers for 3-3) and this is probably the most winnable game.

In terms of matchups they’re just clearly a less scary team than Baltimore. On offense it’s Pittman and Richardson’s legs really. On defense they have some talent with Shaq Leonard and Buckner but outside of that there ain’t much.

I was very encouraged by the defense today and if we can get either Ward or Pitre back next week I feel good about our chances on defense.

On offense it’s gonna be the same old story. Can we get some small sliver of continuity on the Oline and can we get the communication issues fixed up, if so I believe this should be a win. If not toss up
 
Will Richardson turn out a better QB than Stroud in the long run? Short run? Does it matter now?

Only if Richardson does turn out better than Stroud. Then I'm gonna steelbtexan this board. :lol:

But, it is WAY to early for any I Told Ya So's, for anyone.

This game the Texans should at least be in it, if not actually win the game.
 
Thorn said:
Will Richardson turn out a better QB than Stroud in the long run? Short run? Does it matter now?

Only if Richardson does turn out better than Stroud. Then I'm gonna steelbtexan this board. :lol:

But, it is WAY to early for any I Told Ya So's, for anyone.

This game the Texans should at least be in it, if not actually win the game.
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Exactly, this is about the future of the Texans or vs the future of the Colts org. Game 1 advantage Richardson.
 
Thorn said:
I haven't seen any highlights of Richardson yet, but I would agree he has the advantage this Sunday only because our o-line is in such bad shape right now.
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both teams look better than ours.
 
thunderkyss said:

both teams look better than ours.
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Agreed. Richardson did a better job of keeping Indy in the game than Stroud did for us. I think it's too early to tell who's who yet, but Richardson does have the advantage of having a functional o-line. When we can field an decent o-line will be a better time to judge Stroud. Unless our defense goes Mad-max mode or something, I give Indy the advantage this Sunday. I really hate to see that, because I want DeMeco to win his home opener.
 
Thorn said:
Agreed. Richardson did a better job of keeping Indy in the game than Stroud did for us. I think it's too early to tell who's who yet, but Richardson does have the advantage of having a functional o-line. When we can field an decent o-line will be a better time to judge Stroud. Unless our defense goes Mad-max mode or something, I give Indy the advantage this Sunday. I really hate to see that, because I want DeMeco to win his home opener.
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Not really sure how good the Colts oline is. They couldn't run the ball at all on a questionable Jags defense. Runners who weren't Richardson averaged about 1.4 yards per carry. Even with Richardson it was 2.5 YPC. And while they certainly didn't allow as much pressure as ours did there was also a stark difference in how the defenses played. The Ravens have two great blitzing linebackers going up against an oline that hasn't played together at all and a rookie C/QB combo. They took advantage of that matchup and ran a lot of exotic blitzes whereas the Jags mostly rushed 4 all game.

I believe we have a better defense than Jax and we got a good pass rush against a solid ravens oline. I think we're gonna eat up the Colts oline.
 
This game is a must win.

I too have projected 7 wins and if the team is to make credible improvement, then we have to beat our bottom tier opponents.

Anderson and Greenard should have a good game pressuring Richardson.

If Richardson throws short to the right, then SAM will likely have coverage responsibility - either Hansen or Cashman - with help from the CB, probably the NKL - Thomas.

We stuffed the Ravens running game. Indy should not be a problem.

We win.
 
I think the only way this was a must win would have been if they won on Sunday, then there would be no excuse losing to the Colts.

I expect the Texans to win, Id say it is more of a should win than a must win.

Of course I don't expect much for this season, even less until we are healthier...
 
thunderkyss said:

both teams look better than ours.
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Both teams weren’t playing a top 3 defense with an makeshift offensive line. So of course they looked better. Did you see the Giants game. They struggled big time against the Cowboys defense ( another top 3 defense)

You have to factor in the opponent they’re facing is all I’m saying.
 
Number19 said:
This game is a must win.

I too have projected 7 wins and if the team is to make credible improvement, then we have to beat our bottom tier opponents.

Anderson and Greenard should have a good game pressuring Richardson.

If Richardson throws short to the right, then SAM will likely have coverage responsibility - either Hansen or Cashman - with help from the CB, probably the NKL - Thomas.

We stuffed the Ravens running game. Indy should not be a problem.

We win.
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I think we can win this. The offense will be better this game. IND is no where near the defensive level as Baltimore. We just need to get in the end zone versus not capitalizing and settling for field goals.

I’m hoping that our D can create enough pressure on Richardson that’ll he’ll begin to make mistakes.
 
I chalked this one up as a win some months ago. But with all of these injuries on both sides of the ball, mainly the offense. Man I just don’t know now. So I’m not going to get my hopes up to high. I’m just going to set back and try to enjoy the game.

# No Expectations Sunday!
 
I got this game as a W as well...
Although I will admit that the Oline's health and status is concerning...I do believe that the Ravens are a tougher and more stout team on the defensive side of the football and w/o J. Taylor their run game (which is what killed us in the past) wont be a factor as in the past...we limited a good running team in the Ravens and think our D will EAT next week.
 
Sweech said:
On to the next one.

I was pessimistic about the last one and thought it might end up a bit of a bloodbath but while the team came up short and need to get better in several areas they still exceeded my expectations.

This one I'm quite optimistic about.

The Ravens are a much better team than the Colts and this time we get to see our offense get settled in at home amongst home support. The raucous Baltimore crowd caused some issues with play calling and adjustment making early on in the game in my opinion so playing at home should help ease in the rookie QB and rookie C.

I was also worried about facing the best mobile QB in the league as I thought the defense struggled a bit in pre season with mobile QBs but they did as good a job as I've seen with bottling Lamar up. That's absolutely how the Colts are going to try to get at us with Richardson so I have full confidence the defense will be up to the task.

Defensively the Colts are nothing special, in fact I think their DBs especially the CBs are an absolute joke. Their CBs are basically a good experienced slot corner and then a bunch of guys with little to no NFL experience. Two UDFAs from last year and two rookies from this year. Plus Tony Brown (who?) who did get a pick yesterday against the Jags but he's not good. I know we're a run to pass type scheme but we should be looking at ways to hurt them through the air.

Also think Demeco might be able to take advantage from this tendency of Richardson's

https://twitter.com/x/status/1701076406296272933

What do y'all think?
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Colts fan here honestly the corner backs didn't play bad. Leonard was actually our worst rated linebacker. Both Franklin and speed played better. D line played well, Buckner paye,steward are a force. Running game was horrendous. Deon Jackson fumbled twice which ruined two drives and our rookie rb evan hull got injured. Zack moss may be back this week so that could help there. On the oline Will fries is the weak link so if your defense attacks there you should have success. On offense Pittman ,downs ,and granson are the main threats as Alec pierce struggles to get open and mo ali cox is simply not that good. Ogletree got hurt so he may be out and woods is still on ir. Steichen was a bit too aggressive in his first start going for it on three 4th downs and failing each time. One of which would have been an easy field goal. The other two should have been punts. Speaking of punts our punter seems not 100 percent so you may get good field position. Also Steichen made another bone headed call when we were up by 4 when he got conservative and ran it twice with jackson who was terrible the entire game. Texans game plan should be to take away Pittman and force Richardson to win with pierce and cox our two weakest pass catchers. Force a couple of jackson fumbles and you should be well on your way to win.
 
Comparing Stroud and Richardson’s first starts:

Stroud played a superior defense on the road.

Richardson played an inferior defense at home.

This week the roles are reversed. I suspect our rookie will look better and the Texans win.
 
Khelar said:
I believe we have a better defense than Jax
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When healthy.
thunderkyss said:
Y'all know I'm not the sharpest crayon in the toolshed...

But I just realized a rookie QB & rookie HC will definitely be winning their 1st game at Reliant come Sunday.
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Unless it's a tie.

This game will come down to the offensive line improving on last week's performance. Opening holes in the run game. Handling their assignments in pass blocking. OC Bobby Slowik can help by calling more pass plays designed to get the ball out of Stroud's hand quickly, and more delays and draws to take advantage of the Colts aggressive d-line. I think a defensive plan similar to last week would work well against the Colts. Priority #1, don't let QB runs beat you.
 
Khelar said:
What kind of person hangs out on the forum of a team they dislike this much?
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Fans who refuse to let management and owners continue to try and blow smoke up their hiney. And fans who have found that the Kool Aid has become extremely rancid over the years. And fans who refuse to bring out their pom poms and cheer for an organization that has demonstrated they have absolutely no idea what they are doing. If that is a plan is being average and ordinary, mediocre, and have perfected being a bottom half franchise, the Texans have perfected that plan.
 
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Texian said:
Fans who refuse to let management and owners continue to try and blow smoke up their hiney. And fans who have found that the Kool Aid has become extremely rancid over the years. And fans who refuse to bring out their pom poms and cheer for an organization that has demonstrated they have absolutely no idea what they are doing, unless that is a plan for being average and ordinary, mediocre, and have perfected being a bottom half franchise.
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Lol, fans who glare at people from beneath the stairs as Neal Young sings. The. Texans. Management. Owns. You.
 
Khelar said:
Hey man I know you love a good soapbox so glad I could set one up for you. Still doesn't answer the question of what in the world you're still doing here if this is how you feel. The only thing less productive than spending time on a football forum (pointing at myself here) is spending time on a football forum for a team you feel that way about.
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Nah, speaking for myself I enjoy the back and forth between friends that I've met and befriended over the years.
 
Rpgczar said:
Colts fan here honestly the corner backs didn't play bad. Leonard was actually our worst rated linebacker. Both Franklin and speed played better. D line played well, Buckner paye,steward are a force. Running game was horrendous. Deon Jackson fumbled twice which ruined two drives and our rookie rb evan hull got injured. Zack moss may be back this week so that could help there. On the oline Will fries is the weak link so if your defense attacks there you should have success. On offense Pittman ,downs ,and granson are the main threats as Alec pierce struggles to get open and mo ali cox is simply not that good. Ogletree got hurt so he may be out and woods is still on ir. Steichen was a bit too aggressive in his first start going for it on three 4th downs and failing each time. One of which would have been an easy field goal. The other two should have been punts. Speaking of punts our punter seems not 100 percent so you may get good field position. Also Steichen made another bone headed call when we were up by 4 when he got conservative and ran it twice with jackson who was terrible the entire game. Texans game plan should be to take away Pittman and force Richardson to win with pierce and cox our two weakest pass catchers. Force a couple of jackson fumbles and you should be well on your way to win.
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Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the info!
 
Rpgczar said:
No problem. Looks like Evan hull is on ir so colts rbs will be jackson funk and possibly moss.
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It really goes to show, and Houston has had this problem in the past as well, that as much as the RB position is devalued because you can just find guys in the later rounds...well, sometimes you can't and you're left with a team that wants to run the ball first but no RBs worth a damn to give it to.
 
Sweech said:
It really goes to show, and Houston has had this problem in the past as well, that as much as the RB position is devalued because you can just find guys in the later rounds...well, sometimes you can't and you're left with a team that wants to run the ball first but no RBs worth a damn to give it to.
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.....or a team that has consistently lacked an OL (except the Foster years) capable of helping the ground game become something more than an afterthought. I should also add the same for the TE position....nothing since Owen Daniels.
 
Will Anderson said today he’s excited for his first home game. He’s asking the fans to get loud and vocal because it really helps them a lot and rattles the opposing offense. Selling tickets and filling a stadium, Hannah’s job, isnt a McNair conspiracy like some believe now is it? Did anyone notice that effect in Baltimore?
 
Dejaview said:
Will Anderson said today he’s excited for his first home game. He’s asking the fans to get loud and vocal because it really helps them a lot and rattles the opposing offense. Selling tickets and filling a stadium, Hannah’s job, isnt a McNair conspiracy like some believe now is it? Did anyone notice that effect in Baltimore?
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Hannah did a fine job of accomplishing her goals.

The answer to this post is do you believe Stroud can become a top 5 QB? If not they should've waited a yr like the Stros did. Stadium being full be damned. Impatience, but hey the stadium will be full and that's what counts to the McNair's. Is this conducive to winning championships? Doubtful.
 
steelbtexan said:
Hannah did a fine job of accomplishing her goals.

The answer to this post is do you believe Stroud can become a top 5 QB? If not they should've waited a yr like the Stros did. Stadium being full be damned. Impatience, but hey the stadium will be full and that's what counts to the McNair's. Is this conducive to winning championships? Doubtful.
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Given the QB pool...yeah I think he can become a top 5 Qb....Brady is gone, Rodgers is done...only for sure two you have out there right now is Mahomes and Allen (had 4 to's last game), MAYBE Hurts, Burrow still hast to prove it and played and looked like shite. Will he ever be able to play all 4qtrs???, maybe lawrence...Herbert has big ? LJ has never been an elite qb...runner yes but never has been a great passer, Tua how long can he last before another injury and is a top ranked qb? Dak need I say more??? Fields??
Right now you have a period where a lot of top Vet Qb's are gone and a young field of qb's coming up.
 
Allen/Burrow/Hurts/Herbert/Purdy are all young, then you've got guys like LJ/Derrick etc... plus you've got the new young guys coming up after this yr, Williams/Maye/McNamara/Sanders/Ewers etc... I cant ever see him being a top 5 QB.
 
steelbtexan said:
Allen/Burrow/Hurts/Herbert/Purdy are all young, then you've got guys like LJ/Derrick etc... plus you've got the new young guys coming up after this yr, Williams/Maye/McNamara/Sanders/Ewers etc... I cant ever see him being a top 5 QB.
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whats laughable is you already have next years class as top 5 consideration...you act like they arent going to go thru the same trials and tribulations of hoping they land in a good position with a decent team that can provide them: Coaching, an oline for protection and time, and offense that fits their style, and weapons to help them succeed...yet you wont give the same to Stroud b/c you personally dont like him as a person and who he has for an agent. THATS RIDICUOUS

Yes Allen, Burrow, Hurts, Herbert, and Purdy are all young...but are those top 5??
I say there are two for sure: Mahomes and Allen
then you have good chances of maybe getting there but need to prove more: Burrow, Hurts, Herbert, Lawrence, Tua, Fields
then you have good but def not top 5: LJ, Dak (DW4 used to be here but I think he's fallen off a bit)
then you have the rest of the field...

Notice I dont have Stroud, Bryce, Richardson and really Purdy belongs in this category too (he's on a good solid well rounded team...he isnt special at the qb position) because they are all rookies and still need time to show what they have and what they develop into.
 
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