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WK1: Colts at Texan Gameday & Discussion

I wouldn't base Mills capabilities off of this one game. He looked rusty. Maybe the nerves got to him. If he has these issues consistently as the season progresses, I'll jump on the drafting a QB next year bandwagon. For now, I'll hold out hope that this was just first game jitters.
 
Lucky said:
You're selling Mills hard, but I'm still not buying. But I'm not arguing that Ryan is pretty much shot.
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Not selling anything other than the idea to not grade him until after season end. Don’t rush to judgement and be closed minded.

I have said that I want a QB who can win on the big stage. Clutch moments. Mills had three chances and didn’t deliver.

Mills didn’t do it. Part of the reason is the fact there are not enough weapons. That is a fact.

That doesn’t mean I am saying wait it out three years until we have enough.
 
vtech9 said:
I wouldn't base Mills capabilities off of this one game. He looked rusty. Maybe the nerves got to him. If he has these issues consistently as the season progresses, I'll jump on the drafting a QB next year bandwagon. For now, I'll hold out hope that this was just first game jitters.
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I base the team’s assessment of him on them punting 4th and 3 playing for the tie instead of trying to win the game.

Like I said, I was buying what the team was selling this offseason regarding Mills. But their actions speak louder than words. Rodgers, Mahomes, Brady, heck even Baker Mayfield would get a chance to win the game in that situation!
 
Mills doesn’t look like he’s taken the big step in growth that I wanted to see. I still think if he has a couple more weapons on offense you can win with him at QB, but I don’t see franchise cornerstone.

Luckily for him he’s got an entire season to come into form.
 
Mills = Sage Rosenfels

Dude will make a great throw or play and follow it up with hot garbage. He had like 5 possessions today to ice the game or win it and failed miserably. He is our guy in 2022, because we have no choice, but I still don't see the long-term franchise QB in him.
 
Lucky said:
True. But two things that seems will always hold Mills back is his pocket presence and his lack of mobility. You're born with that or not. I'm calling not for Mills. Mills is just good enough to play in the league on a losing team. He's not the One.

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For me I am not going to rush to judgment just to be say I called it from the beginning which most do. There is no reason to rush. I will give him a grade at season end.

Shoot, Caserio may want the QB in 2024 vs the ones in 2023. Keep building so the QB drafted in 2024 is set up for success.

I would be down for that too.
 
Mills…looked decisive in the short game, indecisive throwing downfield mostly. Still dropping that elbow and airmailing too many gimme completions. …maybe thats 1st game rust getting knocked off, but he had a tendency to do this last year…so to see him doing that this year…..not a good sign.

Pierce…i held out on getting hype about him b/c i knew things would look very different once real bullets began flying…and for the most part i was correct in assessing him. He’s still a rookie and will play like it..which means our run game will only be marginally better than it was last year.

Defensively, we look good. Sting and Pitre acquitted themselves well.

A little deflated with the tie considering we had a real good chance to win this game if it werent for the offense going in the tank. But it’s definitely not worse than getting your **** pushed in by 30 like last year. I think Pep went a little too conservative, but i think part of that was them trying to establish the run and salt the game away..which we couldnt do. Hopefully they get better as the year goes on…
 
amazing80 said:
Mills = Sage Rosenfels

Dude will make a great throw or play and follow it up with hot garbage. He had like 5 possessions today to ice the game or win it and failed miserably. He is our guy in 2022, because we have no choice, but I still don't see the long-term franchise QB in him.
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Say want you want...

Better to arrive by Copter than by Carr. :troll:
 
vtech9 said:
Well...Mills did not look very good in this game. He had moments, but he just looked nervous all game.
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I could have looked past some of Mills' shortcomings if he had just gotten in Pep's ear and said "Let's call some plays down the field. Give us a chance to win this game." But he was just standing on the sideline with a glazed look in his eyes.
 
Texansballer74 said:
Lovie robbed this team of a victory today. He took his foot off of their throats and went ultra conservative. When will they learn you can not play like that.
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I don’t know if I agree with this. I think the problems started with the Mills‘ blindside fumble. The momentum turnaround after that was HUGE. Coaching strategies change when you have to halt it. The last thing you want to do is get too aggressive and commit another turnover. That’s lights out. I was Ok with the Texans stopping that OT tidal wave understanding the Colts FG miss helped same as our fumble helped the Colts. From what I saw last year the Texans have taken a step Up.
 
Lucky said:
I could have looked past some of Mills' shortcomings if he had just gotten in Pep's ear and said "Let's call some plays down the field. Give us a chance to win this game." But he was just standing on the sideline with a glazed look in his eyes.
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He was sacked what, 3 times in the 2nd half? Twice in the 4th?

when it was time to chunk it, it was already falling apart.

I’d have liked to have seen them start the 2nd Qtr with an uptempo WCO passing game plan.

They got off a couple of good runs, but nothing to build your offense on. I knew who they were when they came out in the 3rd Qtr so I wasn’t expecting much. Hear what I’m saying, from that drive on they exceeded my expectations so that should tell you what I thought/expected from them.
 
TexansBull said:
Shoot, Caserio may want the QB in 2024 vs the ones in 2023. Keep building so the QB drafted in 2024 is set up for success.

I would be down for that too.
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How does Caserio do that? Be the first to say "Dibs on Caleb Williams" at the league meetings? How about the Texans just wait for Arch Manning to be draft eligible and make a deal with the Mannings to say he won't sign with any other team?
 
thunderkyss said:
They were swapping Green with McCray Burkhead with Pierce, OJ & Pharoah, & Chris Moore looked like our #2 receiver.

They’re still figuring things out. I know we think we know. But they did what they thought made sense to them & there were probably good reasons they decided like they did.

But the fight is there. The Colts probably win this division & the Texans aren’t far behind them year 2 of this rebuild.
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I get all of that, my thing is they stopped doing what they were doing through three quarters. Too many times I’ve seen this team as well as others blow leads in this exact manner. You play 60 minutes not 45 minutes
 
Texansballer74 said:
I get all of that, my thing is they stopped doing what they were doing through three quarters. Too many times I’ve seen this team as well as others blow leads in this exact manner. You play 60 minutes not 45 minutes
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Either they stopped doing what they were doing or the Colts started doing something different.

JT was ripping off 12 yards on 1st down, back to back, to back.

It’s not like the offense was putting together 11 play drives & controllingsht. The Colts were gifting us yards. Once they stopped doing that the offense struggled.
 
Texansballer74 said:
I get all of that, my thing is they stopped doing what they were doing through three quarters. Too many times I’ve seen this team as well as others blow leads in this exact manner. You play 60 minutes not 45 minutes
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this is on Lovie…that old school mentality of trying to run the clock out b/c you’re up 2 scores in the 4th…he’s gotta get out of that line of dino thinking..or we will lose alot of games this year in the same manner.
 
From a perception POV, if you're down by 17 and come back to tie the game, that feels good. But if you're up by 17 and hold on only to end in a tie, that feels bad. But it's the same thing.

I came into this game expecting a loss and got a tie, so overall I'm happy. I could have been a lot happier... we should have won this game. Hopefully it's a learning experience for our youngsters.

Mills has a lot of growth to make. I had hoped he was there, but he's not there, yet.

Pierce? Well, maybe he's not going to be the guy I hoped, and if he's not, then we have a problem on the offense. We need to find a RB1 really fast.
 
Enjoyed some of this one. Thought Pierce being mostly MIA was odd. Guess he was the pre-season warrior “feel good” story of 2022. When the real games begin and you’re riding with Rex you know there’s a reason and it ain’t that Burkhead still has a lot left in the tank. Mills wasn’t anything special. The defense was nothing special. Offense was nothing special. That’s basically what you could say to describe these guys. Could be competent but nothing special. Nobody on this team can put the rest of them on his back and get it done. It’s telling there’s nothing here but rookies with potential and other teams castoffs. It looks and plays very much like a work in progress full of placeholder pieces. No excuse to go from 20-3 to a tie like that. This one was an ”F”.
 
Pierce runs hard, hes just not quite ready for the pass pro part..which is why he was limited. He SHOULD get more and more run as the season progresses, i just knew better than to think he was going to come in an immediately make the impact we all know he’s capable of.
 
Mr teX said:
this is on Lovie…that old school mentality of trying to run the clock out b/c you’re up 2 scores in the 4th…he’s gotta get out of that line of dino thinking..or we will lose alot of games this year in the same manner.
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There’s a reason he was available. There was a reason Dom Capers was available. So far the Texans have pursued two “hot candidates”. Kubiak and O’Brien and they’re .500 doing that. They’ve also hired two guys who had some level of success at one time previously and they’re .000 with that one. The list of guys who ”sorta won once somewhere else” is long and full of people who aren’t going to get you over the hump.
 
This was the first game the entire starting unit took the field together. Not a great showing, not a horrible showing, but there were some really nice highlights. Biggest one for me in Game 1….OJ Howard, his impact with a limited portion of the playbook was amazing to see. As the weeks progress so will Howard’s knowledge of the system, which could make him an even bigger target between the 20’s.
 
The secondary is greatly improved. That was the biggest plus. Hughes and OJ both still got some game. No other major pass rush other than Hughes. Kirksey needs to be replaced. Kamu could also stand to be replaced.

On offense, they still can't get much push. Green was a disappointment, but it's his first game and the Colts have a stout dline, so let's see if he improves.

Mills sucks. He's not the guy. It's really not even a question to me. Mills would need massive improvement if he's going to be the guy. Very doubtful but he's got 2022 to prove his skeptics wrong. Personally...we need an upgrade there to be a competitor. But I do like him as a longterm #2. He can play in the league, but not as a starter.

I liked the game plans on both sides of the ball going into the game. But then they totally turtled - starting mid-3rd quarter. It'a super clear after a whole series of decisions that the coaching staff sees Mills as a huge liability. All of the bad decisions and "playing not to lose" decisions are excusable - except the last one.

Lovie has really been winning me over. I was a skeptic upon his hire...and then he spent the next 8 or so months really winning me over. To the point that I was really thinking we lucked into the right guy. And then....today in OT, he showed his true colors. And all of the good will he built up with me in that one instant - went poof. It's gone. Magicians can't make things disappear that fast. That showed me he is not the guy. Winners don't make those kinds of decisions. Total losers mentality.

So...we need an upgrade at the HC position along with QB imho. Can I be the first to start the fire Lovie thread?
 
Packers down to the Vikings right now, 20-0

does anyone believe that margin will hold in the 2nd half?
 
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vtech9 said:
I wouldn't base Mills capabilities off of this one game. He looked rusty. Maybe the nerves got to him. If he has these issues consistently as the season progresses, I'll jump on the drafting a QB next year bandwagon. For now, I'll hold out hope that this was just first game jitters.
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The guy is still learning. He hasn’t played too much football since HS. He has work to do but his good throws are really good. Quick release, zip, etc. I thought his decisions were quickerthis game than last year. He’s making strides. Zero INT’s. About a 99% QBR today…Mac Jones 88%, Lawrence 75%, Lance 50% Today. Hell Lawrence still struggles to complete 50% of his passes. He’s better this year, not worse. That’s the right direction. He hasn’t hit any wall yet so I’m still onboard.
 
With the opportunity to win a game we were expected to lose, and not doing so was a disappointment. And I saw aspects of Mills play that I didn't like and needs improvement. But still, looking at the positive, Mills ended up with 240 yds, 2 TD's, 0 INT's and a rating of 98.9.

Taylor beat us. You can say our run defense s*cks, but Taylor is one of the leagues premier RB's.

The play which sticks in my craw is Tunsil wiffing on the play which resulted in Mills sack and fumble.

Has anyone assessed Green's play at LG?

(edit) Opps .... LG, of course, not RG.
 
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This is one of the most confusing games I've ever seen from this team. So many questions...

Why is Mills regressing from his end-of-season form of last year?

Where are all these short pass plays of this no-coast offense I kept hearing about?

Why didn't Pierce get more reps?

Where was Brevin Jordan? Nico Collins? Cooks?

Why weren't Pitre or any LB's blitzing?

Why were the Colts forcing sacks with only 3 or 4 men on their D-line?

Why was the defense not using LB's to plug the holes that Taylor was running 10+ yards through per snap?

My first question about Mills is the biggest concern. He does not look like the same player who beat the Chargers or went the distance against the Titans. There's no reason he should be regressing like this.
 
Number19 said:
With the opportunity to win a game we were expected to lose, and not doing so was a disappointment. And I saw aspects of Mills play that I didn't like and needs improvement. But still, looking at the positive, Mills ended up with 240 yds, 2 TD's, 0 INT's and a rating of 98.9.

Taylor beat us. You can say our run defense s*cks, but Taylor is one of the leagues premier RB's.

The play which sticks in my craw is Tunsil wiffing on the play which resulted in Mills sack and fumble.

Has anyone assessed Green's play at RG?
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that wasnt on Tunsil…Colts ran some type of overload, twist stunt and Tunsil took the guy coming inside. If he hadnt done that and junped on the guy who came on the outside, the inside guy would’ve been the one who cleaned up Mills.
 
thunderkyss said:
I think we’re all in agreement here.

We differ on where we’re putting the blame.
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I think there is plenty of blame to go around:
  • When the Colts got the momentum, there was nothing the defense or offense could do.
  • If Mills doesn't underthrow Cooks on that flea flicker, it was a potential TD and that could have been the difference.
  • If Pep calls a better play on the 3rd and 1, Lovie doesn't have to make that punt decision.
  • Earlier in the game, Lovie decided to take a delay of game and punt instead of going for it on 4th down in Colt's territory
  • Where was Greenard? Dude should be on a milk carton after this game
  • What happened to the TEs in the second half?
  • What was King thinking not catching the ball and letting it bounce and ruining field position?
My point? You can point to several areas and/or people. It was a team loss.
 
Lucky said:
True. But two things that seems will always hold Mills back is his pocket presence and his lack of mobility. You're born with that or not. I'm calling not for Mills. Mills is just good enough to play in the league on a losing team. He's not the One.

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And yet Mills turned chicken $h!t into chicken salad all day, throwing two TDS to a player who wasn’t even on the team last Saturday. But it’s all Mills fault…..
 
Mr teX said:
this is on Lovie…that old school mentality of trying to run the clock out b/c you’re up 2 scores in the 4th…he’s gotta get out of that line of dino thinking..or we will lose alot of games this year in the same manner.
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Maybe, but Lovie is a different kind of DC. He actually anticipates his D to score points and get takeaways. Backing a team up and playing Lovie D with a lead for him is probably being aggressive Since he expects to score from that strategy. Texans just need to amp up their run game to pull it off.
 
Earl34 said:
I think there is plenty of blame to go around:
  • When the Colts got the momentum, there was nothing the defense or offense could do.
  • If Mills doesn't underthrow Cooks on that flea flicker, it was a potential TD and that could have been the difference.
  • If Pep calls a better play on the 3rd and 1, Lovie doesn't have to make that punt decision.
  • Earlier in the game, Lovie decided to take a delay of game and punt instead of going for it on 4th down in Colt's territory
  • Where was Greenard? Dude should be on a milk carton after this game
  • What happened to the TEs in the second half?
  • What was King thinking not catching the ball and letting it bounce and ruining field position?
My point? You can point to several areas and/or people. It was a team loss.
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Uhhhhhh, we didn’t lose and a lot of good got us that tie.
 
Earl34 said:
I think there is plenty of blame to go around:
  • When the Colts got the momentum, there was nothing the defense or offense could do.
  • If Mills doesn't underthrow Cooks on that flea flicker, it was a potential TD and that could have been the difference.
  • If Pep calls a better play on the 3rd and 1, Lovie doesn't have to make that punt decision.
  • Earlier in the game, Lovie decided to take a delay of game and punt instead of going for it on 4th down in Colt's territory
  • Where was Greenard? Dude should be on a milk carton after this game
  • What happened to the TEs in the second half?
  • What was King thinking not catching the ball and letting it bounce and ruining field position?
My point? You can point to several areas and/or people. It was a team loss.
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Greenard played well this game…no he didnt have a sack, but he had several pressures….& he was the guy who made the big 4th and goal stop early in that game that flipped momentum for us.

Oronkuwu…hes the guy that doesnt need to see any more time…twice i saw him give up outside contain that led to big gains.
 
Dejaview said:
The guy is still learning. He hasn’t played too much football since HS. He has work to do but his good throws are really good. Quick release, zip, etc. I thought his decisions were quickerthis game than last year. He’s making strides. Zero INT’s. About a 99% QBR today…Mac Jones 88%, Lawrence 75%, Lance 50% Today. Hell Lawrence still struggles to complete 50% of his passes. He’s better this year, not worse. That’s the right direction. He hasn’t hit any wall yet so I’m still onboard.
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And yet all I see on the interwebs is Lawrence is on a terrible team and that’s why his numbers suck….
So what kind of a team is Mills on….?
 
Mr teX said:
Greenard played well this game…no he didnt have a sack, but he had several pressures….& he was the guy who made the big 4th and goal stop early in that game that flipped momentum for us.

Oronkuwu…hes the guy that doesnt need to see any more time…twice i saw him give up outside contain that led to big gains.
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I saw Greenard getting doubled a lot.
 
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