Actually, despite the terrible ranking (32nd in the league), I don’t think there is an issue with the Colts running game. This is one of the are instances where rushing stats do not tell the story. For the last five weeks or so, the Colts have averaged 4.2 yards a carry, and have done an outstanding job running the ball in key situations, especially the fourth quarter.

Look at last week’s Titans game as an example. After the Titans failed to convert on fourth down in the redzone, the Colts took over on downs. They then marched 77 yards, consuming 7:23 minutes of clock while holding onto a 24-10 lead. Much of the drive involved Joseph Addai rushing against the Titans #8 rushing defense. Addai also has 9 rushing TDs on the year, placing him up there with guys like Tomlinson, Peterson, and others.

So, to be honest with you, I don’t think there is much of an issue.

but for me the most important of all is that Caldwell removed Meeks and Purnell, replacing them with Larry Coyer (D-C) and Ray Rychleski(ST-C), respectively.

Both have improved their units tremendously this season and are a huge and significant part of the Colts 12-0.

This is Caldwell team. thats a period.

Well, one is hiring your team’s old defensive coordinator: Larry Coyer. Coyer has been outstanding installing new “wrinkles” into Indy’s Tampa-2 defense. Many of these wrinkles have involved linebacker and safety blitzes in key situations (or, showing blitz and then backing off). The blitzes have not necessarily increased the number of sacks for the linebackers or secondary, but they have opened up the flood gates for Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. The Colts currently are the #2 scoring defense.

The other big change was getting a new special teams coordinator, and this area is the one that has shown the most dramatic improvement. Kick and punt coverage has been excellent, and rookie punter Pat McAfee (who also handles kickoffs) has really turned into a field position weapon.

Weakness right now is injuries to the secondary and strong side linebacker. Kelvin Hayden is returning and starting to round back into form, but our once dominant pass defense has only been sorta good the last few weeks. They’ve been giving up yards, but have still been good at redzone defense.

The other weakness mentioned is strong side linebacker. Philip Wheeler has been dog meat since taking over for Tyjuan Hagler, who is done for 2009. Wheeler was handed the starting job in camp, but lost the job in pre-season to Hagler. With Hagler out, Wheeler got his job back, but has not played well.

Yes, once homefield is wrapped up, they will rest starters. Going undefeated in the pre-season is only something the media wants. It does not help you win football games in early-mid-January, and they don’t pass out any trophies for going 16-0.

you guys “schmucks.”

Yes, and you are STILL and idiot. And a schmuck. ;)

Ka-ching! Send the $10 to 1818 Big Blue Way; Indianapolis, IN 46280.

If you are referring to my bashing of the over-rated moron that was Mike Shanahan, I think the first 14 weeks of this NFL season have justified my stance somewhat. With virtually the same players on defense, Mike Nolan has done what Mike Shanahan is incapable of doing: Coach a defense. Shanahan won two Super Bowls with John Elway, and then did virtually nothing for ten years with some talented Broncos teams. He always seemed to blame others for his own coaching and managerial screw-ups (got rid of Brian Greise, got rid of Jake Plummer, got rid of Larry Coyer, got rid of Ted Sunquist, etc.). I absolutely cannot stand it when people in position os of authority screw up and then try and save their butts by blaming someone else.

For ten years, Shanahan did that.

It was never more obvious to me than in 2006 when Shana-schmuck (ka-ching!) fired Larry Coyer (a coach I liked long before he was Indy’s DC) and replaced him with the fossil known as Jim Bates. When Bates’ predictable and out-dated defense failed in Denver, Shana-schmuck (ka-ching!) fired him after just one season, replacing him with another hack whose name I don’t remember. Denver’s defense got worse until finally Pat Bowlen grew some balls and fired Shanahan.

Now, less than a year after Shanahan’s dismissal, you guys have a defense. Go fig.

All throughout Shanahan dismissal post-Elway career, fans seemed to make excuse after excuse for his obviously poor coaching and management. His nickname was “Coach Teflon” for a reason: No one ever held him accountable. Last year, someone finally did.

1. The Colts pass defense is very good and should get better. While many people cite our “young secondary” as reasons to doubt our pass D, the fact is that CB Jerraud Powers (3rd round pick), CB Jacob Lacey (undrafted rookie), FS Antoine Bethea (veteran who should go to the Pro Bowl this year), and SS Melvin Bullitt (little known but great player) have all been excellent this season, and they have a lot of experience now with that secondary in particular. Even better is that our best corner (Kelvin Hayden) came back on a limited basis last week and should play the whole game against the Broncos. So while we’ll give up some yards to guys like Randy Moss and Andre Johnson (and who doesn’t?), this is turned into an excellent pass D that I have full confidence in.

2. Our running game can best be described as efficient. Our starting RB, Joseph Addai, is having a fantastic year where he is converting about every 3rd and 1 or 2 that comes his way. He has become very hard to tackle at the line-of-scrimmage/backfield, and almost always falls forward when tackled. Also, Addai loves scoring touchdowns. There must be some magnetic force attracting him to the endzone. So, he’s a very shifty back who can get the tough yards, but he won’t gash you for 20+ yards. He doesn’t have that kind of 2nd gear.

About the other running backs, I wouldn’t worry about them. You’ll probably only see them for 3-10 snaps, and it’s nothing spectacular.

3. Donald Brown is……..what’s the phrase?……….perpetually injured. He got hurt against the Rams a long time ago (shoulder injury), then he has suffered at least 2 other injuries in the meantime. It’s becoming hard to keep track. I would be shocked if he played against the Broncos, and I’m beginning to doubt he’ll play the rest of the season. It’s not looking good.

but not expand at all on the win over Cincy or how bad the Chargers were early in the year when you beat them (plus that you lost to them in your last meeting)?

but after that it’ll depend on next year’s performance since his salary starts to shoot up over the rest of his deal.

You expect people to bow and pay homage to you just because you are 12 – 0? This is Broncos Country you are in and we just came off two wins…why in the world would you expect anything BUT confidence from us?

Also, from what I’ve read it looks like most of us think we CAN win, not that we have it in the bag. Maybe I’m seeing it through my own more moderate-opinioned glasses…

I bet that first Houston game is on the top. They were the worst fans we dealt with this year.

It seems that the middle of our line is the weak spot and when teams exploit it, the broncos struggle offensively. The colts don’t have that. So, our offense should be right on track all day.

The real question is can our defense stop or slow down your offense? The reason that many are confident at MHR is because some people think that the broncos matchup well, where other opponents that you have faced have not. The Broncos have a good secondary and can rush the passer extremely well.

It seems the defense goes as the offense goes. If the offense struggles, the defense stays on the field and gets tired and gives up long drives. If the offense is playing well and running the ball effectively, the defense is well rested and plays extremely well.

Doom should be able to run wild, especially knowing that Peyton will be in the pocket in the same location all day, as opposed to Flacco or Big ben or Cassel, who move the pocket and extend plays.

So, sure, we aren’t undefeated like the colts. However, we have every right to be confident about this game because we know where our strengths are and believe that the team can succeed on sunday.

I went over to their site; could not find that he had commented or posted recently. I think we have somebody trying to just stir the pot, probably not representative of the Blue Stampede. I am going to ignore him.

everything, Broncos fans nor this thread based on a few comments (especially ones that were part of a back and forth exchange between two biased sets of fans) ;-) Should read all MHR posts and comments to see the kind of diverse and often very intelligent community we have here, just I have done with yours.

at events for this team since the end of last year, expectations, add in results. Wouldn’t you be about as high as a kite for your team? What do you want from us anyway with your BBS dude coming in here and mouthing off about our SB winning HC and badmouthing our team. Are we supposed to thank you for deigning to come in here and give us your wisdom on how you are going to beat us???

WT#!

Then I would say, not very much. We’re very different teams and we’ll play you very differently.

The Bolts will probably lose first round and the Colts will have home field throughout the playoffs so will only have to travel if they go to the Super Bowl.

just like last year he changed positions and took a while to settle in, but after that he was great. He’s been very strong against the run and is a good cover guy.

Tyjuan Hagler was the starter on the other side, but got hurt is now on IR, he was playing great though. Phillip Wheeler is his replacement. Wheeler is still pretty raw. He was a great pass rusher in college and the Colts have used him as a rush end in depth emergencies. He’s still polishing his zone coverage skills and gets a bit overaggressive in the run game and out of position. In short he’s a first time starter still settling in, but a very talented guy.

J/K. Maybe.

is pretty awful, I’m amazed in this day and age he still has a job. I am genuinely sorry for you guys… (But then, as noted here, Broncos fans still have our own share of crummy columnists. Though at least Jeff Legwold is with the Post now.)

Sometimes I think Denver is the farm club for crappy sportswriters. We also “lost” Jay Mariotti to Chicago. It’s not a problem though, we seem to be able to grow them on trees. As was mentioned by RockyMountainThunder, Lincicome is the worst I’ve ever read, closely followed by Kizla. Kravitz would be a breath of fresh air…

No histrionics. No word play. I still remember the excellent column he wrote when Jim Grey was mocked for asking Pete Rose actual questions in a sideline interview. He basically pointed out the way that the big money owning media outlets had corrupted the content and made it bland and risk adverse. Really good stuff.

Also, when the Broncos drafted Lennie Friedman (in the second round — three months after winning their 2nd superbowl, they had a 1st rounder, 2 2nd rounders and 2 3rd rounders, and converted them into one NFL-caliber player), he called him “already my mom’s favorite player.” Good stuff.

we’ve been described as getting your tooth pulled really.

I don’t think a single one of us has even said anything like we’ll crush you or that we will win a w/o a doubt. Hmm..

Agreed. Stay classy. Besides, its not as if the Colts performance is not worthy of admiration. They have a classy group of individuals playing on that team. Remember, they are NOT the raiders nor the unchargers. Save the bile for the deserving.

Pompous; Self serving, contentious, self important.
Asses; A donkey, a small animal of the horse family. A dull, stupid person.

If you are suggesting that Mike Shanahan is a better football coach than Tony Dungy, very few people will take you seriously. Shanahan has been a horrible coach for well over a decade. And I’ll insult your old coach if I damn well please, thank you.

Quote by BigBlue Shoe.

Don’t come over on our site and insult the great one. That’s calling the kettle black.

I think it’s his best efficiency ever with near 70%. He’s definitely sharper than last year, but I don’t know about best year. Good yards, decent rating. It might be. He doesn’t need to do as much as he had to in 04.

I’m actually curious about how he does against the Broncos as you’ll be the best passing defense we have faced this year, but to me it seems like he’s more in control this year than ever as far as understanding defenses and schemes. However, there have been a few errant passes this year that were very unPeytonesque. Very few though and he has more than made up for it. We also didn’t have the deep ball at all last year and that’s back.

Hmm.. this is a hard question. I’ll have to go refresh myself on all of Peyton’s great years.

And we’ve only played one really bad team, some decent teams, and a few very good teams.

I love the Broncos actually and I’ve been rooting for you in almost all of your games. And I’m happy to see you guys doing well. I don’t know why it’s chippy here. We’ve had worse, though, as mentioned in this thread.

Freeney played and had a sack in the last game. He sees limited time, but he’s playing well. He’s still recovering, but I expect him to be in on 3rd downs and obvious pressure downs in the Broncos game.

Mathis injured his quad and was in street clothes during most of the Titans game. Freeney injured his quad earlier in the Arizona game and played the next game. But I expect Mathis not to play this Sunday.

Good luck to you as well. And I shall take off now. See you guys in a few days.

but he was effective and should be near regular usage this week.

i think we will have him back prior to the the end of the season. i am thinking the second to last game and if that is the case he will be able to get some timing back. but like the post made on our site by BBS if he isn’t back by the last game he should probalby be IR’d but wont be. i just dont want to see another marvin from 07. i see you have been reading our blog by this comment also it seems :)

maybe practice next week, before the Jags game, sit out one last game (it is a Thursday Nighter) and start knocking off the rust the last two games.

Garçon has done so well filling his role that Gonzo will probably bump Collie out of the lineup instead and the Colts will run an O that looks a lot like last years, with Garçon outside in place of The Hollow Shell Formerly Known as Marvin Harrison. Gonzo on the outside and Reggie a matchup nightmare in the slot.

Who will cover Dallas Clark? How do you expect to fare with the fastest no-huddle offense in the nfl?

Is this where the broncos fans came to ask colts questions?

There is a similar post open at the colts blog, right now.

have had problems with no-huddle offenses this season. I am interested in your O line, because that battle between our DEs and your OLBs will be where this game is decided, IMO. If doom Reid, Doom, etc. get pressure, sacks, or force turnovers by Manning (tough, I know), your no-huddle won’t matter much. We have to blitz the hell out of him, and rely on our veteran secondary to call some different looks and lead that defense in real time. Dawkins, Bailey, Goodman, Hill, and Law should be able to read and adjust reasonably well, regardless of the substitution. But that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.

I am far from the top in analysis here (maybe 87th on a good day) but I would like to address this. Of all of the many strengths of the Colts this may be the one we don’t have a good answer for. One of the strengths of oure defense is having specialized people that sub in and out frequently. Also quality depth more than overwhelming individuals up front. Both of these strengths are negated if there is no time for substitutions. Could Peyton run a no huddle the whole game? If so there would be major scoring on both sides as the Indy D would get no rest.

Who will cover Dallas Clark?

We usually use Josh Barrett if a particular TE needs to be covered. During his first game in that role he was effective at minimizing Tony Gonzales so he’s not a slouch. Wes Woodyard also fills in that role.

The no-huddle has been more effective against us. Good luck with that.

1: I would expect anyone at any time with Dawkins paying attention over the top. Clark is the man, but he can get blown up just like anyone else. In situation man-on-man plays I would expect Woodyard to cover him.

2: That is the biggest fear I have of your offense. We have been weak against the no-huddle this year. That being said, I have great faith in Nolan that he will have a plan ready for this. Our DC is legit this year unlike many in the past that Indy has taken advantage of.

Obviously, you’re entitled to your opinion, but….you are aware the Broncos front office and roster have experienced about 95% change of personnel since any of those games to which you refer were actually played, right?

But I guess you guys DO still have # 18. Sigh…

Like ncm said, the broncos have pretty much changed everything since then.

we will use it 99% of the time like we normally do. but doesn’t mean at times we will get to the line faster if manning thinks he can catch someone sleeping.

as for the second havent seen either so cant say

especially against 3-4 big line men , i think our no-huddle is the fastest and more efficient one in the nfl and has been a factor in our comebacks , defenses cant play 60 minutes against it.(askk pats)

1. All the time. Peyton pretty much invented the modern version of the no-huddle, and he absolutely love it, especially because it’s a good way to tie out a defense.

2. I’ve seen both, and it’s Peyton’s commercial. That was an all-time classic. Brady’s was pretty creepy, and not nearly as funny.

As for Freeney, probably set up formations that put Graham on Freeney and see what happens, possibly use FB (Larsen) to chip away at him too.

but before that it was Marvin’s show.

Wayne is the most reliable receiver in the league by a large margin IMHO.