Tag: Indianapolis Colts (Page 19 of 45)

      Is Freeney’s injury worse than Colts are letting on?

      January 28, 2010 /

      If asked to name as many players on the Colts’ defense as they could, the causal NFL fan may struggle coming up with five names. But the one name that would undoubtedly come out of his or her mouth would be defensive end Dwight Freeney.

      In only 14 games this season, Freeney racked up 13.5 sacks, 24 tackles and one forced fumble. At times, he provides all the pass-rush that the Colts need and will play a crucial role in the team’s success come February 7 when Indianapolis takes on the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV.

      The problem with that, however, is that Freeney sprained his right ankle in the AFC Championship Game last weekend and although head coach Jim Caldwell told the Indianapolis Star that his Pro Bowl D-end’s ankle was progressing, there’s some question about whether or not Freeney will actually be at 100% health come Super Bowl Sunday.

      Freeney missed practice on Thursday and isn’t expected to partake in any of the Pro Bowl activities, so he’ll have at least a week of rest before getting back onto the practice field. And if the ankle hasn’t shown any signs of improvement by Monday, Caldwell would surely limit Freeney’s participation n in practice the week of the Super Bowl.

      If he does wind up missing an entire two weeks of practice, will Freeney be as effective during the Super Bowl as he was this season? He’s an eight-year veteran of the Colts’ defense, so it’s not like he needs extra reps at this point in his career. But even after only two weeks of inactively, the game has a tendency to slow down for players.

      Given how vital it’ll be for the Colts to pressure Saints quarterback Drew Brees, having Freeney at 100% is crucial.


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      NFL, Super Bowl

      Colts early Super Bowl favorites over Saints

      January 25, 2010 /

      With this being the Saints’ first ever trip to the Super Bowl, odds makers have made the Colts a 5-point opening favorite for Super Bowl XLIV according to theSpread.com. The over/under total has been set at 55.5.

      Both of these teams have been a public favorite this year because they can score points. But given how good New Orleans was all season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that point spread come down over the next two weeks with people betting on the Saints.

      The total is intriguing because it’s the second time in three years that the over/under has been set over 50 points. Even though both teams can light up a scoreboard, 55.5 is a ton of points for any NFL game. The last time a Super Bowl total was set that high was in 2008 when the over/under for the Patriots-Giants title game was 55. Everyone thought that game would sail over too and the final was 17-14, well under the 55 points obviously.

      It’ll be interesting to see how the line moves over the next two weeks. I imagine even money will come in on both sides.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      In the end, defense fails Jets – not Sanchez

      January 24, 2010 /

      All week, the game plan for the Jets was simple: Run the football, play good defense, and keep the game out of Mark Sanchez’s hands. In fact, that has been New York’s mantra all season.

      But on Sunday, it was the defense that failed the Jets in their 30-17 loss to the Colts in the 2010 AFC Championship Game. They gave up a whopping 461 total yards, including 101 rushing yards to a team that can’t run the football. Peyton Manning threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-39 passing, while Pierre Garcon (11 receptions, 151 yards, 1 TD) and rookie Austin Collie (7 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD) shredded New York’s secondary for big plays in the second half.

      Outside of throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter in garbage time, Sanchez was pretty damn good. And not pretty damn good for a rookie – pretty damn good for any quarterback. He completed 17-of-30 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard bomb to Braylon Edwards early in the second quarter to give the Jets a 7-3 lead.

      Sanchez was impressive. Several times throughout the game he used his feet to buy more time, threw the ball with confidence and took shots vertically instead of settling for the underneath pass. He played like a seasoned vet and although he couldn’t lead the Jets to a victory, he was also at disadvantage after rookie running back Shonn Greene left the game early in the third quarter with a rib injury.

      Everyone knew that Sanchez wasn’t going to be able to beat the Colts with his arm. But the bottom line is that he wasn’t the problem – Manning shredded the Jets’ defense, which couldn’t limit the big play and didn’t make one clutch stop in the second half.

      The one person everyone was worried about actually played pretty well. And had the Jets not gone with an ultraconservative to open the second half, then maybe Sanchez would have been able to lead them to Miami. Either way, at least this is a performance that Sanchez can build on heading into a promising second year.


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      NFL

      Manning continues domination of Ryan, Colts heading to Miami for Super Bowl XLIV

      January 24, 2010 /

      It’s official: Peyton Manning owns Rex Ryan like Joe Namath owns awkward sideline interviews.

      Manning shredded Ryan and the Jets’ No. 1 rated defense for 377 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-39 passing in the Colts’ 30-17 win in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. With the victory, Indy is headed back to Miami for Super Bowl XLIV.

      In the first quarter, the Jets were able to fluster Manning with their pressure, racking up two sacks and limiting the Colts to just two field goals. But right before half, Indy used its no huddle to loosen up New York’s secondary and strike for a couple big plays. Manning capped the drive off with a 16-yard touchdown pass to rookie Austin Collie to cut the Jets’ lead to 17-13 at halftime.

      The drive was an omen for the second half, as Manning completely took the game over with the Jets struggling to generate points. While New York concentrated on Reggie Wayne (3 catches, 55 yards), Manning attacked the seams with Collie (7 catches, 123 yards, 1 TD) and Piere Garcon (11 catches, 151 yards, 1 TD).

      Manning was absolutely incredible. He put the ball in places where the defense had no chance to knock it down and had pinpoint accuracy all game. He knew exactly where he wanted to go with the ball on every play and took advantage of holes in the Jets’ secondary. It was as finest performance as I have seen out of Manning in the playoffs.

      Manning is now 7-1 against Ryan-led defenses, with the only loss coming in Week 15 of the regular season after Jim Caldwell pulled his starters early in the second half. If the Jets continue to progress under Ryan, then this could be a storyline for years to come.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      NFL Playoff Preview: Championship Sunday

      January 24, 2010 /

      New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts
      3:00 pm ET
      TV—CBS

      The New York Jets and their brashly confident head coach Rex Ryan just keep believing they can beat anyone. And while rolling over the fading Bengals twice was impressive, going into San Diego and beating a Chargers team that many expected to go to the Super Bowl was another thing entirely. Sure, they had a few breaks go their way, like Nate Kaeding missing three field goals, but the Jets came to play, and they held Philip Rivers and that high-flying offense to 14 points. It goes without saying that facing Peyton Manning’s Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium will be just as challenging, if not more challenging for Ryan’s upstart squad, but anyone who counts out their “ground and pound” offense and stifling D isn’t paying attention. Meanwhile, the Colts will not be pulling their starters in the third quarter as they did against Gang Green in Week 16, and they proved to everyone last Saturday that resting those players allowed them to be a step quicker than the wild card Ravens. Sure, the Ravens held the Colts to 20 points, but the Colts’ defense squashed the Ravens’ #5 ground game, allowing just 3 points, and they hope to do the same to the Jets’ top-ranked rushing attack, daring rookie QB Mark Sanchez to beat them through the air. Last week, Sanchez made just enough plays, but he needs to be wary of that quick, opportunistic defense of Indianapolis that forced four turnovers against Baltimore. THE PICK: COLTS 20, JETS 16

      Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints
      6:40 pm ET
      TV—FOX

      While both the Vikings and Saints struggled at bit down the stretch, they both flexed their collective muscle last weekend while eliminating the Cowboys and Cardinals, respectively. Minnesota sacked Tony Romo six times while holding a hot offense to just 3 points, and their own QB, old man Brett Favre, threw four touchdown passes and looked like a man half his age running around the field. New Orleans, after allowing a 70 yard touchdown to Tim Hightower, allowed only 7 more points the rest of the way, and D-coordinator Gregg Williams made all the necessary adjustments to stop Kurt Warner from keeping up with the Saints’ high-flying offense. And as for that offense, Drew Brees kept his gaudy completion percentage up high by going 23 of 32 (71.9%) for 247 yards, 3 scores and zero picks. And Reggie Bush was absolutely electrifying, rushing for a 46 yard touchdown and returning a punt 83 yards for the score that ultimately put the game out of reach. So what happens when these two superpowers meet in the, ahem, Superdome? It’s easy to say it will be a high scoring affair, but not when you consider how good each defense looked last week. More likely, it will be a close game, and one that will be determined in the final minutes or even in overtime. I’m getting goose bumps just thinking about this game, so I’ll say it….get your popcorn ready! THE PICK: SAINTS 27, VIKINGS 24

      NFL

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