Colts Gab

In the world of the NFL, your not much if you can’t stay on the field. That may becoming the case more and more with Colts all-world safety Bob Sanders, who is out yet again. Sanders already is dealing with a sprained right ankle that will keep him out for awhile, and now Friday had his knee scoped.

Make no mistake, when healthy, Sanders is one of, if not the best safety in the league. The issue with him basically starts and ends with the fact he can’t stay on the field. He played in just six games during his rookie season in 2004 and four games in 2006. In odd-numbered years, Sanders has started 14 and 15 games, respectively.

What happens next with Sanders is anyones guess. The Colts are already a team in big trouble due to the fact they can’t stop the run (again) and for some reason can’t win a game in their new stadium. Now without Sanders, the window for them to try and get coach Tony Dungy back to the big dance may very well be closed.

Colts have made some minor roster moves according to the Indy Star today. The team signed quarterback David Greene and wide receiver Taj Smith to their practice squad, and waived quarterback Josh Betts off the squad. Greene was selected by the Hawks back in the third round of the 05 draft, but hasn’t taken a snap in a regular season game.

Masterful time management, a potent rushing game and a lucky break late in the game – these instances helped the Jacksonville Jaguars as a 51-yard field goal by placekicker Josh Scobee with 4 ticks on the game clock as they edged the Indianapolis Colts 23-21 Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Also factor in that Colts quarterback Peyton Manning had one of his worst games in recent memory, which contributed to the Jags’ masterful time management of the game clock. Combine all of those things, and it is a wonder that the Colts lost by only 2 points. The game started out promisingly enough as the Colts drew first blood with a touchdown pass from Manning to Marvin Harrison, taking a brief 7-0 lead. A drive in the early stages of the second quarter led to a Scobee FG, narrowing the gap to 7-3; about 7 minutes later, cornerback Rashean Mathis notched a pick-6, intercepting a Manning pass and returning the ball for a 61-yard interception return for a TD, boosting Jacksonville to a 10-7 lead. But Colts running back Joseph Addai would score late, rushing into the end zone on a 3-yard cary, giving the Colts a 14-10 lead, which they would take into halftime. The second half would completely different, however.

The third quarter was rather hum-drum with only one score – a 6-yard rushing TD by Jones-Drew, which gave the Jaguars a 17-14 lead going into the fourth quarter. Scobee would add another FG with 2:33 remaining, which would give Manning a chance to redeem his earlier mistakes. Manning did one of his patented, quick-hit rallies, capped by another rushing TD by Addai, pushing Indianapolis ahead 21-20. But Jaguars QB David Garrard managed a rally of his own, while catching a break along the way – including a 11-yard pass interference call – which set up the winning 51-yard field goal by Scobee.

Garrard had an efficient performance, going 16-for-22 for 167 yards with an interception, while Manning had a relatively average outing as he went 15-of-29 for 216 yards with a TD and 2 INT’s. The Jaguars rushing attack – all 236 yards of it – was led by Fred Taylor with 121 yards on 26 carries while Jones-Drew “added” 107 yards on only 19 carries; he also caught 4 passes for 59 yards. The Colts running game was led by Addai with 78 yards on 16 carries while catching a pass for 10 yards.

The aforementioned Jones-Drew led all Jaguars receivers with 59 yards on 4 receptions; the Colts’ leading receiver was Reggie Wayne who caught 3 passes for 74 yards. Tight end Dallas Clark, returning to action for the first time this season, caught 4 passes for 47 yards while Harrison caught 4 balls for 40 yards and a TD. Jacksonville (1-2) now returns home to Florida to host the Houston Texans on September 28 while Indianapolis (1-2) will have a bye week – at the most opportune time for them.

If you watched Sunday’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings, then you probably noticed like I did that it sure looked like the Vikings’ running attack and their defense was going to send the Colts away 0-2; but as I am sure you have heard more than once, appearances can be deceiving. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was harrassed most of the game, having been sacked twice while throwing 2 interceptions, yet he came up clutch when it mattered most as he led the Colts on a late 4th quarter drive which led to a game-winning field goal by Adam Vinatieri with 3 seconds remaining, leading Indianapolis to a narrow 18-15 victory over Minnesota at the Metrodome.

Somehow the Vikings wasted their time management and a very impressive rushing performance by running back Adrian Peterson in the first half, getting 5 field goals by placekicker Ryan Longwell and 3 punts – which seems to point the finger at their quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and his apparent lack of passing acumen. The Colts would come back in the second half with fireworks of their own around mid-third quarter, as Manning would hook up with wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez on a wide open 58-yard completion on 3rd-and-6, of which Gonzalez would lateral to WR Reggie Wayne as the ball was spotted at the Vikings’ 1-yard line. RB Joseph Addai would score from there, despite an unsuccessful challenge by Vikings head coach Brad Childress, narrowing Minnesota’s lead to 15-7.

The Colts in the fourth period would, with the help of Manning (no running game to speak of all game), drive down the field from their own 39 with passes of 17,12 and a 32-yard TD pass to Wayne; RB Dominic Rhodes would sneak in on a 2-point conversion, tying the contest at 15. In the final minute, Manning would on third-and-9 complete a pass to Wayne, which would set up the game-winning FG by Vinatieri. The Vikings would try to rally late, but a late pass attempt form Jackson to WR Bernard Berrian was overthrown as Berrian tripped in triple coverage.

Jackson had a mediocre effort once again, going 14-of-24 for 130 yards while Manning did markedly better, going 26-of-42 for 311 yards with a TD and 2 INT’s. Peterson had an excellent outing for the Vikings, rushing for 160 yards on 29 carries while catching 4 balls for 20 yards while Addai had only 20 yards on 15 carries for the Colts. Gonzalez led all Colts receivers with 9 receptions and a career-high 137 yards while Wayne added 5 catches for 93 yards and a TD. Bobby Wade caught 3 balls for 42 yards while Aundrae Allison added 37 yards on a pair of receptions. Indianapolis, now 1-1, hope to sustain some momentum as they return home to host the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 21 while Minnesota (0-2) will stay home and host the resurgent 2-0 Carolina Panthers – also on September 21.

It appears that Peyton Manning may not have one of his favorite targets for Sunday’s showdown with the Minnesota Vikings. Reports say that tight end Dallas Clark again missed practice on Thursday, this after he hurt his knee Sunday in the 29-13 loss to the Bears. “If he’s not able to practice today (Thursday), I would doubt that we’d play him, but we’ll see,” coach Tony Dungy said. For now, that means that Clark is all but out for Sunday’s game, but we shall see if he makes a quick recovery and can make it on the field in Minnesota.