Colts Gab

For the second consecutive week, the Indianapolis Colts have been disincentivized as they have locked up home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs; thus, they have been using their reserves for the bulk of the last two games, including Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in what can be accurately described as whiteout conditions on the field.

While Peyton Manning and Co. spent most of the game sitting on heated seats, the Bills’ regular unit took advantage as Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for three touchdowns, allowing Buffalo to make short work of Indianapolis 30-7.

After trading touchdowns in the first quarter, the Bills went ahead for good when Fitzpatrick hit Lee Evans for a 21-yard score. Lee Evans caught the ball at the 1, then slid backward into the end zone, leaving a 2-yard skid mark in the snow. Two and one-half minutes later, Fitzpatrick hooked up with Terrell Owens on a 41-yard TD pass, giving the Bills an insurmountable 21-7 lead late in the third period.

Fitzpatrick went 16-of-25 for 155 yards and 3 TD’s. Manning, in limited action, went 14-of-18 for 95 yards and an interception while reserve QB Curtis Painter went 4-of-17 for 39 yards and an INT. Fred Jackson ran roughshod over the Colts’ offensive line, rushing 33 times for 212 yards with a receiving TD while Mike Hart rushed 10 times for 28 yards and a score.

Owens led the Bills receivers with 4 catches for 65 yards and a TD while Evans caught 4 for 49 yards and a score; Dallas Clark led the Colts with 7 receptions for 52 yards while Reggie Wayne caught 5 passes for 21 yards. Indianapolis (14-2) will get a two-week rest and await who becomes the AFC’s #6 seed while Buffalo ends their season 6-10.

More than a month has passed by and everyone and their brother were speculating as to Peyton Manning’s whereabouts and whether his knee was worse than originally expected.  According to the Associated Press, the Indianapolis Colts activated the quarterback Tuesday and will initially be limited in practice after being taken off the physically unable to perform list.

Colts head coach Tony Dungy said that Manning would be cautious with Manning during this short week as Indianapolis played the Buffalo Bills on Sunday and host the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday – before giving him a full allotment of snaps starting next week. To recap, Manning was instructed not to report to training camp with his teammates July 24, 10 days after having surgery to remove an infected bursa sac from his left knee. At that time, team officials said that it would take Manning four to six weeks to recover – and the 6-week period came on Monday, the day when the Colts did not practice. But despite that, local media, bloggers and fans alike constantly specualted on Manning’s whereabouts and readiness despite Dungy stating that Manning had arrived at Colts camp on July 29.

Right now, for all intents and purposes, the Colts are down to 2 QB’s – Quinn Gray and Jared Lorenzen. Which makes the return of Manning all that more important. Manning’s normal backup QB, Jim Sorgi, didn’t dress for last Sunday’s game due to a gimpy knee. But at the same time, Manning being activated doesn’t guarantee that he will start in the season opener against Chicago, either; however, if everything goes to according to plan, expect Manning to be behind center during Week 1.

The Indianapolis Colts, as they welcomed their opponent the Buffalo Bills to their new home, Lucas Oil Stadium, played like a shell of what they typically are around this time of the preseason.  Turnovers doomed the Colts from the onset, not to mention that Buffalo held Indianapolis to only 9 first downs – the end result being a impressive 20-7 win for the Bills.

The Bills scored at opportune times, including a touchdown run by running back Xavier Omon and a 68-yard fumble recovery for a score by cornerback Terrence McGee – courtesy of a fumble by Colts RB Joseph Addai. Colts reserve quarterback Quinn Gray threw 4 interceptions, which contributed to the Bills holding onto the ball for 42 minutes to the Colts’ 18. So as you can tell, the Colts were dominated on both sides of the ball. Both teams lost players during the game – Buffalo losing offensive tackle Langston Walker to a badly bruised left forearm while the Colts lost center Jeff Saturday in the third quarter and kick returner T.J. Rushing in the first quarter – both to knee injuries.

Neither QB who played for the Colts stood out at all; Jared Lorenzen went 7-of-11 for 52 yards while Gray went 8-of-16 for 158 yards with a TD and four INT’s. Addai led the Colts rushing attack with 23 yards on 5 carries; Devin Aromashodu led all Colts receivers with a catch for 94 yards. QB J.P. Losman, replacing injured starter Trent Edwards, went 13-of-19 for 108 yards; Fred Jackson led all Bills rushers with 7 carries for 30 yards. Lee Evans led all Bills receivers with 44 yards on 5 receptions while Josh Reed added 34 yards on 3 receptions. Buffalo play their final preseason game on August 28 as they host the Detroit Lions while Indianapolis plays again – also on August 28 – as they host the Cincinnati Bengals.

The big bit of news out of Indianapolis Colts training camp comes from Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star as he is reporting that quarterback Peyton Manning is on schedule regarding his rehabilitation to his left knee; that is the word from team head coach Tony Dungy.  Manning has missed the entire training camp (25 workouts) and he has not talked to any media outlets nor been available while continues his recovery from surgery to his left knee to remove an infected bursa sac.  The indication is that Manning is on track to possibly be cleared to practice around August 25.  In other Colts news…

• Manning is one of 6 Colts currently on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list; the team expects defensive end Dwight Freeney, safety Bob Sanders and maybe rookie tight end Tom Santi to begin practicing next week.  Guard Ryan Lilja may need an additional week to fully recover from off-season knee surgery; linebacker Tyjuan Hagler is expected to remain out until at least October.
• Offensive tackle Tony Ugoh returned to practice Thursday morning after missing Wednesday’s practice with a bruised knee.  Offensive tackle Ryan Diem has missed 3 consecutive practices and will not play Saturday night when the Colts face the Atlanta Falcons due to a minor shoulder injury.  Cornerback Kelvin Hayden suffered a bruised heel during Thursday’s practice, but it isn’t believed to be a serious injury.
• A limited number of tickets for the Colts’ two home preseason games – August 24 against the Buffalo Bills and August 28 against the Cincinnati Bengals – are available; they can be purchased right here.

I think we Indianapolis Colts fans know all about team president Bill Polian.  A 5-time NFL Executive of the Year who sent 4 Buffalo Bills teams to the Super Bowl and one Indianapolis Colts team to a Super Bowl – won by the Colts.  Polian, who is also a member of the NFL’s Competition Committee, sat down to an interview with Yahoo Sports! reporter Jason Cole and discussed a wide range of topics, including some NFL rule changes and how the NCAA game is impacting the NFL.  Below are some excerpts:

Cole: You’re 65 now and just signed a contract extension through the 2011 season. How much longer do you expect to do this?

Polian: I don’t know. I’m at the point where as long as I feel good and there are no family issues – which occur at this time of your life – you know health and other concerns, I don’t see it ending anytime soon.

Cole: So you don’t have a master plan that you’re going to fulfill this contract, then go off like Chuck Noll and become a wine connoisseur?

Polian: No, no … no.

Cole: When you look at the trends about how people play – you saw how the Patriots played last season with so much three- and four receiver sets – then you saw how the Giants won the Super Bowl with a superior pass rush, where is the game going?

Polian: I think that, to use a Paul Brown term, the internal varies are still the same. You still must run the ball. You still must win the turnover battle. You still must play sound defense, meaning you don’t give up big plays. You make the other team earn what they get. You must pass the ball effectively, not spectacularly, but effectively. I don’t think any of that has changed over time. I think what’s changed is how you go about doing that. Whether it’s (the 1972 Dolphins with Larry) Csonka and (Jim) Kiick running with (Bob) Griese throwing possession passes or Tom Brady and Peyton Manning with three or four wide receivers. The way to win games hasn’t changed one iota in 30 years, in my opinion. How people do it evolves continually, which is what keeps it exciting and interesting.

For the rest of this interview with Bill Polian, please click here.