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.

I was really expecting a loss after the Colts’ play during the second half. Peyton Manning was playing solid throughout the first, having three touchdowns and only one pick.

The Colts were up with a 21-7 score. But during the second half, it was all the Broncos. All I saw was poor offensive and pass defensive play. Left and right were balls caught by Brandon Marshall, who broke the NFL record for most receptions in a game with 21 (let’s hope T.O. doesn’t open his mouth up after this one).

With the Broncos trailing by five, 21-16, I thought they would do something out of this with the Colts having a bunch of three-and-outs, and worse: turnovers. Manning had two interceptions in the second-half, and was playing tremendously poor.

He was turning into a Mark Sanchez at a Patriots game.

At the end, the Colts won after the Broncos failed on fourth down, where Marshall caught his 21st pass.

Manning had completed 20-of-42 passes for over 200 yards with four touchdowns, but a depressing three interceptions. Kyle Orton, who is now 1-1 officially at Lucas Oil Stadium, was 29-of-41 for 277 yards with two touchdowns and one pick.

Joseph Addai had an okay rushing performance with 67 yards on 16 carries. Mike Hart brought heroics to the Colts in the fourth quarter, and had nine carries for 28 yards in the game. Compared to the Broncos, Knowshon Moreno either had a bunch of long runs or a bunch of losses in the backfield. He had 23 carries for 63 yards.

Back to Marshall, who I mentioned had 21 catches, and another career-high of 200 yards with two touchdowns. No doubt that was his best game. Dallas Clark was the leader for Indiana with five catches for 43 yards. What made the difference was his three touchdown catches.

It was a well-played game by the Colts, who bounced back. The Colts now move to 13-0, three games away from perfection. They’ll be facing the Jaguars, Jets, and Bills next. Two of the teams have won seven games, and the other only four.

Those could be very easy wins. The toughest may be against Jacksonville. The Colts also broke two records, winning their 22nd straight game: most in NFL history. Also, Jim Caldwell has the best start of any rookie head coach in history, starting out with a staggering 13-0 record.

Glad Dungy hired him.

The Colts are just a few steps away from perfection. I just hope they reach it.

Some news and notes prior to the Miami Dolphins game on Monday from Mike Chappell over at the Indianapolis Star:

As those of you who follow the Indianapolis Colts already know, ever since Marvin Harrison’s departure, wide receiver Reggie Wayne is pretty much the go-to-guy in quarterback Peyton Manning’s world (stating the obvious, but it is what it is). And without a doubt, the Dolphins are mindful of that fact and will tw3eak their defense to ensure that Wayne’s impact is minimal.

Wayne seems to be know this, adding:

“Yeah, you’d better. That’s kind of how it is. Pretty much every team in this league has got some form or fashion of a go-to guy. And I’m sure throughout the week the defensive coordinator is saying, ‘OK, we don’t want this guy to catch anything. If he does, very little. That’s the thought process you might want to take. If not, I’m lickin’ my chops.”

It seems pretty obvious as Wayne laid waste to the Jacksonvilloe Jaguars last Sunday, catching 10 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown; fortunately for Wayne, he will get the chance to school Dolphin rookie cornerbacks Sean Smith and Vontae Davis. But one thing is for certain: Wayne will need some support. In other words, WR’s Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon and newly-signed Hank Baskett will have to help him out some.

Which could possibly allow tight end Dallas Clark to have a breakout game. Wayne’s bottom line on Monday night’s clash?

“I need those young guys to step up and make some plays and take the pressure off me, then the offense can do what this offense has been doing for the past years. Just picking your poison.”

In other Colts news:

The Colts received a special distinction from the NFL; whether it is good news or not will always be up for discussion. According to the league, the Colts, by their definition, the lightest team in the league, averaging 239.11 pounds/player. Try as they might to get heavier players along their offensive and defensive lines, they, along with the Tennessee Titans tied for the fewest with only eight players each. The Colts are also tied with the Kansas City Chiefs as the youngest team in the AFC (25.89 years old – second youngest in the NFL) with the Green Bay Packers edging both teams at 25.7 years old.

Running back Mike Hart returned to the practice field last week after missing some time with a sprained ankle; even though he is on the practice squad, Hart hung around the scout offense to prep for the game against Miami Monday.

The Hall of Fame Game this past Sunday marked the first game NFL game played since the Giants and Pats back in February. As a Colts fan I really don’t think I could have asked for a better start to the preseason. Dungy has been quoted saying that it was the best start to a season the Colts have ever had. Which is saying something considering the high caliber team the Colts have consistently been in his seven years at the helm.

The first player to jump out at me throughout the game was Mike Hart. This guy is such a perfect fit for the Colts, and really lives up to the acclaim he received coming out of Michigan. He moved the ball really well up the middle and once he touched the ball you could see him set his lane and power right through it. With guys like Rhodes and Addai on the roster the Colts were in the market for an up the middle down hill runner and I really think they found it in Hart. Never mind the fact that he rushed for an extra 3 or 4 yards and a first down AFTER having his helmet knocked off in his first broken tackle of the run.

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John Clayton of ESPN is reporting today that there could be a reunion of sorts with the Colts, as the team is talking about bringing back running back Dominic Rhodes.  The former Colt was released by the Raiders after the team drafted Darren McFadden with the 4th pick in Saturday’s draft.  Rhodes was with Indy from 2001 to 2006, and had a shining moment back in the Super Bowl two seasons ago when he went over 100 yards vs the Bears.  The team did draft Michael Hart in the 6th round of Saturday’s draft.