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.

“It’s déjà vu all over again”. Yogi Berra

The Indianapolis Colts never cease to amaze me; although to be fair, when you have been a Colts fan for as long as I have (39 years and counting), what they seem to do on a weekly basis seems eerily commonplace. When the Colts went to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday night, I didn’t expect a high-scoring event as most weeks the Jaguars are lucky to eclipse 20 points a game.

In any case, both teams hooked up at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and the game had the feel of a track meet, so to speak. Defense was definitely an afterthought and interestingly enough, Jacksonville held the ball for 11 minutes longer than Indianapolis. Both teams seemed to score at will (did I mention that not much defense was played?), but as has been the custom this season, Peyton Manning tossed a late touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with 5:23 in the fourth quarter, enabling Indianapolis to remain perfect as they got past Jacksonville 35-31.

Manning was perfect in the first half, going 12-of-12 for 116 yards and had TD passes to Austin Collie and Dallas Clark; Clark made an improbable sliding catch in the end zone which put the Colts up 7-3 early in the second quarter. Collie’s 23-yard catch put Indianapolis ahead 21-17 withy 35 seconds left in the half; the Jaguars got ot within field goal range but kicker Josh Scobee came up short on a 57-yard FG attempt.

The Jaguars would take the lead at 24-21 with a 16-yard David Garrard TD pass to Mike Sims-Walker but Manning would again hook up with Clark on a 27-yard TD strike, putting the Colts ahead again 28-24; a 13-yard Garrard-to-Mike Thomas TD pass put Jacksonville up at 31-28 with 47 seconds. But Manning would lead the Colts down the field and with 5:23 left in the game, he connected with Reggie Wayne on a 65-yard bomb which put Indianapolis up for good 35-31.

Manning had good numbers, going 23-of-30 for 308 yards with 4 TD’s and an interception while Garrard went 23-of-40 for 223 yards with 3 TD’s and an INT. Joseph Addai led the Colts rushers with 16 carries for 59 yards while Maurice Jones-Drew rushed 27 times for 110 yards and a TD while catching 5 passes for 30 yards and a score. Wayne led all Colts receivers with 5 receptions for 132 yards and a TD while Clark caught 7 passes for 95 yards and 2 TD’s. Sims-Walker led the Jaguars receivers with 6 receptions for 64 yards and a score while Marcedes Lewis caught 4 passes for 53 yards.

Indianapolis (14-0) gets a long rest as they do not play again until Sunday, December 27 when they play their final game at Lucas Oil Stadium this season, hosting the New York Jets while Jacksonville (7-7) travels to Foxborough, MA to take on the New England Patriots, a week from Sunday.

As I have said on more than one occasion in reference to the Indianapolis Colts, they find new and creative ways to win each and every week. Some weeks, it is Peyton Manning and his arm, some weeks it’s their secondary, while sometimes they come from behind. The Colts didn’t have to rely on a 300-yard game from Manning or a comeback attempt during Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium; instead, they more or less played “keepaway” with the ball, allowing Indianapolis to tie an NFL record with their 21st consecutive win, in this case a 27-17 decision over Tennessee.

The Colts started things by going on a 75-yard drive, capped by a 8-yard Joseph Addai touchdown run, taking a 7-0 lead; after a 20-yard foeld goal by kicker Rob Bironas, Indianapolis drove 77 yards down the field over nearly 4 minutes with Addai hitting paydirt on a 1-yard run, boosting the Colts’ advantage to 14-3. Although the Colts failed to cash in on the Titans’ first turnover, Manning would capitalize as he threw a 4-yard TD pass to Austin Collie, padding the Colts’ lead further at 21-3.

Tennessee finally got back in the game on a 6-yard Vince Young-to-Kenny Britt TD pass, narrowing their deficit to 21-10. With no time left in the third quarter, Matt Stover connected on a 43-yard FG, giving the Colts a 24-10 cushion; Stover would put the nail in the Titans’ coffin as he converted a 36-yard FG with 3:14 left in the game, icing the victory for Indianapolis.

Manning had a decent outing for the Colts, going 24-for-37 for 270 yards with a touchdown while Young went 24-of-43 for 241 yards with 2 TD’s and an INT. Addai led the Colts rushing attack with 79 yards on 21 carries and 2 TD’s while Chris Johnson led Tennessee with 27 carries for 113 yards.

Pierre Garcon led all Colts receivers with 6 receptions for 136 yards while Reggie Wayne caught 4 for 48 yards; Bo Scaife led the Titans receivers with 5 receptions for 56 yards and a TD while Britt caught 3 passes for 46 yards and a score. Indianapolis (12-0) goes for win number 13 and a NFL-record 22nd win when they host the Denver Broncos next Sunday while Tennessee (5-7) returns home to host the St. Louis Rams – also next Sunday.

Typically with the Indianapolis Colts, they usually rely on quarterback Peyton Manning to get the job done, which he does with alarming regularity. But as of late, it has been the defense that has saved the day for the Colts, as evidenced by their narrow win over the New England Patriots last Sunday. The Colts would have their hands full Sunday when they went up against a pesky Baltimore Ravens squad at M&T Stadium. Curiously enough, Indianapolis’ defense once again were the heroes as they intercepted a Joe Flacco pass, allowing Indianapolis to remain undefeated, edging Baltimore 17-15.

The Colts drew first blood, going 87 yards on seven plays, capped by a 3-yard TD pass from Manning to tight end Dallas Clark (one-handed, no less!), giving Indianapolis an early 7-0 lead. A pair of field goals by newly-signed kicker Billy Cundiff (46 and 44 yards, respectively) narrowed the Ravens’ deficit to 7-6; a pair of field goals by Cundiff (38 and 36 yards, respectively) sandwiched around a 5-yard TD run by the Colts’ Joseph Addai, allowed Indianapolis to take a narrow 14-12 edge going into halftime.

The third quarter was 15 minutes of ball control warfare, for the most part as no scoring took place. The fourth quarter would find Baltimore tacking on another field goal by Cundiif, giving the Ravens their first lead at 15-14; just over three minutes later, former Ravens kicker Matt Stover put Indianapolis ahead 17-15 with a 25-yard FG with 7:02 remaining in the game. The Colts would ice the win when the Ravens’ Ed Reed fumbled on a punt return with 17 seconds left.

Manning put up un-Manning-like numbers as he went 22-of-31 for 299 yards with a TD and 2 interceptions while Joe Flacco went 23-of-35 for 256 with an INT. Addai rushed 19 times for 74 yards and a score while Ray Rice rushed 20 times for 71 yards while catching 7 passes for 64 yards. Pierre Garcon led all Colts receivers with 6 receptions for 108 yards while Reggie Wayne caught 7 passes for 89 yards; tight end Tom Santi caught 6 passes for 80 yards. Derrick Mason led the Ravens receiving corps with 9 receptions for 142 yards while the aforementioned Rice caught 7 for 64 yards.

Indianapolis (10-0) looks to extend their winning streak to 20 when they travel to Houston to take on the Texans next Sunday while Baltimore (5-5) remains at home to host the Pittsburgh Steelers – also next Sunday.

The Indianapolis Colts have gone from winning games with relative ease to escaping by the skin of their teeth, so to speak. As luck would have it, Indianapolis’ opponent Sunday was the New England Patriots, led by Tom Brady. But an interesting thing happened at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Patriots would seal their fate not by anything that Brady did, but by a bold – and questionable – move by head coach Bill Belichick. The screwup enabled Indianapolis to rally from 17 down to edge New England 35-34. But more on the Belichick gamble later.

The Colts drew first blood as Peyton Manning tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Addai, giving Indianapolis a 7-0 lead; the Patriots would strike back as Laurence Maroney would score on a 1-yard TD run, tying things up at 7-all. The second quarter would find New England racking up points in short order; after a 31-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski, New England would score twice in a 4-minute span, the first being a 63-yard TD pass from Brady to Randy Moss at the 11:18 mark with the second being a 9-yard Brady to Julius Edelman TD pass, which gave the Patriots a comfortable 24-7 lead with 7:19 left in the half. But Indianapolis reduced New England’s lead to ten as Manning rifled a 20-yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne at the 4:17 mark, making it 24-14 which would be the halftime score.

As opposed to the previous periods, the third quarter was a battle of attrition and was scoreless, as a result. The fourth quarter found New England striking early as Brady threw a 5-yard TD pass to Moss, increasing their lead to 31-14. Sounds like lights out? Not so fast – it gets better, especially if you’re a Colts fan. With 12:14 remaining in the game, Manning tossed a 29-yard TD pass to Pierre Garcon which narrowed the Patriots’ lead to 31-21; a 36-yard FG by Gostkowski pushed the Patriots’ advantage to 34-21.

Indianapolis would come storming back, with credit due to Manning and a little help from Belichick. Addai would score from a yard out, putting the Colts to within 34-28 with 2:23; then came the erroneous judgement by Belichick. New England had the ball but Belichick called two timeouts during the series, with the second TO setting up their foruth down play. Typically on a fourth and 2 agaisnt Indianapolis, you’d punt the ball and let Manning try and beat you. But Belichick opted to go for it on fourth down. The gamble failed, giving the Colts the ball at the New England 29-yard line with 1:57 left in the game – an eternity when Manning is in charge. Manning would run three plays before connecting with Wayne for the winning score, a 1-yard TD pass, with 13 ticks left on the game clock, icing the game for the Colts.

Manning had his usual good game, going 28-of-44 for 327 yards with 4 TD’s and 2 INT’s while Brady went 29-of-42 for 375 yards with 3 TD’s and an INT. Addai led the Colts’ rushers with 41 yards and a TD while catching 2 passes for 27 yards and a score; Chad Simpson added 36 yards on only 4 carries. Kevin Faulk led New England with 79 yards on 17 carries while Laurence Maroney added 31 yards on 13 carries.

Wayne led all Colts receivers with 10 receptions for 126 yards and 2 scores while Dallas Clark caught 4 passes for 65 yards; Garcon caught 3 balls for 50 yards and a TD while Austin Collie grabbed 6 for 45 yards. Moss led New England with 9 receptions for 179 yards and 2 TD’s while Wes Welker caught 9 passes for 94 yards; Ben Watson caught one pass for 36 yards. Indianapolis (9-0) plays again on Sunday when they face the Baltimore Ravens while New England (6-3) returns home to host the New York Jets – also on Sunday.

Most folks at first glance, knowing that the San Francisco 49ers were going to visit Lucas Oil Stadium to take on the Indianapolis Colts, probably wrote this game off as another notch in the Colts’ belt. Yet, it didn’t exactly happen like that.

True enough, quarterback Peyton Manning got his numbers, but it took a 22-yard touchdown pass from running back Joseph Addai early in the fourth quarter which allowed Indianapolis to remain undefeated as they edged the San Francisco 49ers 18-14.

And interestingly enough, I am not convinced that the Colts deserved to win this game as their running game was non-existent and even Manning, despite his numbers was not his usual accurate self, at times. It certainly was promising for San Francisco early in the first quarter as Frank Gore broke loose for a 64-yard TD run, giving the 49ers a 7-0 lead.

A 38-yard field goal by Matt Stover would put the Colts to within 7-3 as both teams entered the second quarter. Stover would add another field goal 10 seconds into the period to narrow it further to 7-6; But with 33 ticks left on the clock, 49ers QB Alex Smith connected with tight end Vernon Davis on a 8-yard TD pass, extending San Francisco’s lead to 14-6, yet Manning led a lightning-quick drive which allowed Stover to convert a 31-yard Fg with 1 second left in the half, allowing the Colts to go to their locker room down by only 14-9.

The third quarter was uneventful, with the only scoring being yet another Stover FG which got the Colts to within 2 points at 14-12. The winning score for Indianapolis was of an unconventional nature, courtesy of a 22-yard TD pass from Addai to Reggie Wayne with 14:53 remaining in the game making it 18-14 Colts. And as usual, the Colts defense, namely their secondary, shut down Smith and the 49ers passing attack the rest of the way, sealing the victory.

Manning, despite going 31-of-48 for 347 yards with no TD’s or interceptions, was not exactly efficient; meanwhile, Smith went 19-of-32 for 198 yards with a TD and an INT. Addai accounted for the vast majority of the Colts’ rushing yardage as he gained 62 yards on 20 carries while Gore rushed for 91 yards and a score.

Wayne had a career day for the Colts as he caught 12 passes for 147 yards and a TD while Dallas Clark caught 8 passes for 99 yards; Austin Collie chipped in with 6 catches for 66 yards while Pierre Garcon caught 4 for 53 yards. Rookie Michael Crabtree caught 6 balls for 81 yards to lead all 49ers receivers while Isaac Bruce caught 4 passes for 51 yards.

Indianapolis (7-0) hopes to keep their undefeated streak alive when they host the Houston Texans while San Francisco (3-4) returns home to host the Tennessee Titans – also next Sunday.

It seems like these days that as certain as there is a sunrise and a sunset, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning will usually provide a good effort – week in, week out. During Sunday’s game agaisnt the St. Louis Rams, it would prove to be no different as Manning threw 3 touchdown passes, allowing Indianapolis to remain undefeated in routing St. Louis 42-6 at the Edward Jones Dome.

The Colts, as they typically do, got an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter as Manning conected with wide receiver Reggie Wayne on a 6-yard TD pass with 8:50 left in the opening period; the Rams would get on the scoreboard nesrly 3 and one-half minutes later as kicker Josh Brown converted on a 30-yard field goal. Indianapolis would score at the 3:31 mark of the quarter on a 27-yard Manning-to-tight end Dallas Clark TD pass, increasing their lead to 14-3 going into the second quarter.

The second period was much quieter, although the Colts would score yet again on a 6-yard TD run by running back Joseph Addai, further extending their lead to 21-3 which they would take to their locker room at halftime.

The Panthers would begin the scoring at the beginning of the third quarter as Brown booted a 45-yard FG with 5:07 left in the quarter, reducing their deficit to 15, but then the route was on for Indianapolis. The Colts’ defesne would get involved in the scoring as cornerback Jacob Lacey would take an interception by Rams QB Marc Bulger 35 yards for a score, padding the Colts advantage to 28-6.

The fourth quarter was all Colts as they would score twice in the period – once on a TD pass from Manning to Austin Collie and a 31-yard TD run by reserve RB Chad Simpson.

Manning, predictably, had another good game as he went 23-of-34 for 235 yards and 3 TD’s while Bulger went 14-of-26 for 140 yards and 2 INT’s. Both teams did well in the rushing department; the Colts, led by Joseph Addai’s 64 yards and a score along with Donald Brown’s 58 yards on only 2 rushes, rushed for 156 yards while the Rams were led by Steven Jackson who ran for 134 yards on 23 carries.

Wayne led all Colts receivers with 7 receptions for 83 yards and a score while Clark caught 3 for 44 and a TD. WR Donnie Avery led the Rams receivers with 2 receptions for 58 yards. Indianapolis (6-0) look to extend their winning streak into next week as they welcome the San Francisco 49ers to Lucas Oil Stadium while St. Louis (0-7) look for their first win of the season when they travel to Detroit to take on the Lions – also next Sunday.

At the risk of sounding biased (after all, I am a 35 year+ fan of the Indianapolis Colts), the team from the Midwest is off to one of its best starts ever, despite the fact that they have a marginal running game, at best. Although the season is 5 games old, I cannot determine the reasons for the Colts’ success, except for Peyton Manning’s amazing numbers.

Nonetheless, the Colts had a game to play against a Tennessee Titans squad that is removed from last year’s 13-3 team. And interestingly enough, the current Tennessee squad isn’t much different than the one from last season. Same team, same head coach – it is hard to figure out what happened to them. Anyways, the Colts visited LP Field Sunday in a matchup between an undefeated and a winless team.

From what I observed during the nationally televised game, I have no idea what happened to the Titans. Granted, the Titans didn’t rush for 100 or more yards against the Colts (90 tonight), but I can say with a fair amount of certainty that Peyton Manning’s effort – three touchdowns – made the Titans chances of winning minimal, at best. Manning’s 3 TD passes along with a anemic offensive performance by the Titans allowed Indianapolis to continue their domination as they destroyed Tennessee 31-9.

The first quarter was actually competitive as Tennessee kicker Rob Bironas’ two field goals – 49 and 43 yards – kept the Titans to within 7-6 after one quarter. The second quarter was actually the Peyton Manning quarter as he led the Colts on a pair of drives, of which they would score twice – once on a 1-yard TD run by Joseph Addai and a Manning-to-Austin Collie TD pass of 39 yards which would pad the Colts’ lead at 21-9, a lead they would take into halftime.

Manning and Collie would hook up again on a 6-yard TD pass, increasing the Colts’ cushion to 28-9; Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri’s 23-yard FG with 7:32 reamining in the game would effectively put the Titans away foir good.

Vince Young did make an appearance for the Titans late in the game, although he did go 0-for-3. Manning yet again had a great efort, going 36-for-44 for 309 yards with 3 TD’s and an interception while Kerry Collins had another mediocre game, going 19-for-32 for 164 yards with an interception.

Neither team stood out in the rushing department as Addai rushed 14 times for 27 yards with a score while the Titans’ LenDale White rushed for 51 yards on 10 carries. Collie led all Colts receivers with 97 yards on 8 receptions and 2 TD’s while Dallas Clark caught 9 passes for 77 yards; Reggie Wayne grabbed six passes for 60 passes in a supporting role.

Tight end Bo Scaife led the Titans receiving corps with 4 receptions for 45 yards while Nate Washington caught three passes for 37 yards. Indianapolis (5-0) will now rest as it goes into its bye week and will not play again as they travel to St. Louis to face the Rams on October 25 while Tennessee (0-5) flies to Foxboro, MA to take on the New England Patriots next Sunday.

Well, so much for the pre-game hype. Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner the focus of this much anticpated matchup between one of the better AFC teams in the Indianapolis Colts and the Super Bowl runner-up Arizona Cardinals.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals faithful, Manning – as he tends to do with regularity – exploited the Cardinals’ secondary as Indianapolis manhandled Arizona in Glendale, AZ 31-10. Again, so much for the pre-game hype.

How dominant was Manning in his debut in Glendale? Consider the fact that he threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter alone. And as per custom, the Colts’ pass rush was in Warner’s face all game – or so it seemed. Things were slow initially for the Colts and Manning; the Cardinals drew first blood as kicker Neil Rackers converted a 38-yard field goal, giving Arizona an early 3-0 lead late in the first quarter.

But then Manning would warm up to the occasion as he threw a trio of touchdown passes, a 20-yard strike to wide receiver Reggie Wayne, a 10-yard scring pass to tight end Dallas Clark and a 53-yarder to WR Pierre Garcon. By the time the Cardinals got the license number to the Mack truck that was the Colts, Indianapolis was up 21-3 going into halftime.

Although Warner would toss a 10-yard TD pass to WR Anquan Boldin with 10:50 left in the third quarter, Manning would match Warner with a TD pass of his own, this time a 3-yard pass to RB Joseph Addai, boosting Indianapolis’ cushion to 28-10, more than enough to help the Colts coast to the easy victory.

Manning had a typical night – at least for him – as he went 24-of-35 for 379 yards with 4 TD’s and an interception while Warner did alright himself, going 30-of-52 for 332 yards with a TD and 2 INT’s. Neither team ran very well as Addai led all Colts rushers 63 yards on 13 carries while Indianapolis’ run defense performed a stellar job, holding the Cardinals’ Tim Hightower to 22 rushing yards, although to Hightower’s credit, he also caught 5 passes for 39 yards.

Wayne led all Colts receivers with 7 receptions for 139 yards and a score while RB Donald Brown caught one for 72 yards; Garcon caught 3 balls for 64 yards and a TD while Clark caught 7 for 62 yards and a score. Steve Breaston led the Cards’ receivers with 7 catches for 94 yards while Boldin caught six for 83 yards and a TD; Larry Fitzgerald caught seven passes for 76 yards. Indianapolis (3-0) returns home to host the Seattle Seahawks while Arizona (1-2) returns home and will have their bye week; they do not play again until October 11 when they host the Houston Texans.

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.