A Higher Plane: The MMTTB report

If science has taught us anything, it’s that the highest plane of human evolution will lead us to become beings of pure energy and light. It seems that such heady days are finally upon us. In Green Bay, reporters have been noting a bright sheen around the heads of Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy for weeks now. On Sunday afternoon, these two immortal football men broke forever the bonds of their fleshly bodies and entered a higher plane of being. Thanks to Aaron Rodgers’ evisceration of the mighty Detroit Lions, coupled with Brett Favre’s inability to tame the hapless Patriots, Thompson and McCarthy have transcended this dimension and gained the ability to move unencumbered through time and space, existing freely at all points in the continuum at once. Mike Greenberg of ESPN affirmed their greatness by declaring Aaron Rodgers “the best quarterback in the NFL”. Wear glasses in their presence, boys. Staring directly at them can cause retinal damage.

Links:
Whitlock is sweating this about as much as I am.

ESPN the Rag has a cool feature on the Addai Master

And one on ‘dynamic duos’

Peter King likes the Jags. He’d better, his rep is in trouble if they lose.

Scouts Inc looks at the next King of the Hill after Manning and Brady. My favorite line is from Jeremy Green on weaknesses:
It would be easy to say Rivers’ arm strength, but that arm did pass the Chargers into the AFC Championship Game.
No it didn’t Jeremy. Rivers left the game trailing. Billy Volek’s arm took the Chargers to the AFC Championship game.

And the hits just…well you get the idea

We lost the Zombie for a month and a half. This is going to be a tough month, but if the team can get through it at 3-1, things will be ok. Everyone is eventually coming back this season, and a lot of games that looked hard (Cleveland) suddenly aren’t that bad. Cincinnati and Detroit are horrible, and who knows how the Texans are going to play. Without Bob though, we might see a repeat of the early 2006 defense. If anyone else significant gets hurt, I don’t know if the team will survive it. At some point the sheer volume of injuries just flat pulls you under.

LINKS:

CHFF Power Rankings have a great stat on the Colts that I was just thinking about this morning:

Indy has forced only one turnover in two games; in 2007, the Colts forced two or more turnovers in all but two regular season games.

My comment would be that it’s hard to force turnovers when teams barely ever throw. I think we get a couple this week.

The podcast is up. Regular subscribers will be downloading it automatically. If you don’t regularly subscribe, just follow the link and down load it. It’s a bit longer this week as we had a lot to talk about and Demond was in a much better mood.

Ross Tucker was at the game Sunday

Dr. Zs Power Rankings.

ESPN’s Page 2 ranks all the NFL teams post merger. The Colts are exactly in the middle.

One of the most shocking things I could say…

JC is a decent dude. Sure, he’s the same guy whose profanity laced tirades in the comments for the past 12 months have alternately entertained and horrified us. And yes, he has a serious problem with alcohol and rage, and it’s true that he may or may not have killed someone without realizing it, but I’ll give him props this week for being decent. First off, he bothered to email me about The Black Donnellys.

How did I manage to miss this series? It’s about four Irish-American brothers who engage in general thuggery. It’s poignant, funny, very well acted, and the pilot episode was riveting. Go get this brief series on DVD. You won’t be disappointed.

Second he made my day by sending us this amazing picture:

It’s of the Providence Grays circa 1880. The man in the front left is JC’s great great great grandfather Jimmy Downy. The Grays were an early member of the National League, and were ‘World Champions’ in 1884. I love the classic baseball, and this even predates The Glory of Their Times. It’s a great photo.

Finally, he wished us luck with the game last week. God knows we needed it, and quite possibly the improbability of him saying that was just the absurd cosmic push we needed to get over the top in Minnesota. So there you have it. Who knows for how long, but last week at least. JC was a really decent dude. Thanks man.

LINKS:

Shake posted this on Stampede Blue. It’s a very solid laundry list of what’s wrong with the Horse. Basically, this week is a must win. Then comes the bye, and beyond that we should be ok.

Indianapolis Monthly does a long feature on 18. I saw the issue on the stands, but didn’t remember to look it up until I saw it again on the AFC South blog.

ESPN Power rankings

No Colts related stuff, but some thoughts on the Jags and a generally good read as Don Banks looks at perception vs. reality.

TMQ for this week. I knew I got that 55% number from somewhere…

Here’s a great piece on the authentication of a Lou Gehrig jacket.

Will Carrol wonders if the Colts could be burried by all the injuries. I think we all are wondering that. The tide has to stop rising, or we will go under. The good news (compared to last year) is that we haven’t lost anyone for the season yet. Win this week, get a week off, and things can still be ok.

Two seconds

That’s how long Manning said they had to operate yesterday. I watched the first half again last night (talk about an act of self-sacrifice), and I saw a lot of two kinds of problems: 1. lots of missed assignments and 2. when guys figured out who to block, it wasn’t a sure thing they actually could block. As good as we all feel about the win, Sunday’s game against Jacksonville is still a must win. The Jags are desperate, and a win could nail shut their season, and quite probably effectively end the future of pro football in Jacksonville.

Other thoughts:

• New England will be around as long as their back 8 holds up. The Pats thrived for years on a simple ball control game plan that we thought could have been executed by anyone. Now they are getting back to that, only with Walker and Moss for Cassel to go to. I still expect them to win 12 games. I’m actually sort of hoping for it.
• Norv Turner is a crappy coach. His statement about the officiating is gutless. The call was awful, but instead of openly blaming the loss on the official, how about some accountability? Why not say, “We can’t keep falling behind by two touchdowns!” or “We still had two chances after the fumble to stop them and win the game, but didn’t”. The Chargers are a whiny bunch, and while I’m sure they’ll come back strong, I don’t think they have what it takes to win it all.
• The Monday Night game against the Titans looms large.
• It’ll still be a couple of more weeks before we really know who is good in this league, like for instance, Jay Cutler. He was alternately great and awful yesterday. Two more weeks should provide some clarity.
• I suppose it goes with the territory, but Manning was killed last week when they lost and praised this week when they won, but I thought he played better last week. Last week the WRs dropped the ball. This week the picks were 18’s fault, and Gonzo was out of his mind.
• Anthony Gonzalez is going to be a great Colt for a long time. Everyone has had that feeling about him from draft day last year, and his interviews are awesome. He takes this game super seriously AND is insanely talented. Sounds like some other players I know.
• Dwight Freeney…oh yeah. He’s fine.
• Eyes was pretty on target this week. I always check it after the game to see how we did. Other than the Tamme/Robinson point (which was still right, only with Santi because Tamme was out), we were right on. Ron Paul’s speech with 5 minutes to play really broke up the flow of the game. Could have done without that.
• Watching the game with all of you was fun. If I had realized that some of you were depending on the game blog to know what was up, I wouldn’t have taken a break. Sorry.
• Big Z is great. But Houston should be livid. They have to play a home game in Milwaukee while all the players are worried about their homes and communities. No wonder they got no hit.

Links:

Jeff Fisher answers some of my questions about the Young story. Primarily that the psychologist mentioned in the original story is NOT VYs therapist, but rather a team consultant who never talked with Young until after the incident. Basically, the story was reported wrong, which makes sense. The original story was convoluted and if true as written, would have involved serious breaches of protocol. Basically we are back to not knowing if Young has serious issues or is just a pampered 23 year old kid who needs to grow up and realize that life requires hard work and pain in order to achieve success.

John Clayton says more coaches should emulate Shanahan. Going for two when he did was actually the higher percentage play. About 60% of 2 point conversion plays work. Your chances in OT are about 55% even if you win the flip. The Chargers defense was weak all day. Maybe in a 10-9 game, you kick the point, but on a day when both defenses are getting gashed, going for two made sense.

Kravitz says Manning is great. No crap. I love how he throws stupid lines in about Brady just to irritate Colts fans. He’s an ass. Still, he gave us this quote which made it worth my while to read him:

“Reggie (Wayne) and I talked (in the second quarter) about getting man coverage,” Manning said later. “Sometimes he tries to make a little pump move, but I told him, ‘We don’t have time for you to make pump moves. Just go, and I’ll throw it right by (the defender’s) ear. He won’t even know the ball’s been thrown by the time it’s in your hands.’ ”

The exchange between Peter King and Mike Shanahan in MMQB today is priceless.

“What happened to the Colts?” Shanahan said. “How’d they win?”
“Peyton Manning,” I said. “Four offensive linemen out, Dallas Clark out, down 15-0 in the Metrodome, they can’t run, Vinatieri misses a chip-shot and it looks like they’ll lose, and Manning just, I don’t know, wouldn’t let them.”
“Wow,” he said.

Don Banks piece on the game was really cool.

Audibles at the Line contains a lengthy discussion of the game. It’s interesting to hear smart non-Colts fans (who are also watching several other games at the same time) react to things. Some of the observations are insightful, others flat wrong (The stretch plays aren’t working…um, because they didn’t actually run any!), but generally entertaining.

CHFF looks at Sunday’s games. Also, I overstated the odds slightly, but Shanahan was still right.

Michael Lombardi gives Peyton an A. That’s pretty amazing really, considering a month ago, Lombardi had some people convinced that come week 2 Peyton would be at home on the couch or writhing in pain considering all the shots he would be taking. Yeah, I’m not going to let that go.

I’m not to proud to say that YAR has me stumped. Manning gets a -20 YAR for getting stopped twice on a sneak? Since when did a QB getting stuffed from the one on a sneak equal a loss of 10 yards? Am I dense here? Isn’t that what this implies? Manning getting stuffed twice didn’t have anywhere near the same effect as losing 20 yards would have. I love FO, but what’s the point of trying to tie a system into easily understood terms like yards and points, if the stats come out that skewed? I know there is something I’m missing here. Can anyone explain it to me?

A Viking Funeral

Burned ‘Em. Colts 18 Vikings 15

Vikings Game Blog

Here are a few thoughts while waiting for THE HUGE GAME

• I was wrong. I told my wife the Buckeyes would lose 50 – 0 to the Trojans. But they only lost 35 – 3. Stupid me.
• Kravitz is calling for more Addai. Frankly, I agree with him. He points out a trend I think we’ve all noticed over the past 12 games. Although it should also be noted that the O-line has been a mess over that same stretch. During the Bears game I was desperately calling for the Colts to run the ball. I can’t blame the team for not wanting to donate-a-down by handing off into the line, but the numbers weren’t awful. Addai was 12 for 44 with a couple really bad runs bringing his average down. The bottom line is the Colts need to get an early lead and find out what the J.Addai Master can do.
• I have a very bad feeling about this game. Luckily my wife has promised to take me to Outback if the Colts lose, so I’m in good shape either way.
• Jeff Saturday and Dallas Clark are both inactive for today’s game. Tom Santi will start in place of Clark.
• Did you know Adrian Peterson’s personal assistant is a real viking? Love it. I think all the NFL teams should move for greater incorporation of their nicknames.
• My wife asks me kindly to Try not to freak Clark out.

First Quarter

1.) Vikings kick off. Nice return by the newly-signed Forsett. Pitch wide to Addai for four. Quick pass to Tom Santi for two yards. HUGE conversion to Gonzalez. Manning had just enough time as the right side of the line was breaking down. Ugly pick by Manning. Good tackle by Marvin.

2.) Peterson busts through an arm tackle by Kelvin Hayden for a huge gain. DZ informs me that there is no way in hell we win this game. Hard to disagree at this point. We need a turnover. Great job by Freddy Keiaho to fill the gap as Peterson turns it wide. GREAT D by Hayden to break up a pass on third and 9. Totally makes up for that missed tackle. Vikings 3 – Colts 0.

3.) The Colts need a touchdown drive to kickstart the stalled 2008 season. Forsett another solid return out to the 32. Very nervous right now as the team looks terrible. Kravitz’s Addai thesis is looking very questionable. Pressure from everywhere on third down. Punt.

4.) A 15 yard interference penalty by Tim Jennings gives the Vikings great field position again. Really unforgivable. Peterson to midfield. The gameplan is clear. Sessions sniffs out the swing pass to Peterson for the second time. Big third down here. Great D despite the lack of pressure. I am shocked no one broke open for Jackson to find. Punt.

5.) Fair catch by Forsett will start things at the ten. I’ll repeat: The Colts need a touchdown drive. Or maybe an 8 yard loss to Addai. Diem fails miserably. And folks this is why we predicted a loss for the first time in memory. Punt.

6.) BIG punt and Good coverage by Keiaho, Vikings start at midfield. This is hard to watch. I’m not sure there’s a fix for sucking at blocking. That’s football. Peterson and Taylor are starting to gouge. Grim. Manning has a bewildered look on the sidelines. WOW. Peterson turns a loss of three into a gain of five. Third and 3 from the eight. Ron Meeks looks. . . concerned. Incomplete. Bullet dodged. Vikings 6 -Colts 0.

7.) Forsett unwisely takes a deep kick out and the Colts will start at the 18 yard line. Gonzalez for nine yards. Here’s DZ.

Second Quarter

• Bob Kravitz article today should have said: Remember the last time the Colts had a healthy offensive line? It was at Jacksonville last year. Running behind this line is absolutely impossible. It’s time to go all passing. Reggie Wayne makes a huge catch.
• They are going to kid Joe killed at this rate. It’s time for 60 passes.
• Gonzo is seriously atoning. Manning is focusing only him it seems. They have no time to look deep at all.
• Another blown block by a rookie TE. Unreal.
• The problem with the offensive struggles is that they embolden teams to run us to death. The Colts are just going for strips on every play.
• Faced now with a huge 3rd down, the Colts defense must make a stand. This could be the last pass (or draw) they see all day.
• ##%$#@#$@#$#$@$ Well, that was fun while it lasted. Illegal contact foul revives a stalled drive. Mathis and the Vikes O-Coordinator blow up the drive anyway.
• ALL TOGETHER NOW: YOU CAN’T RUN WIDE ON THE COLTS. RUN UP THE MIDDLE. The Vikings gash us up the middle and then try and get cute with end-arounds and bootlegs. I’d stab somebody with my Vikings horns if I rooted for that team.
• That punt downed at the one-smells like: a. a challenge b. a safety. Take your pick.
• Joe is a warrior, I’ll give him that.
• Did Reggie really just drop the go ahead TD? Good Lord. Hey, Ugoh is hurt! Aweeeeesome.
• Wow, that was creative spotting by the official. 1st down.
• Diem goes downfield illegally? Nice.
• Can I at least explain that I originally thought we’d score 10 points today. When I heard Saturday might play, that’s when I said we’d score 20. Just wanted that on the record. The third down play never has a chance as Harrison would have been short of the sticks anyway. I don’t know if there is any possible way to make it to half down less than 10, but it would be a minor miracle.
• Here’s a huge 3rd down play for the defense. A stop, and a trip to locker room down 6 would feel almost like winning. Not really. I’m still stunned that Reggie Wayne dropped a 96 yard TD pass. Unreal.
• Demond writes: Which would be more improbable: winning this game or coming back at SD last year? I vote San Diego.
• HUGE play by Hayden. He’s been big all day long. He is SAVING this D.
• A huge penalty by the Vikes temporarily saves us from doing the Safety dance.
• Santi and Manning have a close bond due to their injuries. They are bursa sac buddies.
• Charlie Johnson almost gets Manning killed. Why does he never get hurt?
• More pressure. I think I saw my paper boy playing right guard. Hunter Smith has another big punt, and we survive down 6-0 (knock on wood).
• Jackson runs around, hits some passes, and gives Longwell a 53 yard FG attempt. It’s money. Unreal.

Half Time report: Is it as bad as it looks? No, it’s way worse. I’ve never seen worse line play. Even so we’d still be in front if everyone else had played mistake free. Manning’s pick was bad. He stared Harrison down and the DB cut in front. Wayne’s drop was reminiscent of the NE drop last year. The defense played as expected, but really until the last FG, you sort of felt like they might hold us close. The Vikes have had amazing field position and start the 2nd half with the ball. They’ll put us down 16-0. I think we get shut out today. The offensive line is indescribably bad. Diem and Johnson are a disaster. If they got crap on themselves, the crap would wipe itself off.

Third Quarter

• Did Dan Dierdorf really just blame the line problems on Tony Ugoh’s injury half way through the second quarter? Wow. He is a dumb man.
• Hey! There’s the biggish return given up we’ve been looking for!
• The Vikes could kneel for the rest of the half and win this game. I’m out for a while.
• Manning to Gonzo to about the 25, Gonzo spins and gets 5 more yards. as he goes down, he flips to Reggie. Wayne leaps over Gonzo AND the tackler, breaks one tackle and is tackled as he dives for the goal line. Replay canceled the TD and moved the ball to the 1/2 yard line.
• Addai TD is being challenged, and I think will be overturned. We’ll have to go for it on 4th down.
• WHOO HOO! All it took was a crazy play and an awful call on the field for us to score!
• Nice play by Freddy, SAAAAAACK FREEEEENY
• FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENY SAVED US! FUMBLE! COLTS BALLLLLLL! Freeney had the strip/sack fumble on Jackson; Dawson fell on it.
• The catch streak lives! Marvin takes a hit, but hangs on for a first down.
• We were dead to rights, but one of the most improbable plays I’ve ever seen has bailed us out, and the Horse lives. It’s freaking miracle.

Quarter 4.

• Huge 3rd and 10, but even a FG helps at this point.
• Manning avoids the sack, but throws a tad high to Santi, who can’t hang on in the end zone.
• It’s San Diego all over again. AV pushes it. Wow.
• Why is Minnesota throwing at all? The D forces a huge 3rd and 8. Jackson throws it to no one. RUN A DRAW VIKINGS. Colts ball.
• Demond writes: I just realize. They suck. And we are losing to them.
• The hope is short lived as Manning’s pass is tipped and picked. The throw was awful. It was waaaaay behind Wayne. That’s two bad picks on Manning.
• Chester Taylor is stuffed on third down. Longwell will try another long FG. WIIIIIDE. Wow.
• Bills score to go up 1 in Jacksonville.
• Peyton hits Reggie inside Vikings territory. Robinson fights for a first down. Man, I’d kill for that FG right now.
• TOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCH DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWN WAYNE. Great protection (!) Wayne runs the post for the score. Two point conversion….
• DOM FOR 2 TIE GAME. Crazy call, he might even have been down, but the Vikes have no challenges. This is nutsville.
• Football is weird. An hour ago, I was ok with losing this game. Now…I would be devastated.
• Hayden is draped in coverage again (missed call-it was interference). Here comes a HUGE third down for Jackson and for the Colts D.
• INCOMPLETE! NO FLAGS. Barrion tripped on his own two feet. Colts ball. The Vikes are offsides on the kick, and the Colts get a bonus 5 yards.
• HERE COMES THE RUN. Addai is brilliant, and the Vikings are gassed. First down on 2 good runs in a row.
• Manning avoids the rush and Gonzo makes a great catch. This is going to be a hell of a an 18 plays. 1st down with a snatch catch by Gonzo.
• Two minute warning. 2nd and 9. We need about 20 yards to win it.
• Third and 9 as Gonzo was held with no call. Ball at the 40. WOW.
• Incomplete as the protection fails completely. Gozno can’t come up with it, but it would have been short. Damn.
• DID TIM JENNINGS JUST SAVE US? Ball at the one! Great play to down the punt. There will be a booth challenge, and it will be close. Looks CLEAN! No angle that I can see can overturn this. Play stands.
• Stuff on first down. Time out number 1. Dear God, don’t let APete go 96 yards.
• Here we go, third down and five. One timeout left. A stop and we get it with a chance to win.
• THEY STONED THE SCREEN! PUNT WITH 1:23 from the three! Forsett is at the 50 awaiting the punt.
• FORSETT TO THE 35 on a 25 yard return. LATE FLAG….late hit on the Colts after the play. I’m sick. Dumb Ass.
• Jags lost. Titans are going to be tough all year.
• Robinson drops an easy pass. 3rd and 10. Wow.
• HOLY CRAP to WAYNE TO THE 30
• AV on to win it. 47 yards with 8 ticks left.
• DO A DANCE! DO A DANCE! DO A DANCE!

Post Game Recap:

It was San Diego II, only this time Adam Vinatieri hits the kick. I’ve never seen the Colts play worse than they did for two+ quarters, but then Anthony Gonzalez (the UNQUESTIONED player of the game-I will hear no debate on this) saved us with a huge catch and flip to Reggie Wayne. It was an amazing win, and I’m thrilled.

To be honest, we escaped. The Vikings decided they didn’t want to gain huge chunks of yards with the run, and handed us a chance to get back in it. The line was still dicey, but when Addai (who ran hard despite getting destroyed on nearly every carry early) scored the first TD, the Vikings defense lost something. They got tired of beating Manning to a pulp, and only pressured him on every third or fourth throw, instead of every throw. Peyton and Reggie both had their mistakes today, but in the biggest spot, they hooked up for a sweet play (think Denver 2006 go ahead TD) and gave AV the chance at redemption.

He took it.

He made it.

We danced.

Hayden is a Colts Fan

Thanks to the IndyStar for this shot of Nicky Hayden of Rapsol Honda Team rounding turn six during qualifing for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP Saturday afternoon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 2006 MotoGP champ hails from Owensboro Kentucky and decided to honor his favorite team by putting them on his helmet for this race.

Jeff Saturday Practiced This Week.

There’s nothing else to say.

What he is doing for this team should never be forgotten. I do not care if he doesn’t step foot on the field tomorrow. The man has a torn ligament in his knee. He is in his 30s. He has a family. He will be a free agent at the end of this year. Conventional wisdom says, “Be smart. Get surgery. Come back and play a few weeks at the end of the year to show you are healthy, and cash in on a huge free agent deal in the offseason that will set your family up forever.”

I would not blame him at all if he did that. He probably should.

Instead, this man is showing incredible strength and loyalty to a franchise that is so loyal to him that it drafted four centers in the year before he becomes a free agent. Jeff Saturday saw his team lose on Sunday night and said, “What the hell, I’ll come back TWO MONTHS EARLY”.

All week he has been at practice. Working hard. Playing with pain…no wait, not playing…practicing with pain. Doing what no one has the right to ask to him to do.

He’s not a firefighter or a cop. He’s not a war hero, or even a community activist, come to that. But as much as the word can be used to describe a football player, Jeff Saturday is heroic. Even if he never makes it to game time. No matter what happens tomorrow, the rest of the year, or with his contract, no Colts fan should ever forget:

Jeff Saturday practiced this week.

Go out and win this damn game, boys.

Sleepy Eyes

Better late than never, Eyes in the Backfield is up for week two. Here’s a sample:

Week one couldn’t have turned out worse for the Horse, and as a reward, the football gods have granted us a virtual rematch, only with a team that is slightly better than the one the Colts just turned into winners. Only this time we get to play them in THEIR loud dome. Bad things happen when you don’t win at home! Here’s what to watch for this week:

1. Watch for Saturday on Sunday . Jamey Richards blew a key block on 4th down in the 4th quarter of Sunday night’s game, and the line protection was screwy all night with several players missing assignments. Saturday has been practicing all week despite a knee injury that is supposed to keep him out up to 11 weeks. If he plays, it’s a sign of just how bad the line was on Sunday. He is currently listed as probable .

2. Watch for the pitch vs. the stretch. The Colts added a new wrinkle as a concession to Manning’s sore knee. Instead of running stretch plays, they ran a nifty pitch left. The play was fairly successful, but lacks the play action possibilities that came with the classic stretch play. More stretch plays could signal that Manning’s knee is feeling better.

For 16 more thing to keep an eye on, check out the full article. I’ll check back in later today with a post about Jeff Saturday and one of the coolest photos I’ve seen.

Links:
All joking aside: VY has serious issues. I don’t believe that all depression is necessarily chemical (some is), but I believe anyone who plays a sport where he takes frequent blows to the head, runs the risk of developing physical disorders that manifest themselves emotionally. Or maybe he’s just a huge drama queen who needs to act like a man, who knows. At any rate, this news is disturbing. Also, shouldn’t VY be suing the pants off his shrink? Should she really be telling the club he thought of suicide? And should the club be telling the cops and the press? Isn’t there some kind of confidentiality involved? How did this info become public? Can someone fill me in on the law here?

ESPN’s PowerRankings

FO has a new look and this piece scares me with its comments about Harrison’s ‘twitch reflex’. Is that a real thing?

Moto GP

The inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP takes place tomorrow. 100,000 people will be in the stands of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to watch a motorcycle race. I don’t know much about the sport except that they go 200 mph in the straightaways and their bodies are dipped teflon before each race. Here’s why: