If there was a Colts forum back in 98, I bet it would've been full of dumb fans asking if Peyton was another Jeff George. Steve Young? Garbage. Eli Manning, waste of a pick. Drew Brees, a bust. That's the kind of idiocy you can come up with when judging NFL QB's after 17 starts. Instead of bashing the kid, we should be talking about is what improvements Henne needs to make as we move forward. Checking the ball down when necessary, moving away from pressure while remaining focused down field, finding passing lanes to cut down on batted balls. Stop trying to be perfect. Its OK to throw picks (take risks), its the when and where that irks me. Third downs, not first. Late in halves/games, not early. Near midfield towards the goal line, not in the red zone or in your own territory. It's still early, but for the first time I think the girl in NY is outlaying him, and I don't mean Eli. Or we could talk about why we haven't thrown a single screen or smoke route to the league's best after the catch receiver. We threw a screen to Bess and smoke route to Hartline, which netted a total of 0 yds on Monday. Nothing to Marshall though. HUH??? We've gone deep to him a handful of times, with excellent results, why we don't do it more is a mystery to me. Why isn't Bess on the field more, he OBVIOUSLY creates more problems for the defense than Polite or whatever scrap heap TE we decide to claim off of waivers next. More 3 wide sets and less of the two TE stuff, please. Why don't we run left more? We did it vs NE b/c Wilfork was at RDE, but we don't do it all the much otherwise. Jake is a terrific run blocker, Incognito is a better drive blocker than puller, and most teams are using their FS to double Marshall (also a great blocker), so running weak side means running away from the defense's 8th run defender. If we insist on running right, why not put Marshall at FL instead of SE. Teams are jamming Marshall and putting a S over the top, that's a lot harder to do if he's on the strong side. If Donald Thomas was more versatile he'd still be on the team b/c he is a significantly better RG than either Procter and McQuistan. IMO's the WC has run it's course. Our draw and screen games are quietly god awful. More time working on basic tenets of offensive football and less time using gadgets. I liked it when we had no real weapons on offense, but at this point it's doing more harm than good. Defensively, can anyone other than Wake make a play? Setting the edge of the defense has become optional this year. I'm hoping Alama-Francis can help fix that b/c Misi and Wake struggle to hold the point. Can Soliai last more than a few snaps at a time? Our interior rushers are leaving too much space for QB's to step up and make throws, we need more push on the inside if the OLBs are going to reach their potential. Will Allen's knee had better be totally shot b/c after Vontae we don't have much at CB and the rest of the league knows it. If it's not shot, putting him on IR was an awful decision. Channing needs to come back, and soon. Shame on me for ever saying Dobbins would be just as good as him. Chris Clemons has been a pleasant surprise. He hasn't made any plays, he hasn't given up any plays, that works for me. Dansby is worth every penny, I can see from my living room that he's QB'ing the defense in a way that's been absent since Zach left. Danny Woodhead roasted him though . How about a kickoff specialist? That'll help our coverage unit a lot more than firing the coordinator. Marlon Moore isn't about to turn into a ST ace any time soon, so unless we want to have opponents starting near the 40 yd line for the rest of the season, we'll have to make some "Change You Can Believe In". If you want to bash the team, go ahead. I won't try to stop you, just choose another thread. I'd like to have a more detailed, X and O type discussion where no one's a bust, criminally incompetent, or a total failure, and kick around some solutions that don't involve hanging anyone from the goal posts, or sending threatening letters to their loved ones, PLEASE...
Well said sir. How do you feel about Carrol on kick returns? I thought he showed pretty good speed and a willingness to bounce it to the sidelines. Not like Cobbs where it's "run into the backs of my blockers".
i thought that was one of the few positives lost on monday. it looks like they're ready to make the switch and i think he'll be a major upgrade
i hope so. probably has to prove himself on KRs first. They're easier since you have more space between the defenders when you catch the ball. If he does well at KR maybe
Nice take GM.. couple things off the bat... did you see the head fake that Carroll put on the defender on the kick return?, it was very subtle and quick, but it was nice, and effective, its what got him past the thirty, and it let me know he was in the moment, and not scared... Iam not worried about Wake and the edge anymore, Iam watching him get better at it, and I dont see that big of deal moving forward...He has the skillset to be excellent at it, so strong to extend his arms, stifle the block and hold his position with his phenominal leverage...Bottom line, he's improving in that dept at a fast pace just like he has in his overall game....What an impressive display of linebacking he put on...He's not just a pass rusher. Henning to me, is a problem...The fact that he doesn't know what to call in certain favorable down and distance situation's is wrong on many levels, also our ratio of running on first down compared to passing, should be out of whack. I disagree about the wildcat, but iam sure you knew I would, lol...once again, not being used in proper down and distance scenario's... Ive seen a change in Bess on returns, someone got in his *** or somethin, that overall display he showed on monday nite was close to perfection...and his punt returns were very effective and direct, there was a conscious decision on his part to be decisive and to take the ball upfield... My main concern for our defense is 3rd down situation's...I think were gonna have to play strait up man and live with the results...Thats what our corners do best, and they have not shown they can defend 3rd down in zone...time to be more aggressive on third down, even if it means giving up a big play.I dont care...Rodgers will tear us up.. What I think nolan is trying to do is take advantage of wake's explosive pass rush by rushing minimal players and dropping maximum in zone....I'am not sure if its working.
I agree, Carrol has been our best KR, which isn't saying much unfortunately. The blocking hasn't been very good, that doesn't help things.
VG run down GM. I've seen a lot of improvement in Wake vs the run, dropping into coverage, and some in setting the edge. I believe that, with another few games, he will be solid in that regard. He appears obsessed to excel as a complete player. Misi is getting better but, still has a ways to go. I am hoping that Alama-Francis can help some in setting the edge on some run downs until he develops further, as you mentioned. In no way am I giving up on Smith. He has been slow in adapting to Nolan but, I believe he will in the near future. As I recall, teams were avoiding him last season, and picking on Davis. Agree on Clemons. I can live with not hearing his name called, although I see a pick coming next game. He has been MUCH better than I thought he was going to be. I also like Jones. He is a bit of a project with good ball skills and a nose for the ball. Mark him down in our future. Bess is solid on PR, and getting better. He is not going to fumble, and getting around a consistent 10 yards is fine. Caroll looks to be our best option at KR. I need to see more of him before calling him an answer.
