DVOA on the Colts (week 8)

Shake its good to talk numbers and show stats,but what I’m interested in is how the Colts play on the field.And never in the game did they look like having the ability to drive down the field.Both the TD’s were very good,admitted.But what happened after that?And the play calling has been so bad this time,i dunno if Peyton’s choosing those bad plays or Tom Moore’s giving him the bad plays but still,the play calling has sucked.Except for the 2nd TD for Clark when it was absolutely what we’ve come to expect from Manning,picking up the blitz and burning the D for a TD.

Nowhere during the game did our secondary look like even creating some pressure on the receivers.Our WR’s could hardly ever get free,and the Titans receivers had all the time to get in position,either down the field or for short yardage passing.

Without a sustained running game,even though we’re doing it pretty well(kudos to Dom and Chad Simpson who looked good last game),we just don’t seem to keep going to the run game EVEN though its working.I don’t remember how many times we tried to pass on a 3rd and short situation,but it was frustrating to see peyton not hooking up with the receivers to get those yards,instead of just running the damn ball.

I know there are positives too,like the run D is getting better.But then just HOW many times did we see the Titans pass on a 3rd down and easily get a first down?The ST is looking much better than last year,but we still don’t have that “spark” to return a kick or a punt for a TD.A 20/30 yd return is what we expect everytime.The running game’s looking good too,and the o-line.But what good does it do if we can’t get those key 3rd down conversions?

I have great faith in this Colts team,the talent is undeniable.But they DO NOT look like a team which can go on a 5-6 game winning streak now.I hope i am wrong.I so badly hope i’m wrong,because i don’t think i can watch another game like this.

The Colts defense is no longer the problem. It hasn’t been since the houston game. It’s enjoyable to listen to announcers, experts, and fans rail, cry, poopoo, moan, etc… about the defense. The defense. is. not. the. prob. lem. I don’t need DVOA, efficiency ratings, or pronouncements from God to know this – i have 2 eyeballs and a brain. Special teams is not the problem. The only part of this team not living up to its end of the bargain is the offense. This isn’t even a post stating ‘The defense only makes 2% of the payroll, so they should do 2% of the work’. I’m stating: They held the Packers, Ravens, and Titans to below average rushing totals and yards per attempt. The only thing that was above average for the packers and titans? Attempts. And the only reason the attempts were so high was because the offense never put points on the board.

As for Sanders, Hayden and Addai being a spark? Why? The ONLY one of those 3 that would greatly outperform the person that has replaced them is Hayden. Hayden over Jennings will be a monumental upgrade, assuming that Hayden is completely healthy. Bullitt has played a better overall game than Sanders. No, he’s not as good against the run as Sanders, no he doesn’t make the big hit like sanders, and no, he might not be the ‘blah blah blah emotional leader’ like sanders, but he can cover better and he is rarely out of position.

As for Addai, I said this 3 weeks ago and the thought police were all up in arms: Dominic Rhodes is doing a better job than Addai could do. Addai’s season before his ‘major’ injury could be summed up in 3 letters: D D R. (If you don’t know what that means, look it up).

I’m sure that Addai is the more talented back, but here’s the thing: Dominic Rhodes gets the ball, goes in a straight line, falls down, gets 4.1 yards per carry. He doesn’t do a little dance. He doesn’t make a little love. He doesn’t get down tonight. He just consistently moves his feet and goes north and south.

The one person that we NEED back, that will apparently not be back, is Lilja. Pollack is inconsistent, when he’s good, he’s good, but when he’s bad, its scary. The offensive line isn’t good enough at holding blocks to run the stretch. And I don’t know what the hell Tony Ugoh was doing the other night, but he just kinda stood there blocking Rhodes.

So yea, again, in my comeback performace of the year, I’m once again stating the obvious: A reliance on a system that constantly thinks that the Eagles are the greatest team on the planet year in and year out to make decisions for your mind is really bad judgement. Use your brain, watch the games.