Recapping the Chargers loss
by shake n bake on Jan 4, 2009 12:15 PM EST
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PrintThey just weren't good enough to overcome a few bad breaks. They could have easily won this game and could beat any other team in the playoffs, but the Colts team that took the field yesterday wasn't good enough to insure a victory. When Scifers booming punts suddenly died inside the 5 instead of continuing to fly into the endzone, when the strip that the Colts DBs had been going for all game (at the expense of their tackling) came it fell right below Gates where he fell on it, when the most flag happy refs in the NFL happened to see all 3 Colts penalties on the Chargers final drive after missing many throughout the first 4 quarters, this Colts team wasn't good enough to overcome it.
They weren't good enough to overcome Gary Brackett on the sidelines, or a 3rd string guard on an already struggling line. They didn't have what it took to replace their top two NTs and 3 cornerbacks.
The best team is the team that is good enough to overcome their bad breaks and capitalize on their good breaks. Sometimes the breaks stack the odds against a team, but to be the best they have to overcome it.
To the angry little people that throw around that "four letter word," Choke. This was as mild of a surprize football wise as you will find. The Colts were favored by a point or it was a pick. The game went to overtime. FO's playoff odds put the Colts at 13 to 1 at winning the AFC and 28 to 1 of winning the superbowl. This team was counting on a miracle run.
They weren't good enough to make it.
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I think it came down to...
homefield advantage. Sigh.
Thanks for the season Colts, you made the games very interesting. Now who is the special team coach and why aren’t they fired yet? Year after freaking year…
Go Colts!
Good run
This season was a tough one for you guys but you made the best of it. The injury bug is a killer that comes from no where. I am sorry to see the loss, but on a selfish not I am glad that we will not have to play you guys. You are a great team with a well deserved MVP at the QB spot. Now if you guys will put on the two toned blue for the rest of the season and support your brothers from the south, we would appreciate it. Get healed up and I look forward to more of our epic battles next year.
Someone once said "Vince Young bleeds two toned blue!" But I disagree, because The Great One Doesnt Bleed!!
Thanks, Vincanity.
That was a kind post. We are feeling down here, but in hindsight we just weren’t good enough this year. Particularly on the offensive line. It would have cost us somewhere. And no matter when you lose in the postseason, it sucks. So it goes.
Anyhow, I’m still too numb to be interested or cheer for anyone today still, but I am sure that will get better. And I am sure that the Titans will represent the AFC South well.
by coltsfanawalt on Jan 4, 2009 11:42 PM EST up reply actions
That was a crazy, exausting game
Tottally agree on most of your take. That punter killed the colts field position.
How many times did the D have them at 3 rd and long, only to give up 9yd run, scramble or screen pass? It seem like a lot.
nice summary
And on the other hand...
San Diego was able to overcome their few bad breaks. I think field position and our lack of running game was the main culprit for the loss in my opinion.
by ColtsFanNChiTown on Jan 4, 2009 1:06 PM EST reply actions
Any interest...
… in a thread for today’s games? I know it’s hard after last night’s loss, but could be a good way to rechannel the energy.
i am interested...
go dolph… (cries)… phins!
Go Colts!
by Marked Hoosier on Jan 4, 2009 1:21 PM EST up reply actions
overall i am proud of this team. I went to bed shortly after the game was over and pretty much laid in bed for 5 1/2 hours thinking about the what-ifs. This was definitely one of the harder playoff losses to take, but I kept thinking about how this team was left for dead at 3-4 with little playoff hope. Manning pretty much willed them to 9 wins in a row and I think he was hoping that the run game would show up and the defense would play lightsout, but that didn’t happen. Let’s face it, if you can’t run or stop the run (we did very little of both) you aren’t going to get very far in the playoffs.
So it’s back tot he drawing board, I think we are going to see a decent amount of changes with the colts, from coaching staff to players.
As for the rest of playoffs, I’m not really rooting for anyone in particular although I dont want the chargers, titans, or Baltimore to win. Anyone else would be fine with me.
I am very disappointed in the d AND OFFENSE. its not like the SD d was any good. the o line was a huge problem as we knew before we even started this game. pure and simple peyton didnt have enough time to throw. dont even get me going on the running game or their punting. and I thought the play calling was mostly horrendous. 3rd and 2 and run a play with no rb to block? and then get sacked at the one. there is no excuse for them not getting that first down and the game is over. that was a HUGE (yes I know you hate to hear this word but Im going to say it anyways….CHOKE. again. other than the superbowl year have they ever won A playoff game in the 21st century?
ron winter SUCKS. that call at the end…you cant make that call. he needs to not ever ref another colt game. when I saw him on the very first call and knew he basically flagged us to death on the green bay game I knew it wasnt going to be good. and Im not blaming the refs on this game because we blew it in so many spots but still….both teams are holding and doing that. that was such a bullcrap call. its 4th down and it would have been very interesting to see what would have happened next. peyton starts at the 1 (supposedly) and does he make a miraculous comback again? we will never know. and peyton you have to call tails in OT??? I couldnt believe he called heads. heads its a death call
Im very disappointed to say the least. I know that 9 game winning streak was pretty lucky but I really thought the would win one game. and then when denver lost I just thought this could be very bad and it was…playing SD at SD with their 4 less wins. they simply cant beat SD in the playoffs. I think SD gets waxed the next game and GOOD. the only team left for me to cheer for is the panthers and the vikings. cant stand any team in the AFC. but the vikings I know they are about to get waxed today too
BUT I just KNEW I was due for heartbreaker with all my teams winning in recent weeks including my beloved hawkeyes. the law of averages was creeping up and it did
I thought the coaching staff did a very poor job too. dungy throwing the ref flag on that questionable review. he waits another play and he wins the next one. gonzalez had a huge drop and harrison is done which is very sad too.
its going to be a long summer but Im still proud of the colts and their mostly amazing season of peyton getting hurt and all the hurt guys they had missing. peyton deserved the mpv and I wish he would have had just one more chance to show why he got it!
LOL!
NEVER CALL HEADS! I was saying the same thing…ugh.
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Jan 5, 2009 12:24 PM EST up reply actions
Are the Colts the "paper tiger" that Kravitz says?
I live in Northern California, so don’t regularly read the IndyStar and know whether Kravitz is someone you respect… my read of his article is that we are a step away from years of rebuilding what amounts to the entire team (except Manning, in which case Manning’s talent might be wasted). Thoughts?
Where is the outrage?
I have to say the overall tone of this blog following playoff losses is a lot of excuses. Bad luck, missed calls, etc. Where’s the self-evaluation? There are very few teams in NFL history (maybe none) who have won as much in the regular season and won as little in the post season. And I’m not just talking super bowls. The Colts have just 2 AFC championship game appearances in the 2000s. They have 3 first-round home losses which is far below the NFL average for teams in the same spots.
Where’s the analysis of why the Colts are different in the postseasons vs. the regular season? Where’s the criticism of Dungy and the coaching staff for not trying something new for the playoffs? Instead, there are always a lot of excuses here?
no teams have won as much in the regular season
and only one team in recent history has won more titles.
Shonn Greene for Heisman
Doak Walker award winner
144 yards per game
6.2 yards per carry
08 TDs per game > 06 GPA
Cold comfort
for a fan of a team that has consistently found a way to win in the regular season and almost as consistently found a way to lose in the post season. Oh well, about 20 years from now I’ll be able to look back and say, “Boy, we sure won a lot of regular season games. We were one of the above average teams of that era.”
Better luck next year.
As a Charger fan I say this with the most respect for the Colts and Your MVP Payton Manning. Of course I said the same thing last year. You guys have a good team, but you can’t rely on Payton to take you all the way by himself. Don’t blame the loss on the officials. When was the last time you could say you won the game with your special teams or your running game. Maybe it’s time for a change. If the Chargers had lost I would have wanted to see the Colts go all the way. They are a class act. I can see many of your fans are the same. Chargers live to see another game. Go Chargers !!!
Thanks.
And you are right. It would be difficult for Peyton to take us all the way all alone. Especially with that line.
by coltsfanawalt on Jan 4, 2009 11:46 PM EST up reply actions
There's an idiot
On a different site I’m on who of course is solely blaming the officials. I told him that’s just ignorant, and he responds with this:
“Ask your mom to bring some more oreos down to the basement, I bet you’re getting hungry by now.”
I’m glad the people on this site have comment sense, and don’t use 3rd grade insults.
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Must be double stuff oreos...
Let’s not forget that Peyton is a two sport jock…the Colts and the DSL…heh heh heh.
My only solace yesterday was seeing that commercial with the Williams’ sisters… :S
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Jan 5, 2009 12:32 PM EST up reply actions
Referees are no excuse
I disagree with shake n bake’s comment about the referees being whistle-happy at the end. Blaming the refs has always been in my eyes a cheap excuse. Well disciplined teams don’t give the refs the opportunity to make the calls, and good teams find ways to overcome bad situations. The Colts clearly committed the penalties and got called out on them. I think it was a case of a game slipping away snowballing into flat out panic for a defense that was running out of steam and answers.
Other than that, I agree with most everything else. Adding to that, the Colts running game never got into a rhythm. There were a few good spurts here and there, but rushing attempts were mostly anemic at best, much like they’ve been all season long. San Diego and Darren Sproles kept their running game formidable, whereas their defense didn’t have to worry about whether they should cover the run or the pass, as they had the run locked down to where the Colts rushing game was unreliable and knew Manning was likely going to throw when the chips were down.
But I am simply amazed at the great job Scifres did totally nailing the Colts deep. Brilliant performance on special teams by the Chargers…they never gave the Colts a chance at a good footing.
Despite the struggles, it was still a close game all the way through, and it was up for grabs for whoever wanted it. San Diego played a better game and outwilled the Colts to victory. Kudos to them for a great game, and hopefully the Colts learn from what didn’t work this season and take the appropriate steps to fix those problems.
Run defense/Offensive line/Running game
There are two key areas IMO that the Colts need to address first. Run defense and offensive line. The Colts’ inability to stop opposition’s running game is the primary factor. The offensive line is just too brittle (even with full strength). If Manning had those extra second or two on the 3rd and 2, it could have been different. Our running game, frankly, sucks. Addai jumps, dances, moves laterally more than he moves down the field, and that is without a smudge of sarcasm. He gives the defense so much time to block any holes in the lines that even a poor defense is able to stop the Colts’ running game.
The referees were a bit whistle happy
BUT, it’s not a reason for the loss. They were penalties just pretty weak ones. The refs had nothing to do with the position we were in. We just lost. Give that punter a medal and start figuring out how we’re to run the ball next year.
Let's go Colts!
I hate Scifres right now.
And as Shake referenced elsewhere, Sproles is a demon spawned from the bowels of Lucifer. Or at least he is really good. Jerks.
Unfortunately
Sproles is a demon which we can’t / didn’t handle. Did you see how Arizona handled “The Burner”? It’s just that our D sucks at defending the run. And what the heck was Addai doing? Auditioning for “Dancing with the stars”? Why wasn’t Dom given more touches? I see him in maybe 3-4 plays. I agree on the Scifres hate too. Bastard had a stupid grin on his face after downing a punt on the 1-yard line. Well, for the next week I’m honestly a Steeler fan. Let’s hope Harrison wipes that smirk off Rivers’s mug and Troy puts a big hit on Sproles. Fck I hate the Indy D so much now.
SD seems to have emerged as the new NE for the Colts in the playoffs. Kryptonite!
"Winning is not everything;the desire to win is" - Vince Lombardi
by rangerover76 on Jan 5, 2009 12:32 AM EST up reply actions
Hatin'
While we’re on the hatin’ kick, what about Gates? His ankle sure didn’t look busted to me. He doesn’t practice all week and then all of a sudden he’s good to go.
by TouchdownMonkey on Jan 5, 2009 9:55 AM EST up reply actions
We've been played.
It was all a ploy. The guy was fine all along. Conspiracy, I say!
by coltsfanawalt on Jan 5, 2009 9:57 AM EST up reply actions
I agree...
desperation. And what was with switching up the D when the clock got down past 10 seconds..it was smart. I just don’t understand why Peyton continued to take the clock down that far. The time he had that hard count at about 12 seconds totally burned the Chargers…
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Jan 5, 2009 12:36 PM EST up reply actions
You're right.
SD has become to us what NE used yo be. Hopefully we can ovrcome that on this next season.
by coltsfanawalt on Jan 5, 2009 9:58 AM EST up reply actions
Whats wrong with the Colts?
The loss sucks. Several things (not just defense) IMO went/are wrong.
1. Run defense
2. Tacking, yards after tackle.
3. Running game
4. Offensive line creating opportunities for running game.
5. Offense is not balanced; every team knows whats coming
6. Running backs (Addai in particular) who jump and move laterally more than down the field.
IND-SD
I will say it was one of the most entertaining post season games in recent memory. Catching the Chargers off guard for that long touchdown was classic Manning. That’s why he’s a great field general.
The only thing that irks me is the title of the article. Please don’t call it “Recapping the Chargers loss” when the Chargers didn’t lose. Call it what it should be called, “Recapping the Colts loss” or “Recapping the loss to the Chargers”.
Other than that little tidbit see ya’ll next season.
Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Fred Taylor. Sounds about right.
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