Luke Links: The 2009 "PLAYOFFS!" Edition
by Brad Wells on Jan 13, 2010 11:37 AM EST
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It's been a while since we did a Luke Links. Then again, our Colts haven't played a "meaningful" game in almost a month. But, like many of you, I am very happy that we finally have something to cheer for this Saturday. Also like many of you, I'm on pins and needles. This is a very big game, and there is a lot of pressure on the franchise to win it. With these links, we delve into the inner workings of this playoff contest that features two teams, and two cities, with a great deal of NFL history between them:
- Bill Polian had his radio show this past Monday, sans fan insults. According to Bill, the team is as healthy as it has been all season. This is very good news.
- 18to88 has written several very solid articles on how the 2009 Baltimore Ravens seem very similar to the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Pat McAfee might just be the Colts' own personal Rookie of the Year.
- In the victory over the Patriots last weekend in the Wildcard Round, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco set an NFL record for futility by passing for a net 34 yards. One of the reasons why Flacco has played so poorly of late is he is hurt.
- The Seahawks clearly violated the spirit of the Rooney Rule in hiring the moron that is Pete Carroll. They've tried to make up for it by asking if former-Colts coach Tony Dungy would accept a role as "President" of the Seahawks. Dungy declined.
- Matt Stover had mixed feelings this past weekend when the Ravens won over the Patriots. On one hand, his buddies in Baltimore won the day. On the other, he knows he has to beat them this weekend.
- More Stover, LovinBlue links to Stover's reaction to the Ravens win last weekend.
- Paul Kuharsky hearts Colts guard Kyle DeVan.
- John Oehser continues his yeoman's work in transcribing Monday's Bill Polian Show, telling us that Chad Simpson will retain his kick returning duties for the playoffs. Once again, LovinBlue gives us the link.
- And finally, the Colts are adding an extra level of intensity to their practices leading up to this Saturday's playoff game. Hopefully, it pays off.
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Can this week be going by any slower?
GO COLTS!!!!!!
Seems like everyone is having playoff parties. Anyone doing something especially awesome for the game? (besides attending the game, I dont want to hear it, you suck and I’m jealous)
Not only is my watch going backwards, but
My calendar actually flipped back to December on its own.
Personally, I am torn between not wanting to wait for this week’s game and the potential for perpetual youth…. I suppose if the calendar keeps going backwards, I can just halt it in Feb 2007 in Miami as Dungy lofts the Lombardi.
I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.
LMAO
The only thing that’s keeping me going today is that I’m running gazillions of NPV simulations on a bunch of projects. The analytical work is keeping my brain occupied, but I keep flipping back to SB to see what’s happening!
How can you not love a team that does this?
Thanks, BBS.
This is our first playoff game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
I also have an unusual affection for Kyle DeVan.
Let's just hope Matt Stover
doesn’t get too sentimental and starts missing field goals on Saturday..
GO COLTS!
Knowing Vinny
probably ok. I’ve read that he has “too much pain” in his knee when kicking. I mean, he’s probably not pleased to be injured, but he’s a team player.
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Jan 13, 2010 4:00 PM EST up reply actions
I don't remember where I read this
but I remember reading something to the effect of Vinny being very disappointed that he won’t be starting but also very supportive of Stover. All in all I think he’s fine with the decision.
Here's the quote:
“I don’t necessarily care for the decision. Obviously all of us want to be on the field as much as we can, but I understand their concerns as well,” he said. “I’m going to keep preparing like I’m going to be the guy that goes out on the field, and if it happens that way, great, and if it doesn’t, I’ll be a good cheerleader.”
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20101080339
Vinny’s a class act.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: This is JD's best daydream. Cracks me up every time.
plus I thought I read somewhere
that Vinny and Stover have been good friends for several years, so that probably helps
How can you not love a team that does this?
BBS just so you know the link about the seahawks is completely off base and false.
first off you dont call a coach a moron just cause you dont like the USC (sorry that is an assumption based on me seeing no other reason for the name calling).
Also the Seahawks didn’t violate the Rooney rule. The first interviewed or at least talked to Fraiser who was that (minority coach) (offensive coordinator) for us a few years back.
GO COLTS!!! 09 IS OURS!!!
previously known as (ANGELSFAITH)
by TheAngelsColts on Jan 13, 2010 12:20 PM EST reply actions
Carroll
The guy was a failure in the pros with the Jets and Pats. Now, he is coming to USC under a cloud of controversy after leaving USC under a cloud of controversy.
Also, reading comprehension:
The Seahawks clearly violated the spirit of the Rooney Rule…Tony Dungy accurately articulates the spirit of the Rooney Rule here and how the Seahawks thumbed their noses at it. Frazier was never a serious candidate. Now, they are married to Carroll and they will suck.
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yes, but do we really need the rooney rule anymore?
Look around the league now, and there are a good proportion of black head coaches. At some point the Rooney rule becomes more of an impediment, when teams just feel the need to interview someone because they are black to meet the requirement rather than because they are a quality candidate.
I have never been a fan of affirmative action especially once a minority group is well established in a workplace.
Who did Schneider interview before hiring shanahan? Which black candidate? Do you think he was anything other than a token? That I think is an insult – it is racism that you are interviewing based on someone’s skin colour because you have to…
An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing...
by bluegirl on Jan 13, 2010 12:42 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I think the rule is very relevant, but perhaps there need to be some changes to it in situations where a team has someone in mind in the first place, idk.
What I do know is that the rule desperately needs to be in college.
by vintagephoenix on Jan 13, 2010 1:01 PM EST up reply actions
in a way it is sorta a put down on minority canidates, it is like saying well here we will interview you cause
we feel bad for you. the idea of the rule is great but it has become a whole nother thing
GO COLTS!!! 09 IS OURS!!!
previously known as (ANGELSFAITH)
by TheAngelsColts on Jan 14, 2010 12:36 AM EST up reply actions
Carroll
Whenever his name comes up on TV, my father-in-law, who’s a longtime Pats fan, utters expletives and he’s a man who rarely curses. I feel bad for the Seahawks that they had to resort to him to take over the management of their franchise.
"Winning is not everything;the desire to win is" - Vince Lombardi
"Lomu's the Brent Spar with attitude. A figure who inspires hero worship among even those who think a fly-half is a glass of beer consumed when 'er indoors is looking the other way." - Robert Philip Daily
by rangerover76 on Jan 13, 2010 1:01 PM EST up reply actions
cant believe you would demean or not give a guy a chance because his first experience as a coach, he didn't do good.
all i know is he has been a great college coach, (everyone assumes he did things wrong and is leaving USC for that) but that is speculation not Fact. Also nothing i see says he cant do well for the seahawks so i dont think there doing anything like you say (having to resort to him)/
GO COLTS!!! 09 IS OURS!!!
previously known as (ANGELSFAITH)
by TheAngelsColts on Jan 14, 2010 12:39 AM EST up reply actions
The Carroll years weren't remembered with fondness in New England
But to be fair, he had a bunch of things against him, the biggest of which was the larger-than-life coach he was following, Bill Parcells. Carroll was the anti-Parcells in the locker room with players having too much freedom and no discipline. They took full advantage.
Fans were weary of anyone that might drag the Patriots back into the mire of bad ownership, coaching and personnel decisions they existed in for decades, and Carroll, as pumped and jacked as he was, was a step backwards in their opinion.
Pete Carroll was also stuck in a no-win coaching nightmare in New England, which spurred his “complete control” clause in Seattle. He was the head coach, but Bobby Grier was in charge of the roster and Andy Wasynczuk was in charge of their contracts. Carroll could neither pick the players nor have any say in how much they would be paid. Players knew they could go above him if they didn’t like something, and they did.
Keep the faith!
2005 Steelers/2009 Ravens
It’s worth pointing out that the circumstances are pretty different—some good and some bad—between those two years. The stuff that is MOST similar and eerie is, thankfully, like the Kennedy/Lincoln coincidences—pretty meaningless. (i.e the number of pts the Steelers/Ravens scored all season, the fact that we’re #1 and they’re #6—i.e. if we were 2 & 5 would the game be any different? No, but the concidences would not be as eerie.)
For me the biggest plus is the fact that we already have a ring, suffered through that 2005 loss, and won 7 CFB games this year, unlike the 2005 romp and stomp team. The biggest negative is Ray Rice is a deadlier weapon than any RB/WR the Steelers had in 2005; possibly balanced out by the fact that an injured Flacco is not even CLOSE to Ben R.
And Coyer cannot be so stupid as to not change his calls if Balt opens the game with 15 consecutive passes, can he?
Now if Stover shanks a FG about 30 yards wide and we lose by 3 after Nick Harper’s wife stabs Jacob Lacey in the leg, well then, let the conspiracy theorists have at it.
(And… if it all happens that way, can somebody please throw that lady in the nuthouse/jail before our next playoff game? Thanks.)
I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.
LOL.
Now if Stover shanks a FG about 30 yards wide and we lose by 3 after Nick Harper’s wife stabs Jacob Lacey in the leg, well then, let the conspiracy theorists have at it.
Classic.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: This is JD's best daydream. Cracks me up every time.
Rooney rule...
Such an obvious affirmative action tool/weapon shouldn’t be necessary today. Just like “you play to win the game” – “you hire to win it all” should be the mantra. It’s like the government and its oppressive diversity hiring programs – people are afraid to hire the best person for the job these days – if that person happens to not be a “person of color” .
Bottom-line - hire the best person for the job, regardless of their ethnicity or cultural makeup.
Until we all can agree to this – we will forever be caught in the suckage of the “Diversity Industry”
It doesn't force anyone to hire anyone
I don’t think you know what this rule is.
"About a month ago I got a cactus. A week later, it died. I was really depressed because I was like 'Damn! I am less nurturing than a desert.' (Ladies, that's not true)"
So ready for this game....
I’m getting tired of those who think the Colts are somehow “scared” of the Ravens because the Ravens can run the ball and somehow “know how to beat the Colts” even though they can’t.
Tiki Barber was on the radio trying to break down this game and his points were laughable…..stop me if you have heard this before.
1. Colts can’t stop the run and can look bad on D at times
2. Ravens are good at running the ball
3. Colts don’t have a top running game
4. Ravens are physical
5. Peyton Manning doesn’t like playing against 3-4 defenses
and on and on again. The same tired old stories that used to be true about 5 years ago.
Anyways, I am expecting a Colts victory, whether by a lot or in a close game. I am leaning towards the Colts winning by double digits personally and I have never heard of a #1 seed with the best record in the league that has won a SB recently (by the way only the Ravens and Steelers have also won a SB before and that was with completely different players and coaches all around) which got so little respect.
I won’t be at the game, but I hope everyone who goes (including the old blue hairs) drinks enough to lose their voice by the 4th quarter.
I don't always drink beer....but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.
First, I love the the matt stover song
I hate it but something compels me to listen to the whole thing, through to the end, over and over…. The link about Stover’s “feelings” about competing against the ravens took me to a ravens team page. I scrolled through the comments and was shocked by all the Indy hate. They were all like “I hope stover breaks his leg!” (that a\was a popular one). “I hope stover and manning both break their legs!” Then there was “I hope stover breaks his leg while we’re blocking a kick!”
I can’t wait for Saturday. I think the Colts will win convincingly. It might take a quarter or two for Manning to fully break them down, but he will, like a hillbilly ninja, kick kick chop, we’re on the 4 and Addai runs in untouched. Our D has something to prove (again) stopping an awesome running back. I like the aggressive edge. Collie’s going to have a big night (if he doesn’t get the droppsies) and Dallas Clark will be covered by and LB for half the game. Reggie will catch toe-dragging deep-outs, and catch a fade or two in the endzone. I love the smell of fireworks in the Luke….
I would like to be the first to welcome Ravens fans this weekend. I hope you slip on the rats and break your legs.
by naptown_ninja on Jan 13, 2010 6:32 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd!
Your entire post is a thing of beauty!
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Jan 13, 2010 7:35 PM EST up reply actions
what's this "Ravens" team you speak of?
I thought we were hosting the Professional Football Franchinse From Baltimore.
by flores salicis on Jan 13, 2010 7:43 PM EST up reply actions
What makes it even funnier
is that Kravitz is now calling them that in all his columns as a response to the M&T Bank Stadium guys not announcing us as the Indianapolis Colts.
Is was just a matter of time until there was a backlash from Indy at all this irrational hate.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: This is JD's best daydream. Cracks me up every time.
Their whole fucking blog
was old timers crying about how much they hate the Irsays, and the records belong in Baltimore, and yada yada yada… It’s pathetic. I guess “I hope he breaks his leg!” sounds hard to these guys. It was a generation ago. They should let it die and embrace their team instead of disrespecting them by coveting the horseshoe
by naptown_ninja on Jan 13, 2010 10:01 PM EST up reply actions
I want to see Addai
juke Ray Lewis out of his jockstrap again. That was one of the highlights of the season.
Oh, and consider your comment rec’d.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: This is JD's best daydream. Cracks me up every time.
Not at the table Carlos
Classic
I don't always drink beer....but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.
by AceOfSpades on Jan 13, 2010 10:48 PM EST up reply actions
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